Back to the Seas

[Songwind and Brawn Oakbrush.]

**Songwind grinned ruefelly. Her stunning brown eyes stared at the calming motion of the waves as they rustled around the ship. She gestured to her healers pack, and then pointed at one of the many small cabins that were all over the ship.** HE went to unpack. Its so lovely out. Maybe I'll get him to join me....

[Commander Marie and Will]

OOC: Alright, if I miss someone in my post, please forgive me. ^^ I just returned from Disney, so I'm trying to catch up on things... I'll post in a bit, but I thought I'd just let y'all know that I'm back and working on it. =)

EDIT: Okay, mild autohit on Rosie here. ^^;; Sorry.

BIC: *Will's alert gaze wandered across the deck of the ship as he stood silently at Marie's shoulder, taking in the various creatures aboard. There there were representatives of both good- and vermin-kind, with members of highly varied species, from sea rats to otters, foxes to hares. One hare in particular, actually. The dark-eyed mouse returned Rinafera's waved greeting with a kind smile and a friendly nod, though he was mildly apprehensive as he recalled the disturbances involving his comrade. How would he do on such a mixed-crewed vessel?

His attention was quickly returned to his current situation as Rosemary, Marie's friend since their days as Dibbuns in Redwall Abbey, approached and addressed the general assembly in her usual vociferous manner. Equal parts annoyance and amusement played on Will's face at the shrew's antics: annoyance at her flippant nature, which so contradicted his own sturdiness, and amusement at her highly unique personality, which he found desirable in a friend. Darter's response spoke much of his pleasure at seeing both Marie and Rosie. Will smiled slightly, too modest to assign any of that pleasure to his arrival, and returned to studying the ship and its crew.*

Right! Glad ter see yer all ‘ere. Glad ter see yer comin’, Rosie, we’re on an adv’nture indeed. Out ter seas, mate!

We're plenty glad ter be 'ere, ah kin tell y'tha'! *Marie grinned with delight at the thoughts spurred by Darter's words -- a sea adventure! And her friend Rosie was coming to boot. Happily, the short Northerner hooked an arm about the even shorter shrewmaid's shoulders and squeezed.* Rosie m'gel! Ah'm so very glad t'see y'ere! Ah was 'fraid y'weren't gonna make et. *Joy and pleasure were clear in Marie's actions and words, revealing her sisterly affection for the shrew. Although Rosemary Hazelnutt was about five seasons her junior, she'd found a kindred spirit in the fiery lass, and as such had always considered herself as having a steady friend in Rosie.*

Lissen up! I’ll appoint th’ positions now. M’rie Yewbow’ll be first mate, an’ Tasna second. Finnerator is lookout, Songwind official ship’s medic and if Rosie doesn’t mind I’d like ter appoint ‘er to th’ post of ship’s cook. Right, mates! Let’s git goin’, then! Hoist th’ anchor, cut th’ ropes! Raise th’ sail!

First Mate, eh? Jes' like ol' times. *Releasing her embrace on her friend, the golden-furred mouse trotted past Darter, tossing her haversack against the opposite side of the boat. Brushing a paw through her headfur, thick because of her Northern heritage, she glanced around at the crew. Songwind and Rinafera seemed to be somewhat lost in their own thoughts and conversations, despite Finnerator's urging them to get a move on. Stalking across the deck, she waved an authorative paw towards the hare and the squirrel, motioning towards the anchor line.* 'Oy! Yew two'd best make yerselves useful, or yew'll be findin' yerself in quite a spot o' trouble, got it? We're gonna need everybeast's 'elp t'get this beauty out o' port. Work on 'oistin' th'anchor, why don't yeh?

...M'rie?

Yeh? *The Highlander turned at the tap on her shoulder, to see her mate standing somewhat awkwardly behind her. He smiled gently and waved a vague paw around the ship.*

Wot's mah task then, marm?

Oh, righ'... *Marie paused thoughtfully, remembering that Will was a novice at seafaring, and so would be a bit lost at first. She was confident that he would catch on quickly, and rightly so, but she knew he needed to be pointed in the right direction.* Right then, why don' yew 'elp these two 'oist th'anchor. Ah'll go 'elp raise the sail, so jes' find meh if y'need somethin', or the Cap'n'll be sure t'elp yeh. *Will nodded his comprehension, and Marie started towards the side of the boat, where the rope securing the ship to the dock was. Glancing over her shoulder, she nodded towards her discarded haversack.* Stow yer luggage o'er there, so y'kin get t'work; we'll move it b'low decks after we're off.

*Seeing her mate wave his understanding and move towards her haversack, Marie turned back to the work at paw, satisfied that he would get the hang of ship-handling quickly. With a powerful heave for such a small creature, the harvest mouse grasped the thick line, untied the knot securing it to the boat, and tossed it to shore. The ship drifted gently away, moved by the currents. Turning, her quick gaze caught sight of Finnerator as she undid the ropes securing the sails to the mast, and the harvest mouse nodded approvingly as the sails billowed down like white clouds. With quick, confident strides, she hurried forward and caught the rope connected at the bottom of the sail. She yanked it to the side of the ship, where she endeavoured to connect it to the railing.

As Marie was thus occupied, Will was busy teaching himself the ways of the ship. While he set his haversack down beside Marie's, his gaze took in everything that was going on. Marie and Finnerator seemed to be most on top of things; everyone else seemed somewhat lost. Strangely apprehensive at not being the only novice at sailing on the voyage, the harvest mouse trotted back towards Rina and Song. Hailing them with a curt nod, he stepped towards the anchor rope, and hesitated. It seemed simple enough -- pull the rope until the anchor is on the ship. But still... He was just uncertain enough to glance back at the others.* Er, I don' s'pose either o' ye kens 'ow this works?

OOC: I know, like, nothing about ships. >> So just correct me if I do something wrong, and forgive me if my terming is somewhat vague... XD Marie's the one with the sailing experience, not me. Hehe...

[Songwind and Brawn Oakbrush.]

**Song saw the Harvest mouse approaching her and tore sad eyes away from the foaming sea. She smiled a little, then showed her slight authority on the subject. ** You spin this wheel 'ere.

[Shadow-Risk & Rosemary]

Right, Capt'n! **A smug, eager grin illuminated Rosie's face. Subconciously, she had assumed that she would be elected as official chef; and containing the pride and pleasure in her assigned duties with difficult.** Well, this is gunna be a bonny g'ud voy'ge, Hazelnutt!

**As soon as the luggage was hauled aboard, she intended to scurried off anxiously for the galley. However, she was stopped by the young Yewbow couple.** Aye, aye... **A mutter was all the sprightly shrew could fit in before the pair of kind mice shuffled off. Hm. Nice likkle match, those two. Marie sure 'as been a bit unpredict'ble lately, though... T'is odd. One day th' lass'll be as sour an' crisp as a pickled cucumber--an' th' next she'll be gentl'r th'n a summ'r breeze. Shrugging off the thoughts, the shrew continued her search for the kitchen quarters.

It didn't take too long to find the ship's galley--as Rosie /did/ have some experience on boats. The Sea Patrol--then led by Trillium Moonstripe, an equally kind and firm badgermaid--had traveled in ships occasionally, scouting out the shoreline for any threats to Mossflower's peace. The galley on this currently nameless ship was spacious enough, although in poor condition.** G'ud grief! Verm'n need ta learn ta pick up aft'r themselves! **A fearsome scowl dominated her face as she stuck her fists on her hips indignately.** Well, this place ain't in no condition ta be workin' in, so Ah sup'ose Ah'll 'ave ta clean it up a bit 'fore Ah cook th' crew up a light breakfast.

**Selecting a rather dusty broom from a cramped pantry, Rosie set out to work dutifully. The place was filthy--covered in a layer of dirt, dust, and some cobwebs. After a good amount of vigorous cleaning by the fiercely determined shrew, the galley began to shape up. Although not exactly spotless, the kitchen was in much better of shape by the time the broom had done its job. This place needs a g'ud scrubbin' an' moppin', but there'll be time fer that lat'r. Right now Ah need ta cook up s'um grub fer those daft beasts 'oo fergot ta fill up their stom'chs b'fore they came.

The old, but workable wood stove was fired up, and the inticing smell of lemon and spiced scones filled the galley. Scones an' jam ought ta be g'ud enough fer a light meal. Exploring the pantry goods further, Rosie evaluated how much food she had to work with, and how much she would have to ration. Well, t'is nothi'n bloomin' impressive, but it'll do.**

[Fishtail Dirkslash]

*Fishtail nodded in acknowledgement when Darter answered his question. The searat knew that the otter had made the voyage open to anyone, but still, it felt better to have direct permission. The last thing Fishtail needed was an enemy. So far, he'd managed relatively well to avoid them, but one never knows. With that, the black-furred rat had turned to further explore the ship. He looked up at the furled sails, grinning at the power the ship would get at full sail. The more he looked around him, the more he knew that the voyage would be a good one. Slave ships were built to last and there weren't many other ships that could match them in a fight*

*It wasn't long before Darter gave the orders. Fishtail listened carefully, putting names and positions with the faces. The searat was surprised that Tasna was named second mate, but shrugged it off, figuring that she may be more experienced that he had thought. The searat didn't expect to recieve an officer's position and therefore wasn't disappointed when his name wasn't called. He had always served as a man before the mast and never really wanted to be anything more*

*After the orders were given, Fishtail immediately got to work. He strode confidently over to the anchor to bring it up, knowing that they couldn't go anywhere without first hoisting it. When he reached the anchor he found a couple of beasts milling around it looking rather confused* Well, are we goin' to 'oist this or not? *The searat asked them without really expecting a response. He already knew the hare to be rather uppity and unused to hard work and the squirrelmaid didn't look much tougher than he. Fishtail still wasn't sure about the mouse, but judging from the look on his face, he didn't know very much about ships either. It looked like Fishtail would have to handle this situation with the officers already busy*

Alrigh' then. This 'ere is called th' capstan. *He told them gesturing with one paw towards the cylindrical object with wooden poles sticking out of it* If ye wan' to pull up th' anchor, then ye turn it. Now it'll take more'n one beast, so we 'ave t' work together. *Fishtail said. He was trying to tell the other beasts how to help without sounding condenscending, but it was a bit hard for him, having grown up and lived by the sea all his life. It was difficult for him to grasp the landlubbers' attitudes* Y'understand? *The searat asked as he grabbed one of the poles and got behind it, hinting that they should do the same*

(OOC: I don't know very much about sailing, but I'm pretty sure I got it right. Just tell me if I'm wrong.)

[Tasna and Willowtail Riverend]

*Tasna looked over at Fishtail* I better help him. Everyone else seems too busy. *The otter walked over to the rat and put a paw on the capstan* Yes I know what this is and what is does. *She turned around* And Fishtail's right. We won't be gojng anywhere if we don't get this up.

OOC: I'm not familiar with sailing either. But I'm trying my hardest.

[Mary Narai]

OOC: Kryshana's at my house again, so I'll say for both of us, we don't know anything about ships, 'xept 'Shana over there knows the basic layout of one.
And I have to go, so I'll modify this later with an RP. See ya!

[Scratchfur]

*After giving a bit of a hand with hauling in the anchor via the capstan to allow the ship the ability to drift off from the dockyards, Scratchfur stood back and, leaning a paw against a nearby siderail, gazed backways to the ever slowly shrinking dockyard and settlement. Putting a paw ontop of his hat to keep it in position, he let the wind play with the bottom edges of his coat, making it ripple slightly as if wanting to copy the slight movements of the sea below.
Nodding approvingly at the sight, he let out a slight, but amused sigh of happiness. It had been a while since he had last been aboard a ship of any such size to rival even that of a small row-boat. But even then, both basically ran off the same principles, which made things that much simpler to handle after not setting paw upon a real deck for quite the while.
After spending a minute or so reflecting upon these wonders and the excitement of voyaging off again, Scratchfur came back to the present reality. Peering across the deck of the now moving and slightly shifting ship, he noticed that most of the other beasts were all heading towards some duty or another. Gazing across the ship a few times, he looked toward the different areas, assessing the situation of how each station was being filled by members of the crew. Not seeing any area that directly needed to be addressed, the sea rat decisively decided to take a strole down to the storage area, curious about what stores were being held for the ship and crew.*

[Rinafera Woxwitty III]

*Rinafera nodded back to Songwind, and quietly strolled away. He took in the magnificence of the grand ship, and rea,ized for the first time it was a slaver. Tasna and Songwind might have had a problem, but the hare locked people up in Salamandastron. Not innocent beasts, but atleast he did. There were a lot of familiar faces from the Fort, and Sratchfur had shown up also. Mary, Darter, Songwind, Brawn, Marie, and even Willem. The thought of losing this feeling was agonizing. But he soon did. Turning, he found another. Kryshana was on the ship, and probably seeking the 'rabbit.' Rinafera did not care too much, and walked over to Scratch fur.*

Hey, m'bucko! Its a great bally ship, wot! An old flippin' slaver, doncha know!

[Tasna and Willowtail Riverend]

*After the anchor was raised, Tasna turned from the capstan and decided to just stare at the water until a she had a real order on what she should do. The ottermaid leaned against the railing. Shr looked arounda tthe ship, admiring its massive size. The thought of it being a slave ship took away from it a bit. Tasna shrugged off the fact. It was alright. At least it wasn't used for that purpose anymore. She walked down to check on the hold. As long as she was here she might as well see if any carpentry was needed*

[Songwind and Brawn Oakbrush.]

**Song left the scene hesitantly. She went over to Darter to question him.** Where do I set up for um...healing...

[Scratchfur]

A sla'er, ye say? Ma'es a bi' o' sense, aye. Don' see some o' these thin's 'roun' bout re'ular shi's, eh matey?
*As he was saying this, Scratchfur held up a whip that he seemed to have found lying somewhere along the deck. Sniffing it, he recoiled suddenly, making a nasty face toward it.*
Still 'as the smell o' some poor bea'ts 'ide 'n bloo' on it.
*Pitching it over the side, he watched as it made a small splash in the water, sinking slowly beneath the somewhat choppy surface. Nodding in satisfaction at being rid of such vileness, Scratchfur turned around to Rinafera and smiled warmly.*
'M 'eadin' down to'ar's the stor's o' this shi'. D'yer wan's te join in me liddle ques', shi'mate?

[Commander Marie and Will]

OOC: Well, we'd best get this thing re-started if we ever plan on finishing the voyage. Try to keep posting, guys!

BIC: *Fishtail's struggle with the condescending tone of his voice was not lost on Will, who quickly caught on, silently taking his place at the capstan and helping to turn it. As he strained against the wooden pole, lending his weight to the others'. While he did so, he carefully observed Fishtail from behind. The rat clearly had experience with ships; something in the way he carried himself made it obvious that he was comfortable and confident on the sea. Although needled at this reminder of his own lack of knowledge, the harvest mouse refused to let it show, cooly focusing on the work at paw. Once the job had been completed, the anchor dripping with water and tangled in some seaweed, but clearly above water, Will relaxed, leaning against the pole. After a moment of rest, he straightened and hailed Fishtail, nodding his thanks.* Hey, Fishtail, wasn't it? Thank ye for the help. I'm afraid this is my first time on a ship, so I haven't much experience.

*Leaning on the pole between them with one elbow, the Guardian extended a formal paw, offering a pawshake.* I'm Will Yewbow, one o' the Guardians of Mossflower.

Huh, well, ah s'pose we've 'bout done everythin'. *Marie straightened as she connected the last of the sail ropes, glancing around the ship to double-check. Anchor raised, line tossed, sails unfurled... Had Darter named a navigator? Someone had better get on that rudder, or they were never going to make it out of the harbor. She considered choosing some random beast, but quickly thought better of it. Better check with Dart first, make sure he ain't got someone in mind. Whirling around, she spotted the tall, young otter and trotted over, raising a scarred paw to hail him, her boots thumping with comforting familiarity on the deck.* Cap'n! Are yew gonna navigate, or 'ave yew appointed s'm'ne else? If we don' get this crew movin' soon, we're gonna run ashore b'fore we get out t'sea.

[Fishtail Dirkslash]

*The searat grunted as he helped turn the capstan to lift the heavy anchor. As he toiled, Fishtail took note of the other beasts around him, trying to figure out what they were all like. The mouse he'd noticed before caught on quickly and helped out without a word. Tasna also pitched in willingly, the searat observed, as did another rat whom he did not know. The searat was heartened to see that there was good number of these willing and able beasts. With a few turns of the capstan, the anchor was hauled up out of the water, freeing the ship to leave the harbor*

*Unfortunately, not everyone seemed willing to help. Fishtail already had a poor opinion of a certain hare from the night before, but the creature made matters worse by his conduct on the ship. The hare didn't even pretend that he was being useful. The searat didn't appreciate it at all when Rinafera silently walked away, leaving the other beasts to work at the anchor. Fishtail was interrupted in his musings by the mouse*

Hey, Fishtail, wasn't it? Thank ye for the help. I'm afraid this is my first time on a ship, so I haven't much experience. I'm Will Yewbow, one o' the Guardians of Mossflower.

*The searat turned to him and nodded* Aye, Fishtail Dirkslash. An' there's no need t' thank me. I'm just as anxious to get goin' as any other beast on this ship. *He said with a grin as he accepted the paw and shook it firmly* Pleased t' meet ye, Will.