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Log-A-Log

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Registered: 2020-04-29

Posts: 621

Let The River Trip Begin- GUOSIM log

The GUOSIM camp is a bustle of busy, arguing, preparing shrews, the log boats are all in the water ready to go. From the big ones made from entire tree trunks that can carry upwards of 6-8 beasts. Or the smaller ones for two or three beasts. Supplies, food, tents, tools, and spare oars are all being loaded.   

Oswald is standing near his log boat checking they have everything they need, including as many cushions as he could get his hands on so Leigh can be comfortable. Everything is a bustle and ready to go, the great river-trip is more or less ready to set sail under the command of the Log-a-Log. Though Oswald is expecting things to go slowly as their non-shrew guests who aren't used to rowing a boat are taught how to paddle.
   
The shrew is wearing a light vest and a pair of dark trousers, his braids have been tied back so they hang down his back out of the way and he has a broad brimmed hat on to keep the sun off. He is as ready as he can be and is just waiting for their guests to arrive.
   
Xavier comes down to the boats. " should be a right fun trip. Some adventure maybe even."   

Blade hmms softly" As long as we don't run into troubles, we have had enough troubles lately."   

Zeek shakes his head"Why you always grumpy Blade, try and cheer up fer once,life isn't about being grumpy most of de time, Life can be fun too"   

Leigh has taken her time a lot lately, being careful as she makes her way to the boats.Its very very likely in a few days another shrew will be joining in on the river trip.   

Gorvenalus smiles as he has decided to join in on the trip as well"Its been a long while since I have taken a trip along the river bank,spo I thought I join in as well."   

Oswald moves over to offer Leigh his arm and smiles at her, "Would you like to get into the boat now dear?"   

Xavier double checks on supplies and makes sure all is well with the log boats before he gets ready to lead them on the trip with the help of Oswald. He even has maps of the river in case they are needed.
   
Leigh smiles and will allow Oswald to help her into the boat   

Blade shrugs"May as well tag along."There are a couple shrews that will likely stay behind to keep an eye on the camp while others are away.   

Zeek chuckles and gets in a boat."It will be fun, we can explore places, maybe some place new even,who knows."   

Gorvenalus smiles at the Log-a-log "And if the group does need another healer, which it looks like you may, I can help with that as well."   
   
Oswald asks, "I've been looking forward to this for months," the bard shrew says with a smile, "And Leigh refuses to stay behind, Gorvenalus, Lee do you know which boats you wish to travel in? I have space for one more in mine but you'll have to help with the rowing."
 
Xavier says, "An extra healer be good, Leigh is only one have and she is gonna have a dibbun soon."   

Leigh gets comfortable and smiles." I don't think being in the camp is the best  thing right now and I want Oswald there when the dibbun is born."   

Lee hums. "Well, I've brought my son and daughter," he says, gesturing to the two younger otters with him. "Is there a bout with space for two extra?"   

Blade hmmms as he looks to the boats "May be space yeah..we do have extra log boats today."   

Zeek is mainly on the trip to help cook vittals when they stop to rest along the trip.He has his supplies and even can forage for other supplies, and hey...lots of fish and crayfish in the river   

Gorvenalus smiles"Learning to use a log boat should be..interesting indeed."   

Oswald asks, "Well Lee we can give you and your kids a spare boat to paddle it yourself as a team and the recorder can join Leigh and I in my boat how does that sound?"
   
Xavier helps figure out who goes well." A useful skill to learn to paddle a log boat."   
Leigh chuckles some, she is in a good mood today.   

Gorvenalus nods,he will join Leigh and Oswald in their boat.   

The otter nods. "That sounds good t' me, mate. C'mon Rose, Konrad... Let's get into th' boat."   

Blade waits for things to start, he is still slightly grumpy, then he is always grumpy it seems.   

Zeek smiles"I will also try not ta make..too many fish dishes, hmms maybe a sweet skinny and duff could be made, yeah.  "
 
Oswald smiles and offers Gorvenalus a hand to help him into the boat, "Ok if you take the middle seat. Leigh is at the back and I am at front. It isn't too hard to paddle but we need to work in a rhythm I'll be happy to show everyone how it works once everyone is in a boat."   

Xavier nods in agreement, he knows the plan for the trip.   

Leigh smiles. she lays a paw on her pregnant middle and smiles again, luckily no dibbun today, hard to say when but a week or less is very likely.   

DoraRose decided her family needed a vacation. She couldn't convince Angela to come (the old mouse coming up with many potential issues and problems that might arise from a bunch of people going on an adventure in boats), but she still managed to make the whole thing work out. She is busily helping pack a boat while LilyMoore is helping with another. Dora actually still remembers how to paddle from that one time they went to go rescue the Dibbuns. Lily listens wide-eyed as the shrews argue about....well, everything.   

Zeek snorts, he is arguing with a shrew in his boat over forgetting some sort of spice,"Your live.....blah..." The shrew seems to think otherwise,they should have packed his favorite spice darn it.   

Gorvenalus looks  over and chuckles."I knew hamsters at Willowbark that would argue over little things sometimes."   

Lee and his children set their bags in the boat that was offered previously, and Lee takes an oar. Being an otter, rowing comes naturally. Konrad climbs into the boat, but Rosepaw pauses for a moment to wave at LilyMoore. "Hey, Lil!" she calls out.   

Oswald settles in his boat and uses an oar to push himself away from the bank, it drifts out and he looks along the shore, "Ok Log-a-Log did you want to lead the paddling lesson for our friends? Or have one of us do it?"   

Xavier looks at the map and rolls it back up as he smiles." Learning ta row is not too hard really." He smiles. " You can start is off Oswald, we probably won't get too far up river but that is ok."   

Leigh smiles. She will help paddle when needed, she is still able to do so.   

Zeek nods"Yes let adventure start my friends"   

Gorvenalus chuckles as this would be his first time in a log boat, yes he has never been in one and even if he is old,he will still enjoy the trip.   

DoraRose settles into her boat as they get ready to head off. When she picks up a paddle, it becomes clear that she's done this before. LilyMoore smiles and waves to the otter. "Hi!! How are you? This is gonna be so much fun!" She gets into her boat (which is not the one her mother is in, interestingly enough) and picks up a paddle, eager to learn.   

Lee climbs into the boat, and lifts his oar. He's done this before, too. "Right?" Rose calls over, as she climbs into the boat with her father and brother. "Talk to ya more when we get there!"   

Oswald smiles and waves an oar, "Ok everyone, those of you who need a lesson push on out into the water and join me, my wife and the dear Recorder."   

The shrew smiles, the bells in his braids jingling as he spins the oar expertly. "Now paddling is pretty easy, the real challenge is making sure you go where you want."

He settles into a brief explanation of the paddle, how it is shaped, why it is shaped and then with Gorvenalus and Leigh's help shows how they all dig their oars in on one side together, then switch and the other side together, then starts to pick up a rhythm.   

"See how we are moving in a straight line, if we want to steer Leigh can change our direction from the rear or I can from the front. It is pretty simple with more practice we can try some more adventurous paddle work but for now we all want to just get going up right toward our first camp that Log-a-Log has picked out for us all."   

Xavier chuckles." Maybe save more adventurous till the dibbun is born." Unless its twins, hmmm...oh well Oswald and Leigh will have the dibbun, or dibbuns, with them. He makes sure everything is going well as they start to travel up the river.   

Zeek paddlers along gently and smiles,he is glad the weather was good too.   

Gorvenalus listens and does fairly well with learning to paddle, he will need practice of course.   

It only takes a couple strokes before DoraRose has fully remembered what she's supposed to do. The Warrior easily keeps up with the shrews. As a matter of fact, she has to hold herself back a bit since she's so strong -- paddling too hard could throw the rhythm off. LilyMoore takes a bit longer, having never done this before, but after a little bit she, too, is paddling with ease.   

Oswald has everyone who is learning paddling back and forth and up and down against and with the current. Once he is satisfied all their guests have got a hang of the basics he raises his oar to the Log-a-Log, "I think we are good to get going Log-a-Log by your command."   

Xavier checks how the rest are doing. He nods." Let's get going."   

Gorvenalus nods, he has the basic idea of paddling now, he can practice as they go along.   

Zeek smiles, he knows the trip will start out slow, so he relaxes and enjoys the trip to the first camp.   

Lee is paddling expertly, and his boat cuts through the water with ease, outstripping some of those other beasts that are still struggling.   

DoraRose shakes her head at the otter. "Show off! I may not be as skilled as you, but I bet my strength could catch my boat up to yours, Lee!" LilyMoore is busy chatting with the shrews in her boat, her infectious friendliness easing her into any conversation topic.   

Gorvenalus at the otter and hmmms"Guess he catches on quickly"   
Oswald turns his boat and starts paddling upriver, turning the boat with Gorvenalus and Leighs' help and moves his boat in to paddle along near Xavier's "Ok sp shall we get this trip underway"   

Xavier nods." We start now my friend..." He sighs at the otter." Long as he...don't get lost...be his fault. "   

Zeek asks, "Guess he seeks adventure, he can make sure de river is good up ahead, right?"

Lee passes Gorvenalus, and he calls out, "I was practically born wi' an oar in me paw, mate!" He then turns to Dora Rose and grins. "We'll see about that... Konrad, get yer oar, too. Start paddlin' wi' me. Try not t' overexert yerself, Son. C'mon!"   

DoraRose smirks, but glances at the shrews in her boat and the Log-a-Log in his boat. "I won't race him if you'd rather we didn't." She just spoke without thinking. Oops. LilyMoore waves across at Rosepaw, then at Gorvenalus. "This is fun!"   

Xavier speaks." Lets not race today, we can do that another day.   "

Zeek grins"A race another day would be fun yeah"   

Gorvenalus nods"I do agree, maybe on another day.some do need to get use to paddling first after all" 
 
Oswald says, "Paddling up the river is the best fun Miss Lillymore," he smiles warmly at her and then glances at the others, "I am sure we can race another day, but if you lot go haring off and swamp my boat with your wakes I will capsize the lot of you for getting my wife wet."

Gorvenalus nods"And his mate is expecting a child soon, maybe after the child is born"   

Lee feigns surprise. "A child, mate? Yer gonna need t' start another GUOSIM camp 'ere soon." He jokes, but lessens the pace as the race idea is kiboshed. "Anyway, I woulda brought me wife Stream'eart wi' us, but she were feelin' poorly, an' decided to stay back at Redwall."   

Xavier makes sure most behave, so far, so good on any out of control arguments.
   
DoraRose glances at Lee. "Had she been to the Infirmary yet? Is she alright?" LilyMoore grins at Oswald, matching the paddle strokes of her fellow boatmates. "I just like adventures, and being with friends."   

Oswald laughs warmly and smiles at Lee, "If she shows herself as feeling ill in the Abbey, Dora's mother will pounce and drag her off for a tonic. ."   

Gorvenalus speaks"The abbey healers are very good,she should be fine." He hmmms" If she seems ill at a certain time of day all the time, maybe she is with child"He shrugs.   

Lee shakes his head. "She was speakin' t' one o' th' Novice 'ealers yesterday. A bit of an upset stomach. Between you 'n' me, it might be another..." But then he pauses as Gorvenalus says it. "That. I know she plans t' see Angela later today, so if that's what it is, I guess I'll find out when we get back."   

Oswald asks, "Well if it is another little one on the way Lee, congratulations," Oswald calls across as his boat skulls along the water, sloshing a small wave out behind it as he turns a corner, "Now everyone, how about a proper old GUOSIM rowing ditty to help us all along?"
   
DoraRose smiles. "I would love that. Haven't used a tune to keep a pace for far too long." LilyMoore grins. The moment they start singing, if she knows it, she joins in her melodious voice. Even if she doesn't know it, she hums along as she catches the melody. Dora does the same. 
 
Gorvenalus smiles "A new song to learn, it sounds nice and I am sure Log-a-log and Oswald can teach it to all of us" 
 
Lee joins in with a fine otter baritone, and he seems to know the words already, as well.   
 
Oswald smiles and bangs his oar one side of his logboat, digs deep, bangs it on the other, paddles forward, bangs it again and again, settling into a rhythm as he ploughs through the river and lifts his deep, gruff melodious voice in song.   

"Whum chakka um chakka chumchakka whum!   

Guosim dig yore paddle deep,   
Hurly-burly river wide'n'curly,   
Theres no time to sleep.   
Whum chakka um chakka chumchakka whum!   

Rapid wild and fast do go,   
Hurly-burly river wide'n'curly,   
Bend yore backs an row.   
Whum chakka um chakka chumchakka whum!   

Keep her bows up in the foam,   
Hurly-burly river wide'n'curly,   
Logboat take us home.   
Whum chakka um chakka chumchakka"   

It is one of the GUOSIM's oldest paddling songs, the rhythm a good one for helping to tie everyone into a rhythm together.   
   
DoraRose recognizes the song and joins in, her voice a melodious alto. LilyMoore remembers it from her studies of Redwall history, and joins in quite happily. Her voice is clear and bright, and many of the birds in the area stop singing until she's through. They both have fallen into the rhythm of the paddling. Emyuil, who has been quiet in the background, hums along, paddling in time to the tune.   

Gorvenalus smiles, he does get the rhythm for paddling down well and waits a little while till he sings a little.   

Lee is still singing along, and soon Konrad and Rosepaw join in, as well, their voices clear and bright as they sing with their father.   

Oswald smiles and with Xavier's help leads the way up the river, they only go a couple of hours today to give everyone time to get used to the paddling and their first camp tonight will be on a small island in the middle of the river. It is going to be a great trip.

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I play:  Xavier ( Log-A-log of GUOSIM) Elbio (Lt.,Archer, and Fighter in Long Patrol and RW Residential Hare)