|
Post by Carrow on Apr 10, 2010 19:51:32 GMT -5
"Ah, well, I'm 150, so that means we won't be all that far apart, and that suits me just fine as you can imagine," Cerinus replied with a smile as he followed along beside his friend. It seemed that he was in for a bit of a tour - another thing the mouse quite liked.
"Two decks down, you say? Alright, you can lead the way then," he told his companion. His brown eyes strayed upwards to the mizzenmast as he took in where he would be spending a bit of his time on duty. He was no great lover of heights in all honesty, but Carrow was rapidly beginning to overcome all kinds of fears.
He nodded at the creatures they passed as they made their way down the stairs, remembering that even though it was quite easy to be swept up in, and captivated by, all these new things, he must remember his manners. He smiled at those who passed him as he padded his way down the stairs to the upper gundeck, by now having dropped just a little behind Caden.
He knew there'd be little to see here, as they were unwelcome jacks up at this level, but still he took in Caden's words; it was useful for him to know something about each area on board. He followed his friend down to the lower gundeck, and grimaced as the stench of the bilgewater hit his nostrils. He didn't need to say anything in response to that, but he nodded when the mustelid suggested they'd get used to it. They'd have to.
At Caden's suggestion, the rodent had his eyes facing the gundeck. He looked up, and found to his surprise that his berth was literally just to the left of him. Right, well, that's that sorted. He smiled at this, and his smile grew when Caden told him how close by he'd be. The pine marten was looking around him now, studying his surroundings. Carrow took a brief moment to do the same.
"Hey I'm gonna go and get changed and get up on deck. I'll go back there and check out the gunroom. Why don't you find your berth and get changed too? I'll meet you out here OK? I won't be more'n a few minutes." Truth be told, the wood mouse had been slightly lost in thought, but he nodded at this, and was about to reply when he saw Caden had already left.
Oh well. I'll see him soon I guess, he thought. And now we get down to the delicate matter of... changing... in... publiiic... Oh, tails and whiskers! He sighed resignedly. Well, here's another thing I'll just have to get used to, I suppose. Thinking on his paws, he bolted in between two cannon, smiling a little as he noticed that even though it wasn't exactly the most sheltered spot he could have picked , there were relatively few creatures nearby.
The whole process of changing took a moment. He felt slightly self-conscious about the whole thing, but he was far from thinking the world was watching him go about his business, like Caden was. Besides, it really was something irrelevant when he looked at the bigger picture. Right, just get it done, he told himself. He stripped off and changed into his new gear. The shirt and pants suited the rodent well, and he looked a rather dapper little mouse now. His eyes appeared brighter, as they contrasted nicely with the white of his shirt.
Cerinus put his old clothes back into his bag, and left it there. All his other possessions were still in there - including one particular object that would certainly come in useful. Feeling far removed from who he had been at the start of the year, filled with a new sense of optimism, and looking better than he had in years (in more ways than one), the long-tailed field mouse went back out and spotted Caden waiting for him. He strode up to his friend, a contented smile upon his features.
|
|
|
Post by spender on Apr 11, 2010 0:55:48 GMT -5
Quite a bit of the demonstration went over Spender's head. His eyes caught the woodgrains in the planks of the deck, and suddenly he imagined turtles crawling along between the grains, racing one-another to the end of the plank...
He looked back at his hammock. It looked more like a deformed peanut than a bedroll. Shrugging, he began to tie it up. Like Cerinus, knots came easily to the ferret. He'd had to make his own swingsets before, and tying his sisters up was one of his favourite hobbies. He got so much into the tying, in fact, that he was one of the last ones left still wrapping things up - but you had to admit the cute little bowties were rather fetching.
Catching sight of an adult waving a menacing rope in his general direction, Spender scuttled to put his hammock away. This was the tricky part.
He had number 151. It looked almost the same upside down as it did downside up. What was he supposed to do again? How was he supposed to find a number that was the same backwards and forwards? He recognised the ones, but the five was a mystery to him. Wasn't that snake shape supposed to be a letter?
Shrugging, he deposited his hammock in the nearest space available. Only to have a rat behind him cough.
"Excuse me... that's not your number."
"What?" Spender said, turning around. The rat was thin, short, and had spectacles on his snout. "Does it matter?"
"Well, erm, yes. That's what they just told us! You put your hammock in my space. I've got that number. See?"
"No."
"Look, just get your stuff out..."
"Why should I?"
The rat stamped his footpaw. "Because it's in my space! Look, I don't want trouble." He pushed his glasses up his nose, pausing to consider something. "Do you need help finding your space?"
"No!" Spender snarled, pulling his hammock out again. "I'll find it myself."
"It's 151," the rat said, catching sight of the tag. "That's over there."
Spender huffed, but followed the rat's pointing claw. Sure enough, the same symbols on his hammock's tag showed up near an empty spot, and this time, nobeast shouted at him for putting it there. Good riddance.
He went back and collected his luggage, then went below, following the stream of confused small creatures. He marveled at the wooden world; despite having been born on a ship, it was a far different experience than he could ever remember having before.
Some time later found Spender regarding the striped trousers with a disdainful eye. He'd seen others wearing them, of course, and knew what they were for. It was just ... well, for one, they looked ridiculous! Plus, they chafed... restricted movement... made him all hot and disgruntled...
He soon found a use for his trousers that he felt was more fitting, considering their stripes.
Walking over to Caden and Cerinus with a huge grin on his face, the ferret flung his paws wide.
"Lookit me! I'm a court jester!" He waggled his head, letting his "ears" flail about in front of his face. "Bet I could juggle somethin'?"
|
|
|
Post by Carrow on Apr 11, 2010 4:25:17 GMT -5
Cerinus had of course been waiting to talk to Caden about something, but as it happened, the mouse never got the chance, because sure enough, Spender soon joined them. The rodent smiled at the ferret. All of this bickering between the trio of companions on one side, and the bullying creature on the other, was getting terribly wearisome at this point.
So Carrow had told himself that he was going to try and be nice to Spender, and try equally as hard to ignore any barbs that were directed at him, because it was rather depressingly inevitable that soon the sniping would resume. I'll turn the other cheek if he starts taking shots at me. One of us is better than that, and we both know who the creature in question is.
"Hi Spender," he said cheerfully. He was in rather good spirits now that things had started moving along, and he wasn't going to let the antagonistic mustelid ruin his good form. "How about those pants, then? Yes, you raise a good point. They look like something a court jester would wear, now I think about it. Getting settled in alright? Got your berth sorted out?," he asked him in a cordial manner. Here it comes, he thought. He's going to find something to use against me, no doubt.
And then, with an inward groan of utmost resignation and despair, he spotted the ferret's berth number. Oh, great seasons... I'll try my best with him, but I just do not see this ending up well for one of us. Probably me as he's oblivious to the particularly annoying bee in our collective bonnet that he's being.
|
|
|
Post by spender on Apr 11, 2010 4:52:39 GMT -5
Spender's cheeks swelled. His eyes watered. And then he simply couldn't hold it in anymore.
He burst out laughing, clutching his stomach as he doubled over.
"Got my... got... got my ... b-birth sorted out! Hawhaw! Cor, that's great... Pfff...ffWUAHAHA! Caden, d'you hear that? Th'mouse thinks...! Hee!"
Wiping tears from his cheeks, Spender grinned even wider. "Yeah, yeah, I've got it sorted out. Like, pfff, fifteen years ago!" The ferret stared from marten to mouse, and his giggling gradually stopped. "...wot, wasn't that funny? H'come you're not laughin'?"
Pulling his trousers off his head, he folded them over his arm, picking at the striped fabric as he mused over the joke.
"Well... I thought it wos funny..."
|
|
|
Post by Carrow on Apr 11, 2010 5:05:40 GMT -5
Cerinus didn't all think that a joke that corny deserved such a reaction from Spender, but he smiled at the mustelid anyway as he played the part of 'court jester'. "Heh, oh, I see what you did there, Spender. I'm always one for a good pun," he replied.
"Now, when's Captain Fugate going to get here? A creature can only do so much exploring in a day, I suppose. I guess you could say I'm practically bursting with excitement about finally setting sail. I'm not the most impatient of beasts, but I absolutely cannot wait to finally get going!"
He looked at Caden, before shifting his gaze back to Spender. "So, I'm just curious. What number berth did you end up getting? And that is b-e-r-t-h, Spender," he added playfully, unable to resist. "I'm number 150, myself. How about you?" Of course, the rodent already knew, but he wanted to see Spender's reaction to the news that they'd be right beside each other. The long-tailed field mouse wasn't particularly relishing the prospect, but he wondered whether or not the feeling was mutual. If it was, well...
Okay, I'd better stop thinking like that and just hear what he has to say. Surely by now it's sunk in how long we might be spending at sea? He's going to have to get used to me, and I him. I, for one, am willing to do that. If he's not, wellll.... let's just see how that goes.
|
|
|
Post by bookity101 on Apr 11, 2010 22:43:45 GMT -5
Elle watched the demonstration intently, not wanting to have to ask anybody later about how to do up the hammock again later. Ok, it seemed fairly easy, except for the rolling up part, that was going to take some working out. And always get up when called, or lose the bunk. That would be easy enough, she always had to get up early and on time before, so that would be easy enough to happen. And the knot tying would take awhile to get to use to.
Elle followed the others down to the gun decks, checking the hammock number as she did so. 152, where is 152?
"Hey! Watch it martin!" El looked up into the eye's of an irate ferret.
"Oh, sorry Brownie, just trying to find my bunk." El went to move around him, but was stopped by a paw to her shoulder. "Um, should I say excuse me?"
Ferret looked down at her, confused. 'Oh great, I get stuck with the one bully who doesn't know how to think straight after a reply.
"Look, this is the part where you say "yes you need to say excuse me,' "She mimicked his voice as best she could, failing and actually making him sound worse than his nasally voice made him sound awful in the first place, "...then I say 'Excuse me', and I go that way," she pointed to her left, "and you go that way." pointing behind her to his left, meaning they would go around each other.
With that she moved around him, not letting him think about a comeback, or anything else stupid to say. '152,152,15...2 there!" Elle dropped all her stuff on the floor, then put up the hammock. Thanks goodness for the bulwarks around the canons, they allowed for some privacy while she changed. Soon enough she was stuffing the old clothes in her bag, and waiting for Cer and Spender to stop their playing around. *** Miri wrinkled her nose as Ladorak kissed her paw. Not what she had intended to happen, but ok. She nodded her thanks and headed over to where Monty stood.
"Jal Sylver, Jal Sylver!" She trotted up to him. "Hello sir, are you ready?" *** Luxe followed the Captain and his friend up the gangplank, after he snatched his gear from beside the gangplank.
"Hello Boatswain sir." Luxe threw a quick salute, "I'm Luxe Calone, the Armorer* where do I stow my gear?"
(not so sure on the spelling bit for that title.)
|
|
|
Post by Ladorak on Apr 11, 2010 23:28:35 GMT -5
Caden's shirt was plaid, with blue stripes. His pants were plain white, and sometimes this did occur in the slop selections. They weren't all uniform after all, and there were variations every now and again.
In spite of himself, Caden broke out into a smile and chuckled a bit at Spender's "jester" show. "I bet you could juggle something there Spender." the marten said, shaking his head but still smiling.
His smile faded though when Spender completely misunderstood berth. He got it confused with birth....which just showed Caden Spender's dismaying level of education. He didn't speak though, as Carrow was talking to the ferret.
"Oh Carrow, let me stow your bag for you. I got a locker back in the gunroom. Not everyone gets a locker, so we're encouraged to share the space when we can. Here..." he hefted the sack, and disappeared behind the canvas, returning a short time later.
Unbeknownst to Caden, Ladorak was just stepping off the gangplank and onto the deck of the ship, Molly on his arm. He released her for a second, in order to don his bicorn hat. Perching it upon his brow, the stoat looked about him. The Lieutenant and Boatswain had come to immediate attention, doing their best not to look in Molly's direction. "How many crew are still unaccounted for Mr. Quilliam?"
The Lieutenant saluted, and handed the roster over to the Captain for his perusal. "All present and accounted for sir. Five hundred jacks all told. You're five hundredth." And one exceptional jill, he didn't add.
"And the stores?"
"Last of 'em were just loaded sir."
The Boatswain saluted Luxe back and smiled. "Ye don't have to call me sir. I'm not above you. We're equals. You're the Armorer then? Right....you can store your stuff in the gunroom, two decks down way in the back. You're boss is the Gunner. So you should probably report to him as soon as you can. He'll be down in the gunroom right now I'd wager. Good to have you aboard."
"Right.....then let's take her to sea Mr. Quilliam. MAKE SAIL!" Ladorak shouted.
"Aye sir." the Lieutenant turned, and relayed the orders to the Midshipjacks. "We're making sail you tars! Get the crew aloft! Now! Now! Now! Captain's aboard, let's look sharp!"
The Midshipjacks scrambled about, heading down the companionways and yelling out the orders. "MAKE SAIL! MAKE SAIL! WE'RE LEAVING PORT! MAKE SAIL!"
Caden's large ears stood upright as the cries filtered down to the lower gundeck and the crew started the mad dash up the stairs to the main deck. "Well bloody me...I'd say Ladorak's stepped aboard! That's our cue!" The albino started forward, then screeched to a halt. "Wait....Spender you'd best put your pants on. They might not like it if you don't. Come on!" he waved his arms, and tried his best not to get trampled as he started up the stairs. Two flights up...two flights up...and then ALL the way up the foremast. Huffing, the marten reached the upper gundeck. One more flight.
Scurrying around the companionway, he charged up the stairs, making sure he wasn't slow so he wouldn't get whipped. "Remember lads!" he called over his shoulder. "It's um....Spender and Elliot on mainmast, I'm on foremast, Carrow you're on mizzen!" He emerged into daylight, pausing a moment to get his bearings. Don't stand still! Don't stand still! "Carrow up the quarterdeck! I'm heading to the forecastle. Best of luck to all of ye, let's go!" He waved and wove his way forward, heading for the forecastle. He could see Ladorak moving towards the stern and making his way up to the quarterdeck.
Monty had barely had time to greet Miri when the order to set sail was given. "WHAT!? They're LEAVING?!" he cried, clearly a bit panicky at the prospect of getting left behind, and even more panicky at the prospect of having to step aboard in the first place. "I....I....I'm not sure I'm up to this whole life at sea thing but come on! Shake a leg Jis Talien!" he clutched his cane tightly and tottered up the gangplank, struggling not to trip over his own two paws as he straggled on board. He hadn't officially enlisted himself into the Navy yet...but he was hoping to make up his mind by the time this voyage was underway.
He had nearly lost his top hat on the way up, and glanced from left to right, marveling at how everyone was running and dashing and not running into each other. He moved off to the side, where he wouldn't be in the way.
~~~~~~~~~
Caden had pulled himself up the stairs and was standing underneath the foremast now. OK Caden....OK....just calm yourself. You can do this. All the way up....you have to climb all the way up. The Boatswain was mounting the forecastle behind him, his starter at the ready to strike at the backs of any slow seajacks. The Boatswain's mates were moving about the main deck and quarterdeck, their rope ends ready as well.
OK...think...wind is....from land so...um.....climb on the starboard side. Wind will be at your back and keep you on the ratlines. "Let's go young master! Up those lines now!" The Boatswain was heading over toward him, and a fear of being struck by that cane caused Caden to twitch and run over to the shrouds. Come on.....COME ON! Grab hold! He chided himself, shaking his head and climbing up onto the gunwale and then grabbing hold of the lines. This is gonna give me blisters....
Girding himself, the marten started his climb, pulling himself up with his forepaws. One...two...one...two....just....don't let me fall.....
|
|
|
Post by Carrow on Apr 12, 2010 2:27:29 GMT -5
"MAKE SAIL! MAKE SAIL! WE'RE LEAVING PORT! MAKE SAIL!" Carrow was off like a shot, Caden's reminders in his ears. He ran hell-for-leather, charging up the flights up stairs, ahead of even the hurried pine marten. So, this was it!, he thought with a smile. Looks like I spoke too soon.
Like his friend, the mouse took a split second to check exactly where he was. Right, so I need to get to the mizzentop first of all, which would require.... "Carrow up the quarterdeck!" Yep, that's what I was thinking. The rodent's tail seemed to have a life of his own as he ran for the mizzenmast, swaying frantically back and forth behind him as he weaved his way through the throng of creatures.
Now, he spotted a section of companionway. The wood mouse remembered the layout perfectly from the tour he had received a short while ago. He wa getting closer to the mizzen with each pace, and soon the structure hove into view. He hadn't been climbing a whole amount of things recently - that is to say he hadn't had the time - but to call the rodent a creature who was out of practice would have been plain wrong.
Soon, he'd reached the place where he would begin making his ascent. He also remembered what Ladorak had told him about getting up to the mizzen: it would mean double the work he did on that first day. The youngster grabbed hold of the lines. The adrenaline was racing within him now, and he was quite confident that he would make the climb. He was thinking of the wind direction, the same as his friend. Now, I'd say it's from land, so I'd better climb from starboard. That should help me a little.
He started to put paw over paw as he began the climb. It was a slow process, but not so slow that he could be called out for slacking. He knew that it would indeed be perilous up there, that he'd only have some crosstrees - singular planks of wood - to stand on, so even though the relatively agile rodent felt quite sure of himself then, he'd have to make damn sure that he had steady paws all the way... up... there...
He gulped. It was a frightening prospect to any creature, but he was gradually making his way up to what could be called the cut-off point: the same point he had reached in the training exercise. Here was where things would start getting difficult, but the Dibbun fairly threw himself into the task, and soon he was on his way again after crawling through the lubber's hole. The second part of the climb had begun.
|
|
|
Post by Ladorak on Apr 12, 2010 15:02:16 GMT -5
((Just to give you an idea of what Caden is doing at the end of this post....here's a picture. upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/27/StowingForeCourse.jpg He's walking along those ropes to the end of the yard there....except back then there WERE no harnesses XD)) Caden's paws were working on their own now. He had narrowly avoided getting whacked by that starter, and the young marten was quite glad for that. His paws and claws caught hold of the thick cords, and he tried not to bump into others who were scrambling to get to the top as well. There...was...just no way he was going to try the futtock shrouds today. Caden found his heart racing, as if some sort of manic lightning bolt was jolting out from the muscle, invigorating his veins and causing his pulse to pound within his temples. Looking down, the marten felt dizzy as the ship rocked slightly underneath. Oh hell...I'm up awfully high....and only going to go higher.... The poor kit tried his best not to lose his grip. A fall from this height would mean being crippled for life or instant death. He would not let that happen! Struggling on, he ignored the futtocks. No way was he going to risk it on his first time up. He played it safe and went straight up the ordinary shrouds, pulling himself through the lubber's hole and stopping on the fighting top to catch his breath. "We don't lower the mainsails during launch! Ye need to keep going! Come on lad! Ye need to keep going! We're setting the topsails and topgallants. Ye gotta go higher! Come on!" He looked up, and saw a ferret perched on the foretopmast yard, straddling it with his legs. He was clearly the Captain of the Foretop, and Caden's boss when he was up here. "Ye have to move higher! Come on! We're not setting the mainsail right now! Topsails and topgallants only today! Let's go!" Right....just have....to...get up to those crosstrees. Bracing himself, he grabbed hold of the next set of ratlines, swung himself out to windward, and began climbing. Come on Caden....I know your arms are on fire but you can do this. You can do this.... He pulled himself end over end, up and up....now over a hundred feet in the air. He was a small white marten dangling from his life threads by his claws. What a heck of a way to start the day..... Too bad that whenever a ship left port the mainsails were normally left alone. It was the topsails and topgallants that were generally set. Those were sufficient to push the ship out of the harbor, and once at sea the mainsails would be set. Well...look on the bright side....at least I don't have to set the royals today.... The royals were the highest sails on the ship, and one could get close to two hundred and fifty feet up if required to set those. Choosing to stuff the futtocks again, he pulled himself through the slats and out onto the crosstrees, balancing precariously more than a hundred feet above the deck. "How old are you son?" the Foretop Captain asked him. "'m 12 sir." Caden answered, digging his claws into the trunk of the foremast for support. He was at the very front of the ship.....the very front. He'd be "leading the way" so to speak on the path out. "12? You'll need to go higher then. Youngest ones to the topgallants, sorry. That's the rules." Caden's heart sank. Higher? I have to go higher? He looked up. Not too much higher....but it was up there. Taking a few deep breaths, he looked at the ferret. "I've never done this before." "It's alright lad. You're not the only one. I'll be walking ye through it. Now get up there. Time's a-wastin'." "Aye sir." Caden didn't dare throw a salute for fear of losing his grip on the foremast. One more set of ratlines....one more then he could go down and rest. His sore paws closing themselves over the last set of ropes, Caden once more started on his way up. This would get him some good calluses on his pawpads, that was for sure. He'd probably have blisters by the end of the day....but treatment would also toughen his paws up, and make them stronger with prolonged use. He went higher, climbing to the heavens, the next set of crosstrees above him, tantalizing him and mocking him to just try and reach them. He was climbing higher than Carrow would have to go, as the foremast was taller than the mizzen, but not as high as Elliot and Spender would be climbing. The mainmast was the tallest of them all. The rocking of the ship was more noticeable from up here, and they hadn't even set sail yet! They were in the process of casting off. "Make sure the yards are set for a starboard tack! That's a starboard tack!" The Boatswain was calling out from way down below, indicating to the beasts on deck which way to start turning the yards. Yanking himself up onto the gallant crosstrees, the marten wobbled a bit, his heart leaping into his throat as he feared he might go over the edge, but his claws shot out and dug into the mast again, and he was able to catch his balance. So high up....so high up..... "OK! Albino! What's yer name!" the Captain of the foretop called up to him. "I'm seajack Caden sir! Caden Fugate!" "Fugate? 's the last name of our Captain.....alright Caden, I want you to look down at the yard. Wait for it to stop moving, it's being rotated into position." He watched the long, horizontal beam being turned to the left, in order to bring the ship onto a starboard tack when the sails were let loose. He waited for it to stop, then looked down. "What do I do now?" "You, the polecat next to ye, and the rat are gonna start walking carefully along those pawropes. See them under the yard?" Underneath the beam were a series of ropes to stand on...but that was all. He nodded nervously. "Yes sir...I see 'em." "Good. Now when you do, lean forward so that your body weight is over the yard, so that you won't fall backwards. Walk out sideways along the yard until you're at the end. The polecat will be in the middle, the rat on the inside. You other three do the same except you'll be walking out over the larboard side. Got it?" "Y...yes sir! I think I got it!" "Ye don't think you either got it or ye don't." the Captain of the foretop shot back. "Hustle up! Let's go!" Caden tentatively stepped one hind paw out, meeting thin air...nothing below him....and then he carefully...gingerly set it down on the pawrope. It held his weight so far....but it was so....thin..... Clutching hold of the yard with his arm, the diminutive marten stepped off the crosstress and fully onto the rope. It sagged a bit with his weight, but it didn't break. Oh hellgates swallow me now! What did I think I was getting into!? He didn't move at first, but the ferret started yelling at him that he was holding everyone else up, and the overeager polecat next to him started shoving him further out, and for a second, panic seized his body and he leaned forward, wrapping his arms about the yard. I can't...I can't....I can't...I can't.....He closed his eyes, feeling as if he were floating now, suspended above the world. I can't....I can't....I can't....."MOVE IT! YOU'RE GIVING A POOR SHOWING TO THE SHIP SEAJACK! THINK OF THE CAPTAIN! HE'S WAITING ON ALL OF US!" the ferret's shrill voice thundered and clanged in his eyes, and it set his mind spinning...... Ladorak....the Captain...think of Ladorak.....think of dad....think of how disappointed he would be if I failed this. I'm holding everyone up....I can't freeze now....I can't....move....think of Ladorak....think of your dad....because that's what he is now....he's m'dad....move....Wrenching his eyes open, the albino swayed a bit, but kept his balance. He reached out, starting to walk slowly but surely to his right side, moving out further and further into the open air. He made sure to lean his body forward against the yard, resting on it for all intents and purposes. I have to make him proud...this is the first step...first step in the long road to Lieutenant......first step Caden....make yer dad proud.....He was falling into a rhythm now, and was able to keep walking at a decent pace, moving very slowly so as to avoid falling....almost there....he was almost at the end.....
|
|
|
Post by Carrow on Apr 12, 2010 16:07:21 GMT -5
While Caden was getting the hairdryer treatment from the ferret, Cerinus had made it halfway up to the mizzenmast. The pressure he felt was immense, intense even. The blood sang in his ears as he put everything he had into his endeavours.
His progress was slow still, but he certainly wasn't hesitating. It seemed that the worst part of all this was the height that he would fall from should one paw falter even slightly. He knew exactly what he had to do: just get up there and get it done.
That's not to say he was taking it all in his stride, however; the young wood mouse's heart was going ten to the dozen in his chest, and had it not been so crucial for him to maintain his composure, he would have been shaking all over. He was, quite frankly, terrified, and the only things that were keeping him going was his fear of failure and the sense of pride he would feel once he had accomplished the task.
A sense of pride had always been something he'd lacked, at least up until recently, but he was learning to take heart from even the smallest of achievements. He knew that no matter how small a part he had to play aboard Agamemnon, his presence was, in a roundabout way, crucial to the running of things.
With thoughts such as this in mind, the rodent was suddenly fired with a sense of steely determination, and he turned his gaze upward, his movements almost automatic now, as he'd gotten used to the process of climbing something like this relatively quickly for a creature who had completed a similar task only once before.
Within moments, it was all over. The mouse heaved himself onto level ground with a sigh of relief. There was barely enough room up there for him to lie down and take a breather, but lie down the long-tailed field mouse did. That was that taken care of. Something of an adrenaline rush was taking hold of him now.
His heart was beginning to slow to its normal pace, and his breathing was becoming steadier with each passing second. He had clearly been making an effort to keep in shape. This had taken far less out of him than the training exercise had, much to his surprise. Soon, he was back on his paws, awaiting his next orders.
|
|