The Battle Begins.

Grace hurried through the woods to her home. She was hyper alert to noises around her. Worry and anger fed her path. She emerged from the cedars with Murray ahead her, sniffing the ground. There was no welcoming curl of smoke from the chimney, and the house was a dark shadow in the waning light. It was cold. She pressed on down to the garden, when she felt something stinging in her neck, then her back, then she fell forward, tripping in a hole. She stumbled, catching herself with outstretched hands before her face could hit the ground. There were multiple tiny arrows sticking from her neck and the back of her jacket was dotted with them. "Murray," she cried.


Murray whirled at the sound of her falling. He was a black blur that raced around her perimeter, dodging tiny darts, and growling when they found a mark. "Get up Grace, get up," he yelled.


Somewhere near the Garden Gate there was a cry of "Attack!" There was a sound of a tiny horn, an army of animals with ouchers scrambled forward to the aid of their beloved Mistress.


Grace gained her feet, as they ran toward her yelling wildly. She pitched toward them with Murray at her heels. He was Biting the air, snapping furiously and barking "Come down and fight, come down here you filthy animals," to the unseen foes that had attacked from the trees.


There was a shower of tiny arrows that responded to his invitation, all falling short of the mark.


They scrambled through the Garden Gate, and Grace momentarily assessed the scene around her. There were animals of every kind in her Garden. Some had Rusty Sewing Needles, with the bottom of clay pots as shields. Some of the ferrets and badgers had her steak knife set diveyed up between them, but what made her smile was the sight of her beloved cat Swain with a teacup for a shield and a kabob skewer as a lance.
Tisdale spoke first. "We Have decided to defend the Baggaraggs, Mrs. Tenderstitch. We are not going to let them pass without a fight." Grace Tendertitch looked down at the tiny snail who held his shell curled in his tail. "I told you to get the others and yourself to safety Tisdale. Lets get into the house and see what needs to be done." Once inside, Grace plucked the tiny arrows from her jacket. It was more difficult and painful to remove the few that had impaled her neck. There was not much bleeding, but Grace was at first alarmed by the prospect that the tips of the arrows had been dipped in some kind of venom. This did not prove to be the case.

As Murray was treated he said, "They are bold these Pie-rats. Attacking you like that. I thought they had felled you when you went down. But then I saw that you fell into a hole that someone had dug...plus there is pine sap on the bottom of your shoe," he finished sniffing the bottom of her foot. Grace Tenderstitch looked down,"My ankle is going to swell, I'm afraid.Its going to be a long Night."

She had no idea had right she would be.