That was my first encounter with Salamandastron hares, and lead to my entry into the recruits programme a bit later on. Within four seasons I was fully trained and had done enough field work with the Long Patrol to become an Honourable Lieutenant. I was now living permanently in quarters at the mountain, but still saw Mitzi and Eepee from time to time since they lived close. Their household had changed dramatically in the course of four seasons, losing one load of orphans and gaining another. Shortly after my departure, Yan had taken to wandering, going further and further each day. Then, one day, the mole brother and sister came home to find all his things gone and a note saying that he wasn’t going to be back for some time. No beast knew where he had gone or has heard from him since. I often wonder about him; where did he go, and indeed, where had come from in the first place?
Patrice left as well, to live with a group of rowdy otter friends on the riverbank nearby. Soon after she left the burrow, a squirrel mother came to visit the new otter tribe. She had a terrible accident while she was there and died, leaving behind a baby called Charlie. The young otters couldn’t look after him, so Patrice sent him up to her “parent’s” house, knowing that they were a bit lonely now and that he’d be well looked after. Charlie was followed by Lilly, a white mouse maid who was mysteriously left on the doorstep of the burrow. Three seasons old and as pretty as a robin, the siblings could not turn her away. So they had plenty to keep them occupied, and still visited Patrice and I when the other two weren’t monopolising their time.
I settled into life at Salamandastron quickly. Being used to change, the move simply meant a new adventure and new friends to be made. And I had many.
There was Lynum, of course, and old Colonel Beven. They were in the ranks above me for a time, but we still saw a lot of each other, and then more so when I was promoted. I also befriended Lynum’s healer sister Saithe, and her trainer, the accomplished and revered Pasque Valerian. The badger lord, Russano, and I also became friendly; we had both been orphans and so shared a common ground that made friendship easier. His wife and children got used to seeing me chatting to him and often stopped by to talk themselves.
My best friends, however, were called Heidi and Arnica. Heidi, or Corporal Heidi Nutmeg Annabelle Tussockfur to give her full name, had joined the recruits the same day I had. Her main area of talent – mine was running and marksmanship – was camouflage. Indeed, the first time I met her, I had to strain my eyes to even decipher where she was. Her coat was patchy and so allowed her to blend into almost any background; dirt, sand, rock, it all seemed to swallow her up and turn her invisible. In the winter, she had a rare coat that turned as white as fresh new snow. She was stunning.
Being her close friend, one learned how to spot her, but it was still hard on the eyes after a while and we all wished that her “powers” could be turned off sometimes. It all came naturally to her, and she was trained to enhance her sneakiness by travelling almost silently and learning how to move without giving away where she was. Heidi was a card, much given to practical jokes and laughs. Everyone loved her.
Arnica was far more serious and quiet, but just as wonderful. Harder to get to know, but well worth the effort, for once she let you in she became the best friend anyone could ask for. She was one of Saithe’s partners in the infirmary, training to be a healer. Gentle and benevolent, she could take any injury, no matter how big or small and make it disappear almost overnight. Cuts that would have left huge scars otherwise vanished to tiny scratches under her paws and with seemingly little effort. She also knew the properties of every herb and medicine off by heart, and often saved us nasty colds and headaches with her knowledge of preventative medicine. “Instead of pulling people out of the stream, you should travel round the corner and see what’s causing them to fall in,” she was fond of saying, and it was true. Arnica was as wise as she was kind and we loved her for it.
So there we were, three of a kind, Heidi loud, wacky and boisterous, Arnica shy, gentle and wise…and me, Honourable Lieutenant Lupwa, the orphan with an interesting life story. While we were just doing routine exercises and the odd bit of spat fighting with shore toads, life was great.
Then, once again, something changed the good life, and this time, I knew the face of the enemy.
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