Snowball Fight!

[Brooke]

Violet woke up to the excited squeals of Dibbuns. She groaned inwardly.
What could they possibly want now?
She listened some more.
Snow?
She jumped out of bed and got dressed. She ran to the Gathering Chamber to grab some breakfast rolls. On her way out she linked arms with the Dibbuns and yelled to the adults she was taking the Dibbuns out to play. She thought of an old Ditty that the Dibbuns would know, so she linked arms and skipped down the path singing;

"I search for the summer o'er fields far and still,
Though seasons may take me wherever they will,
Cross vale and o'er hill as the warm winds blow down,
'Twas there I found autumn gold, russet and brown,
I wandered the lands 'neath a misty morn sky,
'Til the frost rimed a small icy tear from my eye.
O winter, cold winter turns short days to night,
And dresses the lea in a gown of pure white,
So windswept and sad until yon comes the day,
A pale morn of sunlight melts snowflakes away.
See greenshoots a pushing to pierce the bare earth,
Bringing fair coloured flowers to herald springbirth,
As spinney and woodland grow leafier each day,
Young birds sing that summer is soon on its way.
I'll find me the glade that my heart recalls best,
In my soft summer dell I will lay down to rest."

She panted as they got to a clearing. She let them play for awhile then got up to make snow mice with them.

[Treble Tiderunner]

Snow! It hardly seemed possible, that she had been here nearly half a season already. The thick white blanket contrasted sharply with the Indian summer day she had stumbled into the camp. Fern loved the snow, and it was with the resolve to enjoy the day that had descended, bringing the dibbuns such joy.

The ottermaid had done quite a bit of exploring, but she didn't need it as she followed the noisy dibbuns and Violet to another entranceway, bigger than the main but equally camouflaged. Skipper had told her this was the main effort of the moles who had dug and expanded the natural tunnels. Fern admired the moles for such dedication to detail.

Outside, Fern fell behind as she walked slower and more sedately than the dibbuns, but she couldn't resist a few skips and twirls. Violet was singing to the dibbuns and Fern joined in, their voices carrying easily in the still morning.

"As spinney and woodland grow leafier each day,
Young birds sing that summer is soon on its way.
I'll find me the glade that my heart recalls best,
In my soft summer dell I will lay down to rest."

"Hello!" Fern smiled as she came into the little clearing. The dibbuns seemed to be winding up a snowball fight.

"Come'n make snowmice, miss Fern!" one of the older children called, waving a snowy paw.

[Brooke]

"Come'n make snowmice, miss Fern!"

Violet's head snapped up. She waved a friendly paw at Fern.

"Yes, do join us!" The new arrival of snow made her just like one of the Dibbuns. She lifted up one of the smaller Dibbuns to put the scarf on the top of the Snow mouse. When she set the babe down, she bent down and scraped together the fluffy white snow that was laying on the ground. She lobbed it at Fern, then ran to hide behind the snow mouse.
"I gotcha now Miss Fern!"

She started making more snowballs as the dibbuns sorted themselves into different teams, once they were settled, she roared;
"SNOWBALL FIGHT!"

[Maxodis]

Faced with the cold weather, Danol was loathe to leave the warm comfort of his bed. Several times that morning, he had contemplated rising from the comfortable sheets, only to come to the conclusion that he'd get up later. His day began several hours later than what was usual for the young otter, at a time that others would consider reasonable. Bleary eyed and swathed in multiple layers of clothing borrowed from other residents, Danol stumbled into the Gathering Chamber in order to obtain a good breakfast.

Accepting his food with a smile of gratitude, Danol was beginning to settle down to savor the deft combination of flavor and smell when someone whisked by him, leaving in their wake a chill breeze that caused the tips of his clothing to flutter slightly. Brief though her passage was, Danol had little trouble identifying the passing figure as Brookesong. Quickly, he stuffed what he could of his breakfast into his mouth as he quickly rose to follow her.

He watched the scene discreetly for a time, hidden behind a large elm tree. Though amusing, the antics of the dibbuns were not what drew the young otter's attention. He was momentarily transfixed by her smile and clear laugh that rang out above the squeaks of the dibbuns.

Blinking in surprise as his mind refocused back into reality, and slightly confused at the temporary absence of thought that had overcome him, he peeked farther out from behind the elm. He was rewarded with the sight of a lump of snow as it traveled through the air en route to it's intended target.

"SNOWBALL FIGHT!"

Danol could hardly contain himself. At the utterance of these words, the relative order that had been established as the dibbuns divided into teams broke apart as both sides ran around to avoid snowballs while pelting them at their opposition. Taking advantage of this chaos, Danol quietly slipped himself onto Brookesong's team, appearing to all the world like he had been there the entire time. Armed with snow in each paw, he grinned at her.

"Heard you could use some assistance, marm!"

[Brooke]

"Heard you could use some assistance, marm!"

Brooke blushed as Danol showed up beside her. She was surprised, he was normally quiet and kept to himself.

"Yes, that would be useful, Violet's the main target once she's down, the rest of the Dibbuns will come to our side and we can beat Violet once and for all!" She said in one huge breath. She bent her head and kept her attention focused solely on her job of making snow balls and not on the incredibly handsome... Whoops, gosh Brooke, he's just an otter and a friend. She blushed again.

---

Violet groaned, No fair, Brooke got re-enforcements! she thought. She grabbed all the Dibbuns in reach.

"Now, Brooke's side got re-enforcements, but we are the bigger team, so fight hard and if we win, I'll tell the cooks to make you a HUGE woodland trifle. OK now, go fight!"

She started lobbing snowballs left and right. She had to win.

[Maxodis]

At her reaction, Danol felt his own features flush with an unexpected warmth despite the cold. He quickly looked away as she abruptly turned to her smal pile of snowballs. Wordless and no longer aware of the frozen snow in his paws, he stood by her awkwardly considering what he should say. After a few long moments, he turned to her once more.

"Say, do you w-Mmphf!"

The well-aimed snowball caught him completely off-guard, one of the first things one learns not to do on the field of a snowball fight. He stumbled backwards in surprise, tripping over his feet as he attempted top regain his balance in the deceptively shallow snow. Much to his dismay, he fell over the crouched form of Brookesong, landing in a heap and displacing a small cloud of snowflakes.

Spitting out snow, he quickly collected himself, distantly making mental note that the offending snowball was too precisely aimed for it to have been thrown by a dibbun. Hastily brushing snow off her clothing, Danol tried to conceal his own dismay.

"Ack! I'm terribly, terribly, sorry. Are you alright? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

[Treble Tiderunner]

Fern had to laugh at the dibbun, who seemed determined to start the snowball fight afresh. She ducked the flying snow and joined Violet in lobbing them. Soon two teams formed, with Brooke and the newly arrived Danol on one side, and Violet and Fern on the other.

"Now, Brooke's side got re-enforcements, but we are the bigger team, so fight hard and if we win, I'll tell the cooks to make you a HUGE woodland trifle. OK now, go fight!"

Fern stockpiled snowballs and dibbuns, organizing them behind a fort they had built spur of the moment. She stood and aimed right at Danol, just standing up from being knocked over by, Fern assumed, Violet.

[Tirael]

Tirael came out to join the fun, dressed in his warmer winter tunic and a scarf. He looked around and sighed happily at the squealing Dibbuns and gleeful friends cavorting in the snow. A small crowd of older camp residents stood along the sidelines, cheering and enjoying the fight vicariously. Stooping, Tirael picked up a pawful of snow and began to pat it together into a worthy projectile. As he considered which team to join, a grumpy old vole nearby said, "Huh, couldn't make our presence any more obvious, might as well just call N'tashi over and have him kill us all." The others generally ignored the vole; he always grumbled like that. Tirael, however, took his snowball and smushed it right on the vole's head.

"Oh, don't be so boorish, they're having fun. Besides, we've got sentries, we're not stupid." Tirael resumed scanning the battlefield, and caught sight of Fern. His decision on which team to join instantly made, he scooped up and created another snowball, which he threw to cover himself as he dove for cover near Fern. His back to a tree, he began to make a pile of snowballs as he greeted his friend. "Thought y' could use help here." Sticking his head out of cover briefly, he aimed his snowball at Danol and sent his snowball hissing towards the target.

[Brooke]

"Fern will y-." Violet couldn't get any further as she saw Danol trip over Brooke's form and stutter an apology. She burst out laughing.

"Will you hand Oh, hehehe, me a snowball?" She asked Tirael and Fern, "Oh, and pay attention, this is a serious battle!" She snapped looking like a general.

---

"Ack! I'm terribly, terribly, sorry. Are you alright? I didn't hurt you, did I?" Brooke took pity on Danol.

"I'm fine thanks for your concern." She couldn't make a sentence any longer when she saw him lying in a tangled heap on the ground, and burst out laughing. She offered him a paw when she could stand firmly. He started trying to help her brush the snow off her clothes. She waved him off.

"I'm fine, its meant to get snowy. We've got to get Violet back." She giggled and handed him two snowballs.

"Now, throw these at Violet and Tirael, your aim is probably better than mine."

[Maxodis]

Flustered apologies halted by her pleasant giggling, Danol found he could breathe easier once more. The easy smile returned to his face as he accepted the frozen weapons of 'war' and the orders associated with them.

"Now, throw these at Violet and Tirael, your aim is probably better than mine."

Affecting a serious expression, Danol only replied with a curt nod. Pivoting on his heel and setting his footpaws firmly on the ground, he imagined himself burning with energy as he focused himself on redeeming himself.

This determination was slightly put off by the second well-aimed snowball that he failed to notice hurtling towards him. Spitting out snow for a second time with a blank expression, he eyed the source of the offending snow. Tirael.

Grinning mischievously, Danol quickly lobbed one of his snowballs at Violet, albeit lightly and absentmindedly. Frozen globule of snow in-paw, Danol hesitated slightly before hurling the snowball at Tirael in a full-body throw.

[Tirael]

"Will you hand Oh, hehehe, me a snowball? Oh, and pay attention, this is a serious battle!"

Tirael threw a smart salute and barked, "Yessir, right away sir!" Picking a snowball off his pile, he tossed it to Violet. When her back was turned, he pulled a face at Fern, who giggled and resumed firing at the enemy. Tirael smiled; he was always pleased when he made others laugh, especially Fern...

Remembering Violet's "order", he resumed concentration on the battle. Sighting a likely target, he came out from cover to fire. Unfortunately, he chose the wrong time to do it, and Danol's snowball connected with his face in an explosion of white powder that would have looked very pretty had it not exploded in his face. Freezing up a moment, he simply stood there until it fully registered that he had been hit, at which point he ducked back behind his tree-fortress and cleared snow from his face. "Hrm, should've expected that..." he muttered to himself as he began to replenish his severely depleted snowball reserve.

[Brooke]

Violet watched Tir fall.

"Hahaha, you, hehe, should have, Whahoohoo, seen the look on your F- Ooof." A lightly thrown snowball had collided with her face. She stood there in numb shock trying to figure out what had just happened. Suddenly she snapped back to reality.

"I will murder whoever threw that snowball!" she yelled. She looked over at the other side. Danol was grinning.

"Danol, you are so dead." Violet then proceeded to throw all snowballs within reach with deadly accuracy at Danol.

---

Brooke giggled as he adopted a serious expression. She saw Tirael go into shock, but finally sit down. When Violet got hit she whispered,

"You might want to get down, she has deadly accuracy." Her warning was too late and Danol was already getting pelted. She grabbed his paw to pull him down to sit by her.

Suddenly the walls of their fort started crumbling.

"Quick everyone," she called, "we've got to fix the walls, so I'll divide us into groups and we can have half of you going to fix the walls and the others defend the wall fixers. Understood?"

She sat down to make more snowballs for the defenders.

[Maxodis]

Well-prepared and expecting a counter-attack, Danol was able to deftly avoid the first few snowballs thrown at him in retaliation. What he did not expect was the ferocity and relentless nature of the counterattack. He was hit in multiple places before he was pulled to safety by Brooke.

Caught up in the hilarity of the moment, he affected a mournful expression as he clutched at his chest in mock-agony. Moaning softly, he writhed as if the snowballs had been lethal projectiles, and having sustained as many hits as he had, he was dying.

Weakly, he raised a trembling paw to the sky "Aah, this life has been good, but alas! I'm dying...". He waved his raised paw franticly, panic creeping into the edges of his voice "I can't see! I've lost my sight! Brooke, Brooke, where are you?". Grasping her paw with a firmness and strength that belied his previous faked weakness, he stared into the sky wide-eyed as he spoke "You'll bring flowers to my funeral, won't you?"

[Rocky]

Springheel Jakk had been walking through Mossflower, whistling a tune, and skipping lightly. He was about to sit and have a rest when he heard the shout for a snowball fight. It'd been a while when Springheel had fun like that before. Hopefully, they wouldn't mind him dropping in. Surely they knew him and that he meant no harm. Surely they would know him anywhere. He was silver-furred and he wore fur clothing... How could they not know him?

Springheel raced on the scene, a snowball already in his hand, and he stood next to Danol, then shouted, "'Tis I! Springheel Jakk! I may be a foxie, but Im good! Now..." He smirked lightly, then threw his snowball at Tirael. He grinned happily, then bent down and tried to help Danol come up. "Dont worry, I mean ya no harm. Besides... In this fight, im on your side." he winked.

[Brooke]

Violet nodded with satisfaction, Danol was down for the moment and she could take some time to re-stock the snowballs. Dibbuns were starting to leave the battle and sit on the sidelines to watch. They gathered on the sidelines, putting in the occasional "Go Miss Brooke" or "Go Mista' Tirs"

Violet looked up, and saw a fox enter the clearing, her paw went to her hip, she had left her swords at camp, but she had two daggers concealed under her cloak. She let out a sigh of relief when he joined in the fight.

---

Brooke watched as Dan got hit several times. Wobbling, he fell down.

"Aah, this life has been good, but alas! I'm dying..." he then proceeded to wave his paw as if he had lost his vision.
"I can't see! I've lost my sight! Brooke, Brooke, where are you?" he grasped her paw with a grip that belied his "death". She looked at him and rolled her eyes.
"You'll bring flowers to my funeral, won't you?" he asked in mock sincerity.

"Oh get up, you're just a great big dibbun." she scolded lightly "But, if you die, yes I will bring flowers to your funeral." she said sincerely, it was wrecked as a few giggles escaped. She batted him upside the head lightly.

"Now, get up, we have a battle to win." She saw something gray out of the corner of her eye. Suddenly a fox was next to her with a snowball in paw.

"'Tis I! Springheel Jakk! I may be a foxie, but I'm good! Now..." he lobbed the snowball at Tirael.
"Don't worry, I mean ya no harm. Besides... In this fight, I'm on your side." He winked at her.

"Er.. Ok, our main target is that mouse in the forest green dress. Try to get her down." she rapped out orders like an army general.