meeting of two badgers

[carabadgermum]

Gemma sat on a bench munching on apple peals as a hare cook removed them for an apple pie. She had come on her own to the mountain because the rest of the members of the troupe (most notably Florian) had not wanted to come this far out of the way. They were enjoying their little rest in the woods after the long tour in the far south and were excited to be off to Redwall as soon as they could be. Gemma had told them she wouldn't be long. She only wanted to see her friend Ally and see what new songs the haremaid had collected. But Gemma had been disappointed to learn that Ally had left the mountain with a hare named Choco and an otter named Harry. It sounded so unlike Ally. Gemma was a bit worried for her.

[Tausend Awyth]

"Bree, what smells so good?"

Taus boomed, entering the kitchen. Stopping short at the sight of Gemma, he lowered his voice a bit. "Good afternoon. What brings you to Salamandastron?"

[carabadgermum]

Gemma gasped at the sight of the large male badger. In doing so she sucked an apple peal down her throat and started to cough. What a lovely way to introduce yourself to the new badger lord, she thought patting a paw on her chest to clear her throat so she could speak.

[Tausend Awyth]

Tausend crossed the room in two steps, reaching out a paw to pound Gemma's back in hopes of removing the apple peel from her throat. Bree hurried over with a mug of water, uncertain of what to do.

[carabadgermum]

The offending apple peal flew out of Gemma's mouth with the one good pound from the other badger's paw, and Gemma smiled sheepishly, "I think that did the trick." She coughed a couple more times and accepted the mug of water from the hare gratefully. "Thank you." She took a sip feeling better.
"This was not how I'd hoped we'd meet." Gemma's grin turned more playful, "Although it is rather romantic to be rescued from an evil apple peal by a tall handsome badgerlord." She held her paw out to him. "I'm Gemma. I came to Sali to visit a friend only to find that she has left on a little quest."

[Tausend Awyth]

Tausend sat on the bench across the table from Gemma. He rested his elbows on the table, cradling the mug of cider Bree had offered in his huge paws.

"This was not how I'd hoped we'd meet." Gemma's grin turned more playful, "Although it is rather romantic to be rescued from an evil apple peal by a tall handsome badgerlord."

Taus blushed slightly under his fur, it always made him uncomfortable to be reminded of his size, large even for a badger, and females mentioning his looks made matters even worse. 'Stop that!' He scolded himself. 'You are no youngling to be embarrassed by such things.'

She held her paw out to him. "I'm Gemma. I came to Sali to visit a friend only to find that she has left on a little quest."

Taus took her paw, almost dwarfing it in his. "Tausend Awyth." He thought over her last comment. "You must mean Ally. She and a couple of her friends left just yesterday."

[carabadgermum]

"Tausend," she repeated his name aloud. She liked to do this when she met new creatures it helped her to cement the name in her mind and match the name with the creature. She looked down at her paw in his and smiled. Then she looked back into his face and continued, "Ally Braebuck, yes. She's a friend of mine. All those songs she's always collecting, I sing them in my troupe's performances." Then she rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't say, did I? I have a little troupe of performers. We've just come back from a tour in the far south and I was hoping Ally could give me some new material."

[Tausend Awyth]

"Ally Braebuck, yes. She's a friend of mine. All those songs she's always collecting, I sing them in my troupe's performances." Then she rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't say, did I? I have a little troupe of performers. We've just come back from a tour in the far south and I was hoping Ally could give me some new material."

Tausend stole an apple slice from Bree, who swatted at him with her knife. "Really?" He took a bite. "What kind of songs does your troup sing?" Tausend stole another couple of apple slices, offering some to Gemma, ducking as Bree swung again, this time with a wooden spoon.

[carabadgermum]

"They don't all sing. We have jugglers and strong-otters and a seer fox and we do comic sketches." She raised a paw and shook her head to decline the offer of more apples. She didn't want to repeat her choking performance. "Florian sings occasionally but mostly the singing falls to me and I like to sing all sorts of things. Would you like me to give you a sample?" Gemma was always ready to exhibit her musical talent to any beast she came in contact with.

[Tausend Awyth]

"They don't all sing. We have jugglers and strong-otters and a seer fox and we do comic sketches. Florian sings occasionally but mostly the singing falls to me and I like to sing all sorts of things. Would you like me to give you a sample?"

Taus swallowed the bite of apple he had been chewing. "Sure. What do you usually sing?"

He got up, excusing himself, and rummaged around a cupboard. Returning to his seat with a small wheel of cheese, he grinned apologetically at Gemma. "Sorry. I've been training with the hares and I haven't eaten since last night."

[carabadgermum]

"S'alright. Do what you've got to do." She grinned at his appetite and then winked, "We'll pretend it's dinner theater." Gemma tried to think of what to sing and settled on some she had been practicing lately. It didn't dawn on her that she had sung the same song to another male badger only a few days previously. "Of course it would sound a lot better if I had instrumental accompaniment. Ally does a wonderful job on her herolina. She knows a lovely harmony part also." She sighed, "I guess you'll have to suffer just hearing me do it acapella." She hummed a moment trying to find the right note and then began:

Now the Battle's over, dear,
now the bloodwrath's through.
You come swiftly home to me.
I've been ever true.

Kept the fires burnin', love,
knew you'd come home soon,
to the one who loved you so,
neath the harvest moon.

Brock my love, come to me,
all your journeys end.
I will hold you in my arms
all your sorrows mend.

Home's where you belong my dear.
Foe beasts all have died.
Worry not of fighting more,
Stay here by my side.

Brock my love, come to me,
all your journeys end.
I will hold you in my arms,
all your sorrows mend.