Nutwing, who had dozed off halfway through the narrative, awoke with a start, blinking repeatedly. “Hmm mm, lunch? Did somebeast mention lunch?”

*

The mousebabe Dwopple and his two new friends Wugger and Blinny, young Redwall moles, were making thorough nuisances of themselves at the Wandering Noonvale Companions’ rehearsal. Runktipp was going through his conjuring act in spite of their constant barracking and interruptions. The hedgehog spread both paws wide, a pebble had vanished, and Florian announced the trick’s next stage.

“H’anda now, before your very eyes, the great Runktippo Magicspike will turn the pebble into a long string of flags, which he will produce from his magical mouth while I give a roll of the drum!”

Most of the Dibbuns were silent, gazing awestruck at the performance, but Dwopple sniggered villainously as he called out, “Well ’urry up, gerra h’on wid it!”

Florian shot him a glare that would have shriveled lettuce. “Silence, please. This is an extremely delicate an’ dangerous illusion. Kindly refrain from shouting aloud!”

Dwopple whispered something to Wugger, who immediately yelled out, “Runktippo dropped ee pebble onna ground. ’Tis unner ’is footpaw!”

Florian picked up the drumsticks, eyeing Wugger icily. “Any more interruptions, sah, an’ I will eject you from the audience! Great Magic Runktippo, are you ready?”

The hedgehog nodded as Blinny announced what Dwopple had told her. “Ee can’t talk ’cos ’is mouth be gurtly full o’ flags’n’string!”

The final straw came when Florian tried a drumroll, only to find that the drum head merely gave forth a dull sticky thud. “Sabotage! Some rotten cad’s poured honey over me drum. Dwopple!”

The mousebabe and his companions sensed the game was up. They took to their paws and fled, with Florian hurling dire threats after them. “Fiends! Show-wreckers! I’ll have y’roasted with turnips, I’ll chop off y’tails with a rusty saw! I’ll . . . I’ll . . .!”

Deesum twitched her nose at the furious hare. “Mister Florian, you’ll stop this unprofessional behavior in front of your audience and continue with the rehearsal!”

*

Behind the bushes by the north wallgate, Dwopple sat with the molebabes, wondering what mischief they could accomplish next. He pointed to the battlements. “We go play up onna wall.”

But Wugger and Blinny would not hear of it.

“Burr! Nay, zurr, us’n’s bain’t a-goin’ up thurr agin, ho no!”

They contented themselves with banging on an old cooking pot that Blinny kept hidden in the bushes. The molebabes whacked it gleefully with sticks, as Dwopple mimicked the troupe’s act.

“I’m a magic Dwoppo, pulla lotsa flags out me nose, heeheehee!”

They marched about behind the shrubbery, banging and yelling.

“Us want cake and st’awbee fizz! Lotsa lotsa cake or we don’t gerra wash!”