Expedition Open Side Adventure Completed The Urk Expedition: A Crack in the Works

Kaii shook his head before moving his healthy paw to gather his personal equipment. He took a moment to arrange it in his bag and gather all the sketches and calculations he'd made. He didn't look after the badger. Not due to lack of respect but because he had more important things on his mind.

"I rarely worked with others too. Plenty of mutual respect is required to make it worth the time." He sighed and gave Swift a gentle bump with his elbow. "That is why you are unlike all those stuffy imbeciles I used to work with. You taught me to bridge the gap instead of using it to your own advantage."

Kaii offered a rare genuine smile with perked ears. "I hope you share the sentiment, friend." He finished before going out to the infirmary for the check-up before the rest, giving the engine one long look.
 
Swifttail lingered after Kaii had gone.

The engine room was quiet now, save for the steady, contented thrum of the pipes. It filled the space like a heartbeat. No longer panicked or strained, but steady. Alive.

He let his paw rest on a warm valve housing, letting the hum settle into his bones. The ship was safe again. Not because the parts were perfect, but because beasts had stepped up when it counted.

The brazing hadn’t been flawless. The pressure, the burns, the yelling... it had all spun so quickly. But they’d done it. They’d patched the line, saved the flow, kept the warmth inside. And they’d done it together.

A small smile touched his muzzle. He hadn’t expected to enjoy working beside another engineer as much as he had with Kaii. They were different sorts of foxes, sure, but they’d met in the middle. Torch and hammer. Pride and grit.

“Didn’t know I needed that,” he murmured.

The glow of the lantern above caught in the sheen of the welded pipe. Swifttail tilted his head, admiring it. It was not for beauty, but for function. Strong. Sound.

“Back home, work like this meant survival,” he said to the air. “Guess it still does.”

He stepped back, casting one last look over the frame. Everything in its place. The pressure held. No hiss of escaping steam. No leak.

“You’re safe again, beastie,” he added quietly, giving the engine one last fond look. “We’ll keep you runnin’.”

He reached up and dimmed the lantern, the soft light fading to a warm glow behind him.

“Not bad,” he muttered with a chuckle. “Not bad at all for a couple o’ foxes with a torch.”

Then he turned, and padded quietly up the stairs toward the promise of rest.
 
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