Post by carabadgermum on Dec 21, 2007 18:01:54 GMT -5
On a cold winter's night three beasts huddle close around a seacoal brazier in the captain's cabin on the corsair ship Queen Moll. The smallest of the three, a whelp less than 25 seasons old speaks into the silence, “Papa, er I mean Cap'n, tell us'n's a story.”
The bigger creature laughed and ruffled his son's ears, “I'll tell ye a story that'll make yur tail curl. It all started a long time ago when I was just about yur age. . .”
Chapter 1
“Get out of it, Stoat! We said you couldn' play. Go boil yur bottom!”
One of the older whelps gave the little one a hard kick that sent him sprawling. The were all going off to play pirates. It was their favorite game but they never let the small one, the one they called the Stoat, join them. He was one their own tribe some of them were even his cousins but his father had been a stoat. It wasn't his fault his weaslemaid mother had fallen in love with the sailor and then died bringing him into the world.
The only creature in the tribe who showed him any kindness was Ashreign. She'd been a friend of his mother's and she was the most beautiful weaselmaid on little island the tribe called it's home. He went to see her now, knowing that she would dry his tears.
Ashreign was down by the shore scrubbing clothes on the rocks. She was an orphan like the Stoat. That's why she had taken a liking to him. His grandparents had taken her in when she was young. She and his mother had grown up like sisters. She had always respected her foster family that is until they started to treat the Stoat with such repugnance. She didn't care for them anymore and lived more alongside the tribe rather than than in it. She was a captive on the island as much as he was, chained by the deep blue ocean and her contempt for those creatures who were supposed to be her kin. Still she had to make a living some how and laundry and cooking were all she knew how to do.
She saw the Stoat coming toward her down the beach. He had tears in his eyes again, a common occurrence. “What's the matter, Stargazer?” She called to him, using her own special name, the Stoat was always looking up to the stars. He had better vision than any beast in the tribe. He didn't know their true names of course but he loved to tell her what he thought the constellations looked like when they looked at them together on clear nights. He could track their movement through the seasons. “Have the whelps been teasing you again? You know I told you not to bother with them.”
Ashreign took a clean cloth out of her laundry basket and dried his tears.
“Who else am I 'sposed t' play with? Sometimes they let me play the captive.” He cheered up a bit at this last comment as if playing any part in the pirate game would be preferable to not playing at all.
The weaselmaid smiled sadly at him, “Don't worry, Stargazer. Someday you'll be a real pirate and you can take all of them captive.” She ruffled his ears with her paw, “Remember I told you that pirates use the stars to guide their way?”
“Yeah I 'member,” the Stoat squirmed away from her playfully and looked out to the sea. His keen eyes squinted into the distance. “Pirates like those, Ash?” He pointed at the rolling waves.
Ashreign's head shot up and she looked out to where he was pointing. She could make out a dark spot on the horizon. She dropped the shirt she was washing onto the sand and ran back toward the village yelling, “SHIP! SHIP'S COMIN'!”
Any visitors to the island were a welcome sight as they were so few and far between. Of course it could be that the ship would pass right by. Most captains didn't think the little island was worthy of a look. However if the inhabitants of the island had known what was coming they wouldn't have been so keen to have these particular visitors come to call.
The bigger creature laughed and ruffled his son's ears, “I'll tell ye a story that'll make yur tail curl. It all started a long time ago when I was just about yur age. . .”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 1
“Get out of it, Stoat! We said you couldn' play. Go boil yur bottom!”
One of the older whelps gave the little one a hard kick that sent him sprawling. The were all going off to play pirates. It was their favorite game but they never let the small one, the one they called the Stoat, join them. He was one their own tribe some of them were even his cousins but his father had been a stoat. It wasn't his fault his weaslemaid mother had fallen in love with the sailor and then died bringing him into the world.
The only creature in the tribe who showed him any kindness was Ashreign. She'd been a friend of his mother's and she was the most beautiful weaselmaid on little island the tribe called it's home. He went to see her now, knowing that she would dry his tears.
Ashreign was down by the shore scrubbing clothes on the rocks. She was an orphan like the Stoat. That's why she had taken a liking to him. His grandparents had taken her in when she was young. She and his mother had grown up like sisters. She had always respected her foster family that is until they started to treat the Stoat with such repugnance. She didn't care for them anymore and lived more alongside the tribe rather than than in it. She was a captive on the island as much as he was, chained by the deep blue ocean and her contempt for those creatures who were supposed to be her kin. Still she had to make a living some how and laundry and cooking were all she knew how to do.
She saw the Stoat coming toward her down the beach. He had tears in his eyes again, a common occurrence. “What's the matter, Stargazer?” She called to him, using her own special name, the Stoat was always looking up to the stars. He had better vision than any beast in the tribe. He didn't know their true names of course but he loved to tell her what he thought the constellations looked like when they looked at them together on clear nights. He could track their movement through the seasons. “Have the whelps been teasing you again? You know I told you not to bother with them.”
Ashreign took a clean cloth out of her laundry basket and dried his tears.
“Who else am I 'sposed t' play with? Sometimes they let me play the captive.” He cheered up a bit at this last comment as if playing any part in the pirate game would be preferable to not playing at all.
The weaselmaid smiled sadly at him, “Don't worry, Stargazer. Someday you'll be a real pirate and you can take all of them captive.” She ruffled his ears with her paw, “Remember I told you that pirates use the stars to guide their way?”
“Yeah I 'member,” the Stoat squirmed away from her playfully and looked out to the sea. His keen eyes squinted into the distance. “Pirates like those, Ash?” He pointed at the rolling waves.
Ashreign's head shot up and she looked out to where he was pointing. She could make out a dark spot on the horizon. She dropped the shirt she was washing onto the sand and ran back toward the village yelling, “SHIP! SHIP'S COMIN'!”
Any visitors to the island were a welcome sight as they were so few and far between. Of course it could be that the ship would pass right by. Most captains didn't think the little island was worthy of a look. However if the inhabitants of the island had known what was coming they wouldn't have been so keen to have these particular visitors come to call.
