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Post by Ladorak on Mar 31, 2011 21:03:07 GMT -5
The Army had been a no go and a no show. General Dundas had left in a huff back for Welkin last month, claiming he was taking a "medical leave", but the reality of it was much different. He was removing himself from Ladorak and Hood's badgering. His second in command, Colonel Abraham d'Aubant, was doing nothing to help the situation. As obstinate as he was dull, d'Aubant refused to budge the army from San Fiorenzo, and it was only two days ago that Admiral Hood had showed up with the rest of the fleet behind him, bringing most unusual orders.
Captain Ladorak Fugate was to land 200 of his crew (the other 300 remaining on the ship) as well as heavy artillery that included siege mortars, but not only that, the stoat Captain now found himself in charge of not just his 200 crew, but 1,000 Welkinite soldiers as well, the same 1,000 that Hood had had with his fleet at the start of this campaign, back at Toulon last year.
And thus it was, that at the beginning of April, 200 of the Agamemnon's crew now found themselves gathered in long boats and other small cutters and craft, all of them dotting the ocean like ants streaming across the land. The land was the tranquil blue sea, and upon it bobbed these small craft, all of them paddling towards the rocky coastline of the island of Personza. Since the Army was doing nothing about taking out Bastia, it was now the Navy's show, and Ladorak found himself in command of it all.
Due to the lengthening of the days, the ermine now had a very good brown stripe running down his backside, indicating his molt. It gave him a noticeable brown "cap" on the top of his head, if he removed his bicorn. He was in one of the longboats, leading the way towards the shore as the Coxswain and his mates pulled at the oars. It was just one of their numerous jobs when heading to land. The Coxswain was in charge of all small boats, and acted as the Captain's personal bodyguard ashore, as well as his confidant at sea.
To say that the molting stoat was nervous wouldn't be entirely accurate. He was thrilled to finally be commanding an expedition of his own again, but had to admit he'd never commanded anything quite so large as this. He had to take out an entire city, and ensure that the Rosferians surrendered in good time. He wasn't sure what he was up against, but conservative estimates placed the Rosferians at about 500 or so. Ladorak suspected it was more, but he cared not. Nothing would stand in his way on his path to fame. Of that, he was determined.
Hood was working on arraying the fleet in a semicircle at the mouth of Bastia's harbor, in order to choke it off from supplies that would flow in from the outside world. They were positioning themselves just out of range of Bastia's guns, though that meant of course that they themselves could not open fire either. It was up to Fugate and his land force from this point on.
The 200 with him had been volunteers only, as Ladorak had not pressed any of them into service. The response had been nearly overwhelming, a testament to the devotion that Ladorak's crew held for him. It had been tough to narrow the list down, but eventually, Ladorak had done so. Those not chosen were left behind with those who had not volunteered. The ship still needed a crew after all as it was still part of the blockade.
Caden had of course been one of the first to volunteer, and had been picked right off the bat. Most of his friends were with him as well, and for that, he was rather glad. Things were changing for some crew beasts however. Two in particular had been found out of certain things, and the Captain was going to deal with both. One would have to most likely be left here, after the city fell. The other...
The Captain swiveled his white and brown head to gaze out over the open sea swelled with boats. The sun was rising in the sky, it being mid-morning by now. There was no resistance, as they were putting ashore considerably north of the city. They would need to get the artillery up into the mountains and then begin establishing batteries to conduct an offensive fire down into the city itself. One of the Rosferian representatives of the National Convention was in command here. One Lacombe St. Michel. Ladorak couldn't confirm this, but he'd heard that rather than read Hood's request that he surrender, St. Michel had supposedly crumpled the paper up and had never bothered even reading it.
That little fact made Ladorak's mission more clear cut.
Caden sat in the boat, breathing in the morning sea air. Soon, they would be on dry land again, and working. It was his first siege, and first land battle overall. He wasn't sure what the odds were and if they were any greater than being at sea, but the fact that Ladorak was sitting only a few feet from him inspired confidence in the young marten, and did troves in terms of contributing to his feeling that they would succeed. Ladorak could succeed at anything, and the albino liked to believe that.
He looked around now, to his friends, and was fairly certain they'd be talking to him the closer they got. He decided to preempt that, and speak up for himself. "So... how's this sitting with you all? Excited? Nervous? Fearless?" he asked, chuckling a little at the last bit.
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Post by spender on Apr 1, 2011 3:00:12 GMT -5
Among the volunteers were several critters of note: We shall identify them later.
Not among the volunteers were several critters we can happily forget about: Willard, who of course found it even more important to stay on the ship seeing as almost half her crew were leaving it; Spender, who wouldn't volunteer for anything, even spitting off a bridge, unless coerced into it; Peskers, who, having been warned by Willard of what he'd told the Captain, was determined to spend as much time with Spender as possible before she was sent away; and Tally and Reisender, of course, being much too young to partake, although it must be said that if they had, there was a slim chance they could have single-pawedly taken over the city by the sheer cuteness of their antics.
The critters we can care about are as follows:
Molly, who wouldn't miss a fight for the world, and who was currently cradling her rifle, "Little Lad" in her arms and crooning to herself. She had previously been toying around with a bayonet tip, taking it off and on, until someone mentioned it was dangerous, whereupon she decided to see how fast she could take it off and on, until Ladorak told her to stop it. Pouting, the stoat jill now eyed the shore gloomily, yet eagerly, determined to be the first to pop an enemy soldier a good one 'twixt the eyes, as she had so eloquently (although in reality also a little more graphically) put it.
Then there was Keinruf, who was by this point probably going to end up murdering someone on the Agamemnon if he didn't get off the ship and stretch his legs. Getting to partake in a battle was just the icing on the muffin for him: time away from the stink of naval life, time away from his son, and back to doing what he did best: hurting beasts for the greater good. Plus he figured he could get some looting done. Reisender was growing, and it was time for some new clothes for the little marten. Keinruf himself was on the market for a new pair of boots and a hat, and if he could shake out some cash boxes while he was at it, wouldn't that be something! And of course he'd promised to fight the enemy and obey orders. Of all the beasts on the boat, it was this marten who looked the happiest.
Lastly, there was Willard's replacement, Seajack Marten Pyne ("No, it's not backwards, and no, neither are spelled with an 'I', and yes, I know all the jokes.") There is not much to be said regarding his decision to come, except that it was partially based off a simple good-willed intent to help the cause and gain experience, and partially based off a lingering worry for the younger members of his new watch. In his opinion, the striplings on the boat were rather too young for this sort of thing, and he'd made it his personal goal to see it they came to no harm. He'd been mortified by the event in Tunis, and wished more than ever that he had been in some position to help, instead of having been, as he was at the time, lurking around a bakery to try and woo a foreign marten jill into letting him sample her cinnamon buns. In the end he just bought his own.
It was Marten who replied first to Caden's query.
"Is all three a choice?" he said, chuckling. "Add in 'a bit peckish' and you've got me down to a T. On that note, some tea wouldn't go amiss in the near future..."
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Post by Carrow on Apr 1, 2011 16:32:17 GMT -5
As it had been voluntary to partake in this exercise, there had been no pressure on anybeast to step forward. Once their good friend had done so, there was absolutely no doubt that either Cerinus Apodemus or Selvis Frenata would follow suit. As it was, it had been quite hard to tell at the time which of the pair was more eager to offer his services. Selvis had grown even fonder of the pine marten over the previous few weeks, so was absolutely delighted to accompany him.
Carrow, meanwhile, was of the opinion that no matter how dangerous things seemed, he'd be alright so long as he had good companions by his side. This desire to remain with his friends had caused all his other worries about the upcoming siege to melt into insignificance. His relatively new-found bright outlook on his life had not faltered since he'd made the decision to turn his life around... not even once in fact, and the mouse was ever-so-slightly proud of himself for this. The little confidence that lay within him was finally starting to grow. All it had needed was a little (long-overdue) nourishment.
Selvis and Carrow had both taken the opportunity to sit as close to their pine marten friend as they could. Carrow was on his albino companion's right side, and Selvis was on the left. Just over from them was 'Elliot' McNamee. Selvis and Caden knew the supposed male to actually be Elle, a creature whom Carrow had been pining for as of late. He'd seen her in Naples back in September, but he longed to see her again. He'd told this to nobeast, which was just as well because Selvis's heart would have broken clean in two having to stand there and tell an outright lie to his dear friend. He hadn't been completely honest with Caden, but that was rather different to a bare-faced lie in his eyes. Selvis was sure that the beech marten in question would reveal her secret whenever she plucked up the courage to let the wood mouse know.
The rodent had brought a few things with him, realising they would be besieging Bastia for a while - certain things he could not have left for land without. Among these was the package that had arrived from Archie in mid-February (still unopened, though he was certain it contained at least a letter) which he was planning to open at the first available opportunity. Also present were some writing materials (with which to respond to the aforementioned letter)... as well as his Ferlusanian friend's Christmas gift: the long-tailed weasel doll that symbolised, for the mouse, both Archie and Selvis. He had taken to sleeping with it next to him. Now that he had banished the ghosts of his past, he found it even easier to drift off when the doll was clasped to his chest, comforting and calming him in much a similar way as both of the creatures it stood for had done - continued to do.
Selvis had brought the letter he had received from his mother. It was still unread, and he hoped that one of his friends would be there with him when he took the time to rectify that. Even though his fears had been allayed by Caden and Ladorak, he just knew he wouldn't be able to even open it without tearing up to some degree. Somebeast close to him would need to lend a helping paw. While he still hurt a little when he thought of home, the mustelid was the creature who was much more ready for the siege than Carrow was. He was the second to respond to Caden's question, and he spoke with a confidence he hoped would be reassuring to Carrow, at least to some extent. He knew the mouse couldn't help himself as he was still unused to things like this, and the prospect of going on land for it was completely alien to him.
"I'd say very much the former two, Caden," he responded honestly. "It's rather hard to be fearless when I don't really know what I'm facing into - though admittedly the excitement far outweighs the nervousness I have inside me; there aren't many butterflies fluttering about in my stomach right now, I must say. I've known about this for a little while now and it's much better that I've been able to settle into it instead of just being thrown in at the deep end, as it were. Oh yes, and Marten," he piped up, calling over to the newcomer, "you're not the only one with that opinion, matey, trust me on that. I'm just a tad hungry myself, actually." He returned his attention to the albino marten. "What do you reckon about all this, Caden? I'm sure it's quite exciting, right? You seem to be ready for it. That's good!," he exclaimed, smiling. "And as for you, mousey?," he enquired, hoping his rodent friend wasn't feeling too out-of-sorts.
As it turned out, Carrow's response was generally what Selvis had been hoping to hear. "Well, I don't know if I could actually eat at a time like this, though I'm a little like Selvis in this respect because I'm quite looking forward to this siege. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't been thinking about this with slight trepidation recently, but now that we're actually on our way something like that doesn't seem too bad at all. I suppose I'll just do whatever I can, and do that to the best of my ability. In a way, not knowing how all this will turn out is exciting too - though the best thing, for me, is knowing that I'll be able to face this with good friends close by." As he said this, the mouse was also thinking of good friends back aboard the Agamemnon, namely Tally (who was on his mind more than ever these days) and Ocean; he was disappointed that there was no sight of the ermine; for all intents and purposes (to his mind), he was absent.
A thought struck him then. The mouse was admittedly fascinated by Marten, and the fact he didn't know much about the mustelid only heightened his curiosity. "Marten," he asked in his usual soft-spoken way, "if you don't mind me asking, where exactly did you spring from? Don't think I was even aware of your presence before you volunteered to come with us on the siege. At any rate, I'm quite glad that you're with us for a number of reasons, chief among which are that you seem to be excellent company and that, well, somehow I feel a bit more confident just having you around," he told him. "Creatures like that are always good to have... and we've got a few more!" He didn't need to name names; quick looks at Caden, Selvis and then over at Elliot were all that were necessary. The longtail easily caught the twinkle in the field mouse's eyes, and smiled upon seeing it. The rodent was immeasurably glad to have them with him, and he wanted to let them know this.
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Post by Ladorak on Apr 2, 2011 14:06:01 GMT -5
Caden too, had brought along some of his personal effects. Living on land for who knew how long this siege would last lent itself to the albino wishing to bring along both his study books, some spare clothing, and of course, his star. It was with some contentment that Caden could see Ladorak wearing his "star" as well, as the molting ermine Captain seemed to wear it with him quite frequently.
His belongings were with him, in his haversack in the bottom of the boat in between his footpaws. He looked over at Selvis with his pink eyes, studying the weasel now as he asked him what he thought about it. "How is it sitting with me? I'm not too afraid. We don't know their numbers, but I guess that's only half the battle. We've got a lot of work ahead of us if we're going to get this city to surrender. I think that I feel infinitely better that Lador... Captain Fugate." He quickly corrected himself, being reminded of the Captain's close presence.
"Is leading this expedition." he continued. "The Captain having overall command definitely puts me at ease. I feel that no matter how hard it turns out to be, we'll still come out on top." he said, smiling now in a confident manner. Now of course, if they were talking about rigging work, it would be another matter entirely.
Ladorak smiled as he heard the words, but chose not to comment for the time being. They were getting closer to shore now, being pulled by the crew on the oars. In another boat, a few hundred feet to their right, Ocean sat, working the oars of this boat as he too was part of the landing force, but had not sat with the others due to not being able to get a seat in time. He pulled on the oars with silent determination, his nearly emotionless face masking his inner sense of coming dread over what might happen to him.
As far as Willard's letter had gone, after Ocean had been called in to speak with the Captain the first time, things had gone downhill from there. He purposely avoided Willard whenever he even caught the slightest scent of the weasel close by. He made himself scarce, waiting for what he felt would be the axe blow to his career.
After having been "sold out" as it were, the ermine had simply crumpled up Willard's letter and thrown it over the side of the ship one day, watching it sink into a watery grave. He had not replied nor spoken to the weasel since, preferring instead to let the least weasel wonder what exactly had become of him (or indeed, if he had ever received Willard's letter in the first place). He couldn't compose a reply because he couldn't think of anything to say. Every time he tried, nothing seemed to come out right. Instead, the ermine had just remained silent, and had said nothing, and now was heading away from the ship, once more to vanish into the unknown, as far as Willard was concerned.
As for Ladorak Fugate, he was quite looking forward to this. He had served in land actions before, though not quite on this scale. He relished the opportunity to test out his might and mettle against the enemy, and see if he could live up to his warlord ancestor's past. "Now we'll see how I measure up to Lord Badrang, shan't we?" he asked of Molly in a low voice, planting a very firm smile upon his features as he stared at the bleak looking island ahead of them.
Caden looked over at Marten Pyne (which was just plain confusing in his mind. To actually call a marten Marten was just... odd, but he had at least gotten used to this fellow's presence, as he'd seen him around every so often). "Actually Jal Pyne, I had heard something too." he said, looking up at his elder, and using the Jal more out of respect for age than anything else. "I had heard you were rather worried when I was abducted back in Tunis. I'm sorry you hadn't been able to hear about it sooner. Thanks for your concern though. I don't think I've had a proper conversation with you yet. Caden. Caden Fugate." he offered his paw, still smiling as he did so.
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Post by spender on Apr 2, 2011 23:03:48 GMT -5
Marten peered over the edge of the boat, watching the ripples spread away from the splashes of the crew's oars.
"Well," he said, glancing at Carrow briefly, "I've actually only been in your watch for a month now. Keeping to myself, mostly, and getting to know my messmates first. Those ferrets are a real pawful, eh? Used to be I was in the other watch, but then little Willard convinced me to switch with him. That one night he volunteered, we hit it off pretty good. Fellow was just bustling with energy and cheer—kept talking about you lads, actually, which is what got me to agree in the end. A chance to work with all you and keep an eye out for trouble... Got a lad of my own almost your age!" He frowned. "Or is he older? I forget."
He concentrated on hauling on his oar for a moment, until Caden spoke to him.
"Caden, is it?" He reached over to shake the smaller paw. "Now there's just the thing: wouldn't have guessed that myself. Kept callin' you 'George Furley' in my head. Seems you've got one over me there." Marten grinned, a thin, wry smile that you could swear made his cheeks poofy. Also he was blushing a little. "Aw, now, where'd you hear I was all balled up about you? Guess there's no keeping secrets with those messmates of mine!"
He raised a paw and shook a mock-angry fist in the direction of Ocean's boat.
"Mighty fine shame about all that, though. Just as well it's in the past..."
He trailed off, distracted once again by the water, and honestly not sure what else to say.
Molly, meanwhile, giggled and hugged her knees.
"Measure up, darling?" She leaned her head onto his shoulder. "You're already twice the stoat he ever was." Her nose wrinkled. "Frankly, I don't even know what it is he was famous for, apart from being a warlord. Wasn't he killed by some mouse, too? Hardly a fitting end, I'd say. Shames the whole species."
She sighed.
"Speaking of mice, if this siege takes too long, would we be able to return to the ship? I don't like the idea of leaving Tally all alone..."
Keinruf, for his part, stared mutely ahead.
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Post by Carrow on Apr 3, 2011 7:26:48 GMT -5
"Ooh, riiight," Carrow murmured, nodding after Marten revealed that he was the one who had switched with Willard. "We had been hoping to get some other creature to take Willard's place... after a certain... altercation between us..." He cleared his throat nervously. Still no sign of Ocean. In fact, in the last while he hadn't seen very much of the ermine at all, but he was fairly certain the very beast whom Marten had replaced had had rather a lot to do with it. He was just a bit worried at this stage - hoping that if Ocean (whom he had started to become quite friendly with in recent times) had indeed accompanied them, he wouldn't continue keeping to himself like that. He was always glad of his company after all.
The marten's revelation that he had a son who might be around Carrow's age made the mouse smile a little. "Oh, you have? Well, that's quite nice to hear. See, this is why I like meeting new creatures now. Learning about them and telling them about yourself is quite fun, in my opinion; at least, it is now. I used to be absolutely terrified of encountering new faces. I didn't do well around them at all. I was also scared of my own shadow a few years ago... actually, sometimes I wonder if that's changed," he mused, He was certainly still an abnormally nervous creature at heart. For all the progress he reckoned he'd made recently, some things about him definitely had not changed, or rather they were taking longer to do so. "I really like it now - and on a related note, I reckon I should introduce myself."
Offering the marten his paw, the mouse reached out a little (as he had by far the smallest paw of all the creatures in the boat and wanted to make sure the friendly newcomer could grasp it with as little difficulty as possible), smiling warmly at Marten as he spoke. "The name's Cerinus Apodemus, known to all and sundry as Carrow, Absolutely delighted to meet you, Jal Pyne," he said softly, addressing the mustelid in a formal manner. "What's that you said earlier about ferrets being 'a real pawful'? I can certainly relate to that. I haven't had much experience of being around Peskers, but well, take it from me, Spender's enough trouble for about seven of his kind!" He chuckled a tad, able to downplay the effect the bullying mustelid could have on him at times.
Despite how frustrating the ferret could be at times, all the rodent's recent quarrels had been with Willard, who was ten times worse. As he thought of the least weasel, he reflected on his eagerness to remain behind on the ship. It had been 'more important to stay on the ship seeing as almost half her crew were leaving it'. Hmm, strange, he thought, and YOUR absence would be completely disastrous, right? It was coded cowardice as far as he was concerned. Willard was even more of a yellow-belly than Selvis, even though the longtail fit that description literally; there was no question of his courage. Carrow really wanted to be brave like he thought his weasel friend was, like he thought Caden was. In the field mouse's mind, even Elliot was braver than him, and he was the quietest of the lot! It didn't unduly bother him, though. What did was the fact that Tally remained back on the ship. He couldn't be sure about much of what this upcoming siege would entail, but he knew for sure that he'd miss her every moment they were apart.
Selvis, meanwhile, was smiling quite broadly as he heard Caden almost refer to the Captain in a more familiar manner than he would have been expected to. The weasel knew for sure that if he were in his albino friend's position he'd be doing the exact same thing. "Yes, I think the Captain manages to have that effect on all of us, somehow. It's another thing I like about him: this innate ability to put others at ease, no matter the circumstances he finds himself in."
Selvis had been quite good at this as well, but it was when confronted with being completely helpless that the cracks had started to show. That had been in Tunis, almost six months ago now. There was only one thing that the mustelid disliked more than feeling helpless, and that was seeing disloyalty in anybeast he met. The Ferlusanian was passionately loyal to his friends (and to the cause for which he was fighting, even despite accusations to the contrary from a certain absent least weasel). It was because the episode in Tunis had hit him so hard that he had almost completely unravelled in the wake of realising the precarious circumstances he found himself in.
It hadn't gone away, either. Nevertheless, the longtail had returned to his usual, smiling self, (as could be seen by Caden), even if the feelings of security he'd felt before had vanished and seemed unlikely to return. "I'm sure he'll do everything in his power to ensure we come out on top." He grunted a little, arching his back slightly and putting a paw behind it, to reveal a hidden copy of the Articles of War, the work he needed to study in order to achieve his desired goal of becoming Ship's Corporal, and the thing against which he had been resting for the previous few minutes.
He'd needed something substantial to keep him propped up, because otherwise he knew he'd slouch, and for some reason, that position didn't sit very well with him. Being on a boat as opposed to a ship (something he had never done before now) was quite different, and he found he needed to get used to it. He knew he wasn't seasick, but wasn't going to leave anything to chance. However, as he now felt confident enough to remain sitting upright without support, the weasel placed the book on his lap, looking over at Caden with a small smile. "Oh, I was hardly going to neglect my studies, you know that," he quipped mischievously. "How are yours coming along?"
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Post by bookity101 on Apr 3, 2011 16:34:40 GMT -5
Elle had stepped up almost as quickly as Caden to volunteer... she wanted to get off the boat for awhile... and AWAY from Willard. She didn't think he had any idea about her true identity as a jill, even still she thought it best that he was no longer going to be around as much as his personality was grated so deeply against the grain of everyone else in there group that one of these days he wasn't just going to put the proverbial foot in the mouth, it would be a real foot and possibly not his own...
Elle's thoughts turned to her friends, smiling a little at the memory of watching Carrow at night as he was finally pulling himself up out of the constant depression bouts and seemed to even be sleeping better recently, which was ironic considering she seemed to have caught some of his nocturnal habits in the recent weeks, often waking up during random intervals at night and staying that way for hours on end... though few would be able to see the effects on her as she was extremely good at hiding yawns, and it happens only once every three days or so.
Her gaze fell on Caden next and her smile changed ever so slightly. She had been so very scared that he would be upset that she hadn't told him about the whole hiding in plain sight thing, but he had been so happy to know that it was her, and that she was around that he didn't seem to have minded that much at all. And now... now things were looking up in so many different ways.
Finally, Elle turned her eyes to Selvis. Selvis had been there for her for longer than any other beast had, and she appreciated that soooo very much. But she had to wonder why something seemed a different about her weasel friend. She made a mental note to corner him about it just as soon as she could.
Currently she was across the bench from Caden Selvis and Carrow, and didn't mind that one bit. From this place she could see the face of each of her "boys" and wasn't getting a crick in her neck from craning to look at them as they each took there turns talking. She had managed to avoid being the rowing beast on her particular bench, so she was free to lean over to shake Jal Pyne's paw;
"Hello Jal Pyne, My names Elliot McNamee, I'm in Caddn, Carrow, and Selvis' mess."
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Post by Ladorak on Apr 3, 2011 22:08:53 GMT -5
"Oh, yes, I'm afraid news travels quite fast on the ship. Nothing remains secret for too long unfortunately. I guess I shouldn't have listened... hah, that just sounds funny." Caden commented, thinking about it. "He just happened to tell me when we were talking during one of the night watches. Lots of down time on those after all. So yeah... just happened to hear it." he said, rubbing the back of his neck and giving Marten the marten an apologetic smile.
He looked over at Selvis, who was pulling out the Articles of War. "Oh, my studying? It's rather exhausting. I mean I've just barely got down the orders to wear ship. I haven't memorized those to tack ship yet, and well... I mean it's a LOT. Can you believe it's around ten spoken commands just to wear ship? Navigation I'm learning from Ladorak and the Master, and I'm studying those, just like you." he said, smiling and pointing with a claw at the Articles of War.
"Seajacks Caden, Selvis, Marten, and Jal Sims," the last one being the Coxswain, "Splash over the side and push this boat up onto the shore. We're coming up to the beach now." Captain Fugate ordered, and Caden immediately saluted, giving out a "Yes sir!" before he jumped over the gunwale and into the waist deep water. Selvis could get behind him, and together they could start pushing the boat up onto the sand, while Marten and the Coxswain assisted from the other side. As it was, Caden was on the larboard side of the boat.
"So you see Selvis." he stated, grunting as he began to push, grasping hold of the boat's gunwale. "I've got just... so much to study. You've got to know those Articles inside and out, a very big job in and of itself, considering there's about twenty-six I think? Well I've got to know those, and how to navigate, and how to give orders to set sails, reef sails, wear ship, tack ship, adjust course. I mean yeah... it'll be a lot of studying for me. A lot of studying." he said, the water lapping around his waist being surprisingly tepid, Personza being of a more southern latitude. Very blue water as well, though not the brilliantly light blue of say the Cycladic Islands. Not that Caden would know that of course.
Ladorak looked over at Molly, and nuzzled her as well when she rested her head on his shoulder. "Well... if you put it that way... I guess I am. Hopefully. I have yet to really prove myself as something other than..." he didn't finish that sentence, wanting to say failure. "Anyways, I'm determined to make this my starting point. I vow to only have success from here on out. And if I am not attended by success, then I will ensure I inflict so much damage on my opponent that they won't ever tangle with us again." he stated, that determination back on his features.
They were getting close now, the beach only tens of feet away from then and then they would storm ashore and begin climbing those cliffs that towered up above them like forbidding palisades to some monumental fortress, except of course it was simply an island.
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Post by Carrow on Apr 4, 2011 8:42:49 GMT -5
"Ten spoken commands?!," Selvis exclaimed, his blue eyes becoming even larger than usual, widening in his complete surprise as he listened to his albino marten friend. "I wouldn't have believed it if you'd told me yourself, really, I wouldn't." His eyes brightened a little as he spoke. "Yes, the studying is quite an amount of work, sure, but I don't mind that at all," the longtail said gently, smiling at the younger pine marten. "I love to learn about things like this, and about the Articles of War in particular, regardles of whether or not doing so is tough going. There'll be quite a reward waiting for us if we put in all this work now, just you wait and see," he assured Caden, still smiling.
The mustelid was in quite cheerful form, and his smile widened when the order came from Ladorak to get out and start pushing the boat towards the shore. Now that he could definitely do; truth be told he had rather been hoping he'd be picked to do so. He had far less of an issue with being in the water than he did trying to keep himself together in the boat. "Yes, Captain Fugate, sir!," he responded enthusiastically, saluting smartly before winking at Carrow and Elle to show his enthusiasm for the task. He followed Caden into the water, which (he found) came up to just above his waist.
He couldn't help but think of Carrow as he got into position, well aware that if the mouse had been picked, he would have been struggling to stay afloat. Though the weasel couldn't be sure, he reckoned there was six or seven inches' difference in height between him and his diminutive field mouse friend, and he knew that such a discrepancy would make quite a bit of difference in a case like this, even though they were quite close to the shore.
The rodent, meanwhile, was listening out for a response from Marten whilst regarding the cliffs that reared up ahead of him with eyes as wide as saucers. He couldn't honestly say he'd seen anything like them before... nor could he say he was all that confident of being able to scale them. It wasn't the height of them that put him off, it was the fact that he'd have to trust his own paws more than he'd ever really been prepared to do. He knew he'd give it his best attempt, all the same. He peered out at his two companions, waving at them. He himself was breathing an inward sigh of relief, as he'd never been anything more than a weak swimmer and had just been spared having to display this to his friends.
Selvis caught Carrow's wave and returned it, grateful for the support. The weasel was now in position behind Caden, and he put all his strength (which was quite considerable for a creature his age) into pushing, regarding Marten and the Coxswain as they did the same from their side. He also emitted small grunts of exertion, once again paying close attention to his friend's words. "No two ways about it, matey," he commented, chuckling, "you're going to have to give it your all. That's alright though. You'll do just fine, because if I know you half as well as I think I do, you want to become Lieutenant rather a lot, don't you?
Selvis wanted the post of Ship's Corporal because he thought it suited him very well indeed, and as he thought of Caden in the role of Liutenant, he couldn't help but smile. The marten seemed to be perfect for, in his opinion. "The way I see it, you have enough motivation in that alone. Of course, though, you'll have the support of your friends as well. I'm quite sure you'll be able to pawdle all thist just fine. You've quite a while to go yet before you sit the exam after all. I reckon you'll surprise yourself yet!," he exclaimed. "Ooh, this water is quite nice, I have to admit. I'm better doing this than huddling in a boat like I was earlier," he conceded, coughing slightly, whiskers quivering as he continued to push. Almost there now, he thought.
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Post by spender on Apr 5, 2011 3:27:39 GMT -5
Marten shook his head.
"I get the feeling Spender is a downright saint compared to Ralph. Mischief on a broader scope is just a quest for amusement, but Ralph's pranks focus entirely on Spender. But I don't presume to know what's gotten under their fur. Lads will be lads!"
He shook Carrow's paw, and then Elliot's.
"I like you," he said simply, "very quiet. Mark of a good brain. I'd know from experience: I never shut up."
Grinning again, he reached around to clap Caden's shoulder.
"No worries there, my creamy companion. We can't help what sounds our ears pick up. Like I always say, you want to keep a secret, best not to write it in your peas. Caden, you're all right!"
At the Captain's order, he tumbled out of the boat and dragged it ashore; shuddering a little at the touch of the water. It was clear enough, though, and not deep in the slightest, so he soldiered on and ignored the ripples, keeping his gaze on land. At first he meant to switch places with Selvis or Caden, but the two striplings seemed to be keeping their pace with the bigger creatures. Within minutes, the boat scritched up onto the sand. Marten gave it another tug, inching it onwards a little more, until the Captain and his fiance would be able to step off onto dry sand. He then went to help unload supplies.
Keinruf got out and wandered a little ways down the beach, nose raised high, sniffing curiously. He licked his paw and held it up, then licked it again and dug it into his ear to dislodge an inquisitive gnat.
Molly tip-pawed ashore, rifle slung over her shoulder and clutching her bag of jillian-necessities daintily in both paws, arms coiled tightly to her chest, as if doing a rabbit impression. The delicate pose was rather dissonanced by her large stompy boots and the blood-stained skirt she'd been wearing at the time of Caden's rescue in Tunis: she was sporting her Fightin' Clothes again.
"Well," she said, turning to Ladorak. "Don't damage our enemies too much. Oh goodness, wouldn't it be just dreadful if they were all defeated and never came crawling back? Laddy, I would just die of boredom."
Marten, meanwhile, set down a bag and stared up at the island's formidable landscape.
"Looks like quite a bit of hiking," he mused. He glanced down, noticing Carrow standing beside him. He'd noticed the mouse's trepidation and frequent pauses for rest during their shifts on the ship. "Not to grown up for a piggy-back ride, are you, Cerinus? Sorry, Carrow?"
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