Author's Note: My first fic. I hope it goes well. Please let me know how good or terrible it is. Explanations on certain details in the footnote. Big ups to Karlbarx and the RRR community for writing assistance.
A heavy fog hung above the waters of the high seas, as The Festering Return cut through its swells. The crew of the brigantine went about their duties as a tall mink stood near the helm, watching the sky. The stoat helmsbeast eyed the mink uncomfortably before looking to her captain nearby. The mink was a tall beast. He wore a worn blue shirt and tan trousers and had a stoic demeanor about him as he continued to watch the layer of fog above him.
"When's that blasted bird 'a yers returnin', Valkin?" Barked the Sea-rat Captain, holding the collar of his stolen Long Patrol officer's coat close to his face for warmth.
"Should be comin' back 'ere soon, Tyrran, sah.'' Valkin said, lowering his gaze to address the murine.
The stoat at the helm raised her eyebrow at the use of the name of Captain Tyrran Blackblade, expecting a reprimand. When none came, she rolled her eyes.
"Ya sure it can find its way back in all this fog?" asked the stoat jill.
"Well, he shouldn't 'ave any problem findin' 'is way back, long as we don't change course- There 'e is now." Valkin stepped to the side and extended his arm.
A small goldcrest broke through the fog from high above and swooped down toward the mink, landing on his arm. The bird was about a quarter of the mink's size, and had dull greyish-green plumage with a pale belly. It whispered something in his ear, and Valkin nodded as he listened. "'E's spotted land North West West of our position." He relayed as he pulled some seed out of his pocket to feed the bird.
"Hard ta port!" Blackblade shouted and the stoat altered course. The searat gave the Mink a friendly clap to the back. "Yarr, I thought ya a queer sort when ya first joined up, but that birds been really earnin' it's feed!"
"Thank yew, Blackblade, sah. 'Ppreciate ya lettin' me keep 'im. An' y'know… Not butcherin' 'im." The mink affectionately rubbed the goldcrest's head as the little bird finshed eating. Raising his arm the bird flew up to perch in the crow's nest.
"Glad I didn't! We'd never have spotted that hare galleon without it!" Said Blackblade.
"And they still managed to chase us for what feels like halfway across a bloody ocean." Said the helmsbeast.
"Pro'lly 'bout time I fed the slaves. 'Aven't eatin' in a while, they 'ave." said Valkin.
"Feed em as much as ya like. We'll be able to resupply here soon enough." The Captain instructed.
"Aye, Cap'n" Valkin responded before heading down toward the main deck. He passed by a few searats and weasels marveling at a rat swinging and flipping about the masts and rigging, making some makeshift obstacle course out of the ship's protrusions.
Valkin reached a hatch and descended the steps leading below deck and made his way toward the galley. Walking through the ship's passageways he shuffled past crewbeasts, some sea rats and a few weasels most commonly. He curses under his breath as he sees a fox with a dusty orange pelt coming down the hall who was comparable to him in height. He wore a red tunic over a white shirt and light gray pants.
"Watcha doing headin' to the galley again, mink?" The fox asked.
"My job. Piss off, Dusttail." Valkin' snapped
"Yer job include starvin' us out? Seems these slaves get fed better than us crew since ye started drivin' em." Dusttail said.
"It's been 'alf a day. And slaves don't really sell well when ye can see their ribs, do they?"
"We're supposed ta be rationin' ya pillock! We don't know when we're hittin' land again t' resupply!" The fox pressed
"Well I do. The bird spotted land. No need fer any beast ta go 'ungry. Keep yer fetid muzzle outta my affairs and mind yer own role." The mink countered, pushing past Dusttail and into the galley, leaving the growling vulpine behind.
As Valkin entered the galley he grabed a cart near the door and pushed it toward a short, fat, rat cook running the kitchen. The cook was a portly beast. His stained apron hid a brown shirt whose buttons would have looked as though they were likely to burst, and he almost struggled to see over the counter even as he chopped vegetables. He wore no trousers.
When the rat looked away from his task and up at Valkin, he hissed in disgust at the mink and pointed his kitchen knife at the much larger beast.
"SSSSSS! NO! NO VIKKLES! YEW ALREADY TAKE TOO MUCH!" The rat shouted hysterically.
"Ya do realize I need ta feed our cargo, don't ya, Grosspots?" Valkin tried to reason.
"STAY OUTTA ME KITCHEN, CUR!" Screamed Grosspots, tossing the knife at Valkin who ducked as it embedded itself in the bulkhead.
"Bloody Hell, Gros! The Cap'n gave me leave to feed the slaves! How are we gunna profit if they all starve to death?" Valkin reasoned.
"THEY EAT EACH OTHER! YEW STAY OUTTA ME VIKKLES! Unless…" The rat said forebodingly.
"What?"
"Yew catch that disgusting bird an' bring 'em down here..."
Valkin moved toward the cook, looking completely unamused. "...Yew butcher my bird, and I'll be serving you to the slaves, rat."
"Yew can't-!" Grosspots started before Valkin slammed his head into the counter and the rat fell back as he groaned and clutched his face.
"I ain't exaggeratin' rat. Touch 'im and yer dead. I'll help myself." The mink said, stepping over the rat. He began to load the food cart with the victuals that the cook had been preparing. After he finished loading the cart, he wheeled it out the door.
Valkin wheeled his way down the passage. Crewbeasts traversing the halls pressed against the walls to move out of the way for the cart. A fox with an eyepatch strolled up from behind the wheeling mink.
"Heeey, Valkin! Maybe y'could spare a morsel 'a that-"
"No, Fairnan, It's for the slaves." Valkin responded. Whipping his head back toward the cart he slapped the paw of a rat trying to swipe a roll as the cart passed. "Keep away from me bloody cart, ya vultures!" Snapped the mink, as he briskly wheeled away from the snack thieves.
Having shaken all his hungry tails, he finally came upon a locked door. He produced a key and unlocked it, pushing it open before wheeling his cart in. Inside were a crew quarters with all the beds removed. In their places lay piles of linens and cushions along with hammocks set up. Lanterns were set on tables throughout the room, dimly lighting the space. Goodbeasts of various species appeared to have been idly chatting among one another before the mink continued to wheel his foodcart as the creatures focused their attention on him. There were mice, squirrels, hedgehogs, otters, hares and a smattering of other species among the captive. There were even two badgers, a boar and a sow, sitting next to each other, presumably married.
Altogether there were around two score of them, and the arms of every beast were shackled in irons, every beast save for the frightened looking dibbuns peppered amongst the ranks of the slaves, whose hands remained unbound. The chains themselves were rather loose, and would prevent most beasts only from spreading out their arms too widely. Looks of varying emotion were shot his way, ranging from despair to disdain as he made his way around the room, though all were tempered by a tinge of relief at the sight of the food the mink was bringing in. Valkin made his way around the room, passing around victuals enough for every beast.
When he got to the badgers however, he noticed something was off. The boar was eyeing Valkin intensely and wouldn't seem to lift his paws which were together, as if he were hiding something in his palms. The mink quickly grabbed a bowl for the badger and began to pass it to the boar, but Valkin jumped back as a heavy paw shot up, knocking the bowl form his paws and into the air, and mink's paw darted to grasp a baton strapped to his waist all the while. Springing to his feet, the badger lunged at Valkin with a chunk of sharpened wood torn from a wall, attempting to thrust it at the mink. Valkin swayed left of the thrust and cracked the badger across the elbow, then quickly followed up with a swift strike to the badger's knee, making him kneel. The boar crashed to the deck as Valkin smashed him in the side of the head with the baton, just as the bowl of food hit the deck, shattering and spilling it's contents.
The slaves looked on in fear and some of the children began to cry as Valkin put his footpaw on the badger's neck, just hard enough to keep him in place without stifling his breathing. The badgerwife dropped to her husband's side, looking up pleadingly to Valkin. The mink met the sow's eyes with a blank expression, blinked, then sheathed the baton and released the male. Valkin left the room, locking the door again. A calm looking Mole soon piped up
"Oi told'ja no' tew." The mole said, adjusting his chains to tug at his snout.
"Hkkk- Not all of us are content to just give in, mole…" The badger said, sitting up while clutching his face.
"Burr. Not doin' daft plans on a whim ain't givin' in, badger."
"I'm not gonna sit here and listen to this! You've been defending the vermin ever since we were put on this boat!"
"Oh shore, cuz Oi be lovin' 'ar captors so much. Getch'er head outta yer arse, stripedog. Bain't too keen on ya bringin' th' whippin's back without a real escape plan. New taskmaster's been better'n th' last one that fell overboard. Only reason yew were able to attack him loike that's cuz 'e asked the Cap'n if 'e could loosen our chains. Did his soft-'anded approach embolden ya t' try n stick em? See 'im as a weak link, didja? 'Ow verminous 'a ya…"
"At least I'm trying to do something! I didn't see you jumping in to help!"
"'Elp yew bury us even further ya mean? You'm be shivin' 'ar taskmaster n' then wot? Take 'is key n' fumble yer way t' th' arm'ry with a bunch a' slaves in tow that know bugger-all 'bout battle? 'Ope youze kill all th' crew 'fore they woise up t' ya? Know 'ow t' sail? No? Thought not. Boide yer toime, stripedog. This Valkin's a far gooder taskmaster than th' last one. 'E don't whip us none an' 'e feeds us often."
The badger growled in defeat, and moved his paw away from his face, letting his wife examine it. Every beast's attention snapped toward the door when they heard the click of the handle. Valkin entered once again with a swab, broom and another plate of food, which he offers to the badger. His face remained a mask of neutrality all the while. "Ye need ta eat, Grimwald." Said the mink in an even tone.
Grimwald cautiously accepted the new food, as the mink proceeded to clean the mess the badger made. He made a point of it not to let his gaze linger on any slave in the room while he worked. As he finished cleaning, he locked eyes with the Mole and they shared a nod. Valkin threw the swab to an empty corner of the room and wheeled the cart out as he left. He turned to call out behind him. "Stack yer plates by th' door when yer done like usual. I'll collect 'em later."
The mink exited the room and locked the door behind him. "Huh. What's it take to make that mink angry…?" a mouse slave ponderously asked.
Stowing the cart away, Valkin made his way to the storage hold. He entered and closed the door behind him, before moving over to a barrel and knocking on the lid.
"Rusty…? Russell, it's Adriel." Valkin quietly said, dropping his accent.
The lid of the barrel peaks open a crack, revealing a pair of green eyes. "Hawker- I mean... Valkin? What's going on out there?" Asked the barreled creature.
"Codenames are the least of our worries if you're discovered. Talking quietly will do just fine for you." Said Adriel Hawker, cracking open a crate near the barrel and continues. "Locke tells me we're nearing land. It's going to be showtime soon."
The beast inside pushed the lid off the barrel and carefully climbed out. The fox that emerged was clad in black leathers with a hood and mask, and despite his height, he was a head shorter than the mink. He lowered his mask to reveal the face of a typical red fox; orange fur with white fur below the chin. He had a long scar over his left eye. Mercifully, the eye itself was undamaged, but seemed to always be half-closed unless consciously kept wider. He reached for a flask of water and a few strips of bird jerky from behind the barrel and took a swig.
"Did you get that meat from the cook? You're supposed to let me bring you food." Hawker asked, raising an eyebrow
"It's fine, Hawker! I can slip past any of these slaving bastards, no sweat! 'Cept that rat when he's cooking. He's a sharp one when he's running the kitchen." Russell said, as he raised his arms to stretch
"If Locke sees you eating that- nevermind. You shouldn't be taking those kinds of risks, Russell. There's a lot riding on our success here." Hawker scolded as he lifted a musket out of the crate.
"Then maybe you should have let me take on a pirate persona! Then there wouldn't be any need for these 'risks', and I wouldn't have to live in a bloody barrel." Russell said before he wolfed down the rest of the meat.
"We couldn't have you stabbing half the crew before we enact our plan."
"Nonshenhse! I c'n c'ntrol mahshelf!" The reynard responded as he finished the jerky and washed it down with the water.
"The prior taskmaster's neck would beg to differ." Hawker said, passing the musket to Russell.
"And how much are the slaves getting whipped now with you driving them, eh? You should really let me kill beasts more often. Tends to work out!" Russell said snarkily.
"I'd prefer not having to spend the favor I've curried with the captain." Hawker said, grabbing two pistols from the crate and tossing them to the fox.
"You've got nothing to worry about there. He bought your story about him falling overboard in the night. He's totally in love with you." Joked Russell, strapping on the pistols.
"You're hilarious." Hawker said curtly.
"Always smiling at you when you're not looking, letting you be the new taskmaster cuz you asked, letting you keep Locke…" Russell mused, clasping his paws together as he made fluttery eyes at the mink.
"How much are you sneaking out that you know what he's doing while I'm not looking?" Hawker asked, amused.
"Enough. I'm basically a member of the crew at this point. I'm almost sad we're taking out most of my 'crewmates'." Said Russell
"That's only one way that we can do this. The extra bodies we'll have along with us might complicate things." Hawker said
"Yeah. Um. How many extra slaves besides Neil did you say there were?" Russell asked.
"A whole crew cabin full of them. About two score. Not including their young." Hawker said, tossing Russell a bag of ammunition.
Russell caught the bag and sighed. "...Tall order, but doable… Would be way easier if that Long Navy Galleon caught up."
"Yeah. I love the idea of dodging the bullets of both hares and corsairs at once. Locke saw the ship's name. 'Felldoh's Vengeance'." Hawker said.
"What's the worry? Wasn't Felldoh always known for his patience and mercy?" The fox said facetiously.
"You know he wasn't. And neither is his namesake's captain, Caria Felicius."
"Heh. I've always wanted to meet her. I'm a bit of a fan!" Russell said, as his eyes lit up.
"Be thankful you haven't. She'd skin, then boil you alive. She's one of those 'shoot first, ask questions never' kind of hares. She's even more deranged than you are. "
"Seasons, You know I'm not crazy! I'm passionate about my work."
"The two are not mutually exclusive."
"Oh, bugger you, I gotta finish getting ready. This is Neil's gear, right?"
"Yep. Tok and I were able to smuggle our actual stuff aboard."
"Oh! This musket's my repeater, then?" Russell said enthusiastically, before his eyes narrowed. "You didn't replace it with a damn matchlock replica again, did you?"
"That was an accident, and no, I made sure to check. I fully loaded it as well. Wait till we start before you go nuts, alright?"
"Of course!"
"...Okay. I need to go tell Tok it's almost time." Hawker said. "Also, can you limit your kills to only what is necessary? We don't need you taking any additional risks, and these pirates are still people."
"Slavers, Hawker. Not people. Go find our rat." Russell said.
Hawker left the fox to finish his preparations and ascended to the weatherdecks. He made his way over to the rigging, past a few chatting crewbeasts consisting of a sea rat, a ferret and a pine marten. The pine marten noticed Hawker and called out to him.
"Oh, heya, Valkin! You catch Terrik up in the rigging earlier? Never seen a rat move like that!" Said the marten
"I'd see 'im all the time when we wuz in our old crew together. 'Terrik the Squirrel' they use ta call 'im. Ya'd think 'e was a squirrel's bastard, the way 'e climbs. Ye should see 'I'm move through a forest. Can put most bushtails ta shame. Any'a ye seen 'im around?"
"'E's still up in th' riggin', grabbin' a wink!" Said the sea rat, as he pointed up at the rigging.
Hawker looked up to see the large rat he'd been looking for lazily hanging upside down from the rigging. "Oi, Terrik! Geddown 'ere!" Hawker hollered.
Tok snaped awake. He flipped on the rigging to right himself and jumps to the deck, landing in a crouch, to the applause of the crew beasts. The big rat wore a black vest with no shirt with baggy white trousers. He was a few inches shorter than Hawker. A black bandana was wrapped around his head, with holes cut out for his ears. He rose as he plied Hawker with questioning eyes.
"Doin' that thing soon." Hawker said vaguely.
Tok simply nodded and began to head below deck.
"Watcha gonna do with Terrik?" Asked the ferret.
"'E's gonna 'elp me with the slaves. Been gettin' uppity they 'ave." Hawker explained before taking his leave of the crewbeasts. He made his way over to the main mast.
Alright, last thing. Hawker thought as he started to climb up the mast to the crow's nest. Sticking his upper body through the hatch of the platform, Hawker lightly nudged the talon of a sleeping bird, who had swaddled himself in blankets.
"Time to wake up, Locke. Sorry." He said in a soft, kindly voice.
Locke woke with a start. "Huh? Oh, Adriel. Is it time?" asked the goldcrest.
Hawker nodded "Just about. It's looking like we're going with the 'lifeboat' version of the plan. You said you saw settlements on that land you spotted?"
"Yeah, and beasts milling about too."
"And you're certain they were settlements and not just tribal camps?"
"I know the difference between camps and villages, I'm not a dumb sparrow!"
"I didn't mean anything by it, Locke. Just wanting to make sure we have somewhere to go." Hawker said, putting his paws up in surrender.
"I'm just on edge is all. I'm more comfortable when it's just scouting. I don't mean to be snappy with you… Sorry." Locke said bashfully.
"You should try to get comfortable then. Might end up having to kill the whole crew if this fog lets up."
"Ugh… Lovely. You really should have brought Demosthenes for this…" The little bird replied.
"There's not enough physical space on the ship for a hawk." He patted the shoulder of Locke's wing. "We'll be fine, buddy. But hey, if we all happen to drop the ball and botch this whole thing, you have my blessing to just fly away"
"Where would I even go?"
"The nearby land. You could also try to find that Long Navy Galleon that was chasing us."
"Right…" The bird shifted uncomfortably. "Adriel? Um. I'm… I'm sorry I reported the Galleon back in Tiderock. This could have been over by now…"
"It's alright, Locke. I didn't think this captain would be so skittish and bolt at the some non-descript ship. You weren't that loose with information. It's not your fault." Hawker said, reassuring the bird.
"I guess so… I hope you know I wouldn't fly off and abandon you, by the way." Locke said.
"I appreciate that. But please do. Better that one of us gets out. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some arson to do…" Hawker said as he climbed down the hatch
xxx
Up in the crows nest of a large galleon, a hare idly sat with his back against the wall of the structure, deftly spinning a spyglass in his paw. The entrance hatch opened and a badgermaid poked her head through.
"Any sign of them yet?" The badgermaid asked.
"No, marm. Same as last time you asked five minutes ago." The hare lookout said patiently. "Probably not changin' anytime soon either, what with all this fog, wot."
"Oh… Right… I'm sorry, as you were…" The sow began to climb down the mast bashfully, leaving the hare to his watch. The sow leapt down once close enough to the deck and landed lightly. She adjusted the collar of her blue officer's coat and took a seat on a box near the mast, exhaling slowly as she placed her head in her paws. A mouse noticed and came over.
"Voyage getting to you, Mara?" Asked the mouse. He wore a blue tunic, the collar of his white shirt showing from underneath, and light gray trousers. An ornate sword was sheathed in it's scabbard strapped around the mouse's back.
"The voyage? O-Oh no, Asher. I'm well into a routine at this point." Mara replied.
"Hah! Well it's getting to me! Three fortnights at sea have me going stir crazy!" Asher said with an unexpected cheerful smile.
"Ah, what's the big deal, Asher? We got all this beautiful ocean around us!" Said a large otter as he walked over to the pair. Currently he wore nothing but shorts, leaving his muscled frame in full view. Much of his body was covered in what appeared to be scars from bird talons of various sizes.
"Kiiinda stopped being a saving grace after week six… Could you put a shirt on please, Crash?" Asher said.
"Don't see why I would, matey. Just gunna get wet! Plenty 'a chances to swim, y'know… Did ye say week six?" Crash said in mild surprise.
"Week six, day three, to be exact, Skipper Cain." Mara said.
"Heh. Been tellin' ya, Mara, just Crash is fine!" Crash said jovially.
"You think there are any plans to pack up and go home, Mara? I think it may have been more time efficient to just do that after week two…" Asher said.
"Hey, the longer we keep chasin' em, the longer it'll be 'fore they can raid another town, Ash!" Said Crash.
"Have they been such a problem that stalling them is actually worthwhile?" Asher asked.
"Well. Abbot Maurice saw fit to send ye, if that's any indication. I'm surprised he was sober enough fer once to make a sound decision." Said the Skipper.
"Yes." Mara said, as she clasped her paws. "They've been terrorizing the western coast of Mossflower for moons now, and have evaded all punitive efforts so far. I'm… actually a little worried for my hares if we face them…"
"Sounds ta me like ye got no cause ta be! What I seen 'a the Long Patrol, pinnin' down a whole crew 'a cowards should be a cakewalk for even the greenest unit 'a hares!" Said the Skipper
"Y-Yeah… You're probably right… but… I don't know…" Mara said sheepishly.
"Sounds like a real vote of confidence, Mara!" Asher said with playful sarcasm. "There's really know need to worry! Reports say their ship's a brig? That's already a smaller crew size than our galleon! And we'll definitely outgun them too! How many bullets can a ragtag pirate crew really afford?" Asher said assuring her.
"But what if-" Mara began.
"Ah, you can bet yer wispy little tail we outgun them! Just look how new these guns are! Way better than the matchlocks we got back home at the holt!" Crash said, stepping over the badgermaid.
"I know right? Can thank the gunsmith moles at Redwall and Salamandastron for that!" The mouse said.
"Certainly saved our hides when the Juskas said 'hi' a season ago!" Said the otter
"Um… This doesn't-" Mara said, trying to get a word in.
"Ooooo! Do you remember how crazy it got once they started getting guns too near the end?" Asher remembered.
"Oh, it was hell! Sure it was even worse for them though when ye were able to field our holt's ships with bloody cannons though. Shelled 'em all ta Hellgates! Not a single camp could stand!"
"Yeeaah… I wasn't too excited about that part…"
Mara eventually decided she was not relevant to the conversation anymore and left. As their voices slowly trailed out of earshot she made her way to the helm and sat down on a bench near the wheel where a female hare in a captain's uniform is steering.
"G'day Commandah! How ya gettin' on?" The hare's joviality was palpable in the air.
"I'm fine, Felicius… Mostly. I'm just… Nervous, I suppose… About going into battle." Mara said, resting her chin in her palms.
"That would do. Should always be a wee bit nervous 'bout that sorta thing! Personally, I'm not worried for ya. You were one of the top officers out of the academy! Perfect scores on everything!"
"Yes, but that's just on paper. How do I know I won't freeze up when I have to lead a battle?"
"You won't! No one really knows how they'll react when they're in the thick of it till they actually get there! You've prepared and planned as much as you can! Anymore won't help ya, so just relax!"
"That's supposed to make me feel…? Well, actually I can kind of see your point… I suppose that helps a little. Thank you, Captain Felicius."
"Even if ya do end up being a joke of a leader, your hares will still know what they're doing. They'll get ya through this. They're right 'n good seasoned troops, wot! They know the pressures and rages of battle."
"Well that's comf-" Mara started, but was cut off once again.
"They know what it's like ta slay a vermin. That something you ever thought about, Commandah? How it would feel to kill ya first vermin? The look 'a sheer panic and terror on their faces as you plunge the blade in? Ta see 'em writhe in agony as ya twist?" Felicius said, her face adopting a lecherous, wistful smile.
"Uhh… no…? What is-"
"To relish in their suffering, knowing that every ounce of pain you inflict upon them is sweet vengeance for every innocent they've harmed? To hear 'em gasp out their last pitiful whimpers, their eyes pleadin' ya for a mercy that'll never come? To watch the life drain from those eyes as you drain the lifesblood from their body. It's just…" The hare shuddered for a moment. "Indescribable… the feeling…"
"...Aaand, this will make me a better leader?" Mara asked, confused.
"Wuh? Leader? Oh! Um… Sorry, what were ya worried about again?" Asked Captain Felicius, snapping out of her reverie.
"I'm… worried about someone else…"
"I'm sure they'll be fine! Hey, now! Looks like the sparras are returnin'!"
Two Sparra warriors materialized through the mists ahead of the ship's bow. They dove in tandem to the helm and landed hard on the rails.
"We sees ratworms what killee Sparra nests! We go! We killee now!" Fumed the larger of the two birds.
"Easy now, chap! You can't exactly rush in there with all their guns, wot wot!" Said Felicius.
The sparra frowned at this, but grunted in acknowledgement. The advent of firearms and their spread had been a massive problem for the Sparras. The vermin that hunted them no longer needed to learn how to use a bow to hunt them effectively, and it was now not uncommon for warbands or pirate crews to sweep entire communities of Sparras when resupplying. Sparras and many other types of birds have taken to living in woodlander communities and settlements for added protection.
"Just tell us where they are, and let us do our thing, and I promise ya that we'll let ya personally end any of the survivors in any way ya see fit…" The Captain's eyes flashed with a dark glint "any way ya see fit…"
The Sparra pointed a talon to about the ten o'clock position of the ship's bow.
"Jolly good, then! Ye should get ya beasts ready, Commandah. Bout to call general quarters." Felicius said, donning earplugs.
With a quick nod, Mara bounded off to ready her beasts as the captain barked out orders to her crew while she vigorously spun the wheel.
"ALL RIGHT, HARES! GET TA YER BATTLESTATIONS! WE GOT PIRATE SCUM DEAD AHEAD OF US!" The captain shouted as Felldoh's Veangence closed in on it's target through the dense fog.
xxx
"How are you staying so jovial in this situation?" An otter slave asked a shackled mole.
"Eh. Way Oi sees it, things tend t' bee workin' out 'n the end." Replied the mole who was lounging back with his head resting on his paws. He was an island of joyful serenity in the dismal ocean that filled the berthing. Some of the other slaves found themselves drawn to him. "Annit feels great not bein' whipped." he added.
"There ya go gushin' over that mink again…" said a hareslave from across the room.
"And Oi'll keep gushin' long as 'e keeps the' vittles comin'." The mole replied
"Can't you see that's just what he wants? He's treating us kindly to keep us docile! He's clearly an experienced slaver who knows what he's doing, and you're playing right into his paws!" Grimwald said, occasionally rubbing the fresh bruise on the side of his face.
"Mmm, Oi don't think 'e is." The mole said condescendingly.
"How would you even know!?" Growled Grimwald.
"Oi just do. Moler's intuition." The mole answered, struggling not to laugh afterward.
"You think this is a-!?"
"Grimwald, peace." Said a pious looking mouse in a gray habit. "Cornelius, you know vermin can not be trusted. In all historical recording, vermin who are- not even good, but merely harmless are few and far between. Whatever that mink's intentions are can only be far from benign."
"Burr, 'Few 'n far between' sounds loike 'more th'n zero' to Oi." The mole smugly retorted.
"The very fact that he is working with slavers should let you know all you need to know about him. Is that the kind of wager you'd want to make?" The pious mouse asked.
"Shore! Oi've always been a bit of a gamblin' moler!" Said Cornelius cheerfully.
"You're not even proposing we do anything!" Yelled Grimwald.
"Sometoimes th' way ya win is boi doin' absolutely nuthin'." The mole said, casually examining one of his claws with a smile.
"I'm with the badger. You sound delusional, mole." Said an oddly short, surly looking lagomorph.
"Ah! But me nose always be tinglin' when Oi'm bout to strike gold! Things'll be goin' 'ar way, I kin feel it! Why don't you'm use them badger foreseein' powers, eh? You'd be seein' wot Oi mean!" Cornelius said in a mocking tone.
Grimwald looked as if he'd burst a vessel. "We'll all be sold off at this rate! You wanna never see your home again, mole?! I've got two sons back home who need me! I say we all jump that mink for his key next time he shows up!"
"I'll be with ya this time, badger. You shoulda said you were plannin' to last time." The short leporine said.
"Why would he carry a key on him if he comes in alone like he has been?" Asked a fragile looking mouse.
"Yeah, it's stupid, but he does! And we can-" Grimwald began
The badger was cut off as the door opened and Hawker came in with a cutlass strapped to his back.
"Yew beasts really need ta keep the noise down when ye plot ta kill me." Hawker said.
Every beast in the room recoiled in silence. Every beast save for Cornelius.
"Hah! Everythin' ya heard's just a ruse t' cover th' real plan!" The mole mused.
"I hope it's better than the one we've been making, Neil. Not too thrilled with it as it stands." Hawker said, dropping his accent. He walked over to the mole and took a ring of keys off his belt. Cornelius held his wrists out and the mink unlocked his shackles.
The mole rubbed his wrists. "Ah, so we're finally starting then? Great. All that moletalk was even starting to grate on me. Damn cuffs chafe too…" Said Cornelius, dropping his accent as well.
The slaves all looked at Cornelius like he grew a second head, and a look of betrayal began to form on the face of another mole in the room. They were snapped out of their shock by Hawker's voice "I'm going to need all of you to stay calm. Things are about to get very intense. I'm going to unlock the rest of your chains, but you'll all need to keep them on until we're ready to get you. My associates and I will clear a path to the armory. We'll need your help in securing the ship's muskets and pistols. You'll need to follow our lead from there. Who among you are willing to shoot anybeast that gets in our way of escape?"
The slavebeasts blinked at Hawker and Neil. A hare piped up "Wh-what are you talkin' about?"
"Is this some kind of trick?" Said another hare.
"Ugh. Neil, we don't have time for their reasonable distrust." Hawker passed Cornelius the keyring. "Unlock these beasts and make sure they're prepared for a fight." He started making his way to the door. "There's going to be a fox dressed in all black and a big mute rat with a vest and bandana assisting us. Keep your eyes out for them." Hawker said to the slaves before leaving and closing the door behind him without locking it.
"Odds for my wager are looking pretty good, eh, mousie?" The mole chided, swinging the keyring on a claw.
Elsewhere on the ship, a tall rat approaches the armory guarded by two gunnersbeasts.
"Watcha doin there mate? Terrik, is it?" Asked one of the gunners, a weasel.
Tok nodded and made a quick series of gestures at the guards.
"Uh. Okay, well, Bilgemaw and I here thought yer performance up on deck really was great!" Said the weasel.
Tok smiled and made a gesture at the gunners.
"Why's 'e keep doin that, Thatcher?" Asked Bilgemaw, a sea rat. The door to the armory opened silently behind them.
"I thinks it's charades, Bilge! He's one a' them mute beasts! I thinks I heard 'im called 'Terrik the Tongueless!" Thatcher said.
"I thoughts he was 'Terrik the Squirrel'?" Bilgemaw said.
Tok rolled his eyes and nodded. A black clad fox creeped silently out of the armory holding some wire and a crossbow.
"Ooo ooo! Okay, watcha sayin' Terrie?" Asked Bilge excitedly.
Tok pointed to the gunners, made a gun motion with a paw, then dragged a claw across his own neck.
"Oh! He's saying we're gonna shoot n stab somebeast!" Offered Thatcher.
Tok made a "kinda sorta" gesture with his paw. A bolt sprouted from Bilgemaw's throat as the fox swiftly wrapped the thin wire around Thatcher's neck. The sea rat dropped to his knees clutching his throat as Thatcher thrashed about, pawing at the fox's arm uselessly. The weasel tried to grab a knife at his belt, only for the Fox to stomp the back of his knee and pull even tighter on the wire. The weasel soon went limp. Russell dragged the weasel into the armory. Tok followed him in carrying the dead sea rat. Russell closed the door, then drew a dagger and plunged it into the weasel's heart.
Inside the armory, Russell pulled out the dagger, wiping it off with a nearby rag. He opened an empty crate and hauled the weasel corpse in, then went to help Tok with the other body.
"Smooth sailing so far, huh?"
Tok nodded and flashed a few gestures at Russell.
"Yeah? Well they're slavers, I'm not really concerned with cruelty."
Tok made another series of gestures, rolling his eyes.
"Hey, my heads on straight! You're the one that never talks, ya bloody headcase!" The fox said
The rat flipped Russell off before throwing out another series of gestures while posturing questioningly.
"Yeah, Adriel should be poised to start the fire soon. I can keep this room secure. Go run to Hawker and tell him the guards are out of the way."
Tok enthusiastically saluted and took a step to leave the room as massive crash shook the entire ship. He eyed Russell with a worried expression.
"What in Hellgates was that?" Russell muttered nervously.
Tok pointed a thumb behind himself, indicating they should investigate as the ship started to roll and distant shouting could be heard.
The pair ran up to the weatherdecks into a chaotic scene. Beasts were running all about the decks, attempting to get to their battlestations, failing miserably as they were pinned down by a barrage of musket fire from a galleon adjacent to their ship. Tok shot Russell a worried look. "Welp! Guess we're playing it by ear!" Russell said, pulling some earplugs out of a pocket and putting them in.
With that Tok bolted off and began to climb the mast to his assigned station.
"Yew! Getcher yerself on a cannon to return fire, fox!" A stoat jill called out to Russell
"Aye aye, sah!" Russell exclaimed. Guess I'm a pirate now…
Hawker raced down the corridors below deck, trying to reach the slaves. The muffled shouting and cannon fire from above put him on edge. Damn hares! They're not even considering there might be slaves aboard! He thought. Hawker soon made it to the room housing the slaves and barged in. Their chains remained on but unlocked. Cornelius had been talking to the group, trying to keep them from panicking.
"What's going on?!" Asked the pious looking mouse.
"Change in plans, Brother Mavin. The Long Patrol is here." Hawker explained, closing the door behind him.
"The bally Long Patrol?! We're saved!" A hare exclaimed.
"Not necessarily… they're trying to sink us." Hawker said.
"Well we have to let them know we're here!" Said the badger sow.
"Under normal circumstances might help, Eira, but the Long Navy ship is captained by Caria Felicius…"
"Caria Equintus Servonia Felicius? Bloody Hellgates!" Said a hare.
"What? Is that a problem?" Asked Grimwald.
"She's off her bloody rocker, that one! She's likely to sink us hostages or not!" said the hare.
"Precisely… and revealing you beasts only helps us if the hares win the battle. These ships are pretty evenly matched. If they don't win, then the pirates will still have you, and they'll either know I helped you, or think I'm incompetent, and replace me with an actual taskmaster. My associates and I can shoot our way out, but we'd probably lose a lot of you in the process…"
"So, what's the plan then, Addi?" Cornelius inquired.
Hawker cringed and sharply inhaled. "As counterintuitive and stupid as it seems I think you all need to hang tight here a little longer."
"You've got to be kidding!" The badger bellowed.
"Look, it's relatively safer down here for the moment. If the room starts flooding, by all means run out to the weatherdecks, I'll just say I freed you to save our score. If the hares lose, we can reset and revise the plan. If they start winning, my associates and I will turn and start killing the pirate crew. With luck, the hare captain will see that as an opening to board us. I can tell Felicius about the slaves and grovel hoping she'll spare my life and my vermin associates as well. She probably won't, cuz we'd be vermin and turncloaks at that point. You'll all be safe, though." Hawker reasoned.
"And… you're fine with that?" Asked Brother Mavin.
"An occupational hazard in this line of work. This mission's been a mess from the word go. Chips will fall where they may at this point." Hawker replied. He turned to leave, but a small paw tugged on his shirt.
"Wait, um, Valkin? I believe I misjudged you. If indeed you are truly aiding us, I want to thank you for doing so, and at great risk to yourself." Said Brother Mavin.
"It's actually 'Hawker'. I'll thank you not to use it in pirate company." Hawker said.
"Yeah. Can't be giving these slavers real information, eh?" Neil says.
"Exactly. I'm heading upstairs. Grimwald, catch." Hawker said, and tossed the key to the boar.
"I'm locking the door on the off chance that any pirate might come in here. Use that key if you need to escape." Hawker said, and promptly left, closing and locking the door behind him.
Grimwald looked down into his paws at the door key and thought: What exactly are you playing at, mink…?
xxx
"Shouldn't we try to capture the ship?" Mara nervously asked.
"Waste 'a time. Nothing on that ship's worth salvaging. Best we sink 'em and not risk our men." Said Captain Felicius, spinning the wheel vigorously. Then she shouted to her crew. "RIGHTO, THEN! WE GIVE NO QUARTER! SEND THIS VERMIN FILTH STRAIGHT DOWN INTO THE DRINK!"
'Felldoh's Vengeance' sailed alongside the fleeing brigantine once again for another broadside pass.
"FIRE!" Shouted the crazed captain.
xxx
Russell crashed into the deck having been knocked off his feet from the thunderous force of the broadside blast. "Ugh… Hope we're still watertight…" Russell Groaned. Shaking the dizziness from his head he surveyed the other ship and saw the crew reloading their cannons for another barrage.
No quarter given huh…? Can't have that. Russell thought. He began to dash aft-ward, unslinging his musket as he ran. He dove to the floor narrowly avoiding a cannon ball that whizzed over him. Rolling and coming back into a run he reached the stairs leading to the aft upper deck and scrambled up. He tripped as he reaches the top, landing prone below the rails where a swivel gun is mounted and in front of a dusty furred fox also sheltering there from small arms fire. Dusttail glanced toward Russell.
"Who are yew?" Dusttail said.
"A stowaway, but I think we have other problems at the moment!"
"Fair point! These hares are too heavily armed! We have to get away, and I could take out their masts to do that if it weren't for those damn marksbeasts pinning us down!"
"Say no more! I'll take care of 'em!" Russell said, motioning with his musket.
Russell quickly peaked and assessed his targets before ducking back under the rails. He took a breath. Shoot to disable… and rose, still crouching, firing upon the hares on the adjacent ship.
xxx
Asher crouched low taking cover with Mara.
"Is it really wise that we should be so quick to sink them? We clearly have naval superiority in this situation." Asher shouted over the din of ordnance.
"Is the bleedin' heart abbeymouse whingin' about peace?! Typical! Ignore 'im and keep pourin' it on!" Felicius yelled from afar.
"They're not standing a chance, captain! Is all this really necessary?!" Asher pleaded.
"Ah, calm down!" said a hare musketeer. "The Cap'n knows what she's-ACK!"
The hare dropped to his knees clutching his arm.
"Damn! Stay l-" began another hare on a cannon before he was suddenly struck in the shoulder with another bullet and went down. Three more gunnerybeasts went down in quick succession.
xxx
"Seasons! That's amazin', stowaway! Where'd you get that rifle?" Dusttail excitedly said.
"Picked it up! Little busy, though!" Russell said as he quickly racked the lever and fired.
"How do you keep firing without reloading?"
"Tryin'a focus here!" Russell replied, ducking below the rails before repositioning himself and popped back up to return fire.
xxx
"The pirates are regaining their footing, Cap'n!" Said a hare musketeer.
"It's coz of that blasted fox! Would one of you kill him already?!" Shouted Felicius.
"I'll get him!" Cried an otter, as he jumped from cover and immediately was pegged in the arm, then the foot, befor he fell to the deck. A nearby Asher pulls him back into cover.
"Can't tell if that fox is a sharp shot or a terrible one. I'm pretty sure he's only hit limbs." Said the musketeer.
"Rrrr, enough of this!" Felicius said, and popped out of cover, immediately aiming her pistol and firing it at Russell. Russell, seeing her rise dashed to the left, narrowly avoiding her line of fire, and answered back with a shot of his own, shooting the pistol right out of the hare captain's paw. He quickly racked the lever as Felicius briefly blinked before another shot whizzed right over her head, knocking her hat off.
Russell winked and saluted at her and then continued to pepper the hares with his oppressively accurate coverfire. Asher tackled the dumbfounded Felicius below cover.
"Are you alright, Captain? Are you hit?" Asher worriedly asked
"He winked at me! He shot my bally hat off and winked at me!" Felicius said in indignant disbelief.
"Captain, what should we do?" cried Mara.
"We need ta focus our fire on that fox and take him out! He's carrying their whole offensive!" Felicius said.
"Looks like a few of Mara's hares are on their way to do just that." Said the hare musketeer pointing to a group of four hares getting ready to swing across from one of the mast platforms.
"What!? Tell em ta get down from there!" Felicius demanded.
"Bit late Cap'n, they're already halfway across." Said the musketeer.
xxx
I can't shoot them or they'll drown… Russell thinks, eyeing the hares swinging over. He disregarded them and switched targets. The front most hare lept off the rope and landed on a crewbeast rat, plunging his sword through his skull. The other three hares land shortly after as the first hare drew a pistol and fired at a cannon beast who dropped immediately. The other hares began tearing into other nearby crewbeasts and the first pulled his sword free from the rat's skull and charged toward a tall mink.
The hare reeled back as his blow was parried and the mink delivered a palm strike to the hare's throat in the opening created. Hawker jumped back to avoid the stroke of another hare and blocked and parried a following series of blows. The hare managed to successfully knock away Hawker's guard and seizd the opportunity to thrust at the mink's unguarded chest. Hawker dodged and grabbed the hare's wrist, wrenching it away and swiped with his sword across the hare's throat with his other arm. The hare went limp from the shock and quickly dropped like a stone.
"CEDRIC!" Cried the hare Hawker throat struck as he charged the mink from the side. Hawker turned to receive the hare as the two clash. With blades locked in the bind, Hawker met the hare's furious gaze with a remorseful look before pushing the hare back and breaking the clash.
Back aft Russell continues to match the Long Patrol in the shoot out. Dusttail tapped him to get his attention.
"Hey, Stowaway! Make yer way forward while ye shoot! Get to a cannon there and aim fer a mast! It's time we lose these hares!"
"Okay!" Russell replied before darting forward, occasionally turning to shoot without breaking stride.
As Russell drew their attention, Dusttail swiftly moved down the stairs to a cannon. He aimed for the main mast and fired, and a chunk of the mast goes flying.
"Our mast's hit Cap'n!" Shouted a hare to Felicius.
"It's still functional! Who still has eyes on the fox! We need to take him out before-"
"He's over on that cannon, Cap'n" Said the hare.
Felicius spots Russell aiming the lit cannon at her ship's main mast and with a blast a cannonball is sent screaming at them, impacting against the cannonball lodged in the mast and sending it straight through. The mast begins to slowly tip and the break away, crashing down into the ocean while the Festering Return begins to peel away.
You won't be drowning any slaves today, Felicius… Russell thought, as he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He started scanning the deck, looking for Hawker and saw him expertly holding off two hares as one kneeled wounded behind them. Hawker parried and disarmed one of them and kicked the hare across the deck, sending him crashing back first into the rail next to his wounded ally and slumped over. Hawker brings up his guard once again to block a strike from the other hare and wrenched the hares blade away with sheer brute force alone, sending it flying out of the hare's paw. The hare is shot soon after and Hawker turns to glare at Dusttail toting a smoking pistol.
The hare sitting against the rail looks up to see his fallen comrade and the messy hole left in his head. "Theron…" The hare lamented softly, and shifted his focus to the approaching mink brandishing his cutlass. The hare winced as he rose to his feet and stands protectively in front of the wounded hare.
"I wanna go home, Elias…" said the injured hare.
"Just hang in there Fisk, I'll get us out of this…" Elias assured.
"Just surrender, lad. It's over." Hawker said calmly, sheathing his sword.
"Like we'd ever give you the satisfaction, blighter!" The hare snaps back.
The hare dashes in toward Hawker, throwing a swift straight punch directly at the minks face, only for it to be caught by Hawker. Hawker squeezed the hares fist making him wince and followed up with a haymaker to his head, knocking the hare to the deck. The hare's vision swam as he saw a blurry figure walking by who stopped and shot his wounded comrade.
"F-FISK-ACK-!" A footpaw slammed onto the hare's throat cutting off his breathing. The pressure is lifted as Hawker punched Dusttail in the muzzle making the fox stumble back.
"Ye stupid mutt! We coulda added those two hares to the score! Yer throwin' gold away!" The mink shouted.
"Screw you, Valkin! No amount of gold from these beasts will repair the ship or bring back the beasts they killed!" Dusttail snapped back.
"Gold literally will get the ship repaired, ye daft bastard! And captives are under my charge!"
"How much d'ye think ye kin get for this one. He's not one that's worth breakin'! An he'll slit yer gullet when given the chance!"
"Only an issue if yer bad enough at yer job to give 'im that chance. Unlike yor worthless craven hide, I don't intend to give 'im that chance!"
"Soft coward like yew's bound to! It's a miracle there hasn't been a revolt already the way yew drive 'em!"
"I seem soft to a simpleton like yew cuz they learn not to resist very quickly. Cocky beast like yerself wouldn't last a day under my lash."
"Hah! Y'mean the lash you don't use anymore?"
"I'm sick 'a yew constantly meddlin' in my work!"
The bang of a pistol echoed through the air, and the arguing beasts turned to the captain lowering his smoking gun.
"Shut it, the lot a ya! Valkin's right, Dusttail, I put him in charge 'a captives, and they ain't give us no trouble since. And strong beasts like this hare fetch a good price. If he feels he can handle 'em, I trust him." Blackblade said.
The hare started to rise as his head began to clear. "What do ya mean by price?!"
"Yer a slave now, bucko" Said the Captain, hitting him on the back of them head and sending the hare back to his paws and knees. "Lest ye wanna join yer friends at the bottom 'a the sea?" He said as he motioned toward some crewbeasts dumping the dead hares over the side.
The hare growled and snapped "I'll never serve the likes of you blighters! We'll sto-" Elias is interrupted as Hawker knelt down to slam his face into the deck. The mink grabbed the hare by the ears and raises him up to eye level.
"We'll see about that." Hawker said evenly.
Rising with the hares ears still grasped, Hawker tossed the hare to the ground in front of the crewbeasts gathered around. "Nothing permanent, boys. Gotta retain market value." Hawker instructed and the pirates closed in.
Elias tried to fight back but was quickly overwhelmed from multiple sides. Swept off his paws and knees, he was quickly showered in the strikes of several sets of footpaws. At some point two beasts grab the hare and hold him up. Elias momentarily regained his bearings and opened his eyes to see a fist sailing toward him, and the left side of his face exploded in pain. The pine marten in front of him wasn't done however as he repeatedly wailed on the hare like a living punching bag. One of the beasts holding Elias, a fox with an eyepatch, then drove his knee into the hare's back and seized his head, slamming the back of his skull into the deck.
Russell watched smiling blankly as the pirate crew laid into the hare. The shoe's going to be on the other foot very soon. All of you slaver scum will get yours… Russell thought vehemently.
"Enjoyin' the show, stowaway?" Came Dusttail's voice, giving Russell a start.
"Yeah, you could say that." Russell said.
"Well, seems it's about the get even more interestin'." Dusttail said.
A searat nudged some of the other crew out of the way of the floored hare and drew his cutlass.
"This one's fer Visker, ya long-eared bastard!" Said the sea rat. He grabbed Elias' left ear, yanked it up and pressed the blade to the middle of the ear. Hawker saw this and immediately began to protest.
"Skringe! I said nothin' perma-!" Hawker shouted.
Elias screamed in agony as the sea rat, Skringe, sawed away at the ear. He thrashed about in the grip of his captors to no avail, as tears began to stream down his face, the blade steadily making its way through the tissue.
The sea rat yanked at the ear, severing the remaining strand of flesh connecting the top half. The rat dangled the piece of his ear in front of Elias' face before tossing it over his shoulder and punching the crying hare between the eyes as the surrounding crewbeasts laughed and jeered at the hare.
"N-n- s-stop!" Elias begged as the sea rat began reaching for the base of his other ear before every beast was halted by the resounding crack of a pistol firing.
"OI! CUT THAT SHIT!" Hawker roared, arm raised to the sky with pistol in paw, top half of the severed ear in the other paw. He stomped over to the group and pushed the rat away, bowling over several beasts in the process. He looked down at the bloodied hare. He was breathing heavily as he clutched the remaining half of his ear as blood steadily flowed out.
"Lettum have their fun. He killed three of our crew, Why do ye even care?" Dusttail said.
"Watcha think choppin' 'is ear off will do to the price we'll get, ye stupid mutt?!"
"He lost his ear in battle, that's hardly our fault." Dusttail said sarcastically.
Hawker narrowed his eyes at the dusty furred fox. "Terrik! Get dow- Ah!" Tok dropped down from the masts above right next to the mink, startling him. "Ge- ugh… Get this 'are outta here an stitch 'em up! There's dressin' in me quarters!" Hawker said, shoving the piece of severed ear into Tok's paws. Tok saluted and lifted the hare bodily. Elias weakly protested as the rat carried him inside.
"'E bleeds out, and we lose a sale, and any potential intelligence on 'is crew. Stupid beasts like yew and Skringe would do well ta consider that." Hawker said.
"Yer just soft on the woodbeasts and everyone knows it! Only a matter 'a time 'fore they revolt with the way you ye coddle 'em!" Said Dusttail.
"I'm with Valkin on this one. No point in wastin' good vittles on the beast if yer just gonna beat the value out of 'im. There's not been a hint of rebellion since Valkin took over drivin', so I'll hear no more'a this, Dust." Blackblade calmly declared. Folding his arms, Dusttail looked away, mumbling in begrudging acknowledgement.
"By yer leave Cap'n, I'd like ta work on… "indoctrinating" the rabbet." Hawker asked.
The Captain dismissed Hawker with a wave before setting his sights on Russell who was attempting to slink off after the the excitement was over.
"Now then! Yew there, fox! Who are ya? What are ye doin' on my ship?" Blackblade said accusingly.
Looks like it's your turn, Russell. Russell thought. "Ripfang, Sah! Stowed away, I did! Was hitchin' a ride to the next port, sah!" Russell said, snapping into character. Dusttail raised an eyebrow at the mention of the name.
"What makes yew think ye kin stowaway on my ship?" The rat captain asked menacingly.
"N-not getting c-caught…?" Russell answered timidly. "Woulda worked iffen them hares didn't come knocking, heh heh…"
"Well, yer caught now, runt. Gimme a reason not ta gut yew or toss ye in with the slaves."
I'm like a head and a half taller than you, but whatever… Thought the rogue fox before trying to think up a nervous reply, when Dusttail suddenly chimed in.
"Ah, c'mon, Cap'n! Y'musta seen the runt in action! Turned the tide'a that whole fight! We're missin' out if we don't bring a set of eyes like that into the crew!" Reasoned Dusttail.
Again with the 'runt comments. We're the same height…
"Yeah! We'd probably be sunk by now if it weren't for his shootin'!" Said Skringe.
There was a general murmur of agreement from the crew as Blackblade pensively rubbed his chin.
"Hmmmm… Whaddaya think, Fletcher? Should we let the runt join us? Or toss em in with the slaves?"
"What I wanna know is how he's lasted so long without us noticin' 'em. We've been out here fer weeks." Said the stoat jill.
Smart one aren't you? I'm killing you first.
"Bugger's probably been stealin' vittles. That, or somebeast's taken a fancy to 'em. And the only beast coming to his defense is yew Dusttail!"
"What!?" Dusttail said in shock.
"A-actually, that kindly Grosspots said he'd slip me vikkles if I be'd his sea-wife…" Russell "confessed". Sea-wife!? Why is that the first place my mind went?! He thought.
Every pirate present turned their heads and the beasts around the small fat rat parted as the crew stared at Grosspots in exasperation.
"We should toss his arse in the brig!" Dusttail suggested.
"WHAT?! NOOOOOOO! HE STEAL ME VIKKLES! HE VIKKLES GHOST!" The rat screamed in protest.
"I don't like either one of yew. But I need a cook and we need some able paws since these hares are hunting us. Dusttail and Fletcher will give ye something to keep yew two freaks away from each other."
Might as well go with it if they're buying it… "K-Keep us away? Let's not get too hasty, now!" Russell said, fully leaning into his facade, but quickly shuts up as Blackblade levels his black blade at Russell's throat.
"Not another word fox! Just because you got lucky with these hares doesn't mean you're out of the woods yet. Work and ye'll live until we make landfall. Any other tricks and I'll turn ye into a coat!"
With a gulp Russell nods his head in feigned fright. "Y-ye- Aye aye, Cap'n!"
"Good. Dusttail, Fletcher, take charge! I want the deck cleared and the damage surveyed. I'll be in me cabin rechartin' our course." Blackblade said.
"Aye, Cap'n." Dusttail and Fletcher said in unison.
The pirates disbursed to begin their work as Dusttail and Fletcher began to assign beasts to various tasks. Russell was sent to sweep away debris with a small group of crewbeasts.
I had a whole persona I spent crafting over this entire month, and it just gets brutally murdered by Ripfang the Sea-Quean… You will all suffer for this… Russell's thoughts were interrupted as he was passed a broom that a rat passed to him, he recognized the rat as the one who took the captive hare's ear, Skringe. Especially you…
Footnote:
Hey, everyone. This is my first foray into serious story writing. I'm more use to writing scripts for animations, so habits I got from that lead me to make a bunch of errors and inconsistencies in tense-usage. I scanned the whole file before posting, so hopefully I got them all. Anyway, I found that Redwall has a rich enough world that you can tell any number of stories using it's setting. Before we continue I want to go over a few things.
I'm writing this in part because I had a problem with the constant species-prejudice that was latent in the books that everyone and their mother sets out to correct in this fandom. The way that certain beasts are in Redwall are somewhat informed by the perceptions from old European folklore of the personalities of the animals it depicts. e.g., foxes are cunning and treacherous, rats are dirty and evil, ect. In the case of Mossflower, I'm going to play this (mostly) straight, but on the titular "Feral Isles" I want to make the in-universe stereotypes and cultural attributes be more in line with what we actually observe from these animals in the wild, in domestic settings and in laboratory settings.
In Redwall it seems to me like only some of the creatures on the woodlander side get any advantages from their species. Like how squirrels are good at climbing, moles good at digging, and otters good at swimming. The vermin don't seem to really get anything like this (I think wildcats may have had something but I can't remember), if I recall correctly, so I'll also be giving the vermin their species-appropriate advantages they should have had to start with.
Another thing is that this is taking place further in the future than usual for a Redwall story. Technologically, they're in about the 15th century, ± a hundred years or so. I felt like it would be a nice change of pace, and the technology will be plot relevant later. Needless to say that this means the story is taking place chronologically after Rogue Crew.
Russell's gun was based off the Kalthoff Repeater, which was designed around the 1630s. It wasn't often seen because such fine work was only done be skilled and well to do craftsmen like the Kalthoff family.
I want to end every chapter with a neat factoid about animals that was related to something in the story. Since it's just the first chapter this will be a simple one everyone knows. Leporines (rabbits and hares) have exceptional hearing. rabbits in particular can hear frequency ranges from 360 to 42,000 hz. Hares (or any other animal with exceptional hearing.) would have a vested interest in donning hearing protection if they care at all about preserving it in an area with dozens of cannon's going off, hence the mention.
That should be everything. The second part of the prologue is already 98% complete so it should be going up soon as well. Bye for now.