The Quest for Romance: Sea

[W0NWILL]

Phillim flailed around in the water, sending up large splashes. She might of been screaming, but everything was background noise. She would drown, the only beast that could of help her had left...

Elay searched for something to pull the hare out of the water with, though not hurriedly. Beasts died every day. She grabbed a hefty pile of rope and lugged it back over to the dock. Quite a scene was made, it would be nigh impossible for  crew member on the Lashkeel to not see them. She dropped the rope in the water, "Hraray!" (Quick!)

The rope struck Phillim in the head, but she managed to grab on and held on tightly as Elay pulled her up. They both collapsed in a heap, panting.

Birata stiffened as Raven's paw brushed his shoulder, was she holding a dagger? There was no scars, so she wasn't looking to kill him...yet, "Aye, yew can count on me!" He turned and exited the cabin, a slight swagger in his step. As he passed Cooper he snapped, "Cap'n wants slaves, yer gonna catch em wi' me." He looked around for any other beast to take with him.

[Rainshadow]

  Cooper's head snapped up.  "Wot?"  He hadn't been expecting this!  This would ruin the escape plan! Then again, he thought, maybe we could still escape.  I don't think Birata's going to leave right away.
  "When're we leavin'?"  He hoped that Birata would say tomorrow, and not today.

[W0NWILL]

"Soon s'possible." Birata replied. He head snapped up when he heard the splashing. He grinned upon seeing to two exhausted creatures, " We got our first target, yew get the black'un, I'll get the grey'un." He advanced and tackled Elay.

Getting tackled by a large sea otter was not what Elay had in mind. When Birata attacked her, she had rolled over with him on top of her. He was whacking at her head and face, trying to beat her unconscious. She did a fairly good job of defending herself. Her feet were kicking powerfully at him, giving almost as good as she got. Almost.

[Rainshadow]

  Cooper didn't want to do it, but he didn't want to be used as an example.  He ran up to the black rabbit and pulled out his scimitars.  He prepared himself for attack, saying, "If'n yew don't attack, ye won't be 'armed.  Yew attack, an' yer gonna get 'urt.  Surrender!"
  He hoped that the rabbit would surrender.  He didn't want to have to hurt the rabbit.  It looked in enough pain already.

[BrookSkimmer]

"we'd best be gettin' back ta work.  Don't wanna let the Cap'n notice anythin' out o' order.  That'd ruin our plans.

Brielle nodded and half light, excitement pulsing through her. She had to contain herself until tonight. Then they could escape and start a new life. A new life, with Cooper. She had always been fond of the wildcat and it seemed he was fond of her too. She out a soft breath, a purr rippling through her body.

"Aye, let's get back to work. Our time will come soon enough." She turned around and went back up to the crow's nest to wait until evening.
_____

Raven stayed in her quarters below decks for a while. She hoped to have the new slaves soon so they could get back out to sea. She studied her maps and charts, pin pointing a location far to the east.

"Treasure..." The word cam softly from her lips as she circled the spot on her map with charcoal.

[Rainshadow]

  A sudden pity for these two hares came over Cooper.  He glanced at Birata, making sure that he couldn't see what Cooper was about to do.  Cooper lowered his blades slightly and leaned closer to the hare.
  "Psst!" he whispered urgently.  "Run!  Go far from 'ere!"

[W0NWILL]

Instead of heeding that Phillim remembered the training her old uncle Aticaus had given her, never let your guard down when fighting vermin, never trust them, "Nice try, vermin, wot! Torsorems know enough to not trust your kind!" Phillim threw a punch at Cooper's nose, "I'm smart enough to know you're tricking me, wot!" She whipped the knife out of her belt. It was simple and effective, a leather-bound handle and a keen double-sided blade, "The only good vermin is a dead'un!" She backed away quickly, never turning her back. When she got far enough away that the cat couldn't leap on her. Then she turned and ran.

Elay wasn't so lucky, Birata had clubbed her unconscious. Birata, had got a fight, his lip was bloody where Elay had punched him, "Yew let yer's away!" He accused, "I'll bring dis'un to the cap'n. Yew look fer more."

[Rainshadow]

  Cooper groaned, clutching his nose.  "N'kay," was all he could say.  He stumbled along, his nose paining him.  He tried to follow the trail of the rabbit.  Where had she gone?
  It felt strange to walk on land, after being so long on a ship.  Cooper found it hard to walk, seeing as he was injured and the ground wasn't swaying.  He pulled his paw away from his nose.  It was still bleeding.  "Blasted rabbit broke me nose!"  He was regretting letting the rabbit go, but he didn't want to capture it now.  He was too afraid of this creature!

[BrookSkimmer]

Brielle had watched the capture begin from her position in the rigging. It seemed a simple enough job, Cooper had dealt with much worse and fared fine. Plus, he with Birata. Though the otter was mean and demanding of Cooper and Brielle, he was strong in battle and would have no trouble bringing down a rabbit.

The shecat did wonder what Cooper would do to the rabbit he was dealing with. He had never been quick to take a life, at least not from what Brielle had seen. She also knew he was not one for taking slaves. Ah! She watched him relent on his quarry, pulling his swords away to let her escape. Then the rabbit attacked, punching Cooper and drawing a knife. Brielle slid quickly out of the rigging pulling her own knife as she went over the railings of the ship and into the shallow water. She made her way to Cooper as he began to follow the trail.

He was bleeding. Brielle torn a piece of cloth from her undershirt and handed it to him to staunch the blood flow.

"Should we just let her go?"

Brielle looked over her shoulder wondering if Birata, or possibly the Captain were watching them.

[Rainshadow]

  "Well," Cooper whispered, taking the piece of cloth and pushing it against his nose, "if'n we want to make our escape, now would be the perfect time."
  He continued walking, happy that the blood wasn't flowing as freely as before.  He turned to Brielle.  "Do ye wan't to leave now?  We don't 'ave vittles, but I'm sure we could find some."

[BrookSkimmer]

Do ye wan't to leave now?  We don't 'ave vittles, but I'm sure we could find some.

Her stomach dropped at the thought. Now! In broad daylight? How would it be possible. Wouldn't Birata notice when Cooper didn't return to the ship with him? She looked over her shoulder again. Nobeast was watching them. They could leave. It was possible.

"I'm not worried about vittles Cooper, I am worried about a ship... and getting away without anybeast noticing. Can we do it?"

[Rainshadow]

  Cooper shrugged.  "We might be able to do it.  Y'never know until ye try!"  He continued walking away from the ship, making sure his back was turned.  He didn't want anyone to see their conversation!
  Brielle had asked him about a ship.  Cooper had been pondering this for a while, and he had only recently come up with the answer.  He looked at her.  "We steal a ship.  We can stay on land 'till night, then steal one o' the liddle ships."

[BrookSkimmer]

We steal a ship.  We can stay on land 'till night, then steal one o' the liddle ships.

She supposed it would work. The shecat didn't really enjoy the thought of stealing a ship, but she would do it to get away from the Lashkeel and the cruel captain. She nodded ad turned to walk with Cooper. She felt safe when she was around him.

They walked on until they were in deeper woods. Brielle looked about in the half light. Her green eyes glittered as random rays of sun showed through the trees. 

"Where do you think that rabbit got to? It's too bad she attacked you. It looked like you were letting her go free."

[Rainshadow]

  Cooper laughed a short laugh.  "Ha!  I was!  She 'it me, though, but at least she got away.  I wouldn't 'ave ever forgiven meself if she got captured."
 Cooper sat down on a stump and rubbed his face with his paws.  He groaned.  He was tired!  Looking up at Brielle, he said, "Maybe we should stay 'ere fer the rest o' the day.  I don't know where the rabbit went, an' it don't look like we got much of a trail to follow.  We 'ave nothin' else to do 'till night, so why not just stay 'ere?"

  OOC:  W0NWILL, if you could walk in sometime around now, that would be great.  Or, if you have a better option, you can wait until then.  You might want to run into me and Brook soon though, if you want Phillim to go on the ship.

[W0NWILL]

Birata had gone strait back to the ship, lugging Elay. He hadn't looked back at Cooper, expecting the cat to look for more slaves then coming back. He dragged Elay to the door of the captain's quarters and knocked, being sure to wait this time. Raven hadn't looked happy when he had burst in.

Phillim had ran until she was in the woods. She had stopped to rest against a tree. She turned the knife over and over in her paws. She had never taken a life, never been in real battle before, and was startled how intense it was. She had only fought a couple minutes, and was terrified. Would she of taken the cat's life? She smiled at the fond memory of acquiring this knife.

The older hare smiled at the younger one, "You say you want to go roving? I went roving as a young'un." He went to a dresser in the back of the room and rumaged in the drawer. The room was made of near black stone, with a window overlooking a garden filled with many fine, edible plants. He turned around and showed her the knife. It had a black leather-bound hilt and a keen double-sided blade, "I had no weapon on me, I got caught by some cannibals. The last creature expected saved me. A vermin. However, most vermin aren't like that. Never turn your back on one or they will kill you. Use this knife to defend yourself, or kill when the time's right." Phillim nodded at her uncle and grabbed the knife that was now hers. Silently, she swore to herself never to take anothers life with it.

Phillim got up and stowed her knife back in her belt. She wouldn't kill somebeast with it, but that didn't mean she couldn't play charades. She crept through the forest. It wouldn't hurt to try to save that rabbit's life. That rabbit had saved her life, after all. Unwittingly, she walked right past Brielle and was staring right at Cooper. She couldn't reach her knife in time. I'm going to die