Spring of the Singing Larks

((To clarify: If your character arrives at Redwall Abbey about 5-6 days or more before the Vermin or they live at the Abbey, they should be at the feast, even if you have not finished/started the thread that brings them to Redwall.

If your character arrives to Redwall 1-2 days before the vermin, or at the same time, I'd hold off))

Elis sat as removed from the others at the feast as he could be, quietly watching the goings on. He had never been at such a large gathering before and he wouldn't have denied that he was nervous. He feared that it showed too. Doing his best to appear relaxed he tried to quell his instinct to observe everything. It would be impossible and unnecessary in this circumstance, a place as big as Redwall likely wouldn't have anything to worry about from one tiny dormouse.
He gave a resigned sigh and finally convinced himself to begin the task of eating all the delicious food that had been placed before him. Starting, he decided, with a drink from his mug. As he took a experimental sip of the strange drink he had opted for instead of the more alcoholic choices all the fur along his spine out to the very tip of his ginger colored tail stood straight up and a feeling of delight rushed through him. Strawberry Fizz, the good beasts of Redwall called the stuff and it certainly lived up to its name. It was delicious, if a bit of a shock to the system. He couldn't help but wonder how they got it to fizz like that.
The young dormouse realized, abruptly, that he had been frozen with the mug at his lips and his fur on end for a good minute or so. Pretending that nothing had happened he set the drink back down on the table. His fur slowly settled back into place and he curled his tail up under his seat, hoping silently that no one had noticed his silly reaction.

---

Gruffur was enjoying herself immensely, seated amongst the majority of her mole crew, drinking a mug of Nutbrown Beer, and laughing heartily at any joke told to her even if she'd heard it a million times before. Feastdays were the old Foremole's favorite days.
She plowed her wide face into a mound of what must once have been a piece of deeper 'n' ever pie, mumbling. “'Tis ee best poie I ever be tastin'. Hurr hurr.”
Of course, she said that every time she had deeper 'n' ever pie, but she meant it every time, too.

Up at the top of the table, in the chair large enough for only one creature, Corenlius the badger was sitting looking gleefully over the entire feast. Well...if you could call it sitting. Half of the time he was on his feet, pacing up and down the table to chat and make sure every creature was having a good time, passing down plates of food to other Abbeybeasts who wanted a piece, shouting "Don't over-eat now!"s and "Pace yourself there young otter!"s up and down the table, and making toast after toast to the point where it was getting obnoxious.
 He smiled and chuckled quietly to himself as he watched Rylee steadilly make his way over to him, only to be distracted by her incorrigable young squirrel friend. He felt as though he should probably go over and stop them from smashing half of the Abbey's tupperware, but ah well, he thought as he sat down with a 'thump', let them have their fun.
 He began digging into his over-sized trifle as he listened to the conversation of Mildredd and Tsaron, who were seated near him as the Abbey's elders. 
 'Hoho! Sounds like you need to start eating more fish then!' he said to the owl with his signature, bark-like laugh.

 Further down the table, a large pristine-looking cake of strawberry was being demolished at an alarming rate, crumbs and frosting being sprayed in every direction, by what was only visible as two yellow legs and a waggling fan of tail feathers. Kiostra lifted her head that was covered in icing and clacked her beak back as a few lumps of cake chugged down her throat.
 "So as I was saying," she turned her head around, spraying the beasts opposite her with dessert, towards a frightened-looking young squirrel. "There's these crows, all sitting up in the trees around mine nest and cawing and cawing, a few of them swoop down and hazard a peck at me but I-" she broke off suddenly as she swivelled her head around.
 "Hello Taurian!" she screeched friendlilly, waving a wing. The atmosphere and tasty food of the feast had apparently had a momentary impact on her personality that was sure to be gone by morning, but at the moment Taurian was considered something of an ally. "The food is good! Have some!" she shrieked in the signature way that buzzards do. It was still an order sure, but a distinctly friendlier one.
 She turned back to the squirrel that been unlucky enough to pick the seat next to her. "So then I fly up there right? And I bash the brains out of the lot of them! Hah!" she laughed, spreading her wings elaboratley in amusement at her own "joke" and accidentally knocking the squirrel's head into a plate of soup.

 Not everyone was enjoying the feast so much however. Somewhere between the adult and dibbun 'sections' of the table, Daniel was sitting with his chin in his paws, staring at his food but not really seeing it. He didn't feel like eating tonight, or talking for that matter. He had his reasons for his mood, but he didn't want to talk about them. They were stupid anyway...trivial, nonsensical...he was getting worked up for nothing he was sure. He had been silent all the way down from his dormitory to the hall, and apart from a few automatic 'please's, 'hello's, and 'thank you's he hadn't said anything else at all.
 The quiet young mouse hadn't touched food of any sort either. Normally he loved the feasts, for despite being a bit too crowded for his tastes, the food was, as the buzzard said, very very good. And the general atmosphere of being among such a loving and tight-knit community was always enjoyable, especially that he spent every one in the company of his best friend (And had an excuse for staring at him more than usual).
 Tonight however, Daniel just wasn't feeling any of it. He knew he should tell someone about what was troubling him, but he couldn't bring himself to. It's nothing, trivial, don't waste their time, you'll have forgotten by tommorow. The noises of the feast around him were dull and blurry, he wasn't really hearing anything except the thing troubling him in his own head.

 He didn't even react when a large pile of lettuce threw across the table and splattered him in the forehead, accompanied by an "Oh come on, that was hillarious!"
 If Ryan was honest, he had been too busy talking to notice his friend's strange mood, Ryan chattering away about something while Daniel only nodded and grunted was something of a common occurence. But when he hadn't touched his food, rolled his eyes when Ryan winked at a passing young lady mouse, or punched him when he had told a particularly rude joke to a nearby dibbun, the blonde mouse knew something was up.
 "Hey...you all right?" he asked after a length of time, expression softening. "You're quiet tonight what's up? Er, quieter than usual I mean." He made a half-hearted attempt at a grin.

        "It's a lovely place, Tarlya, I'd be surprised if a beast dinnae like it!" The otter's eyes flickered with weariness as she thought about her journey, particularly the place she had left, and her reason for leaving. Twill do me good tae let it all out, but nae during such a happy feast. "It's a mighty long tale, but if'n ye'd like tae 'ear it, I'll tell it, one rainy afternoon. How's that sound?" Taurian grinned, feeling the weight on her heart ease up a bit.

Elis jumped a bit at the sound of the voice, but upon realizing that it was only a baby squirrel he smiled, amiably at the little tyke.
"A sweet, eh?" The dormouse plucked a couple small treats from the table and handed them to the little creature. "Here ya go, my little friend. Don't eat too many or you'll get a tummy ache, aye? Then think what trouble you'd be in!" He snagged a candied chestnut for himself and popped into his mouth. "Mm, though, I don't think I could blame ya."