Mustard's Journal March, 1998

Mustard SnowPaw's continuing journal entries while at Namakata Labs working under Aldin Busheytail.

Posted on the dates indicated in alt.devilbunnies, March, 1998.
©1998 by Scott Bernier
First HTML-ized 2 April, 1998

Personal Journal 17 March

(longwearysighfluffle) The past two weeks...no three weeks seemed to have last forever. With his mate giving birth to their first litter keeping him busy, Aldin has left me in charge of training the other squirrels. Most of them are also expectant fathers, and as such, have not been able to give their studies full attention. I've lost most of them on paternity leave the past few days as more and more of them or their mates birth.

The nanites Aldin plans t....'growing', for lack of a better term, are on hold until he can oversee the project. There's not much I could do about it, fancy computer tutorials or not, I'm just a techbun, not a mentat. Also, I've been kept so busy that I haven't even had time to make notes in this journal for the past couple of weeks.

There has been one mixed-blessing from all this. Mapletip has not come to visit at all in the past two weeks. She's been kept too busy around the warren preparing for all the 130 or so expectant squirrel-doe mothers-to-be. (sighpoof) I hate to admit it, I actually miss that nutcruncher a little for I could really use a backrub right now.

Aldin made a brief appearance late this afternoon. Praised me for keeping my head without his guidance. He actually apologized for the delay in healing my injuries. He promised me that he'd be able to give me more time in the coming weeks. The kits are old enough now not to need constant attention from both parents. And the majority of the students will be busy tending to their own mates the next few weeks. I don't know if this is a good thing or not. We shall see.

Then the mail arrived from the Fudds. (gigglefluff) Aldin got a huge (to a squirrel) bright yellow envelope with no return address, just a Manchester, NH postmark. If I had realized it was his birthday this past Sunday, I might have done something for him, for you can never score too many browny points with the boss. >;) And what was inside? A ky00t, fuzzy brown bunny card with a message from a devilbunny private wishing Aldin a "Hopy Burfday". I couldn't contain myself when I saw the card and Aldin took it good naturely. He mentioned something about possibly donating it Sensi Ronin if 'ninjasquirrel' (gigglefluff) can put it to use in his dojo. For now its standing in the lab near the outer door where all can see until he has a moment to pass the message onto Ronin. Let me go get it a moment and see if I can read the whole message into the journal, this HAS to be preserved.

(pause)

The message is scrawled in red pencil and is hard to read, let me see if I can properly read this in regbun..[room cuton level shoots-up30%]:

"Deer Aldin,

Hops an snuggles
Pvt Conego-Liebre
3 Botayin Bun Infanty"

(adorefluff) Isn't that sweet. (sniggerfluff) I wonder how long it will take for Aldin to live this one down. (fangygrin) Almost forgot! I haven't bothered to note that I have probably lost sanity as I shall agree to allow Aldin to do his experiment on my tail and we shall see from there whether or not I'll go on with further experiments.

(SNICK!) Oh, yeah. The front claws are completely back to normal length. (fangygrin)

Mustard SnowPaw, Henchbunny to Mentat Aldin Busheytail

Personal Journal 18 March, Mid-Morning

Be careful what you wish for. Not 10 minutes after I finished my entry last night, then Mapletip was at my door. She looked rather weary and apologized for her lack of attention to me lately, due to how busy she has been pulling double and triple duty filling-in for all the soon-to-be new mothers in the warren. I tried to send her on her way telling her not to worry about it and get some rest. The tears instantly welled-up in her eyes and her tail drooped in rejection as she sobbed.

Frith! You'd think she was a doe trapped in malfunctioned morpharmor the way she played with my feelings. (perhapsfluff) She's watched too many Anime films and took her lessons from there. But before I knew what I was doing, I had her burying her muzzle in my fluff and allowing her to cry herself-out again. Between sobs she mumbled about how she's 'tried so hard' to please everyone and how tired she was but still wanted a little company to relax with before calling it a night.

I gave in to her pleading to let her try and make-up for the couple of weeks she had been ignoring me. As she rubbed me down, we made small talk and I learned a few potentially useful tidbits. The Maine Mud Season has started almost a month early. Yesterday's mail run was the last contact with the Fudds for the next 4-6 weeks due to this. The Fudds would not be able to reach their squirrel allies without large four-wheel-drive vehicles, and even then a lot of times the woods roads are impassable. So this would be the time of year when they are the most vulnerable to attack, with little hope for aid from allies. It may not be something I can put to use now, but it may come in pawy...(sighfluff) No, sometimes only the human term sounds right...it may come in handy down the road when I do finally leave this squirrel warren.

I don't know how long I lay there on my stomach as she rubbed my back before I drifted off to sleep. I do distinctly remember her lightly tickling the base of my ears...(drifts off for a moment in rememberance) (embarassedfluff) I hate to admit it, but I really enjoyed that. Perhaps when I finally do leave here, I can convince her to come along, just so she can teach some does these tricks of hers. (giggle) And I'm sure my superiors would love to talk to her.

Anyway, every time she's come to give me a backrub, Mapletip has caused me to relax to the point that I fall asleep. But this time was a little differant. I fell asleep all the same, but I awoke with a start in the middle of the night, for I felt someone snuggled-up next to me. To my dismay the nutcruncher had decided to share my sleeping hollow with me with her tail drapped over me. (embarrassedfluff) At the same time she looked so cute, in a weary sort of way, lightly snorechittering in her sleep that I dared not disturb her. So, I quietly moved off into the lounge next to the lab kitchen and spent the rest of the night in a chair. I arose before her, and got to work cleaning lab equipment.

Round about 8:30 she stirred and poked her head out of my door and blushed deep enough for me to see it through her fur. I gave her a stearn look as she apologized for falling asleep on me. I'm almost positive it was no accident, considering what she's pulled in the past. I simply replied that perhaps I would rethink her original offer and take it up with Aldin, if it happened again...Aldin was in need of volunteers for some nanite experiments and such. She tore out of there rapidly before I could complete the sentence. (fangygrin) Frith, I'm growing soft around these squirrels, especially this Mapletip. I need a doe really, really bad. But I'm beginning to enjoy the fringe benefits of my position.

Mustard SnowPaw, Henchbunny to Mentat Aldin Busheytail

Personal Journal 28 March

Aldin started the process of making nanites, Monday, following the instructions on the video tutorial left by Rabbit Mentat. Apparently, there were some nanites frozen in a protein-liquid suspension, stored deep in one of the lab freezers. How they survived the attack on this warren 3 years ago, I don't know. But they provided Aldin with a starting point for as Aldin put it, it's easier to get nanites to create more nanites then it is to start by building as small a machine as you can with your paws and program it to build an even smaller machine, etc. until you reach nanite size. He estimates, this discover could shave several weeks off the experiment.

The first batch created from the old nanites didn't have any function. Aldin did it simply to see if he could reproduce nanites. All the while he had me helping him, though I still don't understand everything he had me doing. This makes me more and more nervous and having second thoughts about this whole idea.

All week, he's been slowly improving the technique and improving the nanites produced...or at least that's how it seems to me. Aldin is optimistic that we'll be able to experiment on my tail by mid-week. (nervousfluff) I hope he's not rushing things.

(scratchbehindear) I'm losing my winter coat, a sure sign of spring. My white fur has been coming out in clumps for the past couple of days showing my namesake golden tan summer pelt underneath. >:) I've used some of the winter coat to better pad the sleeping burrow and make it more like home. (hesitateforamoment) Of course, I have no intentions of staying here for good, but I might as well be comfortable during my stay.

Mustard Snowpaw, henchbunny to Mentat Aldin Busheytail

Personal Journal 30 March--Early Morning

(deviousfluff) I turned the tables on Mapletip last night when she came for a visit for the first time in almost two weeks. I insisted on giving her a rubdown for once to see what would happen. She was rather tense at first, but quickly melted under my awkward paws, which got the knack of things quickly. I was able to get a few things out of her as she relaxed. >:)

It was a rather information-filled evening. Mapletip works for the infirmary as a nurse and does physical therapy when needed. I found this tidbit disappointing. I had hoped she worked for communications or the computer center. However, it does explains her nimble paws. For nearly the past month, she has had to double-up in other positions in the warren, such as kitchen duty and laundry. Laundry isn't any more of a deal here as it is in a bun warren--mostly sheets from the infirmary gurneys, lab coats, and aprons--of course most warrens have squirrel slaves to deal with it.

Mapletip talked about her parents and the fact that she's "sixth" generation by both parents. She brushed over the stories passed-down from those who had rebelled from FlopEar and then went silent when she remembered she was talking to a rabbit. I "forgave" her to urge her on.

She moved back towards some of the duties she's had to help fill, including one shift on communications. (sighpoof) She skirted that one, and I didn't dare push it. I don't think she trusts me enough yet for that. Then came the big, well not really big, but one of the newest tidbits I've yet to learn. She mentioned about the pro-squirrel human lodging at the northwest end of the lake. She mentioned that from time to time, groups of Lumberjack Fudds would stop by and spend a week or more at the lodge. I'll definitely tuck this tidbit away. If my superiors ever decide to take this squirrel warren-out, they'll have to hit that wilderness lodging camp first.

Soon after that, she started to nod-off on me. I wasn't about to let her sleep in my room again. So I gently nudged her awake and suggested she should get going. She nodded her muzzle drowsy-like and scampered towards the door I held open for her. At the door, before I could react, she kissed me quickly on the cheek and darted out of the lab. (sighpoof) What I subject myself to for the Fluffy Cause™.

Mustard Snowpaw, henchbunny to Mentat Aldin Busheytail

Personal Journal 30 March--Evening

Aldin believes we are ready to conduct the experiment and it will take place tomorrow morning. He's insistent on doing it tomorrow or Thursday if something should come-up to prevent us from doing it tomorrow. He wants to leave April Fools Day free for some reason, but I didn't pry as to why. I'm as ready as I'll be for this. Second thoughts or not, there's no way I'm going to back-out now. So, I shall cut this short and get some rest, I have a feeling I'll need it.

Mustard SnowPaw, Henchbunny to Mentat Aldin Busheytail

Personal Journal 31 March

(scratch, scratch, scratch) It worked! I still can't believe it and it itches like Inle's Wrath, but it worked! (Mustard looks in a mirror to make sure he isn't seeing things and touches his regrown cottonball tail.) I will definitely need to find some way to smuggle Aldin's notes out with me on this. The mentat community will have a field day!

(tailpoof) Aldin will conduct some final tests in the morning to make sure there are no serious side effects from the experiment. He's optimistic enough to try my ears over the weekend or first of next week, if I'm willing to go the next step. Before today, there would have been no way I'd have even thought about going through with it. I have to admit, no matter how good he sounded, I had serious doubts in the squirrel's abilities with genetics. (thinksforamoment) Maybe...just maybe he could have pulled-off that Operation Unlimited Toes experiment long ago if he had been allowed to go through with it.

Toes....(drool) I haven't had toes or even decent Fudd meat in a LONG time. I haven't dug into those BRE's™ in a while. Though not decent Fudd meat, the Spam™ in them is still Fudd meat. (fangygrin). Besides, I need to celebrate. And maybe the scent of spambreath in the morning will remind Mapletip that I am a bunny and not a squirrel.

(sighpooftail) I didn't realize how much I missed my tail until I got it back. Anyway, I mentioned Mapletip for she filled-in in my position today, since I was the one being experimented upon. Aldin chose her for she was the only squirrel available with any sort of background that could fill the position.

Mostly, she got to monitor the equipment that monitored me to ensure nothing went wrong with the nanites. Before the actual injection of nanites, Aldin instructed her heavily on what to do and she seemed to hold-up alright. I think the love-stuck squirrel-doe paid heavy attention for she wanted nothing to happen to me. That sort of loyalty I may be able to take advantage of at a future date as long as I keep playing along and providing her with occasional companionship.

(scratch, scratch, scratch) As much as I'm delighted to have a tail again, I sure wish it would stop itching. Aldin insists that the itching should stop during the night and the nanites will harmlessly dissolve themselves into protein within my bloodstream. We shall find-out come morning. Unless something bad happens during the night, I shall volunteer for the next stage. Hopefully, by this time next week, I'll have full-length ears again. (perk-upfluff) And, dare I think that optimistically? By May I could have my hind claws and pawtips back. (hop)

Mustard Snowpaw, Mentat Aldin Busheytail's "bestest" henchbunny >;)