Expedition Introduction Side Adventure The Urk Expedition: Apple Crates don't Snore...

[FinnianBrightfur]

Apple crates don't snore. At least, they *shouldn't* be snoring. But for anyone who happened to walk near this particular package of produce, there'd be a light snoozing sound coming from behind it. Nothing loud or obnoxious. In fact, it sounded rather... young.

Now, Finnian hadn't intended to be a stowaway. He just needed to lay low for a while. After witnessing that murder in the alley, it didn't take the brightest mind to see that the murderers didn't want any witnesses. (Why, with them shouting things like, "Get back here, or we'll kill you!" it was almost a dead give away!) The docks weren't the smartest place to run, being a wide open space with nowhere to hide. But counterintuitively, it played out in Finn's favor. See, it's rather hard to murder someone out in the open.

Finn's pursuers watched from the alley as he scurried up a mooring line, and took note of the rather obscene gesture he gave them from behind the railing. But they had him cornered now -- and patiently waited in the shadows. The fox kit would have to come off the boat eventually. And that was the plan. Right up until sleep set in.

When the foxkit woke from his short little nap, he was shocked to find that the harbor was no more. Just ocean as far as the eye could see. Finn ran through the regular gauntlet of emotions -- starting with denial. Maybe it would be a short voyage? Finn had played with the idea of trying to turn himself in, and explain the mistake. Hearing the shouting and pained yelps of some beast getting thrashed gave him a change of heart. Maybe it would be best to lie low.

For two days, Finn managed to evade detection. He was able to purloin a good amount of tuck for himself -- water as well. We're not talking just a few biscuits here and there, the foxkit managed to steal an officer's meal this evening. The whole kit and kaboodle. Perhaps that's why he was sleeping so soundly right now.

 

[Morgan Liu]

"C'mon," Morgan wheedled Vihma, "it's just one apple apiece! The cook won't even notice. I mean, there's barrels an' barrels a' them down 'ere." She slipped down the ladder into the hold, ignoring the layer of water that sloshed around the bottom of the hull underneath the flat floor on which the cargo rested. She'd freaked out the first time she'd come down here and stepped in a cold puddle, but by now she was used to it. "We eat it, toss th' cores under th' floor, an' no one's the wiser."

 

[Vihmastaja]

Vihma made a face - different than that she normally made when greeted with the smell of bilgewater.

"'s not just the apples, Morgan - this is the kind o' stuff we talked about, innit? Can't be a model crewmate an' also pilfer off the stores - least not unless yer good at it."

Taking a last careful look around above the hold from the top of the ladder, she climbed down after Morgan.

"Gonna get ourselves caught, an' y'know it. Real mess o' trouble.... better be good apples, all I'm gonna say."

Finally at the bottom, finally quiet, the weasel stopped, ears picking up on a noise she shouldn't be hearing down in the hold.

"Hold on, mate - y'hear that?"

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finny, of course, was still dozing. He'd made himself a little nest of burlap sacks to keep off the wet floor the best he could. Not that it did very much good. The water had seeped up through, and soaked through the back of his shirt.

Curiously enough, some of the officer's fine china was leaning carefully against the apple crate -- and next to it, an orange brush tail, belonging to the culprit who'd taken liberty with Ralynn's dinner that night.

Should the sailors peek over, they'd find Finn curled up in the burlap sacks, his knife clutched tightly in one paw, and nestled between the cleft of his neck and shoulder. The foxkit was dressed in his tattered street urchin clothes, and most definitely would look out of place among the crew. The situation just screamed, "stow away".

They'd certainly have the drop on him. Kit was out like a light.

 

[Morgan Liu]

Morgan caught the sound right after Vihma pointed it out. It was hard to pick out among the creak of wood and the whistle of a distant wind seeping through some crack in the hull, but it was still audible. Morgan nodded, pointing in the direction the sound had come from before creeping that way. After a dozen or so steps, the source of the sound came into view. The ferret's heartstrings, which she'd thought were tough as iron, twanged painfully as she saw the sleeping kit. She was no stranger to the harsher side of the world; 'Gates, she'd been in his position once, back on Blackbone Isle, sneaking onto vessels to steal a bit of food and shuteye before creeping back out to port.

Morgan gestured Vihma back, making a retreat along with her. "Whadda we do?" she asked in a hushed tone. "We can't go t' th' cap'n wiv' 'im. 'E was willin' t' string me up jes' for gettin' mouthy. Whadda ya think 'e'll do t' a stowaway?"

 

[Vihmastaja]

Vihma all but hissed in annoyance, trying to keep her voice from rising with her frustration. Was there a saying for this sort of thing? All plans go awry, in all the worst ways, all the time? Maybe that was an expression unique to her own life.

"'Gates, 'ow should I know?"

She shot a look back to the crate, then to Morgan again.

"'e's not gonna last the whole voyage down 'ere - one way or the other 'e'll get caught. I say we get what we came for an' get out wiv' it."

The weasel didn't so much regret what she said as she felt loath having to say it to Morgan. It was apparent the ferret had a sympathy for the young todd. Aye, it was something to poke old wounds of her own. But she'd survived, without much in the way of help from others. Was it worth endangering herself and her friends to stick her neck out for another wayward kit?

Averting her eyes, Vihma spoke in little more than a whisper, trying to be gentle with what words she used.

"If 'e's a smart kit 'e'll make 'imself useful afore then. Mayhap they'll look kindly on 'im then. But we're in enough hot water as it is, mate."

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

"Morgan, Vihma!" Silvertongue walked over to the two of them, smiling widely. "How's your day been? Captain's been running me ragged, I only have a few minutes to talk."

Being the 'Aide-De-Camp' was not an easy task, and there was a slight hint of stress in Silvertongue's voice, and his smile was seemingly forced.

 

[Morgan Liu]

Morgan just about leaped through the ceiling above when Silvertongue spoke from behind them, having apparently just manifested in the hold. "Vulpuz's saggy left-!" she swore loudly, spinning around with a paw clutching her chest as her heart raced. "'Gates Silvie, don' sneak up on me like 'at! Thought m' 'eart was abou' t' give!"

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn startled awake at the sound of yelling, his paw clenching tightly around the handle of his knife. Even in his bleary eyed state, the kit had enough wits about him to not bolt. Not just yet. "Think before you act, Finn!"

His mind raced through a list of decisions. He could bolt... but where? They'd catch him eventually. He could try and talk his way out of this... but he didn't have much to negotiate with, now did he? And fighting was certainly not an option. While their attention was still distracted, Finn quietly tucked the knife into his waistband, and tugged his shirt down to conceal it. The only option left was to freeze. Hunker down. Maybe they hadn't seen him yet.

Those who were attentive would only notice one difference -- the snoring had stopped.

 

[Vihmastaja]

Vihma flinched upon hearing Silvertongue, looking at him and back up to the ladder somewhat incredulously. She might've reacted more, but Morgan did it for her.

"Shh" she shushed them both, louder than she probably should have.

"Yeh'll wake 'im up."

It occurred to her after she'd said it that it gave away the game to Silvie - but she doubted the fox would get them in trouble for finding a stowaway and not reporting him. Hopefully not, anyway.

It didn't immediately occur to her that the snoring had stopped, busy trying to think up a way out of the situation.

"Silvie, we've got a stowaway kit aboard, in yon crate o'er there."

She whispered softly to him, pointing out towards the box in question.

"'e's asleep, or 'e was, any'ow. We dunno what t'do with 'im, given the captain's feelings on holdin' up the law, 'n sacrifice 'n that sort."

She still just wanted to leave while they could, but that seemed less likely now with the three of them.

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

"A kit?" Silvertongue asked. "Stowaway...." *He had a troubled look on his face. "Well... we can't tell the captain. I wouldn't want them to get into any trouble."

Silvertongue turned his attention to the crates. "You can come on out, lad. We know you're in there."

 

[Duchess Dusk Rainblade]

Morgan winced as she realized just how loud she'd been. "Sorry, kit," she called, trying to keep her voice a bit lower than her earlier shout. "Look, we ain' the type t' go runnin' t' th' cap'n an' rattin' on anyone - sorry Green- oh, wait, he ain' here... Anyway," she refocused, "yeh can come out now, an' we'll talk 'is out, figure out 'ow we can give ya a be'er place on ship."

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Finn's heart raced as he listened to the trio of sailors discussing what to do with him. His hopes of going unnoticed were utterly dashed. Holding up the law? Sacrifice!? Oh, this was how it ended, wasn't it? His heart sank down into the pit of his stomach, and a terrible feeling washed over him.

Carefully, he stumbled to his feet, and tried to position himself so that he kept the apple crate between him and the sailors. He swallowed hard, eyes wide with fright, and stammered for a moment. "W-what are you gonna do with me?" he asked, eyes darting around the room for an exit. His father had told him about what punishments lay in store for those stealing rations, and he could only imagine that stowaways had an even worse fate in store for them.

 

[Morgan Liu]

Morgan felt her heartstrings twang again as she looked at the kit. 'Gates, he was small. Malnourished, probably. No wonder hopping a ship had looked good to him; compared to a life on the streets, hiding in the ship's hold and hoping no one noticed the missing supplies was probably the best plan one could have. The ferret refocused herself, trying to keep her thoughts clear. "We aren' gonna do anythin' to ya, kit," Morgan assured him, blinking as she realized her accent had shifted again. The kit had surprisingly crisp diction for a street kit, which, together with Silvertongue's musicality in one ear and Vihma's looser relationship with initial and final consonants, was playing havoc with her mind's desire to adapt to its environment.

"What we're gonna do with ya, though, if figure out some way y' can stay 'ere without gettin' tossed overboard." She glanced to Silvertongue, inquiring, "You know if there's any sorta ship's register or summat? Maybe we can sneak 'is name on there, pretend he's always been crew. We can keep a straight face t' the officers, tell 'em that he was always onboard."

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

Silvertongue nodded, seemingly deep in thought. "There is the crew's logbook that Talinn would have to sign in order to register him as part of the crew. Issue is, we're already two weeks out to sea. Forging a signature isn't easy work. I would need some time to study his penmanship. Not to mention we would need some sort of excuse as to why we've never seen the lad around before."

He started to pace back and forth. "Even if I made a decent enough forgery of Talinn's signature, there is a recruitment paper that needs to be marked with a wax seal that he keeps on his person. I'd only be able to sneak it off of him when he is sleeping, because firstly- I am no good at pickpocketing, and secondly, I'm sure he would notice it being gone any other time. Not to mention the ring on his finger that also needs to mark the paper. After all of that, there is some bird that is supposed to be summoned to take the paper. I'm not sure how to summon it."

@FinnianBrightfur @Morgan Liu @Vihmastaja

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

Malnourished, yes... but small!? THE INDIGNITY!

Finnian pinned his ears back as he hunkered behind the apple crate. A cold chill ran along the surface of his skin, and he fought off a wave of nausea as the dinner he pinched from Ralynn turned to ash in his stomach. Despite Morgan's assurances, images of being strung up danced through his head. His eyes darted about the trio, studying their faces with a silent fear.

Morgan was a big one, and the closest in proximity. She looked tough -- and Finn just couldn't read her. She had the look of one who grew up on the streets, so she was a bit of a wildcard. And as far as Finn could tell, Vihma was cut from the same cloth. Perhaps they were part of a small gang on the ship, and that could spell trouble, especially if Finn owed them a favor.

But goodness, that other fox in the back was pretty as a peacock. If Finn had to pick someone to try and outwit, that'd be his mark. Though by the brief bits of conversation he'd heard, Silvie seemed to have some measure of authority -- and as he spoke, Finn realized he'd need to recalibrate his assessment. Perhaps he'd misjudged things.

All of them seemed to be extending a measure of pity, but Finn had seen pity used as bait before. The elderly's pity was almost always genuine, but youths could be treacherous. Perhaps this was a trap to lure him out of his makeshift barricade, where it'd be easier to apprehend him.

In any case, the idea of a conspiracy didn't sit well with Finn. It only took one person to talk, and then all four of their fates would be tied together. The foxkit was still too afraid to speak, and listened attentively as the crew schemed together.

 

[Vihmastaja]

Vihma looked on the young fox with a sense of unease. Any chance they might still be able to simply walk away from the matter quickly eroded as Silvie and Morgan began producing a plan to make the kit's presence official - the weasel becoming more obviously uncomfortable with each word.

It wasn't that she didn't feel pity for him... it was the matter of principle - sticking your neck out for a random beast like this was a good way to find it in a noose later.

She might have been amused to know that Finn was feeling mostly the same way about the developing plan, but at the moment Vihma was more concerned with the direction it had headed, whiskers measurably drooping as Silvertongue spoke on.

Blinking hard, the weasel put her paws up, incredulous.

"C'mon mates, listen t'yerselves. Breakin' into the cap'ns quarters, stealin' 'is papers, 'is seal... forgin' 'is signature!"

Her voice turned softly pleading, looking between the ferret and fox for some semblance of sanity.

"'It's a touch o' madness, is what it is. Thievin' around is what got me int' this mess to begin with, doin' it at sea righ' under the minister's nose may as well be a bloody death sentence!"

 

[Silvertongue Songfox]

"I will admit, the idea does seem insanely dangerous. We've already gotten ourselves in trouble with the Captain before. I'm loath to do it again." Silvertongue sighed. "Perhaps, I should tell the Captain. I am his assistant after all, there's a chance I can smooth things out with him."

He turned to the young kit. "It's either that or you keep hiding out for however many months we'll be gone in the frozen North, mind you."

 

[FinnianBrightfur]

They were going north? That was the first Finn had heard of the ship's plans. Needless to say, he'd spent at least one winter on the streets, and the thought of cold didn't sit well with him.

As Vihma grounded the plans to reality, his heart sank even further. Truth was better than a lie, but the talk of a noose made his fur stand on end. His options were looking more and more limited, and with his heart pounding in his chest, it made it hard to think.

Finn wilted behind the apple crates as the weight of their eyes laid upon him for an answer. "Y-y'don't have to tell anyone!" he pleaded. "'s almost night fall! Just lemme wait 'till then and I'll swim for shore!" he cried in a hushed tone, betraying the desperation that was setting in.

It seemed like a bullet proof plan to him, of course. But he hadn't considered how far out they were to sea, or his ability to swim -- much less navigate in the dark.

 

[Morgan Liu]

Morgan listened to both Vihma and Silvertongue's doubts, as well as Finn's desperation. She shook her head as Finn pleaded to make a swim for it instead. "Kit, even I couldn' swim that distance," she advised him. "Y' know how cold that water is? You'd freeze an' sink before you were 'alfway to shore. If any of us go to the Captain and try to enlist the kit, then there's no turnin' back; even if we don't give up where 'e's hiding, the Captain will search the ship an' find 'im." She sighed before glancing to Vihma. "Vim's right, though. It's a crazy plan. So," she sighed, "there's only one thing for it. I'll go to the captain an' tell him it's my fault. I invited my little adoptive brother to visit on ship before we left, an' left him belowdecks when all the craziness happened. I didn't realize until just now that I never went back to collect him an' he waited for me instead of going home. I'll take responsibility for that an' request he punish me again for the oversight."