Tish who was holding onto her stick like as if she was going to die without it. Gulped while thinking, she was trying to remember on how she got as far as she did without being seen until now.

She sighed and started to calm herself down.

-memory-

"Tish!" Her leader called out before it hit midnight, tish had just gotten in from a mission. "what?" The leader walked up to her, he looked angered up. Tish gulped and started to move backwards. "Nickalis has told me that you were planning on running before you get branded." Tish laughed. "No! Never!" She yelled while looking around she was in trouble. She quickly reached for her stick before her leader could reach for his sword. She pointed her stick at him. "I don't need the punish ment for something that I wasn't going to do!" she yelled while staring at him.

"I wasn't going to do it!" The punisher of her clan appeared near her, pushing the leader out of harms way. Tish had to think for a second. 'I have to run.' she thought before taking off.
-end-

Tish blinked and jumped down off from the tree branch landing in front of the badger.

"I am Tish, tish from the Raccon clan." She grabbed her stick wondering on if she could trust him. "And thou i do not know you i would say that we could be friends."

Xan hadn't seen a racoon before in person. Tish looked slightly foxish to him, but he tried not to group her together with them quite yet. Sorry never heard of it [the raccoon clan]... I am Alexader, guardian of Thistlemoth Abbey. he said, speaking as if they were fully prepared for attacks, even though the Abbey was most vulnerable at this point. He gripped the axe a bit tighter and continued. Now speak your business here. You some kind of spy? he asked in a stern voice. He wanted to be sure she under stood he wasn't one to be taken lightly.

A racoon eh? As far as I've heard, which isn't much, they don't live near here. There are a number of possible reasons as to why she's here, one of which could be that she is indeed a spy for some kind of foreign invasion army. Xan thought, coming up with the most outrageous idea he could.

Tish sighed. "I'm not a spy...I had an agruement with my leader and it seems that he wanted me punished for whatever reasons. I did not wish to be punished and I fled." she said while staring at him.

'I didn't want to go up against one of him...i hate what the stories tell...am I that far away from home?' Sighing Tish stared at the badger.

"I am not going to harm you...All I want to know is how close I am to the next village...or how far I am away from my clan's village." She said while staring at him, she couldn't really see anything since it was dark out. Sighing and staring again, she was still ready to fight if it came up to that part of the meeting.

Tish knew better then to take her eyes off the badger. She she kept staring at him wondering on what he was going to do.

Xan wasn't sure whether to trust Tish and thought things out. You're far from home if what you've said is true. This is central Fangkroth Wood, close to the future Thistlemoth Abbey. he said. He lifted the axe and rested it on his shoulder again lazily. He didn't feel that there was any threat in the young raccoon. He then realized how late it had become and looked to the sky. If you have no where to go, then I may be able to help. You will be welcome in the abbey. Come. he said kindly, contrasting the hard attitude he held a moment ago. He turned a walked off back toward where he had come, leaving Tish the descision whether to follow of not. He had strayed into the wood only in search of wood for construction so it would not be a long walk. Why were you to be punished. What was it that you had done?

Tish thinking out of fright followed the Badger.

She was listening to everything that he had said. "Well..." she said while itching her head. "I was to be punished because my leader believed a lower ranked Raccon." she said it while staring at the ground. She had put her stick away and was trying her best to trust him. "You see...in my clan when you hit a curtian age you get branded with a mark. A mark that says that you are with a clan. I have been missing the night when they were supposed to do it because I don't really want to be branded by something that I hate." She sighed again.

"My leader was told that I was going to run away this time. Which i wasn't." She sighed again. "And what is a badger from Thistlemoth Abbey doing away from his post?" She asked while staring at his back.

Xan withered at this query. Oh, uh... Well truthfully the Abbey isn't fully constructed yet. I was out to gather wood when you spawned randomly. [heh, 21st century slang there. for me at least] We've been working for a while now and it's near completion. he said looking at Tish with one eye with his head turned to the side. Tish had told a bit of her story, Xan felt it was only fair that he trust her enough to not misuse that information. He looked forward again and could be a few torches flickering in the distance. I don't know you well now. But the Abbey is open to any and all creatures in need. I recommend you don't abuse our confidence in you. he said, simply putting a fianl note on what they expected of Tish. He said the same thing to almost everyone, but didn't think Tish would betray them.

Tish sighed 'he doesn't know me then' she thought while walking with him.

"As long as you or anybody else tries something towards me then I have nothing to try and betray you about." 'my work is betraying...he's taking me in. So I suppose, that this one time...I can stay clean.'

Tish caught up with the badger not knowing what she should say next.

She looked up and saw light, smiling she thought. 'wormness.' She stared at him then nodded. "I suppose that tomorrow morning I could help you out with little things." she said it while looking around. "But as you can see..." she looked at herself. "I am small." she said it with a smile.

(srry getting a little tired)

Nonsence. You are our guest. Alexander said. As they neared the gates, which was the only part of the outer walls that was fully constructed, he pulled a small horn from his belt. It was the only thing he carried other than the axe. He blew a long deep tone and the head of a burly otter peeked out from the battlements above. Xan waved up at him. Open the gates. This one's a friend. he called out, meaning Tish. The otter nodded and disappeared again.

The gates opened shortly and they passed between the two towers either side of them. Immediately inside was the gate house, where someone, usually the recorder, could always be found. A path led from there up a shallow slope to the Abbey it self which laid far across the parade grounds, the large stretch of lawn between them. An orchard and garden, bearing no plants yet, sat on their right, and to the left was where most of the construction was taking place. Xan buried the axe in the ground for later use and continued along the path with Tish.

The Abbey looked like a great fortress sitting up on the small hill. It's tall stone walls, which seemed to have a very slight bluish shade to them, and boastful turrets above were sure to give the feeling of home and protection to friends as much as it would intimidate attackers. In the past, nothing like it had ever existed. The woodland creatures live alone in Fangkroth, hardly commuting with others. This was a major step forward and represented all the work they had put in to unifying the land.

What do you think? Xan said and smirked like a child with a brand new toy to show off.

Tish followed behind the badger threw all of the walking. She had looked around then sighed before he stopped and he asked the question.

"Um..." she said while looking around. "it's big." she said before noticing that the badger was trying to show off. She looked around again before noticing that the badger was trusting her with almost everything that he got. 'if I wasn't in need i'd do something.' she thought before sitting down. "Other then it being big..." she looked around again then looked back at the Badger. "It's nice."

Before the badger could speak she finished her sentence. "But it's going to be better after you finish it all up." She smiled at him.