Outside I heard the storm let up after I had sat in the hall laughing at
the antics of our drunken shipmates as well as the entertainment of our
resident singer and healer Celeste who had taken my friend Jerome to our
mediocre sick bay. I peeked outside to find that the skies had quieted and
the blanket of rain had been pulled away from our ship, the seas were
rather calm and I looked in every direction to see clear expanses of blue
ocean stretching forth into the horizon meeting with the sky in the
distance. I looked about the ship to find that the slaver crew was running
around cleaning up the mess from the storm, it had lasted a few days so
there was minimal damage to the sails and such.
"C'mon mates get those sails patched and flyin' again." I heard their captain urging them on as he worked along side him, I found myself admiring him a little, but in that moment the faces of the oars slaves passed before my eyes. I shook my head a little to rid myself of the images.
"You okay Hale." Jerome appeared beside me opening the door forcing me out onto the deck where we stood among the rushing crew of slavers.
"Yeah." I answered quickly and looked over to find him looking a lot better then he had been, he was dressed in a clean tunic unlike mine, which was still soaked from our change of shifts in the galleys.
"You don't look so good, you ought to go see Celeste." He smiled slyly and pushed be back below the decks into the dry halls, we passed the door to the hall and kitchens onto the white painted door of the infirmary. He shoved me inside and held the door closed.
"Jerome!" I yelled as I banged on the door with my fist.
"Hey Hale, Jerome bein' a jerk again?" Celeste appeared from the small closet she used for her herbs and such, the infirmary also led to her room.
"Oh . . .uh hi Celeste." I stuttered nervously looking at the beautiful ferret, she caught my eye and I quickly looked to the floor, unfortunately I couldn't keep her from noticing the blush that spread underneath my fur as I stood my voice caught in my throat.
"I'm gonna get you little brother!" She called at the closed door and we heard Jerome take off down the hall and most likely into the crowded dining hall. "So how are you and the little maggot."
"Well . . ." I began, trying not to stutter. "I'm pretty good and whatever you gave the maggot really helped." I joked shyly.
"That's good. So I assume he shoved you in here for a reason. How are you feeling?" She asked a note of motherly concern in her voice as she sat me on one of the bed, I felt grateful that the room was empty.
"He thought I looked ill, but you're the healer." She grinned at my response and began checking me, she looked into my throat, my ears and everywhere while nodding and assuring herself.
"You look fine to me, so if your all right would you like to go get something to eat with me a little later in the hall?" She sidled up to me on the bed and put her arm around me snuggly.
"Yeah! I um . . . I mean sure, that sounds great." I mentally berated myself for being so excited like it was the first meal after a seven-season famine.
"See you later." She led me to the hall and softly kissed me on the cheek before closing the door in my face leaving me with a paw over my tingling cheek. Down the hall a few of the crew whistled their approval and grinned wildly.
"Way to go Hale! It was so beautiful!" One of them, a tall lanky weasel who was very, very drunk began to cry onto the shoulder of his friend, a short, fat rat who just shoved him up roughly.
"Don't cry all over my clean tunic, my wife will kill me." He whined as brushed the shoulder while glaring at his companion. He was still supporting the weasel that immediately fell unconscious onto the rat's shoulder's snoring heavily. Laughing I went and helped him put the weasel onto his bed where another weasel, one I knew to be called Aurora who was the weasel's mother began fussing over him as we left.
"Another tunic ruined by this son of mine. Anybody want to trade spawn?" She yelled out into the hall eliciting a few laughs from the other females.
"You going to check outside, this break probably won't last you know?" The rat asked as he hurried up onto the deck, I followed closely and when we got to the door we could hear screams and shouts outside, the rat quickly pushed the door open only to stumble back an arrow transfixed in his chest.
"C'mon mates get those sails patched and flyin' again." I heard their captain urging them on as he worked along side him, I found myself admiring him a little, but in that moment the faces of the oars slaves passed before my eyes. I shook my head a little to rid myself of the images.
"You okay Hale." Jerome appeared beside me opening the door forcing me out onto the deck where we stood among the rushing crew of slavers.
"Yeah." I answered quickly and looked over to find him looking a lot better then he had been, he was dressed in a clean tunic unlike mine, which was still soaked from our change of shifts in the galleys.
"You don't look so good, you ought to go see Celeste." He smiled slyly and pushed be back below the decks into the dry halls, we passed the door to the hall and kitchens onto the white painted door of the infirmary. He shoved me inside and held the door closed.
"Jerome!" I yelled as I banged on the door with my fist.
"Hey Hale, Jerome bein' a jerk again?" Celeste appeared from the small closet she used for her herbs and such, the infirmary also led to her room.
"Oh . . .uh hi Celeste." I stuttered nervously looking at the beautiful ferret, she caught my eye and I quickly looked to the floor, unfortunately I couldn't keep her from noticing the blush that spread underneath my fur as I stood my voice caught in my throat.
"I'm gonna get you little brother!" She called at the closed door and we heard Jerome take off down the hall and most likely into the crowded dining hall. "So how are you and the little maggot."
"Well . . ." I began, trying not to stutter. "I'm pretty good and whatever you gave the maggot really helped." I joked shyly.
"That's good. So I assume he shoved you in here for a reason. How are you feeling?" She asked a note of motherly concern in her voice as she sat me on one of the bed, I felt grateful that the room was empty.
"He thought I looked ill, but you're the healer." She grinned at my response and began checking me, she looked into my throat, my ears and everywhere while nodding and assuring herself.
"You look fine to me, so if your all right would you like to go get something to eat with me a little later in the hall?" She sidled up to me on the bed and put her arm around me snuggly.
"Yeah! I um . . . I mean sure, that sounds great." I mentally berated myself for being so excited like it was the first meal after a seven-season famine.
"See you later." She led me to the hall and softly kissed me on the cheek before closing the door in my face leaving me with a paw over my tingling cheek. Down the hall a few of the crew whistled their approval and grinned wildly.
"Way to go Hale! It was so beautiful!" One of them, a tall lanky weasel who was very, very drunk began to cry onto the shoulder of his friend, a short, fat rat who just shoved him up roughly.
"Don't cry all over my clean tunic, my wife will kill me." He whined as brushed the shoulder while glaring at his companion. He was still supporting the weasel that immediately fell unconscious onto the rat's shoulder's snoring heavily. Laughing I went and helped him put the weasel onto his bed where another weasel, one I knew to be called Aurora who was the weasel's mother began fussing over him as we left.
"Another tunic ruined by this son of mine. Anybody want to trade spawn?" She yelled out into the hall eliciting a few laughs from the other females.
"You going to check outside, this break probably won't last you know?" The rat asked as he hurried up onto the deck, I followed closely and when we got to the door we could hear screams and shouts outside, the rat quickly pushed the door open only to stumble back an arrow transfixed in his chest.