2. If You Can't Stand the Heat...

[Cobb]

2. If You Can't Stand the Heat...
by Jared Sandeye

Timothy twirled his wooden spoon and fork expertly between his fingers and dropped them into the pocket of his apron to flank his spatula and ladle, patting the pocket flat. At the close-by stove, Arthur and an ottermaid named Ruby worked on food to serve for the discussions on the new waterway.

"So, apparently," Arthur added clams to the large cooking pot in which he worked on a clam and cod chowder. "Pine bark is edible!" The teenage mouse could not stop himself from snickering. He stirred meticulously to coat the clams in the mixture of white wine, fish stock, and heavy cream that he and Ruby had earlier created. Then he placed the lid over the simmering seafood. "I mean, I've heard of elderflower champagne and coconut cucumber salad, but pine bark? That's a thing?"

"Why don't we ask th' expert himself?" Ruby kept a close watch on the four eggs she'd been cooking in a skillet, and seasoned them with salt and pepper. She grinned as she turned to Timothy for his input.

Timothy smiled brightly at his two chefs. "Yes, indeed, pine bark is edible! It all depends on how you cook it! Elderflower champagne is real, too, believe it or not. The coconut cucumber, well, that's a tad more foreign."

He shrugged nonchalantly and put his paws thoughtfully on his hips. "It has something to do with tapioca pearls and jelly cubes, or so I've heard. But what do I know?"

"Friar Tim's word is law," Ruby chuckled and peered over her frying eggs. "If he says pine bark is edible, then it's edible!"

When her egg whites were set while the yolk stayed runny, Ruby scooped them onto a plate. She drizzled honey over a pair of fresh grilled cheese sandwiches and draped each in a fried egg. These delicacies were then placed onto a wooden platter, which Ruby hoisted up in the air by her shoulder waitress-style. Arthur and Timothy looked on proudly as Ruby waltzed cheerily over the chef's table situated on the far side of the Kitchen.

"'Ere ya go, mates!" She placed the platter down on the nearest table between a squirrel and hedgehog pair. "Fancy grilled cheese sandwiches wit' fried eggs."

"Wow!" The squirrel's eyes widened and stared hungrily at the inventive dish. "Now that's something I've never seen before!"

"Blimey, did we hit the culinary jackpot or something?" the hedgehog laughed and scratched his head quizzically.

"That ye did, my friends," Ruby winked and spun around to return to the Kitchens. "Enjoy!"

When she returned to the Kitchen, Arthur was grinning with his paws on his hips. Timothy beamed and wrapped Ruby in a congratulatory bear hug.

"Who knew something as simple as grilled cheese sandwiches could be so fancy?" Arthur high-fived Ruby and folded his arms, impressed.

"Only in Redwall, my lad," Timothy playfully ruffled Arthur's headfur.

Ruby skipped back to the stove, lifting the lid of the pot and glancing carefully inside. "C'mon, Arthur, let's finish this chowder. I'll skin an' season th' cod. We've got it all covered, Friar." The ottermaid gave Timothy a reassuring wink and tapped the side of her head knowingly with her spatula. "I reckon ye can go take a break now."

"I promise I'll try not to burn any more mushrooms," Arthur laughed sheepishly, beginning to cut a bunch of lemons into small wedges. "Or anything else, for that matter."

"I have complete faith in you two, my children," Timothy smiled fondly at the two teenage chefs and smoothed out his apron. "Keep up the good work. I'll be back later to check on our progress. Remember, the journey is itself the reward. I'm proud of both of you."

On his way out, he plucked a candied chestnut from a silver platter and tucked it into his apron pocket.

He opened the door to the Abbey Grounds. Once outside, he made a panoramic scan of the area. Cold, crisp air ruffled his fur; the squirrel shivered and wrapped his arms around himself. The grass was soaked and almost freezing beneath his footpaws. Busy work of the moles, no doubt, he thought to himself.

He looked up towards the sky, shielding his eyes from the sun. The diagonal rays of winter sunlight that filtered in through the clouds illuminated the Grounds and caused the Abbey to glitter and glow with a somewhat ethereal, almost supernatural aura.

"After all of this excitement," he thought aloud to himself. "I think I do deserve a break. Don't you agree, Saint Martin?"

The sudden sound of footpaws moving in his direction made him turn. So it was with genuine surprise that he saw the Badgermum hobbling towards him. He quickly hurried up to her, his sandals kicking up water and grass in his wake.

"Badger Mother Susan! Is everything all right? What's wrong?"

Badgermum Susan stopped moving as he approached and bent over to catch her breath. "Timothy! We have a serious problem! One of our Dibbuns is missing!"

Timothy felt his heart leap in his chest. "One of our Dibbuns has gone missing? Who?" He stared with anxious dread into the Badgermum's eyes. "Susan, please tell me! Who is it?"

All color drained from Susan's black-and-white-striped face as she met Timothy eye to eye. "Acer!"

Timothy's heart stopped in an instant. His face turned chalk-white, and his breath caught short in his throat. His wooden spoon and fork fell from his paws and landed on the ground with a noisy clatter.

"Acer...?"

He turned and leaned against the nearest Abbey wall, slowly raising a trembling paw to his head.

"I should've been there to supervise him, and all of the little tykes." Timothy whispered, horrified. "I had all the responsibility of the feast on my mind, and if I didn't leave to go finish it up, I would've been able to prevent him from disappearing. Oh, no, I've made a serious mistake..."

The gray squirrel's eyes widened. He held his other paw to his heart. It had started beating again, nervous, slow, tentative.

"I could have let Arthur and Ruby handle preparing the food for the waterway discussions. Then I could have come back later to help them finish the feast. I should have stayed to help with the foraging trip. Acer didn't want me to leave him with you and Bo. Instead, I let my work come first. My art would not wait and I didn't either. Now you tell me that...Acer is missing?"

He slumped to the floor, sitting on his tail. His paws covered his mouth, staring blankly at the ramparts opposite him and the Badgermum in abject horror. "It's my fault, Susan...My fault...I went back to finalize the feast. Now Acer is gone, and it's my fault...Acer, I'm so sorry..."

Mother Susan bent down and placed a paw on Timothy's shoulder. "Don't worry, Tim. We'll find Acer, I promise."

At the Badgermum's reassuring words, the color immediately returned to Timothy's face. He hopped to his bare footpaws and nodded determinedly. "Then we must organize a search posthaste, Susan. I cannot leave my godson to wander alone in an unfamiliar world. After all, I made a promise to his parents that I'd always protect him."

"Friar!"

Arthur came rapidly bounding out the door. The young mouse was smiling brightly. "I just came to tell you that Ruby and I finished the clam and cod chowder. Any ideas as to what we should cook next?"

Timothy put an arm around Arthur's shoulders and shook his head. "Wonderful work, Arthur. But I'm afraid the feast will just have to wait. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Acer is missing."

"Acer? Your godson?" Arthur stared at Timothy with almost the same look of terror he had worn earlier. "Is there anything we can do to help?"

"For now, be a good lad and fetch my sandals. I'm going to run out to the belltower. I think the case of my missing godson is an Abbey-wide emergency."

"Right away, Friar!" Arthur bolted off at top speed, disappearing back into the Kitchen.

Timothy picked up his spoon and fork. Turning to his apron pocket, he removed the candied chestnut that he'd earlier swiped from the Kitchen. He stared at it for a few seconds, then closed his palm over the nut.

"I guess this sweet will just have to be saved for you later, Acer. I'll find you. I promise."

In half a minute, Arthur returned with Timothy's open-toed wicker sandals.

"Thank you, my boy," Timothy slipped on one of his sandals and squeezed Arthur's shoulder gratefully. "You and Ruby can go take your breaks now. Stay out of Cavern Hole for now, because I'm going to call for an emergency meeting. I'll be along soon."

He practically hopped down the path slipping on the other sandal. When he rounded the corner of the Abbey, he sprinted the whole way towards the belltower.

"Acer! Acer!"