Recent content by SwifttailTheFox

Swifttail reached the rail with his heart still trying to climb out of his throat, eyes sweeping the water in a sharp, frantic search before sense could quite catch up. A vixen’s head broke the surface. A rowboat, battered but afloat, bobbed nearby. Aboard was the small, broken shape of a mouse...

Swifttail accepted the second letter with both paws, clutching it alongside the first as if afraid it might vanish the moment he loosened his grip. The tension in his shoulders finally eased, just a fraction, and he bowed his head respectfully to Alwyn. “Thank ye, sir. I… I won’t forget this,”...

Swifttail flinched when Alwyn rose, but the weight of the paw on his shoulder stilled him. Alwyn's calm confidence poured into him through his reassuring touch, grounding him. His ears stayed low, but his trembling eased just slightly. When he finally dared glance toward Finny, the look on the...

Swifttail straightened instinctively when Alwyn addressed him, paws folding neatly atop his knees, posture tense but attentive. “Aye, sir… they’ve trained me best they can. Kaii showed me stance, footwork, the lunge… an’ Darragh gave what advice he could.” He tried to sound steady, and...

Swifttail had been doing his level best to keep his paws steady and his stomach calm, but the sea had other ideas. The Hide’s engines thrummed their familiar heartbeat through the deckplates, yet each rise and fall of the hull tugged at his insides like a beast trying to yank the rope out of his...

Swifttail stood among the gathered crew, paws clasped behind his back, doing a frankly heroic job of keeping his face straight as Arthur Barrett unveiled the GOLDUN SAIFTEE PLANK in all its bilge-scented glory. The moment the marten set it upright with that solemn thud, a spark of mirth lit...

Swifttail had just eased the throttle up, feeling the rhythmic tug of the engine settle into a strong, confident beat. The gauges sat right where he wanted them, pressure firm and steady, the Hide’s iron heart driving her forward under both sail and steam. Then suddenly, a shout echoed down...

Finn’s proclamation about “illegal smooching” nearly made Swifttail choke on his own breath. He blinked at the kit, then let out a warm, helpless laugh. “Aw, Finny! It won’t be like that… Aboard the Hide I’ll be workin’, not courtin’. It’s a warship, not a pleasure cruise,” He huffed, amused...

Swifttail watched the rat’s paw snap shut around the glittering pile of silver and had to fight the instinctive urge to whistle. That was no small handful of coin for an afternoon spent sitting on a bench and nearly burning their tongues off. His own share of gilders weighed in his paw a moment...

Finnian’s dramatic collapse over the arm of the couch nearly made Swifttail drop his own tail from sheer secondhand embarrassment. His ears shot back at the kit’s “THEY WERE SMOOCHING!?” and for a moment he simply stared at Finn like the lad had announced the sky was falling. Then the image hit...

The last echoes of armored paws faded away as the hoard dissipated, leaving only the hum of idle machinery and the ghost of adrenaline prickling under Swifttail’s fur. He stood straighter as Mr. Pawminton turned to leave, every trained instinct snapping him back into sailor discipline. Aye aye...

Swifttail’s paws slowed as he reached the familiar bulkhead door to the engine room. The sounds here were different than the raucous life of the deck. Quieter, but deeper. The low, contained growl of the boiler. A faint hiss where steam kissed metal. The old locomotive heart of the Hide sat...

Permission to add two NPC characters named Klitch and Thura to the roster as Able Seabeast, or wherever else you want to stick them? These two showed up previously in the Urk thread Dab Paws Daft Tasks

Swifttail sat when Alwyn motioned, folding himself neatly onto the couch beside Finny. His posture was straight and respectful… but the curl of his tail around his ankles betrayed nerves he couldn’t quite hide. He smoothed the front of his tunic once, then again, absentmindedly. When Alwyn...

Swifttail stood at attention, paws steady but his heart bucked like a startled seal. When Captain Stowett’s voice cut through the wind with “you've earned one more punishment,” something cold and sharp quivered down his spine. Urk surged back into his mind like a flash of smoke, cannon fire, and...