Author:
Seabreeze Of The Giggling Gang
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 22:22:43 03/03/04 Wed
My name is Seabreeze, Before I tell you the story of how I came to Redwall, I’d like to tell you a little bit about myself. My full name is Seabreeze Whitewater but my friends call me Seabreeze or Silver. I’m an ottermaid with turquoise eyes, bright silver fur (hence my nickname) and I’m kind of short for my age I but other than that I look fairly normal. I’m the daughter of Darian and Danica Whitewater.
In my holt (holt Whitewater) there was a superstition about kits born with silver fur. It was said that silver furred kits would face many hardships in their lifetime, but they would overcome them all and someday be heroes. Only otters from the Whitewater family were born with silver fur. There were very few of them. In the past all of them had been males who left the holt at a young age to look for adventures. All that changed when I was born.
I was the first female kit to be born with silver fur. This made my father happy because he thought it meant that I would be tough. My mother, however, was very worried. She didn’t like the thought of her baby suffering. She was very protective of me and was constantly worrying about my safety. Despite my mother’s worries, my father insisted that I have the mark of my holt just as he and my mother did. The mark was a small wavy blue line that is tattooed on the paw of every member of holt Whitewater. It doesn’t matter which paw it’s on as long as it’s there. Mine is on the back of my right fore paw. New kits got the mark a month or so after they are born.
Only two days after I was given the mark, my holt was attacked by vermin. I had only just leaned to walk. The entire holt was killed by the vermin except for me and an old otter named Calum. Calum was the only reason they didn’t kill me. He wouldn’t let them touch me unless they killed him first. They were going to do just that when the leader (a nasty looking weasel named Cruelfang) decided he’d rather make us his slaves. So they let us live, if you can call it living. Calum cooked for the vermin and kept me out of their way.
Calum was like a loving grandfather to me. He told me the history of our holt, and told me the significance of my silver fur. After some seasons had passed I became very sick. With Calum’s help I survived, but Calum didn’t. Soon after Calum died the vermin started dropping like flies. Killed by the sickness that I had gotten. They all died. The last to go was their leader, Cruelfang. For the first time I could remember I was free.
It was the middle of winter and I knew if I didn’t find some shelter soon I’d freeze to death. I was already beaten, half starved and very cold. I probably wouldn’t have survived the night if Skipper and Deyna hadn’t found me. I was only half conscious when Deyna spotted me. I remember hearing surprised voices, then somebeast wrapped me in a big warm cloak. The voices spoke in low tones then I was lifted by a pair of strong but gentle paws. They began to carry me somewhere. Sometime during the trip I must have fallen asleep because I had a strange dream. I saw a mouse in armor, carrying a big sword(I found out later what you have probably already figured out, that the mouse was Martin the Warrior). He walked toward me and laid the end of his sword on the back of my right paw, next to the mark of my holt. He looked into my eyes and then he looked through them right into me. Suddenly he spoke, his voice was like a calm breeze and distant thunder all at once.
O little otter maid
I see great strength in you
and though you are gentle
you are a fighter too
Your fight isn’t over yet
though your journeys nearly done
fight on, fight on! Do not give up
till the day the battles won
do not forget your family
your fur is not a curse
no matter how bad things get
you must put others first
Then he faded into the distance.
I woke up to the sound of somebeast pounding a hollow log. I opened my eyes and saw two big male otters standing nearby(Deyna and Skipper). The taller one(Deyna) saw that I was awake, so he came over and spoke to me. "It’s all right little one, nobeasts gona hurt you." I was shivering all over and was very scared but the big otter’s voice calmed my fears somewhat. Then I heard another voice. It was cracked with age but it didn’t sound too unfriendly. An old female otter, bent with age came out of the bushes. The shorter otter(Skipper) went over and talked with her for a few minutes, then the tall one joined in. I couldn’t hear what was said, but soon they came over to where I was sitting. The old one looked me over, "Hmmmm, Dis’n not hurt bad. Yerrrs, not take Rukky long to be’s fixin’ dis wan. She gots shiny furrrrs, I like this one, I fix her gooood." They went off for a minute and talked amongst themselves again. Then Skipper started making soup and Deyna picked me up and followed Rukky to her den. I fell asleep again almost as soon as he put me down.
Rukky had me all fixed up by the next evening. She said it was all right for Skipper and Deyna to talk to me. "So you got a name liddle one?" asked Skipper. I told him my name and the name of my holt. Then Deyna asked, "Are you all by yourself or is your family somewhere around here?" Tears came to my eyes as I realized for the first time that now that Calum was dead I was the last living member of holt Whitewater. I wiped a paw over my eyes and told them the whole story. "I don’t even remember my parents." I said when I’d finished my tale. For a minute nobeast said anything. Then Rukky shooed Deyna and Skipper way, telling them I’d need my sleep if they wanted to have an early start in the morning. I was to sad and sleepy to think about what she said.
Deyna woke me up early the next morning. I was surprised and a little sad when he told me that he and Skipper were leaving, but I was very surprised and happy to hear that they were taking me with them. He said we were going to a place called Redwall abbey and that I would like it there. I just hoped somebeast there would like me. We started right after an early breakfast and didn’t stop till that evening when we made camp and ate dinner. The next day Deyna and Skipper decided we could make better time if I road on Deyna’s back. Skipper helped me up and again we were off, though quite a bit faster this time. We traveled like that for a few more days with Skipper and Deyna taking turns carrying me. Then late one evening we finally reached Redwall.
Skipper set me down and Deyna hollered for somebeast to open the door. The moment the door opened and we stepped inside we were surrounded by abbey dwellers. I was hiding behind Skipper so nobeast noticed me at first. Then Filorn, Deyna’s mother saw me. "My, my, who’s this little ragamuffin you’ve brought in with you?" Then everybeast saw me and they all started talking at once. Abbess Mhera finally restored order and addressed the crowd. "Listen, I’m sure Deyna and Skipper will tell us all about their young friend, but first lets go inside before we all freeze to death." So we all went in. It was late and Filorn must have seen that I was tiered because she and Mhera took me upstairs and put me in bed. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. When Mhera and Filorn came down, Deyna and Skipper told them my story. When I woke up I was given new clothes. That was the first time I’d ever had new clothes as far as I could remember, I almost cried.
Soon after I came to Redwall I heard about D.A.B. and wanted to join so that I could make some new friends. My first D.A.B. friend was Ivy Treewifler. Since then I’ve made lots of new friends. I’m very happy here at Redwall, but every time I walk through Great Hall, I’m reminded that one day, more difficulties will come my way. But for now I’m just fine right here.
The End
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
|
Feedback: 
The Legend of the Silver Otters of Holt Whitewater (Warning! This one is very long!)