Rainblade-Ryalors Private Tookumberry Completed The Poison Fox and the Singed Rose

[Dusk Rainblade]

The hare snorted derisively, her paws moving to ably peel a strip away from a rod of sugar cane, extracting the core from the protective shell. "Y'mean 'em boomy sticks? Yeah, 'ey were firin' 'em abou' like kits w' a new toy. 'It Mr. Dunmeadow in th' arm, bu' 'e's dim 'nuff 'e once beamed 'himself wivvis own fron' door, so 'e didn' know be'r 'nuff t' duck. 'E's fine now, 'ealer dug ou' th' ball an' set th' break. Shoul' 'eal up, she says." She narrowed her eyes. "Don' go tellin' me y' came 'ere chasin' 'em damn fool things."

 

[Tanya Keltoi]

Lips pursed, Tanya decided that a beast of this age would likely see though too heavy a mask. “Not exactly,” she replied. “More a…curiosity. She was the main reason, ‘course,” Tox jerked her head in the direction of Mina Rose, “but hard not to want ter poke about a rumour. Don’t much like the idea of pirates havin’ their grubby claws on something like that, so’s if they left any parts of one behind I’d be much obliged if I could take a look at least.”

A sigh passed then and she brushed headfur from her face as the warm winds picked up. This really was a whole other way of living; she wondered how her children were doing with coming to grips with that, themselves. “Suppose I’d best think on teachin’ her how to look after herself properly if she’s comin’ to Bully. Don’t suppose you know if that blacksmith lad of hers ever made weapons or taught her ‘ow to handle one?”

 

[Dusk Rainblade]

The hare snorted derisively, her eyes sliding to beadily examine the young vixen who was presently bidding a tearful goodbye to a family of mice. "I reck'n th' only sword 'e e'er taugh' 'at girl t' 'andle was th' kind 'at leads young lads int' fights, nah get 'em outta it. She's soft; yer 'Arbor'll chew 'er righ' up an' spit 'er back ou'."

The hare's eyes slid back to meet Tanya's, examining her contemplatively. "I 'member 'er birth mother 'idin' up a' th' inn. Quiet, pre'y thin', bu' cautious, like she were guardin' a wound inner 'eart. Dunno wha' 'appened t' 'er 'at she'd ra'er leave 'er squallin' newborn in another's arms 'an take 'er back, bu' I know th' looks a' summon 'ose afraid. Y' bes' take real good care a' 'at girl, 'specially if she is blood t' you, cuz she won' make ih' otherwise."

The hare sighed, setting aside the shucked sugarcane and gesturing for Tanya to follow. "One a' 'em pirates blew 'is paw mos'ly off when one a' 'em sticks wen' wrong," she explained. "One a' us 'oo fancies 'imself a tinker took ih', was tryin' t' figgur ih' ou'."

She stopped in front of a hut and knocked on the door. A moment later, a sea otter, large spectacles magnifying his eyes above truly impressive whiskers, opened the door. "Mrs. Barrowroot," he exclaimed in surprise, then looked in some alarm to the vixen accompanying. "Oh my. Are you from the navy? Are you here about the attack?" His accent was crisp and clear, likely from Alton Bay or one of the southern colonies.

"She's 'ere fer th' boomy stick," Mrs. Barrowroot explained, gesturing to Tanya.

"I see. Well, do come in."

The hut wasn't large, and it felt even smaller when filled with small piles of scrap and junk on top of every surface, the bed included. A half dozen little projects appeared to be in the works, including an attempt at what appeared to be transforming a tree trunk into a cannon. The singed and splintered end of it spoke to a lack of success. On a desk, the disassembled fragments of some sort of firearm, many of the pieces bent, split, or shattered, held place of pride.

"From what I can see, the beast ineptly packed the chamber with blast powder," he clarified. "I think they may be using the wrong mixture for it; they might be packing it with cannon powder, which doesn't properly scale for a weapon of this size. There's also this." He picked up one piece, turning it so that the light through the window reflected on an etching. There was a small bit of script: RUAM.

Le Royaume-Uni d'Alkamar et Miklar.

"It certainly makes sense that these pirates would need to get these weapons from somewhere," the otter speculated. "They certainly didn't build it themselves; the work is too professional. Whether it was bought or stolen, though, is of course impossible to say. I don't know if they were using cannon powder out of convenience or ignorance, but either way, the poor mixture likely contributed to the poor performance."

 

[Tanya Keltoi]

Much though it was knowledge she had feared to be true, Tanya knew better than to ignore the wisdom of the hare. She nodded quietly, ragged ears flattening at the premonition. She’d happily see Mina Rose transferred to somewhere quieter than Bully, safer but still within Imperial contact; however she couldn’t help but shake the feeling that to be near her family would offer some small protection from the world around her. Once she was on her own two paws she could decide for herself if she wanted to remain. In the meantime, at least she would have those with her best interests surrounding her. Stop her from making my mistakes, at least, Tanya thought grimly. Won’t let them make her a killer.

“Mmm, I’ll look after ‘er as if she was my own.” That much was true at least, and as she followed the older beast towards the hut her mind raced with all she had heard. So this beast had witnessed Dusk’s arrival? She rather fancied that her sister would hate such a revelation and so elected not to mention it, for the hare’s sake. Something in her chest lurched at the thought of what she had gone through. ‘Gates how I’d hated you, but if I’d been here…

Thoughts on the web of family intrigue were put on pause by the sight of a bewhiskered face, and Tanya inclined her head politely. The woodlander population on the Keys had always been large and Mrs Barrowroot, as she now knew her, would have been victim to the old hostilities. Best she keep herself polite and quiet, though neither trait came easy to her.

Green eyes darted about the interior with intrigue, ceasing their roaming to size up the eccentric otter with a favourable twitch of the brush. She wondered if Innovation had their claws in him yet. Her nose twitched, taking in the scents of metal and grease and singed timbers before catching sight of the disassembled contraption on the desk.

“Well ain’t that a pretty picture,” she breathed quietly. Her knowledge was not deep enough to understand the finer aspects of its construction, and certainly not in this state, but she could appreciate the ingenuity. Still, it settled something uneasy in her stomach. Cannon were vicious enough, but in the paws of individuals who need not require crews? It was a risky prospect.

Risk seemed apt: the otter explained the finer points of his hypothesis and she nodded, making mental note to copy down the information for a report the moment she reached the Sparrowsong. Her expression schooled itself into forced neutrality upon recognising the etching, though her hackles still prickled. She’d been expected to keep on top of plenty of reports as Minister of War regarding the technical progress of other nations, but little had been of concern during her tenure. Here and now sat evidence of a whole other reality and an alarming prospect of the future to come. She didn’t much envy the decisions that may need to be made in the next couple of seasons.

“That does raise some questions,” Tanya murmured, squinting at the etching. “Strikes me even if it were convenient you’d ‘ave to be ignorant or desperate enough not to use what you’re told in somethin’ new. Good news, I suppose.” Her concerns regarding its acquisition would have to wait for Dusk and her agents to handle. Establishing whether the weapons were bought or stolen would doubtless change the face of any coming relations between nations and the scale of this pirate threat. “I suppose it’s goin’ to take some time to get all the answers for certain, though, eh? Thank y’ both.”

Straightening up, she looked to the sea otter. “It’s quite the find. I’m a bit of a collector of the odd meself, so I’m curious if you’d be willing to part with such a thing?” She reasoned that if he refused, as she suspected he may, she could at least try and argue for sketches. Were she here longer she’d simply steal it in the night, but Mina Rose was her priority and she was keen not to force her to wait any longer than necessary.

 

[Dusk Rainblade]

The otter hesitated, his paws running nervously over each other at the request. "Well, you see, I... I was rather hoping, with a bit of time and effort to repair it, I-"

"Oh, f'r Martin's sake, Riversbee," Mrs. Barrowroot cut him off with a snap, "y' gonna keep blow'n up yer hut? Give th' wench th' damnable thing 'fore y' blas' a hole in summun."

Reluctantly the hapless Riversbee stood back, gesturing to the pieces on the desk. "Perhaps you could send me a set of the plans by post, once reverse engineered," the otter suggested.

"Don' you dare," Mrs. Barrowroot snapped. "We don' wan' none a' 'at foolishness 'ere, so jus' take ih' wit' ye when ye go."

 

[Tanya Keltoi]

She could have burst out with indignant laughter at the elder hare calling her a wench, but Tanya, surprised as she was to find her request fulfilled, preferred not to risk the opportunity. Ever-aware that minds could be changed she was swift to untie one of the many cloth wraps she kept about her person and began rolling the pieces up in it.

“Mmm, noted,” Tanya agreed with a nod of the head, but a flick of the eyes and faintest twitch of the lips as she eyed the hapless Riversbee. Tox committed the name to memory: at the very least the poor fellow deserved some updates for his efforts, and she resolved to write to him about what was learned. Of course that all rather depended on the generosity of those studying the object telling her anything. The conundrum of just who she passed these pieces along to was going to persist. “Well, if you ever ‘appen to come to Bully yourself, I’m sure we can have a chat about it at the very least.”

A twist of the paws and the colourful fabric was tucked to create a little parcel which at once vanished about Tanya’s person. The vixen inclined her head to the otter and hare. “Thank you both. I ain’t too sure if there’s a way I can repay you proper save tryin’ to recommend the Navy take better care of the Keys, but something tells me you’d best keep yourselves safe. Strikes me that if pirates know this place has food an' water an’ can be taken advantage of that they may well be back soon's they've a need for rest and resupply. Would hate to see you come to harm.”

 

[Mina Rose Brewer]

Mrs. Barrowroot scoffed at the warning, her shoulders set defensively. "Weren' more 'n a few decades 'go yer navy woulda been th' ones raidin' our shores. We're hardy folk 'ere, we know 'ow t' weather a storm. Y' jus' get 'at girl far 'way from 'ere, she's too sof' fer 'is life."

Riversbee looked in confusion between the pair. "I'm sorry, which g-"

There was a knock at the door, followed by Mina Rose's voice. "Mr. Riversbee? Ya in?" The otter gave the femmes an apologetic look as he scooted past them, opening the door to admit Mina Rose. "Oh, good, yer - oh, hi Auntie Tanya! Mrs. Barrowroot." Her tone toward the latter turned toward the respectfully differential voice that youths used with elders they found particularly intimidating. The youth took a deep breath before addressing the pair. "I jus' wan'd ta thank ya fer allus bein' so kind ta me. I know I ain' allus been as proper as ya'd like, Mrs. Barrowroot-"

"Hang proper an' stuff ih' full a' Giftsgivin' crackers," Mrs. Barrowroot interrupted, her tone sharp. "I jus' wan'ed you t' be less stupid, girl. On th' islan', where all th' sharp edges are blunted, you can ge' away wiv' stupid, bu' ou' there, stupid'll get ya killed righ' away. Smarten yerself up righ' quicklike, girl, fer yer folks' sake."

Mina Rose winced at the combined approbation and backhanded encouragement, her ears dropping slightly. "R-righ'. I'll try an' do 'at, Mrs. Barrowroot."

 

[Tanya Keltoi]

She had liked Mrs Barrowroot, found her forthright and cantankerous attitude refreshing in a sea of masked intentions – could well respect her rebuttal and wariness of the Navy all considered – but her words to Mina Rose caused a bristling of the hackles and twitch of the tailbrush. The intentions were good, she’d had to learn the hard way without such wisdom herself, but the girl had just lost her family. She’d rather the vixen gain her wits without sacrificing her softness. It had cost her decades.

“No tryin’ now, you’re a fast learner I’m sure,” Tanya interjected, patting Mina Rose’s shoulder as she shot the hare a warning glance “You’re related to me after all: you jus’ need a little time and you’re young enough you’ve got bags’ve that to spare.”

 

[Mina Rose Brewer]

Mrs. Barrowroot put up a paw to dismiss Tanya's defensive response, turning away; apparently age had brought a certain amount of immunity to shame. Mina Rose, at least, seemed heartened by her aunt's support. "Thank ya, Auntie Tanya," she mumbled, stepping into hugging her newfound relative. "I'll tr- I'll do mah best ta make it quick-like. Don' wanna be th' dulles' bud in the bouquet once I get ta Bully, af'er all." She mispronounced bouquet as bow-kwet, which produced a slightly pained look on Riversbee's face but otherwise went uncorrected.

 

[Tanya Keltoi]

Ruffling her niece’s ears, Tanya grinned. “I’m sure you will, love. Plenty of dull beasts there to practice your wit on.” And pronunciation. Will have to get a few of those words sorted before we dock so’s she doesn’t get laughed at. Dusk’s going to have a fit, ha.

She flashed Riversbee a glance. “As for you, I’m sure I’ll be in touch some time. Thank you again. Now then, Mina: that all your rounds done or anythin’ else you need to see to before we put this place to our rudder an’ head for home?”

 

[Mina Rose Brewer]

Mina Rose held the hug for a moment more while she considered the choice before she finally said, "I think I've made all the goodbyes I'll wanna, y'know? Like, some goodbyes are awkward 'cause firs' I'd 'ave ta say hello again."

Mrs. Barrowroot snorted, clearly of a mind to say something, but at a plaintive look from Riversbee she subsided. "Don' waste yer time 'ere girl," she advised. "Ain' no beas' on th' isle 'oo don' know how ya feel abou' 'em. Go get yerself on 'at ship an' go find where y' belong."

Mina Rose at last stepped back from the hug, composing herself as she carefully daubed at her eyes with her palm - a motion that was pure Dusk manifesting itself in her lineage. "Alrigh'," she allowed, trying to steel her expression into bravery. "I think I'm ready ta go, Auntie Tanya. I'm ready ta see th' world."

 

[Tanya Keltoi]

Having not yet crossed paths with her sister’s other children, it was somewhat unnerving to see that echo of her in one so sweet as Mina Rose. It was an uncomfortable reminder of what life could do to a beast: if her sister had been raised in a stable home, would she have turned out more like this, or was it always within her to become the way she was? That was too philosophical a thought for Tanya; too laced with disquieting notions of her own grooming into the Emperor’s service.

“Come on, then.” A final nod of thanks to both hare and otter, and Tanya took her leave of the woodlanders with an old naval salute before she ducked out of the building. Warm sea air stirred sand and the faint scent of ash amongst the salt spray. She wondered, in years to come, if her niece would thank or curse her for this decision.

There would be time on the Sparrowsong to prepare her for the vagaries of Imperium life the same as she’d tried to impress on her children, as well as offer the vixen a taste of sailing and see if it suited her at all. For the first night, however, she would follow her niece’s lead. “Let’s get aboard and get you to your new life.”

 

[Mina Rose Brewer]

As they crossed the dock to the Sparrowsong, Mina Rose slowed slightly, to the point that she stopped before the gangplank, staring at it as if it were the maw of a snake. She bit her lip, blinking back her tears. "Ain' never been on a ship b'fore," she admitted. "Ne'er lef' th' island once. Pa wouldn' hear a' it." She breathed in deeply, then put her right footpaw on the gangplank, then her left, climbing up onto the ship with each deliberate movement. When she stepped onto the deck, she stumbled for a moment, as if she'd been expecting it to roll under her. A few of the crew chuckled to see such an obvious landlubber on their vessel, but turned quickly back to the tasks of making ready to sail.

Captain Dawson approached Tanya, his eyes looking over Mina Rose briefly, his brows raised. He'd known this was a recovery mission for a beast of interest to the Minister, though no specifics beyond that. Still, it was clear that the family resemblance between the two vixens on his deck hadn't escaped his notice as he glanced rapidly between the two. "Tide is turning to our favor, Cap'n," he reported, saluting Tanya sharply. "We can be back in open water within half an hour, less if we use the engine. We can set it to row backwards or to turn the ship, but it takes a few minutes to reconfigure. Some o' the lads keep gettin' brigh' ideas o' fancy mechanisms to switch between modes with a lever, bu' the Minister made it clear that the engine is more valuable than our lives, 'specially if we break it."

Mina Rose missed this part of the conversation; she'd strode to the bow, leaning out to look over the island with a thirst for melancholy. She knew, in that moment, that she'd never see this place again. Beasts who had helped raise her, folks she'd played with as kits, the fountains and walls that had held her life - all would disappear beyond the horizon. Why didn't she feel awful about it? Shouldn't she be feeling the loss, or at least philosophical about leaving everything behind? She considered, looking for something wise or pithy to say, but there was only one word that came to mind, whispered softly to the wind:

"Goodbye."