Tragglo Spearback shooed Sister Sloey off to the Abbey. “You get yoreself indoors, marm. Me’n’young Dann’ll find ’em!”

Dannflor and Tragglo dashed across the lawns, heads down, footpaws sloshing and slapping through the wet grass, as the thunder boomed closer and a great fork of jagged lightning rent the sky asunder. Both creatures were driven flat against the gatehouse wall by the wind, and stood there a moment regaining their breath before fighting their way around to the gatehouse door. It was flapping back and forth, for Butty had left it open, and they hurried inside out of the storm. Tragglo cast a quick eye about.

“Liddle rascals. They ain’t ’ere, Dann, an’ we never passed ’em on the way ’ere.”

The young squirrel wiped rain from his eyes on a window curtain. “Let’s think. I know! Maybe they’re up on the walltop. Dibbuns are always being told not to go up there, so that’s the likely place for them to be.”

Sheeting rain swept the ramparts, dancing across the stones and gurgling noisily out of small downspouts, so heavy that visibility was virtually nil. Tragglo and Dannflor were running almost doubled up past the north battlements when a peal of thunder exploded with frightening force directly overhead. In the crackle of chain lightning that followed the hedgehog pointed to the northeast gable end and the two small figures huddled there.

“Haharr, there they be!”

It was hard to imagine two more saturated and frightened little creatures. The molebabes wailed and threw themselves at their rescuers.

“Whhauhau! Us’n’s be gurtly drownded, zurrs!”

Tragglo untied his stout canvas apron and placed it over the Dibbuns, then between them he and Dannflor picked them up and started down the east wallsteps, watching carefully where they trod as the steps were awash. Reaching the lawn, they skirted the rear of the Abbey, almost blown around the corner of the belltower by the increasing wind. Wugger and Blinny held tight to the canvas apron covering them as it ballooned and flapped. More thunder banged sharply overhead and lightning sheeted the scene, illuminating it momentarily in an eerie white flash.

Cregga and Sloey were waiting at the door, holding it open against the weather’s onslaught, when the four of them rushed inside, breathless and bedraggled.

Sister Sloey gave Dannflor and Tragglo a towel apiece. “You found them! Thank goodness. Where were they?”

The hedgehog rubbed vigorously at his face. “Just where you’d expect the rogues t’be, Sister, top o’ the bloomin’ wall at the northeast corner, wetter’n water-weed an’ yellin’ to be saved from a drownin’. Anyways, they’re safe now.”