Aikuen and William Go South: Part Three

Characters: Aikuen and Orph

Locations: Winter Tavern, South Path, Edge of the Wastelands

Winter Haven: Tavern

Aikuen is sitting at the bar. A bowl of soup, and a bottle of ale are in front of him. He awoke this morning with a hangover, and he needed to break his fast.

Orph has just finished off his own soup and cordial. He sits nearby waiting for Aikuen to finish eating.

Aikuen lifts the bowl and slurps off the entire thing. Wiping a paw across his mouth, and reaching into his money pouch he pulls out a few coins and places them on the table. Getting up, he stretches a bit then asks, "Well William, Are you ready to be off?"

In the time it took his pa to pay for their meal William had already made his way to the door. "I'm ready. Are you coming?" he called back from the door way.

Aikuen Heads off toward Orph, "OI! Wait up!". He mentally take stock of there inventory, making sure that they didn't leave anything. Ok, all set. He heads out the door.

South Path

Aikuen suddenly realizes that he lost his branch when he ran from the squirrels. He nods at Orph, "Be right back William!". He disappears into the forest, then after a while he comes back with another tree branch. Hefting it on his shoulder, he smiles at Orph, "Okee! Lets get a move on!" He walks south down the road.

Aikuen comes to another fork in the road, a path leads one way, and another leads another way. He looks at both paths, He turns to Orph and bowing, he asks, "Oh great compass! Which is the most southern path!" He knows the right way, but he needs to teach something.

Orph chews his lip thoughtfully while facing both paths, "I don't know for sure, but we're goin' South so I'd think the one on the right that looks like it's going the same way we are already would be the one more likely to take us South, unless I'm wrong and it turns off going somewhere else.

Aikuen begins to walk down the right side path, "We will soon find out!" He takes out his sword, and begins to shave down the branch.

Edge of the Wastelands

Aikuen arrives at the line between the forest, and the dry wasteland. He covers his eyes with his free paw, and looks over at the vastness. He thinks on how they could do this.

Orph sits down by a tree and take a drink from his canteen, just /looking/ at all that scorched land has made him thirsty. "Diffenately leads South, but the path kinda disappears, look." he points to where the path begins to fade into nothingness, "Think you should lead through that. I'd get lost real quick."

Aikuen nods slowly, he has seen nothing like this. "Well as long as we continue south, we should be able to make Southsward in no time!" He lightly chuckles... "as long as we keep the sun on our left side in the morning, and to our right in the evening, That will continue our way south. Even if the path disappears."

Orph nods, capping his canteen and putting it back on his belt, "How long do ya think it'll take to cross it?"

Aikuen scratches his shoulder, and shakes his head. "Cant really tell mate, but by the map i looked at, maybe 4...5 days..."

Orph looks out over the flat expanse of sun-cracked earth before him, "Is it /all/ flat? We probably don't have any more food on us than we did before we found that inn do we? ... Doesn't look like the kind of country one would like to travel too often. ... It'd be nice to know what on the other side of that, but four or five days in a desert may not be worth whatever’s on the other side." The rat chews his lip thinking: Might be able to catch some insects or /something/ to eat ... I hope Pa knows what he's doing.

Aikuen breathes deeply. "I didn't think it would look like this... Thought there be a few trees, and at least a little plant life... Maybe... We should... try something else..." He sits down with a thump.

Orph leans back against the trunk of the tree he's sitting under, "So ... we have no food, we have wine for drinking, and there's a desert to the South of us and woods to ... that way, and /I'd/ like it better if we didn't go South any farther. I'd also like it if we had packed food, but I'd be happy with /not/ crossing the desert. In fact, I’d be happier with /not crossing/ the desert /without/ food, than /crossing/ the desert /with/ food."

Aikuen scratches his chin whiskers. He laughs, "Thought there be a little more grub growing. I got that wrong. But! If there is a will there is a way!" He turns to look at Orph, "I was thinking that we could go west from here... and yah know... get to the coast... maybe, oh i don't know... a ship..." He tries so hard to hide a smile.

Orph is on his feet in a instant, "If the desert is South, behind us in North and ... north, east, S- This way!" He points West before grabbing his pack, "Come on! Come on!" he jabs his paw toward the West, "Hurry, the faster we go the sooner we'll get there!"

Aikuen laughs as he gets to his feet. "Okay Matey, Im going as fast as my old paws can carry me!" He begins to walk westward. keeping the forest on his right side, and against the rising sun.

Heading West

Aikuen and Orph head West from the Wastelands and end up at a one of the ports along the Western Sea.

They walk up the shore to a less crowded part of the seashore.

Western Sea: Hills by the Shore

At last, some variation in the coastline: as the rocks become more numerous, the land rises to a hill overlooking a natural harbor. From this distance, one can already see the masts of ships at anchor. On the western side of the hill, up to its crest, run the stone walls of a small city. The eastern side of the hill appears to be cultivated. Its slopes have been terraced and dotted with houses both large and small, and even some trees have managed to thrive in the hard soil. Beyond this lone hill, a rocky plateau rises, growing drier and more barren the farther inland it runs. Further to the south, the land rolls on, flat and featureless as before.

Once near the shore Orph begins to look around at every little thing running about here and there, at one point he runs up to the top of a hill to watch the waves roll in and back out.

Aikuen walks south along the shore, keeping a lively pace. He hums to himself then ask, "So me matey! When do you think we'll see a ship, eh? Been a while since we first spotted the sea, and not a single ship..." He stops when he reaches the hill.

Orph is already on his way back down the hill when he hears his pa's question, "Don't know," the coast is too distracting for him to stay still for long. He's off again wandering about the shore stopping now and then to collect a interesting stone or shell or to wade a bit in the cold water. He can just hear Aikuen's voice, but he pays it no mind.

Western Sea: Shore

To the north, the usually calm waters of the Western Sea crash with those of the Great South Stream, causing a dull roar to raise above the ever-constant breeze from the ocean. The beach here is rocky and not the easiest to travel with bare paws, though it seems to become more gentle the further south one goes.

Orph climbs around on the rocks happily for a while before wandering farther up shore.

Here the Great South Stream's journey finally ends, as it empties into the sea. The stream splits into many, many smaller streams as it runs over the final stretch of flat, wet sands, creating a fine layer of silt. The shores stretch north and south in both directions as far as the eye can see, and upstream, the river continues until it disappears into the dunes.

Orph walk through the soft silt, pleased with the way it feel on his footpaws and the way the water quickly fills in his pawprints.

At last, there appears to be something to break the monotony of this region - south a few more leagues, the beach seems to be interrupted by the mouth of a wide river. The Great South Stream. Truly, as one wanders further south, the beach itself seems to become rockier, its consistency that of shattered shell and pebbles, rather than shifting grains of sand. The water to the west also seems to change, becoming more choppy and restless, as it surges to meet the waters from the stream.

With some difficultly William manges to cross the stretch of shoreline where the Great South Stream meets the Western Sea. He collects quite a few shells and pebbles, which he puts in his pack before making his way back across the mouth of the Great South Stream.

It hard going and he stumbles and falls many times, barely making it back across. He sits down on the slity patch of shore for a while to catch his breath before heading back down shore. On the way back he bypasses the rocks and heads straight for the hill where he'd left Aikuen a few hours before. He climbs up the hill, heavy with water, seashells and pebbles, tired.

Western Sea: Hills by the Shore

Aikuen has been sitting on top of the hill, turning the once tree branch, into a marvelous spear. He hums to himself, and occasionally looks back where William had run off too, just to make sure. He smiles as the little ratling climbs the hill, "Did you have fun?"

Orph flops down, "Y-yeah," he closes his eyes, "Sea water tastes bad."

Aikuen admires his creation before putting it beside him. He snorts and says, "Yes it does... That's why we don't drink it... Hope you didn't drink too much..." He doesn't want to have to force the salt water up. "Im guessing that a little may have got in you mouth..." He looks at the collection of shells that he brought. "Nice catch, anything yah like best?"

After a bit William sits up to look over his souvenirs. "I like this one", he picks up a white shell with a small purplish spot in the middle, and this one. he opens and closes an intact empty mussel shell, "Lot of them are the same", He waves a paw over the a pile mussel shell halfs dismissively.

Aikuen Puts down the conch and puts it back down in the pile. Then as if from nowhere he pulls out a biscuit, and hands it to William. "Here try this matey...No, its not my cooking..."

"Oh and I like this little orange spotty curly one too," he picks up a horn looking shell, "and I ... Oh," he takes the conch shell and after a few tries he figures out a way to hold the shell properly against his big low set ear, "... um," he presses it a little harder against his ear, "There a faint whisper of a wind-like sound, but only barely," he says looking confused at Aikuen.

Aikuen smiles at William, "That my little friend is magic, when ever you push that against your ear. You can magically hear the ocean. Can't hear it well here because, well..." He points to the ocean then continues with the joke, "It'll sound better, when we are away... Now eat this, I promise its not poison or anything." He continues to hold out the biscuit.

Orph grins, putting the conch shell carefully back into his damp satchel. (the chalk, a unknown number of shells, pebbles and one hitchhiking starfish were lost crossing back over the river) William takes a small experimental bite of the biscuit.

Aikuen nods, "There yah go. Do you like? An old mouse came by, and gave me a bunch. I think he just wanted some beast to talk too. He left about an hour before you got back... Here's some more if yah like em'..." He takes two more from the side of him and places them in front of William. He leans back on the sand(and a few rocks), enjoying the sea air.

Orph nods taking another, "One of us has /got to/ learn to /cook/ one of these days."

Aikuen closes his eyes, and laughs "well, you've already seen what I can do, so now it your turn! Unless you like eating globs of stuff!"

Orph jokes, "Well, if it was globs of cake or globs of stew I would, but I don't think globs of glob would go over well anywhere."

Aikuen laughs at the joke, then sticks out his tongue at William, "Well I now make you, William Chef Master, well at least master compared to me..." He sits up, and looks toward the south, squinting at an object he says, "Ready to continue, I think the old mouse said something about a town south of here... May find a boat..."

Orph nods while stuffing a third biscuit into his mouth, "Uh K, Ah. *swallows* What kinda boat? How big is it?"

Aikuen gets up and dusts sand from his pants and back. He shrugs, "Don't know matey, but I plan on finding out... Really depends on how much it will cost..." He says the last part quiet, he didn't mean to say it. He picks up the half finished spear, then nodding to William, "All set!"

Orph is all smiles, "All set!" he scoops his shells back into his pack before pulling it on again. His ears may not have heard the ocean in the shell but they did catch his father's words. Uncertain how to interpret the words he remained silent as though he hadn't heard.

Aikuen smiles back, "Well lets get to stirring up some dust!... That means lets get moving." He turns and begins to go down the south side of the hill, heading to the splotch on the horizon.

Orph follows close behind.

Aclidia: Merchant Road

This narrow street runs north to the main city gate and south to an open square. Its surface is paved with wide, smooth stones with no mortar between. Along either side of the street run rows of single- and two-story buildings with flat roofs. The architecture is typically southern, with colonnaded porches and small, high windows without glass. Wooden signs rest on the ground outside the doors, advertising different shops. Other beasts less well-established have set up wooden stalls shaded by cloth awnings. The air is filled with the cries of those hawking their wares, from salted fish and fruit to fine jewelry and weapons.

Aikuen walks into the city, The town stalls are just begin to close down for the day, but a few late night shops are still open. He continues to walk toward the center, trying to find...anything.

Orph shadow's him, "Wot are ya lookin for?"

Aikuen continuing to walk forward, "Oh, er... either a merchant, or maybe a shipbuilder. There the ones we need to talk to, to get a ship." He peers off around the area.

Orph says, "Looks like everything’s closing ... should we look in the tavern to see if there's any beast in there like that?"

Aikuen nods his head, "Aye, I think you're right... They would need something after the day is over." He takes a quick step toward the tavern. He never says no to a pub!

Aclidia: Tavern- Main Room

Oil lamps hang from brackets on the walls around the room, dimly lighting the surroundings. Circular tables fill most of the middle of the room, a candle, most unlit left, in the middle of each table and chairs seated around them with only just enough room left in between for a beast to squeeze round. Two sides of the room are taken up by more comfortable and private seating with square tables backed up to the wall and high backed cushioned benches either side of them, large enough for two beasts to sit either side.

The third wall inhabits a large fireplace with a few more comfortable if very old looking chairs around them and a couple of small round tables in between while the fourth and final wall is taken up by the bar. A long wooden construction with stools lined up on one side it's just what would expect, glasses hang on hooks in a beam above the bartop and the wall behind it is covered in shelves, all filled with bottles of drinks. A door to the right side presumably leads into a kitchen and on the left side of the room a stair case leads to the upper floors.

Orph asks, "See anybeast you think'd know some about boats?"

Aikuen immediately goes to the bar and asks, "Do you have any rum! I don't care what kind! I haven't had a drop of that stuff in 7 seasons!" He hears William asking that, then he realizes what he was actually in here for, "Oh, and do you know if anybeast is willing to take us to Southsward."

Orph sits at the bar next to Aikuen, "I'll have what he's having."

The bartender, who is an old otter, (who looks like he was born, raised, and thrown into the sea) Looks at the Newcomers up and down, He growls out, "AYE! curs we got rum! what do you think I am an idgit grub slinger!" He goes and takes a bottle from the shelf and places it in front of the both of them, But he keeps his hold on it, "Whats your money... This aint cheap..." He snarls a bit at the ratling.

Orph shrugs, "he's payin cause he's the one that wants it so bad. I just want the bottle to hit him with when he empties it, cause I can't lift em so's t' throw em in the sea after he gets drunk."

Aikuen snarls back at the old otter, then yelling in a fine voice, "Aye! I Got money, what do you think I am! some poor beast off the street! No, I was born on a stormy night, and me mother said I was an horrible monster!" He laughs heartily, but then he hears Williams comment. He gives a look at William, then laughs. "Tis so, tis so..." Then turning back to the Bartender, "I have enough, you can count on that!" He winks at the old otter.

Orph chews on his lip. "Was she joking when she said that? I'd be awful if she wasn't," he’s puzzled.

The bartender laughs along with the young otter, releasing the grip on the bottle "Aye guess your right, It'll be 5 pebbles in bronze... for the whole bottle of course." He then points to a private table in the back, "Matey's, you might try that beast... she may be able to take ya south..."

Aikuen Takes out 6 bronze coins, "Here this is the same as 5 pebbles, probably more..." He tosses them to the old otter before turning to look at the pointed out table. He looks at William, "Nah, its not true. Its just a way for old sea dogs to talk to each other... we don't mean anything by it... My mother loved me very much, I hope..."

Orph nods to the bartender briefly before tuning to his pa, "Ya don't know? She die when ya was a babe? Mine did. I know she liked me cause my brother said they did." The rat starts walking toward the table the bartender indicated.

Aikuen just sits at the table for awhile. just thinking about what he can about his mother. He shakes his head repeatedly to get it out, then follows William to the table. The private table is in the back, so that the beasts there can hear themselves above the noise of tavern. At the table is a female rat, she is wearing a red frill coat. There is a cutlass at her side. In front of her on the table, is a empty bottle, and glass. She seems unaware of all around her.

Orph can’t help but stare at the lady. He hasn't seen another rat since he was very small and that was his brother. As far as he knows this is the first female rat he's ever seen. He just stands there staring wide-eyed at her, his mouth hanging open a little. The few things he can remember hearing about his own real mother pass through his head. His own /real mother/ had been a searat and loved him very much,. She'd lost an arm in a fight before he was born. Her name was Merlote and that was all he knew, though he'd naturally imaged that she'd been very beautiful even if she only had /one/arm.

Aikuen sits down across from the Rat. and asks, "Can you take us to southsward?". She slowly looks up from the table and says through gritted teeth, "The last time some beast sat at this table, they left minus a head...". Aikuen pours a bit of the rum, into her glass, then says softly, "Well good thing I'm not just somebeast... My name is Aikuen, and this little feller is William, my son... Now can you help me or do I have to go look for a better captain..." He keeps his gaze light, as he watches her.

Aikuen takes the glass and fills it up again. Keeping his gaze on her he answers, "We need to get there... Why is of our own reasons... And you will be compensated for your time... Terra, is it? Well then, do you feel like going south?" He tries to act smooth, and suave, to try to get her hooked.

Orph blinks rapidly and shakes his head a little coming out of whatever trace he'd been in. He's more alert now, but his thoughts are a bit jumbled still: ‘She looked at me. The pretty ca- Captain Terra looked at me. I don’t think she likes me. Why doesn’t she like me? She’d have liked me if my real parents had raised me. If they’d been able to and hadn’t died … Wish Ma and them hadn’t died … Wish Pa wouldn’t drink. Hope the abbey beast are helping Zen to get better. Things would’ve been better if I’d been born a mouse!’

He closes his eyes tight, he doesn’t want to cry in front of Captain Terra if she’s vermin or if she’s drunk she might do something bad to him. ‘Wish I was back in my tunnel where it’s safe, safe in the woods where the worst beasts I know are unarmed and at the Abbey. Maybe it‘s the wine or the lack of regular meals which he‘d grown used to from staying at the Abbey, but the ratling has a pounding head-ache, “P-pa, we shouldn’t bother Captain Terra. I-it’s not that important. …” With his eyes and ears as alert to danger as they could be, given his aching head., he walks toward the main door, “Maybe, we should just head back instead.”

Terra takes the glass, and shoots it down again. She smiles at the otters impudence, "Aye, I’ll go south with yah... But I need a down payment now!" She taps a claw on the table. Then she see the little rat heading off, "where's your son running off too?" Aikuen become alert, and runs after William. He asks, "Where your going of too, little mate?"

Orph sighs, 'How do you explain: The pretty captain looks like what I think my real mother may have if she'd had two arms, I don't think the captain likes me and now that I think of it I'd rather go home right now rather than ride on a boat /right now/. If wish all the beasts that cared for me before weren't dead. I'm worried about my friend Zen, I miss taking pottery lessons from my friend Benar, ...' "...My head hurts ..." '... either because you didn't pack /food/ and I was stupid enough to think you'd take care of that part and didn't pack any either - so I haven't had much to eat except for our stay at the other tavern and I should have ordered something better than what I did or it could be the wine I've been drinking - which if memory serves drinking wine never did me any good before or anyone else. Though it could be both the lack of food and the wine that's making my head pound so much. Then there's the possibility that you can't afford the boat trip cause of what you've spent on rum or will spent on it.

… I want to go HOME! HOME = safety. Me safe doesn’t happen to much. The closest I have to a real home right now is my tunnel, what Flicky called Moledeep. I’m confused. My head hurts. I want to go home where it’s safe. I’m tired. I’m hungry. “S-Staying here isn’t fixed any of my problems. I do like you Aikuen, but I want to go home now. We can ride on a boat some other time. I don’t want to right now anymore,” the dibbun blurts out sobbing in frustration.

Aikuen squints his one eye and sighs at William, he is very confused, but he cant stand him crying, "We can go, I don't need t get to Southsward. It was just a fleeting ambition, that I thought you would like... Let me just tell the captain" He goes back to the table, where he bows and tell her what's going on. This makes her mad for wasting her time. She slaps him and breaks the bottle of rum on his head. She storms out of the Tavern. Aikuen heads back to where William is, keeping his gaze on the retreating Searat, He says quietly, "...lets go..."

Leaving the Tavern

Orph half considers sitting down, but this isn't the Abbey, "Shoulda kept quiet ...," he growls, "then she wouldn't have hit you and you wouldn't be mad at me for wantin t' go back for no reason! Ha! I got a reason may not be a good one to anyone else but it is a reason! I'm glad she didn't like me I don't much like her now either. ... " he looks hard at Aikuen and shakes his head, "I don't know what to think sometimes ... if you were just about anyone else you wouldn't take orders from me. And why do you? You take order's from vermin. The should-have-died-already son of searats, and you do nearly everything I say! ... yelling makes my head hurt more. Does it even have a meaning? They called me vermin, but what does it mean anyhow? I know what /rat/ means I am one! ow ... if they're gonna call me names shouldn’t the names mean /something/? ... I'm sorry that captain hit you and I'm sorry I'm messing up our trip and I'm sorry I'm what I am if helps any, but I can't change it! If could have picked to be born a mouse or some such and have a real family an’ grow up regular-like I would have, but I didn't get a choice then and the only real choice I got hasn’t turned out like I thought it would ........." he wipes his nose with a sleeve and waves it at the otter, "yurr still stuck with me though."

Aikuen breathes deeply, he did not want to say it, but he is forcing him. In sort of an angry voice he answers, "The reason why I listen to you, and do what you say. Is that I’m trying to make you happy. It was one of the things in my life, that I wanted to do before I died, was to make one happier about their own lives. And yes, you may be a vermin... which is aslanderous term used against any beast of whom they don't trust. I don't considered you 'Vermin' in the sense. But don't tell me! I know, I've been there! 2 seasons ago I was exiled from my home, because he considered me 'Vermin'..." He spits in the ground, then continues, "That captain hit me because she thought I was just fooling around with her. And I deserved it, I was coming on to her. But that doesn't matter right now. How dare you think thoughts about being born something else! I’m sickened just hearing it." He stops, "Oh by the way, I’m not stuck with you... You're stuck with me!"

Orph closes his eyes again as he lays down on the sand, "I think I'm sick. Your yelling makes my head hurt too. ... So I need to learn to cook and we need to not yell and kept our tempers and not drink too much ... cause if I do you'll throw me in the pond and if you do I'll ask one of the badger's to throw you in the pond for me cause I can't lift you myself. ... I like being me, but most the other beast I've ever met didn't. It's good we're stuck together, but it'd be better if we had food or enough sense to bring food. Next time we go exploring we should bring food .... and Zen - but only if /he/ wants to. Doesn't work when he doesn't want to. ..." the ratling continues to mumbles feverishly about his head hurting and he's gone a bit pale. His canteen is mostly full.

Aikuen Sighs and picks up William, "We will both work on it. Here... you can sleep and I'll carry you. after my noggin got a good pounding, I cant get to sleep anyway." He walks north toward the south stream, then the next stop, home.