| Subject: Biography of the Anti-vermin. |
Author:
Starpaw
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Date Posted: 09:01:02 08/29/04 Sun
Vermin is a common term for weasels, ferrets, rats, stoats..all of the like. As a ferret, and a well-educated one indeed, I find that vermin can be an insult. Being a ferret, and called vermin far too many times than necessary (yes, some were necessary)I consider it an insult. Hey, even creatures who KNOW they're vermin being called vermin.
I was not a good creature when I was born...though young, I was taught in the evil way, was good, being curteous was punishable, etc.
When I was young, my mother, a notoriously evil ferret who I was still young enough not to know the name of, but old ebough to know that she was notoriously evil, was going through a time of trouble. This was because her husband and my father, a simple soldier, no rank whatsoever, had died in a recent battle with the hares of Salamandastron. My mother then decided she would make a home for herself far away from the horde she was a soldier in and take me with her.
So she deserted.
Within days, we were far away from her horde, and even farther away from Salamandastron. We found out that living alone was easier than living as part of a horde. We were both well fed and happy.
But that ended seemingly as quick as it began.
We began seeing searching parties, while we hid away to stay unnoticed. they were out to kill the desrter: Mother.
One day she took me to a small clearing and said she was going to gather berries. I stayed put for about two days before I realized she wasn't coming back.
And I bagan to cry. And I cried. And cried...until I was aware of someone watching me.
I faced the intruder, an old female hare. I closed in on her, backing her against the trunk of a huge oak tree. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I was told by mother years ago to keep my victims trapped. Then old mother hare seemed to know what I was doing apparently, and she whacked me on the nose with her paw. "Back away from me, vermin, you aren't attacking me!" I beagn to cry again.
"I'b not a verbin, I'b a ferret. You 'urted me!" (my voice was affected because of my sore nose)The old hare seemed softened by my tears.
"Hush now, its okay. Where is your mother, now?"
I sniffed. "She went away. I don't know where she is!"
"Come with me, dear," she said,"lets walk back to my house, then you can tell me how you became like this"
She led me on a path hidden by a low branch through the forest.
We arrived at a small den under the roots of a tree. Sipping cool motherwort tea, I recited the story of my life to that hare, from when my mother deserted the horde to when she deserted me.
The mother hare seemed thoroughly interested.
"I lost a husband once, lost him fighting a jolly load of vermin at Salamandastron!Might have been the same horde yore mother was in."
So she raised me as ahare. I learned to read and write, and to speak correctly, be good to creatures among other things. But as I grew older, I decided I was unlike my adopted mother. I decided to leave her home one day, and after a tearful farewell, I set off to seek other creatures like me, but always keeping in mind what my adoptive mother made me promise: I would never hurt or kill a good creature.
Without thinking where I was going one evening, I managed to lose my balance while climbing down a hill. I rolled right down the the riverbank, then fell in.
I was swept down the river, fearing I would never get back on the banks when I grabbed hold of a low tree branch hanging over the stream. I climed onto it and soon fell asleep.
I was rescued, I realized the next morning, as I saw many strange creatures swimming around in the water around my tree branch.
They had funny tails and the could swim wonderfully, unlike me who was swept down the river though it was only slightly fast.
"Look here, mates, I've found a little ferret what thinks she's a squirrel!"
One otter about my age pointed me out to the rest. I sat up and introduced myself as Starpaw, the name my adopted mother gave me because of the six-pointed star birthmark on my paw. They seemed rather trusting of me despite the fact that I was a ferret. They took me to where they were going that day: Redwall Abbey where the friendly otter I had had met had said she lived.
After an hour or so of trekking, we arrived at Redwall. I was amazed at it: beautiful tapestries, wonderful food, nice creatures..I was bound to stay.
So I did. And that is how I am now, happy, content, and in no way vermin.
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