Part

“Shall I get the others?” David asked.
Gorden sat straight up on the edge of the pallet and swung his paws. He rubbed his forehead, trying to force the lost memories out and nodded.
David opened the door and motioned everyone in. Gorden hopped down from the pallet and padded towards his friends.
Cola was first – she took his paws in hers,. Her dark eyes looked deep into his soul.
“I’m so glad you can remember m.. Us.” She smiled. Gorden wasn’t sure why, but he took her in his arms and hugged her.
“It’s good to see you again.” He said, - “I..” Before he could continue she hugged him back, squeezing the air out of him.
“Being careful, young lady.” Plessey said, “Let the poor buck breath.”
Gorden broke from Cola’s embrace and stroked the top of Plessey’s shell.
“It’s good to see you, Old Man.”
“I’ll ‘Old Man’ you if you’re not careful.” Plessey said, smiling, “I think you got off lightly with a bump on your head – I was going to cast a ‘summons’ and you wouldn’t have liked that!”
“I’m glad you didn’t.” Gorden said. Then he turned to the mole-monk “You must be Bud.” He shook the offered paw of the robed creature.
“I’ve heard a lot about you,” Bud said, “before you go I’d like to talk to you about your quest.”
“When’s breakfast then, Buddy?” Nora batted in, “Some of us need their sustenance before questing.”
“Are you joining us then?” Gorden asked, surprised.
“the name is ‘bud’ or ‘master bud’ or ..” Said the monk in a small voice, no one was paying him any attention.
“Oh no! Not your quest, my Quest.” She said, shaking her head - a motion which made her wings flutter too – “I’m going to find my Beloved’s murderer.” She smiled a very grim smile. “Then there’ll be screams.” She smiled again and turned to the monk “But we’re hungry NOW buddy!”

Gorden was wiping the last dregs of his carrot consommé up when Bud tapped him on the shoulder, motioning for Gorden to follow him.

The monastery was spartanly decorated, just bare floors with the odd (some very odd) tapestry adorning the walls. Somehow Gorden expected the Abbots private chambers to be different. They were – they took spartan to a higher degree. He had two rooms, one with a rail with three sets of robes hanging and a simple bed with less padding than the pallet Gorden had woken up on. In the second room were three stools. That was it. No adornments of any kind. Light came through an open window, a grey curtain hung next to the opening ready to be drawn across to help the monk sleep.

Bud went through to the second chamber and sat on a stool. Gorden followed as Bud talked.
“We are a rather isolated sect, here.” He said. ”We rarely get visitors and it’s even rarer that we welcome them.
“However,” he said, pointing Gorden to a stool, “we were expecting you.”
“Did the Head Buck send word?” Gorden asked – wondering how the Head Buck knew where he was going better than he did. The monk shook his head.
“No.” He said quietly, “Nothing so, ordinary.” He paused, deep in thought for a moment. Gorden could see the silence.
“And..” Gorden managed to say to try to make Bud continue.
“Brother Maurice had a vision.” Bud was nearly whispering now, as if talking quietly about such things would make them seem normal. Gorden leant closer.
“A vision?” Gorden choked. “Of what?”
“Of whom..

He saw two rabbits, a snail and a gerbil all tugging at a leaf in the ground- around them stood a large circle of animals staring at them.
The four in the centre managed to get the carrot out of the ground and at that instant the animals around began to fight amongst themselves.
The male rabbit took the carrot and went to the circle of animals and started hitting them. As he hit creatures they stopped fighting –knocking some sense into them as it were.
He continued laying about him with the carrot until he suddenly stopped and keeled over.
Buried in his back was another carrot – this one was gleaming gold with silver leaves.
As the rabbit hit the ground the other three – the doe the snail and the gerbil rushed up from behind him to pick him up.
The rabbit looked at them and breathed his last word
“David…”
The gerbil looked at him and replied.
“Gorden.”
And the rabbit died.

Gorden came back and sat down between Cola and David.
“You look troubled.” Cola said.
Gorden’s eyes were focussed far into the distance.
“I think we’d better be on our way soon.” He said to them all – to no-one in particular.
David’s brow furrowed.