Gael Graytail's First Meeting
Aug 13, 2014 20:32:18 GMT -5
Post by Eragona Ticklepaws on Aug 13, 2014 20:32:18 GMT -5
It was a warm summer’s morn. The sun was bright, the trees coated in thick green leaves, the grass a long and soft bed. In that bed, a cloak bundled under his head for a pillow laid a squirrel. His fur was brown, his tunic green. He snored away, a staff across his chest. The sound of creaking wheels woke him. Blinking his eyes, he sat up to see a brightly painted wagon pass by on the road. It was headed in the direction of the nearby town that the squirrel himself was walking to the previous day. Standing, taking a moment to stretch his back out, the squirrel grabbed up his cloak and staff and ran after the wagon.
“Hello! Excuse me!”
Running head long, the squirrel was able to get a breast of the seat in front. He could see a young badger pulling the cart and in the seat sat a snoring hare. The badger, seeing the squirrel slowed the cart and stopped, turning to look at him. The hare, roused by the cart’s sudden stop, jumped up. “Wot? Why’s the cart stopped? Are we there?”
Looking around and seeing that he most certainly was not at his destination, the hare folded his arms across his chest and glared at the badger. “Amyth! This is no time to be taking a nap!”
A simple harsh look from Amyth caused the hare to back down. The badger gestured at the squirrel. “This creature was hailing us, Harold. Thought we should see why.”
Harold sniffed, turning to glare down at the squirrel instead. “Well? What do you want?”
The squirrel blinked to be addressed so harshly. Amyth poked Harold in the side. “What he means to say is how many we help you?”
The squirrel held out his paws. “I was hoping to gain a ride to town. Been walking for quite a few days.”
Amyth smiled at the squirrel. Harold ‘humpffed’ then sat back down, and patted the seat beside him. “Well if that’s all, come on up, laddy buck.”
In just a few moments, the wagon was on its’ way again. Harold looked side-eyed at his new traveling companion. He held out his paw. “The name’s Harold Buffersbee, ringleader of Buffersbee Traveling Performers. Wot would yours be?”
The squirrel took the paw, giving it a good shake. “Gael Graytail. Just a wanderer.”
Gael looked behind him into the wagon. It was full of props, costumes and boards. Not a single other soul besides Harold and Amyth could be seen. “Are you and Amyth the only performers? Those costumes look a bit small for him.”
Amyth could be heard chuckling as Harold just snorted. “Of course not! We sent the rest on ahead to advertise for our arrival! I’ll have you know that we’ve got jugglers, acrobats, marksbeasts, and all sorts of dramas and tragedies that you’ll just weep to see!”
Gael chuckled. “And you sent all of them ahead to advertise? Won’t that ruin the whole show?”
Gael was entertained by Harold for the next few hours as the hare berated him with the stupendous acts and marvelous feats that his performers would put on during that evening’s show. He continued to speak even as Amyth slowed the wagon, stopping just a few lengths from the first building of the village they had come to.
“We have a marksbeast who could pin the wings of a butterfly to a tree! While in midair! She could shoot a blueberry off your snout from a hundred paces away!”
“Harold.”
“Amyth here could lift the entire troupe on a bench and parade around with them while they do cartwheels and build towers!”
“Harold!” Amyth leaned forward, covering the hare’s mouth with one enormous paw. “We’re at the town. We’ve got better things to do than talk Gael’s ears off.”
Harold pushed Amyth’s paw off his face. “Alright, alright. Off you go, laddy buck.”
Gael was smiling as he climbed down from the wagon. It had been an amusing trip, to be sure, one that he would remember fondly. Just as he turned away, Harold called out to him. “Wait one moment, laddy buck!”
Gael turn to see a rectangular paper being shoved in his face by the old hare. Taking it, he turned it over to see ‘Buffersbee Traveling Performers’ scripted in bright colors. He looked up at the hare who winked. “That gets you a front row seat to tonight’s show.”
Gael grinned and shook the hare’s paw. “I look forward to it.”
He walked away as Harold and Amyth started to dig in the wagon, pulling out the contents. He walked into the village, noting the friendliness of the locals. They had had good times, few vermin to disturb their peace. Dibbuns played with abandon and goodbeasts stopped to talk to one another, baskets of food at their paws. In fact, he could see a crowd of them gathered a bit away. Gael headed in that direction to see what they were watching.
In the middle of a circle of goodbeasts stood three otters and one squirrel. They all were dressed in brightly colored tunics of blue and gold. Two hedgehogs wearing the same tunics were in the crowd, passing out flyers. It was a simple performance they were putting on. Two of the otters, burly, tattooed beasts, were holding up the third otter. This third otter, balancing on her fellow’s paws had one paw up in the air, the other outstretched for balance. And on the third otter’s paw rested the squirrel maid. The squirrel was upside down, both paws holding firmly onto the otters. Wobbling a bit, she removed one paw, holding it out in the air for the goodbeasts to see clearly. Bending the arm that held all of her weight, the squirrel maid grinned. Then she pushed off the otter’s paw to flip through the air. Gael gasped along with the crowd, straining to see where she had fallen- just to see her safe in the tattooed otter’s arms, laughing as they lowered her to the ground.
The goodbeasts around clapped as the performers bowed and Gael watched the squirrel maid as she chatted with the otter maid. She had red fur that was just a bit fluffed. Around her forearms were bandages, a simple chain of daisies circling one wrist. And in one ear was a golden hoop earring. She had brown eyes that her eyelids were low on and a crooked grin.
Gael was almost certain that she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.
Just then she looked at him and waved, and Gael was just about to wave back when a young mouse in the same livery dashed past him, launching himself at the squirrel maid. She caught him and twirled him around, laughing. Gael looked at the ticket still in his paws and back at the squirrel maid.
There was no way he was missing the show that night. And maybe afterwards, he could get a chance to talk to the beautiful squirrel maid.
“Hello! Excuse me!”
Running head long, the squirrel was able to get a breast of the seat in front. He could see a young badger pulling the cart and in the seat sat a snoring hare. The badger, seeing the squirrel slowed the cart and stopped, turning to look at him. The hare, roused by the cart’s sudden stop, jumped up. “Wot? Why’s the cart stopped? Are we there?”
Looking around and seeing that he most certainly was not at his destination, the hare folded his arms across his chest and glared at the badger. “Amyth! This is no time to be taking a nap!”
A simple harsh look from Amyth caused the hare to back down. The badger gestured at the squirrel. “This creature was hailing us, Harold. Thought we should see why.”
Harold sniffed, turning to glare down at the squirrel instead. “Well? What do you want?”
The squirrel blinked to be addressed so harshly. Amyth poked Harold in the side. “What he means to say is how many we help you?”
The squirrel held out his paws. “I was hoping to gain a ride to town. Been walking for quite a few days.”
Amyth smiled at the squirrel. Harold ‘humpffed’ then sat back down, and patted the seat beside him. “Well if that’s all, come on up, laddy buck.”
In just a few moments, the wagon was on its’ way again. Harold looked side-eyed at his new traveling companion. He held out his paw. “The name’s Harold Buffersbee, ringleader of Buffersbee Traveling Performers. Wot would yours be?”
The squirrel took the paw, giving it a good shake. “Gael Graytail. Just a wanderer.”
Gael looked behind him into the wagon. It was full of props, costumes and boards. Not a single other soul besides Harold and Amyth could be seen. “Are you and Amyth the only performers? Those costumes look a bit small for him.”
Amyth could be heard chuckling as Harold just snorted. “Of course not! We sent the rest on ahead to advertise for our arrival! I’ll have you know that we’ve got jugglers, acrobats, marksbeasts, and all sorts of dramas and tragedies that you’ll just weep to see!”
Gael chuckled. “And you sent all of them ahead to advertise? Won’t that ruin the whole show?”
Gael was entertained by Harold for the next few hours as the hare berated him with the stupendous acts and marvelous feats that his performers would put on during that evening’s show. He continued to speak even as Amyth slowed the wagon, stopping just a few lengths from the first building of the village they had come to.
“We have a marksbeast who could pin the wings of a butterfly to a tree! While in midair! She could shoot a blueberry off your snout from a hundred paces away!”
“Harold.”
“Amyth here could lift the entire troupe on a bench and parade around with them while they do cartwheels and build towers!”
“Harold!” Amyth leaned forward, covering the hare’s mouth with one enormous paw. “We’re at the town. We’ve got better things to do than talk Gael’s ears off.”
Harold pushed Amyth’s paw off his face. “Alright, alright. Off you go, laddy buck.”
Gael was smiling as he climbed down from the wagon. It had been an amusing trip, to be sure, one that he would remember fondly. Just as he turned away, Harold called out to him. “Wait one moment, laddy buck!”
Gael turn to see a rectangular paper being shoved in his face by the old hare. Taking it, he turned it over to see ‘Buffersbee Traveling Performers’ scripted in bright colors. He looked up at the hare who winked. “That gets you a front row seat to tonight’s show.”
Gael grinned and shook the hare’s paw. “I look forward to it.”
He walked away as Harold and Amyth started to dig in the wagon, pulling out the contents. He walked into the village, noting the friendliness of the locals. They had had good times, few vermin to disturb their peace. Dibbuns played with abandon and goodbeasts stopped to talk to one another, baskets of food at their paws. In fact, he could see a crowd of them gathered a bit away. Gael headed in that direction to see what they were watching.
In the middle of a circle of goodbeasts stood three otters and one squirrel. They all were dressed in brightly colored tunics of blue and gold. Two hedgehogs wearing the same tunics were in the crowd, passing out flyers. It was a simple performance they were putting on. Two of the otters, burly, tattooed beasts, were holding up the third otter. This third otter, balancing on her fellow’s paws had one paw up in the air, the other outstretched for balance. And on the third otter’s paw rested the squirrel maid. The squirrel was upside down, both paws holding firmly onto the otters. Wobbling a bit, she removed one paw, holding it out in the air for the goodbeasts to see clearly. Bending the arm that held all of her weight, the squirrel maid grinned. Then she pushed off the otter’s paw to flip through the air. Gael gasped along with the crowd, straining to see where she had fallen- just to see her safe in the tattooed otter’s arms, laughing as they lowered her to the ground.
The goodbeasts around clapped as the performers bowed and Gael watched the squirrel maid as she chatted with the otter maid. She had red fur that was just a bit fluffed. Around her forearms were bandages, a simple chain of daisies circling one wrist. And in one ear was a golden hoop earring. She had brown eyes that her eyelids were low on and a crooked grin.
Gael was almost certain that she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.
Just then she looked at him and waved, and Gael was just about to wave back when a young mouse in the same livery dashed past him, launching himself at the squirrel maid. She caught him and twirled him around, laughing. Gael looked at the ticket still in his paws and back at the squirrel maid.
There was no way he was missing the show that night. And maybe afterwards, he could get a chance to talk to the beautiful squirrel maid.