Chapter V
By the third evening after the slaughter of his crewmates, the wind had carried the massive vermin warship toward the shores of the western rocks further than even the Mad Seer had anticipated. From his view in the crow's nest Behaziel could almost see the first signs of a rich and vast country.
Now as the evening light faded from the ship and the gulls finished chewing on the bones of their fallen comrades, Behaziel could only imagine what the next day would bring in regard to their first steps in the new land.
The rat mostly was looking forward to the foods that they might get to feast on whether it was herb salad or birch wood and turnip stew, his hunger for a real meal could not possibly be described in words.
It still sickened him to realize what depravity he had partook in only a few days ago because of being so close to starvation. To eat the flesh of another crew mate was enough to make him want to cast himself overboard. But he had swallowed his pride and done as Selah ordered, Perhaps out of fear or starvation he wasn't quite sure which.
Since Vargas had made his proclamation both he and Selah had not been seen above deck, instead forcing their Captains the task of tending to the ship as they crossed the sea.
Behaziel had no doubt in his mind that the weasel and the ferret were likely finishing off the last of the foodstuffs that had stolen, greedily keeping such for themselves while forcing their crew to suffer.
It made his own stomach twist in knots when he considered how if they were still back home on the shores of the southwestern lands that he would likely be forging himself on a meal fit for kings. Thoughts of Gooseberry wine, steamed turnips and beets and roasted radish frape danced thru his mind as he looked down toward the deck where the Captain of the minks, Nazier was distracting himself by playing a little diddy on his flute.
Behaziel listened to his poetic song realizing that it also detailed the journey they had made here.
"''Tis been many a moon, ''tis been many a day.
Since we left them southwest shores
Where our brethren held sway.
We crossed o'er the waves, We stole ourselves away
Made a vow, swore to sail
Wherever the wind does tell.
To escape the bloody battles of badgers strong,
We escaped in the night though abandoning our kin be wrong!
Followed the Roaringburn til the sea quieted down
Now we waste our days sitting here, we might as well drown!
Told o riches we were, promises of gold!
But now we die amid the birds, our souls to Hellsgates be sold!"
Behaziel climbed down the mast of the Foxwolf before the mink continued with the next verse of the song, grabbing his flute and quickly snapping it in two. Nazier's eyes widened in shock as the rat Captain tossed it overboard and he snarled, "Say! What's the big idea!"
"Keep singin' like that and I'm sure Selah will see to it you see Hellsgates before the day is thru!" Behaziel snarled, shoving the mink in frustration.
The mink looked toward the waves of the Western Sea, swallowing a bit as he considered being tossed overboard and muttered, "I didn't mean nothin' by it Captain! You know I left the badger lands for me own health! But it would be better to die clashing swords with one of those creatures rather than out here with not a bite in me belly!"
Behaziel looked about and shoved Nazier again, snarling, "Did you learn nothing three days ago? We are so close to the new country that I can smell it." Nazier looked toward the horizon, clearly trying to hold back his excitement before remarking, "Do you really think so?"
"I could see it, by day we should be crashing into the sandy shores of this land that Selah promised," Behaziel explained. Nazier excitedly tried not to jump for joy and then he snarled, "Why don't we push the moles to reach the bay by tonight? Rip their backs to ribbons so that we can get a decent meal!"
Behaziel shook his head and remarked, "Ye can only push a slave so far."
Nazier stared at the rat Captain and tried his best to follow the orders, snarling something under his breath. The male rat glared at him and smacked him with the back of his rapier handle causing the mink to cry out in surprise. "What was that fer?" He asked.
"You should focus on getting some rest, Captain Nazier. Who knows for sure what the new country might bring," Behaziel advised and added, "And if Ye feel the need to sing again, make the diddy something upbeat. No beast wants to hear a song about Hellsgates."
Nazier went to below deck, not saying another word as Behaziel looked toward the sea and tried to convince himself to rest too. But there was too much to look forward to, he realized. And all of it will be ours at first light.
So he climbed up to the crow's Nest again and looked toward the horizon, focusing on keeping the sails taut and smiling in anticipation.
XXXXXXX
Somewhere in the middle of the night, the prayers of the Foxwolf were answered and an autumn breeze gently pushed them straight on to the shore line. Now as the early dawn broke, the small vermin crew peered out toward the stretch of sand and rocks that seemed to span all of the horizon, whooping and Hollering in excitement as they crested the new land.
Using a spyglass, Captain Nazier looked up and down the beach, noting prime spots where their ship could berth and then saluted smartly as Selah Falsetooth came on deck to look at the mysterious region.
"Any signs of life or settlements?" The female weasel asked as she loomed over her motley crew. "Too early to tell. But I did spot several fresh water pools near the southern edge of them dunes there," Nazier said as he pointed toward the area.
"It would do the crew good to get fresh fish in their bellies," the mink added licking his lips hungrily.
Selah took the spyglass and looked for herself at the dunes and frowned, realizing that what her Captain had actually seen was marshland.
"You baffoon! That's toad land, we would be dead the minute we stepped foot in that sand. Your mind is so focused on vittles you ain't seeing the big picture," she snarled as she whacked him on the head roughly.
"Sorry milady," Nazier stammered as he rubbed his forehead and then asked, "Should we be gettin' the rows ready to push us into the shoreline?"
Selah sighed as she looked out toward the dunes and tried to figure out where best to berth their massive ship. Then in the distance near some rocky cliffs the weasel realized that she could see an inkling of smoke.
"Make the moles work overtime! Get us toward that smoke!" Selah ordered looking toward her mink Captain and snarling, "If you hadn't been so focused on your belly you would've seen that smoke! Where there's smoke there's a settlement!"
Nazier said nothing but hastened below deck grabbing one of the thicker reed whips to enforce the mole slaves even as Selah heard the cheers of her crew. The idea of raiding had already lifted their spirits, she thought as she smiled and showed her deadly fangs.
XXXXXXX
The Foxwolf slaves towed down the vessel on rocks hitting the coast line as Selah and her three Captains moved toward the small encampment. Now that daylight covered the dunes they could make out several circles of stones and tents that made up what seemed to be a rather primitive tribe. All of them kept their weapons at the side as Selah took the lead and ordered the rat Captains to scout the area.
"Food!" Nazier squeaked in delight as he spotted an open fire and rushed to grab the steamed fish that was in the wash bowel, eagerly ripping into it.
"You idiot," Behaziel snarled but it was already too late, the mink's outburst had caused a stir of noise around the camp.
Soon Selah and her raiders realized that the noise was coming from all sides of them and from the edge of the camp strange painted vermin emerged.
All of them chanted in a strange and unearthly tongue as Selah kept herself toward the middle of her Captains and their raiders, waiting to see if these vermin were as brutal as they appeared to be.
The weapons they used also indicated a primitive lifestyle among the poorly clothed rats and stoats, and as they closed in on the crew; a low growl seemed to echo across the camp and they came to a halt.
The strange vermin parted and allowed a larger gruesome looking stoat to approach Selah and her crew. He was marked more dramatically than the others with long black stripes of charcoal being mussed against his once bright tawny fur and small orange dots painted on his nostril and eyes. From what Nazier could tell, this was clearly the chief of these unkempt creatures.
"We seen yer ship fer many a day now. Why did Ye come here to the land of Juska?" The stoat asked, his bad breath making the vermin crew near him rear back in repulsion.
Selah bowed her head recognizing his authority and remarked, "We are from far away and came seeking a new life, we meant no harm to you or to your tribe. Only that we be allowed to rest for a few days and regain our strength."
"Ye stole er fish, Juska Kall does not like et wen a vermin steals his fish!" The stoat snapped back.
"We did not know this land was yours, as you can see my crew has been famished for days! We humbly apologize," Selah Falsetooth explained bowing even lower to the ground.
"Ye wish to repay?" Juska Kall asked to which the vermin crew nodded eagerly and then the stoat laughed and said, "Meebe Ye can recover our treasures from the toads! Them twisted night reptiles be hoardin' Juska jewels. The honor of our tribe!"
The other tribe members seemed to laugh and sneer at this but Selah did not appear afraid by the challenge. Instead she offered, "Provide us two days to recover from our long voyage and we will use every resource available to reach your precious gems."
Juska Kall seemed to consider the offer, rubbing his chin before spitting on his paw and extending it to Selah. As the two shook he heartily decided, "Ye have yourselves a deal, weasel mistress. But mark Juska Kall's words if Ye tricks us there will be no escaping our wrath!"
The female weasel smiled and responded, "I am Selah Falsetooth, greatest weasel warlord there has ever been and believe me when I say that we will prove our worth to you."
