Siege of Bastia

[Ladorak]

Caden's heart soared when she gave him the answer he'd been most hoping for. Yes! Yes! She said yes! He felt like jumping up from his sandbag and shouting "YAY!" at the top of his lungs, whilst pumping his paws in the air, though that of course would draw attention, and then he'd have to explain why he'd shouted out like that. And at the moment, he had no good story concocted.

He simply gave her a smile, a very wide smile as he struggled to contain himself, the albino shifting a little excitedly in the sand. "OK!" he said, the smile turning into a grin. "That sounds good then. And yeah... I guess I'm the only one who hasn't made myself into a pincushion yet." he said, chuckling now as he waved his fingers at them. "Hope my luck still holds." he stated, looking back down at the needle and thread in his paws.

He briefly considered pricking his paw on purpose, but didn't really want to risk it. Best to keep himself in top form here. He'd heard horror stories of seemingly small injuries killing a creature on the field of battle, and instead, opted for caution.

He fluffed his white tail a little, letting the long appendage brush the sand and sway behind him in a wagging manner, though one that was slow and content. He could possibly even use his tail for scooping in the sand, given that it was big enough. But he'd get there when he got to his next bag.

He looked up at the two of them, still elated that Elle had said yes, though being careful to keep it under wraps for the moment. "Oh yes, been meaning to ask you two. What class do you enjoy the most on the ship?" he was referring to their schooling, as by law, Welkinite warships had to provide a classroom learning environment for all striplings under the age of 18, and over the age of 13. Ladorak Fugate taught some of the classes, primarily history, to the young ones. Other teachers included the Gunner, Horace Dorien (math), and the Master (Common Tongue and Grammar as well as Literacy).

"Or subject is what I meant to say." he said, rolling his eyes. "I for one... like Captain Fugate and history!" he exclaimed. "I really like his lessons on the War of the Ferlusanian Succession! The Duke of Marlborough was really something wasn't he?" he asked the two of them, looking between them with bright pink eyes and a smile on his features. He was with friends now, and even though they faced a military campaign, what more could he want? This made him feel more at ease than anything else he could think of at the moment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ladorak swiftly swept his paw out from under Molly's boot, kicked her threatening paw out in a sweep so that her legs were spread a bit and her balance would be off center, and he quickly stepped his leg into the void, his chest now inches from her own, as was his snout. "Well now... you know threats get you nowhere with me." he said, his eyes shining from behind his spectacles, accompanying a mischievous smile. "Actually... now that we're somewhat alone..." He nodded his head over at Caden, Selvis and Elliot. "That Elliot McNamee... is really Elle McNamee." he said, his tones very low, right in her ear practically.

"I haven't done anything yet... simply observing her... though I've known since... July or so." he stated, his whiskers brushing her cheek fur. "Once they hit a certain age, they give off a certain scent. I've smelled her numerous times she's passed by. It's next to impossible to hide that sort of thing after all. I wonder if Caden knows... though if he does, he's certainly hidden it well. I've been meaning to talk to him about it soon... but I'll just let it go for the time being. Let them enjoy themselves on this. So... there are a few others that I know are female... a few I suspect are... but no, I wasn't referring to the obvious ones."

He nipped her ear again, and gave off a throaty sort of growl of contentment. "So... next time... please just ask." he said, kissing her neck before he pulled back to give her room to reposition her paws.

[spender]

"You seem to have latched onto me pretty easily," Marten chuckled. Honestly, if Carrow acted like this towards him, did he really believe he was too shy? Silly mousey! And what was this about payment...?

"No payment necessary! No matter whatsoever!" Marten practically scowled. "I'll give you a tip, Carrow. Once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan for it, just let it come to you. Could be an extra spoonful of peas, could be the perfect spot for a warm midday nap. Or it could be a free piggy-back ride up a cliff."

Marten began to loop the rope around the rock Keinruf had suggested. It was a good one, sturdy and well-placed, with just a bit of overhang. All he'd need to do was connect the tackle and lower it down to the beach from here.

Keinruf stared blankly at Carrow. Slowly, one paw raised and scratched the back of his neck.

"Hallo," he said, blinking. He wasn't quite used to this: the mouse knew his name, but wasn't showing any of the usual signs of knowing him. He wasn't at all sure what to do with a clean slate.

"Oh good heavens," Marten laughed from behind the rock. "You two are more awkward than a baby deer on stilts. Go on, Carrow, ask for a story. Oh. Looks like company's coming up."

Keinruf glanced behind him. Sure enough, Miri and Luxe were on their way up. He looked back to Carrow, brow-whisker raised.

"A story?" Memory finally blocks tumbled into place. Tally still had the tendency to cling about him on the ship, and she was comfortable enough around Reisender to talk about things out loud. Keinruf knew, therefore, that this was probably the 'prince swan' that she'd been going on about. "About vot?"

---

Elle McNamee... now there was something. Molly grinned.

"I hadn't noticed," she said. "My own nose is filled with some five hundred males... I'll see if I can ask her later, if she'd like to join our little party."

She leaned in and beeped his nose with her own.

"Asking is so boring. And, for your information, that wasn't a threat. It's fact. And it's gonna come true..." She glanced up at the sky, squinting to judge the sun's position. "In about eight or so hours, I imagine."

Something occurred to her then.

"So... hold on... you're going to let Peskers go? But let Elliot—Elle—stay on? Or..."

For once, she thought about the striplings again. That group of friends, so close-knit they might as well have been a tiny sweater. How devastated would they be, to lose one of them? Spender was just one ferret, and he never actually seemed to enjoy Polly's presence (although, Molly wasn't certain this wasn't just rather good acting on his part.) The others, though...

Nervousness was not one of Molly's traits. Nevertheless, some crept into her voice now. "You won't make her leave, will you?"

[Carrow]

Selvis had been listening quite intently as Caden had asked Elle his question, and it transpired that the pine marten's smile wasn't the only particularly large one amongst the group of companions. The longtail was positively beaming. His heart soared too, and his tail was soon wagging contendtedly as well. It thrilled him to see Caden this pleased about something. It didn't happen all that often that any of the four companions were this content, and the albino's enthusiasm was infectious. He nodded at his friend, speaking softly. "Well done, Caden." It was all he really needed to say, because his body language expressed everything else he felt about the moment that had just happened. He enjoyed seeing his two marten friends just being themselves like this.

In all the excitement he would have been forgiven for missing the fact that Elle had (rather ironically as it turned out) pricked her paw, just as he had done moments before. However, the weasel was normally sharp as a tack, and this time was no different. He hadn't missed a trick, and his features flooded with concern as he regarded the beech marten. He could see the irony of what had just happened, but rubbing something like that in was so far beneath him he completely dismissed her response. "Are you alright there, Elliot?," he queried. "Turns out I didn't really need a bandage or anything - I think sucking on my paw a bit helped actually," he added mischievously. "Will you need anything like that? I could easily fetch a bandage for you if you wanted. How is it?"

His eyes brightened as Caden put another question to him. "That's an interesting question, mate! We've only ever done that on and off, of course, but in a way it means the classes are more special. I enjoy the lot of them, but well, no hesitation, I'm with you in saying that my favourite subject has to be history. I've always been fascinated by it, and the way Captain Fugate teaches it makes it even better. Never before I started learning under him did I appreciate just how much difference a teacher could make. And, hehe, The War of the Ferlusanian Succession, you say? Well, I've rather enjoyed what we've done on that, yes indeed I have." he smiled at the recollection of those intermittent lessons. "The Duke of Marlborough, eh? He was indeed something. Learning about the Battle of Malplaquet was great too, on a related note. What else about that subject d'you enjoy? I notice you seem the most interested out of the lot of us in there," he told his friend, smiling a little. It was no secret that Caden was really into his history.

--

The reception Carrow got from Keinruf couldn't really be called frosty. In a way, the scruffy-looking marten's response reminded him a lot of himself, how he had been a few years previously. His shyness was still there nowadays, of course, but back then it had been chronic. In hindsight it had been good that the mouse's fears had helped Archie to make up her mind when faced with the question of whether or not it was safer to keep him in the house unless absolutely necessary. He would have been so nervous in any case that he would have stammered constantly and made no sense at all. It had taken quite a while for the weasel to coax him out of that, and she'd even had to resort to putting him under a few times to help the Dibbun along. Neither of them had minded that at all, though.

Carrow was the kind of mouse whose life philosophy, such as it was, involved being polite at all times, especially when in doubt, as he was now. He didn't really know what to make of Keinruf yet, but blushed noticeably at Marten's comment. His whiskers drooped a little. He knew he couldn't help it at all. He'd never been trained to. He smiled at Keinruf, speaking kindly to him. "Could you just give me a moment, sir? I would shake your paw, but there's something I need to see to first." So saying, he turned to Marten, grateful for his encouragement as he hadn't quite been sure of how to strike up a half-decent conversation with the strange-looking creature. He walked over to where the tackle lay, retrieving it.

"I believe this will come in useful... now, let's see what I can do with it. Also, Marten, the thing about how I'm getting on well with you is that... er, there have always been creatures I've been, well, naturally drawn to. It happened with Caden and Elliot, as well as Selvis when I met him... and pretty much the same thing with Elle when I saw her last year..." A small sigh escaped the mouse's lips. "I've never been good with conversation and stuff like that... but it helps if I'm talking to somebeast I can feel comfortable with being around, like I am with you. Don't ask me to explain why, but I've always been like that." Whilst the field mouse had been speaking, he'd taken the tackle and attached it as best he could. He tested it, wondering if his meagre strength had been enough for the job. It had been, much to his surprise. "There's that done, then. Jal Wright, sir? Would you like to come over and assist us with lowering this thing down? I still owe you a paw-shake, too," he added, chuckling.

The mouse addressed Marten again, smiling a bit. "Ready when you are, sir. Thanks for the advice, by the way. I'd never really thought of anything like that before. I'll try it it out and see how it goes. Speaking of which..." He put a suggestion to Keinruf, though this time his voice was a little softer. "Jal Wright, earlier Jal Pyne was telling me about you originally being from Gradvar. Might you like to tell me a little bit about how it was for you there? If you don't mind, that is." It was entirely at Keinruf's discretion, of course, and Carrow wondered whether the marten, who didn't seem to be the most talkative of beasts, would respond positively. He hoped his polite approach would help. He always did.

[Ladorak]

"I... intend to keep her around. Peskers I'll have to see. It's obvious that Spender has been with her. It's less obvious with Caden. I can't tell yet if he has or not. He might not even know after all. If Peskers gets pregnant... she can't serve on the ship. For her kit... or kits' sake, as well as her own. She couldn't pawdle the heavy work. So in that case... she'll probably have to stay here after we take Bastia." He explained, moving away from the striplings so they wouldn't hear.

"As for Elle well... we'll see what happens. For now, she can stay. She's been a valuable asset to the crew, and as far as I know, she's all about the work. She can stay. And what are you getting nervous over?" he asked, giving her a smug look. "I'm preserving the balance so far... unless of course you're concerned for her."

He noted that the tackles were set up, and could be attached to the sledges. "Alright!" He called out towards the striplings. "You three, and you by the boats." he called to the crew working on the shore with sandbags. "Head up the hill, then tell the Seajacks up there to start walking with the rope in paw down the hill, pulling it as they go. Give them a paw with it... as they'll need all the help they can get. And gradually... just by walking that rope down, you'll be able to get these guns up the hillside." the stoat Captain explained.

Caden got to his paws, and saluted. "Aye Captain! Right on it!" he said, and began walking off to the towering hill. Fortunately, one of the sides was less steep than the others, and getting up would be a quick hike. The Captain was instructing others on the beach to push the cannon onto the sledges. There five 24 pounders, from the Agamemnon itself, two heavy carronades, two 11 inch and two 13 inch siege mortars. They would be lashed down, and walked right up the hillside on the sledges.

Caden looked over at Selvis as he started the ascent, bending over to keep himself steady and his claws grasping at rocks. "Well Selvis... I have to say, Malplaquet was interesting, though I'm surprised you took interest in that particular battle. It seemed like every two years Marlborough had another great victory." he grunted a little as he continued the ascent, some small pebbles rolling down from underpaw.

"That was such a close thing, and ironically enough, despite being another victory, it stalled the war for a bit. I can't wait to hear what 1711 has in store though. Marlborough's racing against the clock... and I just can't BELIEVE that his own country would start abandoning the fight like that. Though I guess it was a sign of the times. Welkin is all about the balance of power on the continent... and Kostritz taking the Ferlusanian throne would be just as bad as Rosferia getting it... so I guess I can sort of see why they did it... but still... it was like... betraying everything Marlborough was fighting for." he said, clearly disgusted with the situation.

"If I had to name a favorite battle of his though, I'd say Ramillies for certain. I mean that was brilliant! Marlborough just kept shifting troops and shifting troops until he finally achieved numerical superiority and a breakthrough... and in only four hours at that! That was so impressive!" he said, breaking out into a smile as kept his paws steady. "What about Malplaquet do you like so much?" he asked, curious as to the long tailed weasel's interest in the pyrrhic victory. "Eugene and Marlborough made quite the team. The best I think, if I had to name it." he added, while listening for his yellow belly furred friend's response.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Down below them, Ocean was still behind the rock, his chest heaving in and out, and his sobs still coming. He could see from around the corner of the rock that other sailors were busy loading up the sandbags that Caden, Selvis, Elle, and others had been working on onto sledges. It was quieting down a bit... many soldiers and sailors were starting to move up the hill, crawling like ants all over it. He just had to wait a few more minutes... wait and make his break.

Then he could vanish... as much as it would be painful... he had to. He couldn't afford to be let go. He just had to be scarce now. He felt horrible for not being able to say goodbye. But he couldn't risk it. If Ladorak saw him... it was too great a gamble. He'd just need to run. Run and never look back. He'd probably be recaptured, as there was little chance of him making it off this island... but there wasn't any choice. Death... or disgrace. Either way it wasn't good.

He gulped, and tried to gird himself for this.

[Carrow]

Selvis nodded and saluted when the stoat Captain gave the order. "You can count on us, Captain!," he responded cheerfully, smiling. The weasel had been working on sandbags for the last few moments, completely heedless of his pricked paw. It had mainly ceased to hurt him but he had been a little more cautious in his efforts when filling the bags, as the mustelid knew well that the feeling of sand running over a wound, even one as small as his self-inflicted one, was agonising and frustrating in equal measure. He'd decided to chance his arm at sewing the bags up as well, and had worked even more slowly and steadily than before. Elle's injury had inspired him to start using the sewing needle again, as they had both suffered the same injury and he didn't want to let his own hamper his workrate too much.

He had in fact sewn up six (and had been on the verge of completing his seventh) when Ladorak's order came. He finished up with it as fast as he could manage, and dropped the freshly-made sandbag before setting off again. He soon caught up with Caden and smiled at him. "That's exactly what I like the most about the battle! The teamwork between them was fantastic, and, well, you know me, I value teamwork quite highly! It's always best when creatures work together to produce results, like we do in gun training... like we did just there making up those sandbags!" His eyes sparkled. "Great work back there, you too," He told his friends. "Well, even if two of us did come away with a little more than the satisfaction of a job well done."

The longtail chuckled, in quite good spirits despite what had transpired. He let Caden lead the trio's ascent up the sloped side of the cliff, but made sure to stick close behind him just in case the albino marten, who wasn't all that good with heights, started panicking. "That's what stood out for me in particular about Malplaquet, but there were other things too. The fact that it was a phyrric victory, for one, and had such a profound impact on the war that it stalled it for a while, like you said. That's what fascinates me about it: the fact that Marlborough was victorious but his troops took a hammering at the same time. To say that it was a close-run thing would be to use gross understatement. I know he's had plenty of great victories but that one strikes me as a particular highlight.

"I've loved hearing about that period in history, and yes, like you I can't wait to hear what happens next. What have you liked most about Ladorak's classes?," he asked. "Aside from the fact that, well, Ladorak's teaching us?" His smile widened; the weasel was very fond indeed of the stoat himself. Then he turned his attention to Elle as he remembered something she'd told them earlier. When he spoke to her, he spoke right into her ear and his voice was almost whisper-soft. "You're planning to tell Carrow about... you?," he queried. "I'm glad. I just hope he can take being told though. I'm sure he'll be glad to hear it, but well... last time he got a shock that big he almost passed out. Remember Tunis and his discovery of his cousins? You might have to break it to him a little more gently than... er, than you did with me..." Selvis had been far more surpised at her revelations than he'd ever let on.

[spender]

"Maybe a little concerned," Molly admitted. Concerned... and now rather worried. The idea of pregnancy had never occurred to her when she'd agreed to set up the two ferrets' meeting. The frightful thing was they were both old enough. Caden and Elle she wasn't sure—but she'd have to have a talk with them about it. It was her duty, her soon-to-be-cemented role as mother. No son of hers was going to make a fool of himself in the navy!

As for Polly and Spender, she'd have to find out what was going on with those two later. Once the city fell and they went back to fetch Tally and Polly for their jill's day out. Maybe extend the plan to Spender and Caden. It would be easier to have Talks with all of them at once.

"Time to get busy, is it?" Molly asked. She detached from Ladorak. "I'm going to follow Miri... in a bit. Right now I kind of have to... go."

She grinned shyly, and dashed off along the beach without another word. There were some nice big rocks for cover, both from the crews on the beach and those on the cliff looking down. Silly stoat, shouldn't have had that third mug of wine back on the ship...

At the end of the beach, she trotted to a stop and darted behind a good rock. She turned to face back the way she'd came, so as not to get snuck upon. So fierce was her concentration that she completely failed to notice the dashing young stoat curled up behind his own rock. Thankfully, Molly's position was such that she was sheltered from his view, with only her head and shoulders peaking out.

"Oh," she said, quite surprising herself, and Ocean as well, if he hadn't noticed her before.

She stared mutely for a while, refusing to blush, and then glanced down for a moment to re-arrange her skirts. Then she clambered up onto the rock and sat, chin on her paws, studying him. It was amusing, seeing a stripling of his age crying like this. And also kind of saddening. He was a handsome little thing, not much younger than Luxe Calone, whom she still at times had fleeting desires for. The Molly from a year ago wouldn't think twice about flirting right now.

She had no idea what to say, so she went with the first thing that popped into her head.

"Aren't you supposed to be molting?"

---

Keinruf tensed. Why was the mouse so fascinated with paw-shakes? Having one paw occupied in a close-quarters engagement with a stranger was possibly the least ideal thing Keinruf could think of. Well, okay, not the very least. He had a strong imagination. But still—he'd never recognized the benefits of such an action.

"Come on now, Carrow," Marten said, interrupting any reply Keinruf had. "Surely we can do this just you and me? Let Jal Wright be: better for him to concentrate on the story."

He straightened up and gave the ruffled marten a wink, then bent back down to help Carrow with the tackle.

Keinruf scowled at the ground. Stories over cards were expected. Stories for the sake of one little creature, completely out of the blue, wrong place and time... His shoulders slumped. Why not? Had he something better to do? He didn't. And, so long as it got him out of working...

Plus, he owed Marten a small favour.

"Gradvar," he said slowly. There was a lengthy pause as he struggled to find the right word. He reached over and plucked a long piece of weed from a tuft of grass and gnawed the root. "Vos terrible." He grinned. Good opening.

"My fat'er vos a count. Dis little place called Falterland. Alvays at var vit' der neighbours. Der capitol, vhere ve liffed—a ghost town. My own brot'er left, joined der army. He returned von day, died off his vounds an hour after sittink down at der kitchen table. Had his coat tight, like dis." Keinruf tugged his coat, wrapping it around him until his ribs could show. "It vos der only t'ink keepink all off him toget'er. Anyvay...

It vos borink, growink up. Mostly borink. Der first female pine marten I met dat vos not my mot'er vos in der Imperium. Dere vere no ot'ers, not effen family. No teachers, only books to read. For fun, ve vould apprentice at der shops, blacksmit's, farmers, carters... Me, I mostly stayed in bed. Got sick a lot." He grimaced. "Still do. Allergic to alcohol—and silk. I did not like der fancy beasts dat came ofer to discuss der var in my house... Festifals vere der only excitink t'ink dat happened, but Gradvar iss famous for beer, and I could not attend. Der only von vos in der autumn—der Harfest festifal. My fafforite vos dancink." Keinruf sighed wistfully. "I von der competitions t'ree years in a row. Den I fell off a ladder in der Imperium and broke my leg, haffn't been able to valk straight since."

He picked another weed. By now, Carrow and Marten had finished, and were leaning against the rock, waiting for the rest of the crew to come up. Luxe and Miri had arrived and proceeded to help out, and things proceeding along smartly after that.

"Vhen I vos old enough, I joined der army as vell. It vos... interestink. Our sargeant vos... kvite der character, ja? I returned home. Der only beast from my group to do so. No orders; I deserted. It vos a hopeless fight. Der town treated me like a hero. Nobeast effer came back, ja? But den I did. My fat'er fickured it out first, got me to tell him der trut'. Dey took me to der Imperium, den, vhere my mot'er vos from. A year later, Falterland fell. It exists no lonker. I haffn't been back to Gradvar since. I suppose... der t'ink I miss der most... iss der bratvurst. Not'ink gut has come out off dat country before or since—or any country for dat matter. T'inkink back on my time in der Imperium and in Velkin, vell..." The pine marten shrugged. "Gradvar could be heaffen."

He managed to wrap up just as Caden and the others crested the hill. Marten waved at them, and elbowed Carrow gently.

"Well, told you they were interesting stories, didn't I? Forgot to mention depressing, though. Whoops. He's got some funnier ones, mind... Maybe later. Caden, Elliot, Selvis! Come on over here. See Carrow's work? Did it all himself practically!"

Marten stepped back, grinning hugely as Luxe then delivered what, in Marten's opinion, was the best jest since Spender had told him the one about the Talking Booger. In hindsight, though, that one really wasn't too hard to beat.

[bookity101]

Elle worked quickly and quietly as the boy's discussed old battles. Honestly she had preferred the language courses they had been in, even if was only grammar and a quick linguistics lessons. So she let them talk about their stuffy battles as she dutifully filled and sewed up another bag, bringing her total up to eight (she hadn't been sidetracked by trying to talk and work at the same time) as their next order came through.

She tagged along quietly, her shorter reach meaning she climbed at her own pace, actually coming even with Selvis when the elder had to take a moment to find another paw hold. She smiled a little at his mention, knowing he was thinking of how she had broken her secret to him.

I have a gentle of telling the mousey... I didn't think of trying to make it easy on you Selvis. I really should have, and I'm sorry about that." She glanced below her to the ground, grimacing slightly. Why did climbing a hill seem so different than the rigging?

"Do you think we could wait to talk till we get to the top?"

-------------------------

Luxe was checking over the the last block and tackle, just to be sure no part of the operation would fail on the part of rust. Every thing looked to be alright so he turned to find the first wave of climbers coming over, a cheeky smile covering his snout.

"Hey everybody, ready to head back down?"

[Ladorak]

Caden agreed with his friend's statement about the battle itself. It really had derailed Welkin's offensive, and had caused a readjustment of strategy after that. He could see why Selvis found it interesting though.

He grappled with rocks, but overall, the angle wasn't sheer, and it was really more of just a strenuous hike than anything. Caden wasn't feeling fearful, and he wasn't treating this like the yard of a ship, as there was solid ground under his paws.

He was about to respond to Selvis's question about what he liked about Ladorak's teaching methods, when Selvis whispered something to Elle, and Caden didn't feel like it was his place to eavesdrop. He instead kept his pink eyes focused on the climb ahead of him. It was more like a half walk and half crawl, but he managed. He heard Elle request that they not talk until they reached the top.

Something was wrong... she may be uneasy of the climb, though he wasn't exactly sure. He paused, letting her reach him, and then he stuck his paw out, and clasped her own securely before she could say anything. He gave her a reassuring smile. "Come on... this isn't nearly half as bad as climbing the ship's rigging. At least... I don't think it is." He said, looking right in her eyes. "You'll be fine. Let's go on together." He suggested, and kept his paw in her own, using his left one to keep a hold of rocks and boulders that they came across, and pulled her along with his stronger right arm, though only at her own pace.

"Selvis... to answer your question..." He would have to apologize to Elle for talking when she wanted some quiet. "He's just so engrossing... he literally transports you to the past... he's good at that." he said, giving the weasel a knowing look. "I mean I'm sure you agree. It's like hearing a story... but better because it really happened. I mean heheh." here Caden chuckled, still gripping Elle's paw in his own. "Maybe they'll talk about us like that someday." he said, giving a shrug. "You never know."

They crested the ridge leading to the top of the hill, and almost immediately ran into Carrow, Luxe, Marten, and Keinruf. Caden let Elle's paw go, if only because he was still trying to hide her identity for the rest of the ones in front of him, though hoped she appreciated the help. He looked at his mouse friend, and warily glanced at Keinruf out of the corner of his eye.

"Hey Carrow. Hello everyone else. Captain Fugate said we can start walking down the hill with the rope now, and start hauling the sledges up, provided the blocks and tackle are secure. You guys all ready for that?" he asked, wiping his paws off a little, as they had become sweaty from the climb. Other crew were starting to gather as well, as they would need quite a lot on the lines. They would be dragging a nearly four ton gun up the slope after all. Caden wanted to take this opportunity to rest while he could, even if it would be brief.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ocean saw Molly approaching, and immediately hid his head. He was pressed up against the rock, his heart racing, and his jaw trembling. He pleaded that she wouldn't come around the corner... but fortunately... she had stopped. Or at least it sounded like she had. But what was she... doing?

He risked a peek, and poked his head over the rock, hoping he wouldn't come snout to snout with her. But instead...

Ocean's eyes widened, and he blushed something furious as she noticed him a few seconds later. "Sorry! I'm... sorry" he squeaked as she adjusted her skirt and moved to sit on top of the rock, looking at him with a very... creepy expression. It was like she was studying a morsel that was both delicious and succulent, and it made his knees quaver.

She asked if he should be molting... and that simply froze him. If he could, he would've shattered then and there from relief. But as it was, he was still solid when he found his voice. "Uh... I... don't molt Jis Serra. I'm... constantly in ermine." he explained in a shaky voice.

He closed his eyes, and tried to think of what to say next. He nearly blurted out if Captain Fugate hated him or not, but bit his tongue at the last minute, and prevented himself from asking that. "I was just... here to you know... um..." he ground to a halt, his mental processes shot. "I... uh... you must know, since you talk to him all the time." he finally decided to say. He couldn't get around it. He needed to know! "Does Captain Fugate... hate me?" he asked, flinching a little as the words left his mouth. He then stood silently, rubbing his arm and looking everywhere at once.

[spender]

He was so cute. Molly wrinkled her nose at him.

"Really?" she said. "How novel." She stared at her own arm, rubbing the white fur up and down. Always ermine... always fluffy... always so soft and pristine... always a ditz! Ewh.

"Does Captain Fugate... hate me?"

Molly looked up in time to see the flinch. She couldn't help but smile a little—it seemed to run in the family. She could see where Spender got it from. The nervousness was pouring off him like invisible sweat, filling her sinuses with ridiculously exciting pheromones. She just wanted to gobble him up. She missed this, the fear of a male stoat. It had been so long since she'd had a proper customer...

"Well," she said calmly, more to calm herself than to calm him. "He hasn't mentioned anything specific to me. But I think I know the Captain, and from what I know... there's only three things he hates. My cooking, Rosferians, and pirates. And he's going to be married to two of them, so where does that put you?"

She leaned forward, sliding off her rock, and took his chin in her (as always) gloved paw. They were well-concealed from the rest of the beach, still. She stroked her claws up and down, feeling his jaw and throat through the thin silk fabric of her gloves.

"You are... so soft..." Her eyes roved, then snapped up to his face. "I don't think he hates you. He might be jealous of you, but no... I'm sure he doesn't hold it against you. We can't choose who molts and who doesn't. I, for one, would love if he was in winter fur all year 'round... but that's no reason to dislike you for getting the better deal. Cheer up, jack."

With that, she planted the tiniest of kisses on the tip of his muzzle, no more than a second's touch, and then let go of him and stepped back.

"You're a handsome lad, and there's nothing to fear. He's got me; if you get all the jills for your coat, so what?" She winked. "He still wins."

She began to saunter off, giving her tail and hips a bit more waggle than was absolutely necessary, but then stopped. Something else occurred to her. She turned around.

"Or is this about the whole pyromania thing?"

[Carrow]

Selvis gently patted Elle's back when she apologised to him for basically dropping her secret in his lap all that time ago, shaking his head a little in a manner that seemed to say, 'don't worry about it now, what's done is done.' He could see that the beech marten was concentrating on her climb, and so nodded when she requested that they refrain from talking until they were on more level ground - though the long-tailed weasel couldn't exactly be sure whether she had asked him to keep quiet in general, or in particular; as in, 'don't talk about this until later'. Whichever it might have been, the mustelid was fine with it.

He turned his attention to Caden again. The pine marten was in the middle of praising Ladorak's teaching methods, and this was met with some rather enthusiastic nods from the weasel. The knowing look that the albino gave him was met with a rather large grin on the part of the Ferlusanian, who knew exactly where his companion was coming from. "Of course! I completely get what you're saying! He's really able to tell a story, and cast a sort of spell with his words while he's at it. D'you know, I can't recall one class where there hasn't been total silence once the Captain gets into full flow. In fact, I suppose you could say it's mesmerising to watch." He chuckled gently, winking at his friend. Selvis could easily admit to becoming entranced in those classes, as he threw himself into them one-hundred-per-cent, and took pleasure from doing so.

Something else that pleased him was the off-paw comment that his companion made just before they made it onto steadier ground. His eyes sparkled, and the longtail let out a low whistle to show his surprise. "Maybe, indeed. That would be something, Caden. I can't really speak for the rest of you but I'd sure like to be remembered in that sort of way." Then his eyes lit up as he spotted Carrow et al. The weasel was looking forward to spending some time with his diminutive companion now that all four good friends were together again. "Hello there, Carrow!," he called to the mouse, giving him a smile.

Carrow was very pleased indeed to see his friends again, not least because it gave him a chance to shake off the sadness that had welled up within him whilst listening to Keinruf's story. Before his friends had arrived, the mouse had sorrowfully shook his head upon hearing the scruffy marten's tale, and expressed his sympathies. However, he had been gazing rather distantly down at his footpaws, head drooping as the Gradvarian had gone on. It hadn't made for cheerful listening, and even despite the fact that his story had received a sympathetic hearing from the field mouse, it had brought him down a little at the same time. Marten's gentle nudge had lifted him from his reverie just in time for Carrow to see his friends arriving - and just like that, he came back to himself fully. He beamed at his three companions who were on their way over to join him. "Ah, hello you three! Great to see you again!"

His smile faltered a little as he took on a more bashful appearance when Marten heaped praise on his efforts in setting up the block and tackle. He blushed a little, stammering out a response. "E-er... J-Jal Pyne is being a b-bit too m-modest f-for his own good. D-don't l-listen to him, mates, it was a team effort a-and he knows it. We w-work better t-together than h-he wants to admit." He looked at the elder pine marten with a small twinkle in his eye. Had he still been the self-deprecating and self-pitying creature he had been up until a short while back, he would have taken Marten's praise and thrown it back at him, saying that the mustelid had been responsible for everything, but now he was finally starting to learn to take credit where it was due. It HAD been a team effort, after all. "Everything's ready to go here; I've checked them myself, in fact," he responded to Caden. "I'm about as ready as I'll ever be for that. The best thing is, you lot can take a bit of a rest now if you want. What were you doing down below?," he asked curiously.