Chapter 4
Vermeng was in a foul mood. He walked out in front of his lines of hordebeast, muttering swears and curses under his breath. His pack watched him nervously and anxiously, wondering what their leader would do. Suddenly, Vermeng looked up from the ship's deck, which he had been staring at, his eyes blazing wildly.
"Wot a bunch o' cowards ye lot are! Lily livered addlebrains! Beaten by a single 'are. And even worse, a young, female 'are!"
Sinzord, who was in the middle of the front line, rubbed the half of his right ear ruefully. "I didn't see ye go against 'er."
Vermeng whirled upon the unfortunate ferret, his face a picture of fury. "Yah, well wot about ye, half face? Ye got 'alf an ear, and the other 'un's missin'!"
Sinzord shrugged, not aware of the deep trouble he was in, and continued his rebellion. "At least I tried, instead o' ye, leadin' us from be'ind. An' besides, this wouldn't 'ad 'appened to me if ye 'adn't let 'er go jus' to learn 'er name! Ha, Diathus Spinner. That was 'er name. Well, whoe'er the 'are is, she killed nine and injured thirteen o' yer crew, not includin' me! So wot are we gonna do now, cap'n?" Sinzord's last question was dripping in sarcasm.
Vermeng brought his face very close to Sinzord, making it so that the ferret could smell his foul breath. "I'll tell ye wot I'm gonna do, ferret. I'm gonna track her down, cut 'er 'ead off an' stick it onto a pike, that's wot I'm gonna do! So wot do ye think o' that, ferret?"
Sinzord shrugged nonchalantly. "I dunno, it depends on if ye actually get to doin' it, or if ye just stick around 'ere wastin' yer breath. Actions speak louder than words, so if ye say yer goin' to do somethin', don't waste yer breath sayin' that ye'll do it, but go ahead and do it!"
Vermeng nodded and spat contemptuously. "Aye, an' that's wot I plan to do, mate." The infuriated weasel turned and headed back for his cabin on his ship, then turned around suddenly. "One more thing, though." Vermeng's right paw shot to his belt and unsheathed his dagger with tremendous speed. He threw it with absolute accuracy, and the next thing Sinzord knew, his left paw was crippled with a dagger running through it. Vermeng grinned with triumph as he retrieved his dagger from Sinzord's paw. "Right, now, who else 'as somethin' to say?"
No beast dared to say a word. They all knew what Vermeng was capable of when he was in one of his bad moods. Vermeng nodded in satisfaction and turned his attention to a rat named Ragfang. "Go down below decks an' tell the oarslaves to go faster and harder. We need to get to land by dark so we can catch up to that hare."
Ragfang nodded obediently and disappeared quietly as he snuck down below decks. Vermeng headed to his cabin again, leaving his hordebeasts on the ship deck, baffled and wondering what they were to do.
The young vole named Ariel burst into tears once she and the other slaves heard Vermeng's orders.
"Did you here that, Wynde? They're going after Diathus! What chance does she have against all of these hordebeasts? They outnumber her one to a million!"
The squirrel that was chained next to the vole kept on pushing. "Shush, Ariel, it'll be okay. Just keep pushing, don't stop yet. Di is a tough hare, and if they do catch up to her, which I doubt they will, she'll give them a fight to remember for a life time, at least, for those who are still alive."
An otter was rowing behind the two. The seat beside him, where Diathus had sat, was empty. "Aye, Wynde, an' if they don't capture Diathus, an' I'm sure they won't, she'll be sure to come back and try to free the rest of us someday."
Dockpetal the otter, mainly called Dock, hardly moved as a thin whip struck him on the shoulder. He turned as far as his chains would let him go and faced Ragfang, the one who had struck him, his eyes burning red with hatred.
"Wot's wrong this time? So we can't talk now? Go ahead then, stop me from talkin', go ahead and try. All ye have to do is kill me, an' that shouldn't be too 'ard for ye since ye have a nice, solid weapon. Oh, scared are ye? So now you're goin' to stop pickin' on me an' start lashin' at some other poor defenseless creature that's slave aboard this miserable ship. Yore a coward, rat, a coward! One day, some day when ye least expect it, ye'll find me free from these chains that are holding me down, an' ye'll find yerself widout a stinkin' whip to beat me with, so we'll see wot ye do then, we'll see!"
Ever since the otter had started speaking, Ragfang found himself slowly backing away from Dockpetal, his paws beginning to shake. The rat immediately turned away from Dock's burning eyes and turned his attention to the volemaid.
"Wot's wrong wid ye, slave?" Ragfang sneered into Ariel's face. "Don't know 'ow to push an oar, do ye? 'Ere, maybe this'll refresh yore memory."
As Ragfang brought the whip down, Wynde stretched his arm out in front of Ariel's face. The whip struck the squirrel's arm instead of Ariel, but like Dock, Wynde didn't flinch. His voice was as hard as ice as he spoke in a low, soft tone.
"Don't try that again, rat, on me, or on any of my friends, or else you'll find that whip o' yours around your neck!"
Ragfang lost his confidence right then. He scrambled up the stairs to the deck, calling out behind him, "Ye'll be sorry once yore livin' widout food, squirrel, ye and yore otter friend!"
As Ragfang reached the deck, he shivered visibly. He had no idea exactly who he feared most, the otter with the burning eyes, or the squirrel with frosty voice.
Ragfang knocked softly on Vermeng's cabin door. The entrance swung open, revealing a bad tempered weasel.
"Wot do ye want?"
Ragfang cowered under the corsair's mad stare. "I, er, told the slaves, er, the instructions, er, Chief. The, er, young vole, er, started er, crying because, er, the hare was her, er, friend. The otter an' the squirrel are also friends wid the 'are."
Vermeng nodded thoughtfully and was stayed silent for a while as the slavemaster waited for orders. Suddenly, Vermeng's eyes lit up. He bonked the astonished rat on the head playfully and chuckled, which sounded more like a husky cackle.
"Hohohoho hawhawhaw! So the 'are, Diathus was it, is friends wid me slaves?"
Flabbergasted, Ragfang had lost his ability to speak, so he gave a weak nod. Vermeng laughed even harder, and tears ran down in cheeks.
"Harharharr, so now all I 'ave to do is find the hare and threaten to kill all o' her friends if she doesn't give 'erself up! Hawhawhaw, brilliant!" Vermeng suddenly stopped laughing as surprisingly as he had started, and turned to the slavemaster sharply. "Ragfang!"
The rat came to attention and threw a quick salute. "Sah?"
"Go down again an' tell the slaves that they should row twice as 'ard. We 'ave a 'are to catch!"
The slavemaster walked away from the cabin the bottom deck, Vermeng's mad laughter ringing in his ears.
"Hawhawhawhaw! Once I'll catch up to her, I'll whip her! An' then I'll bath her in salt water! Harharharr, an' then I'll skin her alive! Hohoho, I'll make her die slow an' painfully. Then she an' her friends will know not to mess with Vermeng! Hahahaha!"
Vermeng was in a foul mood. He walked out in front of his lines of hordebeast, muttering swears and curses under his breath. His pack watched him nervously and anxiously, wondering what their leader would do. Suddenly, Vermeng looked up from the ship's deck, which he had been staring at, his eyes blazing wildly.
"Wot a bunch o' cowards ye lot are! Lily livered addlebrains! Beaten by a single 'are. And even worse, a young, female 'are!"
Sinzord, who was in the middle of the front line, rubbed the half of his right ear ruefully. "I didn't see ye go against 'er."
Vermeng whirled upon the unfortunate ferret, his face a picture of fury. "Yah, well wot about ye, half face? Ye got 'alf an ear, and the other 'un's missin'!"
Sinzord shrugged, not aware of the deep trouble he was in, and continued his rebellion. "At least I tried, instead o' ye, leadin' us from be'ind. An' besides, this wouldn't 'ad 'appened to me if ye 'adn't let 'er go jus' to learn 'er name! Ha, Diathus Spinner. That was 'er name. Well, whoe'er the 'are is, she killed nine and injured thirteen o' yer crew, not includin' me! So wot are we gonna do now, cap'n?" Sinzord's last question was dripping in sarcasm.
Vermeng brought his face very close to Sinzord, making it so that the ferret could smell his foul breath. "I'll tell ye wot I'm gonna do, ferret. I'm gonna track her down, cut 'er 'ead off an' stick it onto a pike, that's wot I'm gonna do! So wot do ye think o' that, ferret?"
Sinzord shrugged nonchalantly. "I dunno, it depends on if ye actually get to doin' it, or if ye just stick around 'ere wastin' yer breath. Actions speak louder than words, so if ye say yer goin' to do somethin', don't waste yer breath sayin' that ye'll do it, but go ahead and do it!"
Vermeng nodded and spat contemptuously. "Aye, an' that's wot I plan to do, mate." The infuriated weasel turned and headed back for his cabin on his ship, then turned around suddenly. "One more thing, though." Vermeng's right paw shot to his belt and unsheathed his dagger with tremendous speed. He threw it with absolute accuracy, and the next thing Sinzord knew, his left paw was crippled with a dagger running through it. Vermeng grinned with triumph as he retrieved his dagger from Sinzord's paw. "Right, now, who else 'as somethin' to say?"
No beast dared to say a word. They all knew what Vermeng was capable of when he was in one of his bad moods. Vermeng nodded in satisfaction and turned his attention to a rat named Ragfang. "Go down below decks an' tell the oarslaves to go faster and harder. We need to get to land by dark so we can catch up to that hare."
Ragfang nodded obediently and disappeared quietly as he snuck down below decks. Vermeng headed to his cabin again, leaving his hordebeasts on the ship deck, baffled and wondering what they were to do.
The young vole named Ariel burst into tears once she and the other slaves heard Vermeng's orders.
"Did you here that, Wynde? They're going after Diathus! What chance does she have against all of these hordebeasts? They outnumber her one to a million!"
The squirrel that was chained next to the vole kept on pushing. "Shush, Ariel, it'll be okay. Just keep pushing, don't stop yet. Di is a tough hare, and if they do catch up to her, which I doubt they will, she'll give them a fight to remember for a life time, at least, for those who are still alive."
An otter was rowing behind the two. The seat beside him, where Diathus had sat, was empty. "Aye, Wynde, an' if they don't capture Diathus, an' I'm sure they won't, she'll be sure to come back and try to free the rest of us someday."
Dockpetal the otter, mainly called Dock, hardly moved as a thin whip struck him on the shoulder. He turned as far as his chains would let him go and faced Ragfang, the one who had struck him, his eyes burning red with hatred.
"Wot's wrong this time? So we can't talk now? Go ahead then, stop me from talkin', go ahead and try. All ye have to do is kill me, an' that shouldn't be too 'ard for ye since ye have a nice, solid weapon. Oh, scared are ye? So now you're goin' to stop pickin' on me an' start lashin' at some other poor defenseless creature that's slave aboard this miserable ship. Yore a coward, rat, a coward! One day, some day when ye least expect it, ye'll find me free from these chains that are holding me down, an' ye'll find yerself widout a stinkin' whip to beat me with, so we'll see wot ye do then, we'll see!"
Ever since the otter had started speaking, Ragfang found himself slowly backing away from Dockpetal, his paws beginning to shake. The rat immediately turned away from Dock's burning eyes and turned his attention to the volemaid.
"Wot's wrong wid ye, slave?" Ragfang sneered into Ariel's face. "Don't know 'ow to push an oar, do ye? 'Ere, maybe this'll refresh yore memory."
As Ragfang brought the whip down, Wynde stretched his arm out in front of Ariel's face. The whip struck the squirrel's arm instead of Ariel, but like Dock, Wynde didn't flinch. His voice was as hard as ice as he spoke in a low, soft tone.
"Don't try that again, rat, on me, or on any of my friends, or else you'll find that whip o' yours around your neck!"
Ragfang lost his confidence right then. He scrambled up the stairs to the deck, calling out behind him, "Ye'll be sorry once yore livin' widout food, squirrel, ye and yore otter friend!"
As Ragfang reached the deck, he shivered visibly. He had no idea exactly who he feared most, the otter with the burning eyes, or the squirrel with frosty voice.
Ragfang knocked softly on Vermeng's cabin door. The entrance swung open, revealing a bad tempered weasel.
"Wot do ye want?"
Ragfang cowered under the corsair's mad stare. "I, er, told the slaves, er, the instructions, er, Chief. The, er, young vole, er, started er, crying because, er, the hare was her, er, friend. The otter an' the squirrel are also friends wid the 'are."
Vermeng nodded thoughtfully and was stayed silent for a while as the slavemaster waited for orders. Suddenly, Vermeng's eyes lit up. He bonked the astonished rat on the head playfully and chuckled, which sounded more like a husky cackle.
"Hohohoho hawhawhaw! So the 'are, Diathus was it, is friends wid me slaves?"
Flabbergasted, Ragfang had lost his ability to speak, so he gave a weak nod. Vermeng laughed even harder, and tears ran down in cheeks.
"Harharharr, so now all I 'ave to do is find the hare and threaten to kill all o' her friends if she doesn't give 'erself up! Hawhawhaw, brilliant!" Vermeng suddenly stopped laughing as surprisingly as he had started, and turned to the slavemaster sharply. "Ragfang!"
The rat came to attention and threw a quick salute. "Sah?"
"Go down again an' tell the slaves that they should row twice as 'ard. We 'ave a 'are to catch!"
The slavemaster walked away from the cabin the bottom deck, Vermeng's mad laughter ringing in his ears.
"Hawhawhawhaw! Once I'll catch up to her, I'll whip her! An' then I'll bath her in salt water! Harharharr, an' then I'll skin her alive! Hohoho, I'll make her die slow an' painfully. Then she an' her friends will know not to mess with Vermeng! Hahahaha!"