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Post by Carrow on May 12, 2011 5:11:35 GMT -5
Selvis knew that Caden could see much of Carrow's reaction at first paw. The weasel realised that Elle had probably wanted to be completely honest with the mouse, just as Selvis had been when he'd had to admit he'd witheld her secret from Caden back in Florence. To his mind, it would make absolutely no sense if she didn't tell him the whole truth about what had gone on - and it was much better this way, at least in his opinion. He didn't want to have to openly admit that he'd all but lied to one of his best friends... and it would be infinitely worse for Caden if he had to do the same thing.
His eyes widened slightly as his marten companion suggested going to bed right away without giving the rodent a chance to speak to him. He shook his head. "Oh, I see, alright. I don't blame you for being mindful of that. I can see you watching him from here, though, and the mouse doesn't look like he's disappointed at all. You wouldn't be doing yourself any favours if you left now and didn't give him a chance to speak to you for at least a little while. Think, for a moment, about what that would do to him. It would send out the wrong message entirely... like suggesting to him that you didn't want to speak to him.
"Caden, Carrow's only just started sleeping properly again, so I won't let you get up and leave, for both your sakes. Neither of you is having a sleepless night, not on my watch," he told his companion in a reassuring tone of voice. Then, the longtail played his trump card. "You know... I have a sneaking suspicion that Carrow actually already knows about it. If I know Elle anywhere near as well as I do... she'd want to spare us the trouble of having to tell him what happened ourselves, so perhaps she's already told him in that letter. I might be wrong, but if he already DOES know..." He smiled a little. "Then that would seem to make things easier for the lot of us.
"I'm sure you remember how badly I reacted in Florence. Truth be told, I wasn't in the best of places back then, and it wasn't only the thought of having to admit what I had done to you that was bringing me down at the time. I had been thinking about possibly never being able to see home again... and that whole business with Elle just made things worse. She saw how hard I was hit, that night. Somehow, I feel as though she doesn't want to put me through that again, and she doesn't want to have to inflict any of that on you either. If it's all out in the open, and Carrow's looking like that..."
The mustelid gestured towards the field mouse. "You've seen it, and so have I. If he's been told, and he's reacted like that... what does that tell you about the way he's taken the news that we needed to keep it from him?" Selvis's blue eyes sparkled a bit. "It seems to me that Carrow really doesn't mind at all. One other thing I'm sure about is that Elle's explained our reasons for keeping him in the dark." The longtail patted Caden's shoulder in a comforting fashion. When he next spoke, his voice sounded even more soothing. "Don't worry now, Caden. It's not doing anybeast good, so stop it. From what I can see, you don't have anything to be concerned about."
The marten was visibly less tense at this point, and seeing him like that made Selvis smile. His tail swayed in an appreciative manner as he heard his companion's compliments. "I'm glad I can help, Caden. I always am, whether it's you, Elle or Carrow I'm helping. The fact that I can be of use to all of you, as a friend and as a confidant, is what's kept me going all this time. We're all useful to each other, in fact. Elle, Carrow, you and I... we're a tightly-knit group and things like this shouldn't even stand a chance of changing it. We're all good enough friends to let things like this go. Nobeast needs to suffer because of something like this that was, however unfortunately, necessary. Carrow will realise that, I'm sure of it.
"Thank you for your comments about the letter, too. He was a good father to me back home, yes, even if he wasn't around anywhere near as much as I would have liked, but that's all in the past now. At least I have the opportunity to speak to him again." Selvis was still smiling as he noticed the albino mustelid's tired expression, and he playfully chided him for it. "My, my, aren't we a tired pine marten tonight? I wonder, is Carrow even going to need that pocket watch to put you to sleep? I remember a few months ago when he pretty much hypnotised me... he was worried I wasn't going to sleep because of all that stuff I had going on.
"That impromptu induction was partially to do with the fact that he was rocking my hammock, but his voice played a part too. It was very calming and comforting to me. I didn't even realise he was putting me under!" He chuckled. "I tell you, for somebeast who's not confident in his own abilities, he certainly showed me. In your state, if you both decide to go through with that induction tonight, it might not take much work!," he exclaimed, winking at his friend.
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Post by bookity101 on May 17, 2011 7:46:29 GMT -5
Elle chewed her lip pensively as Carrow started to tremble, one paw reaching out to steady him till he fell forward. Her worry soon changed as he pulled her in to hug her. She too wrapped her arms around him, thinking two thoughts; One she was glad that he hadn't fainted, Two she was extremely glad he didn't seem upset, in fact he almost seemed over joyed at the fact that she was here. Quietly, she listened to his words, small tears forming in her own eyes as she listened to the mouse.
There would be no awful repercussions for her or her friends, only acceptance from the mouse, and that was the scenario she had barely even hoped would come true, and here it was. Smiling, she gently wiped his cheeks,
"I never really left Mousey, I've always looked after you." Her smile broadened that slightly as she fondled his ear gently. "You just couldn't see me." She held his shoulder for a moment longer before rubbing a paw across her face.
"I'll have you know that you have taken a big, big load off my chest today and..." Elle glanced over at the waiting remaining two in their group.
"You ready to head back Mousey?"
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Miri half wondered if she should grab the tin cups she had stashed in her pack, but decided it would be to much trouble to dig for them. Accepting the wine bottle, she took a small drink before pawing it back. She also pawed over a small stack of crackers. Taking another bite of her make shift sandwich before answering.
"No, I've never been in a siege before. Played a lot of waiting games, but never one involving such big guns." She nodded towards the giant cannons now waiting to be used.
"I wonder what the kick will be like on land."
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Post by Carrow on May 17, 2011 10:10:09 GMT -5
Carrow was still smiling as his cheeks were wiped. he realised now, that when 'Elliot' had done this before, that it really had been her. The touch of the beech marten's soft, gentle paws felt rather familiar to him. He didn't feel anything other than complete relief at this development, and let her dab his tears away, in what felt like a very soothing gesture to the mouse, as she spoke. "You're right. You always have looked after me. You've been very helpful, as I'm sure you realise. It's comforting to know that you've been here for me all this time, and will continue to do so. When iI told you my secret back in October... I'd never have had any idea that you'd been harbouring one of your own and just needed to find the right time to let it out."
The affectionate gesture of having his ears fondled had an immediate effect on the field mouse, who was quickly calming down under Elle's influence. His heart had been going ten to the dozen in his chest only a moment ago, but now it was beating at a more usual speed. He listened to her and couldn't help but smile. "And I'll have you know that you've done the exact same thing for me. I worried about you at times, and I'd been thinking of you a lot lately because... well, because, things didn't seem right, knowing that you, Elle McNamee and not 'Elliot', hadn't spoken to any of us in months. I missed you, as I said, but things are now as they should always have been." The rodent lowered his voice to a whisper and spoke directly into his friend's ear. "Besides, I'm sure it's not just me who thinks that this 'no jills are allowed to serve on a ship' rule is a load of toss."
His eyes sparkled as he drew back, patting her paw again. He followed her gaze back towards Selvis and Caden as he continued speaking in a soft tone of voice: "I am indeed ready to head back; what's more, I'm ready to tell a certain pine marten and weasel pair who I wouldn't blame for being a little worried about things right now, that they've nothing to be afraid of. Thanks, Elle. Thanks once again. I'm so grateful to you for telling me this. It's a relief for both of us.
"I don't know what you're doing now, but if you feel like going to bed - and I wouldn't be surprised if this were the case, considering the day we've had - well, I wish you the fondest of goodnights, and hope that you have a pleasant rest." He turned and began to make his way back towards his other two companions, who were discussing things amongst themselves. Carrow wondered about the longtail's letter. Had he opened it yet? In any case, the mouse knew he'd soon find out.
Carrow went straight to Caden, walking with a pronounced spring in his step now that he'd heard the news. Due to the time he'd spent sitting down and resting, his limp was all but unnoticeable at this stage. He was smiling broadly and his eyes were dry. Now that he'd had a few moments to let everything sink in, he was looking forward to putting his companions at ease - even more so when he sat down beside the pine marten and could tell he was rather nervous.
The wood mouse's long tail curled around his footpaws, indicating once again that he was in quite a relaxed mood. He patted Caden's shoulder gently, his voice gentle and comforting. "No need to be getting yourself tied in knots over this, mate. I know what happened, and you didn't do a thing wrong. And that goes for you too, Selvis," he called softly, raising his voice a tad so the Ferlusanian could hear. Selvis's ears perked up, relieved to hear that his predicition had indeed proved correct.
"Elle had her own reasons for keeping her secret from me," he told his two friends. "She said she'd needed to wait until the time was right before telling me, herself," Carrow murmured, stressing the fact that it had been Elle's decision. "She thought I wasn't ready to hear it, back then, and maybe she might have been right, who knows? I was somebeast different back then. She knows I've changed, and that's probably why she held back for so long.
"I don't blame either of you for doing what you did. You were just doing it because you'd promised a friend you would and didn't want to break your promises. I admire that," he admitted. "That's real loyalty, and, well, for what it's worth, I would have done the same thing had I been in your position. I would have absolutely no trouble doing that for any friend of mine... especially not if this friend was, say, anywhere near as good as those I've been lucky to make," the mouse finished, whiskers twitching in an extremely pleased manner. He glanced over at Selvis, who still had the letter in his paw. The mouse's eyes widened. He had been right! He nodded at the weasel. "Good news?"
He received an enthusiastic nod from the longtail in response. "Absolutely. My dad's come back home and he's doing very well. It seems you got good news tonight yourself, Carrow. If Elle had ever said anything about wanting either of us to tell you, rest assured we would have. At least you're in the loop now. You don't need to worry about her anymore." Carrow looked at Caden, a satisfied look on his face, well aware that Caden knew she'd been on his mind. He hoped his reaction came as a relief to his albino marten companion, and waited to hear what he had to say.
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Post by spender on May 21, 2011 20:26:24 GMT -5
Molly crumbled her crackers and sipped them from her paw. It would be a cold day in Hellgates when Molly Serra made anybeast a sandwich, even herself.
"Ugh, waiting..."
She slugged back half the bottle and set it down where Miri would be able to reach it.
"Can't stand waiting... in fact..."
Molly leapt from her perch and practically began war-dancing in front of Miri like a kit on a sugar rush.
"Let's go see what the kick is on this cannon they've just brought up! I'm sure we'd be able to... coerce... someone into letting us test fire it!"
She grinned so wide the top half of her head was in danger of toppling off in a stiff breeze.
Meanwhile, forward in time...
Keinruf very neatly tumbled over sideways in front of the fire. If the sudden movement startled any of the young creatures, it certainly hadn't startled him; he was still snoring away, happy and warm.
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Post by Ladorak on May 23, 2011 13:15:12 GMT -5
Caden nearly collapsed from the relief of it all. He expelled his pent up breath, having been holding it for the past several moments now. "Oh Carrow... I was simply dying of anticipation. You see, I was so nervous that you'd well... hate me for keeping this from you. I pushed it out of my mind... didn't really want to believe I had done it, until of course the truth was about to come out." he explained.
"We all knew about..." Here the albino paused, and glanced down at the sleeping Keinruf. "The secret, but regardless, I just... couldn't say anything. It was like something that kept spreading. First to Selvis, and then apparently to Ocean, and finally to me. You were the only one who didn't know. I'm just... glad you understand why I wasn't able to say anything."
The marten closed his eyes, taking a spell to get the racing of his heart under control. It was alright now... his friends were all OK with it... Carrow was OK with it, which was the most important thing of all to him right now, and the relief was indescribable.
Reopening his eyes, the albino yawned and looked up at Carow. "Thanks... again. Well... it's getting late." He said, looking at the crackling fire. "We should probably put this out soon and get some rest. Did you... still want to try to induce me? If you want to save it for another time... for example, the Orion, that's fine. I'll leave it up to you. I'd say I'm OK with whatever you decide. I have to be after all." he said, partly in jest. "As my way of making this up to you." he told the mouse with a wink.
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Post by Carrow on May 24, 2011 15:44:47 GMT -5
Carrow’s eyebrows rose slightly as Caden’s expression changed. He’d noticed that the marten had been looking rather tense and anxious, after all, and the sense of relief that flooded through the albino could be felt by the wood mouse as well. He really couldn’t blame his companion for feeling so nervous about things, knowing full well that if the shoe had been on the other footpaw and he’d kept something from Caden, he’d probably be in tears right now. Emotional turmoil remained something that he found difficult to pawdle. Now that the matter had been put to bed, they could move on.
Nevertheless, the mouse felt like he should have the last word. Chuckling good-naturedly at Caden’s admission, he patted the pine marten’s paw in a reassuring manner. “Oh, come on, Caden. Hate you? Now why would you ever fear me doing that? I’ll be honest: I’m not sure I have it in me to hate anybeast, and even if I did, I’d make sure it was something worth feeling that much resentment over. There’s no damage done, nor has anybeast been hurt. I’m just glad that secret doesn’t have to be carried around like that anymore. Hate, hah.” He scoffed, waving a paw in a dismissive manner. “A useless emotion if I ever heard one.”
Caden closed his eyes, and Carrow gently squeezed his paw. “Regardless, I think far too highly of you to ever let anything as small as this come between us. You’ve never once let me down, and I… I look up to you more than anybeast else.” He sighed, feeling a great sense of peace wash over him. It seemed to come almost from nowhere, but all of a sudden Carrow realised why it was there: it was because of the company he kept. He found himself within a group of four close companions that were loyal to each other no matter what. “You never had anything to worry about to begin with. I understand why you did, sure; something like that was only natural. I’m glad I could put you at ease, though.”
The rodent let go of his friend’s paw, gently shaking his head at the marten’s suggestion. “I’d prefer to be on top form when I try to put you under. Thanks for suggesting it, but I want to put as much into the occasion as I can, and I can’t manage that that tonight. It’s been an exhausting day after all, and we all have eight hours of sleep to look forward to. We’ll leave it until the Orion, as you suggested. Strangely enough though, as time goes by I’m feeling more and more confident about the induction. This is obviously a good sign.” His ears twitched curiously when he heard Caden’s comment. “I can tell you’re only being half-serious, mate, going by that wink of yours. All the same, though, I don’t feel you need to make anything up to me with this. In fact, I rather think if anybeast owes another something, then I owe you. This is a very, very delayed Christmas present in question after all!”
He winked right back, grinning. Selvis called over to the pair, yawning hugely. Now that he had been settled for a while, the weasel felt exhausted. “Oh, Carrow, if you’re as good with a proper induction as you were with me a few months back, I’m sure it’ll be worth the wait!” He stood up, folding the letter and placing it back in his pocket. “I think I’m going to turn in. Goodnight, mates. I’ll see you bright and early in the morning. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. This whole idea of a siege is exciting in fact. Hope you both sleep well, and tell Elliot I wish him a goodnight too, if you see him.” This time, the longtail was merely playing it safe; using the beech marten’s alias no longer bothered him. Waving at the pair, he turned and headed for his tent, crawling inside and making himself comfortable. Selvis could never remember sleep claiming him so quickly. Lulled into drowsiness almost as soon as he lay down by the gentle, still-audible crackle of the fire, he went out like a snuffed candle.
Carrow smiled at his companion, fetching a nearby bucket of water and throwing it over the fire. “That takes care of that. Selvis seems pretty confident you’ll enjoy being subjected to an induction. I don’t blame him, even if the one we did was rather impromptu.” His eyes sparkled at the memory. “I know I certainly will enjoy showing you a little of what I can do. You won’t need hypnosis to get to sleep tonight, though, by the look of you!” he told the marten in his usual soft voice. Neither would Carrow. He was very lucky he still had the strength in his legs to stand up without wobbling a bit. He was all but dead on his paws. He needed to come down from the dizzying heights of the earlier revelation, though, so he’d simply employ Archie’s technique again to help himself drift away. “Goodnight, Caden. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m excited to see what this siege brings. I never thought I’d actually say that, but there you are. Sleep well.”
The field mouse patted his friend’s paw one final time before departing for his tent. Crawling in, he set about changing into his night outfit. He cooed softly once again, this time to himself, at how it felt against his fur, every bit as soft as it had seemed when he’d come into contact with it earlier in the night. His floppy, cone-shaped cap fit snugly on his head, too. Striped white and blue from top to tail! Carrow liked to imagine it suited him quite well. He lay down, his tail curling around his footpaws yet again, but now he knew it was for the last time tonight. His eyelids began drooping as he relaxed, imagining being back in his cot in Muggidrear as Archie coaxed him into sleep. He could hear her voice as clearly as though she were right there beside him. He smiled drowsily as his eyes closed and he fell into a peaceful slumber.
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Post by Ladorak on May 24, 2011 22:26:51 GMT -5
"Yeah... see you tomorrow." Caden said, giving the mouse a nod, and getting up to go into his tent. It was definitely time for sleep. He was worn out from his exhausting day, but was looking forward to what the siege might bring. It would be his first after all, and he'd only ever read about them in books.
Pushing the flap aside, he was glad that this day had ended favorably for him, as it could have turned out a lot worse. He was thankful now that it hadn't, and so, as he curled up into his bedsheets, the marten closed his eyes, thinking of how fortunate he was to have such good friends around him. It could have been a lot different after all... but that was one of the best things about a ship of the line. The crew were a tight knit lot, and generally got along well with each other no matter what the occasion.
They were crew, friends, and more than that. Almost like a family. Elle had been right, but he just hadn't seen it at first. Some of course he considered simply shipmates, but others were like family. Ladorak Fugate was his father... or at least the father he'd always wanted. And there were more of course. Much more.
He'd miss his hammock... that much he was sure of, as the ground he wasn't entirely used to sleeping on, but there wasn't much he could do about that until they got back onto the ship. With these thoughts, he drifted off, happy to be amongst such fine crew as he knew.
END
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