Storytime with Amy
Characters: Chris, Amethyst, Ella
Location: Moledeep
Moledeep: Garden Burrow
Christopher is wandering into the garden burrow tonight, yawning slightly, the little stoat looking around to see if there's anyone in here. And if there isn't right to the fire place he goes.
Amethyst is sitting in a rocking chair by the fireside as usual sewing something. Isn't she always? All this practice should come in handy with her healer training. Her ear flick toward the stoat as he comes in. "Hello. Still cold out?" she asks the small whoever it is.
Ella and Venei are in here as well. Being watched, or so to speak, by Amy. Both are taking up an entire chair to themselves. Being very quiet. Of course one is napping. That helps. So Ella just sits, holding her rudder. She doesn't want to disturb Amy. Bad things happen when she does. So, she goes to watching the Fire. She then watches Chris enter, and she waves lightly at him.
Chris huhs and smiles, waving at Ella as he heads for the fire. He falls onto his rear and smiles at the rat-maid. "Hello. Yes. It is." he replies with a slow nod, looking towards the two otters and then back to Amy, scratching his ear, wondering if he would want to ask Amy to read him...and the others in general...a story.
Amethyst would be unable to read him anything blind or not but if pressed she may be able to come up with a tale or two. Somebeast will have to ask though as she doesn't seem able to read minds as yet. It'll be a dark day if she ever does learn how.
Ella tilts her head to Chris and then toward Amy. For their riveting conversation, before going to poke her sister, with the end of her rudder. Venei umms, in her sleep. But nothing else. Ella smiles and continues this. Hey, its something to do, for now.
Christopher nods a little to himself before reaching up to give Amy's sleeve a light tug. "Amy..." he pauses. "Will you tell us a story?" he asks, tilting his head to them, not having gotten a real story in the last little while.
Amethyst sets her sewing aside at the stoat's request. "You want a story do you? Well let's see if I can remember any. It's been a long long time since I heard any stories." The maid is quiet a while as she thinks over the stories she can remember hearing in her own dibbunhood, back when she was very young. "... Alright I got one. But you all need t behave and not interupt too much. Asking questions is fine but there's a limit. ..." This being said the ratmaid closes her eyes and begins the story,
"Now a great many seasons ago (yet not before Aik was born since as we know that was so long ago that there wasn't much of anything yet around back then). .... About fifteen seasons ago I'm told, which is a great many seasons to you and me, a young beast by name of Captain Redfang was out at sea on his ship. Now the Captain was a very young captain youngest one old Greyskull, who first told this table to me, had ever heard of. Now some say Redfang became captain by taking a ship from another captain others say his father was a captain and he killed his father and took his ship. No two stories agree, but he /was/ a sea captain and probably about Robin's age or so, at the time of this story I'm about to tell you."
Chris smiles as Amy agrees to story tell. He looks to Venei and wonders if she'd want to listen too, so he gives her side a light kick with his foot before turning back, bringing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them, listening quietly.
Ella looks back when they start to talk again. And her ears perk up at the prospect of a story. She starts to wiggle her rudder in front of Venei's nose, to get her to wake. Venei refuses to wake, and she bats at the air. And ergs at the kick. Dream land it calling to her. So after a bit, Ella stops. She shrugs going to move closer to the armrest, that is nearest the rat. Her little rudder wiggles behind her as she listens.
Amethyst continues, "An important thing about the Captain that you need to know was that he was an odd beast. He did his best to treat his crew well so they'd be loyal to him always and he had strict rules to help with this. But he was by nature prone to fits of madness, at random, and his crew feared him because of it." She waits incase there are any questions or comments before she continues again.
Amethyst smiles at the relative silence in the room. The only sounds she can hear are the fire and the dibbuns' breathing, mainly Venei. She continues on casually, "I was once told that the Captain choked a stoat death with a length of rope for disobeying orders and then tossed him over board and as that wasn't enough he then ordered the rest of the crew to fire arrows at the dead beast til he stopped bobbing about in the water. This was during a storm when the sea was never calm and tossing everything in it around every which way! I don't remember what happened when they ran out of arrows. But that's not the story I'm going to tell you. The story I'm going to tell you happened ..."
Ella's ears go back at the mention of death. True most of the stories had some form of death. But they weren't described in such gruesome detail. She leans down below the armrest. Her eyes, and the top of her head are the only visible things. Even her rudder stops moving. As she continues to listen to the story.
Chris blinks at the mention of death and all of a sudden he starts to hope that his dad doesn't find out that Amy told them this story. His paw moves down to his dagger which sits on his bet, fiddling around with it, wondering just what its like to kill something. Although he's probably too scared to find out.
Amy is unaware of the trouble she's caused as she'd heard these stories time after time when she herself wasn't any older than the twins. "... one cold stormy morning. Captain Redfang had come upon a fine ship that had been battered about terribly in the storm. (Now this was long before Greyskull served on the Captain's ship) and he took the ship and the crew that had been on it were chained and dragged down to the lowest deck as slaves. They were chained to benched and ordered to row the ship for their new Captain though many refused at first and were killed, as was their old captain who was said to have been a very fat and ugly beast, also very old."
Chris hrms a bit and raises a paw...until he remembers Amy cant see it. So he just speaks. "Why did he make the crew slaves?" he asks, tilting his head to one side.
Ella erms lightly, and she completely hides her head in the armchair. She never really liked stories like this. But what can she do. So she just sucks it up and tries not to listen, until Chris speaks. She tilts her head and looks back over the chair to hear the answer. Now she got curious.
Amethyst sighs. She knew sooner or later there'd be questions. She should have shortened that part and called them rowers or something instead. "That's what happens when a captain like that one takes another ship. Sometimes the crew on the new ship join the rst of the crew and other times they go below deck t row. Somebeast has t row or the ship wouldn't move very fast. Having slaves do it has just been easier then having some of the crew do it. ..... It's just th way it's done."
Chris oohs and nods quickly. "Ooh, okay..." he nods before falling quiet, going to listen for more after a quick glance to Ella.
Ella tilts her head and then sits back down. Wondering how her dad will do with his ship. She knows there will be a ship. But this story just makes things more confusing. But instead of asking question, she waits. Maybe it will be answered soon.
Amethyst mutters something about not having made the rules and continues, "Now there are many versions to this story and I have no way of knowing which is true but the most widely told ones say that the old captain had a daughter (which was true) and that either she was on the ship and she fought Captain Redfang or that she was a captain of her own ship and came to aid her father and then fought Captain Redfang. Either way she fought him and she was very well trained, and that is a fact. When she challenged the Captain she said she could beat him with one paw behind her back and he being young and thinking himself the better swordsbeasts and finding the whole idea amusing he accepted the challenge. So they fought just the two of them sword to sword and her with one arm tucked behind her back the whole time."
Amethyst must be lucky or scary, it soo quiet in here. Must be time to continue the story before we all go stir crazy. The blind maid continues her voice showing excitement as she's fond of this part, "Now the Captain was winning and stabbed the maid in her arm, the one she wasn't using, to pin her to the rail. But his sword caught only her sleeve and she pulled away hardly scratched from the blow. Now when Captain Redfang had stabbed her in her arm, her arms had been like this, "Amy stands up and holds her arms loosely at her sides then raises her shoulders up to demonstrate, "The Captain's sword had gone through her sleeve about four claws width, not length but width, below her elbow. Right in the middle of her sleeve!"
Chris erks a little and moves back slightly at Amy's standing, not having expected that. The stoat goes wide eyed when she shows what happened, but not getting if she was stabbed or if it was just her sleeve.
Ella's ears go back again as she listens to the story. Since she is not looking at Amy, she doesn't see her. But the noise is enough to make her move. She blinks at Amy before tilting her head, "Four claws wit?" she hums as she test that theory. For her. Thats tiny. And she wows to herself.
Amy explains the twist in the story with, "She should have been stuck there, but she soon showed the Captain and crew she had no arm on that side to be pinned by. Her right arm from the elbow down was missing. The crew no doubt were wondering what Captain Redfang would do seeing that the maid only had one arm so to speak and had clearly cheated saying she'd fight with only one paw when she only /had/ one paw! The Captain surprised his crew, as he wasn't angry in fact he thought it was funny and acted all gentlemanly to her afterward even inviting her to his cabin to talk things over nice like. Of course, that may not be how it really happened but that's what most beasts say happened and no matter /how/ it happened Captain Redfang and ol' One Arm (that's was the maid's name) never bothered to correct anybeast on it."
Christopher oohs loudly and smiles at the maid's trickery, the little stoat giggling and giving a clap of his paws. He's never seen a one armed beast before but one that is as good as this maid sounds must be nice. Right? "Wow!"
Ella tilts her head again, "Waits... She hasa only one arm?" she looks toward Chris, who seems to get this. She blinks heavily once more, scratching her head in confusion. She doesn't get how she cheated. She said she would only fight with one arm. And she did only fight with one arm. It was the captains fault for not knowing that. She blinks again, and when Chris starts to clap, she does as well.
Amy sits back down as the story is mostly over but like any life those of the beasts she's told about were made up of more than just one story and started off many others just like Aikuen and Fira's lives would be a prequel to Ella or Venei's own stories. .... I met Captain Redfang and his wife once. I don't /remember/ meeting them but my father said I met them. I was only a season old at the time. An annoying little babe I was told. Talking when I wasn't supposed to and such. The Captain and his wife had a son by then, he was off playing with my brothers at the time I think and old One Arm was expecting their second little one. According to my father I keep touching the her big belly and telling everyone in earshot 'there's a baby in there' over and over and over again. ... I'm only telling you this because my father is not here to do so himself."
Ella giggles at Amy's comments, tilting her head at the baby thing. She has never been told where babies come from. So its a little confusing. Mostly because she never really cared before. She blinks for a little bit before saying, "Is that's it?"
Kentar's voice can be heard from the main hall, "Christopher... Oh Christopher!. Did you do your chores?" Chris gets up quickly, "Uh oh... Bye..." and he runs out of the room, dodging his father. The otters are still here.
Amethyst says, "Not quite. My father told me that he suspected the Captain wished his second child to be born on shore, as he'd have a stronger excuse to leave his wife and children behind when he went to sea again, but that didn't happen. And It can be assumed (it has been before) that their second son was born onboard ship not too long after they set sail again. And for whatever reason within the season their crew turned on them. It was a great shock for us to hear of such a thing given the captain's reputation for dealing fairly with his crew. Perhaps their fear of him was greater than their loyalty. Who knows."
Ella is still very confused. With a lot of things. But unlike her sister. She likes to let things go. She blinks heavily at Amy before 'Oh'ing. Going to sit down again.
"The ship landed on the Eastern shore . more like she ran aground there but either way she stopped there and of the Captain's family only his two sons made it out alive, if just barely. Nobeast really knows what became of the crew. And nobeasts knew that anybeast of the Captain's family had survived. It was assumed both their sons had been killed with their parents. The second, and only still living son, of the Captain told me what he knew about the ship and his and his brother's escape himself. Of course you already know who that beast is and if you don't your dad could tell you what became of Captain Redfang's younger son better than I can." Amy says ending the story.
Ella scratches the top of her head, "Wedfangs? Thats Willy right?" she has been told once or twice. In another story that Aik told. She hrms heavily before crawling over to Venei. She plops down next to her and pokes her stomach lightly as it rises slowly up and down. This is not the normal story that she and her sister has been told. Most of the stories have happy endings. Or no endings with happy bits in it. She likes those. She hrms now trying to wake her sister.
Amethyst laughs, "Yes it is. And you'd could guess that things turned out better for him eventually. He got a new dad and mum and brother and much more. Didn't he?" The blind rat picks up her sewing again and goes back to stitching almost as if she'd never stopped to begin with. "Did you like the story Ella?"
Ella then nods and giggles, "Yeses! Daddies told me that parts. Of how he mets Willies. And mommies. Kenty..." she nods a little bit more, "Those ended in happy endings..." she then tilts her head when the rat asks her that question, "Not really. It was scary. And confusing. And eneded was sads... But. Now that its Willies though. Its better..." she giggles quietly.
Amethyst shrugs, 'Not all stories are happy. But some of it mostly the end really happened. I could have gone farther in the story and end at a happy spot but I was only told so much about what came between your brother getting shipwrecked and last summer."
Ella blinks, "Daddies said that stories like that... Only whens we is olders... To... Understanfs?" she sighs, "I like the happy ones... They makes me feels good..." she sounds very depressed about it. But she isn't really. Mind like Aik, and the story is soon leaking out of her brain. She smiles softly as the poking at Venei continues.
Amethyst hmms, "Well by then you'll have forgotten you heard it already so not much harm done." So long as the other otters don't find out.
Ella tilts her head at Amy again and then goes back to Venei. Who is starting to get up, "Wuzzaaa...." Big fat little ottery yawn, and she scratches her head, "Mo-mo... Sleppies..." she hums and looks at Ella. Who is all smiles, "Mo-mo El's... Ama tolds a story. It wasn't very goods... But it has Willies and Ama" Venei blinks at her sister, and starts to rub the sleep from her eyes, "I's hungry..." Totally ignoring El's comment. Ella nods, "Ooo... Me toos..." she giggles
Amethyst again sets her sewing aside and stands up. She holds out her paws, "Why don't we see what's cooking in the kitchens then? Maybe your mum'll be in there." Or maybe they'll pester Garnet and end up helping her with chores again.
Both little otters Ooo loudly hurling themselves off the chair and is soon beside the rat. Each one grabbing separately onto her paw, with both of theirs, "Yay! Cookies!" Ella giggles. Venei says, "Yay! Mommies!" both different answers. But both getting the same thing in the end. A talking too, and a hug. If Fira has anything to do whit it.
Amethyst nods, "Alright. We'll go to the kitchen and you can eat whatever they'll let you eat." And Amy will escape the mini otters before she can be questioned about anything.
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