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| - Stardust giggled and managed to crawl to the door this time before her mother caught her. "Gotcha you little rascal!" The baby mouse giggled and munched on her candied chestnut. Looking out the window, she saw her husband, Kalvar the Ranger striding towards the door. Gathering Stardust up in a blanket, she exited their room, heading down to the Great Hall for breakfast.
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* Kalvar sat at the head of the table with the leaders of Redwall, and grabbed a bowl of porridge. Velvet sat next to him, holding their newborn babe. He scratched Stardust's ears, who grabbed his claw and nibbled. He laughed. "I'd say she's hungry." Mattimeo slid a bowl across to him the mousemaid and her child. "Here, porridge with honey spread on top." As the creatures ate, Matthias and Kalvar conversed across the table. "So its south and west to the coast?" Matthias asked. Kalvar nodded. "Aye, and then south." Pius interrupted. "I might ask, where do you plan on going?" Kalvar stirred his porridge. "South, to some large castle." Pius scratched his chin, then leaned over to the recorder, Tim Churchmouse, whispering to him. Tim whispered back, then hopped out of his chair and strode out the front door. Abbot Pius explained. "I do believe that Tim has mentioned such a castle before, from the time of another Redwall warrior." Tirdea the ferret walked up, carrying his bowl. "Speaking of warriors, we've got a lead on where the sword of Martin the Warrior went. The claw marks we found around the hooks suggest that a bird took off with it. I had Tripolius take a look, and he thinks that a southern magpie took off with it." "South..." Kalvar said. "Good, that's the way we're headed. The Father Abbot stuck his paws in to the arms of his habit. "So who all is going?" Basil finished off his bowl of porridge and reached for the ladle to get some more. "It'll be Matthias, Kalvar, Mattimeo, Jess, Sam, Angelica, Logalog and my good self. Mmm, jolly good scoff, wot." Pius pushed his empty bowl a paw length away from him. "That's quite the party." Kalvar smiled. "I shouldn't have to tell you about the 'party' I brought here." "Very well. I'll have traveling rations made for you, but you'll be living off the land." Matthias did the same with his bowl. "We'll survive." Kalvar finished his bowl and turned to look at his daughter, who was blissfully munching on a strawberry, a smile on her face. "Yes, we will."
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* Velvet was nursing her daughter when Kalvar unlocked the door and entered their room. He went to his weapons locker and pulled out his freshly repaired armor, which had been beaten to shreds during his fight with Dakkar the Warlord. "You're leaving tomorrow?" He went back to the locker and pulled out his weapons. Sword, dagger, and moonwood bow with a full quiver of arrows. "Yes. I'll be gone before you wake up." She stood and went to stand next to him, still holding Stardust. "Don't be long." He looked at her and smiled. "Never planned on being too long." He folded up the arm of his tunic a bit and pulled a golden bracelet off. "Take this." She took it in one paw. The bracelet glinted in the sunlight, and she saw curious, square patterns adorning it. Turning it over in her paw, she saw a strung bow and a sword, crossed underneath a round shield. A creature, its species unidentifiable, was embossed at the center of the shield. Two paws with their claws pointed upward adorned either side of this creature, and each claw was different. On one paw there was a claw each for moles, hedgehogs, mice, hares, and otters, and on the other paw were claws for rats, ferrets, weasels, stoats, and foxes. This whole configuration was raised slightly. It felt smooth as she ran a finger along it. The pattern had been skillfully engraved so that focusing on one particular portion of it brought that one to the fore, and all the others blurred out. Attempting to focus on the entire thing proved impossible. "What's it for?" "Its a symbol, to identify a Ranger wherever they may go. We only give these to the creature we hold most dear. Wherever you go, as long as you hold that, any Ranger will help you. You'll be safe here, with my Rangers." "What if you need it?" He held up his other paw, showing her another bracelet around his wrist. It had some dark material in the engraved area. "We always carry two for this reason." She slipped it around her wrist, studying it in the light. Stardust wriggled deeper in to the folds of her blankets, falling asleep. Kalvar stepped forward and laid his paw on the mousebabe's head, then hugged his wife. "Before the autumn leaves fall again, we will see each other." They went to sleep that night in a sad, but hopeful mood.
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