Set after the survivors are left to decide who to send off the plank and who to keep alive after they've been tossed in the net.
Pointless.
It was eerily quiet.
The moon was high in the inky, midnight sky; The ocean was still as the iceberg ship drifted slowly through its currents, passing smaller icebergs that watched it go past like that of curious watches, observing a prisoner walking to their own execution.
The net was tight and creaked quietly back and forth by the smallest millimeter, the rocking sensation oddly comforting to the last mammal remaining awake inside. The others had all given into sleep hours ago while the pirate music played off into the night somewhere on the other side of the ship.
Clementine sat at the side of the net, strangely enough having some room to sit on the small, tightly wound vines making up the net, one arm slipped though the net and hanging down numbly. Her eyes were lidded and she felt as if a large weight was hovering over her head.
They'd been left here to decide which two of their group they were to send to their deaths. No such argument had come up (or at least, no one suggested throwing any other person off)
There had been volunteers. Kurues, not surprisingly. Glett had grunted in a tone that told them he wanted to volunteer, but they'd turned him down. As thus they remained hanging there for hours to come. They had slipped in and out of sleep, out of pure exhaustion and boredom. Escape seemed...impossible. And Argeth had remained unusually silent.
Clementine did not notice a pale-pelted saber wandering over to them with slight curiosity and interest mixed in with her smug demeanor. Shira stopped just beside the net, looking up at the still-awake rabbit.
"Hey, shrimp." She greeted, a small smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth. Clementine's ear twitched and she sent a glower her way. Being alone, tired, hungry yet restless had brought her usually kind, good mood down to the bottom. The fact that they were all going to die tomorrow didn't exactly help, and neither did the saber.
"And something gloating this way comes." The rabbit muttered just loud enough for her to hear "Come to rub something in?"
"You act as if there's nothing to rub in." Shira remarked with a brow raised at the rabbit's tone. Clementine straightened up and slipped her feet through the vines so she was sitting facing the saber, elbow placed on her knee and chin propped up on her paw.
"Let me see. I've been thrown against an iceberg and almost had my head cracked in, my person space and patience evaded by a crazy, hyperactive buck who shall remain unmentioned hereafter, I'm basically going to die tomorrow and watch the people I've struggled to survive with die along with me. Yes, there's a great deal to rub in, but it can't make me feel any worse than I do now." Clementine's voice had steadily become more strained, louder and more agitated with ever word until she finally through a hand out to the side with the last comment. Shira rose a brow, looking quite surprised.
"Your a bit of a hot-head for someone as timid as you." She remarked with a small smirk. Clementine's ear twitched, but she responded only with a frown. Then, she slipped her dangling feet back into the net and turned over on her side, facing away with a sigh.
"Yeah, real mature pipsqueak."
"Get lost."
Shira's features morphed into a deep scowl. "You watch that mouth of yours, or I'll-"
"Kill you?" Clementine looked over her shoulder, despair leaking through her anger "You're already planning on it for tomorrow. Now leave me alone with my friends."
Friends.
That hit home even though Clementine hadn't really thought about it much. Friends. It wasn't something she was used too, being an outcast of sorts (especially in her sisters' eyes) but...she guess that yes, they were her friends. Didn't they look out for each other? Didn't watch each other's backs when they pirates attacked?
All this time she felt like she was just among other survivors...but maybe that was the whole point. Didn't she laugh with Kurues and Maut now and then? Didn't Glett offer a small, thanking smile whenever he treated his wounds...
She sighed. Trust her luck to finally have some good friends in her life only to lose them and said lifespan on a pirate ship...
As she looked back at the frowning saber, she said in a firm, serious tone "You know this whole thing is pointless."
Shira rose a smug, mocking brow. "Oh really?"
Clementine scowled deeply to at her from over a bony shoulder "None of us is going to throw anyone else off this boat. Your going to have to throw us off yourself, or all of us together."
There was a pause, and Shira made no further comment but continued frowning, and they stared at each other with dislike until Clementine turned away again, sighing. After a few minutes, she looked over her shoulder and saw that Shira had left. Clementine was about to close her eyes when a voice came from above.
"Hey, Clemmy. Can't sleep?" She glanced up and spotted Maut, hanging upside down from the top of the net, blinking sleepily.
"Yeah. It's just me, I've never slept well."
"You sure showed that tiger. Wayta go, Clemmy." The rabbit smiled up at her as she continued "Its nice ya think of all us as your pals. We're in this together, Clemmy. We'll figure out how to get through this random thing eventually. Even if we do all have ta swim back to land..."
Clementine smiled a little at the ridiculous idea, but didn't describe it as such. It was nice of Maut to suggest it, though.
"Hm...I guess we'll see..."
"And things could be worse. That hyper dude that kept bugging you coulda been there instead of miss smug tooth..."
Clementine rolled her eyes, giving a slightly humorous smile as Maut laughed wildly "Yes, Very funny, Maut..."
Maut's laughter disturbed a certain armadillo, who in turn attempted to strike whoever had awakened him and ended up hitting Kurues, startling the elk and causing him to yelp loudly. Then, Glett awoke, grunting in surprise as Maut fell down from the net (it had swung a little due to Kurues' alarmed jerk) and fell smack onto his face.
Clementine couldn't help but giggle at the position they were in, and they all tried in vain to untangled themselves, laughing all the way. Heck, maybe even Argeth smiled faintly as Maut tried to un-squish herself from the side of the net...
Squint was leaning against the ice, unnoticed by the laughing group of survivors tangled in the net. Twirling his favorite blade in hand and scowling, one eye narrowing darkly, he wondered what they had to laugh about.
His eyes traveled from each of the mammals to the rabbit girl giggling at the side, obviously amused by her friend's squashed position. As he continued twirling his blade, he noticed idly that her laugh was kinda...cute.
Wait. Yuck, no.
He rolled his eyes and tossed his blade into the other hand. He hated cute...(especially when the description was directed at him by morons...)
He turned and left them to laugh the night away, smirking darkly to himself and sniggering in a slightly manic manner to himself. They wouldn't laughing when the plank was out and they had the tips of their swords pointed at their backs...
"Hahaha..."
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