The View Through The Bottom Of A Bottle

[Zann'rajh Stormhowl]

Zann blearily opened his eyes, only to screw them shut again when the grey sunlight slammed into them like a lunatic with a hammer. Groaning, he clutched his head, as a blinding headache attacked his aching skull.

"Cap'n Morgan's tattoo'd backside...whut th' hell wuz I drinkin' last night?" he groaned. He risked a glance around him, wincing as the sunlight resumed its assault. He'd been dumped a few yards along the street from the entrance of the Green Dragon Tavern. From the looks of it he'd spent the night in the gutter.

"Aw, jings...how bleedin' embarassing!" Zann muttered dejectedly.
"There goes me reputation as a big drinker, right doon th' swally..." He checked his affairs hurriedly, and was relieved to find that drunken out of his brain he might ahve been, but no one had been stupid enought to take his weapons off him. Slowly and painstakingly, he got to his paws. Suddenly the image of a keg label swam into view; "Fursty Ferret, est. at 20 yrs." He'd swallowed a whole keg of Fursty Ferret, the worst rotgut poison of a beverage on the high seas? No wonder he felt like something a cannibalistic toad would throw up.....

Zann decided to head down towards the docks and stick his head in the freezing water for a few minutes, in case it improved things. He winced as he imagined Captain Scarlet's reaction if he staggered aboard the Night Pearl hung voer and stinking of booze.

[Skipper Of Sea Otters]

"Well 'aint ye a bloody mess..." A voice said from behind Zann. It was Blade Steelpaw, The Skipper of Sea Otter's right paw and first mate. Dressed in the usual black tunic and haversack and holding a sling and Javelin in his paws.
The sunlight soon turned to a dark cloudy mess above their heads. After a few minutes it began to rain...a cold rain. "Lets get you inside....Aye?" He said showing a bit of concern.

[Zann'rajh Stormhowl]

Zann blinked surprisedly at the otter. He didn't recognise the beast, but he didn't seem to be harboring any malintent. He cast a careful eye at the sky; the gathering clouds were making the otter's proposition increasingly attractive.

He managed to muster enough brain cells to slurr, "Tha's as good a description as any, yeah....An' where's 'inside', by th'..." The wolf paused for a few seconds as his stomach heaved ominously. "....way? Course 'zlong as it's outta d'rain Ah'll take it oo'er th' streets anytime...."

[Skipper Of Sea Otters]

Blade gave a hefty pat on Zann's Back. He put his arm around him and pulled him in closed pointing to a structure adjacent to the tavern. It was a fairly good sized building but not huge. It seemed large enough to house a good crew though and give them just enough room to sleep. Through the window a lantern could be dimly seen. "Right there..." he grinned. "I was able to...commandeer it...last night..."he said motioning to his gun at his hip. He looked around rolling his eyes looking for his own justification. "They asked for it...." he said, his tone much more trying to reason with himself.

The streets were good and muddy by now. "We'd better better inside now..." he said removing his arm from around Zann's neck and walking towards the building.
He opened the door. Inside it was warm and cozy. There were two other otters there sitting at the table munching on some warm biscuits. The nodded as they saw Blade. On the floor were two dead ferrets and a decently sized Rat. The floor was all bloody as well as the walls near the corpses which had weapons clutched in their paws. "Have seat...don't mind them..."

[Zann'rajh Stormhowl]

Zann slumped onto a chair and cast a bleary eye at his surroundings. If he hadn't been hung over he'd have certainly made an issue of the corpses and the blood, but in his present state it was too much of an effort to care. What little scrap of sobriety remained in his head was shouting for some solid food. He was still conscious enough to know it would help, if he managed not to throw it up.

He slumped onto a chair and reached for a few of the biscuits. "T'anks a bunch mate..... Ah'm in big need a' sumfinn ta solid m' up. If me cap'n saw me lik'dis I'd be furr the knackers...Dat fox ain't got 'arf a tongue on 'er...."

[Skipper Of Sea Otters]

"Heh'...You ever givin' thought to jumpin' ship?" he asked handing him a bottle of rum and a couple of orange scones...finest in all the sea they were. Made by the finest cook on board the Lancebreaker...Undertaker. He real name was Celleron but only one beast in the whole ocean allowed to call him that was the Skipper himself. The Skipper was also the only beast that knew his real name or his history for that matter.

Blade reached into his haversack pulling out another glass bottle of a brownish/orange liquid...whiskey made at sea. He only took a few sips of it seeing as it took 4 years to make... "Might I ask why ye were in the street...?" He said plugging the bottle with a cork.

[Zann'rajh Stormhowl]

"Jump ship? Whut'ya tak' me fur?" Zann asked in mock affront. He gladly accepted the scones, but winced at the mere sight of the rum. "No' yit, mate, please." He bit down heavily on a scone, proceeded to wolf it down, and then reached for anohter one. "Me, Ah'm famous fer no jumpin' ships even when d' captain's already walked d' plank. No common sense, see." The wolf attempted to tap the side of his head but ended up poking his snout. He glared at the offending digit, then turned back to the scone.

In between mouthfuls, he said "'N' in regards t' yer other question, Ah wuz oot in th' street cuz Ah wuz stoopid 'nuff t' get bluttered oan a keg a' Fursty Ferret last nigh'...mornin'....t'ing. Tak' mah advice mate, steer clear a' th' stuff, it's bleedin' rotgut..."

[Skipper Of Sea Otters]

"Fursty Ferret is weak..." He said with a grin on his face. "What ya' need...is a pick meh' up...Habberath Reddust...that's what ya need! A good mixture of Habberath reddust to burn...er... smooth...those bags from underneath yer eyes..." he said picking up a tin cup and pouring a little pit of rum in it. "Don't mind the Rum...ye wont even taste it..." he said digging around in his haversack. "Or anything else for the next week..." "Or two...." the other otters said leaning in two one another. Finally black pulled out a small red bag just big enough to fit into the palm of his paw. It was covered in a fine red/rose colored powder He untied the top of it putting a paw full in the tin cup and sloshing it around to mix it. He carefully re-tied the bag and placed it back in his haversack.

He sniffed of the mixture and grinned. To one who has never smelled the red-dust when put into liquid it very much clears ones sinuses and actually burns the first few times. But after a while...a couple of years actually you get used to it...
Habberath Reddust is not a mere spice though...It can be used as one in small pinches...but anything more and its weaponized. Its lethal... If it is inhaled in it regular, dry, power form it can cause suffocation. When its first breathed in, it burns like fire and ants, a Constant stinging sensation. Eventually the pain will go away once your throat has closed up and you quit inhaling. That is if your lucky...When this powder gets on ones fur the same burning sensation presents itself only 30 times more intense. Burning, stinging, itching, fiery pain that seems to hit the your very bones. If it gets in the eyes you'll be blind for at least a day until til you have the strength to open your eyes and they dont burn. Water? Doesnt help...makes it worse. The more you scratch the more places the dust finds to go... your better off waiting till the pain goes away after about 12 hours(if in large doses). The only Re-lief is whatever is in the glass bottle that the skipper's crew carries with them at all times...

Blade took a swing out of the cup to show it wouldn't kill him and slid it to Zann's side of the table. "Drink it...it'll wake you up and keep ye sober..." he said licking the remnants from his lips. He was used to the burning after 7 years of practical jokes. It burned but it hardly would show except for his eyes being slightly larger. If it was on his fur it would burn like the dickens but yet again after 7 years of playing Tag with the stuff onboard the Lancebreaker he powered through the pain. The only method he couldn't power through was inhaling it...He learned methods though that saved his life many times...

He slammed his fist on the table, grinned, and laughed as the affects showed itself. Then again he had done it many times. "Drink! Drink!" he said laughing heartily...On the inside he was crying out in pain. It was Hot...the nostrils felt enflamed. He could now smell the fibers in the boards...

The first time he drank it he just about passed out. His closest mates had to hold him down to keep him from trying to knock himself out. After a few hours he was back to normal...mostly...

"C'mon drink!"

[Zann'rajh Stormhowl]

Zann eyed the mixture apprehensively. He was hung over, it was true, but a wolf's senses never dull, and right now his sinuses were frantically sending warning signs to the tepid soup that currently passed for his brain. Not only that, a lifetime of experience with alcohol in bars had taught him a few lessons.

Resuming his attack on the scones, he replied "Rather yew th'n me, mate. Ah'll sober up the old fashioned way, stuff me gut wid gewd grub an' stick me head in d' freezin' watter. Been there, done dat, chewed der...bones." He shuddered briefly. "Ah'm through wi' drinkin' strange stuff. Ah'll stick ter me bottle o' Storm Rum, dat's der game... Nae offence, son."

[Skipper Of Sea Otters]

Blade snatched the bowl of scones along with the rest of the food from the table. " He pushed the cup closer to Zann. "Drink it...and you'll get these back....You'll thank me for it...." He said staring at him letting him know he wasn't going to get out of it without drinking it. One of the other otters leaned into close to Zann "I suggest ye' drink it mate...Itsa...kinda an insult to em if ya dont...Drinkin' that'll put you on 'is good side...along with the rest of the crew...im sure..." The otter looked at Blade who was preoccupied with the bowl of scones. "Drink it now and save ye the trouble later...take it from me..." he whispered into Zanns ear and grabbed a scone himself.