"Do. Not. Touch. That.
805 words
Achran strained his ears, listening to the soft sound of brush against scroll, then grinned, touching the small pouch of seeds in his pocket.
"Ello!"
Adrian and Avery both jumped as Achran slammed the door open, his arms flung wide, bag of seeds dangling from his hand.
"Ah come bearin' gifts!"
"Achran get out," Avery scowled down at him from her perch on the table.
"Ah what? Ya don't want the sweet seeds Lionel sent ya?" Achran bounded up onto the bed and Adrian and Avery curled together on the edge of the table, blocking him from jumping up.
"No, we don't becaussse Lionel didn't sssend the ssseedss," Adrian hissed, drawing himself up and glaring down at the squirrel "You're just trying to steal the inkpot again."
"Whaa? Me!?" Achran draped a paw over his chest as if wounded "Ah'd ne're do sich a-"
"You did it twenty minutes ago!" Adrian yelped "You haven't even dried off from when we pushed you into the pond!"
"Ehh..." he glanced down at his damp vest "Seeds!"
He ripped the bag open and sent the seeds showing into their eyes.
As they tumbled backwards, wings thrashing coils twisting, and Achran took a flying leap over them, landing in the midst of their papers and scattering them across the table while he lunged for the inkpot.
"Don't touch that!" Avery screeched as Achran wrapped his fingers around the pot and spilled ink across the table and splattered it into Adrian and Avery's faces.
Blinded and angry, Avery lashed out, trying to grab Achran, but nimbly he danced aside and thrown off balance she accidently threw herself off the table.
As she crashed to the floor Adrian slipped off the desk, trying to trouble away the ink from his eyes and fell to the bed with a thump.
Achran's high-pitched laughter grated in their ears as he bounced off the desk and out the door, covered in ink and the pot tucked under his arm.
With a spluttering gasp, Avery spat out the ink and blinked it out of her eyes, while Adrian rubbed his face on the blankets.
Their gaze met simultaniously.
"Get him."
Breathlessly Achran raced along the spine of the vaulted roof, giggling, even though he knew he had seconds before Adrian and Avery gave chase.
He slid down the side of the roof, free falling down towards an open balcony, where a red furred squirrel lady was sweeping while her blond child giggled and danced in circles, swirling a red ribbon around her.
He landed on the railing, arms widespread, startling Freya into dropping the broom.
"Let me get that for ya," he tumbled to the ground, snatched the broom and in the same movment returned it to her with a cheerful grin "There ya are!"
He started to move away, but she caught his wrist "You're covered in ink!"
"Oh..." he tugged away from her "Ehh...Just an-"
"Really? Again!? Not even ten minutes later!?"
"I'm jest a wee bit bored," he tapped his pocket "And besides, they could use some exercise, not good for 'em ta sit inside all day."
"It's not them I'm worried about," she said with a meaningful glance towards Ariel "You're setting an example
"Eh... oh..." he hesitated "It's jest a bit of f-"
He was cut off abruptly by a clump of ink streaked feathers descending into him.
Freya jumped as Avery perched on Achran's chest, pinning him to the ground while Adrian relived him of the purloined inkpot.
"Ey..." Achran struggled for breath "Wasn't that fun now?"
"No. No it wasss not," Adrian hissed.
"Should we dump him in the pond or-" Avery was cut off by Freya clearing her throat. Loudly.
"Are we playing a game?"
Achran grinned triumphantly as Adrian faltered.
"Um...Yesss, Ariel...Jussst....a bit of tag...?" Adrian shot Avery a glance and with a squawkish growl she moved off his chest with a false smile nailed to her beak.
"Can I play?" Ariel grinned down at her father and tugged on his ear.
"Aye! That ya can," Achran swept her up in his arms with a snicker "How about we play teams? You and Avery, me and Adrian."
"How about-" Adrian said curling up on Avery's back "You two play by yourselves and let us work on our extremely important scribe duties?"
"How about when you're done?" Ariel tipped her head, eyes sparkling.
Adrian sighed, melting a little "Maybe."
"Aww, Uncle Adrian's nae fun," Achran's ruffled Ariel's tufted ears "C'mon, I'll play with ya right naow!"
"Yeah!"
"Well, at least you won't bother you for now," Freya went back to sleep as her husband and daughter dashed off, giggling hysterically.
"For now," Avery sighed, spreading her wings "Mind warning us when he get's bored?"
Freya laughed "Sure. Not get out of here, you're dripping ink everywhere."
805 words
Achran strained his ears, listening to the soft sound of brush against scroll, then grinned, touching the small pouch of seeds in his pocket.
"Ello!"
Adrian and Avery both jumped as Achran slammed the door open, his arms flung wide, bag of seeds dangling from his hand.
"Ah come bearin' gifts!"
"Achran get out," Avery scowled down at him from her perch on the table.
"Ah what? Ya don't want the sweet seeds Lionel sent ya?" Achran bounded up onto the bed and Adrian and Avery curled together on the edge of the table, blocking him from jumping up.
"No, we don't becaussse Lionel didn't sssend the ssseedss," Adrian hissed, drawing himself up and glaring down at the squirrel "You're just trying to steal the inkpot again."
"Whaa? Me!?" Achran draped a paw over his chest as if wounded "Ah'd ne're do sich a-"
"You did it twenty minutes ago!" Adrian yelped "You haven't even dried off from when we pushed you into the pond!"
"Ehh..." he glanced down at his damp vest "Seeds!"
He ripped the bag open and sent the seeds showing into their eyes.
As they tumbled backwards, wings thrashing coils twisting, and Achran took a flying leap over them, landing in the midst of their papers and scattering them across the table while he lunged for the inkpot.
"Don't touch that!" Avery screeched as Achran wrapped his fingers around the pot and spilled ink across the table and splattered it into Adrian and Avery's faces.
Blinded and angry, Avery lashed out, trying to grab Achran, but nimbly he danced aside and thrown off balance she accidently threw herself off the table.
As she crashed to the floor Adrian slipped off the desk, trying to trouble away the ink from his eyes and fell to the bed with a thump.
Achran's high-pitched laughter grated in their ears as he bounced off the desk and out the door, covered in ink and the pot tucked under his arm.
With a spluttering gasp, Avery spat out the ink and blinked it out of her eyes, while Adrian rubbed his face on the blankets.
Their gaze met simultaniously.
"Get him."
Breathlessly Achran raced along the spine of the vaulted roof, giggling, even though he knew he had seconds before Adrian and Avery gave chase.
He slid down the side of the roof, free falling down towards an open balcony, where a red furred squirrel lady was sweeping while her blond child giggled and danced in circles, swirling a red ribbon around her.
He landed on the railing, arms widespread, startling Freya into dropping the broom.
"Let me get that for ya," he tumbled to the ground, snatched the broom and in the same movment returned it to her with a cheerful grin "There ya are!"
He started to move away, but she caught his wrist "You're covered in ink!"
"Oh..." he tugged away from her "Ehh...Just an-"
"Really? Again!? Not even ten minutes later!?"
"I'm jest a wee bit bored," he tapped his pocket "And besides, they could use some exercise, not good for 'em ta sit inside all day."
"It's not them I'm worried about," she said with a meaningful glance towards Ariel "You're setting an example
"Eh... oh..." he hesitated "It's jest a bit of f-"
He was cut off abruptly by a clump of ink streaked feathers descending into him.
Freya jumped as Avery perched on Achran's chest, pinning him to the ground while Adrian relived him of the purloined inkpot.
"Ey..." Achran struggled for breath "Wasn't that fun now?"
"No. No it wasss not," Adrian hissed.
"Should we dump him in the pond or-" Avery was cut off by Freya clearing her throat. Loudly.
"Are we playing a game?"
Achran grinned triumphantly as Adrian faltered.
"Um...Yesss, Ariel...Jussst....a bit of tag...?" Adrian shot Avery a glance and with a squawkish growl she moved off his chest with a false smile nailed to her beak.
"Can I play?" Ariel grinned down at her father and tugged on his ear.
"Aye! That ya can," Achran swept her up in his arms with a snicker "How about we play teams? You and Avery, me and Adrian."
"How about-" Adrian said curling up on Avery's back "You two play by yourselves and let us work on our extremely important scribe duties?"
"How about when you're done?" Ariel tipped her head, eyes sparkling.
Adrian sighed, melting a little "Maybe."
"Aww, Uncle Adrian's nae fun," Achran's ruffled Ariel's tufted ears "C'mon, I'll play with ya right naow!"
"Yeah!"
"Well, at least you won't bother you for now," Freya went back to sleep as her husband and daughter dashed off, giggling hysterically.
"For now," Avery sighed, spreading her wings "Mind warning us when he get's bored?"
Freya laughed "Sure. Not get out of here, you're dripping ink everywhere."