[Redwall 21[ - The Sable Quean by Brian Jacques

Author:Brian Jacques [Jacques, Brian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy
ISBN: 9780399251641
Publisher: Philomel
Published: 2010-02-04T08:00:00+00:00

Being the resourceful creature he was, and fearing for his young life, Diggs took what he considered to be the appropriate course of action. He bit her footpaw sharply.

The huge badgermaid roared, instinctively raising her footpaw. Diggs shot off like a rocket, straight back into Althier. Heaving the broken front door upright, he blocked the entrance with it, yelling out in panic, "I say, steady on there, old gel. I'm not a bloomin' foebeast--I'm a friend. I'm searchin' for some young uns. Why d'you want to jolly well slay me, wot?"

A terrific thud from outside knocked the door flat-- Diggs found himself laid out under it. Then the door was lifted and flung to one side. With awesome strength, the

300

badgermaid reached in and lifted him bodily out. She sat Diggs down against the oak trunk.

This time she sounded calmer, a mite penitent even. "Er, if you're not a foebeast, then who are you?"

Diggs gingerly touched his snout where it had been hit by the fallen door. "Name's Meliton Gubthorpe Digglethwaite, Subaltern of the Long Patrol, late of Salamandastron. An' I think you've broken my flippin' hooter, beltin' that bloomin' door down like that. Couldn't ye have knocked?"

The badgermaid sat down beside him. "Salama ... what?"

Diggs plucked a dockleaf and dabbed at his snout. "Salamandastron, but don't concern y'self with that right now. Y'can call me Diggs, everybeast does--an' pray, what do they call you, when you ain't knockin' doors down atop of 'em, wot?"

She wrapped the outsized sling around her shoulders. "I'm Ambrevina Rockflash of the Eastern Shores, but I get called Ambry a lot."

Diggs was about to shake paws with her, but he saw the girth of Ambry's paws and thought better of it. "Well, pleased to meet ye, I'm sure, Ambry. I say, you don't happen to have any vittles with you? I'm absoballylutely famished, ain't eaten in ages, y'know."

The badgermaid went back to the bushes where they had first encountered each other. She brought out a large satchel with shoulder straps. Opening it, she produced a few pears, some ryebread and a chunk of yellow cheese.

Forgetting his bruised snout, Diggs tucked in. "Good grief, a chap could lose a few teeth on this bread'n'cheese. Still, the pears are soft, wot. Now, who's this friend you seek, a family member, mayhaps?"

Ambry passed Diggs another pear. "Do you ever have strange dreams, Diggs?"

The tubby hare nodded. "Cheese'n'pickles for late supper

301

in the jolly old mess, that always does it. Huh, dreams, flippin' nightmares, more like. But why d'you ask?"

Ambry's brown eyes took on a distant look. "Back on the far Eastern Shores, I was having the same dream for some seasons. It's a journey I want to take. I've got this yearning to be in a certain place, I must go there--yet I've never set eyes on it, except in dreams."

Diggs held up a paw. "Stop right there, Ambry. Don't tell me, let me guess. This place you're wearin' your paws out t'see, is it a big mountain on the shores of the sea?"

The badgermaid was thunderstruck.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.