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Post by Carrow on Jul 18, 2011 15:39:01 GMT -5
Carrow was reminded he really needed to check in with Ocean and see how the ermine was doing, in a more general sense, as he knew the mustelid was still under the weather to a certain extent. Caden's affirmation helped lift his spirits even further, though. "Ask me the same question in a year, and I might be able to give you a different answer. That's all up in the air, at least for the moment," he admitted.
The mouse had also noticed the lack of any creature around, and shrugged. "Not sure where they might be, to be honest, but I reckon they've taken some sort of refuge from the heat. It's absolutely stifling!," he exclaimed, shaking his head and frowning a moment. "I know you need to find them, though, so I'll come with you if you want to start looking around," he offered.
The rodent noticed Spender's presence then, and sighed a little. He was off on his own again, and that was no surprise to the field mouse, who reckoned that the ferret was living up to his usual reputation of not being very good company. He wasn't really in the mood to speak to him anyway, because questions would be asked, and if one in particular left the ferret's mouth, Carrow wouldn't be able to answer it for fear of being called a coward, and that was the absolute last thing he wanted.
Being called a coward by anybeast was bad enough, but to be labelled as such by Spender, of all creatures, would be quite disheartening. "I'm not going to ask either," he responded, "but as for your theory that they're down there at the beach, it's quite possible considering the conditions we have to put up with. Plenty of opportunity to cool off after all." He nodded when Caden asked him to stay put, hoping his guess proved correct.
Carrow liked beaches. He hadn't gone to them very often, but when he had they had been enjoyable places in which to spend a few hours. There was just one problem: he wasn't a particularly strong swimmer. He had no trouble with water, not like Ocean did, but he was quite inexperienced as far as swimming was concerned. A paddle was about all he could manage nowadays.
He heard Caden calling back to him and he gave his pine marten companion a broad smile in response. "That's great, mate! I'll be there in a minute!" He reached his friend sooner than that, in fact. "I've not done this in while, y'know," he said gently. "There seem to be a few more creatures down there than I was expecting," he remarked. Hypothetically speaking, who could be down there? Selvis, definitely. Ocean too. Perhaps he'd also have a chance to meet the stoat Petty Officer he'd heard about.
There were two others down there, though... and his heart soared as he realised that one of them could very well be Tally. the field mouse now sported an ear-to-ear grin, before starting off down the cliffside path. Studying it, he was brought back down to earth with a bump. This... didn't look the most stable of paths... and he wasn't at all confident about making it down. "Er... Caden, could you lend me a paw getting down?," he asked. "I'd prob'ly feel safer with somebeast helping me." This was something he had absolutely no shame in admitting.
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Selvis could hear the strained note in Ocean's voice. It was quite a shame the ermine had to put up with that, but if the longtail hadn't known better he could easily have thought that his fellow mustelid wanted him to drop the subject. "Well, I'm quite certain you'll be able to get back on track soon," he told him, smiling a bit.
Warwick then told Ocean not to make personal remarks about 'Midshipjack Fugate'. it was just as well that he hadn't cautioned Selvis for that, because the longtail would have had serious trouble keeping quiet about a creature who remained a very good friend to him, despite the difficulties their friendship had faced the previous month.
The fact was that Selvis didn't think Caden's promotion changed much as far as he was concerned. Caden remained a friend first, and his superior officer second, and he would treat him accordingly only if Caden himself didn't mind it. He was aware that Warwick didn't know any of them very well, of course, but nonetheless he saw no reason why he shouldn't continue treating the pine marten like he'd always done - especially because he'd known him far longer than Warwick, who hadn't even met him.
He had to suppress a smile at the irony of the stoat's words. While he wasn't going to risk openly embarrassing Warwick by highlighting the fact that he'd basically just told Captain Fugate's fiancée to get lost, it was still an amusing situation in his eyes. Ocean moved off, probably about to correct the stoat Petty Officer, and Selvis chose that moment to speak up. "Good afternoon, Jis Serra. We're not evading anything, no; we came down here for a dip and Ocean decided to come with us so he could try and cool off. How've you been?," he asked politely.
He'd noticed Tally as well, and his eyes lit up as he addressed her. "Ah, so you were around after all. I know a certain mouse who's going to be very pleased to see you, Tally! He might be here soon, not sure; if he and Caden have noticed we've gone, they'll start looking around. I have a sneaking suspicion that Captain Fugate will be calling for volunteers for the assault soon. What d'you think of your little boat?," he asked her, smiling. My, oh my, he thought, Carrow's been looking everywhere for her as of late!
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Post by spender on Jul 19, 2011 18:50:35 GMT -5
"Danger!" Molly cackled. "I look forward to it, Jal... Norwich, was it? A fine Welkin name, that. I shall try not to be too unseemly, although I very nearly decided..." Molly tugged at her shift, which was sticking to her. Sometimes she wished her clothes had been tailored for more traditional outings. It would save her a lot of potential embarrassment with public opinion, having something to bathe in that breathed a little easier around the body. She frowned, sinking lower into the water to hide behind Tally's boat, lest she upset the young stoat more. Usually she enjoyed upsetting young stoats, but the heat had taken that mood quite away.
She splashed a little at Ocean. "Pish-tush, my little ermine, I seek no titles or prestige—nor yet can I claim any. Fiance, not quite the same as wife. If I am truly disallowed from the beach, I will leave, but I see no others making use of the water currently, and nobeast else has expressed discontent with my being here... I haven't been too well, and nor has the Captain. I suspect I am doing better than he, however, and much better than those of us who have fallen ill. This infernal weather will be the death of me, I swear! I was moving along the shore to the cliffs over there, where there will be more shade in the later afternoon. "
"What d'you think of your little boat?"
Tally waved again as she spun past Selvis, but Molly had knocked it and it was spinning faster now, and the weasel vanished before she could tell him. This gave her a little time to think, however, so that was good.
"Der vos a crab in it," Tally explained, as she re-appeared. She carefully lifted her skirts and searched the bottom of the coracle again, just in case. "It tried to sit on my, on my..."—she patiently spun around again—"on my sandvich. I haff juice."
'Lemon rum,' Molly mouthed, grinning. Tally would sleep like a baby while Molly went off to join in the action.
Spender's thoughts were dark as he made his way to his tent. The way Caden and Carrow had skirted him, barely paying him any attention... Such treatment had been going on for a while now, and it was grating on the ferret, who couldn't remember what he had done this time. He had been friends with Caden, briefly—long enough that they had agreed to share birthdays—and then his promotion had seemingly changed all that.
He was busy trying to remember if he had done anything to upset Caden or Carrow lately as he rummaged through his belongings in his tent. He found his little bag of money and picked through the coins until he found what he was looking for: a half-crown. He slipped it into his pocket.
His tent partner, a squirrel who was some years older than him (and whose name Spender couldn't remember to save the world), opened the flap behind him.
"Oh. Hello, Spender."
"Leave me alone," Spender said, taking off his cap. "I have dark thoughts."
The squirrel stood, staring at him for a moment or two before deciding that whatever that meant, he didn't exactly want to find out, and bowed back out of the tent.
Spender prized his candy cricket free of its moorings and crunched into it while glaring at the toys in his bag. He put his cap back on. Then he grabbed his ball, bounced it once or twice, dooked in excitement, and began to race back to the beach, all worries forgotten once again.
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Post by Ladorak on Jul 19, 2011 22:54:06 GMT -5
"Hah! I was just about to ask you the same thing. I hate heights, myself." Caden said nervously, glancing down the steep cliff side. "But... I guess since you have the worse balance... I'll be the one helping you... just hope I can make it, myself." the marten said, giving him a nervous smile as he placed a paw on his shoulder and began guiding him down.
He moved at a steady pace, not taking it too fast or too slow. Just a nice, even walk. That would make for the best situation, Caden figured. "I'll be assembling them on them on the beach, and telling them to report up to the camp. I'm sure Captain Fugate... Ladorak, will be mustering us soon, so I'd like to offer my services as soon as I can. And here we are." he said as they neared the bottom. "That wasn't TOO bad I suppose, though I think Bastia was easier, in all honesty." he said, sighing. Walking over the sand toward the waterfront, he called out to all beasts currently swimming.
"Ahem, attention seajacks and swimmers!" he said, noticing it wasn't just regular seajacks in the water. He outranked Warwick, so he could get away with addressing him as such. "All those who are thinking of participating in the assault on Fort Mozzello, you should report back to the campsite shortly! Assemble on the beach around me, and we'll head back to report to the Captain!" Caden clasped his paws behind his back, and waited for any takers.
Ocean looked over at Selvis, and he shook his head. "I... don't think I can participate." he said, coughing again. "Depending on when it's set for... I may or may not. I might just stay here and play with Spender a bit... BUT... I don't see any harm in expressing my interest. If I can't go, I can't go. If it's a week from now, maybe I'll be better... or maybe I'll be worse... I guess we'll have to see. I assume you'll be going." he said, and began pulling back for the shore.
Climbing out and retrieving his shirt, the ermine slowly pulled it back over his head, and gave the Midshipjack a tired salute. "I'll tentatively express interest." he said. "Depends on how I'll feel."
"Understood, Seajack Sleet." the albino nodded, and looked about him at the other gathering beasts.
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Post by warwick on Jul 20, 2011 2:09:20 GMT -5
"Might want to...?" Warwick's mind slowly turned over the words 'Captain's' and 'Fiancee'. In this heat, it took him a few moments. Then his whiskers drooped. Oh, that made... some sense, at any rate. At least Ocean had been on the ball. He nodded at the ermine and shook himself out as he padded up to knee-depth in the water.
"Not disallowed, by no means, Jis," Warwick corrected in an embarrassed mumble, the blood rushing to his cheeks under his fur, "Just... concerned for the well being of two jills."
Warwick trailed off lamely, his face twitching. Jis Serra did not seem particularly perturbed, now he thought about it. Perhaps he was not doing so badly at all. He squeaked. THAT was Midshipjack Fugate. An albino pine marten as they had said. Well, not that he would describe the mustelid as such. He had only just met him after all.
"Sir!" Warwick quickly touched his claw to his sloped forehead and exited the water, hurrying for his little pile of clothes on the beach. In a moment he was dressed, if a little damp. He did not introduce himself, the Midshipjack had the discretion of enquiring after his name or not. The pine marten's brisk manner suggested now was definitely the time to be Proper.
He was slightly incensed however, at Ocean's manners. Yes, the ermine was sick. Yes, it had been a hot day and yes, Warwick desperately wanted to be friends with him. It would be no good making the seajacks hate him. But 'tentatively express interest'? 'Depends on how I'll feel'? These were words expressed over a second game of cricket on a Sunday afternoon, not blowing away the King's enemies. Warwick had almost raised himself on old tales of glory and heroism, and found the lack of enthusiasm in his comrades-in-arms a little different from how he had imagined.
"I volunteer, sir. Ready to do my... my..." Warwick could have cried. No, not now. Not in front of the Midshipjack. He could not hold it down, though. Squeak! Sniff. Blink. Blink.
"...utmost," he finished. He tried to look neutral, unfazed and resolute. He did not want to be seen as infirm and potentially barred from the attack. True, he had never actually been in a siege like this. But he had to start some time! Plus, he would love to see the red-coated soldiers do their work. He had only ever seen sieges in painting or read about them in stories or accounts.
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Post by Carrow on Jul 20, 2011 17:54:55 GMT -5
"I know, Caden," Carrow murmured, "and that makes things slightly awkward for both of us. Thanks for helping out, though. Next time you need somebeast to help out with that, I could return the favour if you wanted," he offered politely, smiling a little as, under Caden's guidance, he began slowly making his way down the slope, being even more careful than usual.
His pine marten companion set the pace, and Carrow nodded agreeably. "Ah yes - this should do it. If I trusted my own footpaws a little more, I'd probably move at this sort of speed. And yes, something tells me that Ladorak is going to reveal the plan for the attack soon enough - I don't think anybeast is really expecting it to be that soon, though; they might be a little surprised, but there's no harm in that."
They soon reached the bottom of the slope, and Caden removed his paw from Carrow's shoulder. The mouse turned to his friend, nodding and shooting him a smile. "Thanks for that, once again. You managed just fine yourself," he commented, before approaching the waterfront along with his friend as Caden called out to the gathered creatures in the water.
Selvis had been quite enjoying Tally's company. The weasel felt rather playful all of a sudden, and exaggerated his reaction to hearing about Tally's 'close shave' with the crab, clapping his paws to his cheeks and adopting a rather stunned-looking expression. Tally was almost constantly spinning around in her little coracle, and for her sake Selvis hoped the repetitive motion wouldn't make her sick.
Then he became more mischievous all of a sudden, winking roguishly at the orange-furred mousemaid before responding to her. "A crab? Really now? Well, let me tell you, miss Tally, what you should have done is eaten the sandwich anyway, regardless of the crab being in there! It would have made it rather a lot more crunchy of course, but I like the idea of a crab sandwich myself!"
He'd been able to lip-read Molly's revelation though, and his eyebrows rose slightly at her comment. Tally seemed to be chipper enough at the moment, though, so there didn't appear to be any danger of the rodent dropping off within the next few minutes - not that Selvis would be around to see whether it happened, though. He could see Caden and Carrow approaching, and he had an idea what Caden had come for.
He was right. Caden was calling for volunteers for the assault, and Selvis had finally made up his mind. He hadn't told Carrow or Caden of his final his decision, only because he hadn't made it until earlier in the day; not because he was indecisive, or unprepared what he might be required to do, but because no matter how much he tried to conceal it, he was still quite on edge at times, and had needed to wait for a time where he felt more at ease with himself before committing.
He nodded sympathetically as Ocean told him he wasn't sure whether he could manage participating in the siege. "That's quite alright, Ocean. I think you're doing the right thing: there's no point jumping the gun here and promising to commit to something you might become unable to take part in. I'd do the same if I were in your situation. You need rest more than anything else, I think, but you can see how things go of course."
Warwick stepped forward and offered his services. The longtail, who had gotten out of the water and was getting dressed, noticed how the stoat could scarcely contain himself; whether this was from excitement or some other emotion the mustelid could not tell, but as soon as the Petty Officer spoke up, Selvis, now fully dressed again, stepped forward as well. His voice was clear and resolute. "I volunteer, Midshipjack Fugate, sir! I'm prepared to do my best, and have no qualms about anything," he assured his friend, smiling as he saluted the pine marten.
Carrow had spotted Tally at this stage, and was very much looking forward to spending time with her. The most difficult part had to come first though. He didn't care about losing face in front of the stoat Petty Officer, who he could now meet at long last, if only for a short time, but still... having to say he would back out in front of everybeast else was slightly awkward for him. Even if throwing in the towel in front of Caden and Ladorak had been much harder for him, he still had to do it.
The field mouse spoke up. "I'm not going to volunteer. As much as I want to, I don't think myself prepared for possibly having to take lives. I know it's basically a necessity in the Navy and everything, but I'm not ready for it yet. I will probably be sometime, though; maybe next time, but for now I can't bring myself to do that, and since it's kill or be killed, I'd much rather not have to do it this time around." This time, Carrow didn't apologise, but it could be seen that the mouse flinched slightly after he'd spoken.
Selvis looked slightly surprised; not because Carrow had backed out - as he'd been expecting that, given the kind of mouse he was - but because he was expecting repercussions. He was now standing with Caden and Carrow, and gave his rodent companion a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Well, you said it yourself, mate: if you're not ready for it, that can't be helped. It's alright to feel that way, especially because you're not particularly fond of violence at the best of times, but your situation could possibly change. You can prepare yourself for whenever you feel ready. I've already done that. Saying you're not ready and openly backing out... so long as you're happy with it, it's okay."
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Post by spender on Jul 20, 2011 18:43:06 GMT -5
Tally stuck out her tongue, part in thought, part in disgust. She had eaten a crab sandwich not long ago, and it had tasted rather nice, but there had not been any actual crabs in it. Selvis, she decided, was a funny yellow weasel. Sometimes she wished her favourite weasel was yellow. Yellow reminded her of the colour orange, which was the colour she was. She had pink paws: she was a sunset mouse. She liked her purple ribbon the best.
All this she tried to say, but suddenly her spinning stopped, and she was facing out to sea, where there was no one to tell. Her coracle shuddered again, and Molly peered over the edge to see Molly guiding it. She felt safe again, then tipped forward off her seat as the coracle skiffed onto the shore. Molly stood and caught her with wet paws. Tally, shaking and wobbling, stepped off her boat and waved her umbrella at the tiny tracks in the sand, as if warding off the little beasties that dared skitter at her.
"Carrow!" she exclaimed, eyes widening into saucers at the sight of him. "My toes are sinkink!"
Molly waded up behind her, dragging the coracle out of the water. "Just step lively, my dear. Wet sand will do no harm."
But the mousemaid was stuck, entranced by the oozing around her ankles.
Letting her be, Molly went to Caden and the others.
"I'll be joining the assault," she said. She paused to glance at Warwick, noting his reaction to this news. He was just so quaint, she could squeeze him 'til he popped!
"I'll need somebeast to care for Tally, of course..." She smiled down at Carrow. "Would you—"
At that moment, Spender's ball sailed over the edge of the cliff and plopped into the sand inches from Molly, spraying her sodden shift with granules. She scowled and glanced up.
Spender's head peeked over the side, then vanished. A few seconds later he was seen ambling down the path; halfway down he stumbled and tripped into a somersault, then continued rolling every-which-way, backwards, forwards, sideways with his whole body like a rolling pin, bumping into shrubs and rocks until he landed at the bottom. The ferret lie still.
Molly began to count.
"One... two... three... four..."
Spender sat up, rubbed his head, sneezed, stood up, and trotted over to the group. His left eye was squeezed shut, encrusted with dirt.
"Oaw, wot's goin' on? We're not swimmin' anymore, Squeaks? I barely got wet! Anyone seen my ball? It escaped. Ah, there it is. Oi, Ocean."
He held out his half-crown piece to the ever-ermine, not realising it was not a shilling as he had promised.
"Brilliant, mate! Ye did it. I didn' have t'tackle ye or anything. Bit of a shame, though, I wos gonna. Dahh, I broke a whisker."
His eye crossed to glare at the bent whisker and he plumped down in the sand to fuss it straight.
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Post by Ladorak on Jul 21, 2011 22:22:47 GMT -5
Ocean glanced down at the half crown in his paws. This was worth a LOT more than a shilling. He looked up at Spender, but didn't say anything. Spender... REMEMBERED the bet? Since when did he remember anything? He was like his father in that regard, except his father could remember generally that there WAS an event going on, just not what particular event. Spender usually didn't even have that much going for him. But then again... maybe he was just hallucinating again.
"Thanks... ooohhhhh." he said, holding his side again. He now was fairly certain he knew what this pain was, but he couldn't anything about it at the moment. Grimacing, he rubbed at his lower right abdomen, massaging it as best he could.
"Actually... I think I might just stay down here... play with Spender for a bit... try and... relax. I'll make my way back up the path at some point. If I need help, I'm sure I'll be able to get it." he said, already starting to feel his head catching on fire again. "Yeah... I'm gonna stay down here... I'm sorry sir. Sorry I can't... participate." He said, rubbing his head again and already thinking about the water, much as he hated it. "I just don't feel in the right condition to be able to do this." he said, groaning again.
Caden nodded. He looked right at Warwick, who seemed to be hesitating on his words. He finally blinked as the stoat gave off a squeak. Where had that come from? He frowned a little, but only in thoughtful manner, not so much in disapproval. "Uh... right, of course, welcome aboard, Quarter Gunner. Good to have you with us." he stated, giving the fellow a nod followed by a smile. A squeak though? Unusual...
"Selvis, glad you'll be there as well. Come on then, let's..." he paused, glancing up at Molly as she too volunteered. He studied her a moment, and nodded. "Yes... I expected you would. You might want to clear that with the Captain... though I'm sure he'll say yes." he said, giving her a small smile.
"Now then, as I was saying, let's head up. You can stay here if you really like, and I can report the names of who's going and who's not to the Captain, so be prepared to be called into duty. Right, well I'm gonna head back up. Oh yes... any weapon preferences, you two?" he asked, looking between Warwick and Selvis, peering over the brim of his dark tinted sunglasses. He knew there was no point in asking Molly... she'd take one of everything on the night of the assault, so he knew she had that bit covered.
Ocean saluted, which Caden returned, and ambled back down to the beach, pocketing the half crown and deciding not to tell his brother about his mistake. Smiling to himself, he started lapsing into a very dreamlike state, feeling more like he was gliding over the sand as his fever continued to burn...
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Post by warwick on Jul 22, 2011 6:25:12 GMT -5
"Weapon preferences, sir? Why, I should be pleased to be armed with a pistol and a boarding axe, sir," Warwick said hesitantly, seeking some approval from the Midshipjack. Finding the marten's features unreadable, Warwick hurredly explained.
"In order that I might more... sniff... closely engage the enemy, sir. Additionally, an axe might be handy in case I need to force an entry," Warwick reasoned. He flicked his head and squeaked. His mind filled with images of the battle ahead. It would be loud, certainly. Smoky and dark with danger lurking by every corner. The stoat hopped a little as he envisioned the upcoming adrenaline, the fear, the tension.
Squeaks. Well, at least one of them had mentioned it. Warwick smiled sheepishly at the ferret, his eyes flicking from face to face. Thinking about squeaking made it worse and for a moment Warwick was all but incapable of speaking as his head jerked and the high-pitched whines stuttered out of his maw. He liked the ferret, sure enough. The fellow was certainly very nonchalant about the upcoming attack, talking about such commonplace topics as a bent whisker.
"Heheh. That's the spirit there, mate! You'll be coming along... squeak... with us to show them the old one-two, eh?" Warwick stammered, looking to the ferret for support. Anything to distract from his tics. "Plenty of time for swimming... sniff... after we beat the blighters back!"
Warwick gave the mouse a curious look. He did not know what he could say to a mammal that presented himself with an outright refusal to volunteer. Quite a first impression, the stoat mused. He was not entirely sure why it proved to be such a difficult choice for the mouse. They were in the Navy. They had an opportunity to swiftly dispatch their foe and he would not take it?
Perhaps it was the reasoning that most confused Warwick. Possibility of taking lives? What was this mouse here for then, if that was a problem? Questions plagued his mind, each one more prying than the last. Warwick could not ask any of them. It would simply be too personal for their very first meeting. He elected instead to offer a few words of encouragement of his own.
"Ah, well, nevermind that. We'll bring you back a Rosferian officer's sword, once he paws it over himself. Next time, you can accept the surrender personally, old chap! I'm Warwick, by the way. Warwick Norwich, how do you do?" The stoat beamed, hoping this polite formality would not irk the Midshipjack.
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Post by spender on Jul 23, 2011 13:18:20 GMT -5
Spender found himself in a tube. In one end of the tube was a tasty treat. In the other, a feathery chew-toy that would most likely make an amusing sound when bitten. He was just one ferret: how could he scramble to both ends of the tube at the same time? He rolled about, stationary, in the middle.
Ocean wanted to play with him!
But...
"You'll be coming along... squeak... with us to show them the old one-two, eh?"
Roll-roll-roll, went Spender's decision-making process. He raised a paw and tried to rub the dirt out of his eye. What exactly was going on here? No one had explained it properly to him. They were going to fight? Was it a boxing match, or... a proper battle, with guns and swords? Or guns and axes, in Warwick's case. Those weren't things you brought to a boxing match, or even a chicken fight—not unless you were betting them, or going to use them if you lost a bet...
"Uhm... I don' know..." He caught Warwick's look at Carrow. Of course Carrow wouldn't have anything to do with fighting. It wasn't a bad look, but it was one Spender had been the recipient of too many times to appreciate. "I wanna go..." Play... fight!... play!... fight! "...but, oooh, my tummy 'urts, too. I fink 'm sick like Ocean."
Decision-making ferret raced to one end of the tunnel, snaffled up the snack, and scooted backwards to barrel tail-first into the squeaky feather toy. Weez-oo.
He rubbed his bare, fluffy, cream-tan-and-brown stomach. He wasn't lying: it really did hurt. He hit more than a few rocks on his tumble down to the beach, not to mention the first trip at the top of the cliff, when he lost his ball. That'd teach him to try to wardance while holding things. In a few minutes, a bruise on his head would be appearing... along with bruises elsewhere along his tubular body.
"I should stay 'ere, too... ooouurgh, I really wanted t'fight, though... oawwaoooboohoo..." Sniffling and moaning, he flopped backwards in the sand and rolled onto his side, covering his face with his paws as he began to sob quietly—and none-too-realistically.
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Post by Ladorak on Jul 24, 2011 1:17:46 GMT -5
((Sorry for the delay. I'm really torn up right now. I can't think straight, I'm depressed, and I just couldn't come up with a good post. Sorry this is sort of sub par but I didn't want to auto anyone, so at least this will lead in to other things. I'm REALLY sorry about the quality of this post, but it's all I could manage right now. Hopefully I can do better tomorrow.))
"That's fine." Caden said, sighing a little. "If you're sick, you're sick." In reality, he figured it was a good idea that Spender was going to spend time with his brother. He would need it, and it would do them both some good, or at least he felt that way.
"Right... well I'm going to head back up, see about giving the names to Captain Fugate... oh and don't worry. I'll sign you up for a tomahawk." Caden told Warwick. "That's my weapon of choice as well... either that or the poleaxe, as it's versatile. Seems we'll be using either similar weapons or the same type for this assault. Well then, if anyone would like to come with, do tag along, and I'll see you at the top." he said.
Turning, he began strolling up the cliffside path, taking it slow, as he wasn't in a rush, and heights made him uneasy.
Ocean, for his part, stayed on the beach, lying on his back as he tried to relax and deal with his pain and fever. He just lay down and let the waves splash over him, cooling him intermittently as he closed his eyes. He could hear Spender's mock wails, but knew that he'd be feeling "OK" soon enough.
Caden could see Ladorak as he neared the rise in the cliff, and the stoat Captain was off at one of the gun batteries again, observing the fall of shot and the widening breach that was being blasted in the walls of the fortress, and briefly turned to take stock of anyone following him.
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