• Closed • On the farm...

[Winston]

5th of Ashen REBIRTH CYCLE 722

Just set out of earshot of the Crystal Lake, in a quiet little patch of the forest there lies a small but colorful farmstead. Rather than cattle, crops or seed though, this farm milks bees... Yes... Milks bees. Or so Winston tells it to anyone he meets, which to be fair, these days is not a tremendous number of people, but none the less, it's a colorful picture he likes to paint.

*bang-bang-bang*

The quiet was currently being disturbed by the maintenance of a particularly troublesome gate hinge, that Winston was attempting to replace. He was perched atop the gate, one foot pressing on the hinge with whatever strength and weight a 1 foot ferret could muster and the other wedged between two bits of the wooden fence.

Before something could be replaced however.

*bang-bang-bang*

It of course had to be removed.

Winston called this 'the storm before the calm'. First is destruction to make way for creation! Then everything was all about standing back and admiring a job well done. This bit involved quite a lot of grunting and sweating however, which he was entirely determined to be victorious in.

It was at this moment... *bang* ...that Winston was musing about the bees and their honey... *bang* ...which bee farmers milked... *bang* ...that the stubborn hinge gave way with a squeak, pop and a crack, sent the ferret tumbling backwards in a roll across the path and onto his back, his face to the canopy above.

"Well dat work den." He said with a grin as he regained his bearing, strewn prone across the path...

[Tiggy]

After a long and treacherous journey from the location that now marked the sudden and tragic demise of their parents, Tiggy finally mounted a ridge and caught a first glimpse of Granny's bee farm. Distant memories suddenly scampered in from all sorts of places, to the forefront of Tiggy's mind. Questions arose in Tiggy's cute fluffy little head: "Will I recognise granny?", "Will I remember where everything is?", "I wonder if that tree house I made with dad is still there, oh, dad, I miss you so much."

As they made the approach to the old rickety gate, Tiggy spotted a small figure lying on the ground , quite close to the gate. The gate which seemed to only be attached to its post by one hinge and was swaying around quite dangerously. Picking up speed, Tiggy raced to catch the gate, just as it detached itself from its remaining securing and started to fall upon the small figure, still lying on the ground.

Wait, what was that? No? It couldn't be? No! Oh, this cruel world! A Ferret!

Tiggy quickly collected Rando, the ram that was pulling the cart which carried all of their wordly possessions, everything they had been able to gather to bring with them on this journey to begin a new chapter in their life and strive to make their parents proud. With Rando, and cart, secured in the yard outside granny's house, Tiggy ran in in a fluster, to seek out granny.

[Winston]

As Winston caught his breath, an unnamed hero caught the gate! A gate that was moments from squashing the little fury critter half to death!

He watched as, in from the heavens (from his horizontal vantage point) came a fellow Caldouri, ready to rescue him. "Yikes! Wow! dat did nearly..." was all he managed to get out, as he bounced to his feet, before the mystery person, a look of greater shock on their face than on his, ran off again.

Before he had even had the chance to say hello, they had darted off, back to their cart. As they were very quickly on her way past, he tried his very best 'hero pose' "Thanks for...", but they did even pause to notice him at all as they whizzed past and into the cottage.

He stood for a moment, considering where exactly his first impressions had this time gone wrong. 'Perhaps dem is just inna rush?' he thought to himself with a shrug and he brushed off his fur before approaching the cottage to take a second bash at an introduction.

Aside from the desire to thank them properly, he had already noticed a growing curiosity at the nature of the new visitor. Not that it was any of his business who comes and goes from the old lady's cottage, this person must surely know her quite well to have simply bowled into the house in such a manor. 'Who dey? A friend?... Too young? A family memba... Too young for a dawta, but a grandawta perhaps?' He raised his hand to knock at the door... *tap-tap-tap* ... 'For dat matta...' he continued to wonder '...him a him or a her?'.

[Tiggy]

Running around granny's cottage, Tiggy was frantically searching for granny. "Granny! Granny! Where are you, granny?" screamed Tiggy. There was no reply, and no sign of granny anywhwere. In the bedroom? No. The kitchen? No. What about in front of the fire, oh memories came flooding back of sitting with granny in front of the crackling open fire in the evening, after a busy trial in the sunshine building dens and splashing in streams with dad. Tiggy sighed quietly, tears beginning to well up again. Tiggy shook their head, wiped their eyes with a hanky and continued with the task at hand "I must find granny and warn her" thought Tiggy, "I wonder where she could be." Suddenly, it occured to Tiggy that granny may be outside, tending to her bees. Now where did granny used to keep her beekeeper equipment? Oh yes, in the kitchen, by the back door...

Suddenly, there was a knocking at the door. Tiggy leapt almost an entire two foot in the air before panicking about what to do... Where was granny?!

Tiggy decided it was time to be brave, or at least pretend to be brave. What other choice was there? They were here, alone in this old cottage. Granny was likely outside at the far end of the farm, tending to her bees, who knows how long she would be gone. In the meantime, someone needed to answer the door, it was the right thing to do. With a deep breath Tiggy made determined strides towards the front door of the cottage, *gulp* and slowly opened the door...

[Winston]

As he waited for someone to answer the door he became more and more convinced that the mystery individual deserved a very strong 'thanking'. The fact that it was very convenient to have the need to thank them as a motivator to mask his lustful curiosity was beside the point... Entirely beside and orthogonal to the point in fact.

Aside from the muck of working in the farm all day, he had nothing on but a tool bet that hung around his midriff, with a few small tools, and things handy for fixing fences.

'Perhaps mi should guh get a gift tuh sey tank you?... Nah-nah-nah... Dem might be gaan by di time mi did dat.'

His considered to himself.

His mind had already began to wonder if he should go around the back to see if they, uhhh, needed help with anything, when the door made a sound.

As it began to open, he stood up straight and prepared his very best smile, all-in with his doleful eyes and best possible demeanour... It was then that he remembered he still had that skanky old hinge in his hand. He quickly whipped it behind his back in an attempt to avoid alarming the newcomer with the result of the mess he had made. "Hello? Tank suh much fi saving mi back deh." He started, with no intention of letting his gratitude go amiss this time. "Mi wudda been toast eff yuh hadn't catch dat gate. Mi name Winston. Nice tuh meet yuh."

[Tiggy]

Tiggy opened the door slowly and very cautiously, still hoping dearly that granny came back before the door was fully opened, to take over the incredibly daunting task.

As feared, there, on the doorstep, was the ferret who's life had just been saved from certain squishing under the broken gate. He was brown, filthy with mud, and really quite vertically challenged to be honest. There was an enormous grimace on his face, was it supposed to be an attempt at a smile? A small belt was around his waist and it appeared to hold a number of rather tiny, erm, tools?

"It's OK. It's OK. It's OK" Tiggy repeated quietly, under their breath. "Maybe not all ferrets are dangerous, maybe some are OK? Are they? This one is certainly much smaller than me" thought Tiggy as they tried to calm themselves.

The ferret spoke, though Tiggy wasn't really aware of what he said, only that some noise came from his mouth. It was enough to pull them out of their own thoughts and pay a little more attention, however.

The ferret appeared to be thanking Tiggy for saving his life, and introducing himself. *blink* "What did he say his name was?" wondered Tiggy, "oh shucks, I'm going to have to ask him to repeat it. Where's granny? Why did she have to be out when I arrived?"

Carefully, and quietly, Tiggy finally spoke: "oh, erm, sorry, what did you say your name was? And, who are you? Why are you here on the farm?"

[Winston]

As the newcommer came into view, gradually and slowly appearing, nose first then the rest of her as the door hessitently opened, Winston got a better look at the person that had just harried past him in a haze. They were much teller then him, like most, but still, he surmised, not as tall as most. They also looked very worried about something, which was a problem he'd only be too happy to help resolve.

"Winstaaan." came his initial reply with a bit of a drawl on the 'o' he pronounced as an elongated 'a'. He continued to smile and the need to repeat himself didn't phase him at all. Quite the opposite in fact, as it demonstrated a desire to convers, which was his entire reason for knocking in the first place. "Mi name is Winstan. Mi da helpa round da farm, fa da old lady wat owns it. Mi the grounds keeppa." He announced with some pride and a little extra effort to stand at his full hight. "Mi is very glad to meet ya. Wat is ya name?" He leant in slightly, in what he hoped was an indication he was interested in what she had to say.

Winston would wait a moment to take in the reply, assuming one came, and then offered up... "Ya seem a lil flusterred ther. Is der anything mi can 'elp ya wit? Mi knows da farm very well and would like ta help repay ya fer you grate kindness before.". He gestured with one hand towards the gate which still lay protrate uppon the ground behind him.

[Tiggy]

Panic filled their veins and rushed around their body as Tiggy took a rapid step back when the ferret leaned forward towards them. "Now, what did he say his name was? Winston? Yes I think that's right" thought Tiggy. "I'm sure he said he was granny's groundskeeper. Oh."

Surely, granny wouldn't employ a dangerous creature to help out on her farm, particularly not knowing Tiggy was coming to stay. Would she? No, Tiggy couldn't see any situation where granny would do something so rash. Tiggy remembered granny always being careful and thinking things through properly. Or, was that just how it seemed from the point of view of a young carefree hog?

Eventually, Tiggy managed to whisper a response to the ferret: "umm, hello, erm, Winston was it?" A deep breath, and Tiggy continued: "Where is Granny, I mean Patsy? I, erm, need to check something with her. If you're her groundskeeper you must know where she is, right?"

Wait, did the ferret have something hidden behind his back? He still had that strange grimace on his face and was still leaning forwards too. Tiggy did not like it. Did not like it at all. It was causing them to feel very uncomfortable indeed.

Tiggy started to close the door, ever ready to slam it shut should the need arise. But, curiosity, and a need to know where granny was, stopped them short of closing the door entirely and Tiggy left just a crack open - quick to close in a hurry, but enough to see and hear this worrying creature on the other side. Hopefully, Tiggy won't become the latest example of the old adage of curiosity killed the cat, or hedgehog. "My name is Tiggy."

[Winston]

At the clear uncertainty caused by his eagerness to be interested in what Tiggy had to say, as they withdrew from the doorway, he withdrew himself. While eager, he was not oblivious or unkind. It was becoming increasingly apparent that her rush to move on was less due to pressing time and perhaps more to do with something else. He decided that he was clearly making her nervous and perhaps he should give her a little more space. In fact, he had a sudden revelation regarding the approach he should be taking and he had obviously gone about this entire affair all wrong!

While trying to remain casual about it, he took a few steps backwards, almost as if he was simply uncomfortable on his feet and correcting his stance to rectify the matter.

Nodding as Tiggy spoke, he listened patiently as Tiggy murmured through their half of the conversation.

When she finally got her first question out, Winston gave an amiable reply. “Oh. She gawn ta market. Needed sa mah tings, she sayed. Me tink she shood be back be su’n. It’ll no be lang naw and she be back.” With that he gave another smile, as Tiggy finally managed to introduce herself.

Winston beamed. “Ahhhh, tis gud ta meet you Tiggy. Me tell ya wat.” He said, with a chipper expression. “Me will fix da gate an’ as soon as me see Old Patsy, me send ‘er reet ta you.” He was nodding now, as the door appeared to be closing and with a wave and a nod he began to walk away towards the gate, checking over the remains of the hinge in his hand as he did.

True to his word, the gate was his first port of call. He eyed up the post it had been attached to, which seemed good, and then the gate itself. It was sturdy enough and as long as he could fashion a new eyelet hinge, it would hang back up just fine…

‘Dat gate cud no stay dair’ he though to himself as he surveyed the gate laying across the path.

If Tiggy watched him, he didn’t let on if he noticed as he started to tie some ropes to the gate and begin to drag it off the path as best he could… which was not terribly well to be honest.

[Tiggy]

Tiggy sighed a huge sigh of relief. Winston had stepped back, and, not only that, he'd walked away too - phew! Maybe he was OK afterall? I mean, he was only a fraction of Tiggy's size, and, seemed to be trying to be friendly. Why did this world have to be so confusing?

Since Winston had wandered off back towards the gate, Tiggy decided to just leave the door ajar and watch from a safe distance. That is, to remain inside the house and watch through the gap between the door and its frame.

"So, granny is at the market," though Tiggy to themselves, "I wonder where that is, and what she needed that's so urgent."

Tiggy stood, peering through the gap in the doorway, and watching Winston working. It seemed most peculiar, such a small creature doing manual labour on a farm. He certainly looked most strange wrestling with that rusty gate. The gate that already almost killed him once. And yet, there he was, seemingly playing some kind of game of tug-o-war with the heavy metal structure that lay across the path to the cottage and was at least three times the size of Winston himself. Honestly, Tiggy would struggle to heft that thing off the path alone, and they were more than twice Winston's size.

Cautiously, Tiggy opened the front door and stepped outside. After going over to check Rando was secured and had some feed and water, Tiggy slowly edged down the path towards the gateway. They'd just go to see if they could help move the gate, and then collect everything from the cart and take it inside to wait for granny.