The deck swayed slightly below my feet, on a great ship as the one I was on
one was deceived as the sea raged outside. It great bulk didn't sway as
much as the smaller ships. I stood guard in the galleys hearing the
rhythmic sounds of a whip being cracked upon the torn backs of oar slaves.
I let myself pity them a little, but I kept in mind that these were not
children nor were the old beasts incapable of such labor, they were
warriors, prisoners of war at my homeland. We had left its ravaged shores
for brighter horizons east of us in the fabled lands of Salamandastron and
Loamhedge. The stories were many seasons old so we had no real idea what we
were sailing into and no beast preferred to think about it.
"Come ye maggots, put yore backs into it!" The driver called as his lashed out skillfully with the whips I winced slightly at the crack, I couldn't ever get used to it though I've been here long enough. Not too many of our crew had much experience with slaving or slaves in general. Out of a crew of about three hundred only about sixty or so were experienced in the ways of slavery and ship beasts. My friend, a fellow ferret like myself named Jerome, stood next to me staring mostly at the floor unable to look the slaves in the eyes, another of the slavers, a stoat, stood near us sniggering at the cracks of the whip.
"You okay?" I asked Jerome quietly so the stoat couldn't hear.
"Yeah, but I'm definitely no sea beast." He whispered back, then he looked up and swallowed back what I could tell was vomit, he hadn't gotten his sea legs quite yet so he was usually pretty green looking and was almost constantly choking back his lunch. He was the butt of the slavers jokes who laughed at our inexperience; Jerome's light tan fur didn't help disguise it so he was almost constantly being made fun of.
"You'll get used to it or we'll have to throw ye overboard." I grinned slightly trying to cheer him up, the galley's were an especially depressing place especially to me, if I had a choice I free them and row myself, but then again it wasn't my ship.
"Not funny." He glared at me darkly, but at least he was sort of distracted from his sickness.
"You should go see Celeste." Celeste was one of our beasts, a ferret like us with rich dark-red fur, she was the healer and medical advisor to our whole crew. She was good at it too. The door swung open to admit a pair of weasels wearing thick saturated coats, rain swept in through the door soaking anything by it, the weasels struggled to close the door before turning to us.
"Yer relieved mates." They gave us their coats and took our weapons to guard the slaves with.
"You really need to see Celeste." One of them commented on seeing Jerome lovely shade of green.
"I know." He croaked as he struggled into the coat, I draped my arm over his back and led him out the door into the storm, rains crashed across the deck and amidst it I could hear instructions being shouted over the howling winds.
"Keep 'er steady there mate." A voice recognizable as the leader of the slavers, Ulnan could be heard commanding his crew as we struggled across the deck. It the warms confines of the crew quarters at the rear of the ship just above the kitchen and dining halls. Halfway across the deck Jerome lost his stomach over the side of the ship into the sea as we struggle along the strong wooden rails of the ship. Finally when got there we collapsed into the small entry cabin where we hung up the coats to dry in warm air created by the kitchen fires.
"Good thing we don't 'ave to do that again for a while." I murmured as we sat exhausted by the swirling winds, the slow rocking of the ship was starting to make me sick so I got us up and down into the dining hall where most of our crew was massed for dinner.
"You okay Hale?" Jerome asked in a low voice as we sat down, I turned away from his.
"Probably better then you, you're a green ferret." I grinned openly at Jerome, the green had begun to fade from him a bit and he turned a pale white. "You have got to go see your sister soon. Medicine will do ye good." We were served quickly and watched in amusement as old fools got to drunk and sang horribly mangled songs while crashing into walls. Very soon though this was to end however.
"Come ye maggots, put yore backs into it!" The driver called as his lashed out skillfully with the whips I winced slightly at the crack, I couldn't ever get used to it though I've been here long enough. Not too many of our crew had much experience with slaving or slaves in general. Out of a crew of about three hundred only about sixty or so were experienced in the ways of slavery and ship beasts. My friend, a fellow ferret like myself named Jerome, stood next to me staring mostly at the floor unable to look the slaves in the eyes, another of the slavers, a stoat, stood near us sniggering at the cracks of the whip.
"You okay?" I asked Jerome quietly so the stoat couldn't hear.
"Yeah, but I'm definitely no sea beast." He whispered back, then he looked up and swallowed back what I could tell was vomit, he hadn't gotten his sea legs quite yet so he was usually pretty green looking and was almost constantly choking back his lunch. He was the butt of the slavers jokes who laughed at our inexperience; Jerome's light tan fur didn't help disguise it so he was almost constantly being made fun of.
"You'll get used to it or we'll have to throw ye overboard." I grinned slightly trying to cheer him up, the galley's were an especially depressing place especially to me, if I had a choice I free them and row myself, but then again it wasn't my ship.
"Not funny." He glared at me darkly, but at least he was sort of distracted from his sickness.
"You should go see Celeste." Celeste was one of our beasts, a ferret like us with rich dark-red fur, she was the healer and medical advisor to our whole crew. She was good at it too. The door swung open to admit a pair of weasels wearing thick saturated coats, rain swept in through the door soaking anything by it, the weasels struggled to close the door before turning to us.
"Yer relieved mates." They gave us their coats and took our weapons to guard the slaves with.
"You really need to see Celeste." One of them commented on seeing Jerome lovely shade of green.
"I know." He croaked as he struggled into the coat, I draped my arm over his back and led him out the door into the storm, rains crashed across the deck and amidst it I could hear instructions being shouted over the howling winds.
"Keep 'er steady there mate." A voice recognizable as the leader of the slavers, Ulnan could be heard commanding his crew as we struggled across the deck. It the warms confines of the crew quarters at the rear of the ship just above the kitchen and dining halls. Halfway across the deck Jerome lost his stomach over the side of the ship into the sea as we struggle along the strong wooden rails of the ship. Finally when got there we collapsed into the small entry cabin where we hung up the coats to dry in warm air created by the kitchen fires.
"Good thing we don't 'ave to do that again for a while." I murmured as we sat exhausted by the swirling winds, the slow rocking of the ship was starting to make me sick so I got us up and down into the dining hall where most of our crew was massed for dinner.
"You okay Hale?" Jerome asked in a low voice as we sat down, I turned away from his.
"Probably better then you, you're a green ferret." I grinned openly at Jerome, the green had begun to fade from him a bit and he turned a pale white. "You have got to go see your sister soon. Medicine will do ye good." We were served quickly and watched in amusement as old fools got to drunk and sang horribly mangled songs while crashing into walls. Very soon though this was to end however.