Old Memories

[Scarlet]

The sea was relatively calm as Scarlet stood on deck. No wind was blowing and the sky was unmarred by clouds. It was a day such as it was difficult to tell where the ocean stopped and the sky began. Scarlet loved days like this; it much reminded her of her first day as Captain, her newly found crew sailed for the first time under her command on such a day as this. Years ago, that was, and even as she thought of it, it seemed like it was yesterday.

She and her crew are on their way to the other side of the ocean, for they had never ventured so far. The ship was packed with supplies, almost visibly bulging under the oaken boards. Or at least, if one had an imagination. Some of the crew beasts thought that this would be a great adventure while others were reluctant to traverse so far from the eastern shores. Scarlet was thrilled. This was exactly the type of adventure she needed at the moment. She needed to get away from land, even if she were still surrounded by crew beasts it would be nice to just be on the sea for awhile.

The sun was hot, beating down on the deck, warming Scarlet to an almost uncomfortable degree. She wore little clothes today; A sleeveless cropped tunic and roughly hemmed short brown trousers. Most of the rest of the crew were similarly attired. Many wore rags about their heads that had been dipped in cold sea water to keep themselves cool.

A little wildcat came up to Scarlet, respectfully saluting as taught. " Cap'tn, the steers beast would like to know if there is to be a change of course?" The little cabin boy asked, standing stiffly in her presence. He knew too well that Scarlet was easily angered, so he kept his distance, standing a few feet away from her. Scarlet nodded to Jasper, the little wildcat cabin boy. Why had she agreed to take him on? Oh, yes, thats right; His mother was the new cooks attendant and she had begged her to let him stay on the ship as cabin boy. Scarlet reluctantly had agreed, but said that he would have to work hard and be tough enough to keep himself from being tossed about like a salad around these rough vermin. She was far to busy to take care of him, as was his mother. Jasper quickly learned to stay out of trouble and care for himself.

" Tell Jagger that he needs to head a bit more south-east." Scarlet said, taking stock of the position of the sun and pointing towards the south-east. " And tell him to keep her on that track until dawn, then position it farther back to the east." She added, though she was sure that she would have to tell him again later anyway. Jasper nodded and walked off, over to the helm to tell Jagger his new course. Scarlet watched out of the corner of her eye as Jagger nodded and repositioned the ship. Under her feet, Scarlet felt the ship being turned slightly more towards the south. It was going to be a great day.

[Zann'rajh Stormhowl]

"Awright, me jolly swabs! Bend yer backs to it!" the bosun of the Nigth Pearl roared cheerfully, inspecting the crew at work. "Bogle, that knot's looken lik' it's gunna slip, try another loop on it," he suggested, passing by a labouring otter. "Phwoar, this'n 'ere deck's sae clean Ah can see mesel'. Nice work!" He paused, aware that the crew weren't exactly in the best of humours. "Aw come on noo, why the long faces? It's an adventure, innit? Ya look like toads at a funeral, so yez dae, ya soor-faced scunners that yiz are." The muscular wolf's ears drooped despondently for a moment, then straightened again as he beamed. "Ah know! A song!" Without missing a beat, he began to sing with gusto a pirate ballad; loudly, clearly, and very cacophonously.


"Hoooo, h'when Ah come back frum ae mighty quest
Ah have nae need fer sleep or rest
Ah head tae a tavern fer a drink
An' Ah git sae drunk Ah cannae think
A gun by me side an' a jug of mead
These are the things that Ah most need
So Ah sit back and sing this song
And drink and party all night looooooong...."

The singing screeched to a halt when Zann looked around and realized that most of the crewbeasts had ceased work and clasped their paws to their ears. He scowled, then grinned evilly.

"So tha's the game, is it? Right! Fer every beast I see lazin'
aboot, or worse, workin' wi'oot a great big shiny smile on 'is face, Ah'm gonna sing oot loud fer a full five minutes! An' dinnae yez worry aboot me runnin' oota songs, either!" he bellowed cheerfully.

Turning his back, he resumed his patrol of the deck, chuckling slightly at the strained quality of the crewbeast's grins. He thudded to a halt when he realised he was close to running into the Captain. He threw a textbook salute, and, his back ramrod straight, his gaze fixed ferociously at a point about a foot above the Captain's head, proclaimed "Pleased tae report that evertin's runnin' as smooth as a newt's flank, Cap'n! Th'crew is workin' hard as a beehive, oor course is straight as an arrer an' we got enough grub 'n' watter in th' larder tae stuff aw the hares in Salamandastron fit tae burst."

[Scarlet]

Scarlet had heard Zann's singing along with the rest of the crew, though she put in the effort not to clasp her paws over her ears. If this got the crewbeasts to work, so be it. Anything that helped was welcome.
"Pleased tae report that evertin's runnin' as smooth as a newt's flank, Cap'n! Th'crew is workin' hard as a beehive, oor course is straight as an arrer an' we got enough grub 'n' watter in th' larder tae stuff aw the hares in Salamandastron fit tae burst."
Scarlet turned slightly and faced Zann. Seeing him looking over her head and talking to her bothered her for some reason. " Look me in the eyes when you talk to me, Zann. Its disconcerting to see you looking over my head while addressing me." She said, quite matter-of-factly. Normally, this kind of thing didn't bother Scarlet, but for some reason it upset her today. You could never tell what kind of mood Scarlet was in or what random things she did. You just had to be prepared for the worst whenever you spoke to her.
Ever since Firestripe had mysteriously up and vanished without even leaving a note, Scarlet varied between monotone calmness, raging anger and sorrowful depression. She would never admit it to anybeast, but she had even shed a tear or two privately in her cabin. She had, at first, thought to drown her sorrows in bottles of rum. All that got her was a nasty fall on the way down to her cabin one evening. She stopped this nasty habit directly afterwards. No one had ever seen Scarlet like this before. She was quickly learning, though, to get up and get on with living. She couldn't let some abandoner steal away any form of happiness. She still had her mood swings, but each time they got less and less intense. She thought a dangerous and daunting adventure might cause Firestripe to drift to an empty corner in the back of her mind.
Her thoughts as to this being a great day vanished as once again Firestripe made his way back to the front of her thoughts.

[Mako]

Mako, was sweating, working harder then any other day. He'd already taken off his vest and took his shirt off and tied it around his waist but that still didn't stop the unwavering attack from the sun. He wiped sweat from his brow and sighed, then looked around him. His captain, the one and only, Scarlet was at the helm talking to Zann. Mako sighed for no reason then took in his own surroundings.

He was on the top deck, making sure all cannons were tied down, checking all the riggings, and making sure gun powder was set about in their rightful places. He left his musket in his room but his pistol at his side, not knowing what would happen, because Mako learned quickly, that anything could happen on the sea.

He traced the chain around his neck until his paw rested on the key to his room. Then, his paw strayed to the leather cord, finally coming to rest upon the green pendant. That fiery emerald colored pendant he always kept about his neck. Mako sighed again, this time remembering the day he was a prince. The only way to escape those agents and assassins, Mako felt, was to put out to sea. And... It worked, and now Make was first mate aboard a vessel. Not quite the type of royalty Mako was used to, but, it worked.

He wiped his brow again then decided to go and strike up a conversation with his captain.

He tied a last knot to keep the rigging in its place, on the rail, and then jogged up towards the helm. "Captain,'' Mako began, ''Riggins are all tied up, and powder kegs are in their rightful spots.'' Mako stared at her eyes, which seemed like they've seen much, even for her young age. The ferret turned his head to the side, slowly, then looked at her, ''Your eyes show much, captain. But you're young.''

He didn't mind his captain's mood if she were to yell at him, for he'd learn to deal with it long ago, whenever his father belittled him in public and berated him for no reason. Mako pawed his pistol, then finally asked, ''Captain.. Can we pull into Loamsdown port? I saved my wages and I want to buy something... Can we?''

[Scarlet]

Scarlet watched as Mako approached her. He had proved a wise investment over the past couple of weeks. He worked hard and made a very good first-mate, even though his promotion was a little rushed. Ever since Firestripe left, Scarlet felt the need to fill his empty space as quickly as possible. It was even better that she found Mako, because it would have been a tad awkward if she had filled the place with a well known and trusted crew member who knew all about what had happened between Firestripe and her. She was sure, though, that Mako had heard of this already; The ship rarely harbored any secrets among the crew. Mako had said nothing of it, though. That was a very smart move.

Ever since her loved first-mate abandoned her for no reason, she was very sensitive about the whole thing. Some of the dull-witted crew members had brought it up once or twice, but they quickly learned that it was a banned subject. She had yelled and beaten them on the spot. Her position as a cruel Captain had been magnified ten times over. At least, at her temper's height. On her calmer days she rarely even berated anybeast, rather acted like a puppet on strings. Her mood swings were dangerous, THAT everybeast knew.

At Mako's comments on her eyes and age, she made no notice. What did it matter? She glanced away from his eyes just as he requested that they stop in Loamsdown. Her eyes flicked back to his face. He seemed to really want to stop. What on earth would he want to buy? Something frivolous, perhaps, or maybe something he really needed. She looked up at the sky and sighed. She took her time thinking over this, knowing that Mako probably wouldn't dare to try to rush her. After a few minutes, she shifted her gaze back to Mako's face.

"What is it that is so important to buy that you would ask me to pull into port when we had just prepared for a long journey?" She asked simply, her voice slightly lacking of emotion. Thoughts raced through her mind faster than light as she looked into Mako's eyes. None of those thoughts were about the ferret that was standing in front of her now.

[Mako]

Mako's gaze left his captain for a short while, as he looked behind her to open sea. She seemed a bit off today, for lack of a better word. She seemed upset, yet not completely. He'd been onboard for long enough to understand, also, that Scarlet may look the complete opposite of what she was thinking.

His eyes quickly shot back to her as she responded to his question. He hadn't expected that would be her answer, though he viewed it as a positive one. Hey, at least she didn't explode on him.

"What is it that is so important to buy that you would ask me to pull into port when we had just prepared for a long journey?"

"Actually, captain,'' He began, ''It's not for me, but for you...'' He didn't mean it like a gift or something, because he viewed her no more then his captain and his ally. It was actually something he hoped would cheer her up. ''I'd heard tale from some crewbeasts the other night, speaking of a magnificent pistol. It was said that it was a normal pistol, firing six shots before having to reload, only... It's much better. It was said to never jam, ever. And...'' he coninued, slowling down a bit, ''It's said to have an odd object, set into it's black handle.''

He didn't know how to explain it, so he grabbed a cloth from his belt and with his knife cut through the cloth until there was a missing part resembling a 't'. (It's supposed to be a cross, btw)

''It's barrel is a shiny metal, said never to stain and its handle was black, and in it was that object, captain. I'd been hoping it would cheer you up because you seemed angry, or upset, lately...'' He said, ''Or both.''

[Scarlet]

Scarlet listened in silence to Mako's answer.

"Actually, Captain, it's not for me, but for you."

She watched as Mako explained what this object was and cut the t shape out of cloth. True, this object interested her, but enough to make her pull the ship into port for a day? She would have to think about it. She had been hoping that the journey to the mysterious lands across the sea would be uninterrupted from start to finish. Her plans may change, who knew?

At Mako's mention as to her moods, Scarlet's eyes regained thier lost focus, resting on his face.
" Who are you to comment on my moods? I have not been upset of angry at all!" She said, her voice quivering slightly with dignity as she forcfully stated the lie. She cared not what others thought of her now, as long as the respected her enough to obey commands and not mutiny against her.

She turned her back on Mako and Zann, saying simply " I'll think about whether or not we stop at Loamsdown." The wind was just beginning to pick up slightly and the breeze was welcomed by all crewbeasts who were above deck, thankful for this little comfort from the heat of the raging sun.

[Mako]

When Scarlet spoke to him, he'd known he'd made a bad move. His only excuse was that he was here only a few weeks, but still, that'd be enough time. As his captain turned her back, he closed his eyes, as if trying to keep the world's problems from him. He waited until she ended speaking and he opened them again. "We can wait for Loamsdown...'' He said simply, shrugging.

Mako wasn't used to the life of piracy. He was used to people speaking to him as if he was a king, and now he was speaking to another as if she was a king. Though, she was captain and he'd witnessed a few beatings she put on some out of line crewbeasts. Scarlet was a tough fox, but... Mako felt he could hold his own, although, he could never know for sure unless they fought it out. Deep down, Mako knew that Scarlet would be a very good opponent.

Mako turned and looked at the wolf, as if noticing him for the first time. HE raised an eyebrow, never seeing a wolf like that before. A wolf with dread locks, giving off an even scarier appearance.

The ferret turned his gaze back to his captain, and knowing he may regret it, but hoping he wouldn't, he walked in a straight line until he was leaning against the railing and looking out to sea. He turned around so his back faced the open waters and spoke, ''You know, ma'am. I'm not saying now you're having bad moods, but if you do, I know of a way to get them all out.''

He's used the method a few times before when he was back at the castle that his father ruled at. ''If you're angry, sad, or both, captain, a duel is always a good way to get those emotions out. You concentrate all your emotions into each strike of your blade, and each punch of your fist, and you hope that the frustration and anger is overwhelmed by the sense of victory, by defeating your opponent. If you defeat your opponent.''

Mako winked at his captain, and held his hands up to show that was a joke, the sunlight glinting off his ring. ''If you defeat your opponent, you get bragging rights, and all your old emotions are pushed to the bottom of the barrel, as the excitment of battle, and the feeling of victory all rush to the top. What do you say? You duel someone, and Ill play the part of the one enforcing the rules.''

[Scarlet]

Scarlet stood like a cold marble statue. Mako had seen right through her thin shield that secreted her emotions away from others. Ever since she had been devistatingly abandoned, her emotional controll and almost gone completely from her grasp. She could no longer hide away all the various emotions that flew through her mind unceasingly.

She was through with Mako's meddling in her personal buisness. She turned to him, a stoney expression fixed on her beautiful features. " If I had issues, I would have already dealt with them, so I don't need your psychotherapeutic treatment." She said in a low warning tone which meant 'Try anything like that again and your sharkbait.'. She stared him down unwaveringly, just waiting for him to say something else.
She actually wouldn't have minded if he did; He may be the first-mate, but that doesn't grant him immunity from Scarlet's anger, and she enjoyed inflicting pain on those who annoyed or opposed her.

Her cerulean eyes delved deep into Mako's, sensing every hint of an emotion. She seemed to hear his very thoughts, or at least she imagined she knew what he was thinking. Without breaking her gaze, she folded her arms across her chest and stood, waiting. The breeze ruffled the slight mane she had aquired, and her ears subconsiously flicked in annoyance.

[Mako]

((Niiiice post, Scarlet! )

Alright, Mako expected that... Sorta. He meddled in the business with others and he was paying for it. Verbally. But that still didn't count as not paying for it... (Wait... ? lol)

He'd hoped he wouldn't have ticked her off, or gotten her even slightly angry, but alas, it was not so. He merely shrugged at her words, the wind russing his fur. He needed to trim it, some. He holded his hands up in innocence, wiped a smirk off his face only to be replaced by a grin. His tactic was working.

He felt that if he could get her angry enough, she would duel him. Suddenly, however, the grin was swept from his face as his jaw opened to a slight extent. He looked over his captain's shoulder, his gaze fixed towards the horizon. He rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't picturing something. As his hands fell to his sides, he cursed... quite loudly. Ahead of the ship was another ship, flying pirate colors, her starboard side aiming right towards the nightpearl.

A loud bang erupted, sounding like a thunderclap, and a black object soared towards the ship. "Oh... Son of a --"

His words were blocked out as a loud whistling sound gradually increased and he saw what was flying at them -- a cannonball. A splash echoed on Mako's right as the iron ball landed harmlessly in the sea besides them. "All hands on deck!" The ferret found himself shouting.

''We'll continue this later.'' He hissed as he ran past his captain. ((I only said ''hissed'' because he was running and it sounded, well... like a hiss, lol. I don't want you to think he was snapping at Scarlet or anything.)) All heads on the deck looked up to see the very thing Mako saw and several others came to join them from the gun deck.

Another bang erupted and a cannonball splashed beside the ship again, closer. "Turn the ship to it's starboard side!'' Mako shouted, his voice sounding louder then the noise off the cannonball. ''Quick! Or we'll all be dead!''

OOC: Thought I'd, heh, spice things up a bit, lol.