Introduction Private Here I Go Again

[Alwyn Ryalor]

“Yes sir!” Alwyn replied dutifully, then immediately went to assist the wildcat. After Finnian used the bath salts to try to revive the downed “doctor”, he quickly checked to make sure his breathing was okay, then turned him a little bit on his side, facing away from him, for now, as he had been trained to do. “Okay, Doctor ‘Ah-Mah-Tis’, I am going to help get you up so that we can focus on that poor mouse. You do not have to worry about a single thing, just stay still.” In many ways, the wildcat and the rest of the infirmary crew were lucky he placed such an emphasis on exercise and eating properly, that he could carry him without assistance. He bent his knees, placed one arm around his the back of his “patient”, and the other under his knees. He then proceeded to lift with his legs, pushing up with his knees to avoid the strain on his back as he brought the wildcat into what was known as the “firebeast’s carry”, making sure he was balanced and that he would not fall off, and then dutifully marched his way over to the one of the waiting chairs away from the operating table.

“Finny, if you could grab the good doctor’s equipment from the floor so it does not impede Doctor Barrett or assistant…” and, upon placing Amatis comfortably upon the chair and noticing the blood dripping from his face “...and a clean towel…””

He did, however, pay attention to the surrounding conversation, as he could. Pirates. His face turned into a more stern expression as turned to look at the assembled crowd. His eyes flicked up, as if remembering something.

...All those years ago, with his granduncle...the burned villages...the dead soldiers...the enslaved families...

He managed to keep a straight face, but already he was coming up with plans in his head. He knew more than a few thought of him as a noblebeast’s son, but what few knew was that he had spent most of his formative years in the chaos of the Westislan Civil War and spending more than a bit of time dealing with the pirate raids that had been escalating ever since the fall of the empire under the Mad Emperor. He knew what they were capable of, and he knew the crew of the Hide, at least the Marines he had been observing, were not ready for them. Not at all. He made a mental note to get the latter up to speed as much as possible, as he had been assigned to do, and talk to Gyles and Silvertongue about accelerating the training of the rest of the crew.

We have the advantage of being on a proper warship, perhaps the finest in the world, but pirates don’t remain pirates for long if they are not resourceful and do not know how to adapt…

@Amnesty Greysoul @Arthur Barrett @Silvertongue Songfox @Elliot Berkshaw @Amatis Moontail

 

[Amatis Moontail]

Consciousness poked at the edge of Dr Moontail's mind, still fuzzy but definitely there. He opened his eyes slightly, the world blurring at the edges. His mind was still puzzling out where he was and what he was doing.

He was... Floating?

No, that wasn't it.

Flying?

Certainly not

Falling?

The Doctor's head raised as he blearily tried to stop what he thought was a fall. Everything was so loud and he had no idea what any of it was.

He squeezed his eyes shut again.

The world was beginning to make more sense, and he thought he could hear someone saying his name...

"Whah?" he said, his speech slurred.

@FinnianBrightfur @Alwyn Ryalor

 

[Amnesty Greysoul]

Amnesty couldn't have said what made her aware of Alwyn's gaze on her, only that in the midst of the all the rest of the bustle and chaos she knew with remarkable certainty that she was being watched, and that it was the tall lieutenant doing the watching. She did nothing beyond taking note of it. Right now, they had a patient--

A thump as poor Dr. Amatis crashed to the floor, and she updated her previous thought to two patients. She exchanged a wry glance with Dr. Barrett.

Yet if she had been inclined to divide her attention between the mouse and the cat, it became obvious within seconds that he was already in good paws. If ever there was a beast with a natural store of empathy, it would seem to be Finny. And Mar'kan... if he had already learned this much at this young age, he had the potential to save many, many lives if given the chance. She hadn't had the opportunity to hear exactly how he had come to be Arthur's assistant in the infirmary, but the evidence suggested the older marten had done well to take the young fox under his wing.

She nearly missed it when the young mouse-- Elliot, it seemed-- began to speak. Of pirates, according to Lieutenant Songfox. There would be more beasts needing to be stitched back up by the end of this. Already in Elliot she could see the look she had seen in others affected by bloodthirsty and power-hungry warlords. Pirates. Warbands. Same horror, different medium. Her ears pinned back against her skull for an instant, and she didn't try to stop them. Beasts like that deserved disgust.

And beasts like Elliot deserved their care and attention.

She glanced at the mouse and nodded encouragingly. Her ears were already upright again, and her eyes warm as she smiled. "Even if your pain is tolerable now, I'd recommend something before we stitch those wounds up. Dr. Barrett, I have willow bark if there's a concern that the laudanum will be too much for him in his state."

@Elliot Berkshaw @Arthur Barrett

 

[Alwyn Ryalor]

“Finn, be a good lad and get Dr. Ah-Mah-Tis some water, would you?” He asked his son, as he surprisingly gently and carefully supported the wildcat so that he remained in the chair. Once he had stabilized him a little bit, he gave him something of a wry, knowing smile.

“Easy there, doctor...you just passed out, and you are lucky you did not crack your skull on anything or else we would be having two patients instead of one.” He chuckled, shaking his head, before lowing his voice “It’s okay, I’ve been around enough learned beasts, what is your doctorate actually in?” He asked, partially out of genuine curiosity and partially to assess how well he was recovering.

@Elliot Berkshaw @Arthur Barrett @Silvertongue Songfox @Amatis Moontail @Amnesty Greysoul

 

[Amatis Moontail]

Dr Amatis Moontail groaned. His head hurt really badly, and his stomach felt like it was rocking, as if he were on a boat...

Oh, that's right, he was on a boat...

All he could do was just sit quietly as his thoughts battled with each other, disjointed and impossible to follow. What happened? Last he remembered he had just helped carry a... Stretcher? Why was he suddenly here? Who was this? Did they carry him before? Why were they asking him a question?

Right, a question. He was starting to get more lucid. He blinked up at this fox he didn't think he had seen before.

"My doctorate? Botany. Plants..."

Wow, even he could recognise how out of it he was with that reply. His mouth, and brain for that matter, just did not seem to want to cooperate.

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

Silvertongue decided to take action, before any other beast decided to faint. "Come along, Doctor." Silvertongue placed a paw on Amantis' shoulder. "Let's get you back to your quarters. That was a bit of a nasty fall you had, you ought to sit down and rest."

 

[Alwyn Ryalor]

Well, it could have been worse, Alwyn thought in his mind, in theory he should know about medicinal plants on our voyage to restock if we run into trouble, or any valuable plants that we could sell for a profit once we land at Croper’s. Maybe if I get in with him enough I can use him to bribe my father for a few things. He has been having difficulty with his recent hobby in gardening recently. Probably because it’s the first time in his life he’s actually had to nurture something.

“It is good you are able to speak, but do not push it. You had a bit of a fall, and perhaps a slight concussion. Finnian’s a good lad and will take care of you. It is an honor to meet a proper botanist.”

Alwyn was far, far from interested in plants, but even he realized their utility and had been trained in several common herbal remedies if necessary. Amatis could be very useful on the Hide and even on the medical team...provided he stay away from too much blood. Mixing medications, perhaps.

@FinnianBrightfur @Amatis Moontail @Silvertongue Songfox @Amnesty Greysoul @Elliot Berkshaw