The four friends stood back as the owl landed in the cave mouth.
She gestured them to keep quiet, indicating that they should move further into the tunnel, out of
Gawtrybe earshot.
Boldred went ahead awhile, before ushering them into a cunningly concealed side chamber. They entered, surprised to see that it was illuminated by a shaft of moonlight which came from somewhere up near the cave's craggy ceiling. A friendly looking full grown male, perched alongside a small fluffy owlet, nodded to them.
Boldred waddled up on to a moss covered ledge and blew a loud sigh. "That Gawtrybe! Lack a day, they must think everybeast as stupid as themselves. D'you know what they said, Horty?"
The big male chuckled. "Don't tell me, they were only playing a game."
"Game indeed," Boldred snorted. "The scatter brained little savages!"
She turned to the travellers. "Forgive me, but those squirrels do try my patience. This is my husband Hort wingle call him Horty, he hates his full title and this is our daughter Emalet. As you already know, I am the famous Boldred. Now, who do we have the honor of meeting?"
Martin, Pallum, Rose and Grumm introduced themselves. Boldred looked at Martin, nodding her head. "Martin, eh. You've got the look of a warrior. It's a good job you defeated the Gawtrybe Chieftain or they would have slain you all on the spot. Using the excuse of a game, of course."
Martin felt the scratches on his face. "Some game!"
Boldred nodded in agreement before turning to Horty. "I sat the entire mob of them on the lower ledges, no food or drink or talking until sunset tomorrow. That might teach them a lesson."
Horty stroked the downy back of Emalet. "You don't really believe that, do you? By tomorrow noon they'll have forgotten and wandered down to play in the foothills."
Martin inspected the cave. It was a comfortable jumble of family living with brushes, pens, inks, vegetable dyes and charcoal sticks scattered everywhere among large strips of bark parchment.
Grumm produced food and drink from their pack. As they ate, Boldred explained. "We are mapmakers and historians, that is why we don't have a lot of time to control the squirrels. One of us stays here with Emalet, while the other flies off to explore, and hunt for food too.
As you see, we are short eared owls, and as such are daytime hunters.
Normally we would be sleeping now, but the cries of the rabble wakened us."
Rose bowed politely. "We're extremely lucky they did. Thank you."
Horty cocked his head at Boldred, and they both nodded. He turned to Rose. "Are you Rose, daughter of Urran Voh and Aryah?"
"Yes. Do you know my mother and father?"
"Oh yes. You'd be surprised just how much we both know, though it must be many long seasons since we were at Noonvale. You wouldn't remember us, you were only a tiny babe then. Always singing, as I recall."
Grumm scratched his head then held up a paw. "Oi amembers you'm zurr, an' you'm, marm, tho' oi wurr on'y a liddle tyke two seasons elder'n Miz Roser. You uns wurr oft in Noonvale, that be whurr us'ns be travel len to."
Boldred smiled with pleasure. "Yes. What a beautiful place! We were mapping the area at the time. I'd dearly love to go back there.
Horty, would you take care of Emalet while I accompany our friends back there? It would make their journey a lot less perilous if I were to guide them."
Her kindly husband chuckled as he watched Emalet playing around his talons. "I don't mind at all, I'm a real homebird at heart. We get on well together, don't we, my little eggchick."
Emalet, who never made any sound, looked adoringly up at her father and snuggled under his wing.
The atmosphere in the owls' cave was so safe and homely that the four friends slept deeply for the remainder of the night.
Martin woke next morning and lay watching Rose feeding one of Grumm's sweet flat invention cakes to Emalet. The owl chick waited respectfully for each fragment then wolfed it down with gusto, enjoying the sticky sweetness greatly.
Horty bustled in, chuckling as usual. "Those squirrels are still sitting silent and tight, Boldred. You must have given them a really stern lecture last night. Hey, come on, you sleepyheads, it's two hours past dawn!"
As they breakfasted, the owls conversed.
"Pity we couldn't coax old Warden up here. He'd straighten a few Gawtrybe tails, I'll wager."
"Wouldn't he just. There'd only be tails left by now. Warden would have eaten the lot of them. Can you imagine? I am the law, you are lawbreakers. Glump! There goes another one!"
"Hahaha, I suppose you're right. Maybe Polleekin could keep them in order. What d'you think?"
"Maybe she could. Polleekin would probably feed them so much they'd be staggering around, too fat to get in any mischief."
Martin looked up from his food. "You know Polleekin?"
Boldred preened her feathers. "We know her, in fact we know lots of creatures that you do. I didn't want to interrupt the tale you told us of your escape and journey last night or I would have mentioned some. Warden, those prissy Mirdop rabbits, Polleekin, Queen Amballa and her tribe "
"And Badrang?" Pallum interrupted.
Horty shook his big feathered head. "We don't know that one, nor do we want to. He is evil, a blight upon the good land. It is certain death to know such creatures!"
Boldred spread her wings, indicating that she was eager to travel.
"Come on now, we can't wait around gossiping all season about who we know and don't want to know. Just take it for granted that we know many, both sides of the mountain. Right, young Rose, let's see what we can do about getting you back to your home."
From either side the tunnel looked as if it was only a cave on the mountainside, but it ran clear through the rock from one end to the other, twisting and turning with many offshoots and dead ends.
Boldred went in front, leading them out into brilliant morning sunlight on the other side of the mountain.
Martin blinked after the dark tunnel, taking his bearings. The slope on this side was much gentler, with areas of woodland and grassy glades dotting the warm stillness. Hardly a breeze swayed leaf or flower.
Grumm breathed deeply "Hoo urr, et do almost smell loik 'ome!"
Pallum took an experimental sniff. "I can't remember ever having a home. What does it smell like?"
Rose patted the hedgehog's paw fondly. "You'll know when we get to Noonvale. That will be your home."
They descended at a leisurely pace, stopping to pick wild plum, damsons, pears and apples, which grew in profusion on the sunny slopes. Sometimes Boldred would fly off, but she always returned after a short while.
"I've been giving instructions to some birds I know. They're flying ahead to let the otters know you're coming."
Martin wiped at the berry juice that was staining his chin. "Why would otters want to know we're coming, Boldred?"
"To save your paws, they'll take us part of the way down the Broadstream in their boat."
Grumm looked slightly nervous. "Only part o' way? Do us'ns 'ave to swim'ee rest o' way? Oi carn't swim, marm. Water be bad as 'igh mountings."
"You won't have to swim, Grumm," the short eared owl explained.
"The otters will pass us on to the stream shrews, and you'll have to travel on their logboats. Not as comfortable as the otter boat, but considerably faster."
Rose found a clump of purple saxifrage. She wove some into a wreath and placed it on her head. Then they came to a shallow stream weaving its way between the rocks and trees. Boldred perched in a rowan ash, watching them as they skipped downhill, splashing and laughing through the sun warmed water. She shook her head, remembering the visit she had paid to Polleekin's tree house the day after the travellers had been there.
"If Polleekin's visions are true, it's a long hard road ahead for you, little Warrior. Enjoy a happy day while you can."
30
Cap'n Tramun Clogg woke feeling tremendously braced. He drank a flagon of seaweed ale, devoured a huge platter of pickled whelks and cockles, then sat back rebraiding some plaits on his chest. There was a gentle knock on the longhouse door.