Redwall Abbey

The blue fox hopped politely around the sea worn ship. What joy surfaced in his blue eyes and cheeky grin, it would make any soul light up. Quickly he walked down the boarding plank onto the small harbor dock, and pulled out the mysterious map given to him only days ago. Once again he studied the different markings. A maelstrom to the upper east, this tall volcano to the west, and many a island scattered all about. But what intrigued him the most was the X at the top of the map. Neither he or his crew knew where this map was, nor if was even still relevant, but that was no matter. All they cared for was the treasure marked at that X.

Marshall looked up from his quest and gave a last look to the dock. A few of his men were hauling the rest of the supplies stuff as extra rope and clean water aboard. The salty wind caressed the small village town, as if it too were departing with The Blu Tale. There of course was the lonely rat bidding a farewell to the maiden he had mat on their quick stop, as well as the mothers tearing up for their sons who had joined the pirate crew. All of it, the sense and unknown adventure lying beyond the rising sun, made Marshall just as giddy as he ever had been. But still, before they set off, the captain still had some work to do.

Like a blue streak Marshall used his speed and ran back to upon the ship. There he called out for his First Mate to help him with something real quick.
"Alfonso! Alfonso! Where be y'mate! We needs t'finish one last quick thing before we head off!"

OOC: If you have your own ship, you are welcome to start where ever you like.

Aline was more than ready to get going. While in port, she may have hustled a couple rats, and, though she had technically won the arm wrestling match fair and square, she'd taken a little more off them than she technically should have, and she should probably be going before things got hairy.

She was leaning against the railing of the ship, eyes half closed, and enjoying the sun. She turned around as the Captain came aboard, "I saw 'im," she called, "ye, 'e was wastin' time gettin' all the drinks 'e could get while 'e could run off wiffout payin' aftawards, nice'n'easy." She grinned, enjoying her lying for the sake of lying. She hadn't seen Alfonso for a couple hours, no idea where he'd gone off to. She'd still lie about it for fun.

The Plundered Pirate, terror of the high seas, had set sale once more. Verenya Haresbane adjusted her belt and watched with grim satisfaction as several slaves were forced below desks. Unfortunately for Mechi the Mole, his initial captors were enemies of the pirate, and her enemies never lived long. The vixen's ship had led a small fleet of ships to an archipelago of islands, far from Mossflower, which were the domain of slave drivers. The slaver ships had been destroyed before they left dock, and not long after the mole had escaped, the fox's army stormed the slave compound and slaughtered the islanders. Now, Verenya had a valuable cargo of workbeasts, the island's treasures, and an unwitting stowaway...


Shortly after the fleet of pirates split up, the booty and slaves split between them, Verenya called her steersrat, and most trusted crewbeast, to her.
"Blackfang. Have you recognized anything in the map yet?"
The rat, who was named for his rotting, filthy teeth, gave a disgusting grin.
"Oh, aye, marm. I jus' noticed 'ow similar dese isles on da map are ta da very arpelachio we's in."
"Archipelago, you nitwit, not 'arpelachio.'"
"Er, sorry marm, but I really 'as. Look, dere's da main isle an' da souf point, an' dere's slavers bay. I fink if I steers yer ship aroun' da western isle and shoots norf-east, we'll be on trail."
"Why are we takin' detours around the western isle? It'd add three days to our journey, easily."
"Doncha know, marm? Dere's savages in da Pincer Pass. Dey waits until nobeast's lookin', then sneaks aboard on dere canoes an' slits everybeast's throats. 'Tis a terrible fing."
The vixen pondered the thought for a moment.
"Okay, I have a better idea. I'll have a bird sent back to the fleet, tell them if they come with us for longer, they get a share in the final treasure at the end."
Blackfang giggled, leaning on the mizzenmast.
"Oh, marm, but dey won't, will dey?"
Verenya shook her head.
"No, they won't. We have their ships surround us when we go through the pass. If any others survive, we'll sink them when we're close to our target. Now get back to the wheel, take us away from here before the slavers' allies show up."
Blackfang saluted, rushing aft.
"On it, marm. Good luck wiff da birds, eh?"


The "birds" the pirates spoke about were, curiously, ospreys. Verenya's crew had stumbled across a small colony of the birds one day, and the vixen saw an opportunity. She told them of how their final destination, across the Western Sea, had the tastiest fish known to anybeast, but it was too far for an osprey to fly. The crafty fox struck a bargain, offering passage across the ocean in exchange for serving her, and carrying messages to her allies. Now, she emerged from her cabin with a bag of scrolls in hand. Verenya stuck two claws in her mouth and let forth a high-pitched whistle. Almost immediately, a large fish hawk flapped down from the masthead, landing in front of her.
"Kraaaaaahhh! Earthcrawler boss want what?"
Verenya grinned, thrusting the bag towards the bird.
"Take this with you, a short flight south. Deliver one scroll to each ship."
"Reeeeeaaaaaahhhh! Earthcrawler boss feed Krakorip. Krakorip help earthcrawler boss!"
The osprey snatched the bag in his powerful talons, before shooting off towards the horizon.

Picking a teeth clan with one of his paws, Longclaw yawned and blinked blearily while boarding the ship. He a limp salute to the captain before wincing and grabbing his head. "Ow... Stupid headache..."

Ignoring everyone else on deck, he managed to reach his bunk below decks. Slumping in the small bed, he tried to go to sleep but couldn't from the massive headache. He had spent all of last night out drinking at the single tavern, and then woke up dumped on the streets. From there he had made his way to the ship.

Finally managing to get into a doze, Longclaw closed his eyes as the waves faded in his ear

OOC: Lol that was a weird post.

Smoke twirled through the rafters of a filthy little wharf tavern, the stench of drink and scum was pertinent to the extreme. Most of the pirates surrounding a little twobeast table were bothered by the smell, but to mention it would be considered a sign of weakness, not to mention a clouting from the tavern keeper.

Two creatures occupied the chairs of the table, lines of shot glasses stacked in front of them. Alfonso was one of these two, the blonde Portuguese ferret was in his element, a sly smile on his face. His opponent a stoat; looked ill, and horribly drunk. Reaching out Alfonso snatched up two shot glasses and downed them together licking his lips in pleasure. No beast noticed his slight of paw, and the liquid disappearing down his leg.

The stoat attempted to copy Alfonso his unsteady paw sending a few of the glasses clattering to the floor. Alfonso leaned back, propping his footpaws up on the table.

"Say matey, ye are looking a bit unner th' weather there."

The stoat nodded, slurped down half a shot, then seemingly in slow-motion he fell back crashing into the floor. Silence reigned supreme as the pirates waited with tense breath.

"Grraaplplpluuuuh." A revolting snore was all they had been waiting for. A cheer rose from the audience while trinkets and weapons passed paws as somebeast ordered drinks all around. Hardly anybeast had been foolish enough to bet against Alfonso and most were winners.

"Disappointing really," Alfonso commented as a server passed him a mug of grog. "He didn't even last as long as the other one." His gaze traveled over to a rat who now had the stoat for a snoring companion. Alfonso's celebration drink was cut short however as a corsair weasel pushed through the crowd tapping him on the shoulder.

"Gotta go First Mate, th' Cap'n will be wantin' ye." The weasel growled. "I'm thinkin' we'll miss th' launchin' if'n we don' hurry."

"Aye? Lets wait a moment then... I'm joking, c'mon matey." The two rose, slipping out of the tavern and onto the dirty streets. They made good time to the harbor, just in time to hear the captain's shout. Raising his paw Alfonso darted up the gangplank, shouting back.

"Aye Cap'n?"

Coop gave his opponent another solid punch, which knocked the rat out cold. Cheers and boos sounded from outside the ring, but Coop ignored them, taking his prize money and vest from the MC and silently leaving the fighting ring. A small cut above his eye still bled a little, and his ribs were newly bruised, but his nose had stopped bleeding. It didnt feel broken. Out in the street, Coop paused at a rain barrel to wash the blood off his face. It seemed about time to be getting back to the ship. He didnt want to keep the captain waiting.

He climbed the gangplank a minute after Alfonso. The ferret reeked of booze.

  Little Seadog balanced on the railing of The Blu Tail, watching the docks below. There was a rat standing among the crowd, weeping and wailing as she waved goodbye to the young rat standing by the railing where Seadog was perched. He waved goodbye back to the rat, holding back tears bravely. With a sneer, Seadog stepped off the railing, the pitiful goodbyes of the couple ringing in her ear like a sickness. She expertly scaled up to the crow's nest, leaning dangerously outward as she scanned the shore with her keen eyes. There, laying among the rocks, was Vermin's Despair. Her small ship, big enough only for her, that she had left behind to tag along with the crew of The Blu Tail.

  Word could have gotten around about the treasure, and Vermin's Despair was no where near seaworthy. As much as she hated being near anything living, she thought it was worth it. She watched with little interest as the captain took off looking for Alfonso, a ferret she disliked without even meeting. As the noise rose up to her ears, she let her nose twitch slightly in disgust. This was going to be a long trip.

Marshall both dismayed and excited by what both his crew members had said. On one paw, Alfonso was once again in a Tavern, but now he was here and ready to help. The blue fox gave a quick nod to Aline and waved to his First Mate.
"There y'be mate! Now, let me show you what's going down." Like a flash once more, Marshall sped away, across the ship, but came quickly back with a heap of blue stained rope. "See here, this is wot I'll b'callin' our Treasure Rope. We'll string it up from the first mast to the tippity front. And when we find that great ol' treasure, we shall cut it in celebration!" But before the fox set off, he called out to Aline, "Say Ally, could y'get Coop for me? Send him up front, and you can tag along if y'want!"

Aline stared intently at him, not enjoying the nickname. She wouldn't outwardly show her dislike for it, no, she'd learned to never outwardly disrespect or disobey those who were in charge, or they were liable to get you executed. She'd seen that happen many times before during her horde days.

The mongoose straightened up and padded towards Coop, taking her time, "Cap'n wants ya up front." She said, already deciding that she would follow Coop to see what the captain was up to.

-

Mechi shifted uncomfortably in his nest, wedged between the wall of the ship and several barrels of...something. It seemed drinkable, but it didn't smell like anything he'd come by before. Some form of vermin grog, probably. The poor mole's tail was already soaked by the bilgewater in the bottom of the ship, and he was already feeling sick to the stomach by the rocking of the boat. He wasn't meant for a seafaring life. Give him warm, dry land between his digging claws anytime! But still. He was relatively free, and that was what was important. Freedom and food, everything else was optional.

"I 'eard th' Cap'n, mongoose," Coop growled, and dropped what he was doing to go see what the blue fox wanted. He ignored Aline, who was following him, as he made his way to the front.
"Aye, Cap'n, whattaya need?"

"Aye. Cap'n." Alfonso droned gathering the blue rope in his paws. He stomped down to the lower deck spotting two creatures near the railing.
"Hey ye, ugly ferret, an' ye, cryin' rat get yer tails over here." He motioned towards little Seadog and a young rat who still had some tears in his eyes." He held up the rope glaring from one to the other. "Which one o' ye wants to climb th' foremast an' tie this rope up there? An' which o' ye wants to climb th' prow and tie it down there? Captain's orders, an' mine so work it out, an get it done." He tossed the rope to the two and swaggered off trying to pick on anybeast who wasn't doing something.
"Ye there, fetch me some grog, an' ye, get ten beasts an' gather punting poles, ye'll be pushin' us off. Ye lazy, layabout, laggards, don' sit there grinning like ducks, an' if ye roll yer eyes at me again mateys an' I'll carve them out of yer skulls. Climb th' masts an' get ready to raise the sails."

OOC: Feel free to PP the rat Eul.

Marshall looked as Alfonso took the rope, then glanced back to the two.
"Y'say Ally, I b'thinking that Alfonso has got this one t'day. However, we b'pushing off soon, so don't get y'paws too rested up!" And with that, the Captain nodded to them and scurried off. But before going to far out of range, he called back out to the pair, "Say Coop, would y'mind grabbin' me a wet rag for a tad?"

OOC: A what now?

OOC: A wet rag. This is a rag:

Spoiler

(https://www.colourbox.com/preview/5374282-dirty-rag-on-a-white-background.jpg)

[close]

OOC: i know what a rag is, thanks. @Gonff the Mousethief  do you really mean a wet rag as Groddil says? What do you need it for? a tad? im sorry i dont understand am i over thinking things

OOC: I was being snarkastic. ;)

BIC:

Verenya sat in her cabin, inspecting the map. It eventually pointed to an island, quite far away from their current location. Reaching it would be difficult, especially if there were others that also knew about the treasure. Suddenly, she felt the need for a victory drink. The vixen rose, shrugging off her belt of weaponry. There were no other ships in sight, she was safe. Or was she? Verenya reached down, making sure she still had a dagger strapped to her leg. Just in case. If anything happened, the first mate would be responsible. She knew that much. The vixen shoved open her door and crossed the deck to the fo'c'sle. She peered through the hatch, which was slightly ajar. The mate was there, drinking and playing some sort of shell game with other crewmembers. Satisfied, she ducked past the fo'c'sle and ducked below decks. Verenya whistled an old pirate tune as she made her way towards the far wall of the bottom deck. She began rolling barrels aside, just a hairs breadth from Mechi's hideaway.
"Grog, grog, ale, grog...Where's that good cask o' red grapejuice wine?"
Verenya's paw reached over Mechi's head, almost touching it.
"Oh, there 'tis!"
The vixen snatched a little cask from a pile of barrels and walked off, whistling again. Then, one of the barrels she had moved fell to the ground.
"'Ang on, what was dat?"
Verenya dropped the cask and drew her dagger.
"Is somebeast 'ere? Hidin' in th' barrels an' waitin' ta stab me in th' back? Come out, or I'll gut ye!"

OOC: You know, a wet rag. I guess I worded it wrong seeing as how you can't use a wet rag on a tad, but my original meaning for it was just for Coop to grab Marshall a wet rag while he went to polish something up. So sorry about that Galli.

OOC: thanks Gonff. still not sure what you mean by a tad.

"Aye, Cap'n," Coop went to fetch Marshall the rag. He was
used to his strange requests by now, having been with him in his privateering days as well. He found a pile of rags, amd tried to find the cleanest one. Marshall valued cleanliness. "This one'll 'ave ta do," he muttered to himself. He dunked it in some water and set off to find the captain. "'ere ya are, Cap'n." The rag was dripping wet.

  Little Seadog shot a murderous glance at the back of the retreating Alfonso. She glared challengingly at the rat, kicking the rope towards him. "I ne'er said I was a part o' th'crew, rat. I'm jus' a tag along. So why am I doin' yer work?"

  The rat took a step back. "Er, nah I ne'er said ye was gonna do that, matey. Leave it ter me... er... er..."

  "Th' names Little Seadog," replied the ferret. "Ye can call me Seadog."

  "Lovely name, that is," the rat laughed a little. "Er, I go by th' name Snaggleclaw."

  Seadog turned away. "I ne'er said I cared," she said as she walked away to get some grog. As she went, she saw one of the crewbeasts taking a wet rag to the Captain. She decided to watch and listen from a distance to see what was going on. If was her business after all, she wasn't a crewbeast and didn't have to follow any rules.

OOC: Basically just for a little bit, like getting a napkin or something.

BIC: "Thank y'Coop! Now, ensure everybeast on 'ere knows we b'leavin' in less than a half hour!"
The Blue Fox took the soaking cloth from his old mates hand and started towards the stern. When he arrived, standing just in front of the wheel was an odd ornament. It was a large clump of iron forged into what looked like a fox tail, with it bending up and curving much like that of the cunning creatures. Marshall leaned over the very back of the boat and began to polish it. Soon enough, it was shining bright in the mid-morning sun.
"Ol' Irony, y'be lookin' fine for a nice lil' voyage t'day!"
He had gotten the odd addition forged by the Badger Lord of Salamandastron only a few months before renaming the ship and setting a sail as a pirate. Marshall could not get over the humorous aspect of it. Or, the Irony of the situation. A blue captain with no tail leading a ship named The Blu Tale with its own tail was just amusing to the "unique" fox.
But after the quick polish up, he tossed the rag in a nearby bucket and stood triumphantly by his silver encrusted wheel. The blue sails looked awfully dashing in the wind. The crew worked all knowing how close their goal now was. The deck below where the fox stood glistened in the sparkling sun rays. The wind even, crashing into everybeast in sight tasted with a glimpse of hope. Oh, how amazing! Within the hour, the The Blu Tail would be off, and on the greatest sail it had ever experienced.

Cresting the wheel deck Alfonso ambled over to the captain glancing over the back of the ship curiously. "Ah, a tail. I should have guessed. Still, polishing is grunt work Cap'n, we've talked about this, find somebeast else to do it." Turning back around the blonde ferret leaned against railing watching his captain for orders.
"I don' know where ye wrangled these new crew members from, but they be the biggest load o' lay'abouts I've seen on deck. Lookie there." He pointed out a young weasel who was standing by the prow with an enormously ridiculous grin on his face. "I've punished that blighter two times now, th' bloody idiot is just standing around grinning like a mole at a feast instead o' swabbing the deck. And there, lookie there." He pointed out Little Seadog, "I swears I just gave her the order to hang up that blue rope. An' she sure ain't doing that. I'm telling ye Cap'n, I'm 'bout ready to bring out the cat on these sea scum."

"What trouble be it t'do some good ol' work like this eh?" Marshal responded. "What be a king if he didn't go t'war with his men, or a Badger Lord trainin' with his hares. Ah, w'bout an Abbot not going on walks with those lil' Dibbuns o' his, hmm? Never 'urts t'do some work for y'own every once and a while Alf."
The blue fox surveyed below and he listened to the complaints of his First Mate.
"Firstly, what be if I didn't get these 'ere greenies, hmm? Well, out crew would be little away from that of a merchant vessel! And don't blame all o' them. See me teeth, don't ye? 'Cause we be going after that treasure Alf! Now, I will gather all of us out tonight near midnight for a good ol' pep talk, how 'bout it?"
But just as he stopped talking, Marshall gazed and saw Little Seadog, while a smile greater than that formed from the hunt came grew on his blue furred face.
"Say Alf, y'know the ol' sayin', "If y'want somethin' done, gotta do it y'self?" Well, I see that Lil' Seadog down there not doing anything. So, 'ow 'bout you go get it hung y'self? Riggin' ain't that bad o' of a job."
Marshall gave his First Mate a good pat on the back and headed back down to the main deck. But as he started down the stairs, he called back out to Alfonso, "Cap'n's orders mate! Gotta get somebody to get the grunt work done!"

"Aye Cap'n," Alfonso responded, his face icy enough to freeze ocean water. "Isn't that why we bother brining th' new lads at all? Grunt work." He muttered to himself once Marshall was well out of earshot. Adjusting his sword the First Mate descended the wheel deck crossing the busy ship just looking for an excuses to get angry. He soon had the grinning weasel working again with a few slaps of his paw. Any other pirate who dared not work their hardest Alfonso would stride towards, an angry glint in his eye. It would be enough for said pirate to begin working in earnest.

Finally he passed the prow where the lone rat he had charged with tying up the rope was still trying to work out how he would manage such a thing. "Give that there to me," Alfonso ordered snatching up one frayed end. "Ye crawl out on the prow an' tie that at the very end, I'll climb the mast."

"Aye sir," The rat said shimming out on to the prow.

"What's yer name lad?" Alfonso asked as the rat struggled up the prow.

"Snaggleclaw sir, I-"

"Well move yerself Snagglewotsit!" Alfonso roared looping his end of the rope around his shoulder. "I don' have all day to wait on ye. Time is gold, an' ye are costing me gold by moving one inch at a time! If'n ye fall ye fall in water, so hurry it up 'afore I get me sword out!"

"Aye sir, aye, aye sir!" Snaggleclaw shouted standing up and running to the end of the prow where he proceeded to tie the rope down. Nodding in satisfaction Alfonso turned and scaled the foremast as a squirrel would climb a tree. His claws digging into the wood, as the wind pulled at his fur. He reached the upper spar and sat down, knotting the rope carefully just above the spar. He rested for a moment, breathing the salty air, looking out over the port and sea.

Longclaw came awake from his headached slumber, to find the ship going into action. Fitting his sword into his belt, the rat hurriedly appeared on deck, rushing over to the first mate. "Reportin' fear duty, sir. What would ye like me t'do?"

Coop set about his usual setting-sail routine. While not actually being first-mate or having any official authority, being an old friend of Marshall, as well as a surly experienced beast, gave him some authority over most of the crew. That and he flat out scared the newbies. He went about his tasks silently, growling at greenies who got in his way or stood around uselessly. He avoided Alfonso and Aline, since they always aggravated him and he didnt want to get into any fights this early in the voyage. Come to think of it, there were few beasts on this ship who didnt aggravate him to some degree. He finished his work efficiently amd effectively, then went to his bunk. The rat, Longclaw, passed him on the way down. He stank of alcohol too. Looks like it hadnt served him nearly as well as it had Alfonso.

Little Seadog watched Alfonso do the work she had been ordered to do, holding back a smile as he climbed up the foremast. "Good job up there," she called. "Keep up the good work!" She wasn't whether or not she had been heard, but she stood there smiling for several more seconds before she leaned against the railing, silently judging the crew members around her.

After another brief survey, Marshall headed down towards the main deck. His blue eye landed on Little Seadog. Seeing as how it was one of the crew which Alfonso had complained about, it seemed justified to speak with her. He too leaned up against the rail and stared over at the working crewbeasts.
"Y'name's Lil' Seadog 'ight? Alf over there told me a lil' 'bout ye. Don't 'member actually welcomin' aboard. O' course, I sadly had t'welcome many o' these bumbling scalawags ont'ere. Not t'say you not b'one o' them."
The blue fox quickly stuck out his scarred paw towards her.
"Me name's Marshall Scottsworth. Glad t'welcome ye if y'want t'go a'sailin' with us t'day."

The Stallion's Mane bucked and rolled with the ferocious waves, not unlike an actual stallion. The canvas sails were stretched and taunt, billowing in the gale. Rain battered the deck and crew, as they scrambled around, tending to the ship, urging her on to even greater speeds.

Duncan Ross wiped rain from his face, and swept long auburn hair from his eyes. His slightly tattered clothes flapped in the wind, and his fur was drenched and windswept. He stood at the helm, behind the steersmouse. He looked down with cold blue eyes at the stoat lying wretchedly at his feet.

"Tell me more. How many pirates are after this treasure. How did you find out. Where did you get the map? Surely you must know more!" Demanded Ross.

The stoat below him blubbered - partly from fear and partly because he was half drowning on spray from the storm.

"Told you all I know. On me oath h'I has."

Ross shook his head.

"Well then you are of no further value to me." He bent and made as if to push the stoat into the heaving sea."

The stoat, accepting his fate, went silent. Ross did not push him in.

"Vance, old friend, I think he really has told us all he knows. Take him below deck - the brig if you like."

As the stoat was carried away by Vance the first mate - a tall, well muscled mouse - Ross leaned on the rails. He stroked his chin thoughtfully.

If the stoat spoke true, all the powerful pirates would be en route to the treasure. All he had to do was get there first, sink 'em all, and the entire sea and coast would be much less burdened for years.

The treasure itself could also be useful -he pictured, for a moment, an entire fleet under his command. But could he spend pirate gold? Only what was necessary, he thought - the rest would go overboard, to the bottom of the ocean.

 Taking hold of a ratline Alfonso swung out over the water sliding down the rope as he did. The ferret landed smoothly on the deck, only a few yards from Little Seadog. Straightening up he cast a weather eye over her, noting the red bandana and sash, much like his.

"Ye know matey, one don' get far on a pirate ship by playin' with th' First Mate." He stroked his scimitar handle, his bright blue eyes shining. "Mayhap we'll keep ye around. Until we aren't so close to shore. If'n a beast isn't pullin' their weight aboard me ship they might just go for a long swim. Say here comes th' Cap'n, make sure ye salute." Nodding to her Alfonso made as if to walk off when Longclaw ran up.

"Aye, there ye are mate." Alfonso clapped the rat on the shoulder digging his claws into his fur. "Your on steering duty, if ye can manage that. An' Longclaw, keep away from th' grog for a bit, ye stink of it."

The rat nodded. "Yessir, I went a bit overboard las' night in the town."

However the sleep had done him good. Contrary to Alfonso's words, he was ready (mostly) for steering the Blu Tail. Of course, having done the job multiple times before it was a walk in the park.

Seadog sneered at Alfonso. "I been captain o' me own ship for years now. I ain't about t' run 'round followin' orders from a li'l ferret brat or a crazy blue fox! Put a paw near that blade an' I'll chop it off." She waited until Marshall reached her before shaking his paw. "So I heard, an' that is me name. Tis a delight to be on board, I thank ye for lettin' me join this trip. Me ship wouldn't have been ready soon enough." She smiled sweetly, her beady eyes studying the fox before her. She could take him down in a fight easily, she was sure of it. Then she would be in charge and do whatever she wanted - with a bigger ship and a crew.

Marshall was a trusting being. He nodded to the response of Little Seadog, then continued a bit more.
"Ah, I see. Well, when y'get y'fine ol' share o' treasure, Ah bet y'could build a whole fleet o' them ships! Y'see quite capable o' helpin' us find it. 'Ight then, won't b'keepin' y'from wot ever crazy ol' Alf needs y't'do. Oh, and call him Alf, I'm sure he would like that." The fox ended with a smile and hurried to the wheel deck. There, he checked the sun and wind. Like the he had been frost bitten his ears stood high, Teeming with excitement. From the deep bottom of the his gut the blue fox captain called out to the crew, "IGHT LADDIES, GET READY T'SAIL!"

@BatLord: I can't really do much until you post with Mechi.

EDIT: Why Batty, why? You were just online, and you ignored me! WHHYYYYYYYYYYY?!?!?! :P

OOC: @LT Sandpaw how long has Alfonso been around as the first mate? and @BatLord how long has Aline worked on the ship?

OOC: I'm going to say Alfonso's been around for awhile, but not too long. He probably joined around the time Marshall became a proper pirate.

IC:

Clapping Longclaw on the back Alfonso raced off to the forecastle where he grabbed up one of the punting poles positioning himself at the head of the line. Checking the murky water for anything that might damage the ship he turned towards the wheel deck. "Ahoy to wheel deck," Alfonso roared from the forecastle, his fur billowing in a strong breeze from the east. "All clear to Port an' Starboard, ready to push off!"

Marshall signaled a high thumbs up to his First Mate, then called out to the crew once more.
"AYE LADS, PUSH OFF ON ME COUNT!"
The blue fox turned once more to the small town, and gave it a keen smile and salute. This may be the last time he ever saw a town, or it would be the start of how many he would visit telling the tale of how him and his crew found the treasure.
"HOLD! NOW CREW, PUSH OFF!"
The Blu Tail made many a grunt and whine as it began to bob away from the deck. When it sat stale shortly after, cheers and hollers erupted from the main deck, with the onlookers giving a final cry to the pirates. Marshall kicked back the tail on his cap and shot out another command.
"Raise those sails fully! Rig 'em tight!"
Marshall turned the ship to point due West, hoping to catch a good swipe of wind and carry them far enough out to where the map would begin to make sense. But before he called whoever had wheel duty next, his first call was to Alfonso.

"Alf m'mate, come up 'ere f'a tad. I need's y' help."

OOC: Sorry if that was a bit rushed, its just for three pages my crew has been still docked while everyone else is at sea.

OOC: Hatlord? Nevermind. :p

BIC:

Having decided that the noise was nothing to worry about, Verenya Haresbane ascended to the deck just as the osprey she had sent out came crashing back down.
"Creeeaaaaah! Earthcrawler boss, I bring much words from other ratscums. They not like what earthcrawler boss tell them go, think earthcrawler boss be foolish for going through the Pass of the Pincers. Ratscums say that when they get through Pass of Pincers, they kill earthcrawler boss and find treasure themself."
Verenya chuckled menacingly.
"Aye, they can certainly try. Go on, Krakorip. I have no more need of you now. Blackfang! Find th' mate, tell 'im ta 'ave all the crew up on decks, an' armed wid bows an' arrers. After we goes through Pincer Pass, we'll set th' arrows in tar an' burn the other ships."
"Aye, Cap'n. I'll find 'im soon enough!"
As Blackfang scurried away, Verenya grabbed a passing weasel.
"You there, go find some others ta 'elp ya, an' bring th' jug o' tar up ta th' deck."

Ross and Vance stood at the helm of The Raging Stallion - the winds had calmed and they were smoothly cruising through the open waters.

Vance checked the sun and sky once more and shook his head.

"Your course is far off Ross, you're up to something. "

Ross smiled, "Aye, friend. There's no reason to be getting the treasure... yet."

Vance shook his head, "I thought we were going to get the treasure."

Ross nodded - "And we will, but think about the course. These pirate scum will have to pass through the notorious Pass of Pincers. As soon as they come floating out of it, we will be waiting for them, fully armed and ready. We'll send 'em all to the bottom, and our families will finally be avenged."

The Stallion's Mane, sailing for vengeance instead of treasure, coasted for the Pass of Pincers. Duncan Ross was coming...

OOC:

Quote from: Fatch of Southsward on July 21, 2016, 04:30:42 AM
Ross nodded - "And we will, but think about the course. These pirate scum will have to pass through the notorious Pincer Pass. As soon as they come floating out of it, we will be waiting for them, fully armed and ready. We'll send 'em all to the bottom, and our families will finally be avenged."

The Stallion's Mane, sailing for vengeance instead of treasure, coasted for Pincer Pass. Duncan Ross was coming...

No.

BIC:

The rest of the pirate ships that had assaulted Slaver's Bay now floated alongside The Plundered Pirate. Verenya Haresbane called out to the Captain of The Drowned Falcon, the largest ship in the fleet (aside from her own, of course).
"Ahoy there, mate. We've found th' map ta the treasure. Only trouble is, we 'ave ta go through Pincer Pass."
The Captain shook his head.
"Yer mad, Verenya. But if t'is treasure be's as good as 'ee say, it's a risk we'll 'ave ta take. ALL SHIPS, FORWARD TO THE PASS!"
Verenya was about to walk back to her cabin when the Captain called her back.
"Oh, an' ye might wanna check yer 'old fer stowaways. We found this pine marten in th' bowels o' our ship."
He motioned to Filthface, who has been chained to the mast. Verenya nodded as the ships began making their way to Pincer Pass...

OOC: What do you mean?

OOC: Well, I'm afraid Ross isn't even going to get a chance at revenge, if you catch my drift... ;)

Passing off his punting pole to a deckpaw Alfonso made his way up the wheel deck as the sails were dropped. They billowed in the wind, creaking and catching the westerly wind pushing the ship forward. A few of the greenies nearly lot their footing, but recovered to the laughter of their mates.

Taking the stairs up the wheel deck Alfonso nodded to Marshall, his blue eyes shining brightly. "Aye Cap'n, ye called?"

"Alf mate, there y'be!" Marshall called as his First Mate arrived. "Now, I need some help with this 'ere map f'the treasure 'n all. Go 'head and get whoever b'next at wheel duty 'n tell them t'keep 'er on course. Oh, and gather up a few o' the best crewbeasts 'round 'ere and bring t'me quarters as well. Swell?"
The blue fox gave Alfonso a pat on the back then scurried down to the Captain's Quarters. Hopefully whoever was assembled could help spot where exactly the locations on the map were. As he was walking back, Marshall nodded to a couple passing by, and popped back on a smile. These scalawags seemed very traversed in their each and every way. Let's hope that Alf picks the right ones.

Little Seadog could not help but smile. The thrill of leaving the land to go off to sea was always overwhelming and got to her every time. She watched the land grow more distant as the ship continued to sail, and her keen eyes searched the shore for her old ship. Finding it, she leaned against Tue railing and watched it sitting there. She would return here and fix it, maybe get herself a proper crew, then go off sailing with it. It would be up to the mast in gold, her cabin would be filled with the finest silks and treasures. She could see it all now, Captain Little Seadog of the Vermin's Despair, horror of the high seas, fiercest pirate of all time, feared for her skill with a blade and known for her wealth! She rested her chin on a paw, staring at her broken, dirty, and useless ship as she dreamed about the riches she would be swimming in.

"Right away Cap'n," Turning Alfonso thumped his paw on the railing calling out orders. "Hoy Longclaw to th' wheel, Becline get yer tail up to the nest. The rest of ye find something useful to do." Sauntering down the stairs Alfonso considered the crewbeasts around him selecting two from the mix.

"Oi, Aline Snake-Slayer ain't it? Yer wanted in the Cap'n's quarters. "And ye Coop, go too." Alfonso did one last sweep looking for anybeast who might know their way around a map. His eyes landed on Little Seadog. Pacing over the blonde ferret motioned with a paw.
"Ye said you were captaining a ship before didn't ye? March right o'er to the Cap'n's gig, and make yerself useful studying maps if ye ain't going to work proper-like." His task done Alfonso made his way down to the galley claiming a small keg of seaweed grog and five flagons. Lugging the lot with him he slogged slowly across the lower deck towards the aft cabins.

Seadog's eyes lit up at the mention of a map, and she gave a little smile. She was very fond of maps, and was willing to bet that fox had maps nicer than her own. "What, ye weren't good 'nough for th' job?" she asked as she sauntered off to the Captain's cabin. She didn't bother knocking when she arrived, but walked in and dropped down into a chair, leaning back casually. "I heard ye had a map...... Cap'n?"

Coop arrived just behind Seadog. "Show some respect, greenie," he growled at her. "Simply callin' 'im 'Captain' aint gonna cut it." He turned to the fox. "Th' First Mate sent us down 'ere, Cap'n, whaddaya need?"

"Greenie?" Little Seadog repeated. "Greenie? Lissen, I was born on a ship, y'dim-witted twiddlepaws. Show respect for th' experienced sailors, will ye? I was climbin' masts and steering boats afore ye probably even knew what a ship was." She sat up straighter and glared at Coop. She didn't actually remember if she had been born on a ship or not, but she didn't remember ever being on land before, so she was certain she was right.

"What'd ya call me, ya liddle snipe? I don' care where yer from, nor how long ye've been sailin'. You'll show respect ta me an' th' Cap'n or I'll rip yer ears off." He roared. He towered above sitting Little Seadog, and his eyes were filling with rage. His fists clenched at his sides, the only thing stopping him from taking her out right then and there was the Captain, as usual.

The Plundered Pirate, surrounded by the rest of the pirate fleet, was just sailing into the mouth of Pincer Pass when one of Verenya's many ospreys crashed to the deck.
"Kreeeeeeee! Earthcrawler boss listen, Gulanwing caw! Gulanwing fly through the Pass of the Pincers, see other wavestrider! Other wavestrider be at exit of Pass of the Pincers, appear to try to hide for ambush. Gulanwing not like look of other wavestrider!"
Verenya tossed a fish to Gulanwing.
"Thank you, my loyal birdfriend. You have done well. Continue this, and the best fish in all the oceans will be yours soon..."
Gulanwing hopped off back to the other ospreys, as Verenya took up her bow. She called Blackfang to her, along with her First Mate. The Mate, a tall and thin stoat, twirled a dagger idly. The vixen began to speak whilst testing her arrows.
"There is nothing for us through the pass. Not only is it full of the savages, but another ship is at the other end. If we go through, they'll pick us off once we're weakened."
The mate shook his head.
"Well, why'd ya wanna go t'roo in da first place. Shudd we turn around?"
Verenya glared at her second-in-command.
"No, that won't be necessary. I know of a better way to deal with this. Ever heard of Bauble-Yen?"
The mate shivered. All the crew knew of Bauble-Yen. He could only imagine what Verenya had in store for them...

Little Seadog was up in a flash, her rapier out and level with Coop's throat. "Lissen, ye filth, I ain't gonna give ye, nor anybeast respect who ain't earned it. So if'n yer thinkin' I'm gonna throw myself onna ground an' beg fer forgiveness, yer wrong. I've dealt with fools bigger'n yerself, ye don't scare me. An' if ye intend to, I'd suggest doin' a li'l more'n yellin' at me." Seadog's eyes narrowed, and her milky white teeth showed as her lip curled back in disgust.

OOC: how do you fight without PPing?

OOC: you make a move and allow the other player to decide the outcome.

PPing: Coop swung the sword at Seadog, cutting off her arm.
Seadog punched Coop in the face, making him sit down and cry.
Coop kicked Seadog.
Seadog stabbed Coop in the knee.

Not PPing:  Coop swung the sword at Seadog, aiming for her arm.
Seadog threw a fist at Coop, hoping to catch him in the face so he would cry.
Coop kicked out at Seadog.
Seadog lunged towards Coop's knee with her rapier.

:P

OOC: Bauble-Yen? What could that be? I'm shaking in my sea-boots!  ;D

"Aye you two! Sit y'rears back down. No squabblin' in me Quarters, got it?"
The blue fox took out his axe and pushed down Little Seadog's rapier from Coops throat. With a stern glance he put away his weapon and produced a worn yet colorful map.
"Now, if the two o' ye can calm it f' ah simple moment, I'll show y'this 'ere map."

On the ancient parchment were the basic compass, middle islands, maelstrom and all. But upon closer inspection, it was obvious that many hidden passes,  landmarks, odd creatures and supposed dangers were spread about. Marshall looked at the two seated infront of him, and smiled even know they had just threatended eachother. One he had known for years, and was a strong willed beast even if he wasn't the brightest. This new Little Seadog however, seemed well faired and capable of helping with the treasure.
"So, where b'this 'ere place eh?"

Kicking open the cabin door Alfonso strode in setting the keg down next to the map. "H'I brought something to help ye think shipmates. Some bitter seaweed grog eh?" He stared around at the frosty setting in the cabin, grinning at Marshall. Some beasts weren't getting along to well.
"Nothing better to wet th' whistle an' clear the mind." He began pouring the drinks out sliding the slopping flagons across the table to each animal as he finished. One for a fox, one for a mongoose, one for a stoat, and two for ferrets. "So where we at so far? Any progress?"

Longclaw hurried to his post as Alfonso rapped out orders to get underway. Expertly handling the wheel, the rat watched as other members of the crew bustled about, doing their various duties. It was a fine day at sea.

The Stallion's Mane bobbed gently with the waves. The dangerous pass was intimidating, but outside the narrow cliffs, the conditions were naught but calm waters and a slight breeze.

The ship was anchored just out of sight around the bend at the end of the pass. Any pirate vessel trying to pass through would be forced to sail directly towards the ship, exposing themselves to the two deadly ballista set up on stern and bow of The Stallion's Mane, without being able to return fire. Duncan Ross truly had set a great trap.

The mouse himself was standing on deck, looking up at the seabirds. There was something odd about these ones. They hovered low and constantly were keeping a close watch on the crew's movements. He didn't kill creatures that weren't vermin unless he had to, so he had not ordered any action against the birds, but he had a strange feeling their odd behavior was not for the better.

Seadog sat down and leaned forward, her elbows on the table as her eyes studied the map with interest. "Do ye have information on th' treasure? Anythin' t' tell us where it is?" she asked as Alfonso came in. Her first thought was to make a show of being disgusted, then she saw the grog. That immediately cheered her up, and she took a deep drink. "S'good grog," she said.

OOC: Little Seadog is rapidly becoming one of my favorite characters. ;D

"The 'information' is right in fron' o' you, welp. The map's all a true pirate and seafarer would need," Coop scoffed. He'd been on the verge of attacking Seadog, but Marshall's intervention had cooled him down. A cup of grog wouldn't hurt either. "Any pirate with a lick 'o sense wouldn't leave a riddle nor word ta be shared. Ain't nothin' so reliable as a map. Can't tell tales, can't forget. A map is all ya need." He took a large gulp of grog.

OOC: @Sagetip
(https://media.giphy.com/media/l3E6xRDHfIP65m7pS/giphy.gif)

BIC: Little Seadog slammed her grog down on the table, shooting a glare at Coop that could have spoiled milk. "Then 'ow'd 'e hear 'bout it, y'nitwit? Lookit, lookit 'ere!" She jabbed down at all the islands on the map with a claw. "D'ye think yer lucky 'nough t' strike out'n just find the right island? Lookit all these islands, could be anywhere on any one o' 'em, an' th'sea is a big place, in case ye haven't noticed! Do ye suppose we just go an dig up each an' every island, hoping we'll find the treasure afore we're all grey?" She took another drink of her grog, determining whether or not she'd need to use her rapier.

Back at Pincer Pass, Verenya Haresbane felt the fur on the back of her neck stand up. Even with everybeast on the ship (excluding slaves, of course) armed with bows, she still dreaded what was about to happen. The tar would no longer be needed, as any other ships that made it through the pass would be torn to pieces by The Stallion's Mane. She sent Blackfang to retrieve her personal treasure stash, a little chest full of valuables, able to be carried by a single creature, and took the wheel herself. She stole a glance to The Drowned Falcon, which had the same idea as her. The ship's crew crowded the deck with pikes and slings, just in case. Filthface, still chained to the mast, did not bother her in the slightest. Any stowaways on her ship would likely die soon enough. She stared around at the pass, quite beautiful actually. While the entrances to it were rimmed by tall cliffs, the sides of the actual pass smoothed down into a pair of beaches. As the first ship entered the pass, a loud shriek rung out through the waterway. Verenya clenched the wheel tightly, nodding at Blackfang to guard her as he came scurrying up with the chest. The steersrat drew a cutlass and stood behind Verenya, barely able to hold in his fear. Then, the screams began. The leading ship immediately caught fire, as a huge volley of flaming arrows slammed into it just above the waterline. While the fire was quickly extinguished, the damage had been done. Another volley of projectiles flew through the air, this time of large rocks. They tore apart the charred and weakened timbers, sending the first ship to the bottom in seconds. The crew of The Plundered Pirate drew their arrows back even further, looking for any glimpse of the attackers. Verenya knew from experience that it took too long to fire off another salvo of rocks, so she had a small amount of her crew ready with buckets of water, just in case more arrows came. They did. Three more volleys of arrows came flying over the straight, slamming into a number of ships, the Pirate among them. Fortunately, the crew were able to extinguish the flames, and just in time. Another shriek rang out over the water as their foes emerged onto the beach. Hundreds of tree-rats, hauling dugout canoes between them. Their little crafts dumped into the pass, crowded with rats. The rats threw themselves flat, pulling large sheets of thin wood over the top of the canoe. Several oars stuck out through grooves in the canoes, effectively making it untouchable. Nearly. Verenya's crew dipped their arrows into the tar and lit them, sending flaming arrows right back at their assailants. The wooden sheets of several canoes started to burn, but the tree rats managed to extinguish them in the water. This was what the pirates had been waiting for. While the rats were vulnerable, the other crews loosed their own projectiles, quickly stripping several canoes of their crews. But not enough. Already, more rats were pouring out of the trees like insects, with more canoes to reinforce those that had been lost. By now, the closest canoes began tossing hooks up onto the decks of the pirate ships. The Plundered Pirate's Mate noticed a steel grappling hook land on the gunwhale just in front of him. Slicing the rope off, he yelled over the noise of the shrieks.
"They're boardin', mates! CUT THE ROOOOOOOPES!"
Verenya's crew, and those of the closest ships, started hacking at ropes like mad, but they eventually found themselves overwhelmed. Verenya noticed The Drowned Falcon being swarmed by tree rats, and its captain's head flying over the side. Time to go, she thought. Once a path was freed, as a smaller ship veered off course and slammed into another ship, causing them both to sink, Verenya swung the wheel hard to the right. All of The Plundered Pirate's crew held on for dear life as the ship began its turn. Those with more brains crowded to one side of the ship, making it turn even harder. Once the ship was almost on its side, Verenya grabbed Blackfang and dived into her cabin. The vixen felt a shockwave run through the whole ship as she hit shore, was picked right up by a large wave, cleared the thin strech of beach, and slammed straight into the tall jungle trees beyond. Verenya felt the ship's timbers cracking, hastily taking to the deck. The Plundered Pirate had met her end, fifteen feet off the ground, roughly wedged between several trees.


The attack of the tree rats decimated the pirate fleet, especially now that their two largest ships were out of commission. The rats had either taken over the ships and run them aground, or sunk them with the second barrage of arrows and rocks. All but one. The Drowned Falcon, now a ghost ship, drifted out of Pincer Pass. It's decks littered with bodies of pirate and tree rat alike, Filthface the marten found himself the only survivor on the last ship. He tryed to free himself from his chains, but failed miserably. Once he caught sight of The Stallion's Mane; however, Filthface changed his tune. He began hollering to the other ship.
"'Ey, yewz! 'Ow'd ya survive? No, I doesn't care! Jus' get me off this wretched ship afore it sinks!"

Coop stood up, enraged. Instead of going for the young one's throat, as he was tempted, he hauled out Marshall's other maps of the ocean, spreading them out. Searching through them, he found several groups of islands, and cross-referenced them with the treasure map. "Look, y'see? The treasure map is a tiny slice o' ocean, true, but we can find out where 'tis. Could be this group 'ere. Though this map 'as got several islands that this 'un don't 'ave. This'n 'ere could be it. Hm," he looked at it a bit longer, scritching his chin with one claw "Ah, look 'ere," He pointed at a distinctly shaped island on the treasure map. It matched another just on the edge of a different map. "Whaddaya think 'o that, Cap'n?"


OOC: tbh Im having a hard time with Coop. :( Ive had angry characters before. Dunno why its so hard with him.

OOC: You can always add actions.

"Coop stood up in a fit of anger, knocking over his chair in the process."

OOC: Yeah i guess. ill try. thanks.

Marshall took a long sip of grog as Little Seadog went on complaining, while Coop started to be useful.
"I came 'bout this map from 'an ol' Otter fella back in the town on shore. 'Said this was the only one o' it's kind. So I b'bettin' that no matter how much we b'crossrefrencin', we won't find a match. B'the treasure, well of course it be gold. Would it not be, eh?" With another swig, he addressed the next question.
"Y'see, there is one hint that Otter gave me 'bout the location o' it. Guess he wasn't a pirate, ey Coop? 'Ere, I wrote it down." Out he pulled an old piece of sack cloth which had hardly readable marks of ink upon it.

"Island o' the wave,
Washed away by the sea,
Seen the ways o' time,
Taken by the mornin' tide.
One can wonder,
One may wait,
One may find it,
If one lays the right bait."

"I ain't got a single clue wot the old fella meant, b'I reckon it be on one o' these here islands. Maybe t'the North, or the place where the mornin' tides roll in early. O' if one o' them shrunk a bit."
The Blue Fox at there looking at the chosen few, hoping they could get a good guess of any of it. But even though he was happy and filled with the adventurous sense, all of that seemed to vanish as he took the final swig of his grog. Either Alf was shortening the amount, or his gulps had been far to gracious!

Coop listened to the Captain's explanation, chugged  his grog, and left. He didn't want to hear what Seadog would have to say about that. Besides, he was no good at riddles. Otters, the captain had said. He shook his head. Sure, he woulda been right if it had been a pirate map. But otters don't have any sense with maps. He leaned against the railing, staring out at the waves. A riddle. He scoffed. He wished he had more grog.


OOC: im not sure what you guys know about maps, but what you're saying hardly makes sense to me. (i don't know a thing about maps though). I mean, sure, you get handed a map, you have no idea if it's a map of San Diego or of London. But by cross referencing it with other maps or your own knowledge, you can say 'wait this says the empire state building, it must be in new York city,' but your other new York city map doesn't show the northern part, just the western part, but now you know the context of the map. i mean sure it may be different in the ocean when you've hardly got accurate maps of a barely explored ocean but it kinda works the same way doesnt it? "this map is unlike any other map" is it of an ocean on the moon?? are you telling me no one else ever made a map of at least a tiny bit of the same part of the ocean???? bluh i dunno. can someone explain. (also I'll sorry about this ridiculously long rant I'm not so good with words and it's a confusing thing for me but i did my best to explain what i was thinking)

OOC: From what I know, we've been given a map of the ocean and a riddle of where the treasure is on that map. It's not just a little island or a small part of the ocean, it's a huge map. With the riddle, we find out where on that map the treasure has been hidden because the map is too big to just find a matching island on a bigger map and get to the treasure.

BIC: Little Seadog gave Coop a winning smile as he left, then focused on the riddle and stared at the map. "Island o' th' wave, washed 'way by th' sea...... hmmm, could be an island wot got covered up wi' water, or is bein' worn down by it. Errrr, seen th' ways o' time taken by th' mornin' tide? Er, maybe it.... gets lots o' big ole waves in th' mornin'?" She went to take a big drink of her grog, then frowned at the mug when she realized she had none left. Setting the mug down, she adjusted the red bandana around her forehead, picking at the sleeve of her baggy white shirt. "I dunno, tis all confusin' an' I ne'er seen a riddle like this."

OOC: I never knew about the riddle until 3 posts ago. I was assuming there was a route marked on the map.

OOC: I assumed that as well Groddil.

OOC: Well there could be multiple different maps, made by different creatures who buried the treasure. Maybe the animal that wrote Scottsworth's was more cryptic, while the chorographers of Ross' and Haresbane simply gave a vague heading of which way to sail.

BTW Fatch I'll wait for your to post again before posting with Splint.

IC:


Alfonso snorted peering closer at the map. "What a load of hog-wash n' woodlander tripe." He gulped down a lot of his drink slamming the tumbler down on the table. "Don't trust otters, they're untrustworthy. He probably spat out that little rhyme to keep ye from cutting his throat. I'm thinking we ought to look at the most reasonable places, an' narrow down from there. Lookie here." He pointed to the Mossflower coast. "That's where we are, ain't it not?" He traveled his paw along the nearby islands skipping past the larger occupied ones.
"Here's some likely places, ain't to big, ain't to small. An' the right names too. Deathland, Forgotten Hopes, Black Pincer Pass- I've been to that one myself, a tricky bit of water that. Tis infested with landlubbing rats an' castaways too. More grog mates?"

Little Seadog willingly lifted her mug to show she wanted more to drink, then studied the map some more. "Huh, could be that. Lots o' li'l islands our treasure could be hidin' in. Ooh, lookit 'ere! Oldwave Island! Island o' th' wave, an' seen th' ways o' time. This could be it, mateys, this could be our treasure." Seadog looked up at Marshall to see what he would say.

Duncan Ross, surrounded by archers and crewbeasts, balanced near the edge of the rails. Waiting for the first sight of sails through the pass. The trap was well laid, he felt he could sink any amount of ships that managed to get through the pass.

Then he heard screams and battle cries. Whatever was happening, it sounded like a huge engagement. He yelled out:

"Steady, hold your ground. Whatever comes through this pass, we send them to the bottom! On my command!"

Vance was at the bow, manning the ballista. He yelled out excitedly: "Cap'n, cap'n! There's a ship cap'n!" Splint, on the second ballista, aimed his at the pass, awaiting the enemy vessel

The Drowned Falcon drifted through the pass, devastating damage being done to it by the cliff walls, as it blundered into them, but it managed to continue through the pass. Ross hesitated, he had been expecting evil pirates, not an empty ship.

"Hold your fire archers! Vance, Splint! Take out the sails! Fire archers, be ready to set the sails on fire, if we don't take down the masts!"

Vance fired his ballista first, the massive bolt zipped into one of the two masts, snapping it off low, and causing the whole thing to come crashing down.

The lone remaining sail kept the ship moving slowly forward towards The Stallion's Mane. One lone creature seemed to be alive on deck, and he was yelling for help. The only thing left was to take out the last mast, and The Drowned Falcon would be dead in the water. Perhaps then the crewbeast on board could explain what had happened.

OOC: Don't take out the last mast. If you do, Filthface is gonna die.

BIC:

Filthface shivered, thinking the other ship had not heard him. He managed to make his voice even louder.
"STOP SHOOTING! PLEASE MATES, STOP SHOOTIN' THOSE BIG ARRERS! YE'LL SLAY ME! 'EEEEELLLPPPP!!!"

Ross realized that the lone crewbeast was not freely roaming the deck - he was tied to the last mast.

"Ahoy mates, we can't knock down the last mast without slaying some prisoner - beast. Prepare to lose anchor and move, before the ship rams us! Splint mate, keep that ballista trained on that pirate! This could be a trap! Steersman, pull us alongside the ship! Crew, be prepared for anything, there could be more of them below decks!"

OOC: Okay, here is the explanation of the map. There are multiple maps obviously. Since there are many, they can't all be the same, so many different people made many different kids. SaLT said it perfectly by saying how Marshall's is more cryptic while the others have a more direct path. The reason cross references wouldn't work is because no one really knows exactly where all of these things are, how close they all are, or if the map is even right. That seems to be Marshall's problem, along with the crazy riddle given to him by the otter.

BIC: Marshall raised his flagon at the call for more grog, and thought on what Little Seadog had pointed out.
"Aye, there it be! Seems t'be pretty far from the rest o' the islands. Might have t'go through some o' that stuff y'mentioned Alf." He took a swig then looked back at the riddle. Glancing back and forth, the fox mashed together a quick idea regrading both ways of help.
"Say, it seems this 'ere island would b'close t'the North f'them tides t'b'high in the morn. But why so close t'the maelstrom?" Marshall asked in deep thought once more. It seemed like a good hiding place to put treasure close to something so dangerous with a path as dangerous, but what about leaving? What a pain that crew had to endure.

"Shall I set a course towards the great maelstrom then Cap'n?" Alfonso asked standing up and striding towards the door. He stood in a relaxed posture, waiting for Marshall's decision. One paw rested on his sword hilt, the other on the door handle.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Yes master," Splint grunted curling his claw around the ballista's firing mechanism; lining the bolt up with the pine marten chained to the mast. To his eyes the ship looked doomed, and the dead that lay scattered across its decks were beyond help. But perhaps there was some other reason for taking the ship. Looking up from the ballista he waited patiently for further orders.

The Stallion's Mane drew level with the former pirate ship.

The tension was high, as the whole crew half expected some sort of surprise attack, but nothing immediately happened.

Ross surveyed the vessel suspiciously. Some sort of battle had occurred on this ship.

"Splint, you're a tree jumper! Board the vessel and see if you can't get that pine marten back on board this ship with ya'! Be careful while you're over there. It could still be some sort of trap!"

Filthface shook his head so hard it may have fallen off.
"There's no traps other'n dat pass, cap'n whats-yer-face! Dere were ratty fings, lots of 'em. Dey jumped onta da water tree fing an' killed everybeast. I 'ad ta play dead! Ahh, please cap'n whats-yer-face! Get us off dis fing 'fore it sinks!"

Marshall looked at his First Mate then glanced at the two left helping him. Going straight for the maelstrom would not only be dangerous, but would take at least two weeks if they have no interruptions. The blue fox looked back down at the map, looking for an alternate route. A small smile grew on his face. Down, only a two day sail from where they sat now was a small three island cluster, labeled on the map as "Fire's Agony." On the islands each were a volcano, with only one of them being large enough to deal much damage. If they could cut through that and lead on to one other small island with a port town, then it would cut the journey to the maelstrom in half. Marshall's happiness arose once more. Fire, rest, an endless swirl of water, what more could he ask for in a treasure hunt! He turned his single sea blue eye to Alfonso and called out, "Y'know mate, turn it t'the right o' it. We b'headin' t' Fire's Agony."

Frowning Alfonso nodded letting ring a loud, "Aye Cap'n." Before leaving the cabin. They'd be sailing against the wind if they changed direction towards Fire's Agony, they'd have to tack, but if he knew Longclaw it wouldn't be much of a challenge.

"Ahoy deckpaws, get up into the sails, prepare for orders to furl an' unfurl." He roared as he passed a few of the on duty crew. They jumped up, scaling the rigging while Alfonso climbed up to the wheel deck. Standing behind Longclaw the ferret did a quick check of the sky and his compass, judging their current trajectory. "Change course mister Longclaw, two notches southwest, and full ahead. You'll need to tack against the wind I believe."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Being a creature of few words Splint nodded and pulled back from the railing to get a running start. Surging forward he practically flew across the small gap that separated them from the Drowned Falcon landing lightly onboard. A quick check of some of the fallen confirmed that they were dead. Unsheathing his hook, Splint walked nimbly across the planks to where the pine marten was chained. After a moment of investigation he shook his head sliding the blade into his belt.
"Key?"

"Aye mate," responded Longclaw. He changed the course according to Alfonso's directions. Fire's Agony wasn't the best place, but Marshall knew what he was doing.

Coop, still sulking on the deck, heard Alfonso's directions. Curious to see what the captain and others had figured out, he headed back to the cabin. "Cap'n, what's this about headin' t' Fire's Agony?" He said as he entered, heading straight for the grog.

Filthface attempted to wriggle free, but at no avail.
"Wot's a key? Never 'eard of a key afore. Is dat a fing? Da big one over dere wid da weird hat had lots o' fings! Mebbe 'ee 'as it."

"It'll shed a whole week off our journey, Coop. Plus, we'll hit that ol' island ina week, while in two we would just b'reachin' that maelstrom. See, we go through it, then get re-supplied at this 'ere port town, then curve up and ride that maelstorm t'the north o' the island, we shall be doin' good 'n time 'n temper!" He winked as his old friend and gulped down the rest of his grog.

Little Seadog pulled a face, her claws tapping against the table. She had come close to a maelstorm before and, being a one-man crew with a small ship, she had almost lost her life. "Sounds fun," she said, even though she had a lot of doubt. "Lotsa seascum've lost their lives bein' stupid near those, I trust that ye've got a crew good 'nough t' handle it?"

"Oh no Lil' Seadog, we won't go right t'it. Nah, we will simply ride that big ol' current it makes 'round the north bend, 'till it swoop us down t'the top o' that island. All 'bout navigatin'!"
With this, Marshall rose from his long used leather chair and nodded to Little Seadog.
"Now, if you 'scuse m'miss, I'm sue f'a jolly 'lil nap up in the Crow's Nest. D'y'mind Barrack duty? Simple really, just picking up all o' that rubbish seepin' in and makin' sure everyone down there needs t'be."
The blue fox started for the door, but just before closing it, he looked back at his newest crew member.
"Y'know, just d'that last part. We haven't been out long 'nough to have any ol' water creppin' in. And hey, there b'an extra hammock at the barrack ends, next t'the supplies. Use it ol' gel!" Giving her a final wink, Marshall closed the creaking door and started on his way to the Crow's Nest.

It was not hard to make it to the top. Of course there was the obvious crew member bumping into the colorful captain, and then those saluting when it really wasn't necessary. But nevertheless, he made it to the main mast. Two choices lay before him. The old battered ladder which was from the original making of the ship, or an misplaced rope hanging down from the rigging of the mighty blue sails. And what did he chose? Well, he was a fox of course, and a Highland one at that.
Carefully and quickly he grabbed the coil and started to pull himself up. Because of his basic agility and speed, along with doing this many times a week, Marshall sped up like a blue blue, almost repelling off of the mast quicker than most beasts could run. It only took a good fifteen seconds before the captain of The Blu Tail entered the Crow's Nest. Oh, how lovely it was. The wind always smelled crisper and saltier, while the water, no matter the day, glistened and glowed as if itself was made of silver. Sometimes Marshall wished he could have his Quarters up there, but that would not work. It would be pretty great though.

He patted the knotted shoulder of the lookout, the mouse Timblish. The poor soul had wanted anything to be aboard a ship the few years back when Marshall first started his pirate career. The crew he had assembled all rejected the tiny grey woodlander, but Marshall had compassion. That rarity got the mouse a spot on The Blu Tail, with it being the only one where he could not get hurt by the other crewbeasts. Timblish was stellar at his job, seeing better than the eye-patched salty slackers which mumbled with boxes and buckets all day. He actually bedded up in the Nest, instead of the barracks below, because the one time he did he was tied to the mast until Marshall found him the next morning. But now, he was very fond of Marshall, and let him nap whenever he liked on his makeshift bed which simply consisted of a few blankets and a pillow. Even if he was not liked by his fellow workbeasts, he had found favor with the Captain, which was more than enough for his gentle and timid soul.
"'Ey there Timble! 'Ows it lookin', eh?" Marshall asked while gazing over the shimmering sea.
"All is looking good Cap'n sir! Say, is it true that we are heading to Fire's Agony? I've only heard of that place in legends! With the Volcanoes, mysterious happenings, sea creatures,"
"Yes we b'laddie! And w'may b'even stoppin' 'round there!"
The cheeky face of the mouse lit up with excitement. This is why he had joined the crew; the adventure! Marshall gave him a good pat on the back and started to make his into the assortment of blankets. The fox's face lit up in the same way as the Lookout's, but not for the same reason. Not only did he have compassion of the mouse, but he cared for him because he saw himself in him. The sense to seek out adventure and explore all that the waves and woods had to offer. But he knew that is all he wanted to see in him. He didn't want to see the same fear, the same hopelessness, the same alone feeling he had felt when he was in the Northlands, or when turning to a pirate. No, he wanted to see young Timblish grow and learn from what his captain had done wrong. But Marshall quickly rushed those thoughts out of his head and lay his head on the old stained pillow.
"Say Timble, wake me up at noon, can y?"
"Sure thing Cap'n!" He squeaked happily.

Little Seadog's claws tightened around the handle of her mug, and she bit her tongue. Who did this ridiculous fox think she was? An ordinary, bumbling fool he had the stupidity to call a crew member? She was a captain - a real captain without her own ship, she deserved better treatment. Not to be told 'go do this and go do that' or 'you can have the extra hammock, you know, the one next to the supplies that no one else wants because it's the worst one on the ship'. The second they got to that treasure, him and his crew were all deadbeasts, she needed the gold and the riches more than any of them. Seadog continued to drink her grog, not in any hurry to leave the cabin.

Coop watched Marshall leave the cabin. He knew trying to argue with the captain would be useless; once that fox set his mind on a crazy scheme he was bound to stick to it. He took a drink of his grog. Seadog made no move to do as the captain had suggested. He could see her contempt for the captain written in her body language. She would be one to watch.

After searching several bodies, including the one the pine marten had pointed out; rolling the corpses over to pat them down, Splint found a key ring on a particularly damaged looking creature whose species was unidentifiable without close inspection. Though he was fairly sure it used to be a stoat. Cutting the keys off its belt Splint hurried over to Filthface freeing him from his chains. The squirrel wasted no time prodding him forward towards the ship's railing.
"Jump." He ordered jabbing Filthface in the back with his sharpened hook. "Or I throw you." There was a good gap between the two boats, a necessary precaution to keep the ships from colliding. The crew of the Stallion's Mane were still waiting on the other side, ready should any foe beast appear.


OOC: Is the Blu Tail going to do a time skip?

"Ow! Why'dya hit me wiff dat curvy sharp fing?"
The pine marten stared at the large gap between the ships.
"Err, dat seems like a big bit o' nuffingness. Do ya have one o' dem fings ya put over bits o' nuffingness? Pancakes or somefing? No, planks! Dat be's it. Planks!"

OOC: I guess so, yeah. I was going to have a storm happen that night, but if anyone else needs to post something on The Blu Tail, then go ahead. Afterwards, a time skip to that night I guess.

OOC: I'd be fine with a time skip, I don't have anything really to post.

OOC: Agreed.

The crew laughed heartily at the pine marten's antics. The bold figure of the mouse captain could be seen leaning over the side, hanging onto a rope, to shout to the terrified creature.

"What sort of a sea beast is this? Quite a land lubber to be aboard a pirate ship. Ahoy, Splint, that hook of yours is looking awfully well polished and sharp, eh? Perhaps this poor creature needs a little help getting his courage to jump aboard."

Ross winked at Splint, hoping to convey to the beast not to actually use the hook. If the pine marten refused to jump he could always be thrown by the muscled gladiator squirrel.

Filthface scratched his head in confusion
"Wot's a sea? I can see yew, an' da fing wot yer on... Wot's a ship? Is it like a tree? I seen lots o' trees. Wait, no. Not da curvy sharp hook fing. Err... Dis is too big of a gappy fing... 'Ow do I do it?"
The marten shivered, and jumped over the railing. Fortunately, as The Drowned Falcon was quite a large ship (even if it was sitting low in the water), Filthface managed to grab the rails of The Stallion's Mane and haul himself on to the deck. He stared around at the crewbeasts.
"Gah, ye looks like da others on da other fing! Don't 'urt me! Ahh, please, Boss Whats-yer-face, don't tie me ta da tall fing again! I promises I won't go back on yer fing again! Wait... I'm already on da fing again. No, please, Boss Whats-yer-face. I'll jump over da side, just don't tie me up again!"

Ross widened his eyes :

"Oh we'll tie you to all the 'tall fings' if you don't start talkin'. What happened to this ship? Are there any more? Tell me everything you know. Everything. Or I'll tie you to the tall fing on The Drowned Falcon, and send you to the bottom with it!"

He turned to Splint as he awaited a reply.

"Splint matey, take one of the ship's hammers and knock some holes in the bottom of that pirate boat. We'll send it to the bottom, where it rightly belongs."

OOC: Just gonna PP this here random NPC, if that's all well and good

BIC: A nearby crewbeast yelled out, pointing at The Drowned Falcon.
"No need, Cap'n. Look there, see? Da ship jus' rotated a little. Dere's a whoppin' great 'ole jus' there, a little above th' waterline. Once she drifts a little further out, an' meets the bigger waves, that ship's a goner!"
Filthface shivered.
"No, don't tie me ta th' talk fings again, Boss Whatsyerface! Err, dere were lots o' other fings, an' dey was all going through dat place dere. Umm... Err, den, lots o fings like dis fing, but a lot smaller, came outta da trees. Dey came across ta all da big fings an' climbed on an' killed everybeast. Some of 'em disappeared under da water, an' some o' 'em crashed inta each other an' disappeared under da water, an' a few of 'em went back an' hit th' trees. Umm, I fink all of dem were destroyed. Err, yeah, dat's it. Dey all wuzz destroyeded. Heh, I even saw one wedged 'igh in th' trees!"

Longclaw pulled the wheel to the right a little bit, readjusting the course so the wind didn't blow them off. Content with the current direction the ship was traveling in, Longclaw relaxed his grip on the wheel and leaned against it, gazing across the ocean.

Leaping back aboard the Stallion's Mane Splint ambled over to where Ross stood. "I think no need to tell him, talk much. Marten not shut mouth." The big squirrel observed in his calloused way.

OOC: Okay, lets say its about 12 that night


BIC: Marshall sat sprawled out in his Quarters. Once more he had been studying the map and riddle, plotting very carefully how the navigating would go. Now that a few of the points had been located, such as the island they wish to find the treasure, things started to fall into place. It was easy enough to see that a majority of the traveling was staying quite far away from the Northeast side of the map, as it had Pincer's Pass, and many of the sea-creatures drawn about on it. Hopefully this first island would have the treasure, but Marshall still sat uneasy about it fully lining up with the riddle. Just that last line about the bait. It just,-
"Cap'n! Heavy storm on the wave, heading straight for us!" A young voice called out. The blue fox grabbed his fallen raccoon hat and went out to the main deck.

A light mist had occurred, dampening the creaking wood. But it was easy to see how the wind had started to pick up and rain hit a bit harder. But through the dark midnight sky, a flash of lightening broke the black woven sky.
"Timblish! Go 'head 'n come down! The blue fox called out. This storm was going to be a bit rough, especially for the new crewbeasts.

By the time the young mouse made it down, the ship started to sway, with the the wind now starting to yell as it carried the heavy burden of the threatening rain. Waves started to crash harder and turn that thick dark blue color, gladly accepting in its younger brethren. Marshall quickly opened the door to his Cabin and rushed Timblish in, then headed up to the Wheel deck to see who was still steering.

OOC: Sage, if you want, Longclaw can still be there, or I can make some random character at the wheel, either is fine.

Longclaw sighed with relief as he saw the captain enter into his sight. "Cap'n, good to see you," he said. "Should I stay on th' course or steer us out of the storm?"

"Go 'head 'n go down t'y'barracks, Longclaw. I'll b'handlin' this one f'as long b'possible."
Marshall patted his steersbeast on the back, and gave a strong look out to the storm. It rumbled even closer than before. Lightening charged like chariots, waves crashed like ballista shots. This would be a rough one indeed.

Longclaw did not glance back at the captain as he hurried through the rain to the crew deck. He would much rather be warm and dry than the opposite.

Little Seadog had been sleeping in one of the hammocks by the door. It was one of the best places in the crew's cabin, and she nearly had to kill its previous owner to get it. As the storm got worse, Seadog opened an eye lazily. "C'this storm get any louder?" she mumbled, turning around to face the wall as she held a pillow over her face. Several seconds passed before she got up and went to the door. Stepping outside, she squinted her eyes against the rain and howling wind as she looked out at the sea. Whenever the sea stormed like this, she always felt smaller. Defenseless against the crashing waves and merciless rain. And she didn't like it. She went back inside, sitting on her bunk and looking around the room bad-temperedly.

Meanwhile, just beyond the beach of Pincer Pass, The Plundered Pirate's crew had begun descending to the ground. Just in time. The crew, gathering on a nearby ridge, stared down at the treeline, where the shipwreck was being assaulted by tree rats. Verenya shivered, and turned to her crew.
"Alright, crew. Listen up. If you don't want those tree rats get you, we have to march on the double until we're out of this forest proper. Draw your blades, keep your eyes up. Once we get out of the forest and across that mountain, we'll be in Bauble-Yen's port."
Several grumbles rang out through the crew. They were clearly more scared of Bauble-Yen than the tree rats.
"Shut up! You heard me. We're going to Bauble-Yen. If anyone wants to leave, do it."
Three vermin looked at each other, and started edging away from the main group. Vereya nodded to Filthface and the Mate, who drew their blades and ran two of the vermin through. The last, a ferret, tried to run, but his corpse was soon rolling down the ridge with an arrow in his neck. Verenya lowered her bow and motioned to the Mate. He began to walk towards the mountain.
"Follow the Mate. I'll be taking up the rear. Anyone falls behind..."

The blue paws of the fox firmly grasped the bronze wheel. It had been a while since his last storm run, so this would be fun. He quickly turned the ship to where it faced towards the wind. Large waves started to appear as the storm rolled closer. There seemed no way to run away from the quickening beast, so breaking through the waves was the next safest thing.

Marshall's heartbeat bounced around in his ears as his fur and clothes became soaked in the rapid downpour. The sails flapped in many a different direction while the masts began to creak from all what was thrown at it. All was seemingly black, with the only light coming from the quick flashes of lightening. Thunder sounds so loud that it seemed that the wind's howling stopped for only a few seconds. Marshall's good eye stared frightened as the ship started to sway away from the set course turning instead to back to the wind. The fox spun the wheel and held on tight as a wave half the size of the ship slammed into the back, almost drowning the fox from is excess water. As fast as that first wave had it, another one came and pushed the ship upwards in the same fashion. Now with the full of the storm at the ships back, Marshall was constantly being thrown and beaten against the wheel as water continuously kept splashing and pushing the ship. But this would not stop the captain. Just before the fifth wave hit, he grabbed the wheel and spun it to the right. With the wind still pushing, it curved from its storm set course and stood with starboard towards the monster. Marshall was not able to call out to the crew before the oncoming wave rammed the side of the ship, making it lean over towards the left. This caused the the blue fox to fly over to the left railing, but not before hitting the wheel another time to the right. Another flash of lightening lit up what was approaching the ship. A wave, double the size of the ship, was set straight for The Blu Tail. Fear clenched Marshall, hoping his plan would work. He stood up on the completely soaked wheel deck and ran, slipping in the process, towards the wheel. Shaking, he turned the wheel so the ship faced the oncoming brute of a wave.
"BRACE!" he yelled at the crew, seconds before it hit. With all the wind pushing against the sails, and rapid volleys of water pounding the fox, the monster hit the ship's bow dead on.

All Marshall saw was water. Everywhere, the substance flowed in the storm sung air, covering himself, the ship, all of it. As he tried to grasp his breath, he found it only filling with water. Panic filled him, but not before he felt a back breaking punch to his hip. He gasped once more, this time in pain, not knowing the full effect of his plan. But now, air returned to him, and his vision of simply water died away. The fox had been thrown back by the splash and hit of the wave, that it had flung him onto the back railing, hitting the iron tail on the back. Pain, like the panic, flowed through the captain as the ship was still draining the now demolished wave. Though he was not bruised on his hip, the fox still smiled as The Blu Tail had stayed in tact. The ship was now riding on top of the monstrous waves! It leaped up and over, watching as the had no power over the water's moving force. Sea spray ran past the sides as it glided along, still shooting torrents towards Marshall. But the blue fox sat happy. The worst was hopefully over. He grumbled back towards the wheel and kept it going in its straight path. This continued for a few more minutes, before the pain in the fox's back became unbearable.  He tied the wheel in place using some nearby ropes, then hurried back down to his Quarters.

"Cap'n! You made it! Those waves sent me flying!" Called out Timblish as Marshall entered.
The Blue fox gave a soaked nod, as he collapsed in one of the chairs the map team had sat in earlier that day.
"Oh Marshall, are you alright?" The mouse asked, hoping for the best.
"Aye Timble mate, I be. Just got thrown on that ol' railing by that big ol' wave we 'it. Say, go 'head and use m'bed f't'night. I'll b'sleepin' right 'ere."

And with that, Marshall passed out, soaking wet, hurt, still shaken a bit, bit accomplished.

Little Seadog had been thrown completely off her bunk, tossed around the room like most of the others had been. She started to pick herself up off the ground, propping herself up with her elbows. Slowly, she lifted a paw to the back of her head, pulling away and seeing blood. She licked her lips, tasting a bit of blood in her mouth. Standing up on her feet, she leaned against a wall, taking a small drink from a bottle she had put in her bag. Stumbling outside onto the deck, she looked around, pulling the red bandana off and pressing it against the wound on her head.

  "Marshall?" she yelled above the wind, looking for someone on deck to tell her how the ship had taken the wave. Was it damaged? Had anyone gone overboard?

The one blue eye of the fox popped open upon hearing his name.
"Timble, y'say somethin' lad?" He asked, still quite sleepy.
"Wasn't me Cap'n! I did hear some ol' voice outside though."
Marshall slowly rose from his chair and gave a polite nod to his lookout. But upon opening the door, the still roaring wind and rain knocked him flat on his stomach. Pain surged through his hip. As he tried to get up, his injury caused him otherwise. But next to his Cabin entrance was a bucket full of know soaked brooms. He yanked down the bucket and pulled out one of the brooms. Thankfully, it helped him up finely. Once the blue fox was up, he scanned the deck. Out by the lower deck entrance, he spotted what looked like Little Seadog. She must be who was yelling to him.
"Aye, w'b'it Lil' Seadog?" he called back.

Seadog stumbled over to the cabin, hanging onto the rails. "How's th' ship takin' th' storm? Did we lose anybeast?" She called, her face turned away from the merciless rain. "We should 'ave th' crew up 'ere, what if'n this storm gets worse?"

"Ah don't think so, I'll check after w'pass through!" Marshall called back. He had to take a short pause as the pain hit his hip again. "Should b'well though! I got Timblish and Longclaw off 'fore we went in, 'an that's all I saw when steerin'! The rain, shot like bullets to Marshall's face, made him stop and cover the side of his head with his completely soaked raccoon hat. "No, if it b'worse, I am keepin' all o' them safe. Better t'loose one o' me than all o'them. Now, better get back 'low deck. This 'ere storm may last a few hours longer!"

 Having been woken up by the storm Alfonso pushed out of his cabin, which was located close to the Captain's quarters, and struggled across the windswept deck. Having chosen some of the best crew beasts they had tied themselves to the masts, struggling valiantly with the sails, and securing anything not tied down on deck as Marshall guided them through the massive waves.

Alfonso had been just fast enough as Marshall shouted for them to brace; unfortunately one of the searats on deck hadn't been, and he was sucked out. The rope tied around his waist kept him from being lost to the ocean, yet it also sealed his fate. The force of the water, halted by the rope, combined with bad luck snapped his spine.

Alfonso and another hauled him back aboard, the blonde ferret shook his head letting the body slump back onto deck. "He's dead, nothing to see, get back to work all of ye!" After the larger waves Alfonso cut himself loose, slogging across the deck motioning for the others to return to the crew quarters just as Little Seadog appeared. He slumped over waving to Marshall.
"Hoy Cap'n!"

"Alf! Did y'have some o' the crew up on 'ere? I couldn't see y'from the wheel!" He shouted to his First Mate. If he had known some of the crew were on board, he would have taken the long route. Oh, please no one be dead!

"Aye," Alfonso grunted glancing sideways at Little Seadog as he passed her. "Had three up here with me, needed somebeast to work th' sails." He stopped next to Marshall constantly adjusting his stance as the ship rocked and rolled.
Glancing towards Seadog the ferret grinned. "Got yerself a iron stomach there Chappie?" Most of the newer recruits, and even some of the older ones were down below puking their guts out. He was silently pleased to see that Seadog wasn't entirely full of tall tales about being a Captain. Ignoring her for now he turned back towards Marshall, trying to sound as matter of fact as possible. "Becline bit it, didn't brace an' tried to swim against the current. As ye can guess it didn't work out for him." Alfonso smirked, it was no great loss, at least not to him. Becline was replaceable, just as most of the crewbeasts were. "He's out on deck, we'll give him a proper toss-over come morn, an' storm's end if that's the orders Cap'n."

"Yeah, I grew up on th' sea. An' we only lost one o' them?" Seadog asked. She had expected more deaths, especially with a crew that seemed so incompetent. "I'd expect more'n jus' one death." She adjusted the bandana she had pressed against the back of her head, smirking slightly. "Though I wouldn't be surprised if'n there was more dead'ns down below with us all bein' tossed round like that."

Marshall gave a sorrowful sigh, then lifted his hat to gaze once more at the storm. How could he be so stupid to let one be lost. He didn't even know Alfonso was on deck!
"Aye, that's never good Alf. A proper throw away 'ill be nice. Shame, just pulled 'im up from that smaller port justa' few weeks back." The fox gave himself a quick break after contemplating the loss of a crew member before responding again.
"Well, Miss Seadog, b'seemin' justa' lil' bit better than y'may imagine 'ere on The Blu Tail. And tell those o' them complainin' down there that a'least they didn't almost drown an' break a hip!" Marshall ended with a wink.

As the pirate ship was claimed by the waves beside them, Duncan Ross pondered this terribly worded new information, delivered by the stammering Pine Marten.

"A fleet mates, an entire pirate fleet was destroyed by the tree creatures. They've done our job for us."
He stood up straight, his eyes darting back towards the empty passage way -

"but what kind of a commander would waste his fleet so? Surely he would have been more careful around such a dangerous pass. This story sounds almost as though he did not want to succeed. But why would he waste his own life and the lives of his crew?"

Realization dawned, as he recalled a certain sentence the Pine Marten had spoken.

"One of them went ashore. The fleet commander's boat, yes? What was his plan? Where is going? What else is on this island?"

He narrowed his eyes, bringing his face closer to the hapless prisoner. "Or perhaps a better question is - who else"

OOC: Err, I think you misread that... How did Ross get the idea that Verenya went ashore? No matter...

BIC:

Filthface shook his head.
"Err, no, sorry boss whatsyerface, none of 'em did anythin' like t hat. Th' only ones that didn't disappear unner da water all crashed an' died on the land.  An' isn't dat one da boss's ship? Da one wit just vanished? Mebbe dey wiz in a 'urry, cause I 'eard boss whatsisface satin' 'ow dey 'as Ta cut t'rough somefing called 'Pincer Pass' if dey wanted ta reach da treasure afore anybeast else... Wot's treasure?"

OOC: You said there was ship wedged up on land - sounded like he ran aground. That's what I thought you were intending me to deduce  :P

Duncan took a deep breath of the fresh salty air, and listened to the sea gulls call while the waves crashed. These relaxing things alone kept him from clobbering the ridiculous creature over the head.

"You're boss. Where is he? Who is he? Answer me, or you go to the brig with another pirate like you. You two rascals can be best mates down there."

Having no faith he would receive an answer to his satisfaction, Ross was already motioning to Vance, who was behind Filthface, to seize the Pine Marten.

"Wot boss? Yer the boss. The boss o' the other fing's dead an' in da water. An' 'we wasn't me boss anyway! Wot's a brig? Wot's a pirate? I doesn't unnerstand wot yer talk in' about! Git off me!"
Filthface whirled around, punching a nearby crewbeast that had grabbed him, and dived straight into the water, vanishing from sight.

Rushing to the side Splint leaned out over the railing watching the ripples spread as Filthface disappeared under the surface. The squirrel hesitated, he wasn't a good swimmer and diving after the escapee and catching him was out of the question. Still there were some otters amongst the crew. Splint glanced towards Ross, waiting to see what the mouse ordered.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Ah, he isn't worth the salt o' our tears." Alfonso said waving off any empathy of the lost crewbeast. "Becline cheated in every game o' dice we played. Hoy, Cap'n; whose at the wheel? We be needing somebeast skilled up there or we'll drift off course in these winds."

Seadog gave an uncaring shrug. "Ain't gonna be me, I been standin' out 'n this rain for long 'nough. I'm goin' down an' gettin' a drink," she said, turning to leave. "I can go an' get somebeast t' take care o' it, if'n ye want."

OOC: @Groddil are you killing Filthface?

OOC: No...

Marshall glanced back at the wheel.
"I just 'ave it tied up a bit, keepin' it on course f'a'while. Y'know, would y'mind gettin' Longclaw back up 'ere and workin' it? He seems t'be a pretty good ol' lad f'the job." Marshall gave a small, quaint smile, then turned to go back to his Cabin. The broom he was using was definitely not sturdy enough in that form. Adjustments would have to be made.

OOC: Nooo, this is one of my favorite RPs, don't let it die!

BIC: Little Seadog made her way down to the cabin, seeing all the crewbeasts recovering from the giant waves that hit the ship earlier. She sank down into her bunk, pushing her bag under it, where it belonged. "Ey, Longclaw. Marshall wants ye up on th' deck steerin' th' wheel," she said as she took a drink of the grog she had brought with her for the journey.

OOC: Yeah, I kind of stopped all of the activity on Marshall's ship there  :P. We can do a time skip after Sage posts though so it will be back to morning.

The rat crammed the rest of a stale biscuit into his mouth. "Aye, thanks matey" he replied before exiting the crew deck. He saluted the captain as he passed the fox on the way to the wheeldeck. "Same course, Cap'n?"

"Aye Longclaw. We might be a lil' closer than when when that great ol' storm started, but y'can manage, can't y'ol' mate?" Marshall smiled and patted his steersman on the back before waddling off back to his Cabin. Now, he could get some rest.

OOC: So is everyone on The Blu Tail good with a quick time skip to morning?

OOC: Yup:

Amazed that his crew had somehow allowed the creature to escape the ship, he waved at them in exasperation. Ross recognizing the look Splint had given him, and gave him a quick nod.

"Aye Splint, already know what's on your mind! Sea otters! See if you can catch that creature. Pine Martens don't hold a candle to you rascals in the water! Away with ya' now! Hurry! 'Fore he drowns himself!"

He leaned on the rails, watching the sleek creatures disappear with hardly a ripple.

Filthface gasped. Having swum a short distance underwater, and through the hole in the bow of The Drowned Falcon, just as it sunk, he managed to find a large air pocket in the fo'c'sle. The marten slammed the hatch shut and barricaded it, knowing full well that he could wait until the otters were gone.


Standing atop the mountain at the centre of the island, Verenya Haresbane gazed in amazement at the far side of the isle. A huge lagoon dominated the mountainous landscape, the water itself containing the largest ship ever seen. It was at least as wide as a barque was long, and longer than three of the Plundered Pirate, laid end to end. Six masts dominated its deck, the light orange wood shimmering in the sun. The sails all flew white as snow, with a strange, blue symbol in the shape of a compass rose. This was the vessel of Bauble-Yen, the King of all Oceans. At least, that was what he called himself. A strange creature from far across the Western Ocean, Verenya knew his ways. A self-proclaimed ruler, unchallenged on the water. That massive ship had been the end of countless fleets, both pirate and peaceful alike. A bargain struck with Yen would protect her crew, and help them find the treasure, but if broken, they would all feed the fish within a day. The fox nodded at Blackfang, who started prodding the crew forwards. By now, all of them were nervous. Was this worth the reward? Probably not.

There was several minutes silence before the sleek form of a sea otter exited the water blowing spray from its nose. He was thrown a rope and quickly hauled back on board:

"No sign of him Cap'n. Not on the bottom, not in the water. Can't have got far without surfacing for us to see. He's down there somewhere - drowned likely 'enuff."

Ross narrowed his eyes curiously and turned to Vance. The tall lean mouse was leaning against a mast, and he shook his head slowly. Clearly he didn't believe the Pine Marten was dead either.

"Well, wherever he is - he's out of our reach for now. Any survivors or further pirate ships'll come through the passageway! We drop anchor at the mouth and await them - just as we did before! I want three sea otters in the longboat to float here. If he be dead, he'll float to the surface. If he be livin', he'll come up for air eventually. Snap to it mates! Make sail, and lower the longboat!"

OOC: Okay, time skip it is.

BIC: The bright morning sun glimmered down from the small port window above Marshall's desk. Its fluttery rays drifted down onto the sleeping Captain, who lay sprawled out in one of his chairs with a broom still in paw. A light shuffling on his damp clothes suddenly woke the fox, as he had the broom pointed at the next of his disturber.
"Aye there Captain, its just me Timblish. I heard most o' the crew bustling outside. Seems to be about ten or so."
The sleepy figure of Marshall suddenly threw the broom across his cabin and jumped out of his seat. Ten! Never could a Captain of any kind sleep until that long! But as he stood and went to grab his overcoat, a shrekieing pain surged through his hip causing him to stop half way.
"Oh, why thank y'f'telling me Timble. Say, could y'please do an'grab that broom? Me hip actin' up again," Marshall called out as the small mouse was opening the cabin door.
"Sure thing!" Quickly Timblish hurried over and retrieved the broom for his captain, then left with Marshall giving him a polite nod.

Once the door shut, Marshall whacked the stick as hard as he could against his desk chipping a piece of it off in the process. But he gladly smiled through his shooting layers of hurt as the head of the broom had been successfully broken off. Years of axe swinging seemed to have finally paid off.
With that, he picked up his raccoon hat which had fallen off again while he slept and started out the door with his stick in paw. Just before he did, he whispered very quietly under his breath, "If anyone says a word 'bout me sleepin' in, I'll make them steer us through the next storm!"

OOC:  ;D

IC:

"Ahoy there Cap'n," Alfonso called as Marshall exited his cabin. The ferret was drenched in seawater which was collecting in a puddle around his footpaws. His blonde fur was sticking to his skin making him look much smaller then usual, and a length of fishing net was tangled in his paws. "Nice to see ye up n' about so early in th' morn eh. Say, H'I found this net tangled on th' rudder on me morning swim, must have caught it when we was bouncing around last night."

Longclaw quickly woke up from where he had been lightly dozing on the wheel. Hurriedly making it look like he had been awake for the entire time, he threw the wheel back on course. "Mornin' Cap'n," he said, working his jaw up to wakefulness. "What kept ye in be- your cabin so long, aye?"

Marshall took the fishing net from the soaked Alfonso, and looked over it carefully.
"Say, b'there any other types o' these things anywhere? Or was it just this?" The blue fox paused for a bit, and looked carefully at the knots. "Well, I can tell y'this ain't b'one o' ours. Me knots never have this type o' tie. Could there be another ship close by who b'wrecked from that storm?" Marshall hoped that's all it was. He hoped the were not off course and headed towards another port city. This thought of being on track turned his attention to Longclaw who had given a rather idiotic comment.
"Thinkin' o' ways how t'introduce y't'those waves an' w'ever beast b'lying 'neath it!" He gave a long toothy grin to the steersbeast.
"'Fore I do, so are we on course? Not too far off I b'hopin'."

Longclaw quickly turned his grimace into a grin. "Aye Cap'n, there were some strong breezes but I kept us towards our destination."

Marshall patted the back of Longclaw. "Sounds mighty fine, Longclaw! Y'can go an' fetch whoever y'like t'replace y'in a bit. I'll b'guessin' that 'tis my turn t'steer once more since my lil' bit o' sleep, eh?" The fox winked at him and started up the to the wheel deck. He didn't realize how only a few stairs could really put a beast back a bit.

OOC:

@Gonff the Mousethief   hey brother, any chance of continuing this? I have the itch to do some pirate roleplaying and this is my best bet beyond staring a new RP. If you want to just let it die that's cool too.

OOC: Sure, I would love to bring this RP @LT Sandpaw. If you remember your role well enough you can go ahead and start posting and I'll see if anyone else wants to join again.

OOC: Alright, awesome. I dunno how many others will be willing to continue, and seeing as Fatch and a few other members have become somewhat inactive, a few ships might disappear, but we could continue with the original ship.
@Eulaliaaa!   @BatLord  @Fatch of Southsward
IC:

Standing at the prow of the Blu Tail Alfonso shaded his eyes, scanning the horizon in a single slow sweep. A few clouds floated overhead, but the sky was notably absent of seabirds. Frowning a bit the blonde ferret turned and climbed the wheel deck joining Marshall. The first mate didn't often wear a look of concern, but at that moment he did.

"Wot's the heading Cap'n?" He asked as he lounged against the foreword railing so that the two could talk comfortably. He feigned an attitude of non-concern, but perhaps the observant fox would catch on anyway. "We ought to be a few miles off o' the Can'gul shoals right? Travellin' a touch southwest towards the Fire's Agony isles if I ain't mistaken?"

Filthface had grown tired of waiting in the fo'c'sle of the wrecked pirate vessel. He pulled the door door open, causing water to rush into the crew quarters. The marten took a deep breath and dived into the ocean.


Verenya Haresbane and her crew had spent the better part of a day making their way down from the sheer hilltop, towards the lagoon. The former ship captain led the uncertain crew towards the colossal vessel, Blackfang kicking them ahead from behind. The mate made sure to crowd himself into the center of the crew, still fearfully watching the trees for signs of the rat tribe. When it became clear that they were not being pursued, he let out a sigh of relief. As the vermin reached the bottom of the hill, Verenya held up a paw. The crew crawled to a stop, wondering what was going on. The vixen cupped her paws to her mouth and started to walk towards the shores of the lagoon.
"King of all Oceans! I, Verenya Haresbane, request an audience!"
Several heads popped over the massive ship's railing. One of them pointed at the vixen, and another nodded. A few seconds later, a small rowboat began to make its way across the waters. Verenya smiled, half triumphantly, and half to hide the anticipation.

Still in a merciless pain, and his eyes sore from the volleys of salt pouring in from the past night's escapade, Marshall nodded with his focus jumping from his first mate and the wheel.
"Aye Alf, th'b'how I planned it. Shouldn't take us more than a few days t'reach it. From there, hit up a couple o'those port cities 'n we b'off to his here treasure! Say, how b'the rest o' the crew from last night? Ruffed their hides yes?"

Aye, a few o' the greenies lost their supper. There's nothin' better then a good storm to give 'em their sealegs." Alfonso said closing his eyes and enjoying the breeze in his fur. "I didn' come up here for that sort o' talk Cap'n, we might got ourselves a problem. Between the islands o' Fire's Agony n' the Can'gul shoals there are dangerous reefs if'n I remember correctly." The ferret twisted around so he could see the blue water the surrounded them.

"If we were blown off course, as much as I suspect, we could catch our hull on a bit o' coral, an ye know wot happens then." Every sailor worth their salt knew how dangerous reefs could be. Even highly skilled captains avoided the jagged, and ancient coral. A sinking vessel was a sure way to die, either being eaten by a predatory fish or drowning in the depths of the ocean neither of which were particularly pleasant ways to go.
"'Member that net I pulled off o' our rudder? I'm thinking another ship might 'ave been caught out here, an wrecked on the reefs."

"Hmm, something t'greatly consider. I d'suppose that we can take it down more t'avoid goin' all the way between the two. Say, y'wanna take over a bit? I feel I should go b'checkin' on me ship a bit after that storm we hauled through."

OOC: Seems like it might be just us two, and maybe Groddil. So you wanna just keep going as a semi-private RP?

IC:

"Aye will do, shove o'er Cap'n." Alfonso grunted with a impish grin, stepping up to take the wheel from Marshall. He was pushing his boundaries, but pushing boundaries was something Alfonso did on a regular basis. Granted, the ferret would never allow flak like that from anyone else, directed towards himself or the captain.

"Ye might want to take a gander at the prow railin', ol' Galnbur was telling me they seemed a bit shaky. Granted that seadog thinks e'erything is shaky. Haha."

OOC: Okay, that seems like a good idea. If Groddil's okay with it I think we can do it.

BIC:

Marshall gave a very a mild grin while listening to the ferret. He was trying to conceal his injury as much as possible. Then the idea popped into his head after hearing about the shaky rails.
"Aye Alf, I'll b'checkin' it out. Say, 'fore I go, did y'see a smaller mole down there last night? Wears this, oh what was it, some kind o' hood 'n tunic with these big ol' belts holdin' it up? I need t'talk t'him."

"Eh mole?" Alfonso questioned, raising one eyebrow in concern. "M'fraid I didn' know of any moles onboard, an' that's sayin' soething cause I know everyone that's on board. Why th' blast there'd be a mole runnin' about on yer ship is beyond me, unless ye let him on yeself Cap'n. An' its stranger if ye think about it, moles ain't th' kind o' creatures that generally enjoy sailing."

OOC: so is this private now, or would I be able to be a part of it still? I'd like to try and keep going, Little Seasog is a very interesting character.

OOC: Hey Eul, I'm fine with you taking part. I'm sure PoM wouldn't mind either.

OOC: Oh yeah Eul, its fine. And I agree, she is quite compelling.


BIC: "Aye Alf, thanks f'tellin' me. I brought the fella' on 'cause he begged me back at the docks. Odd beast f'sure. Welp, I'll b'on m'way t'see if he snuck out somewhere." With that, he gave the first mate a firm pat on the back and started down the stairs. The pain seemed to only grow going down. If he was right, this model he brought aboard would be one to help him.

After a couple minor trip ups from sickly crew beasts and loose rope, the blue fox captain made it to the bottom deck. Upon entering he was hit with the salty aroma from washed up seawater that had seeped in from last night's excursion. He saw many buckets full of many different liquids upon walking in as well. A quick head turn brought all of that out of his mind.

The captain continued on down the many horrible made bunks of his crew. Oh how real menacing they seemed. Maybe to their mothers. Something else caught his eye however; a small extra pantry door was missing a handle. Strange, seeing as how all the other food storages were all either open or full of some sneaky rat. A slight grin came across Marshall. He approached the door and gave it a swift knock with his supportive broom stick, followed by a whisper to in where the handle would have been.
"Say, Adalgiso, y'b'there? I could use y'help."

Just as he had hoped, the small door creaked open.

OOC: awesome.

BIC: Little Seadog had been on her way up when she passed Marshall. The ferret slowed her pace, then gave in to curiosity and followed shortly behind him. She never came aboard to follow orders and be one of those little fools that ran around on deck with half a mind between the lot of them, she just wanted the treasure. And maybe the ship. Sure, she loved the ship she had being repaired at land, but this one was bigger and better. And she needed a crew to follow orders.

  She crouched behind a pile of flour bags, watching and listening as the fox addressed whoever was inside the pantry.

Marshall hurried into the small pantry where he could make out the small outline of the mole. He stood just about as tall as little Timblish, but made up for it by wearing an oversized white robe strapped to him by two belts making an X on his chest. The robe came with a large hood as well, which he draped over his face like some mysterious being; which he was.
"What do you desire, sir," came the creaking smooth sound of his voice. He did not speak like other moles, nor behave like them.
"Well, y'said y'form that port city up near Wooster's Ridge Line, right? Something along Yunder or-"
"Yonderlew Port, sir. And before the Swamp of Eldback."
"Right right. I know f'sure they mainly a bunch o' those healer folk at Yonderlew. Y'b'one of them?"
The mole sat back down on his small stood propped up by his shelf bed. His large claw came to scratch his chin, caressing in a way which seemed isolated.
"Yes, I learned and taught in that life for many a season. All my knowledge still resides upon me and my long aged pupils."

A cheeky grin smeared its way across Marshall's blue face as he began once more.
"Nice. I got t'ask y' a quick favor then. See, last night when I was steerin' this here ship, got cut loose from m'straps and hit m'back, right 'bout here. Can hardly walk."
Even though he was hard to see, the captain could tell Adalgiso was staring right at him with cold hard eyes. They flickered once or twice as he scanned the normal creaks of the ship, and every time the air would grow a bit colder.
"I see. Meet me back here when dinner is called. I will see what I can make."
Marshall nodded quickly and started up.
"Thank y'Adal. Hope y'can stay comfy in here why y'make it!"

Turning the ship's wheel this way and that Alfonso skillfully tacked against the wind, occasionally giving out a lax order to adjust the sails. The Blu Tail was in low action, with most of the deckpaws lounging about waiting for the first mate to give them an order.

Alfonso was enjoying himself, it had been far too long since he'd been at the ship's wheel. Humming an old sea shanty that involved skinned toads and long lost lovers the blonde ferret rested his weight against the wheel and felt at home. This was where he belonged, on the high seas, skimming waves and shouting commands. There could be no better life in all the world.

"Hoy to wheel, ship ahoy!" The lookout Timblish called, breaking into Alfonso's thoughts.

"Oh aye mousie," Alfonso called, glancing up at the nest. "Where away?"

"Two notches to the north, 'eading south parallel to us an' riding the horizon. Looks to be a merchant, we'll lose her to our wake soon enough."

Alfonso grimaced, glancing over his shoulder at the distance dot. Under Marshall's command he had done very little real pirating, and now at the wheel it took all of his self control not to change course and give chase. He had no doubt that the Blu Tail could easily catch a fat merchant vessel, but they were after something much more valuable, and would loose time.
"Keep an' eye on her, if she follows to close or runs let me know. But keep those peepers peeled all around as well, if I see that head fixed in place I'll put me hatchet through it." He'd tell Marshall once he came back on deck, maybe the fox would be itching for some fun too, one never knew.

Marshall pushed back open the knobless door and nodded once again to the odd healer mole he had brought aboard. With a quiet click the pantry was shut, and out of notice once more.

He looked around a bit hoping no one would see him suddenly duck into a broken pantry and mutter some stuff. Would make him look a bit odd; his crew though probably wouldn't mind all the much. Most "pirates" like himself would be amazed to see how many of them joined just for a bit of treasure. But that is how most beasts were in that time.

Little Seadog remained hidden, having overheard some of the conversation. What kind of captain allowed some unknown creature from some unknown land board the ship? That could be dangerous for everyone, especially herself. Dismissing the thought, Seadog watched Marshall for his next move. This was something she could use against him for sure. Hiding a thing like this from the crew? Letting regular woodlanders board the ship? She could make it look like some treacherous thing when the time was right and the treasure was hers. And if he had hidden all this, how likely was it that he was hiding treasure? Now that was something worth looking into. She stayed where she was, watching Marshall.

"Someone find me th' bloody cap'n!" Alfonso shouted, twisting around to look over his shoulder for what felt like the hundredth time. Contrary to his expectation the 'trader ship' hadn't turned and fled, but pursued, cutting across the waves like a knife, and now rode their starboard wake like a shark waiting to pounce. It had taken some time for the sun to rise enough for him to see the standard that the opposing frigate flew, but now that he did Alfonso's mouth became dry and his paws sweaty.

Rouge Crew Privateers!

The ship, Calamer's Freedom, was close enough to be seen by the naked eye, and Alfonso could pick out the hulking forms of tough sea otters crawling the decks, more than likely armed to the teeth and itching for a fight. Alfonso hadn't hesitated, and the moment he had realized the threat he ordered the Blu Tail's pirate flag to be brought down, in hopes of pretending their ship was a harmless voyager. However chances were that they'd already been caught out.  Which would of course explain why the Calamer's Freedom sailed so close to them now.
On Alfonso's order Timblish was sent scurrying down to the lower decks, in search of Marshall and the rest of the crew. They'd need all paws on deck to come out on top of this one.

OOC: An ocean chase and or battle anyone?

OOC: sounds like a plan, I'll need a way for Little Seadog to get up to where she can hear this going on without Marshall seeing her. Unless, of course, you want her to be found out, Gonff.

OOC: That's easy, Timblish can summon Marshall and the two of them can run to the top deck, while Little Seadog follows quietly from behind.

Timblish was out of the Crow's Nest and onto the deck in no more than a few seconds. This was urgent. The small mouse ran down the length of the ship trying to get to the lower decks calling out,
"On your ready! Ship close!" In response, the crew readied. This caused Timblish to have some trouble reaching the where the captain was, but it was no task as he was only half the size of some of the beasts.

Soon he found Marshall walking away from a pantry in the quarters. He ran to him, panting with fear and exhaustion.
"Marshall, sir. Alfonso s-spotted a ship nearby, he thinks it might be d-dangerous."
The blue fox was caught off guard when Timblish arrived, but grasped the situation as best he could.
"A ship? Alright Timble, get me t'him." He replied. With his broom stick in paw he followed as the young mouse sped off while many of the crewbeasts hurried to their gear and found whatever weapon they could muster. Even if they were dim witted, they still knew when danger was near. While Marshall was shuffling past a couple he noticed Little Seadog crouched behind some flour.
"Little Seadog! Did y'hear, ship b'near. You're a captain, ain't you? I bet y'shoudl know what t'expect out o' this." He told with a quick wink. Even if she was a frightful sight at times, he knew she had experience.


Marshall successfully made it to the top just a bit after Timblish and spotted what was causing the crew to go awry. Even with the shooting pain in his back he somehow managed to make it to Alfonso on the wheel deck.
"Alf, what of the situation?"

Alfonso needed very few words to point out the oncoming ship that now sailed only a couple hundred yards off their starboard.
"Thought they was traders n' I didn' think much of it Cap'n." He explained even as he tacked the ship forward, turning the wheel expertly to fill her sails. "So I disinclined from bothering ye, jus' kept on course. Unfortunately they seem to be followin' us now, and they is gaining. Fast. Ye can see th' ship's name from here, th' Calamer's Freedom, an' she's flying th' rouge crews' colors. Privateers I reckon, an' ye know as well as I wot happens to pirates caught out by such creatures. They ain't inclined to show mercy to seafarers such as ourselves."
The blonde ferret shook his head sliding a claw across his throat to add emphasis to his point. "Orders Cap'n?"

Seadog tried to look as casual as possible, unsure of what the wink meant. Did he know she had been eavesdropping? The ferret stood up, giving a nod. "Aye, an' it could be nothin'. I'll go an' take a look, mebbe we luck out'n it's a tradin' ship." She followed Marshall up, hearing what Alfonso had to say. She thought for a second, eyeing the ship that was following. As eager to fight as she was, she couldn't take that whole crew single-pawed, and from what she had seen of Marshall's crew, she would be doing that while the others ran about mindlessly due to their incompetence.

  "We ain't got a chance of gettin' outta this alive if'n we go fightin' 'em. I'd think o' somethin' fast."

The blue eye of the fox scanned the sea and spotted their enemy. Alf was right, they would be outdone in a matter of moments if they took it on. He glances back and forth from the sea to the three crew members before him. As he was about to speak, time froze. Thousands of thoughts flashed through his mind about what would happen in his next move. This would decide the fate of his crew, if they would find their treasure, whether or not he would be respected afterwards. But he did what he felt was the right thing to do.
"Speed 'head. Make sure every man b'armed. I dunno how fast w'can kick on these waves after last night, plus the enemy may b'already faster either way." A slight sigh was let out as Timblish nodded and headed back down running out the captain's orders.
"What y'say Alf? Think we can out run 'em?"

Patting the railing affectionately Alfonso chewed on his lower lip in consideration. "Th' Blu Tail is a fine ship Cap'n, fast n' true no doubt. Mayhap with full sail an a bit o' luck we could outrun anythin', but we're plunging straight into dangerous waters. Piling on full sail an' rushing head on'd be a sure way to ram ourselves a reef."
Turning to Little Seadog the blonde ferret gestured towards the oncoming vessel. "I much as I hate to say it, yer right. Standin' n' fightin' isn't going to end well for us, but they might catch up either way. We'll need armed crew mates ready to stop 'em from boardin' by any means necessary. Ye catchin' what it is I'm putting down cully?"

"Aye," Little Seadog replied. "I doubt they'd stand much o' a chance agin that crew. So what we gon' do if'n they 'appens t'take out th' crew? I'll get 'em ready.... but I wouldn't be gettin' my hopes up." She let her paw rest on the hilt of her weapon, looking thoughtful for a second. The odds of them winning in a fight were low. The odds of them out running the ship were low. The odds of survival? Low.

OOC: so, we've kind of put ourselves in a difficult situation... :P

OOC: Time for a bit of fancy flying sailing.
          Never tell Alfonso the odds.
          Greedo Gutclaw shot first.
                *Ahem*

IC:

"Listen lass, I reckon every member of th' crew will fight like ten beasts if'n they knew it was for their very lives, the greedy swabs." Leaning over the railing of the wheel deck Alfonso shouted down to the massed crewbeasts below. "Harken, every last mother's son o' ye! A load o' otters have sailed up on th' Blu Tail an' they ain't taking prisoners. Arm yeselves and get ready to sail n' fight like ye've never have before, if ye ain't up to it jump overboard now. I'm thinking th sharks'll be kinder to ye then me!"

Turning back to Little Seadog and Marshall the blue eyed ferret winked, rubbing his paws together gleefully. "That'll put a spring in their step no doubt. Cap'n, fancy taking the wheel?"

OOC: Dang, we were only going through Tashi Station Fire's Agony to buy find some power converters marked treasure.

BIC:

A giddy smile smacked itself upon Marshall upon Alfonso's request.
"Y'think I wouldn't? Go 'head and make sure every one o'them sails b'at top speed. We'll need t'give 'er all we got. And Lil' Seadog, can y'make sure that the crew b'ready? One mere rat can still slay 'least two others."
Marshall nodded to them both and hobbled up to the wheel. Everything still felt tight and ready, just as it had the night before. This was going to be one wild ride. He dug his blue paws into the salt worn wood and gave a hard steer opposite of the approaching vessel. The whole crew rocked while he called out from behind the wheel, "Get ready! W'b'feelin' like true pirates now!"

OOC: :P BTW ya'll take control over the enemy if you want. My basic plan was them having a few scuffles, but then the pirates maneuvering so that the other guys run into a reef. What do ya'll think?

IC:

The blonde ferret politly stepped aside, preforming an elegant bow and salute to the fox captain. "Aye Cap'n, will do, we'll give 'em a fight they wont soon forget. Haharr, Little Seadog." He turned to the smaller ferret, drawing both hatchet and cutlass. "I reckon I gut more privateers then ye, hoy even better I reckon I get double wot ye get. Bet me best hatchet on it." He twirled the little axe expertly in his left paw, winking roguishly. "Wot ye say eh?"

OOC: good idea, I like it. What do you think, Gonff?

BIC: Little Seadog drew her rapier and twirled it skillfully before pointing it at Alfonso. "I've killed more beasts wi' this ole beauty than ye've had suppers, matey. Lesse who c'n gut more o' th' seascum. I bet my bottle o' th' finest grog t'ever grace th' seas. Addersting wi' a drop o' 'otroot, strong 'nough t'put hair on yer chest and a shine on yer tail. Bet some o' those otters'd slit their own messmate's throat fer a drink o' it! Haharr, aye, they would!"

  Turning to the crew that had gathered on deck nervously, she lifted her sword high. "Alright, ye yellow-bellied, gutless, blunderin', sorry excuses fer son's o' seasick cowards! Lissen t'me, all o' ye! Get yer weapons ready fer blood'n'guts, ye miserable lot! Those otters mean business, an' so do I! So if'n I see a single one of ye hidin' while yer mates fight an' die for ye, I'll gut ye an string ye upside down on th' side o' th' ship t' feed ye to th' fishes! Ye hear me? So quit shakin', or ye'll have a lot more'n those otters t' be scared of! We're not goin' down easy, we're th' raking's and scraping's o' th' sea, an' we'll send all those landlubbers t' 'Ellgates!"

  The crew cheered, though still thoroughly frightened. Either of Seadog or the otters, they probably weren't sure. Preparing for attack, they nervously looked around, trying to control their shaking paws.

OOC: That wasn't too much, was it? ;D I love Little Seadog.

OOC: I like it to. Let's go for it.

BIC:

Marshall smiled just a tad while listening to Alfonso and Little Seadog's challenge. He was betting on Alfonso.
With another great spin, he turned the ship farther to the left, hoping to gain something from it. He saw the last of the crew making sure all the sails were as ready as possible, so there was little to gain at this point. It was either keep going and trick out the enemy, or hope they didn't pursue for much longer. Well, those were the two options before the blue fox looked back.

The ship was in a clear view from his own, with the details on the sails and the otters aboard it seen quite well. This was perfect for Marshall, since when he looked, he saw two major sails unfurl from the main masts. Almost instantly the ship sped closer to the Blu Tail.
"Get ready! They've sped up!" He yelled as a warning to the cheering crew down below. "Alf! Ge' ready on starboard, they ain't b'slowin' down!"

"Haharr, yer on Little Scoundrel." Alfonso agreed kissing his sword blade and saluting the other ferret. Giving her one last wink he descended the stairs, standing amongst the armed crew, joining in as they hurled insults towards the pursuing ship.

The ferret's ears perked up at Marshall's orders and he hurried to the Starboard in response. "Hold on to ye tails lads," he shouted over the sea and waves. "They're ridin' th' current straight at us!" He ducked quickly as a dozen brightly fletched arrows thudded into the woodwork all along the Blu Tail's starboard side. Nobeast was hit, but there were many close calls. Marshall was right, the Calamer's Freedom wasn't going to slow down any time soon, and with that first volley of arrows, they clearly were ready to attack.

"Hoy Alfonso, seahounds r'enterin' th' water. They be swimmin' wit' a purpose towards us." A crewbeast called out before a arrow sank into his heart. Alfonso cursed allowed, catching the dead pirate, and laying him down a short ways from the railing.

"Good eye matey, ye sleeps there now." Turning to Little Seadog he relayed the deceased pirate's message to her. "They're tryin' to board us wit' swimmers. They'll be goin' for th' Cap'n no doubt, try'n to take th' wheel deck an' scuttle th' Blu Tail."

At that moment a deep bass voice rose from the opposing ship, hailing both captain and crew. "Surrender th' ship ye pirate scum, yer days o' villainy be o'er! Mayhap we'll let ye live n' th' brig if'n ye surrender now, run n' fight an' ye'll be caught n' hanged fr'm th' mizzen! E'ry one one o' ye!"

Little Seadog laughed like some crazed maniac as she kissed the blade of her sword. "Let 'em come, mates. We'll give 'em blood an' a one way ticket t' 'Ellgates!" As the first of the otters climbed up onto the ship, she kicked him off and sent him splashing back into the water. Decapitating another, she continued to laugh.

"Oi!" Alfonso shouted, sliding his cutlass across the throat of his first kill. The otters couldn't come in force while swimming and so the vermin held, taking few casualties, but the enemy ship was getting steadily closer, and the rain of arrows thinned out the pirates' ranks considerably. "It only counts if'n ye kill 'em yerself Little Seadog. That means ye only got'n one kill. Th' one ye kick in th' water don' count."

Alfonso smashed his hatchet into the skull of a big female who was climbing the railing, sending her tumbling back into the water. "An' tha's two for me!"

Surprised by how fast the first wave of Otters hit, the blue fox captain soon had to think of an idea before another group was sent in. While in his thinking, one of the opposing crew members managed to climb up bending Marshall and ready him as a target. But just as the big otter leaped, he let out a terrifying yell which proved to be his last flaw. Marshall heard him and quickly whacked away with him broom stick, knocking the otter to the side. There, he grabbed his axe and gave his head a nice clean shave off the old body. The fox could hardly enjoy the moment, for across the waves came arrows speeding by, two of them landing in the wheel in front of the fox. This gave him the most interesting of ideas.
"Archers, t'port side! Watch y'backs f'a moment!" He cried out to the squabbling crew below. With a heavy crank to the left, the Blu Tail started in a wide loop. Marshall quickly controlled it but turning the vessel back right, this time with the archers facing the enemy and their ship.
"Fire at w'ever y'see!"
The small twangs of bow strings was the last thing some of the otters ever heard.

Fencing back a particularly brutish otter and finishing the creature off with a couple of neat swipes of his cutlass, Alfonso looked around, surprised to find himself on the wrong side of the ship. While he had been distracted Marshall had skillfully angled the vessel so that the port side became the new battle zone.

Pleasantly amused by this, the blonde ferret cleaned off his cutlass blade, wiping the blood away on his yellow fur, frowning a bit at the mess it made. That was the problem with his coloring, blood stood out turning his fur a sickening orange, matting swathes of it together into uncomfortable spikes.

This task done Alfonso strolled back across the deck, noting the dead otter next to Marshalll. "Looks ye got one yerself Cap'n." He called, giving Marshall a thumbclaw up. "Ow things lookin' from up there? We winnin'?"

Verenya, Blackfang, and the first mate stood on the decks of the massive ship, under close guard. The rest of the vixen's crew sat on the shore of the lagoon, staring in awe at the sheer size of the vessel. Aboard, a strange creature sat on a throne made from the bones of a great sea giant, the skull of which had been mounted on the prow. The creature looked almost like an otter, but with no claws. Next to him, a huge brown mustelid was chained to the deck, being inspected by a wildcat.
"You drive a hard bargain, Bauble-Yen."
"Yesssss... But you willlll, correct?"
"Fine. Twenty slaves and the bag of rocks."
"Goooood... A deal's a deallllll. Fisher... He is yoursssss."
The wildcat nodded respectfully, as a weasel handed him the chain. The wildcat grinned.
"A boat will take you to your ship, Furyyyy..."
The wildcat and the large creature trundled off. The "otter" beckoned Verenya.
"Here, vixennnn..."
"Bauble-Yen. It's been a while."
"Yesss... Why are you here, vixennnn? You approach my ship like a walkerrrr..."
"Our ship was destroyed. We were attacked going through Pincer Pass."
"A captain of so many seasons like you would know betterrrrr... Why would you go through the Passss? You know the dangers that lie in that place... The ratsssss..."
"We were after a treasure. Long lost to time. Many have died trying to find it. I won't be one of them. Neither will you."
"Mmmmm... Why?"
"There was a rat who knew of the treasure. Stubborn, took many cuts for him to spill the beans. It's plenty big enough to go around. You give me and my crew passage on your ship, we can find it. Together. We'll split it, with your crew getting two-thirds, and my crew getting what's left."
"Noooo... Your crew is not boarding my vesselllll... The three of you are welcome to join the search, but the riff-raff will stay here, on this islandddd..."
"Marooned? Left here to die with those... rats?"
"Yesssss... And if you have other ideassssss... Feel free to join themmmm..."
"Fine. The three of us get a third of the treasure."
"Wellllll... That just isn't fairrrrrrr... There are more of us than youuuuu..."
"A quarter."
"A tennnnnth..."
"A sixth."
"A tennnnnth..."
"An eighth?"
"A deallllll... Is a deallllll..."
"Thank you."
"Don't mention ittttt..."

Spoiler

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/69/Aonyx_capensis%2C_male%2C_Shamvura.jpg/220px-Aonyx_capensis%2C_male%2C_Shamvura.jpg)

[close]

Little Seasog glared at Alfonso. "Wha... 'ey! Who died an' let ye make all th' rules, eh? I says it's two, cause that'n's dead cause o' me." She swung her sword again, taking down another otter who fell screaming into the water. "An' now it's three!"

Looking for another otter close enough to attack, she glanced up at Marshall. "Aye, are we winnin'? Have ye got any bright ideas t'get rid o' these scum?"

The blue fox quickly glanced at the two of his crew beckoning for answers. His response came from little Timblish hiding behind on the of the extra supply crates on deck.
"Hurry! Line up those crates, t'make, um, a barracade! Yes, an' get those archers 'hind it. Hurry, I'll try t'line us up t'board once we cleared up them a bit more."

This was a daring move, even for the season captain. He yelled his command at the crew and watched as those simply waiting for the onslaught began to move. Now it was his turn to help. He quickly started a slight turn to the left, seeing as how the wind was beginning to pick up speed. At this rate, they could circle the enemy and get a clear shot not only for boarding, but for fire along the way. It was risky, but a pirate's life is not as simple as a farmer's.

Sheathing his sword, and thrusting his hatchet into his sash, Alfonso wasted no time in getting the Marshall's orders done. Muscles rippling he tackled a large crate that would have taken two other crewbeast to handle, straining against the wooden box until it was in place.
"I'm wonderin' if I 'eard th' Cap'n right." He muttered to a fellow rat as they continued to line up the crates, ducking arrows and now javelins, the enemy vessel was getting very close now. "Probably not, but I could'a sworn to Vulpez e' jus' say we was gonna board that ship"

"Naw, don' be crazy mate, t'was jus' a bit o' blood caught in ye ear." The rat assured, sounding very hopeful.

Little Seadog aided the crew in moving the crates, keeping her head low to avoid getting herself hurt. Crouching next to Alfonso and the rat, she winked. "Aye, we're gonna board that bloody piece o' floatin' garbage. Scared?"

OOC: @Gonff the Mousethief   Pls. :)


IC:

"No I inn't." Alfonso scoffed, acting like the very notion didn't deserve his time of thought. "I'm jus' thinkin' yew lady types ought to go first. Me bein' a proper polite gentlebeast an' all." He flashed a cocky grin, standing and running an otter through in a flash of his cutlass blade. Ducking back down he took cover as a few arrows rattled into the crates.
"Say Little Seadog, if'n ye catch an arrer to th' 'eart, tell me sweet mum I'll be along shortly. Jus' after I collect that grog ye'll be owing me, cause that un there, e' was number six to me blade. Anyway, I'd like to wet me whistle 'afore I die fightin' sea otters."

Little Seadog snatched the spear from a fellow crew mate and threw it furiously at an otter. He screamed and fell back into the sea. "Well that'ns th' tenth one," she lied. That one was actually her fifth. "S'the grog b'longs t'me, ye cheater!"

OOC: @Gonff the Mousethief ?   D:

OOC:  Sorry about the delay. Been busy with school and such (and lots of other posting elsewhere...)

BIC:

Even with the battle cries and roaring waves flying about the slightly salty breeze, the keen blue ears of the captain picked up the conversation down below. A great grin was slapped upon his face as he continued to turn the ship.
"Y'two best b'ready t'hop on and make them counts just a bit bigger, eh?" He yelled down while avoiding a couple of loose arrows flung his way. It wouldn't be long until the ship was in position. He was bound to lose a couple of the crew, just as he already had. But with enough grit and determination to live, a small group could move mountains. Or in this case, a ship full of deadly otters. Pick your poison.

OOC: Wait, are we gonna actually try to fight an entire crew of sea otters? How much bigger is their crew?

OOC: Hopefully Marshall's got himself a clever wheeze, and trick up his sleeve or something.

IC:

Gawking from Little Seadog to Marshall the ferret corsair laid a paw across his face, resigned to his almost certain fate. He wasn't the only one, a nearby rat muttered a stream of curses under his breath and a couple weasels looked like they'd rather jump into the ocean then face the sea otters.

Knowing it was his task to encourage the crew, Alfonso leapt up, daring life and limb that the arrows and javelins that seemed to rain down upon the Blu Tail would miss him. "Aye, aye Cap'n! I b'ready, an' wot about th' rest o' ye laggards n' lily livered scallops? Ready t'fight n' die?"

"Nay!" Shouted a ferret archer, before taking an arrow to the eye.

Ignoring this, Alfonso stomped his bare footpaws on the deck to rally the crew. "I trust th' Cap'n, either fight to th' death an' drink at 'ellgates, or swing from the mizzen mast once th' otters get ye!"

The crew of Bauble-Yen's massive vessel piled sail onto her four masts, causing the ship to slowly pull out of the lagoon. Most of Verenya's crew stood, in shock, on the beach. Those who tried to swim after their former captain were cut down by arrows from the deck. As the Junk disappeared over the horizon, the survivors huddled together on the shore, as far from the trees as possible. One of them held his shivering paws over the fire; the shrieks of the tree rats sending chills down his spine.
"This is it mates. Abandoned to die 'ere. Marooned. Our cap'n, our mate... Hellgates, even ol' Blackfang's gone an' left."
Another spat onto the fire.
"We'll git 'em. I dunno when, but we'll make a our own boat an' we'll get 'em!"
The first crewbeast laughed.
"Hah! So ye say. I tell ye, mate, at least ye gave me one las' laugh."
He grinned, staring at the treeline. Hundreds of tree rats cackled as they worked themselves into a fury. Drums beat, flames danced, and rats shrieked as the war dance reached a crescendo.
"Come an' get us."
The treeline exploded into rats as the crewbeast drew a rusty cutlass.
"I only 'ope when ye all die, ye go ta Hellgates so I cin kill ye all over again..."

OOC: I say at this point their crew has been shorted down a bit. Probably around the same size now. Oh, and Groddil, that post made me shiver a bit.


BIC: The Blu Tail started to pass by the stern. It was obviously outfitted as a captain's quarters due to the windows and silky red curtains lining all around. The extravagant features churned out one final idea from the captain; and it came at the perfect time to. With Alfonso's words still ringing, he cried out his command.
"Aye lads, light yer arrows up! Shoot 'em at those windows, the curtains, all o' it! When we pull up, keep shooting, but then the sails and front! We'll cause a distraction, givin' us two fronts!"

A few muttered cries of valor shouted out as many torches were lit and passes around for the archers behind the barricades. If this plan were to fail, their ship was doomed; but if it was two succeed, then it would certainly be a mighty victory.
The blue eye of Marshall watched as a couple of arrows, not yet lit, broke a some of the windows, leaving perfect holes for more destruction. Slowly, firey dents began to stick into the side.
"Alf, Lil' Seadog, I think y'two best b'gettin' ready. Y'two b'boardin' soon!" He called out slowing the ships pace.

OOC:  I was waiting for a certain @Eulalia , but I suppose that'll be too long a wait. ;)

IC:

"'Ere we go ladies!" Alfonso shouted just before the two vessels collided. "Everybeast BRACE!" The impact wasn't terrible, hardly noticeable as the ships were parallel to one another. Nevertheless it still managed to knock of a few of the waiting pirates off their feet. Giving the stragglers a moment to regain their footing, Alfonso set his cutlass blade between his teeth, rushing to the railing and leaping over the small gap separating the ships landing like a cat aboard the Calamer's Freedom's main deck. A few thoughtful pirates threw grappling hooks, but the rest made to follow Alfonso across while the archers kept up their steady stream of arrows.

Sending a silent plea to Davy Jones for a quick death, the blonde ferret set to battling the sea otters, rallying the crew about him with a barrage of insults and battle cries.