Archive of Our Own

#1 - Air

Despite Mole's protests, Rat kept blowing warm air against his fur just under his chin, for the way Mole squirmed and giggled was utterly delightful.

#2 - Apples

"Moles and Water Rats living together indeed - it's like apples and oranges; they definitely don't grow on the same tree, my boy," Rat's father said, while Rat stared at the ceiling, wondering if perhaps it was time to repaint it.

#3 - Beginning

While Rat could remember the hardly-unpleasant but sometimes lonely existence had he led before meeting Mole, he could not remember the precise moment that they had begun, but as Mole snuggled next to him on a picnic blanket in the warm afternoon sun, he decided it did not matter in the slightest.

#4 - Bugs

Beetles were Mole's friends; they passed him information on how the earth was shifting, news on each particle of dirt, and Mole appreciated that Rat was always careful when they visited his home not to tread on them.

#5 - Coffee

"It's...an unusual drink, Ratty..." said Mole, and Rat reminded himself to write to his American cousins and somehow politely request they send no more coffee.

#6 - Dark

While Rat enjoyed the times they visited Mole's home, he had seen Mole's expression of quiet ecstasy of being there, and he knew then that there would always be some parts of Mole that he would never be able to grasp.

#7 - Despair

Mole understood darkness better than most animals, but sometimes, moods would take hold of Rat that he couldn't fathom, and all he could do was hold Ratty's paw and wait.

#8 - Doors

Few doors, Mole thought, had ever been as delightful as Badger's when it had opened, with perhaps the exception of the first time Ratty had opened the door to his home by the River Bank, inviting him to share tea and so much more.

#9 - Drink

Once, Mole had to carry Rat up the stairs to the bedroom, muttering about rodents who were unable to handle their liquor, whilst Rat grinned slyly at him, but that quickly vanished when Mole plonked Rat on the soft bed and the rodent fell asleep immediately.

#10 - Duty

Despite all the misadventures Toad managed to drag them into, willingly or otherwise, Mole supposed, and Rat had solemnly agreed, that one did have a duty to one's friends.

#11 - Earth

Under Mole's guidance and knowledge about earth and and its properties, Rat was exceedingly pleased how well his vegetable patch was now flourishing.

#12 - End

Mole asked Rat where the River ended, even though he knew the story Rat would tell from start to finish; he just liked to hear Ratty say it.

#13 - Fall

Rat had taken an unfortunate tumble, leaving Mole to bandage his foot while Rat felt sorry for himself, although Mole had trouble keeping his giggles under control while he plotted how to make Rat feel a whole lot better.

#14 - Fire

In the summer, they would take an evening picnic up the River Bank, and next to a small fire, would share bread and enjoy each others' company.

#15 - Flexible

"I definitely should stretch more often," Mole muttered, hauling up the rope as part of Toad's latest scheme (hot air balloons), and he saw Rat nodded in total agreement and equal pain.

#16 - Flying

Despite his own sore arms and Mole still whimpering about their exertions, standing by the edge of the basket, looking down over the River Bank and the Wide World, Rat had to concede that Toad's hot air balloon might actually be one of his better ideas.

#17 - Food

Marmalade, strawberry jam, fresh bread, ham, pickles, tinned sardines...all these things that made up Rat's picnic basket had been so enticing to Mole that it was little wonder they'd become friends and so much more ever since.

#18 - Foot

While Rat kept his sore foot off the ground, he watched Mole scamper around the kitchen; Rat was enjoying being waited on like this, but he less enjoyed the slightly burnt taste of the soup Mole prepared.

#19 - Grave

Mole had never really known his father, having died when he was still young, but still tended his grave regularly throughout his life, and was glad to have Rat's careful assistance in later years.

#20 - Green

"I'm not sure if the beef should be that colour...or have that smell," said Rat, leaning away from it, leaving Mole a bit foolish that he packed it in the picnic basket earlier that morning.

#21 - Head

One of Rat's favourite things to do was to admire the shape of Mole's head, enjoying its perfect roundness that wasn't interrupted by ears sticking out as his own did.

#22 - Hollow

It was a little dip in the hillside, and Mole pretended to hide away in it, covering his mouth so not to chuckle as Rat searched for him above.

#23 - Honour

"It surprises me," Rat said to Mole one evening, "that Badger still abides by Toad despite all of our dear friends flaws, though I suppose Badger has a great deal more honour in him than others."

#24 - Hope

"I do hope the rain will stop tomorrow," Rat said, while Mole admired his wonderfully persistent optimism.

#25 - Light

In summer, the morning sun shone through Rat and Mole's bedroom window, the light warming their bed and waking them very gently.

#26 - Lost

They had passed the same tree at least three times; Mole berated himself on having such a terrible sense of direction, and while Ratty was reassuring, Mole suspected he was just being kind.

#27 - Metal

The sunlight bounced off the water and glinted off the metal of the boat, and it was a gorgeous sight for Rat as he watched Mole row down the River by himself for the very first time.

#28 - New

After the snow had melted away, Mole inhaled the air, glad for renewal of spring that made everything around them on the River fresh and new.

#29 - Old

As he looked in the mirror one morning, Mole discovered a few gray hairs behind his ear, and he quietly envied Rat's more motley fur that would have hid such things.

#30 - Peace

Rat knew if there was one animal to disrupt the peace on the River Bank, it most certainly was Toad...and if there was one animal to always keep it in his little home, it was Mole.

#31 - Poison

The would-be murderer had been apprehend, which was a great relief to Mole, but as he and Rat sat by Toad's bed, he did wonder if Toad was perhaps exaggerating his symptoms just a bit too much.

#32 - Pretty

"Well, she's very pretty," Rat said through his teeth as the lady Mole waved good-bye to Molely, but Rat felt himself burn to his toes when Mole sweetly told him it was his cousin.

#33 - Rain

It came down heavy while they were in town, but luckily Rat had an umbrella, and so they walked quickly down the street, arm in arm and close together to get keep as dry as possible.

#34 - Regret

One evening Badger came for dinner (it was one of his very rare visits), and afterwards, Mole noticed him staring deeply into the fire, lost in the embers, and, not for the first time, Mole wondered what sort of a life Badger had led to make him look seemed so melancholy and silent.

#35 - Roses

Rat taught Mole how to look after the roses that grew on the trellis next to the house, and they could often be seen together, tending the red blossoms, and the rest of the garden, in companionable silence.

#36 - Secret

"But of course the whole River Bank knows about you and Mole, my dear Rat; it is the most delightful thing, after all, so I simply had to tell them," Toad said with a smug, benevolent smile, as Rat gripped the oars tightly so not to hit Toad with one of them.

#37 - Snakes

The Adder acknowledge Rat and Mole on an evening walk on the River Bank, slithering past them without any hassle, but as polite as he had been, Rat remained apprehensive the whole way home, clutching Mole's elbow a bit tighter than usual.

#38 - Snow

The snow touched Mole's dark fur, making it look spotty, giving Rat ample opportunity to brush if off him and tickle his little nose.

#39 - Solid

Toad was plotting his next party on the lawn in front of the River when he saw Mole and Rat row passed his dock, and he smiled to himself; they were at the top of his guest list, for while they were occasionally a bit of a bore, they were certainly solid, dependable chaps.

#40 - Spring

Mole had put three freshly plucked daffodils in a vase on the window sill, and for his efforts, received a kiss as joyous as the season that had yielded the flowers.

#41 - Stable

"It really is all right, Ratty, a hammer and some nails and we'll fix it," Mole said, while Rat, looking at the now-lopsided bed and with a very deep red on his cheeks, kept murmuring how he thought it had been much more stable, really he did...

#42 - Strange

Instinctively, Rat thought it was rather strange to see the young Rabbit walking hand in hand with the rather delicate young Otter, until he remembered Mole by his side, and so berated himself for his silliness.

#43 - Summer

A picnic blanket, a bottle of cold cordial, the sun blazing above them, and Mole's paw in his; Rat knew this was definitely the best way to experience the season.

#44 - Taboo

Badger knew about Rat and Mole of course (he was a sharp animal, after all); however, he was not one to mention such things in company (when he had it), even if he was secretly happy for the both of them.

#45 - Ugly

There was a gnarled knot of wood on the tree where they picnicked, which Rat declared ugly and Mole deemed interesting, but they soon decided that it was a simple matter of perspective.

#46 - War

Mole commented to Rat that it was a surprise to see the young Rabbits and the young Weasels together, but they were all in the same uniform, and they all wore the same expression of joyful, determined purpose, which made Mole both proud and sad.

#47 - Water

Mole had not quite gained the fondness for water that Rat quite naturally had, but he did rather enjoy watching Rat frolic and splash in his rather adorable bathing costume.

#48 - Welcome

"Toad is always so hospitable to us," Mole whispered to Rat, as they hid behind the kitchen counter so not to be seen from the window, and the door rattled and Toad called their names loudly, but Mole could see from Rat's expression that he hadn't forgive Toad for breaking three china cups last time, so he didn't exactly blame him for not being so welcoming.

#49 - Winter

Outside there was snow and ice and cold, but inside Rat's arms were around Mole and there was a fire to warm both of them.

#50 - Wood

Beyond the Wild Wood was the Wide World, but for Mole, and for Rat, their little home, their little wooden boat, the River Bank, and each other, was all they needed.