"I don't get paid enough for this," Alder huffed as he waddled along, trying to stay upright from the stack of twigs strapped to his back. Each big step made it look like he'd teeter over any minute as he followed Flint through Mossflower to the usual section where Flint usually set up shop.
"You don't get paid at all," Flint reminded him. Or at least he wished that was the case. Since taking in the little mouse, Aldie had started eating him out of house and home, so now visits to Mossflower needed to be more frequent as Aldie's little belly expanded.
His annoyance at the whole situation was very clearly on display.
Flint dropped his load and flopped down to take a rest before setting up, carefully taking the twigs from Alder and organizing them amongst the rest of his wares.
"Why are we all the way over here in this corner?" Alder asked, plopping a little bowl on his head and using it like a helmet. A helmet that pushed his ear awkwardly over his eyes.
"Because."
"Because whyyy?" He asked, bumbling around until he bumped into the older mouse.
"Beca-- STOP THAT!" Flint snapped, taking the bowl off his head and putting it back in it's place. "Because this is the best to be both seen and not stepped on or overlooked by bigger animals. And this spot is just fine. You just don't know how this works because... uh, Alder?" He had to stop his organizing and rambling when he turned to look over his shoulder and found his immediate space sorely lacking in smaller mice.
"Kyaaa~!" Aldie had found another bowl while Flint was scrambling to put his set up back together, and he'd even snapped one of his twigs in half to swing around like a toy sword. So now, mostly blind and really only able to see his feet, he was marching through the crowd, swinging his twig, narrowly avoiding being stepped on twice and accidentally smacking nearby critters countless times. And Flint was having a hard time locating him in spite of all this nuisance making.
He was having a pretty sizable panic in the meantime, trying to keep a hold on all his twigs and make it through the crowd with his inability to bring himself to push and shove and his small stature making things even more difficult. He was waaay behind Alder, and getting more and more worried he wouldn't be able to catch up before something happened to him.
"You don't get paid at all," Flint reminded him. Or at least he wished that was the case. Since taking in the little mouse, Aldie had started eating him out of house and home, so now visits to Mossflower needed to be more frequent as Aldie's little belly expanded.
His annoyance at the whole situation was very clearly on display.
Flint dropped his load and flopped down to take a rest before setting up, carefully taking the twigs from Alder and organizing them amongst the rest of his wares.
"Why are we all the way over here in this corner?" Alder asked, plopping a little bowl on his head and using it like a helmet. A helmet that pushed his ear awkwardly over his eyes.
"Because."
"Because whyyy?" He asked, bumbling around until he bumped into the older mouse.
"Beca-- STOP THAT!" Flint snapped, taking the bowl off his head and putting it back in it's place. "Because this is the best to be both seen and not stepped on or overlooked by bigger animals. And this spot is just fine. You just don't know how this works because... uh, Alder?" He had to stop his organizing and rambling when he turned to look over his shoulder and found his immediate space sorely lacking in smaller mice.
"Kyaaa~!" Aldie had found another bowl while Flint was scrambling to put his set up back together, and he'd even snapped one of his twigs in half to swing around like a toy sword. So now, mostly blind and really only able to see his feet, he was marching through the crowd, swinging his twig, narrowly avoiding being stepped on twice and accidentally smacking nearby critters countless times. And Flint was having a hard time locating him in spite of all this nuisance making.
He was having a pretty sizable panic in the meantime, trying to keep a hold on all his twigs and make it through the crowd with his inability to bring himself to push and shove and his small stature making things even more difficult. He was waaay behind Alder, and getting more and more worried he wouldn't be able to catch up before something happened to him.
