Tirrys wife, Dearie, poked her spiky head through a gap in the barricade. “Sunflash the Mace, dyou say? Ive eard of that onea great warrior, they say. Is he outside? Id be o-nored tmake his acquaintance!
It took a great deal of fussing and persuading to get old Uncle Blunn and Auntie Untmer out, but the little ones had no fear at all of the majestic badger warrior. Tiny and Bniff were completely awestruck. The foxes lay face down in the dirt, Skarlath keeping a fierce eye upon them. When Uncle Blunn was eventually coaxed out, he brought his “gurt stick and began laying about at the foxes. Bruff took the stick from the old fellow, saying, “Yurr, Nuncle, doant ee beat yon vur-min round, ee gurt zurr Sunflash moight want tdo that hisself, hurr!
The badger warrior listened carefully as Tirry, acting the part of spokesbeast for both families, explained how the foxes had besieged and starved them. Sunflash listened, stifling a smile as he felt the two tiny molemaids licking rainwater from his paw. Then, grasping his club, he winked at Skarlath and said, “Stand those vermin upright, friend! Let me look at their scurvy faces while I decide what to do with them!
The mud-faced foxes wept and shivered as they faced the scowling warrior.
“So these are the tormentors of babes and old ones, these are the terrorizers of the defenseless. Well, what have you to say for yourselves?
The father fox was about to speak, when Skarlaths wing buffeted him into silence. The kestrel knew the part he had to play. Scowling murderously, he strutted up and down, saying, “Lord Sunflash, these scum are not fit to speak. They are villains and foebeasts; I say we kill them!
“Whoooaaa, no, please, Lord, spare us, we meant them no harm! The entire fox family flopped down and groveled on the wet earth, wailing piteously.
Skarlath winked at Sunflash, and the badger twirled his mace thoughtfully. “Hmm, if we slay them here it might upset these little ones, then theres all that digging holes and burying carcasses.... Sunflash winked at Tirry, who had caught on to the idea. “What do you think, sir? It was your family that suffered.
Tirry Lingl paced pensively across the backs of the foxes necks, driving them face down into the earth as he ruminated. “You ave a point there, sir, but if you adnt come along, these blaggards wouldve slain us. Praps youd best take them somewhere out of sight and finish them off, they surely deserve no better. But I leave it up to you, Lord Sunflash.
The foxes blubbering rose in a crescendo, and Sunflash had to shout aloud to be heard. “I think Ill do it right here and now if this noise continues!
The fox family were suddenly struck dumb, pressing their quaking bodies against the earth. Bruff Dubbos old Auntie Umrner shook a paw at them. “Burr, youm villyuns, see ow youm loikes a ladle of ee own medicine, hurr hurr, surve ee roight!
Sunflash produced a good-sized lilac leaf and, making a slight split in it, he folded the leaf in two. Then he locked it between both paws, put it to his lips, and blew.
Phweeeeeeeerrrrrr!
He passed the leaf to Tirry Lingl, saying, “Can you make a noise like that?
The hedgehog did, making an even louder noise than Sun-flash. “Makin leaf whistles an blowio on em, dial was one of my favorite pastimes as a young un. Why dyou ask?
Sunflash turned to the foxes, his voice stern. “All of diese good creatures are going to learn that noise, and then they will always carry a leaf with them, night and day. The kestrel can hear it almost a days flight away, and if he does not, then other birds will hear it and tell him. Now listen carefully, foxes, because your lives depend on it. You must leave here and travel north. Never, I say never, must you return. Should you ignore my words and come back to these woods, the creatures you threaten will signal, and I, Sunflash, swear a solemn oath upon my mace that I will seek you out and destroy you. Understood?
Thoroughly cowed, the foxes bobbed their heads up and down, nodding furiously, too scared even to speak. Then Sun-flash began spinning the deadly hornbeam mace from paw to paw, his voice rising menacingly to a full-throated roar.
“I have given you your unworthy lives, but if you are still standing here by the time i have finished speaking, I am certain I will regret my decision. So I want to see how fast you can run, due north. Now!
Wet earth, pebbles, and grass flew as die five former bullies scrabbled into a headlong take-off. In a very short time me sound of their speeding paws was gone. Silence reigned outside the Dubbo-Lingl cave, and then suddenly all present broke out into hearty laughter.
“Hohoho! They went like scalded frogs!
“Hurr hurr! Gurtly afeared an muddy nosed, burr aye!
There followed a round of introductions, congratulations, and thanks from both families. The four baby hogs and the two little molemaids had never seen anything as big and furry as Sunflash. They clambered all over him, smiling into his face and stroking the broad golden stripe on his muzzle.
“Eem be a mounting wid furr on!
“Big wunnerful aminal!
The badger stood stock still, fearing to move lest he upset the tiny creatures or trod on them. His huge face was wreathed in a pleased grin; he had never encountered beasts so small and affectionate. Tirrys wife, Dearie, and her friend Lully the molewife fussed about, throwing their aprons over rneir faces in embarrassment as they chided the babes.
“Do come away now, leave the gennelbeast alone. Lack a day, sir, wot must you think o us all?
“Hurr aye, you an ee awkburd be welcome to rest awhoil in our dwellin cave. Usns be back at eventoide with vittles aplenty, then us11 all make ee well fed, bo urr aye!
Both families fled into the surrounding woodland to forage for food, leaving Sunflash and Skarlath the hospitality of their cave. The two friends shifted the barricade and took their ease on thick woven rush mats. Surrounded by the peace and quiet of the homely atmosphere, they were soon deep in slumber.
In his dreams, Sunflash could hear waves lapping against the shore; he saw pale sand, sea, and the mountain. A great feeling of longing swept over him, and he wanted so badly to be there, yet it seemed distant and intangible. Somewhere a deep voice, that of a grown male badger, was chanting:
“Find me one day neath the sun,
Guarding the land and the seas.
Streams to the rivers must run,
Telling their tales to the breeze.
You are Lord, by the blood of your sires,
From dawn til the daylight dies,
As the sun burns the sea with its fires,
And stars pin nights cloak to the skies.
Find me whenever you will,
Seek me wherever you may.
All of your dreams fulfill,
Ere time like the mist rolls away....
Reality seeped back slowly: a warm glowing fire, tantalizing odors, and the mole and hogbabes stroking his headstripe and tickling Skarlaths wing feathers.
“Wake ee upp, zurrs!
“Vittles be yurr aplenty.
“Mum says you twons will take some feedin!
Tiny shooed the babes off. “Come away, you liddle rogues, let the pore creatures up now.
Around the fire in the caves center various concoctions were cooling on flat rock slabs. Bruff Dubbo presented them with beakers, which he filled from a pottery jug. “Yurr, friends, tis ony dandelion-an-burdock cordial, but et be no-ice an cool tdrink, ho aye!
It was dark, sweet, and delicious, and the two friends slaked their thirst. Dearie LingI pushed two of her brood forward, saying, “Standee up straight, oglets, an say your piece. Cmon now, stop suckin those quills or theyll never arden. Speak out!
Both the small hedgehogs shuffled about, tugging their headspikes respectfully as they recited:
“Thankee sir awk an sir badger...
“For savin all in this cave...
“From the naughty foxes ...
“Aye, naughty, naughty foxes!
“Bad verminy foxes!
“Rotten uckypaw stinky ole foxes!
Dearie wagged a paw at her little ones. “Tut tut! Thats quite enough, thankee! She turned to the two friends, who were hiding smiles by burying their faces in the beakers, and said, “Wot my liddle ones was say in is that our families would like to thank you for rescuin us from the vermin. You must stay ere as long as you wish, our cave is yours. Come now, friends, enough talkin, elp yourselves to food.