Part 5 (1/2)

”Gudd, that keep ee soilent, hurr hurr!”

Elmjak the squirrel was old and wise. He sat at table with Tirry, Lully, and Bruff, and all four took a breakfast of mint tea and wild oat scones spread with honey. They ate in silence, watching the badger. Sunflash lay on his pallet of rushes and fragrant dried gra.s.s, and Skarlath hovered over him. The kestrel had not moved from his friend's side for two days and nights.

Dearie crept softly in and tugged Skarlath's back plumage gently. ”Come an' eat now, sir 'awk, or we'll end up nursin' you too.”

Skarlath followed her reluctantly and they joined the others.

66.

Sunflash moaned softly and tried to turn over. Elmjak hurried to his side and calmed him, bathing the badger's fevered brow with dampened dock leaves. He checked the poultices which he had applied to his patient's wounds, saying, ”This one will live, mayhap. Never did I see a beast of such strength; no creature known to me could live through even one adder bite. Look at him now, friends, sleeping like a babe!”

Tirry poured a beaker of the fragrant mint tea for Elmjak. ”More power t'yore good poultices, sir, they seem t'work right well indeed. You must tell us 'ow t'make them.”

The recipe for the poultices had been in Elmjak's family for long generations, and now he recited it for his new friends: ' 'If beast be bit by fang of snake, And lying near Dark Forest gate, This ancient poultice you must make, To thwart the paws of fate. Find berries from the rowan tree, Add one small green pine cone, With young leaf of raspberry, Pounded flat beneath a stone. Heat o'er a flame 'til colored dark, Stir fast to make a paste of it, Bind hot and tight with aspen bark, Unto the limb the serpent bit. Change oft from dawn until nightfall, Make sure the beast lies still, Mayhap he'll live to thank us all, If he be strong of will!”

Bruff Dubbo wagged a sizeable digging claw in the big badger's direction. ”Burrhoo! n.o.beast be stronger than ee gurt zurr Sunflas.h.!.+”

67.

Dearie Lingl agreed wholeheartedly with him. ”Great seasons! Who ever heard of a beast so mighty that he slayed two poisonteeth after bein' struck twice by 'em?”

It had been hard and wearisome getting Sunflash from the pond back to the cave and caring night and day for him, and sleep had only been s.n.a.t.c.hed in fits and starts. Now, with the badger resting peacefully, there was some long-overdue slumber time. Midmoming was calm and warm, and the friends relaxed on the gra.s.s outside. Tiring of their games, the little ones sprawled beside their elders. It was not long before gentle summer cast its spelt and, amid distant birdsong and the lazy hum of bees, they were soon dozing off.

However, Gurmil and Tirg did not take kindly to sleeping all day. Shortly before noon they were wide awake. Whispering and chuckling to each other, they tip-pawed past the slumbering elders and made their way into the cave. But they had not gone unnoticed: their sisters, Bitty and Giller, followed by the molemaids Nilly and Podd, came hurrying after them.

They threw their little ap.r.o.ns over their faces in imitation of their mothers.

”Gurt seasons, you'm villyuns, wot be ee a doin' in yurr?”

”Come away now, you'm wake Sunflas.h.!.+”

But Gurmil and Tirg were determined to visit their hero. ”Garr, we b'ain't wakin' 'im, on'y come'd to sing the song nice an' quiet. Sunflash likes the song.”

They gathered round the huge form of the sleeping badger. Nilly twitched her b.u.t.ton nose cautiously, saying, ”Us'n's best be singen quiet, lest ee 'awkburd 'ears an' eaten us'n's all oop wi' ee gurt beak!”

Tiny paws stroked the great golden-striped muzzle as the babes sang soft and low.

Dark Forest and its dread gates had receded from Sunflash's (beams; now he wandered lonely through sunlit vales and 68.

flower-strewn hillsides. Lying down in the cool shade of a great oak, he looked up at the sky. A shadow pa.s.sed over him and a face appeared; Sunflash found himself staring into the most beautiful face he had ever seen. It was a badger, wise beyond dreams and calm as a still lake in the dawn. He knew instinctively it was Bella, his mother. In that moment he felt sadness and joy, yearning and fulfillment. Comfort and serenity shone through her smile as she stroked his golden stripe and began singing: 69.

Sunflash executed a great whirl, circling crazily until he fell on his back with an earthshaking thud. Caught up in the wild excitement of the moment, hogbabes and molemaids yelled aloud with their badger friend.

”Salamandastrooooooon!''

”Arm not alas sand, 'way south in the west, So star land a mat, there's where I love best, Sand not as alarm, lone seabirds do wing, And alas most ran, list' to me whilst I sing. I'll walk alongside you, my lost little one, We'll find the mountain ...”

”Salamandastron!” bellowed Sunflash, finis.h.i.+ng the song.

Wakefulness. .h.i.t the creatures sleeping outside like a lightning flash and a thunderbolt all in one. They leapt upright, fur and spikes bristling at the sound of the booming roar from within the dwelling cave. Skarlath shrieked with shock and took off into the air like an arrow, and the babes came tumbling and howling into the open as the mighty shout reverberated once more: ”Eeulaliaaaa! Salamandastron!”

Limping slightly and supporting himself on his hornbeam mace, the badger appeared in the bright sunlight. Tears flowed openly from his great dark eyes, yet he was smiling. Casting the mace aside, he scooped the petrified babes up in both paws.

”Salamandastrooooooon!”

The fire burned bright and late in the dwelling cave that night as the homely celebration went on. A great cauldron of wood-landers' stew steamed thickly, its wondrous aroma tickling the noses of all who fancied a second helping, or even a third, or in Sunflash's case, a fourth and fifth. Elmjak and old Uncle Blunn had ranged far and wide for the ingredients. Potatoes, leeks, turnips, and mushrooms had come from the farm patch, but the special touches like watershrimp, wild onion, fennel, and a delicious addition they had never seen before mat Elmjak called southbeans, had taken some finding. The babes greatly enjoyed a summercream pudding that Skarlath and Lully had concocted between them; there was nut bread and even some early strawberry cordial.

Sunflash had told the story of his dream over and over again. Tiny smiled indulgently as his friend recounted the tale once more. Sunflash ladled himself another bowl of stew, saying, ”You're laughing at me, Tiny Lingl.”

70.

71.

The good hedgehog smiled even wider. ”Nay, not laughin' at you, big feller, I'm laughin' for you. Yore parents an' grandsires, you know their names, you've seen 'em, you know who you are now, aye, an' even where yore bound. Hoho! Salamandastron, eh, who'd 'ave thought it?”

The badger's huge paw rapped the tabletop as he repeated, ”That's what I've been telling you, the words of the song all became clear when my mother sang mem. 'Arm not alas sand. So star land a mat. Sand not as alarm, And alas most ran.' They are all jumbled-up forms of the word Salamandastron!”

Gurmil climbed onto the table and impudently began helping himself to Sunflash's portion of summercream pudding. ”Hahah! But yore mum wouldn't 'ave knowed the song if we 'adn't started singin' it!”

The badger stroked the soft spikes of his small friend's bead. ”That's right enough, mate. I might not have recovered if it hadn't been for you young 'uns!”

Podd licked her spoon absently. ”Burr aye, zurr, best day's wurk ee surrpints ever did, bitin* ee!”

The badger sat looking slightly puzzled, but the others fell about, laughing at the molemaid's innocent remark.

Auntie Ummer waddled to her corner of the cave and sought out her gurdelstick. Old Uncle Blunn banged his beaker on the tabletop in time to the jangle, rattle, and b.u.mp of the instrument, calling, ”doom on, moi ole duckyburd, give us'n's a tune, hurr hurr!”

Nilly smiled endearingly at Blunn. ”Do ee sing a song, Nunc, sing Wurpldown Dumm.”

The old mole chuckled as he patted her velvety head. ”You'm gotten oi twisted round yore liddle diggen claw, mis-sie. Roight ho, hurr oi go!”

Old Uncle Blunn soon had them laughing at his song.

”Oh, oi knowed a mole called Wurpldown Dumm, Ee wurr a rascal, a villyun boi gumm, 72 An' ee 'ad the plumpest an' fattest ole tumm, As ever was see'd in yon wuddland.

For brekkist ee eated a duzzing gurt pies, They say that 'is tumm wurr as big as 'is eyes, Ee kept 'is mouth opened so ee cudd catch flies, Ee ett everythink in yon wuddland.

One day as ole Wurpldown Dumm lied asleep, Ee Lord o' Dark Forest came wi' a gurt leap An' carried 'im off furrever to keep, Ole Wurpldown in ee dark wuddland.

An' all ee dead vurmints cried, 'Coom an' see mates, O boggle us seasons, an' lackaday fates, Yon fat mole ee's eatin' gurt Dark Forest gates, O get 'im back up to ee wuddlands.'

Ee said, 'Oi've eated b.u.t.terflies, oi've eated bees, Oi've drinked lots o' soups an' cordials an' teas, But gates o' Dark Forest tastes just loike gudd cheese, One day oi'll go back to those wuddlands!' ”

The merriment continued with more songs and dancing until the babes fell to snoring and had to be carried off to their beds. When all was quiet, Tirry struck a more sober note, saying, ”Well, Sunflash, I suppose you'll be leavin' us soon?”

The badger nodded his great golden-striped head slowly. ”Aye, Tirry, I'll be setting off an hour before dawn.”