lapinebuccaneer

[lapinebuccaneer]

Chapter 8: M’okar, More Problems

The queue of delivery carts stretched before the wizard's estate like a serpentine beast, winding beneath the shadow of green-patinated copper walls. Captain Ralynn Fargoer stood beside their cart, her golden fur catching morning light as studied the area, eyes narrowing at the memory of the two imposing badger guards stationed at the main entrance.

"Quite the operation, aye?" she murmured. "No' just anyone gets tae waltz intae this place."

Jac towered beside her, the massive polar bear's white fur now subtly verdant reflecting the copper-green architecture. She kept one enormous paw protectively on Kroshka's shoulder, the little squirrel kit wide-eyed at the grandeur surrounding them.

"Is strange place, da?" Jac whispered. "Many eyes watching, many ears listening."

Rose, the elegant deer cleric, moved with quiet grace between the waiting merchants, her cloven hooves making the slightest clip against the cobblestones. Her eyes caught the light of the noontide sun as she turned back toward the group, her expression troubled.

"Captain," she said in her cultured voice, "the covered cart three places behind us -- it pulses with magical energy. Multiple signatures."

Ralynn's whiskers twitched with interest. "Worth a wee peek, I'd say." She straightened her waistcoat and turned to the dragonkin. "Elspeth, keep oor delivery lookin' proper. Clarence, might be time fer a smaller perspective, aye?"

The old gray wolf nodded, his yellowed fangs visible in a brief grimace before he shuffled behind their cart. Jac stepped forward, her massive frame suddenly seeming unsteady.

"Blyat!" she bellowed, stumbling sideways into a neighboring cart loaded with blacksmith wares. The crash was spectacular -- hammers, tongs, and half-finished ironwork scattered across the courtyard in a cacophony of metal and wood. "Oh, is terrible accident! So sorry, so clumsy!"

The blacksmith, a red-faced boar, erupted in curses while Jac made a tremendous show of clutching her paw. Amid the chaos, Rose slipped toward the mysterious cart, carrying a small, unremarkable bundle of rags that seemed to twitch and move of its own accord.

As guards rushed to contain the disturbance, Rose deposited the bundle -- Clarence, now transformed into a simple brown rat -- near the cart's wheel. With practiced stealth, the druid-turned-rodent scurried up the wheel and the cart’s wooden side before sliding beneath the canvas flap and disappearing inside.

Minutes later, after the commotion had settled and Jac had apologized profusely, a familiar rat emerged from beneath the mysterious cart and darted back toward their position. Behind a stack of crates, Clarence resumed his wolf form, brushing dust from his shabby coat.

"Various semi-precious gems," he growled, voice low and gruff. "Dozens of them. Each one pulsing with power from a specific energy frequency, or “type”, of magic. Similar magical signature to our cargo, but in earthen vessels rather instead of organic ones, and instead of the strange raw sort of… undifferentiated power in our cargo, this is highly specific but varied across the lot of them."

"To need so much… " Elspeth hissed, wisps of smoke curling from her nostrils as her scales darkened with concern. "Whatever this wizard is doing, he's gathering essence across the magical spectrum."

As the line moved forward, they eventually reached the service entrance where Master Fettle awaited them, still not so much as a whisker out of place in his fur. His monocle gleamed in the morning light as he regarded them with the same affected boredom and condescension they'd encountered during their initial meeting.

"Ah, the Cloudstrider delivery," he said, consulting his ledger with a flourish. "Pleasant to see you again." His tone was not convincing.

Ralynn stepped forward, her diminutive height doing nothing to diminish her commanding presence. "Has His Grace considered oor request fer an audience?"

Master Fettle's whiskers twitched with what might have been amusement. "I have made the inquiry as promised, Captain Fargoer. However, I regret to inform you that the Master is engaged in delicate research and cannot be disturbed for... ah, what was your purpose again? Something about clarifying the nature of your cargo?"

While Ralynn engaged the bureaucratic stoat, her eyes continuously swept the courtyard, noting the positions of guards (six visible, likely more inside), potential escape routes (three including the main entrance), and the strange tower with stained glass windows occasionally lit with light that seemed to make them shift in impossible patterns. Her instincts -- honed through years of navigating dangerous ports and negotiating with unsavory characters -- catalogued every detail for potential future use.

"We were curious on a point, sure, and I like tae meet those I do business with. A pity we cannae this trip," she replied smoothly. "Perhaps another time, then. The cargo is safely in your hands the noo, as contracted."

The estate workers -- rabbits, martens, and the unreasonably buff hare -- unloaded the crate under the watchful eyes of Fettle. Rose engaged one of the guards, a handsome leopard whose armor gleamed with meticulous care, in conversation. Her perfectly performed flirtation both refined and inviting.

"Viktor, you simply must tell me more about your work here," she purred, her hand delicately touching his arm. "Perhaps tonight at the Wretched Hare across the street? I was speaking with one of the other delivery people in the courtyard while we waited, a lovely dove named Dodhi, and she said the apple brandy is exceptional."

The leopard guard's tail flicked with interest. "Eighth bell," he agreed, struggling to maintain his professional bearing. "Though I can't promise I’ll be able to tell you much interesting -- His Grace values discretion. But a drink with so lovely a doe as yourself would be an honor in any case."

"Discretion is an honorable quality. I promise not to pry," Rose lied with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Viktor didn’t seem to notice.

Master Fettle returned with a small pouch that clinked with the unmistakable sound of platinum coins. "His Grace appreciates prompt delivery," he said, handing the payment to Ralynn. "Your services will not be forgotten."

Something in his tone made the fur along Ralynn's spine stand on end. Did he know? If so, why would he pay?

"Glad tae be o' service," she replied evenly.

As they exited through the service entrance, Elspeth fell into step beside Ralynn. "Captain," she whispered, smoke curling from her nostrils, "the metals, the crystals -- all infused with magic.  Such a quantity... I’ve never heard of.... ” Elspeth trailed off.

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The crew made their way to Ernu's central marketplace, a bazaar of colors and scents that spiraled around a crystalline fountain depicting a sapient eagle in robes standing atop the likeness of the head of a dead dragon. Shoulders slumped but head high, the artist somehow capturing a sense of victory and grief in the noble bird’s face and posture.

Captain Ralynn disbursed shares of the payment, keeping a portion for ship expenses. 

"Right then," she announced, her floppy ears twitching with determination. "We've half a day before Rose's rendezvous with oor new friend Viktor. Clarence, Elspeth -- library. See what ye can uncover aboot oor mysterious 'His Grace', and this great bloody magic he’s doin’. Jac, keep Kroshka entertained, but stay alert -- I dinnae trust that we werenae followed. I'll arrange for supplies and keep an ear tae the groond at the dockmaster's office."

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The afternoon passed in a flurry of activity. While Jac and Kroshka explored a puppet show in the central square, Clarence and Elspeth delved into Ernu's Grand Library -- a copper-domed building whose archives stretched into subterranean chambers illuminated by shardlights that glimmered with gentle radiance.

"The founding of Ernu," Clarence muttered, his spectacles perched precariously on his lupine snout as he traced a claw along ancient text. "During the aftermath of the Dragon Wars... city built around a hero mage, an eagle... described as 'the Liberator'..."

At his side, Elspeth's breath caught as she read further, sending a puff of smoke spiraling toward the vaulted ceiling. "M'okar," she whispered. "The avatar of Enkil who, with the Arcane Veil, sealed away the source of the Dragon Lords’ power."

They exchanged a look of dawning comprehension. "His Grace," Clarence said softly. "The Master..."

"Could be M'okar himself," Elspeth agreed. 

"Impossible," Clarence growled. "That would make him…."

"Thousands of years old," Elspeth finished. Her tail lashed with agitation, nearly knocking over a stack of scrolls. "The legends say M'okar chose to remain among mortals after the Dragon Lords fell, guiding the rebuilding of society. And he is supposed to be connected directly to Enkil Himself. Stands to reason he’d live a while. But why would he hide his identity?"

"Wouldn't you?" Clarence's yellowed fangs showed in a grim smile. "Imagine the supplicants, the desperate pleas, the endless demands on your time and power."

A quiet cough interrupted them -- a bespectacled raccoon librarian regarding them with suspicious eyes. They gathered their findings and departed.

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When evening fell, the crew reconvened at a tavern called The Bronze Chalice, its interior warm with amber lamplight and the scent of roasted roots and herbs. Captain Ralynn presided over a round of spiced cider while Elspeth and Clarence shared their discoveries.

"M'okar," Ralynn repeated, her brogue rolling the name thoughtfully. "The champion of Enkil, God of Magic... still alive after all these centuries. And collectin' materials infused with magic o' every kind."

"For what purpose?" Rose asked, adjusting her fine jewelry in preparation for her meeting with Viktor.

Elspeth chimed in, “The research I did at the library seemed to indicate components like this could be used to open or close a dimensional rift. Nothing mentioned consecrated skins of sapient beasts, though. I can’t tell you where those come in, or what rift he might be trying to open, or close.”

"That," said Ralynn, her quick mind already calculating angles and opportunities, "is precisely what we need tae find oot." She turned to Jac and Clarence. "Tonight, while Rose sees what she can find oot from oor guard friend, we'll have a wee look aroond the estate."

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The Wretched Hare proved to be ironically named.

The tavern was surprisingly elegant even by Ernu standards, its interior warm with polished oak and gleaming copper fixtures that caught and multiplied the pure white light of shardlight lamps. Rose arrived precisely at the eighth bell, her elegantly attired doe's form moving with practiced grace in her slinky shoulder-less dress as she navigated between tables already filled with merchants, scholars, and off-duty guards.

She selected a corner booth partially screened by a hanging tapestry depicting the founding of Ernu, where the legendary M'okar stood amid the rubble of war with one wing extended toward the heavens. Geez, obsessed much, Ernu? Rose found it extra weird knowing he might still live among them. She mused on the implications as she arranged her neckline to the perfect balance of prim and provocative, and adjusted her thin necklace with its small sapphires so they best caught the light.

Viktor arrived twelve minutes late, his leopard's spotted coat meticulously groomed and gleaming in the tavern light. He wore his ceremonial breastplate rather than the functional guard armor he'd sported earlier. Hanging on his chest a small medallion, likely signifying some minor rank or achievement, had been polished to a mirror shine. His whiskers twitched with nervous energy as he scanned the room, golden eyes finally settling on Rose.

"My apologies for the delay," he said, bowing with excessive formality as he approached. "Guard Captain insisted on a last-minute patrol adjustment. I wouldn't normally allow anything to keep me when such... pleasant company awaits." His tail flicked behind him, betraying his eagerness despite the affected nonchalance.

Rose offered a warm smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Duty before pleasure -- a commendable quality in a guardian. I've taken the liberty of ordering the apple brandy I mentioned." She gestured to the two copper goblets on the table. "I hope you don't mind."

"Perfect choice," Viktor declared, settling his substantial frame opposite her. He took a dramatic sip and closed his eyes in exaggerated appreciation. "Ah! The autumn harvest at Kel's Orchard, if I'm not mistaken. I have something of a palate for these things."

"Impressive," Rose murmured, though she knew the brandy was simply the house specialty. "You must have developed refined tastes working in such a distinguished household."

The leopard's chest swelled visibly with pride. "Fifteen years in His Grace's service. Started as a gate sentry, now I supervise the entire eastern quadrant security detail. Not just anyone is entrusted with that level of responsibility."

Rose leaned forward slightly, her voice lowering to an intimate timbre. "Such dedication must be rewarded appropriately. I imagine His Grace values loyalty."

"The compensation is... substantial," Viktor admitted, his voice dropping to match hers as though sharing a valuable secret. "Best wages in the city for guard work, and twice-yearly bonuses at the equinoxes. Enough that I've purchased a modest holding in the second ring." He attempted to sound casual about this accomplishment, but his tail twitched with undisguised pride.

"How fascinating," Rose gasped, her hand gently touching his paw across the table. "Your position must give you such insight into the workings of a great household. I imagine you've seen many extraordinary things over the years."

Viktor took another swallow of brandy, visibly warming to her interest. "Well, there have been... incidents. Occasional loud noises from the observatory tower. Strange lights behind the stained glass. Once, about seven years ago, there was a surge of energy that caused every crystal in the eastern wing to glow simultaneously."

"Remarkable," Rose breathed, her eyes wide with carefully affected wonder. “You seemed so busy today. There was quite a queue for deliveries this morning."

The leopard's whiskers twitched -- a tell Rose immediately catalogued. "It has been... busier than normal. More deliveries in the past month than the previous three combined. Traders from all corners of the realm." His voice lowered further. "Between us, it's causing no end of trouble. Merchants asking questions, bribing junior guards for information, even a few attempting to scale the walls after hours."

"How dreadful for you," Rose sympathized. "All that additional work."

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Under cover of darkness, three figures approached the copper walls of the wizard's domain -- Captain Ralynn, Jac towering behind her, and Clarence, his paws already glowing with transformative magic.

"Remember," Ralynn whispered, wearing a dark coat and headscarf, rendering her almost invisible in the shadows, "we're just havin' a wee look. Nae confrontations, nae evidence left behind."

Clarence nodded and shifted form, his body contorting and shrinking until a small squirrel stood in his place. Jac scooped him up in one massive paw.

"Be careful, Tovarishch Wolf," she rumbled, then hurled him toward the top of the wall with tremendous force.

The throw went wide, sending the squirrel-formed druid spinning through the air before colliding painfully with the side of a copper spire. There was a soft pop as the impact disrupted his concentration, returning him to wolf form mid-fall. With surprising agility for his age, Clarence twisted in the air, his paws glowing with green light as he gathered the air with a spell to cushion his landing.

Unable to see his safe landing as Clarence fell out of sight behind the wall, Ralynn and Jac felt ice run through their veins and their stomachs turn to acid as fear for their friend and crewmate took hold.

"Blin!" Jac hissed in dismay. "Was bad throw."

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"And the questions!” Viktor continued, “Everyone wanting to know what it's all for, as though I'd be privy to His Grace's grand designs." the well-dressed leopard snorted, then caught himself, attempting to recapture his dignified bearing. "Though naturally, some information does reach my ears, given my station."

Rose waited, saying nothing, allowing the silence to draw him forward.

"Word among the staff," Viktor continued, leaning closer, "is that it's for some grand working. A spell of unprecedented scale." He shrugged, some small dip in his confidence showing forth. "Such things make me nervous, if I'm being honest. Magic at that level... well, it's unpredictable, isn't it?"

"And yet you stay," Rose observed softly.

Viktor straightened. "Fifteen years without incident -- well, no serious ones anyway. His Grace may be secretive, but his workings have never endangered the staff. Besides," he added with a self-conscious laugh, "where else would a simple guardsman find such comfortable employment? The wizard world has its dangers, but they pay for the risk."

Rose tilted her head, the sapphires on her necklace shimmering and sparkling as their different facets caught the glimmer of the shardlights. "You must see all manner of interesting visitors with your position at the gate. Scholars? Dignitaries?"

"Oh, certainly," Viktor replied, puffing up again. "Just last week, a delegation from the Talan Empire arrived -- crystal craftsbeasts, by their robes. And before that, an envoy from Drasin, though they weren't received nearly as warmly." He frowned slightly. "There's been tension with the northwest."

"Drasin?" Rose's ear flicked with interest, though she kept her tone casually curious. "I thought they were historical allies of Ernu."

"Were," Viktor emphasized, warming to the subject of politics where he clearly felt on safer ground than magic. "Their leadership has been... problematic. Seems their king has had a hawkish turn. Taxing citizens, forced conscription even, if you’ll believe it. His Grace received their envoy but dismissed them within the hour. Most unusual -- normally diplomatic meetings last at least through a meal."

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Captain Ralynn pressed herself against the wall, ears straining for any sound of alarm from within. Somehow still undiscovered, Clarence shook himself and shifted once more -- this time into a sleek brown rat that immediately scurried toward a drainage grate at the tower's base.

The old wolf-turned-rat slipped between iron bars weathered by centuries of rain, disappearing into the darkness of the estate's underbelly. Through narrow passages and humid tunnels he crept, whiskers twitching at the scent of ancient stone and something else -- the distinctive smell of magic that had grown so familiar during their journey.

The passages eventually widened, leading him upward through the structure until he emerged behind an ornate bookcase in what appeared to be a magnificent study. Sconces glowing with arcane light illuminated walls lined with tomes whose spines bore titles in languages both familiar and utterly foreign. The air smelled of old parchment, ink, and that same pervasive magical essence.

At the center of the room stood a massive desk of polished copper inlaid with silver constellations. Upon it lay an expansive map of the continent, corners weighted with fantastically carved crystal paperweights. Clarence crept closer, his rodent eyes adjusting to make out the markings and notations scattered across the parchment.

Red pins clustered in the northwest quadrant of the map, accompanied by handwritten notes detailing "suspicious troop movements" and "unusual martial gathering." The nation labeled Drasin was outlined in ominous black ink. Nearby notations spoke of "major political shifts" and "concerning and sudden ideological changes in leadership."

Even more troubling was a separate document partially unrolled beside the map -- a report detailing Cabal activity in a city called Mossplain, depicted as an island fortress. The text described systematic infiltration reaching to the highest levels of local government. One line, underlined three times in red ink, stated simply: "City authorities now under complete Cabal control."

Clarence's whiskers twitched nervously as he committed the details to memory. The Cabal's reach extended far beyond what they had imagined, and whatever this wizard -- possibly the legendary M'okar himself -- was preparing for, it involved forces that could reshape the political landscape of the entire region.

A sound from beyond the study door -- footsteps approaching with measured precision -- sent the rat scurrying back toward his entry point. As he disappeared into the shadows, the study door began to open, admitting a shaft of brilliant light that reflected off the copper surfaces like liquid fire.

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Rose guided the conversation back to Viktor's duties. "You mentioned increased deliveries. From anywhere in particular?"

"Everywhere," Viktor said, gesturing broadly with his goblet. "Though many from port cities -- Norid, Wolfshiel. Talanis itself. Materials of all kinds: metals, crystals, herbs..."

"Like our delivery," Rose said lightly. “It must be hard to keep track of them all!”

"Yes, well," the leopard shifted uncomfortably, "I don't typically inspect or inventory the contents. That's for Master Fettle's department."

Rose smiled, sensing his attempts to keep his position from seeming menial.  "Of course. Another brandy? You must have many fascinating stories after fifteen years of service."

As the evening progressed, Viktor relaxed further, especially after a second and third goblet of brandy. He spoke of petty rivalries among the guard staff, the eccentric habits of Master Fettle ("they say he sleeps in a silk bag so he doesn't muss his fur, can you imagine?"), and his own aspirations to eventually command the entire guard contingent.

What he didn't say -- but what Rose pieced together from his casual remarks, expressions, and omissions -- was far more valuable: the wizard's recent increase in activity coincided with concerning developments in Drasin; the estate was preparing for something significant; and while Viktor projected confidence, an undercurrent of anxiety ran beneath his boasts.

When the clock chimed the eleventh bell, Rose made a show of suddenly realizing the time. "Oh! I've kept you far too long with my questions. How terribly rude of me."

"Not at all," Viktor protested, rising perhaps too quickly and swaying slightly from the brandy. "It's been... illuminating to speak with someone who appreciates the importance of proper security protocols."

Rose allowed him to escort her outside, where the copper spires of Ernu gleamed silver in the moonlight. She declined his offer of accompaniment back to the Cloudstrider with a gentle excuse about meeting her captain at a nearby establishment.

"Perhaps another time," she suggested, touching his arm lightly.

"I'd be honored," Viktor replied with a formal bow that wavered only slightly. "Though I should warn you -- my duties may become more demanding in the coming days. His Grace has instructed us to prepare for... well, heightened security measures."

"Oh?" Rose kept her tone merely curious.

"Nothing to concern visitors," he hastened to add. "Simply precautionary. These are uncertain times."

They parted with formal pleasantries, Viktor striding away with exaggerated purpose while occasionally glancing back to ensure she noticed his dignified departure. Rose watched until he turned a corner, then slipped into the shadows of a side street, her mind already organizing the fragments of information into a coherent picture.

The wizard was preparing for something significant. Drasin was becoming a threat. Whatever primal magic was being worked in those copper towers, it seemed connected to powers shifting across the realm -- powers that might soon collide.

With one last glance at the estate's silhouette against the night sky, Rose turned toward the rendezvous point where Ralynn and the others would be waiting for her report, her hooves silent against the cobblestones of Ernu.

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Outside, Ralynn and Jac waited with mounting anxiety, the minutes stretching into an hour before a familiar small brown rat finally emerged from a small drainage hole in the cobbled street behind them, whiskers twitching with urgency as it rapidly reformed itself into a cantankerous sapient wolf, his eyes wide with what he had discovered.

"Ye bloody beauty!” Ralynn exclaimed, pounding her friend on the back in joy while Jac hid tears of relief behind a big paw, “Thought I’d have tae come in an’ get ye mysel’. We can discuss details later. Time tae go," Ralynn whispered.

Whatever game was being played in the copper spires of Ernu, it was far larger and more dangerous than a simple cargo delivery. And the Cloudstrider crew had just inserted themselves directly into its path.

[lapinebuccaneer]

Chapter 7: Hides and Secrets

The morning sun cast long fingers of amber light across the Cloudstrider's weathered deck, painting warm pools between the shadows of rigging and mast. The airship sailed through scattered clouds that wrapped around her hull like curious spirits, leaving trails of moisture that beaded on the railings and glistened in the golden fur of Captain Ralynn Fargoer, who stood at the tiller watching her crew with thoughtful eyes.

Below on the main deck, Jac's massive polar bear form cast an imposing shadow as she, determined after the last stop that the squirrel kit should have at least some ability to protect herself if needed, attempted to demonstrate proper sword technique to her adopted daughter. The blade looked laughably small in her enormous paw, like a paring knife contrasted against her great bulk.

"No, no, malenkiy. Hold like this, da?" Jac's accent thickened with frustration as she adjusted Kroshka's tiny paws around the wooden practice sword's hilt. "Grip firm, not tight."

Kroshka's whiskers quivered with concentration, her bushy tail twitching behind her as she mimicked Jac's stance. The little kit's determination was evident in her furrowed brow and the set of her small shoulders.

"Am I doing it right now, Mama Jac?" she asked, wobbling slightly as the ship navigated a pocket of turbulent air.

Jac's expression softened, the fierce protective instinct that had led her to follow Kroshka into exile from their village visible in her dark eyes. "Is better, da. But still.... "

"If you don't mind me saying," came a cheerful voice from behind them, "you're both holding those things like they're angry snakes."

Jacin Fanire, the ship's possum cannoneer, sauntered across the deck, his gray and white fur recently groomed for his morning flirtation with Ophelia during breakfast. His pink tail curled expressively behind him as he approached, a rakish grin revealing sharp teeth.

"Not that I'm criticizing," he added quickly, raising his paws. "Just thought I might offer some pointers. Before I became the finest cannoneer this side of the Dragonmaw Mountains, I spent three years with the Silvercrest Fencers Guild." He performed an elegant bow, punctuated with a flourish of his paw.

Jac's rumbled thoughtfully. "Da, perhaps better teacher. I break more swords than use." She ruffled the fur between Kroshka's ears affectionately. "Is like asking bull to teach stitching."

"Exactly!" Jacin exclaimed. "No shame in it -- we all have our talents. Yours happens to be terrifying the daylights out of anyone foolish enough to challenge you." He winked at Kroshka. "What do you say, kit? Want to learn from a real master?"

Before Kroshka could answer, Captain Ralynn Fargoer's voice cut across the deck. "Real master, is it? Last I checked, Jacin, yer 'mastery' got ye kicked oot o’ that same Silvercrest Guild fer usin’ their duelin’ hall tae stage that elaborate prank with the molasses an’ feathers." The golden rabbit called down, sporting a tight dark-blue trousers and jacket.

Jacin's ears flattened momentarily. "A misunderstanding, Captain, wholly thrown out of proportion. I assure you, it was all meant in fun."

Ralynn's whiskers twitched with suppressed amusement. "Just mind ye're teachin’ the wee one proper technique, nae how tae embarrass the first mate." Her brogue rolled pleasantly as she turned to the great white bear. "Jac, if ye dinnae mind, I'd like ye an’ Clarence tae check the lashin’s and make sure everythin’s secure.The wind's shifted, and those clouds off the port bow have a strange color I dinnae like."

Jac nodded, a slight furrow appearing between her eyes at the thought of leaving Kroshka, even briefly, to such potentially dangerous activity without her present. The captain noticed her hesitation and added more gently, "The kit’ll be fine with Jacin for a wee while. We're all family aboard the Cloudstrider, aye?"

"Da, Captain," Jac relented, then fixed Jacin with a stern look that could have frozen a summer lake. "You watch malenkiy carefully. No dangerous moves."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Jacin promised, placing a paw over his heart. "Basic stances only, on my honor as a gentlejack rogue."

As Jac lumbered away toward where Clarence was already looking over a group of barrels, checking that they were securely tied together and to the fastenings in the deck, his spectacles perched precariously on his lupine snout, Ralynn turned her attention to the peculiar cloud formation that had caught her eye. The captain's instinct that had kept the Cloudstrider profitable through wars, embargoes, and magical catastrophes now prickled at the base of her spine.

The bank of clouds off the port bow hung unnaturally still despite the prevailing winds, their color a deep bruised purple. In her years plying the skyways Ralynn had learned that, in a world of magic and monsters, unusual meteorological phenomena should be taken seriously, however minor in appearance.

 She made a mental note to discuss it with Rose, whose connection to the stars and celestial phenomena often yielded insights beyond the merely visible. She would later have cause to regret having it slip her mind as other events took her attention from the weather. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A short time later, below deck, Elspeth had claimed a quiet corner of the crew's quarters, her silver scales glinting in the dim, pure white light of a small crystal shard-lamp as she hunched over several sheets of parchment. Her tail curled around the leg of her chair while wisps of smoke occasionally escaped her nostrils in time with the scratching of her quill. Writing was not a hobby many would have associated with the fierce dragonkin, but Elspeth found it therapeutic -- a way to process the turmoil of her banishment from her mother's ship and the growing threat of The Cabal that had been revealed in Norid. An escape from the real world into one more in her control.

She reread her latest passage with a critical eye, huffing with frustration:

The dragon captain's wings spread like storm clouds against the bleeding sunset as she descended upon the enemy vessel, her breath a torrent of purifying flame that separated the worthy from the weak. The sailors scattered like vermin, their screams a symphony to her ears as she landed on the burning deck, talons scoring deep grooves in the ancient wood....

Action came easily to her quill -- the heady rush of combat, the dance of blade and flame, the exhilaration of victory. But the next section had stymied her for hours:

When the battle quieted and only the crackling of smoldering timbers remained, the captain found the young merchant cowering behind a rain barrel, her fur singed but eyes defiant. Something in her gaze …. 

"Ugh," Elspeth muttered, crumpling the parchment and immediately smoothing it out again with a sigh. Romance was the true battlefield she could not conquer. Having been raised on her mother's pirate ship, the Golden Scale, where weakness meant death and affection was hidden like contraband, she struggled to articulate the gentler emotions that her new family aboard the Cloudstrider had begun to awaken in her.

She dipped her quill again, determined to get her two lovers involved... somehow. 

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On the deck above, unheard by the cozy dragonkin, a commotion began suddenly. Rose's normally melodious voice was calling out with uncharacteristic urgency.

In the crow's nest high above the main deck, Rose had been engaged in her morning communion with the Celestial Sky. The doe’s cloven hooves were tucked neatly beneath her; ears, neck, and fingers adorned with small crystal charms that amplified her connection to the divine. Her morning ritual had become a fixture of Cloudstrider life, a reassuring constant that the crew had come to rely upon, even those who did not share her faith.

But today, the usual serenity of her meditation shattered like crystal against stone when a vision assaulted her consciousness -- Kroshka, alone in darkness, reaching toward a shadowy figure whose outline seemed to flicker and shift like flame reflected in water. The figure extended a hand -- or was it a claw? -- and spoke words that Rose could not hear but felt like ice against her fur.

She bolted upright, nearly toppling from her perch, heart hammering against her ribs. "Master of the Celestial Sky," she breathed, clutching her moon-sickle pendant, "guard this child beneath your mantle."

Without waiting for her pulse to calm, Rose descended the rope ladder with ungainly haste, her usual grace abandoned in urgency.

"Kroshka?" she called, her cultured accent cutting through the ship's ambient noise. "Kroshka!"

She burst onto the main deck where Jacin was demonstrating a basic parry to the kit, who had abandoned her practice sword in favor of a carved wooden toy that Bindy had made for her but was still watching the possum with an increasingly weary look on her face. The captain was no longer present on deck, having gone below for some errand or other.

"Rose?" Jacin tilted his head, puzzled by her evident distress. "What's got your tail in a twist?"

"Kroshka are you…." Rose stopped short, finally comprehending the scene before her as the vision-induced panic faded. Relief washed through Rose like a physical sensation, her knees weakening momentarily. "Oh, thank the Stars."

"What's wrong?" Jacin asked, instinctively placing a protective paw on Kroshka's shoulder.

"I... I'm not certain," Rose admitted, composing herself with visible effort. "A vision. A warning." She knelt to Kroshka's level, searching the kit's face for any sign of the shadow she had glimpsed. "Are you all right, little one?"

Kroshka nodded, whiskers twitching with confusion. "I was learning swords, then got bored," she said simply. "Wanna play hide-seek?"

Before Rose could respond, Jac came running from the front of the ship where she had been helping ship's carpenter Yesper with some maintenance on the decking when she overheard Rose’s cry. "What happens?" she demanded, moving swiftly to Kroshka's side.

Rose hesitated, aware of the kit's attentive ears. "Perhaps we might speak privately," she suggested.

Jacin, demonstrating the situational awareness that made him valuable beyond his cannoneer duties, extended a paw to Kroshka. "How about me and you go see if Jan's got any honey cakes left from breakfast? I heard she made extra this morning."

Kroshka looked to Jac, who nodded slightly. "Go, malenkiy. Save one cake for me, da?"

When the kit had scampered off with Jacin, Rose explained her vision in low tones. Jac's expression grew increasingly troubled, her massive paws flexing unconsciously.

"There is thing I not tell all crew," Jac finally said, her voice barely above a whisper. "About Kroshka. Why we leave village." She glanced around to ensure they weren't overheard, then continued, "In my village, they say she is cursed. Bad luck."

"A curse?" Rose's ears flicked forward in alarm.

"Da. Strange things happen around malenkiy sometimes, some say. She draw... symbols no one teach her. Talk to self, but say is friend named “Billy”. Invisible to grownups, she say. Village elders want cast her out. Say she bring misfortune." Jac's dark eyes hardened at the memory. "I say no. They say, then you go too. So we go."

Rose absorbed this revelation, her mind connecting fragments of observation -- Kroshka's occasional distant stare, her precocious understanding of certain concepts beyond her years, her seemingly innocent wanderings that often led her to important places.

"Jac, may I check her for arcane influences?" Rose asked urgently, "Not an accusation, but a precaution."

The polar bear nodded reluctantly. "Da. Is good. But... do not scare malenkiy. She is just kit. She take banishment and suspicion from my people very hard."

They found Kroshka in the galley, face smeared with honey and crumbs, regaling Jan the hedgehog cook with an elaborate tale about a beetle she had befriended in Tensin. Rose approached carefully, her hooves clicking softly on the wooden floor.

"Kroshka, might I speak with you for a moment? I have a special blessing from the Celestial Sky I'd like to share."

The kit agreed readily enough, following Rose to a quiet corner while Jac stood watch, her massive form effectively blocking the view from curious crewmates. With gentle movements, Rose placed her hands on Kroshka's head and began to chant, her voice taking on the melodic quality that signified her connection to divine power.

As the blessing flowed through her, Rose sensed nothing overtly malevolent attached to the child -- no curse as Jac's village had claimed -- but there was something elusive, a whisper that slipped away from her spiritual perception like smoke through fingers. She pressed deeper, her eyes beginning to glow with soft argentine light.

There... at the very edge of perception. A thread, hair-thin but resilient, stretching from the kit's consciousness toward... elsewhere. But before Rose could trace it to its source, it vanished, leaving her with only the impression of shadow.

She ended her chant with a traditional blessing, concealing her disquiet behind a gentle smile. "There now. All done."

"Did you fix me?" Kroshka asked innocently.

"There was nothing to fix, dear one," Rose assured her, though the words felt hollow in her mouth. "You're perfect as you are."

Over Kroshka's head, she met Jac's questioning gaze and motioned Jac back to the hallway a bit where she murmured, "It's hard to tell, it was very subtle, but I do think I sensed... something. A presence, a shadow? It was agonizingly elusive, which sadly could mean it is my own projection. But I think it isn't. I think there is a "Billy"."

"Of course there's a Billy, silly !" Kroshka squealed gleefully, pleased with herself and her sharp ears, having overheard despite Rose's attempted stealth, "He's my friend!"

The worry in Jac's face increased, her teeth baring subconsciously. "We are needing to talk to you, Kroshka, about Billy. How did you know this is his name?"

Kroshka shrugged. "His name was too weird, I didn't know how to say it. So I call him Billy!"

This did not assuage anyone's anxiety. "He is... nice?" Rose asked tentatively, wanting desperately to avoid alarming or hurting the child's feelings, lest she turn further inward.

"Oh, he's the best! We play hide-and-seek, and he's never ever found me. He said I'm the cleverest girl he's ever met!"

"Da." Jac mumbled absently, taken aback. She had always avoided the topic, thinking it best left alone. She was alarmed at the vividness of the kit's descriptions of her interactions with "Billy".

"Is very interesting." Jac told Kroshka, trying her best to seem calm and unphased by this news, though inside of her a rage and fury surged as primal instinct roared. Somehow, for Kroshka, she kept it inside, though her paws shook and she huffed slightly with the effort. "We should talk more of Billy later." She said this looking at Kroshka, but clearly directed it at Rose.

"For now, I should finish helping Clarence and Yesper, as captain asked. When she comes back from her work, we talk to her about our... concerns." Jac rumbled softly. "Kroshka, you stay with me. I like it best when I can see your pretty face."

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The three returned to the main deck where they found Clarence, the gruff old wolf, examining the stairs leading down with uncharacteristic intensity. His graying muzzle twitched as he sampled the air, yellowed fangs occasionally visible as his lips pulled back in concentration.

"Clarence?" Rose called. "Is something amiss?"

The wolf straightened, joints audibly protesting the movement. "Thought I smelled something off," he growled. "Been tracking it around the ship. Follow me…. “

Looking at each other, rose and Jac shrugged slightly and followed. Behind them, Kroshka silently accompanied. Clarence’s nose led them down into the cargo hold, finally to the door to the fore storage compartment where the crate from Norid was held.

“In there. The new cargo, I suppose? I don’t know what it is, but it puts my hackles right up.”

Rose, still unsettled by her incomplete spiritual probing and haunted by a sense of portent, asked thoughtfully "What exactly are we carrying from Norid again? Renfro wasn't particularly forthcoming about the contents."

"Magical components, he said," Clarence answered with a pensive flick of his ear. "For some wizard in Ernu. Captain signed off on it."

Rose reached out with her magical senses. Something was definitely registering on the other side of the door. Magic, but no resonance she recognized. It had elements of… something impossible. She could tell Clarence sensed it, too. 

"Given the timing, my vision may be related. Perhaps we should examine this cargo more closely?" Rose suggested. "With Captain Fargoer's permission, of course."

As if summoned by the mention of her name, Ralynn appeared from the the top of the stairs leading from the upper deck, deep in conversation with Elspeth, whose body language and grimace suggested agitation.

“…entirely possible," the captain was saying. "The Cabal seems tae have their claws in pies across the continent. If yer mother's ship’s workin’ with’em the noo…. "

She broke off upon noticing the gathering in the cargo hold. "What's this then? Has the crew relocated the common room withoot informin’ their captain?" Despite her light tone, her alert eyes missed nothing, cataloging each expression, each posture.

Rose stepped forward. "Captain, I've had a troubling vision concerning Kroshka, and Jac has shared some... history that may be relevant. Clarence has also noted irregularities near the special cargo."

Ralynn's whiskers twitched, the equivalent of a raised eyebrow on her lapine features. "Irregularities?" 

"There's a strange magical resonance from Renfro's crate," Rose explained. " And Clarence’s nose is picking up something off down here. Given his nervousness in Norid and possible connections to The Cabal, I believe we should inspect what we're carrying."

The captain's expression hardened, her merchant's principles visibly asserting themselves. "Absolutely not," she said firmly. "We dinnae open customers' cargo withoot real cause, Rose. That's nae hoo the Cloudstrider conducts business."

"But Captain.... " Rose began.

"Nae 'buts'," Ralynn cut her off. "Renfro has nae confirmed connection tae The Cabal. Yer speculatin’ based on location and timin’. We've a reputation fer reliability that keeps us fed and flyin’. Breakin’ the seal on that crate withoot provable cause could damage that reputation." Her voice further firmed with conviction. "Unless ye've evidence beyond intuition and mystical feelin’s, that cargo stays sealed until delivery."

Rose's hooves tapped nervously against the deck. "I understand your position, Captain, but.... "

"The matter's settled," Ralynn said with finality. "Noo, aboot this vision concernin’ Kroshka… tell me aboot that. Clarence, join us in my quarters. Jac, once you've settled the kit with Bindy, meet us there as well." 

She cast a warning glance at the cargo hold. "And let's be clear -- that crate remains untouched."

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In the relative privacy of the captain's quarters, Ralynn settled into her chair as Jac and Clarence finished explaining about Kroshka's situation. The rabbit's expression remained thoughtful, her captain's mind weighing possibilities as she might assess an incoming storm.

"Let me understan’ this clearly," she said, her voice gentling as she addressed the anxious polar bear. "Yer village cast oot the wean fer talkin’ tae an invisible friend and drawin’ strange symbols?"

Jac nodded, her massive paws fidgeting with uncharacteristic nervousness. "Da. They say she cursed. Bad luck. Elders fear her." The bear's protective nature radiated from her broad frame. "But is just kit. My kit now."

"And this invisible friend... 'Billy,' you call him?" Ralynn clarified.

"Da. Kroshka says he friend. Play games with her." Jac's dark eyes reflected her concern. "Village elder say is demon. I not believe, but after Rose vision, and talking to her today.…" She trailed off, looking to the deer priestess.

Rose nodded solemnly. “I could sense… something. A shadow of something. Like a word on the edge of the tongue."

Clarence growled low in his throat. "I don’t care for the sound of that."

Ralynn leaned back in her chair, a distant look crossing her features. "Ye know," she said thoughtfully, twirling a quill between her paws, "I had an invisible friend when I was a kit."

The others looked at her with surprise.

"His name was Jendry. Wee gremlin-lookin’ fella," she continued, a smile tugging at her whiskers. "Told me where tae find lost toys, warned me aboot the baker's son and his pranks, suggested which berries were safe tae eat in the woods. My mother worried somethin’ fierce, but..." She shrugged. "He vanished when I was nine or so. Nothin' mysterious or sinister aboot him that I’ve ever seen. Some auld fae, I s’pose, took a likin’ tae me. Or maybe I imagined the whole thing. A wean’s imagination is a force all its own, sure."

"You think Kroshka's 'Billy’ is similar?" Rose asked carefully.

"I think," Ralynn said, measuring her words, "that children often see and hear things adults cannae. Sometimes it's imagination. Sometimes it's somethin’ more." She fixed Jac with a steady gaze. "We should be vigilant, aye. Keep eyes on the wee one, note any strange behavior. But panickin’ over what might simply be a child's daydreamin' won't help no one. Especially if she’s already been hassled over it, as it soonds like she has."

"But Rose's vision...." Clarence began.

"Warrants caution," Ralynn agreed, cutting him off gently. "Rose will continue her observations. You'll also watch for magical signatures. Jac’ll dae what she always does -- protect her kit." She rose from her chair, her diminutive form somehow filling the space with quiet authority. "Meanwhile, we've a ship tae run and cargo tae deliver. Let’s nae borrow trouble before it finds us. Which, in my experience, it does readily enough withoot invitation."

Jac's massive shoulders relaxed visibly. "Is good approach, Captain. Careful but not scared."

"Exactly," Ralynn nodded, placing a paw briefly on the bear's forearm. "The Cloudstrider looks after her own. All her own. We'll keep Kroshka safe, but we'll nae treat her as something tae fear. Wee lass’s had enough o’ that, I’ll warrant."

As they rose to leave, Ralynn added quietly to Rose, "Keep your blessing charms close to the kit. Can't hurt tae have a wee bit of divine protection, just in case."

The doe priestess nodded, understanding both the captain's pragmatism and her compassion. "As you wish, Captain."

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Several hours later, as evening shadows lengthened across the deck and most of the crew had settled into their night routines, Rose slipped quietly toward the fore storage room. Her cloven hooves were wrapped in cloth to muffle their distinctive click against the wooden planks. The soft glow from a hooded lantern open just a crack lighting her way. Despite the captain’s orders, something continued to bother her, intrusive thoughts and anxieties, all seeming to lead her back to the cargo from Norid.

Outside the storage room door she paused, extending her spiritual senses outward. If the crate contained something malevolent, opening it unprepared could endanger the entire ship. She detected the same unusual magical resonance she'd noticed earlier, a vibration that seemed to encompass all schools of magic simultaneously, but no active wards or triggered defenses.

The padlock on the storage room door yielded to a simple unlocking charm, one of the minor magics that fell within her priestly domain. Inside, the storage room was dim, illuminated only by the faint glow seeping from the thin opening in her lantern's hood.

The crate sat where they'd seen it earlier. Rose approached cautiously, noticing, as she finally had the opportunity for a closer look, small arcane sigils burned into the four corners of each side. Runes of preservation. The doe examined them closely, tracing protective the symbols in the air above where they were carved. 

“Renfro wouldn't want the cargo damaged," she murmured to herself. "That's why there are preservation runes but no traps." She mused, before reaching for a pry bar she'd spotted on a nearby shelf.

"Forgive me, Captain," she whispered, "The Stars and Sky themselves bring me here. I cannot ignore it."

The lid resisted briefly, then surrendered with a creak that sounded deafening in the confined space. Rose winced, freezing in place as she listened for any response from the corridor. Hearing nothing, she set the pry bar aside and lifted the lid fully.

The pungent odor hit her first: tanned hide, but with an underlying wrongness that made her fur stand on end. As she pulled back the oiled cloth, her breath caught in her throat.

"Stars above," she gasped.

Arranged with meticulous care were tanned skins, dozens of them, each carefully preserved and covered in runes and markings. But these were no ordinary animal pelts. The shapes, the proportions, the articulated digits and facial structures were unmistakable.

"I need confirmation," she decided, carefully replacing the cloth and partially closing the lid. This was too serious to trust to her judgment alone.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You did what?" Jac's voice, though whispered, was gruff and upset, angry perhaps. The massive polar bear stood in the doorway of the storage room, her bulk nearly filling the frame.

"Please, Jac," Rose implored. "I need your expertise. You know more about pelts and hides than anyone aboard."

"Captain say leave closed," Jac growled, but her natural curiosity was visibly warring with her respect for authority. "Is disobeying direct order."

"If I'm wrong, no one ever need know," Rose countered. "But if I'm right... it changes everything."

Jac's massive shoulders slumped slightly in resignation. "Da, show me," she conceded, squeezing into the room and closing the door behind her.

Rose reopened the crate, pulling back the cloth to reveal its contents. Jac leaned forward, her experienced hunter's eye examining the skins with professional detachment that quickly gave way to horror.

"This one -- fox, but not simple fox. Look at hands." She pointed to articular paws that might hold a weapon or tool. "This badger, but see structure of skull? Same like guard captain in Norid. And here..." she gently lifted a smaller pelt, "...rabbit. Young one. But face. Face like person, not animal."

Jac's dark eyes hardened as she looked at Rose. "These are sapient beasts. Like us. Not simple animals." Her voice dropped even lower. "Very bad magic. We must tell Captain."

"You're not angry I opened it?" Rose asked, surprised by Jac's quick decision.

"Am angry," Jac corrected, her accent thickening. "But more angry about... this." She gestured to the crate's contents with disgust. "Captain must know. Now."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Captain Ralynn Fargoer's quarters reflected her practical nature -- sparse but comfortable, with carefully chosen mementos from various ports displayed alongside nautical instruments and ledgers. When the unexpected knock came, she was reviewing the ship's accounts, her spectacles perched precariously on her nose.

"Enter," she called, not looking up from her work.

The door opened to reveal Rose and Jac, both wearing expressions that immediately set the captain's instincts on alert.

"Captain," Rose began hesitantly, "we need to speak with you about the cargo."

Ralynn's ears flattened against her head as understanding dawned. "You opened it." It wasn't a question.

"Da," Jac answered before Rose could respond. "Was her idea, but I agree now was good she did."

The captain's nose twitched with barely contained anger as she set down her quill with deliberate care. "I gave explicit orders…. "

"Captain," Rose interrupted, a rare breach of etiquette that underscored the gravity of the situation. "It's full of sapient beast skins. Dozens of them."

Ralynn's anger faltered, replaced by confusion. "What did ye say?"

"Skins," Jac repeated grimly. "Fox, badger, rabbit. But not animal skins. Sapient beasts. Like us."

The captain's expression shifted through a cascade of emotions -- anger, disbelief, horror -- before settling into the focused calculation that defined her leadership in crises.

"Show me," she demanded, rising from her desk. "The noo."

As they led her to the fore storage room, Rose added, "There's more, Captain. The skins are imbued with magic unlike anything I've encountered."

Ralynn said nothing as they reached the storage room, her anger at the disobedience temporarily overshadowed by the need to verify their claims. When she saw the contents of the crate, her normally pink nose paled considerably, her analytical thoughts momentarily paralyzed by the grotesque discovery.

"Sweet merciful Sky," she whispered, a rare invocation that revealed the depth of her shock. After a long moment of silent examination, she straightened, authority and purpose returning to her bearing.

"Right," she said decisively. "This requires a full crew meetin’. Jac, fetch Clarence and Elspeth." As Jac hurried away, the captain added in a lower voice addressed to Rose alone, "We'll address yer insubordination later. Fer noo, there’re more pressin’ concerns."

Rose nodded solemnly, accepting the rebuke without protest. "Thank you for understanding the urgency, Captain. I swear, and I hope you know by now, this wasn’t something I did lightly."

"Don't mistake pragmatism fer forgiveness," Ralynn warned, though her tone had softened slightly. "But aye, in this case, yer instincts proved correct." She cast a troubled glance at the partially exposed pelts. "Though I'd have preferred bein’ wrong."​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 

"As I mentioned, there's more," Rose continued, forcing herself to look closer. "They've been enchanted with something." She closed her eyes, concentrating. When she spoke again, her voice had changed -- deeper, resonating with surprised wonder beneath the horror. "I sense magic -- but not any single school I recognize. These skins resonate with... everything. Evocation, abjuration, conjuration, divination... all schools simultaneously, as though they've been imbued with some primal, undifferentiated magical essence."

"Is that even possible?" Elspeth demanded, having caught some of what Rose was saying as she came down the stairs with Clarence and then Jac behind her. "Every magical working I've ever encountered has a signature, a particular resonance with specific schools."

"Theoretically possible," Clarence agreed, his aged eyes narrowing. "There are legends of ancient magics that predated our modern classifications. Primordial workings from the age of the Dragon Lords and earlier, before Enkil's priests fully codified magical theory."

"Enkil," Rose murmured, her eyes widening. "The God of Magic whose avatar M'okar defeated the Dragon Lords."

"And we're delivering these to a wizard," Ralynn said slowly, the pieces beginning to align in disturbing patterns. "That seems like a mighty suspicious coincidence."

For a moment, they were immersed in memories of childhood, firelit nights listening to the elders tell stories of several millenia ago when the Dragon Lords -- thirteen dragons of enormous power -- had ruled most of the entire world for long centuries. Until the God of Magic Enkil sent M'okar, his avatar and chief servant, to discover the source of their power. M'okar had succeeded, with the help of an organization known as the Arcane Veil that served him and Enkil. All perished during the final battle with the Dragon Lords, ending their rule forever.

"Wait," Elspeth interjected, scales shifting from black to a troubled bronze. "There's something else about these pelts. Look at the way they've been preserved -- the extreme care in the preparation. And these symbols burned into the hide edges." She pointed to tiny runes almost invisible against the tanned surface. "These aren't maker's marks or merchant's stamps. They're consecration symbols."

"To what purpose?" Rose wondered, her spiritual sensitivity reaching deeper into the magical resonance. "They feel... peaceful, somehow...." She struggled to articulate the impression. "It's as though the essence bound to these skins isn't trapped or suffering. It's... waiting."

"For what?" Ralynn asked, but no one had an answer.

Captain Ralynn paced the small space, her powerful hind legs tensing with each turn as she worked furiously through implications, responsibilities, and options. Finally, she stopped, determination hardening her features.

"Right," she said decisively. "This requires a full crew meetin'. Clarence, reseal this crate. Elspeth, find Landry and tell him tae gather everyone in the common room. Rose, I'd value your counsel on how we present this tae the crew."

As they dispersed to their tasks, Jac lingered, her massive form somehow diminished by concern. "Captain," she said haltingly. "Malenkiy -- Kroshka. Rose's vision. What if connected to... this?" She gestured to the horrific cargo.

Ralynn placed a paw on the bear's massive forearm, a gesture of reassurance despite their size disparity. "We'll figure it oot, Jac. I told ye, the Cloudstrider looks after her own -- all her own,” she reiterated, “I promise ye that."

The common room filled quickly as word spread of an emergency meeting. Brand and Belle managed the periphery, ensuring all off-duty crew were present while Garret maintained a skeleton crew for essential ship functions. The rest gathered around the long central table -- a scarred oak centerpiece that had survived countless storms, battles, and raucous celebrations.

When all had assembled, Captain Ralynn stood on the table's edge to address her crew, her small stature elevated both literally and by the gravity of her bearing. The golden fur around her muzzle caught the light of the shard-lamps, giving her an almost ethereal quality despite the grim set of her features.

"My friends," she began, her brogue rolling through the suddenly hushed space, "we've a situation that requires the counsel of all who call the Cloudstrider home." She proceeded to outline what they had discovered in a matter-of-fact way, making the horror all the more stark in its clear-eyed accounting.

When she finished, a stunned silence blanketed the common room, broken only by Jan's soft "Sweet mercy" and Cal's more colorful expletive that earned him a sharp look from Nomin.

"As your captain," Ralynn continued, "I bear ultimate responsibility for this ship and her cargo. But in this matter, I feel we must decide together." Her ears flicked forward, alert to the subtle currents of emotion rippling through her crew. "We have three options as I see it:

"First, we could deliver these... remains... and say nothing, but refuse future business with the tanner Renfro and this wizard.

"Second, we could dump the cargo noo and be done with it -- though that leaves them free to continue their vile trade.

"Or third, we could make the delivery as planned, but investigate further and try tae bring justice tae those involved in this abomination. This one involves the most risk, and nae a small amoont o’ risk either."

Trav Utra, the coyote bartender whose easygoing manner concealed a shrewd judge of character, was the first to speak. "Captain, with respect, I vote for the third option. Dumping the evidence solves nothing, and simply delivering then walking away makes us complicit, even if we never work with them again."

Elspeth nodded, scales shifting in the lamplight. "Agreed. These aren't just crimes against individuals -- they're violations of fundamental magical principles. The resonance with all schools simultaneously suggests a working of immense power." Smoke curled from her nostrils in agitation. "What are the odds it’s something good, actually?"

"What about the danger?" Landry countered, the border collie's intelligent, practical nature asserting itself. "If this wizard is powerful enough to practice this level of magic, confronting him could put the entire crew in very real danger of potentially significantly worse than jail."

"Life is risk," Harin the otter musician observed, his husky but melodious voice carrying trained gravitas. "But there are some things worth risking for. I say we investigate."

Voices rose and fell as each crew member contributed their perspective. Throughout the discussion, Captain Ralynn remained silent, allowing the democratic process she had always fostered aboard the Cloudstrider to unfold organically. Her gaze occasionally drifted to Rose, who stood near the door with Kroshka. The deer had insisted on participating while keeping the kit distracted with stories and simple games, unwilling to leave her alone after her troubling vision.

When all had spoken, Ralynn called for a formal vote. The third option -- delivery with investigation -- won by a significant margin, with even Elspeth, smoke still curling from her nostrils in indignation, agreeing that deception might reveal more than outright refusal.

"Then it's settled," Ralynn concluded, hopping down from the table to stand among her crew rather than above them. "We proceed to Ernu as planned, deliver the cargo tar this wizard, but keep our eyes and ears open. Clarence, Rose, look deeper intae this strange magic. Check yer books and maybe the library here in Ernu, see what ye can find oot. 

“Elspeth, work with Landry on contingency plans should things go sideways. Jac… " she hesitated, glancing at Kroshka, “…ye and I will lead the delivery party. The rest o' you, maintain normal operations and be ready to depart quickly if necessary."

As the crew dispersed to their duties, Rose drew Ralynn aside. "Captain, before we arrive," she said softly, "there's something I must do."

"Aye?"

"One of the skins... a fellow deer...." she took a deep breath, "I, well, I couldn't help but take it out. I've disenchanted it. Surely they won’t miss one, and I couldn’t turn away from so clear a kindred.I'd like to provide proper rites before we reach Ernu."

Ralynn's expression softened. "Ye're fortunate tae have been aboard sae long, Rose, so I know this isnae comman behavior. Somethin' has ye spooked, I ken. If they're short one and they notice, mayhap they'll blame Renfro and not us. But Rose. Ye'll be gettin' half pay for the next month on account o' this. And if we have tae repay this client, it's coming from yer monies. Ye understan'?"

Rose's shoulders slumped and she bowed her head, "Yes captain. I understand."

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As the Cloudstrider approached Ernu, its distinctive copper spires rising like metallic fingers grasping at the sky, Rose stood alone at the ship's rail. The sapient deer skin, now cleansed of magic, was wrapped in clean linen bound with sacred thread. With solemn ceremony, the doe priestess offered prayers to the Celestial Sky for the creature's spirit, then released the bundle to the empty air between worlds.

"Return to the stars, child of nature," she whispered as the package vanished into the clouds below. "May your essence find peace in the celestial currents."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ernu's docking tower loomed before them, a masterpiece of copper-green architecture adorned with intricate filigree that spoke of artistic sensibility alongside engineering prowess. The Cloudstrider slowed its approach as Landry expertly guided her into the assigned berth.

Captain Ralynn supervised the mooring process with her customary attention to detail, her careful eye already cataloging the relative prosperity of the dock workers, the condition of neighboring vessels, and the pattern of guard stations -- all valuable information for both their current mission and future trading opportunities.

When the gangplank had been secured and the necessary docking fees paid to a punctilious weasel harbormaster, Ralynn gathered her landing party: Jac, Rose, Elspeth, and Clarence. The plan was simple -- deliver the cargo to the wizard’s estate, observe what they could, and report back to the ship before deciding on their next move.

Kroshka, however, presented an unexpected complication. The kit flatly refused to remain aboard, even with Jacin and Bindy 's promises of  adventures and Jan's offer of special honey cakes.

"Not leaving Mama Jac," she insisted, clinging to the polar bear's massive leg with the determination only a child can muster. "Bad things happen when I’m not there to help."

Jac looked to Ralynn helplessly, torn between duty and maternal protection. The captain sighed, recognizing the impasse. She knelt to Kroshka's level, golden fur catching the copper reflections from Ernu's towers.

"Listen, wee one," she said gently. "Where we're goin’ might be dangerous."

"Everywhere is," Kroshka countered with irrefutable child-logic. "Tensin was dangerous. Norid was dangerous. Ship is dangerous -- Clarence said I could fall overboard. At least with Mama Jac I'm safer."

Clarence attempted to intervene with a clever distraction, his paws weaving a minor druidic cantrip that created dancing motes of light in the air. "Look here, Kroshka. Wouldn't you rather stay and learn how to make these yourself? Old wolf magic, passed down for generations." It was a fib, but one he hoped would spark a child's interest and imagination.

Kroshka watched the lights with obvious fascination, but her grip on Jac's leg didn't loosen. "Teach me later. Going with Mama now."

Elspeth, whose patience with children was notably limited, snorted a small puff of smoke. "Just bring her. We're wasting time. Besides," she added with a flash of insight, "she might notice things we miss. People often discount a child’s presence and hearing."

"Fine," Ralynn conceded, "but Jac, she stays glued to your side. Elspeth, mind your manners. Ernu has stricter regulations than Norid about property damage. Rose, keep your senses alert for any magical anomalies. Clarence... just try not to terrify the locals with your cheerful disposition."

The aging wolf bared his yellowed fangs in what might have been a smile or a grimace. "I'll be sunshine and daisies, Captain."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Their path through Ernu took them from the airdocks through progressively more affluent districts, the cobbled streets transitioning from utilitarian granite to decorative patterns inlaid with copper and bronze motifs. Unlike Norid's chaotic sprawl or Tensin's rustic simplicity, Ernu exhibited careful urban planning -- radial avenues emanating from a central hub like spokes from a wheel, with concentric circular roads creating a navigable grid.

The populace was diverse but predominantly lapine and mustelid, with an unusually high proportion of scholarly types carrying scrolls or engaged in animated discussions outside coffee houses and bookshops. The city's reputation as a center of learning was evident in the multiple libraries, observatories, and arcane colleges they passed.

The estate at the delivery address occupied a privileged position in the third ring from the center, where the copper spires of the wealthy thrust upward like the aspirations of their owners. The property was surrounded by a high wall of green-patinated copper panels embossed with astronomical symbols, with a gate guarded by two imposing badgers in matching bronze breastplates.

Jac, emboldened by her maternal protectiveness and the crew's decision to investigate, stepped forward to address the guards. She drew herself up to her full, impressive height, Kroshka partially hidden behind her massive form.

"We have special delivery," she announced, attempting an authoritative tone that was undermined by her nervous shuffling. "Very important. Need to speak to wizard directly about... delivery details."

The guards exchanged skeptical glances, paws moving almost imperceptibly closer to their weapons.

"The master receives deliveries through the service entrance," the left badger stated flatly. "Around the eastern perimeter. Present your manifest to the quartermaster."

"No, no," Jac insisted, her accent thickening with anxiety. "Is special cargo. Magical. From Renfro in Norid. Need wizard instructions for... handling."

"We was told to expect ya’s," the right badger said, not a question but a recognition. "The master mentioned you might arrive today. However, there’s still protocol. Deliveries through service entrance." He jammed his thumb towards a service road followed the south side of the wall.

"Perhaps," Rose interjected smoothly, stepping forward with the cultured grace that often defused tense situations, "one of you might escort us? The cargo requires special magical handling, and we wouldn't want any... incidents... to reflect poorly on your vigilance."

The left badger's whiskers twitched with indecision, clearly weighing strict adherence to rules against potential blame should something go awry. Before he could respond, a new voice joined the conversation -- high, reedy, and carrying the unmistakable cadence of bureaucratic authority.

"What seems to be the problem here, hmm?"

A martinet stoat in elaborate robes of copper-threaded silk approached from within the gate, each step precise and measured as though the ground itself might be offended by too forceful a tread. His fur was so meticulously groomed it appeared painted rather than grown, and a monocle perched precariously on his narrow snout.

"Master Fettle," the right badger acknowledged with a deferential nod. "These are the couriers from Norid with the special delivery for the Master."

Fettle surveyed the Cloudstrider crew with unabashed assessment, his gaze lingering judgmentally on Jac's imposing but decidedly unrefined presence, Clarence's weathered appearance, and Kroshka's wide-eyed curiosity. Only when he reached Ralynn did his expression shift slightly, recognizing the unmistakable bearing of one in charge.

"I see," he said, voice dripping with affected boredom. "You must be Captain Fargoer. Master has indeed been expecting the delivery, though perhaps not quite so... numerous a delegation."

Ralynn stepped forward, her diminutive stature belied by the authority in her stance. "The cargo requires special handling," she stated firmly, meeting Fettle's gaze without flinching. "Given its delicate nature and considerable value, I deemed it prudent tae oversee the delivery personally, along with my most trusted officers."

Fettle's whiskers twitched as he recalculated his approach. "Very well," he conceded with minimal grace. "You may follow me to the service entrance, where the quartermaster will inspect the manifest before acceptance."

"And then?" Ralynn pressed, her instinct for negotiation asserting itself. "Oor arrangement with Renfro included confirmation o’ delivery directly tae the wizard himsel'."

This was a calculated embellishment, but one that might gain them access to the wizard, and more information about his operations.

Fettle hesitated, clearly wrestling with procedural orthodoxy. "The Master is engaged in delicate research and cannot be disturbed for mere deliveries," he began, then reconsidered as Ralynn's expression hardened. "However, I shall inquire whether he might spare a moment once the cargo has been properly received and documented."

"That would be most appreciated," Ralynn replied, her tone making it clear this was the minimum acceptable outcome.

As they followed Fettle along the perimeter wall toward the service entrance, Elspeth fell into step beside Ralynn, her voice a whispered hiss audible only to the captain.

"He's stalling," the dragonkin observed. "Did you notice how his pulse quickened when you mentioned meeting this person? Something's off."

"Aye," Ralynn agreed under her breath. "Keep your senses sharp. If they’re involved with The Cabal or worse, we're walkin’ intae the dragon's den."

"Well," Elspeth replied, smoke curling from her nostrils, “that is where they keep their treasure."

Behind them, Rose kept a watchful eye on Kroshka, who trotted diligently beside Jac but whose gaze repeatedly drifted to the upper stories of the tower where strange lights flickered behind stained glass windows arranged in patterns that seemed almost -- but not quite -- to shift and move.

The service entrance proved to be a substantial doorway set into the copper wall, flanked by stone gargoyles whose eyes seemed to track their movements with unsettling attention to detail. It being the middle of the day, the delivery entrance was open

Walking through the large door revealed a utilitarian courtyard where several workers -- a mix of rabbits, martens, and a singular, muscular hare -- were engaged in unloading and sorting deliveries from a variety of carts and wagons. A long line of other delivery personnel stretched back towards the entrance they now came in through.

"Wait here," Fettle instructed with imperious finality. "Your turn to drop off will come presently. I’ll meet you there and I’ll try to have an answer for you from His Grace by then."

As he disappeared into a side door, the Cloudstrider crew exchanged meaningful glances. Their investigation had begun, but the true test and danger lay ahead in the copper spires that loomed above them like accusatory fingers pointing toward the impassive sky.

[lapinebuccaneer]

Chapter 6: “….And Stay Out!”

The iron-bound door of the guardhouse cell clanged shut with the finality of a coffin lid, its echo reverberating through the stone chamber like trapped thunder. Jac's massive form seemed to compress within the confines of the small space, her white fur luminous against the shadows. In the next cell, Rose stood perfectly still, her cloven hooves planted with quiet dignity on the straw-strewn floor.

"This is ridiculous," Rose muttered. "We did nothing but defend ourselves."

Jac nodded mournfully, her accent thickening with frustration as she spoke, “Da, we must convince them, somehow.”

The wolverine guard captain entered the cell block with a haughty air and prowled before their cells, claws clicking against stone in rhythmic percussion. His uniform gleamed with too many medals, most likely self-awarded, and his voice carried the hollow resonance of one who believes volume equates to authority.

"You'll be questioned separately," he announced, eyeing Jac with particular suspicion. "Starting with exactly what a 'merchant crew' was doing engaging in street combat with local citizens."

Jac's massive paws gripped the bars, testing their strength with a subtle pressure that made the metal groan. "We were ambushed. Three times now, we told this."

"And I'm still waiting for a version I believe," the wolverine replied, turning on his heel and marching toward the door. "But we’ll get to the bottom of things. Enjoy our hospitality. I hear the evening meal is particularly inedible." His ugly chuckle was cut off by the slam of the door leading out of the jail area.

As the door closed behind him, Rose's ears swiveled toward Jac. "I can’t use my magic. There must be an anti-magic field in here. Seems they take few chances."

Jac nodded, "I can think only of my Kroshka. She will be afraid I don’t come back."

"She’s with Clarence and the Captain, they’ll take good care of her," Rose murmured comfortingly, casting branched shadows across the cell wall as she stretched and groaned, stiff from the exertion of the fight and her current anxiety. "Children are resilient. Especially your sturdy kit. It’s unfortunate that she should need to, of course, but our little Kroshka may surprise you."

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The cobbled streets of Norid twisted like the convoluted thoughts of a madman, each corner revealing new layers of the city's chaotic personality. Captain Ralynn Fargoer marched with purpose, nose twitching furiously in agitation, Elspeth close behind. The dragonkin had wrapped herself in a cloak with hood up that concealed most of her silver scales, though nothing could disguise the wisp of smoke that escaped her nostrils when agitated.

"We need to complete our business swiftly," Ralynn muttered, her brogue intensifying with concern. "I've got a bad feelin' aboot this mess. Rose and Jac arrested... it's all gone sideways." Clarence had arrived back at the ship less than half an hour ago with Kroshka and the story of the alley fight and the subsequent arrival of the town guard. The young kit was distraught with worry for her “Mama Jac”.

But, as much as she wanted to check in with her detained crewbeasts, business had to come first if they wanted to stay flying. She had a whole crew besides Jac and Rose to worry about.

The tannery stood at the juncture where the Street of Rabbits met a nameless alley fragrant with the sharp tang of curing hides. Inside, a stoat with whiskers stained the color of tobacco nodded at the name Renfro, directing them to a back office where a portly golden labrador scrutinized ledgers under a crystal shardlight.

"Captain Fargoer," Renfro acknowledged without looking up from his books. "You're later than expected."

"Complications," Ralynn replied curtly, producing a sealed pouch that clinked with the unmistakable sound of currency. "The payment, as agreed. And we'll be takin' the merchandise today."

Renfro's eyes narrowed, but the sight of coin had a predictable effect on his demeanor. "Of course, Captain. The wagon's already loaded. Though I must say, your arrival has stirred some... interest in certain quarters."

"Not my concern," Ralynn countered, though her whiskers twitched with apprehension. "Business is business."

“Well, this business is for a very prestigious client. One who is, I might add, an extraordinarily potent wizard. The order is to take extra care with these. No punctures, scuffs, or damage allowed,” he glanced at Ralynn meaningfully, “Mess this delivery up and you may find it hard to get work again. Do well, and it may lead to more work in the future. Very well paying work. It would be best if you can avoid further... complications. I hope I’m understood?”

Ralynn bit back a retort with some effort. “Aye, that ye are, an nae worries. This cargo is in good hands, we’ll see it delivered safe, sure.”

As Renfro summoned an assistant to lead them to the wagon, Elspeth's scales rippled with sudden tension. Her gaze had locked onto a figure half-hidden in the shadows of the tannery yard -- a brindle-furred pit bull with an intricate pattern of white markings across his face like a mask fashioned from snow.

"Calaban," she whispered, the word carrying recognition, wariness… and something deeper.

Ralynn followed her gaze. "Friend of yours?"

"Once," Elspeth replied, eyes darkening with memory. "From the Golden Scale."

Ralynn's paw moved instinctively to her saber. "Trouble?"

"Unknown," Elspeth murmured. "Take the wagon. I need to speak with him."

The captain's eyes narrowed. "We've already lost Rose and Jac. I'm nae keen on scatterin' my crew further."

"Trust me," Elspeth insisted, her voice edged with urgency. "This may be related to why we were attacked. Meet you at the northern gate in twenty minutes."

Ralynn hesitated, then nodded sharply. "Twenty minutes. Then I come lookin', and I'll have my crossbow and a posse."

While Ralynn took the reins of the horse-drawn wagon laden with trade goods, Elspeth slipped through the tannery yard with preternatural grace. Calaban retreated deeper into shadow, but she pursued with the singular focus of a predator, finally cornering him in a narrow alley where sunlight was only a rumor.

"You look well, Elspeth," Calaban offered, his voice a rasping whisper like wind through autumn leaves. "The years away from the Golden Scale have been kind."

"Cut the pleasantries," Elspeth hissed, smoke curling from between her teeth. "Why is my mother's crew trying to kill me?"

Calaban's ears flattened against his skull. "I see I’m late. I came to warn you, I’m sorry I didn’t find you first. Everything's changed since you left. Your mother... she's not the same."

"She was always brutal," Elspeth countered.

"This is different," Calaban insisted, his tail lashing with agitation. "It started after she made an alliance with The Cabal. She wears this ring now -- black crystal set in silver, some symbol of rank I assume. She's become something else entirely -- vicious, vindictive. Half the old crew is dead or gone. Terrin, myself, a few others still remain, but only out of fear."

"So she sent you to kill me?" Her voice a razor wielded with intent. A hint of flame flickered at the corners of Elspeth's mouth.

"She sent others," Calaban corrected. "I followed them. I had to warn you." His paw reached toward her but stopped short of contact, a faint regret in the motion. "She's convinced you'll return seeking revenge, that you'll kill her and take her place." A bitter laugh escaped him. "How well she knows you. But when the Cabal put out your description with a price on your head of 10,000 gold pieces she took it faster than you’d ever believe. Unbelievable for a mother. Even yours."

Elspeth's claws scraped against stone as she flexed her fingers. "She doesn’t know me at all. I have no interest in the Golden Scale. I found a better crew, a better life. And I’m not as surprised as you might expect me to be. There’s a reason I left."

"It doesn't matter what you want," Calaban's voice dropped lower. "She's obsessed. You need to disappear, Elspeth. Change your name, your appearance. The Cabal has eyes everywhere, and now they're looking for you specifically, and your friends and ship. I don’t know what you did, but they mean to see you regret it."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the Cloudstrider, moored at the northern docking tower, Clarence paced the main deck with restless energy. The old wolf's gray fur seemed more silver in the afternoon light, his yellowed fangs visible in a grimace of concern.

"You're certain they were arrested?" Landry Porton asked, the border collie's sharp eyes scanning the city sprawl below.

"Town guard took them both," Clarence confirmed gruffly. "If it was just for questioning, they’d be back by now, wouldn’t they?"

"Fair enough. Kroshka’s okay, though?"

"Below with Bindy," Clarence nodded toward the hatch. "Safe from the fight, but the kit's worried sick about Jac."

Landry's ears flicked forward at the sound of approaching footsteps. Captain Ralynn appeared at the gangplank, directing deckhands to unload merchandise from a wagon, what looked like a large crate with the word "FRAGILE" stamped across it.

“Careful unloading that. Put it in the fore storage room instead o’ the main cargo hold. It’s tae be considered fragile and first class, am I understood?”

Brand Candra, a leopard and the quartermaster, nodded in assent. “Aye captain, as ye say. I’ll see it’s put somewhere's safe an' out of the way.” He gestured to two other crewbeasts to assist, each carefully taking a side of the crate.

"Where's Elspeth?" Clarence demanded unable to be patient any longer.

"Meetin’ an old contact, might have some information aboot what in blazes is goin’ on." Ralynn replied. "She'll join us shortly. What's the situation wi’ Rose an’ Jac?"

"Still detained, presumably," Clarence reported. "Guardhouse near the central square is closest to where they were arrested."

Ralynn's whiskers twitched with calculation. "Landry, get this cargo secured. Clarence, you're with me. We're goin’ tae have a word with these guards."

Before departing, Ralynn descended belowdecks where Kroshka sat hunched beside Bindy, the fox herbalist attempting to distract the miserable kit with a sorting game involving dried flower petals.

"Where's Mama Jac?" Kroshka asked immediately, her little paws trembling.

Ralynn crouched to meet the squirrel's eyes. "The city guards’re havin’ a wee chat with her, darlin'. But I'm goin’ tae fetch’er right noo, aye? I promise ye that."

"They'll hurt her," Kroshka whispered, her voice cracking.

"That great, braw bear?" Ralynn scoffed with deliberate lightness. "Nae chance. Yer mama could wrestle those guards wi’ one paw tied behind her back." She brushed a gentle paw over Kroshka's head. "Stay wi’ Bindy. When ye see us next, Jac’ll be right beside me."

Bindy gathered the scattered herbs into a small pouch. "We'll be fine, Captain. I'll keep her occupied with sorting medicinal flowers."

Kroshka's eyes remained wide with uncertainty, but she nodded solemnly, clutching a dried violet in her tiny paw.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the guardhouse, Ralynn and Clarence approached with careful confidence, the old wolf's nostrils flaring occasionally to detect any lingering scent of their crewmates.

The front desk sergeant, a drowsy porcupine, barely glanced up at their arrival. "State your business."

"I'm Captain Ralynn Fargoer," she announced, her tone pleasantly firm. "Two o' my crew were wrongfully detained earlier today. I've come tae secure their release."

The porcupine's quills stiffened slightly. "Names?"

"Jac and Rose. Polar bear and deer, respectively," Ralynn replied. "Detained after defendin' themselves from an unprovoked attack."

"They're still being processed," he informed them disinterestedly. "Return tomorrow."

"This is a matter o’ some urgency involvin’ merchant guild bylaws and wrongful detention," Ralynn insisted, doing her best to sound official. "I'd like tae speak with the captain immediately."

The sergeant's quills bristled further, but he nodded reluctantly. "Wait here."

As soon as he disappeared down the corridor, Ralynn turned to Clarence. "Somethin' don't feel right."

"Agreed," the old wolf muttered. "Smells like weaponized bureaucracy."

The sergeant returned all too quickly. "The captain is unavailable. Your crew members are being held pending investigation of a street brawl. They'll be questioned tomorrow."

Ralynn's eyes narrowed. "Unacceptable. I demand to see yer captain the noo."

"Impossible," the porcupine replied with sudden firmness. "Return tomorrow or face charges of interfering with city business."

As they retreated to the street outside, Clarence growled softly. "They're hiding something."

"Aye," Ralynn agreed. "Time fer a more direct approach." She studied the guardhouse's exterior, noting the barred windows at ground level and what appeared to be ventilation grates higher up the stone walls. "I need ye tae create a distraction. Somethin’ flashy enough tae draw attention, but nae so dangerous tae bring the entire guard force doon on us."

Clarence raised a bushy eyebrow. "And while I'm creating this distraction?"

"I'll find another way in," Ralynn said grimly. "There's always a service entrance or delivery access. I just need five minutes withoot eyes on me."

The wolf considered for a moment, then nodded. "Give me your flask."

Ralynn handed over her small silver container of whiskey. Clarence emptied it with a single gulp except a bit he dabbled on his fur, rubbed around vigorously, then grinned, yellowed fangs catching the light. "It's been a while since I've been properly drunk and disorderly."

Ten minutes later, the guardhouse erupted into chaos as a seemingly inebriated wolf stinking of booze staggered through the front door, howling an obscene sailing shanty at the top of his lungs. The porcupine sergeant rushed to intercept him, backed by two junior guards.

"Sir! Sir, you cannot…. "

Clarence stumbled dramatically against a weapons rack, sending spears clattering across the stone floor. "M'lookin' for th’loo!" he bellowed, his voice slurred but carrying enough volume to echo through the entire building. "M’dribblin’ drops an’ touching’ cloth. You get to my age, when you gotta go, you gotta go!"

While the guards struggled with the very uncooperative wolf, Ralynn slipped through a side entrance used for supply deliveries. The kitchen smelled of burnt porridge and stale bread, its lone occupant -- a teenage rabbit -- too startled by her appearance to raise an alarm before her paw covered his mouth.

"Not a word, lad," she whispered. "I mean no harm. Just point me to the cells."

The terrified rabbit pointed shakily toward a narrow stairwell descending into darkness. When she turned to look, he ducked, twisted, and bolted. Ralynn cursed but didn’t pursue. She had a mission, and the clock was officially ticking.

Ralynn moved with practiced stealth, her small stature an advantage in the shadowed corridors. She reached the heavy iron door leading to the detention area just as Clarence's distraction reached its climax above -- something that sounded suspiciously like furniture being overturned. She hoped that might slow any response to the escaped teen’s report.

The door was locked, of course, but locks she could handle. She produced a set of slender tools from inside her sleeve and set to work, ears swiveling constantly to monitor for approaching guards.

The mechanism yielded within moments with a satisfying click, and Ralynn eased the door open just enough to slip through. The cell block stretched before her -- a line of barred compartments illuminated by guttering torchlight. She spotted Rose first, the doe elegantly silhouetted against the far wall of her cell.

"Captain," Rose acknowledged without surprise, as if Ralynn's arrival was merely an expected appointment.

"Situation?" Ralynn asked tersely, already examining the cell locks.

"Complicated," Rose replied. "There's an anti-magic field throughout the detention area. Spells won't work down here."

Jac appeared at the bars of the adjacent cell, massive paws gripping the iron rods. "Captain, you should not have come. The way they act, is like they putting fingers in ears and refusing to listen. I am thinking they are not having best intentions."

"All the more reason to get you both out," Ralynn muttered, tools already working on Jac's cell door. "Clarence is creating a distraction, but it won't last -- "

Her words were cut short as the main door crashed open. The wolverine captain stood framed in the doorway, flanked by four armed guards.

"Little kitchen twerp was right," he growled, drawing his sword. "Your crew is persistent, I'll give you that."

Ralynn spun to face them, daggers appearing in her paws with practiced fluidity. “Should have knocked that boy out,” she muttered to herself, cursing the young rabbit from the kitchens, "Just having a friendly visit with my crew. Surely that's permitted?"

"Sure. You can have a cell right next to’em." The wolverine gestured to his guards. "Take her."

Ralynn's fighting style favored quickness over power, her small form darting between opponents with the agility of water flowing through fingers. But in the narrow confines of the cell block, surrounded by four guards and their captain, even her considerable skills found their limit. She cursed the cramped quarters that kept her from bringing her saber into play.

A blade nicked her arm, another her back through the fabric of her jacket. She landed solid blows on two guards, sending one staggering back with blood streaming from his nose, but the numbers were against her.

In her cell, Jac hurled herself against the door repeatedly, the metal groaning under the polar bear's tremendous strength as she roared in furious anger. Rose stood calmly in her own cell, eyes closed, lips moving in what might have been prayer.

The moment stretched taut with tension -- Ralynn cornered, Jac's rage mounting, Rose's quiet stillness -- when a small sound from above drew Jac’s eye upward. “Psssst! Mama Jac!”

A small face appeared in the opening of one of the small barred windows near the ceiling of Jac’s cell -- gray fur, bright eyes, whiskers quivering with excitement.

"Kroshka?" Jac's voice cracked with disbelief.

The little squirrel beamed down at her, seemingly oblivious to the danger below. "Mama! I found you!" Without hesitation, she pushed something through the narrow window bars -- a hammer and chisel that clattered noisily to the floor of Jac's cell.

"What in blazes…. " the wolverine captain began, momentarily distracted by the sudden, unexpected clatter..

Ralynn seized the opportunity, driving forward with renewed vigor. Her dagger found the back of the wolverine's knee, bringing him down with a howl of pain.

"Kroshka!" Jac cried, torn between maternal panic and desperate hope. "How did -- never mind! Go back to ship right now!"

"But I'm helping!" the kit protested, her small voice echoing in the stone chamber.

Above them, sounds of renewed chaos filtered down -- crashes, shouts, and a familiar draconic roar that could only belong to Elspeth.

Rose moved to the front of her cell, large eyes reflecting twinkling torchlight. "Kroshka, listen carefully. The best help you can give is to return to the ship and tell Landry to prepare for a quick departure."

The little squirrel's face disappeared from the grate with reluctance. Jac grabbed the hammer and chisel and flung herself to the lock on the cell door, her desire to be free redoubled knowing her child was so near the fray and all alone. 

Seconds later, Clarence burst through the door -- no longer feigning drunkenness but transformed into a larger, more fearsome wolf on all fours with glowing eyes and bristling fur. As he crossed the threshold of the door, he suddenly blinked back into his normal form. Momentarily he paused, mind working fast. Coming to the same conclusion as Rose, he drew a shortsword and readied himself. Behind him came Elspeth, wings unfurled to their full impressive span, scales flashing like quicksilver in the torchlight.

"Enough!" Elspeth roared, smoke billowing from her nostrils, just as Jac finished demolishing the lock of her cell door with two mighty cracks of the hammer against chisel, the metal-on-metal sound, piercingly painful in such small quarters, emphasizing Elspeth’s command and momentarily halting everyone.

The wolverine captain struggled to his feet, blood soaking his fur where Ralynn's blade had found its mark and running down his leg to pool around his footpaw. "I don’t know what you think you’ll accomplish with this stunt," He grunted out, fighting the pain.

"I need you to listen, because I’m doing you a favor," Elspeth stepped forward, dropping her concealing cloak to reveal the full glory of her dragonkin heritage. "Do you know who I am?"

The wolverine faltered slightly. "A troublemaker, clearly."

"I am Elspeth Glasswing, formerly of the pirate ship Golden Scale," she announced, her voice carrying the dangerous edge of dragonfire. "Daughter of Captain Evelyn Glasswing."

A ripple of unease passed through the remaining guards. Even in Norid, the reputation of the Golden Scale was known.

"The pirates who attacked us in your streets?" Elspeth continued. "They were sent by my mother, who now deals with the Cabal."

At the mention of the Cabal, visible discomfort spread among the guards. The wolverine captain's whiskers twitched nervously.

"The Cabal has no authority here," he insisted, though his voice lacked conviction as his eyes darted anxiously to his fellow guards. Was he corrupt? Or was he just not sure who else might be?

"I’m sure.” Deadpan. “I propose a deal: you are now clearly outmatched. I think a careful assessment will lead you to conclude you have no real hope against all of us. And we have no real desire to kill you all." Her eyes moved to each foebeast in turn, meeting theirs with intense focus. "So how about this: You let us leave, and we don’t truss you up like swine for the spit with a note detailing some suspicions we have. Wouldn’t that be nice? Isn’t that preferable?” Her tone vacillated between sarcastic and reasonable, but always with the edge of threat.

Strategic fear sometimes proved more effective than the most eloquent diplomacy. The wolverine captain's resolve visibly crumbled. The bribes were supposed to be easy money, a chance to throw his weight around maybe. It wasn’t something he was willing to die for. He hadn’t yet had a chance to dispatch a messenger about the prisoners, having wanted to keep them a few days to try for some information that might get him an extra bonus. What if he just… didn’t? Best to cut your losses when the wins stop coming, that’s always been his philosophy. Never been an "all-in" sort of boar.

"Take your crew and go," he ordered finally. "All of them. But never return to Norid, or…. "

His ultimatum was interrupted by a quavering voice from the outside the door of the building -- a voice that was obviously Kroshka attempting to pretend she was an elderly woman in distress.

"Oh help! Oh my! There's a terrible fire in the market square! All those poor animals!" Her voice cracked with the effort of maintaining the “old woman” roughness. "Won't someone help an old lady's nerves?"

The guardhouse fell momentarily silent before Ralynn suppressed a laugh. "That'll be oor cue, I believe."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aboard the Cloudstrider, Captain Ralynn surveyed her reassembled crew with mixed emotions. Relief at their reunion battled with frustration at how badly the Norid mission had unraveled.

"Never in all my years.... " she began, her brogue thick with emotion. "What shoulda been a simple pickup and go nearly cost us everythin’."

Jac sat on a cargo crate, Kroshka nestled in her massive arms, the bear occasionally pressing her muzzle to the top of the kit's head in wordless reassurance.

"How did you even escape the ship, little one?" Jac asked, her voice a mixture of pride and exasperation.

Kroshka's whiskers twitched with mischief. "Bindy was sorting herbs. I said I needed to use the bathroom. Then I climbed down the mooring ropes." She demonstrated with tiny paws how she had shimmied down. "I'm good at climbing. And I brought tools to help!"

Bindy approached, ears flattened and tail tucked with remorse. "Captain, I'm so sorry. She was there one moment, gone the next.... "

Ralynn waved away the apology. "Nae real harm done. Though we'll be havin’ a serious talk aboot followin’ orders," she added, fixing Kroshka with a stern look that couldn't quite hide her amusement and admiration.

"The merchandise was secured," Landry reported pragmatically. "And the crew is intact."

"Barely," Clarence muttered, nursing a bandaged paw where a guard's sword had caught him.

Rose moved among them, her healer's touch bringing comfort and relief. "There's something larger at work here," she observed. "The Golden Scale, the Cabal, Elspeth's mother... the Stars say these are currents in a deeper river."

Elspeth, standing apart by the railing, gazed at the receding skyline of Norid. "Calaban warned me she won't stop. My mother believes I'll return to kill her and take her place." A bitter laugh escaped her. "She took a job to kill me personally. As if I'd want anything to do with that ship again."

"Why now?" Ralynn questioned. "You've been away from her for years."

Elspeth's scales darkened with uncertainty. "Something's changed. Calaban said she met with the Cabal in private a while back. Wears a strange ring now -- black crystal set in silver. A status or rank ensignia I think. Said she's become something else entirely since she started dealing with the Cabal."

A moment of contemplative silence fell over the crew as the Cloudstrider gained altitude, feeling the occasional buffet of wind and listening to the snap and rustle of the sails.

"Well," Ralynn announced finally, straightening her captain's jacket. "We have cargo tae deliver, and clearly some new threats tae consider. But we'll do what we always do."

"Survive," Rose offered softly.

"Profit," Elspeth added with a sardonic smile.

"Stay together," Jac concluded, her massive arms still cradling Kroshka.

The captain nodded, her golden fur catching the last light of the setting sun over Norid. "All of the above." She turned to Landry. "Set course for Ernu. Let's see if those copper spires welcome us more warmly than Norid did."

As the airship banked toward distant horizons, Elspeth remained at the railing, her thoughts tangled with memories of the Golden Scale and questions about what her mother had become. 

Below, Norid shrank to a tapestry of light and shadow, indifferent to the drama that had played out in its streets.

[lapinebuccaneer]

Chapter 5: Streets of Trouble

The Cloudstrider cut through banks of morning fog, the glow of newly installed levitation crystals seeming to dim as they caught the bright early morning sun. They hummed beneath the reinforced keel -- a sound like many crystal glasses made to sing in harmony -- their blue-white luminescence pulsing in rhythmic counterpoint to the creaking timbers and flapping sails. Captain Ralynn Fargoer stood on the observation deck, the wind playing havoc with her golden fur, floppy ears twitching as she ran through the day's tasks. Landing. Unloading. Finding new cargo. With three capital cities within range -- Ernu with its copper spires, Ziruri's floating gardens, Yalberin and its notorious customs agents — there were sure to be options. At least they already had someone expecting them here.

"We'll be dockin' in Norid within the hoor," she announced, her brogue rolling thick as highland honey. "Every blessed one o' ye better be ready fer planetside duties."

Landry Porton, the border collie first mate, nodded with his characteristic efficiency, the movement sharp enough to slice bread. "Aye, Captain. The manifest is prepared and all inventory accounted for."

Ralynn's whiskers twitched with satisfaction -- a tiny movement that her crew had learned to read as clearly as a flag signal. "Excellent. I've arrangements with a merchant named Renfro. Elspeth, Rose, Clarence, Jac -- you'll escort the payment and secure our next cargo."

Jac, the massive polar bear, shifted her weight uncertainly. The deck timbers groaned slightly beneath her -- not in complaint but out of respect. "And what of Kroshka, Captain? She's been cooped up in the ship for days now."

The little squirrel kit peered hopefully from behind Jac's massive leg, eyes wide with anticipation, small paws clutching her mother's fur the color of forgotten snow.

Ralynn's stern, business-like expression softened. "Ach, the wee lass could use some fresh air. I s'pose not much can go wrong just goin' tae pickup some cargo. Take’er along, but keep her close, aye? Norid's nae place fer wanderin' kits."

Kroshka's face lit up, tiny whiskers quivering with barely contained excitement. "Thank you, Captain Fargoer! I promise to stay with Mama Jac!"

"See that ye do." Ralynn chuckled, then turned to Elspeth, the silver-scaled dragonkin who stood apart from the others. Morning light caught her scales in ways that made them seem like liquid gold and mercury mixed, while smoke wisped occasionally from her nostrils like escaped thoughts. "And you -- try not tae set anythin' ablaze this time."

Elspeth's forked tongue flicked in annoyance, tasting the captain's words and finding them bitter. "That happened exactly once, and those fools had it coming."

"All the same," Ralynn replied, pressing a heavy pouch into Elspeth's clawed hand. The coins inside clinked together, the metallic percussion of commerce, "This is the merchant's payment. Dinnae lose it, dinnae spend it."

"Your confidence is overwhelming," Elspeth muttered, scales darkening briefly at the temples as she secured the pouch inside her leather vest. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Norid unfurled before them like a storyteller's tapestry pulled taut by the hands of history and commerce. Unlike the pastoral simplicity of Tensin village, with its single muddy thoroughfare, this city boasted a tangled web of cobbled streets that had been walked upon by generations of every species the world had dreamed into being. Market stalls belched their colorful wares onto walkways while town criers -- mostly jackdaws and magpies with voices honed to cut through chaos -- announced local ordinances and juicy gossip with competing levels of spiciness.

Clarence's graying muzzle wrinkled at the cacophony, his nose twitching as it sorted through the city's thousand scents -- fresh bread, old sewage, exotic perfumes, and the ever-present tang of desperation undercutting every large settlement. "I'll be at the library," the old wolf declared, adjusting his worn satchel with paws that had torn out throats but preferred to turn pages. "Some actual research might tell us more about that Cabal business. And I have some personal matters to look into."

"Sure it's not just an excuse to nap among dusty tomes?" Elspeth quipped, her voice sharp and teasing.

The wolf bared yellowed fangs in what might have been a smile or the preliminary to a snarl. "Child, when you reach my age, you realize there's no such thing as 'just a nap.' Naps are a gift from the gods' to ease the suffering of living." He nodded to Jac. "Keep your wits about you. Don't let her burn anything down." He gestured to Elspeth with a wink that crinkled the scar tissue around his right eye.

"I know where you sleep," Elspeth intoned, deadpan, emphasized by her forked tongue flicking out and back in -- a serpentine punctuation mark.

As Clarence loped away toward the town square, his gait conveying both age and lingering wariness, Rose's delicate ears perked up, swiveling like twin sentinels testing the wind. "The Street of Rabbits should be this way," the doe cleric stated, indicating a narrow alleyway that cut between buildings like a knife wound in the city's flesh. "Though I must say, naming streets after species seems rather..."

"Speciesist?" Jac offered, lifting Kroshka onto her broad shoulders with the gentle care of mountains cradling wildflowers.

"Precisely. One wonders about the property values on the Street of Skunks," Rose replied with her characteristic flat tone, so dry it could preserve meat for winter.

They turned down the alleyway, Elspeth walking ahead with confident strides, her tail swishing rhythmically just above the cobblestones. The passage narrowed, hemmed in by weathered brick buildings that swallowed the sun, casting them in premature twilight.

Rose suddenly froze, her cloven hoof raised mid-step, suspended in air as if time itself had snagged on a forgotten nail. "Wait," she whispered, her gentle voice suddenly taut as a bowstring. Her eyes flicked upward to the rooftops, where shadows moved against shadows. "We're being watched."

"Where?" Elspeth demanded, scales darkening slightly -- a storm gathering beneath her skin.

"Rooftop. Left side."

Without hesitation, Elspeth's leathery wings unfurled with a whoosh-whoosh, a powerful downstroke that sent dust swirling in the alley -- tiny tornados of urban debris -- as she launched herself skyward.

On the rooftop, two figures scrambled backward in surprise. One, a weasel with an eye patch, reached for a crossbow. The other -- a yellow cat with distinctive striped markings that seemed less like nature's pattern and more like a deliberate signature -- froze in recognition.

"Terrin?" Elspeth hissed, smoke curling from between her teeth like escaping spirits.

The yellow cat's ears flattened against his skull, whiskers trembling like harp strings struck by a clumsy hand. "Elspeth? Gods below, it is you! I hoped we wouldn’t be the ones to …."

"What, perchance, are you doing here?" Elspeth demanded, voice sibilant and threatening.

"You need to leave," Terrin stammered, his eyes darting nervously. "She'll have my hide if …. "

"Who? My mother?" Elspeth's voice dropped dangerously low, each word dragged down by the weight of unhealed history. "Is the Golden Scale here?"

Before Terrin could answer, a shout erupted from below. Four more figures had appeared at both ends of the alleyway -- two foxes armed with short swords that caught the light in hungry flashes, a burly badger with brass knuckles that had reshaped more faces than a sculptor's hands, and a sleek mink carrying throwing knives with the casual air of someone who had named each one.

"Jac!" Rose called out, voice cutting through the air as danger loomed, "get Kroshka to safety!"

The polar bear didn't need to be told twice. In one fluid motion -- defying every expectation her massive frame suggested -- she swung Kroshka from her shoulders and set her behind a stack of crates that smelled of apples and distant summers. "Stay hidden, little one," she murmured, pressing her forehead briefly against the squirrel's, their breath mingling in the shared intimacy of fear. "I'll come back for you."

The alleyway erupted into chaos. The weasel fired his crossbow, the bolt glancing off the brick wall inches from Rose's head. The doe responded by pulling her moon-sickle from her belt in a fast, fluid motion born of long practice, her melodic chanting rising above the clamor -- notes of silver weaving through the discord until her weapon began to glow with an argentine light that seemed to gleam dangerously from the cutting edge of the blade.

Jac charged the badger, her massive form moving with the grace of an avalanche. She ducked under his first swing and delivered a devastating uppercut that lifted him clear off his feet. "I've seen cubs throw better punches," she growled in her thick accent, then grabbed the foebeast by his fur as he came back down and threw him to the ground with an alarming thud that spoke of broken bones.

Elspeth, still on the rooftop, found herself locked in a standoff with Terrin. "We don't have to do this," she said, extending a clawed hand that had once passed the cat cups of grog in quieter moments between raids. "Just tell me what's happening."

Terrin shook his head, whiskers trembling. "You don't understand. Things have... changed since you left. Gotten worse. She's gotten worse. Vicious and vengeful, petty and vindictive. More than she was by far, and to the crew as well..." He glanced nervously at the weasel, whose single eye held all the warmth of a winter grave. "She wants you dead, and we're more afraid of her than you."

"Then you're fools," Elspeth snarled, her patience evaporating as smoke began to billow from her nostrils. "Because I promise you’ll regret every attempt."

The sound of splintering wood drew everyone's attention -- a punctuation mark in the run-on sentence of violence taking place. Clarence had returned, the old wolf's wand extended like an accusing finger as he muttered arcane words that seemed to sink into the cobblestones. Vines erupted from between the stones -- not the gentle crawl of natural growth but the vengeful grasp of nature weaponized -- entangling one of the foxes who yipped in surprise and mounting terror.

"Library was closed," Clarence announced dryly, stepping over the thrashing fox with the casual air of someone avoiding a puddle. His eyes locked on Kroshka's hiding place, and he darted toward her, dodging a throwing knife that embedded itself in a wooden post with a thunk that sounded altogether too close for comfort.

"Come, little one," he wheezed, scooping up the trembling kit who immediately buried herself in his chest fur. "Time for us to make a strategic withdrawal." With surprising agility for his age -- as if his joints remembered a youth his mind had long filed away -- Clarence vaulted over a low wall, Kroshka clutched securely against his chest.

The battle intensified. Rose's moon-sickle sliced through the air with deadly precision, each arc leaving trails of silvery light that lingered like reluctant memories. The mink retreated, calculating odds with the cold mathematics of survival. Jac had the badger in a crushing bear hug that made his ribs creak like ice-covered branches, his brass knuckles clattering uselessly to the ground. Elspeth, tired of Terrin's indecision -- a weakness she had never shared -- unleashed a controlled burst of flame that sent both him and the weasel scrambling for cover, the heat singeing their hind-fur as they hopped away and behind a chimney.

It ended as quickly as it began. The would-be ambushers, outmatched and disorganized, broke and ran -- all except the fox still entangled in Clarence's magical vines, thrashing like poetry trapped in prose.

But victory was short-lived. The commotion had drawn attention. A crowd gathered at both ends of the alley, whispers rippling through the onlookers like wind through a grass fire. Then came the unmistakable sound of armored footsteps and official voices: "Town guard! Stand down immediately!"

Elspeth, still on the rooftop, caught Rose's eye. Silent communication flowed between them -- a language built of shared dangers and long friendship, quiet moments during evenings on the Cloudstrider. With a quick nod of understanding, the dragonkin slipped over the opposite side of the building, disappearing from view like smoke wafting into the sky.

"Weapons down! Hands where we can see them!" commanded a uniformed wolverine, his voice carrying the weight of authority unearned but unavoidable. He was flanked by four armed guards whose expressions suggested boredom briefly relieved by the promise of violence.

Rose immediately set her sickle on the ground, the weapon's glow fading like reluctant surrender as she raised her slender arms. "We were attacked," she stated calmly, her voice carrying the measured certainty of one who speaks truth and expects it to be sufficient. "We defended ourselves."

Jac, breathing heavily, released the unconscious badger and slowly raised her massive paws. "Da, what she says is true. We are merchants, here on business." Her accent thickened with stress, making her words rumble like winter thunder.

The guard captain's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the scene -- the entangled fox, the unconscious badger, the scattered weapons that told stories he was already playing through in his mind. "Merchants, eh? Funny, most merchants I know don't leave six bodies in their wake." His gaze swept the alley, measuring absences as carefully as presences. "Where are the others? I count two of you, but witnesses report at least five."

Rose maintained her composure, her stillness not that of fear but of a pond too deep to be troubled by surface storms. "Our companions sought help. One had a child with her -- surely you wouldn't expect us to endanger a child in a confrontation?"

The captain grunted noncommittally. "On your knees, both of you. You'll explain yourselves at the guardhouse." He gestured to his subordinates with the casual entitlement of a petty tyrant given minor power. "Search them, then the alley. Find the others."

As iron manacles clicked around her wrists -- cold metal against warm fur, the eternal story of civilization's claims upon the wild -- Rose caught sight of a silver-scaled figure slipping across a distant rooftop, moving with the liquid grace of mercury spilled across glass. At least Elspeth had gotten away. Someone needed to report back to the Cloudstrider, and the dragonkin -- with her knowledge of these attackers and the ghosts they carried -- was their best hope for understanding what had just happened.

[lapinebuccaneer]

Chapter 4: What's In The Box?!

The twilight air hung heavy with unspoken worry as the Cloudstrider crew trudged back to Tensin village, their shadows elongating into spectral harbingers across the amber-washed dirt path. Jac's massive frame blocked the dying sun, her white fur catching the last golden rays like a snow bank at sunset. Over one shoulder she carried the two surviving bandits bound with hempen cords -- one a surly fox whose eyes gleamed with defiance, the other a nervous squirrel whose whiskers twitched in perpetual agitation.

Back at the village, Elder Tay's ordinarily composed badger features crumpled into bewilderment when Captain Ralynn presented their prisoners. The council chamber, with its modest wooden carvings and faded tapestries depicting bountiful harvests, suddenly seemed painfully provincial.

"A jail? Here in Tensin?" The elder's claws clicked against the polished table. "You must be jestin'. The last time we needed anythin' of the sort was when Joaner's fool nephew got into the fermented berries and started a singin' contest with the pigs. We just locked him in the barn with them until he sobered up the next morning."

Ralynn's golden ears twitched with impatience. "Well, we cannae just tie’em tae a tree like weans playin' at pirates, noo can we?" Her brogue thickened as her frustration mounted. "We've got the bloody Cabal breathin' doon oor necks noo, anna proper place o' confinement would be most appreciated."

After much deliberation, the basement of the Copper Kettle Inn was designated as a makeshift prison. The fox and squirrel were separated -- one in the wine cellar behind a hastily reinforced door, the other in a root storage room that smelled of earth and sprouting potatoes.

"I don't like it," Ferris muttered, his rabbit nose twitching with agitation. "First bandits in the forest, now bandits in my cellar. Next you'll be asking me to host a tea ceremony for the lot of them."

"It might get them to talk," Elspeth remarked dryly, a thin wisp of smoke curling from her nostrils as her silver scales caught the lamplight. The remark earned her a hard stare and a "Harumph" as the crotchety old buck walked back to the kitchen in a huff.

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While the others settled the prisoners, Jac lumbered up the inn's staircase -- each step, though sturdily built, groaning a symphony of protest beneath her weight. She found Kroshka sitting cross-legged on their shared bed, meticulously arranging the herbs Rose had given her into patterns that resembled the constellations the doe had been teaching the child.

"Mama Jac!" The little squirrel leapt into the polar bear's arms, her tiny claws catching in the thick white fur as she buried her small gray head deep into its softness. "I was good for Miss Kisa! She showed me how to fold napkins into little boats and said I am very clever with my paws."

Jac's booming laugh shook dust from the rafters. "Da, my little zvezdochka. You have clever paws indeed." She pressed her muzzle against the kit's head, inhaling the scent of innocence tinged with dried meadow flowers. "And tomorrow, you will help Mama make buildings strong, da? Like game of blocks, but bigger."

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After settling Kroshka into bed with promises of adventure come morning, the crew gathered in a corner of the inn's common room. The usual evening bustle had dimmed to wary whispers as villagers cast furtive glances toward the visitors who had brought both excitement and danger to their doorstep.

Clarence hunched over his whiskey, yellow fangs gleaming momentarily as he snarled, "The tabby will have reached whatever reinforcements she has by now. Dawn will bring either an attack or a messenger." His claws tapped a restless rhythm against the wooden mug.

"We need a plan," Ralynn declared. The metal lockbox sat between them, the lantern light glinting a dull green from its painted shell. "Greigor won't fix the Cloudstrider without this box."

"But if we give it up, we've nothing to keep the bandits at bay," Rose added, her gentle eyes troubled.

"What if," Elspeth began, scales brightening with sudden inspiration, "we give them a box, but not the box?"

"A fake?" Jac's massive brow furrowed.

"Aye, but it would need tae be perfect," Ralynn mused. "We cannae be sure how well they know its look. They may be able to tell immediately if it wasn't right."

Elspeth's forked tongue flicked out in excitement. "I’m very good with my hands. Given the right materials, I can replicate anything."

"And when they finally open it ..." her eyes gleamed with mischief. "What if it makes a fart noise and smells like something crawled inside and died?"

Clarence's ears perked up, amber eyes suddenly alight with rare humor. "A petty revenge, but I find myself approving."

"It's brilliant," Ralynn chuckled, whiskers twitching. "Give them exactly what they want—and nothing of what they need."

"In the meantime," Rose said, her voice soft as disturbed moss. The moonlight filtering through the window caught in her large brown eyes, gleaming ominously. "I will question the squirrel tonight. The other one seems zealous, but the squirrel I get the sense is more afraid than loyal. I have a way I think we can talk to him and make sure he can’t lie to us."

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In the dim cellar light, the squirrel sat trembling beneath Rose's unwavering gaze. The deer's hooves made no sound as she circled him, her moon-sickle's edge catching what little light penetrated the subterranean gloom. Behind her stood Jac, a wall of white fur and implied violence, while Elspeth leaned against a barrel, examining her claws with practiced nonchalance.

"Master of the Celestial Sky, look upon this place and allow no deception," Rose intoned, her eyes briefly luminous with celestial light as the power of her deity flowed through her. "You will speak what you know. What is your name?”

“J-Janar!” The terrified squirrel squeaked.

“Janar, who sent your leader for the green box?"

Words spilled from Janar like water from a cracked vessel -- about Ainar the Knife, a high lieutenant of The Cabal who had usurped command from their previous leader. About The Boss, no one knew his real name, who had sent Ainar specifically for the green metal box. About Ainar sending out seventeen bandit leaders, of which Twilight Tom was one, with teams currently scouring the countryside for targets. About Tom’s glee at realizing they had been the lucky ones to find the right target. About his horrific injuries from attempting, against orders, to open the lockbox.

"The Cabal won't stop," Janar whimpered, whiskers quivering. "They have eyes everywhere -- guards, wardens, nobles. They'll burn Tensin to cinders to get what they want."

Elspeth's scales darkened at the mention of The Cabal, her tail thrashing once before she stilled it with visible effort. "And where will your comrades regroup? Where is your secondary meeting point?"

"East side of the forest," Janar whispered. "By a small waterfall where three boulders stand like sentinels." "If we sent you with a message for negotiations, would you deliver it in good faith?' Rose asked, staring piercingly at the smaller beast.

"Y-yes! Absolutely! Only please don't kill me. Please. I got caught up in a bad situation here, I see that now. But I'll make a change if you just give me a chance!" "Yes yes, I'm sure you will be turning over a new leaf first thing tomorrow." Rose was not prone to sarcasm, but somehow the flat manner she declared this made it clear she didn't believe it, even if the squirrel obviously did in the moment. "If you will deliver our message and urge your commander to negotiate, you may have earned your life and freedom. I shall confer with my associates."

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Meanwhile, Clarence guarded the fox bandit, his aging but vigilant senses detecting subtle shifts in the prisoner's posture. The old wolf's instincts, honed through decades of wilderness survival, screamed warning moments before the fox's bound hands produced a sliver of metal filched from his belt buckle.

The fox lunged, the makeshift knife slashing toward Clarence's throat. With a growl that rumbled from ancestral depths, Clarence twisted aside, but not before the blade carved a shallow line across his snout. Blood matted his gray fur as he staggered back, cursing his slowing reflexes. The fox kicked open the door and bolted up the cellar stairs.

Elspeth, returning from Janar's interrogation, met the escaping bandit at the top step. Her tail lashed out like a silver whip, tangling between his legs. As he stumbled, she grabbed him by the scruff with frightening precision, her claws pricking his skin just enough to draw beads of blood.

"Going somewhere?" she hissed, sparks dancing between her teeth. "When Ainar finds me, he'll kill you and everyone in this town. You are fools who have placed their hands in a snakes nest." "Surely, " Clarence growled, "there can be some negotiation." A dark laugh barked from the fox's jowls, "Negotiation. Pah! What need has the lion to barter with the mouse?" Clarence and Elspeth both sighed and exchanged pained glances.

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Beyond the village outskirts where prying eyes couldn't witness, Clarence and Elspeth stood over the fox bandit. The wolf's expression was carved from granite as he flexed his claws.

"We can't keep you," Clarence said, his voice gravel scraping bone. "And we can't release you."

"Too dangerous," Elspeth agreed, her voice clinically detached as heat shimmered in waves from her scales. "Too committed to your cause. Too many innocent lives at risk."

The fox made one desperate lunge toward the forest's darkness. Elspeth's fire caught him mid-stride, a brief, terrible illumination against the night. Clarence turned away, not from squeamishness but from regret. It was not a part of the job he liked. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following day dawned pregnant with potential violence. Jac moved through the village with purpose, her massive paws reinforcing doors, fashioning barricades, instructing villagers on rudimentary defenses. Kroshka followed in her wake, carrying nails in a little pouch, her presence transforming the grim preparation into something approaching a game.

"See, little one, we brace door like this," Jac demonstrated, fitting a wooden beam into hastily constructed brackets. "Then bad men cannot push in, must go around where we waiting for them."

While Jac pounded nails in to keep the bean firm, Kroshka “helped” by partially embedding and bending several nails in enthusiastic but failed tries to properly hammer one in. She seemed not to care in the least, gleefully bringing her much smaller hammer to bear on the bent nails and squealing as she pounded them into twisted shapes.

Rose moved between the village's modest dwellings, blessing thresholds and teaching simple women and farmers how to position themselves within the protective radius of her protection spell.

"If an attack comes," she explained to a circle of wide-eyed villagers, tracing patterns in the dirt with her hoof, "I will cast my protection. Twenty of you can shelter within its dome. Arrows cannot pierce it. Fire cannot burn it. But you must stay within its boundaries until the danger passes. Children and caretakers should be ready to come here if danger threatens, and I will make you safe until the threat has been dealt with."

Clarence, still nursing the cut across his muzzle, stood atop the inn's roof scanning the forest edge with eyes that had lost none of their hunter's acuity despite his years. His gray fur ruffled in the breeze as he occasionally dropped to all fours, testing the wind for unfamiliar scents.

In the inn's attic room, Elspeth labored over her most ambitious creation. Her claws, normally instruments of destruction, moved with surprising delicacy as she shaped, measured, and adjusted. The afternoon sun painted her silver scales in copper hues as she held up her work for inspection.

"By the stars, it's perfect," she breathed, turning the counterfeit green metal box in her claws. Every dimension matched the original to the millimeter, every dent and scratch replicated with painstaking precision. Only the interior mechanism -- a simple device that would release a noxious gas and embarrassing sound when opened -- would betray its false nature.

Captain Ralynn examined Elspeth's handiwork with an appraiser's eye. "Ye've outdone yerself, lass. If I didnae know better, I'd stake my captain's hat this was the genuine article."

The plan crystallized over dinner -- release Janar with the fake box, let him deliver it to his comrades with the message that the adventurers were leaving Tensin. Meanwhile, deliver the real box to Greigor and secure the repairs needed for their ship.

"It's a gamble," Clarence growled, his yellow eyes narrowed in thought. "If they discover the deception too soon..."

"The village could pay the price," Rose finished, her delicate ears flattened against her skull. "We must provide what protection we can before departing."

"I could stay," Jac offered, her massive paw making even the sturdy oak table seem fragile beneath her grip. "Kroshka and I, we help protect village until proper guards come."

"No," Ralynn countered, authority ringing in her voice despite her small stature. "The crew stays together. We've done what we can -- fortified their buildin’s, taught’em defensive positions, arranged for proper authorities tae be notified. We cannae fight The Cabal single-handed. But if Janar also tells’em o’ what happened tae Tom when he tried tae open the box, perhaps they’ll take their time a-fore they try again. Time the village can use tae prepare, time for the regional magistrate tae get a garrison here, mebbe."

As twilight brushed the village with indigo fingers, Janar was brought from his cellar prison. The squirrel blinked in the dying light, his fur disheveled from confinement. He flinched when Elspeth approached with the counterfeit box.

"Here's the deal," Ralynn said, standing eye-to-eye with the bound bandit. "We're leavin’ Tensin. We've got bigger fish tae fry than yer wee band o’ forest thieves. Take this back tae yer comrades with oor compliments." She patted the fake box with theatrical significance. "Tell’em we're gone, an’ there's nae point attackin’ innocents here. The village knows nothin’."

"Why would you -- " Janar began.

"Because we're merchants, not heroes," Elspeth cut in smoothly. "This bauble isn't worth our blood. We wish no quarrel with The Cabal. This was taken without knowing of their desire for it. Now that we know, we want to make amends."

Janar's bonds were cut, and the fake box thrust into his trembling paws. They watched him scamper eastward, his tail a question mark against the darkening sky.

"He's heading for the waterfall rendezvous," Clarence confirmed, keeping close eye on the direction Janar headed. "Now we wait."

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The night stretched endlessly, each creak of timber and whisper of wind transformed by anxious minds into approaching enemies. Rose sat cross-legged in meditation and prayer, occasionally opening her eyes to cast divination spells that confirmed the fake box moved steadily eastward. Elspeth paced the roof perimeter, the only sound the occasional hiss of agitation, boredom, or both. Jac held Kroshka close, telling her stories of her homeland's snow fields to mask the tension that vibrated through her massive frame.

Dawn came with deceptive gentleness, painting the village in pastels that belied the previous night's dread. Then another dawn. And another. Three days passed without sign of bandits or reprisal.

"It worked," Rose finally pronounced after her morning communion with the celestial powers on the third day. "I sense no approaching malice, no gathering storm. As we hoped, I think, they are too afraid to open it."

"Or they're plotting something bigger," Clarence cautioned, ever the pessimist. "The Cabal doesn't forgive or forget."

"Regardless," Captain Ralynn declared, "we've given Elder Tay time to contact the magistrate. Royal guards will arrive within the week. Our business here is concluded." She turned her gaze skyward, whiskers twitching with anticipation. "And unless my sense o’ things has gone completely tae pot, Landry should be bringing our girl home by evenin’ today."

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They noticed the sound first -- the soft but distinctive high-frequency hum of hundreds of levitation crystals working in concert, an arcane symphony that made Ralynn's ears stand straight up in recognition. Then the shadow, a massive silhouette against the morning sun that drew gasps from villagers who had never seen an airship of the Cloudstrider's caliber up close.

The ship descended with balletic grace despite its earlier damages, crystal array now glowing with steady blue light thanks to Greigor's repairs. Landry Porton stood at the helm, the border collie's sharp eyes scanning the landing area for obstacles before bringing the vessel to rest at the forest's edge.

"Right on schedule," Ralynn murmured, pride warming her voice as she watched her First Mate execute a textbook landing. "I knew he wouldnae let me down."

As the crew prepared to depart, Elder Tay approached with a formal scroll bearing the village council's seal. "We've sent word to the regional magistrate," the badger confirmed. "With The Cabal's involvement now known, they'll dispatch a garrison, maybe a permanent one if the need persists."

"Good," Clarence nodded brusquely. "Keep your sentries alert regardless. These aren't ordinary bandits."

Rose presented the elder with a small pouch of blessed herbs. "Burn these at your thresholds each evening. They will not stop determined attackers, but they may give warning of those with malice in their hearts."

Jac hoisted Kroshka onto her massive shoulders, the kit's eyes wide with excitement at seeing their home returned. "We go back to sky now," she told the squirrel, whose tiny paws clutched her fur with delighted anticipation.

Greigor met them at the ship's gangplank, the silver fox's elegant robes rippling despite the absence of wind -- a subtle display of magical prowess typical of Talan mages. His eyes fixed immediately on the genuine green lockbox in Ralynn's possession. He took it from her, closed his eyes briefly as he held it as though concentrating, then opened it. After a brief glance inside, he closed it with a distinct click and nodded in satisfaction. "It's been opened, " he looked them over, "but not by you, it seems, unless you're fireproof." "One o' the bandit leaders, man called himself "Midnight Tom". He didnae survive the fight in their camp. Was a big walkin' blister before we ever stepped foot near'im"

"Ah. Excellent. You have fulfilled your end of our arrangement," he acknowledged with a formal bow. His demeanor became more brusque, "Our deal is complete. I myself will take my leave.” With that, he crossed the gangplank and made his way down the docking tower stairs.

"Time to go. And not a moment too soon," Elspeth muttered as soon as the wizard was on the staircase, smoke curling from her nostrils as she cast one last glance toward the village. "I've had my fill of provincial troubles."

As the Cloudstrider lifted back into the sky, Ralynn stood at the prow with her paws braced against the railing. The wind ruffled her golden fur as Tensin village shrank beneath them, becoming just another patch in the vast tapestry of the world below.

"Well then," she said, her brogue lilting with satisfaction as she turned to her assembled crew. "That's one crisis navigated. Though I cannae help but wonder..." She looked over at Elspeth.

"What exactly is in that bleedin' box?"

The answering silence was broken only by the occasional snap of a sail in the wind, carrying the Cloudstrider and her crew toward horizons bright with promise and shadow in equal measure.

[lapinebuccaneer]

Chapter 3: If I Were Bandits, Where Would I Hide?

The eastern sun cast long shadows through the ancient forest as the party made their way from the grounded Cloudstrider back toward Tensin village. Captain Ralynn Fargoer's golden fur gleamed in the dappled morning light, her floppy ears twitching at every sound. Despite her diminutive stature, the rabbit moved with the assured stride of someone accustomed to command.

"So, a mystery box an’ a mage -- a Talan mage, at that -- quite the braw quest," she mused, her brogue rolling the r's. "I’d give a fair penny tae know what’s in that box, but my mother raised nae fool. Tantalizin’, all the same."

“Psssh, “ Elspeth huffed amiably, “What’s in that box is likely worth far more than he’s paying, but who’s going to buy? Do you know a rare, possibly cursed, magic item fence that will touch anything that might bring Talan to their doorstep with a ten-foot pole?”

“That I do’na have. So, that settles that. The box is worth more tae us unopened and returned as asked. Noo, we just have tae find these manky bandits and retrieve the bonny thing.”

Behind her, Jac's massive polar bear frame crashed through the underbrush with considerably less grace. Kroshka, the small squirrel kit, rode upon her adoptive mother's broad shoulders, tiny paws clinging to Jac's thick white fur.

"Mama, are we going to catch bad guys?" Kroshka asked, her voice bright with childish excitement as the wind of Jac’s motion ruffled her fur.

Jac reached up with one massive paw to steady her daughter. "Da, little one. But first, we find safe place for you. Bandits are not for small kits."

"I'm not that small," Kroshka protested, puffing out her big fuzzy cheeks.

Clarence, the grizzled gray wolf, sniffed the air and growled low in his throat. "We're wasting time. Get me to the attack site. I bet I can find their scent trail in less time than it takes you talk about it."

"And I say we find Kroshka safe place first," Jac insisted, her accent thickening with maternal concern. "Then we hunt bandits."

Elspeth's silver scales gleamed as she flicked her forked tongue, tasting the air. "I agree with the bear. The kit will slow us down if things get... messy." A thin wisp of smoke curled from her nostrils, betraying her agitation.

“If I’m honest, a safe place would have been on the ship, “ The dragonkin said frankly, “not sure why she didn’t stay there.”

“NO!” Kroshka yelled,”No, me an’ Mama Jac stick together!”

“She has… abandonment fears, “ Jac rumbled gently, stroking the young kit to calm her, “Here, she stay in Inn but is at least closer. The airship, it goes away, who knows if it comes back. That is her fear. I know is not convenient, I apologize. Not easy, motherhood, sometimes.”

Rose, the gentle-eyed deer doe, placed a hand on Jac's arm. "No need to apologize. A child needs their mother, of course. We'll find somewhere safe for her, I promise. The village should have families who could watch her while we're away."

Ralynn nodded decisively. "Aye, back tae the Copper Kettle. Ferris may be a cantankerous ol' rabbit, but his daughter seemed decent enough."

The Copper Kettle Inn was a welcome sight as they approached. Light shone from the windows, the pure white of shardlights, small crystals enchanted in a similar way to those that allowed the Cloudstrider to fly. These, however, were spelled to shine with varying degrees of brightness. They were somewhat common in larger buildings and rich cities, though urban areas and the less wealthy still made do with candle and lantern.

Ferris looked up from behind the bar at the sound of their entrance, his scowl deepening at the sight of the returning airship crew. "Back again? Thought we’d be rid of ye by now."

"Charmin’ as ever," Ralynn replied dryly. "We need someone tae look after the wean while we're on business." She gestured toward Kroshka, who peered around Jac's massive leg with large, curious eyes.

The innkeeper's whiskers twitched with displeasure. "This ain't a nursery."

Before the conversation could devolve further, his daughter Kisa emerged from the back room, wiping her paws on her apron. "Father, do we have gu...." Her face brightened at the sight of the returning guests.

"You're back!" she exclaimed, then noticed Kroshka. "And who's this little one?"

"This is Kroshka," Jac said, her deep voice softened with maternal pride. "My daughter. We need someone to watch her while we..." She glanced at the other patrons. "While we handle business."

Ferris slammed a dirty mug down on the counter. "Absolutely not. We're not babysitters!"

Kisa shot her father a reproachful look. "Father, please." She turned back to Jac with a gentle smile. "I'd be happy to look after her. I've younger siblings I've helped raise."

"For an additional fee, of course," Ferris interjected, mercenary instincts overriding his objections.

What followed was a brisk negotiation between the innkeeper and Ralynn, the golden rabbit shrewd and almost gleeful in bartering. Eventually, they settled on a price that made Ferris's ears twitch with reluctant satisfaction and Ralynn mutter something about "highway robbery being less expensive." Unnoticed, the mother bear passed Kisa a small but full pouch that clinked slightly as she deposited it in the young doe rabbit’s paw with a wink.

While Jac knelt to eye level with Kroshka, explaining that she would return soon, Ralynn pulled Kisa aside.

"Any word about these bandits while we were gone?" she asked quietly.

Kisa glanced around, then leaned in. "Farmer Joaner Schletbauer found the wreckage from the last caravan they attacked, his wife Jenna was in town this morning and she was all a fluster about it, and I don’t blame her with villains and thieves practically right at her doorstep! Elder Tay of the village council might know more."

Clarence's ears perked up at this information. "Where can we find this Elder Tay?"

"He'll be in the council hall at this hour," Kisa replied. "Stone building in the village center. Can't miss it."

Elspeth, who had been studying the room's other patrons with faintly predatory interest, rejoined the group. "Then what are we waiting for?"

Rose knelt beside Jac and Kroshka, her gentle voice soothing. "We'll return before you know it, little one. And I've made you something." She pressed a small pouch into Kroshka's paws. "Some herbs to put under your pillow. They'll bring good dreams."

Tears welled in Kroshka's eyes, but she nodded her fuzzy gray head bravely. "Catch all the bad guys, Mama. Then we can go home to the sky again."

Jac enveloped her daughter in a bone-crushing hug, her own eyes suspiciously moist. "Da, malenkiy. We fix ship, we go back to sky." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elder Tay proved disappointingly ignorant about the bandits' specific whereabouts, though he confirmed that Joaner Schletbauer was indeed the one who had discovered the aftermath of their most recent attack.

"Twenty minutes west of the village," the elderly badger had told them, gesturing vaguely. "Can't miss his farm -- only one with that blasted stubborn donkey that brays all hours." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They found the farm exactly where Tay had indicated, by following the donkey, though it took considerable pounding on the door before anyone responded.

"Who's there?" called an elderly female voice, suspicion evident in every syllable. HEE-HAAWWW

"Travelers seekin’ information about the bandit attacks," Ralynn replied, standing on her tiptoes to project her voice better. "Elder Tay sent us tae speak with Joaner." HEEEEEE-HAW

A long pause followed before the voice returned. "He's in the back field. Follow the path 'round the house." HEE-HAW-HEE-HAW

They found Joaner, an aging hare with a pronounced limp, struggling to urge his donkey into pulling a plow. The donkey, for his part, seemed to have mastered the fine art of appearing to try while accomplishing absolutely nothing. Any time the plow fell over, the beast simply watched the farmer’s tribulation with impassive amusement, braying regularly apparently for his own purposes, and flicking his tail from time to time to drive away flies.

"Ye pull a plow like that, y'might as well be pushin’ it yersel’," Ralynn commented as they approached. HEE-HAW

Joaner started, then scowled. "Don't need strangers telling me how to handle my own beast." Voice surly and quarrelsome, his eyes narrowed as he took in their appearance. "You'd be them airship folk, then? ‘Bout all Jenna talked about this morning was how that Brenner boy up at the Kettle told her a Talan mage and some sky folk was gonna come kill our bandits." He spit on the ground casually, whether in comment to this idea or out of biological necessity it was hard to say. HAW-HEE-HAW-HEE

Clarence stepped forward, his gruff demeanor softening slightly as he addressed the farmer. "That’s right. We're tracking the bandits who've been troubling your village. Heard you found what was left of their last attack." HAW-HAWWW

Joaner's ears flattened momentarily before perking up with evident interest. "Aye, found it on my way back from my friend Jonas Guterbauer's place." He launched into a meandering tale filled with irrelevant details about Jonas's failing eyesight, his own bunions, and the weather patterns of the past month. HEE-HEE-HAWW

Rose listened patiently, nodding at appropriate intervals, while Elspeth's tail lashed with growing irritation, thin tendrils of smoke occasionally escaping her nostrils. HEEEEE-HAAAAWWWW

"The wreckage," Ralynn finally interrupted, even her love of tales exhausted by the rambling story (or perhaps it was the donkey). "Where exactly did ye find it?" HAWW-HEEE-HAWW-HAWWW

Joaner blinked, then pointed westward. "Down the road about an hour, then take the first dirt trail to the left. Big oak right at the trail, you’ll see it. Follow that another twenty minutes or so. Can't miss it -- unless you're blind as old Jonas, o' course." His reedy guffaw and the donkeys bray followed them as they turned and headed westward. HEEEEE-HAAAWWWWW

------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The site of the caravan attack was a grim tableau. Splintered wood from wagon wheels, scorched earth, and dark stains spoke of violence and theft. The group spread out, searching for any clue that might lead them to the bandits' hideout.

"Tracks here," Clarence growled, his nose close to the ground. The old wolf's tracking skills proved invaluable as he followed scent trails invisible to the others, and reached out with his Druid craft to find even subtler signs. "Multiple individuals. Some large, some small. Heading East and South."

"South-East?" Ralynn's brow furrowed. "That would take them back toward the forest where we crashed."

"Da," Jac nodded, "but forest is big. Many places to hide."

Rose looked sadly at the ruin of the wagon, eyes red as small tears fell from her large eyes. “So cruel. So meaningless. I hate these men. May the Celestial Sky guide us towards those who deserve justice.

They followed Clarence's lead, the wolf occasionally dropping to all fours to confirm the scent trail. After nearly an hour, he halted abruptly, raising one paw for silence.

"We're close," he whispered. "Very close."

Elspeth slipped forward, her natural grace making her movement nearly silent. She paused, her keen eyes scanning the trees ahead. "There," she murmured, pointing. "A sentry."

In a tree approximately one hundred feet ahead, a glint of metal caught the sunlight -- a knife blade, wielded by a figure partially hidden among the branches. A squirrel? Clever.

"We need tae get past withoot bein’ seen," Ralynn whispered. "Any suggestions?"

Clarence rummaged in his pack, producing a small vial of shimmering liquid. "Invisibility potion. Had it for emergencies. Only enough for one of us, though."

"I'll go," Elspeth volunteered immediately. "I'm the quietest, and I know what to look for."

Jac frowned. "Is dangerous. But we need information."

After a brief conference, they agreed. Elspeth downed the potion, her silver scales shimmering briefly before she vanished from sight. Only a faint disturbance in the underbrush marked her passage as she slipped toward the bandit camp.

The remaining party members concealed themselves as best they could, waiting anxiously. Rose focused on maintaining a subtle protective charm, while Clarence prepared defensive wards. Jac, her massive frame difficult to hide completely, hunched behind the tangled roots and dirt of a fallen tree, while Ralynn used her small size to advantage, almost disappearing in a thicket of ferns.

Time stretched uncomfortably. The sun began to set, casting longer shadows through the forest. The sentry in the tree was replaced by another -- this one, a tabby cat, more alert and diligent than her predecessor.

Almost a full hour, the duration of the potion’s effects, passed. There had been no sound of alarm, but just as Ralynn was beginning to fear something had gone, or would soon go, wrong, a barely perceptible movement beside her revealed Elspeth's return -- the lithe dragonkin literally fading into view as she settled into place. Nae doubt aboot it. The lass is good.

"Six bandits in the camp," the Elspeth reported in a hushed voice. "Ramshackle huts surrounding one larger, more solid building. I found the lockbox in the main building -- there was a bandit inside, jaguar, apparently sleeping in his bed. I took the box, but had to move slowly to avoid detection."

She produced the green metal container from her pack, her scaled lips curving in a satisfied smile.

"Excellent work," Ralynn whispered. "Let's withdraw quietly and.... "

Her words were cut short by a tremendous crash from Jac's direction. The polar bear had shifted position and lost her balance, tumbling into a dense bush with all the subtlety of an avalanche.

The new sentry's head snapped toward the sound. "Who's there?" he bawled, then hissed while drawing a short sword.

"Blyat," Jac cursed, struggling to extricate herself from the tangled vegetation.

"Intruders!" the sentry shouted. "Intruders! To arms!"

Figures emerged from the huts, beasts of many kinds, weapons drawn. The element of surprise thoroughly destroyed, Ralynn drew her own blade.

"Sae much fer the quiet approach," she sighed, her brogue thickening as it always did in moments of stress. "Time tae earn the bounty, crew!”

Chaos erupted. Jac charged forward with a roar that seemed to shake the forest itself, her massive paws swatting aside the first bandit foolish enough to approach her. Clarence unleashed a spell that entangled two others in writhing vines, while Rose maintained a protective barrier around herself and Ralynn.

Elspeth, fully visible now, demonstrated why dragonkin were feared in combat, her natural agility complemented by vicious claw strikes, rapier stabs, and a jet of flame that sent bandits scattering for cover.

"Take’em alive if ye can!" Ralynn commanded, ducking beneath a wild sword swing before delivering a precise counterstrike that dropped her opponent.

The skirmish was brief but intense. When it ended, three bandits, two stoats and a shrew, lay dead, while Jac had successfully subdued two others, the tabby cat and the squirrel -- one under each massive paw -- and a third, a fox, had thrown down his weapon in surrender after witnessing the bear's frightening efficiency.

"Bind’em," Ralynn ordered, her breathing heavy but controlled. "An’ let's see who’s sleepin’ in that big hut."

Inside, they found not a sleeping jaguar but an unconscious one. His body bore evidence of severe injuries -- massive bruising and burns that suggested he'd survived something few would have walked away from.

Rose knelt at his bedside, her healer's instincts overriding caution. "These wounds are days old, but severe. He should be dead." Her hands glowed with soft light as she channeled healing energy, enough to stabilize but not fully restore him.

The man's eyes snapped open, immediately wide with alarm. "Wha...? Who in blazes are you?!" he snarled, attempting to rise before pain forced him back down.

"The folks who just took yer camp," Ralynn replied evenly. "’Twilight Tom’, I assume?” The rabbit doe spiked the name with a dash of mockery, “We've some questions aboot a certain green lockbox."

The man's eyes darted to the container in Elspeth's claws, and his expression twisted with rage. "You have no idea what you're meddling with."

Elspeth leaned closer, smoke curling from her nostrils. "Then enlighten us."

When the man responded with a string of colorful obscenities, Elspeth's patience -- never her strong suit -- evaporated. She exhaled a small but intensely hot flame that singed the fur on his arm.

"That was a warning," she hissed. "The next one removes the limb."

The combination of pain and fear loosened his tongue. "You're biting off more than you can chew," he gasped. "I'm not some random bandit. I'm with The Cabal."

The name caused Elspeth's scales to darken slightly -- the dragonkin equivalent of blanching. She fought to keep any sign of her sudden anxiety out of her voice, "The Cabal? You? Seems unlikely. I’m quite sure they’d toss you out for the name alone."

"Laugh if you like," the man sneered, gaining confidence from her reaction, seeing uncertainty behind her eyes. "They'll hunt every last one of you down for this. Especially for that." He nodded toward the lockbox.

They bound him and took him outside to join the other captives, only to discover that the tabby had somehow slipped her bonds and fled.

"Blin!" Jac swore. "She get away!"

Clarence dropped to all fours immediately, nose to the ground. "Got her scent. She can't have gone far."

The old wolf loped off into the gathering darkness, following the escaped bandit's trail. He returned nearly an hour later, exhausted and empty-pawed.

"Lost her," he admitted between heavy breaths. "Trail went cold at a stream."

Tom laughed harshly. "Told you. She'll bring back help, and then you're all dead and so is anyone who helped you." His ugly chuckle continued.

Rose, normally the gentlest among them, moved with unexpected swiftness. The curved blade of her moon-sickle flashed once, and the man's laughter turned to a wet gurgle before he collapsed, his throat opened to the evening air.

"We don't have time for this," she said softly, wiping her blade clean. "The ship will be returning soon. We need to be ready."

The remaining two bandits stared at the gentle-seeming deer with newfound terror.

"What about these two?" Jac asked, nudging one with her foot.

Elspeth considered, then drew a dagger and embedded it in the wall of the main hut, several dozen feet away. "If you can free yourselves and reach that, you might survive the forest." She turned to the others. "It gives them a chance, but not too soon."

Jac nodded in approval, then delivered precisely calculated blows to render both bandits unconscious. "They are clever, these unpleasant ones. This buy us more time."

They quickly looted the camp, finding a substantial haul: fifty platinum coins, a sack of uncut gems, a magical Gem of Seeing, an ornate sapphire-encrusted dagger, and a finely crafted scimitar.

As they gathered their spoils, Elspeth's gaze kept returning to the green lockbox. "Aren't you curious? Just a peek?"

"Greigor warned against opening it," Rose reminded her. "And given what it's already cost, perhaps we should heed that warning."

Ralynn nodded decisively. "Aye. This has been decided already, nae need tae debate it again. We were hired tae recover it, not inspect it. “ A privateer’s gleam shone for a moment in her eye, "The contents are worth more tae us unknown than known. We’ve nae fence for such an object, an’ oor reputation is oor lifeblood. Besides which, I dinna want tae be on Talan’s list o’ enemies. We leave it closed. Cannae be accused o’ tamperin’ that way." She thought back to Twilight Tom’s injuries. Gold coins tae scones that greed-fer-brains opened that box and it gave’im what-for. No sir, my mother raised nae fool.

With their mission accomplished -- if not quite as smoothly as planned -- they began the journey back to Tensin village, the mysterious lockbox secured in Ralynn's pack.

"Think the Cloudstrider will be back soon?" Clarence asked as they picked their way through the darkening forest.

Ralynn's whiskers twitched with a smile. "Landry's nothing if not punctual. He'll have that ship back right on schedule, mark my words."

Jac's pace quickened slightly. "Good. Sooner we leave, sooner Kroshka is safe again."

As night fell fully over the forest, the small party continued moving steadily toward the village lights now slowly becoming visible in the distance. Behind them, the bandit camp lay silent, its secrets taken -- including one locked securely in a green metal box that none of them dared open.

[lapinebuccaneer]

Chapter 2: Looks Like We're Walking

The ancient forest cradled the Cloudstrider in gnarled, wooden palms. Elspeth hung from the ship's starboard rail by her tail, silver scales catching the last light of dusk as she examined the damage. Her forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air's disappointment.

"Bad news, Cap'n," she called up, swinging herself back aboard with preternatural grace. "The port levitation array is beyond my skills. Six crystals shattered completely, four more cracked and dark."

Captain Ralynn Fargoer's golden fur ruffled in the evening breeze, her long ears twitching with irritation. She paced the deck, each step a staccato percussion against the weathered planks. Though she barely reached Elspeth's chest, the air around her vibrated with command.

"Give it tae me straight, lass. Can we fly?"

Elspeth's scales darkened with embarrassment. "Not without killing us all in the attempt. We wouldn’t be able to stabilize with no lift on that quadrant."

The captain nodded once, decision flashing behind her amber eyes. "Then we find help." She turned, surveying her assembled crew, her gaze settling on each face in turn--Jac's broad, concerned muzzle; Rose's gentle, deer-like features; Clarence's grizzled wolf snout. "The village we spotted a-fore crashing--we need a Talan mage. Someone who kens crystal repair."

Jac shifted her massive polar bear frame, white fur gleaming silver in the moonlight. "Is safe to leave ship, Captain? Valuables aboard, da?"

"Aye," Ralynn replied, adjusting the crossbow strapped across her back. "Which is why I'm comin’ with ye. Landry can oversee the ship while I’m gone." Her amber eyes glinted with barely suppressed excitement. The captain had spent months on the deck, and planetside adventure beckoned like a lover's whisper. "Between him an' Brand, they'll handle things fine. Besides, ye never know what ye’ll find oot there. Ye might need my crossbow and expertise."

"The wyvern carcasses alone are worth a good deal," Clarence growled, his wolf's tail swishing as he leaned on his gnarled oak staff. "We shouldn't leave them unattended for long."

Captain Ralynn nodded. "Precisely why we need to move quickly. Rose, Elspeth, Jac--gather what ye need. Clarence, I'll be needin' one o’ your stealth spells for our approach."

"Mama, I come too!" Kroshka piped up, her small form appearing from behind Jac's bulk.

Jac's protective instinct flared immediately. "Nyet. Too dangerous."

Ralynn crouched, bringing herself eye-level with the kit. "Yer mama's right, wee one. Stay here with Bindy and Jan. They'll need help sortin’ the medicinal herbs."

Kroshka's face crumpled, but before full protest could form, the captain added with a wink, "Besides, someone needs tae guard oor treasure, aye? Can't think o' anyone better for the job."

Pride replaced disappointment as Kroshka's chest puffed out. "Da, Captain! I guard good!"

"That's my brave girl," Jac rumbled, nuzzling her adopted daughter's head.

Within the hour, they had assembled at the edge of the deck. The descent to the forest floor looked treacherous--a patchwork of broken branches, jutting crystal shards, and a good thirty-foot drop at its gentlest point.

"Clarence," the captain nodded to the old wolf.

The spellcaster closed his yellowed eyes, whiskers trembling as he traced complex patterns in the air with one paw. The wand in his other hand glowed faintly blue, casting eerie shadows across his gray muzzle.

"Velanoche sombra," he intoned, his voice crackling like dry leaves. The spell settled around them like a cloak of midnight, not invisibility precisely, but a subtle bending of attention away from their forms.

Rose, the most nimble of them, went first. Her cloven hooves found purchase where none seemed possible, her natural grace enhanced by years navigating treacherous ship decks in stormy skies. "Follow my path exactly," she called up, her cultured voice little more than a whisper.

One by one they descended--Elspeth using her claws and tail for balance, Clarence muttering minor levitation charms to ease his old bones down, the captain displaying surprising agility for one so small. Jac came last, her enormous bulk requiring more careful navigation, powerful arms straining as she lowered herself from branch to branch.

A particularly weathered limb cracked beneath her weight. Time seemed to suspend as the massive bear hung in air for one heart-stopping moment--then gravity reclaimed her. Jac crashed through the lower branches, a constellation of leaves and twigs exploding around her descent. She landed with a bone-jarring thud that shook the forest floor.

"Saints an' sinners," Captain Ralynn hissed, rushing to her crewmate. "Jac?"

The polar bear groaned, rolling onto all fours before slowly rising. A line of crimson matted the white fur above her right eye. "Is nothing. Scratch only."

Rose was already at her side, gentle hooves examining the wound. "More than a scratch. Likely concussed."

"We keep moving," Jac insisted, brushing away Rose's concern with a massive paw. "Will heal walking."

Captain Ralynn scanned the surrounding darkness. "Clarence, that ruckus likely attracted attention. How long will your stealth spell hold?"

"Another hour, maybe two," the wolf replied, ears swiveling as he listened to the night. "Less effective now that we've announced ourselves."

"Then we move quickly and quietly," Ralynn decided. "Rose, take point with me. Your night vision is best. Elspeth, help Jac if she needs it. Clarence, rear guard."

The forest pressed in around them, ancient and watchful. Moonlight filtered through the canopy in silver-blue shafts that illuminated their path in ghostly fragments. Occasionally, something would rustle in the underbrush, freeze at their approach, then scurry away. Twice, Ralynn halted them with a raised paw as distant howls echoed across the night.

"Not a place I'd choose for evening strolls," Elspeth muttered, her clawed fingers subconsciously flexing.

Two hours of silent travel brought them to the forest's edge. Before them stretched moonlit fields--neat rows of agricultural bounty swaying gently in the night breeze. In the distance, warm lights punctuated the darkness: the village.

"Well, at least it wasn't a hallucination," Clarence grumbled.

"Ye doubted my eyesight?" Ralynn asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I doubted our luck," the wolf replied. "It's been remarkably poor of late."

Rose stepped forward, her silhouette graceful against the starlit sky. "The crops appear well-tended. A good sign for a settlement this remote."

"Da," Jac agreed, though she swayed slightly, the concussion still evident in her unfocused gaze. "Prosperous village means greater chance of finding mage."

Captain Ralynn nodded, adjusting her fur-lined vest. "Precisely. Let's not waste more time then." She set off through the fields, keeping to the paths between crops with the practiced ease of one who respected farmers' boundaries.

The village revealed itself gradually as they approached--a collection of sturdy stone-and-timber buildings arranged around a central square. Despite the late hour, a few lights still burned in windows, and torches marked what appeared to be guard posts at the main road leading in.

"Guards," Elspeth whispered, her keen eyes picking out details the others couldn't yet see. "Two of them. Though 'sleeping guards' would be more accurate."

Indeed, as they drew closer, the sounds of gentle snoring reached their ears. Two figures slumped against each other beside the road, spears propped haphazardly against a wooden signpost.

"Some security," Clarence snorted.

Captain Ralynn held up a paw for silence as they gathered in the shadow of the last crop row. "Options? We could slip past’em with what remains o’ Clarence's spell..."

"Or wake them properly," Rose suggested. "Coming in secretly might seem more suspicious than announcing ourselves."

"I could just step on them," Jac offered, deadpan.

Before they could decide, one of the guards snorted, jerked upright, and blinked blearily into the darkness. "Wha--? Who's there?" His hand fumbled for his spear, nearly knocking it over in the process.

The sudden movement startled his companion awake. "Sound the alarm!" the second guard yelped, scrambling to his feet and reaching for a horn at his belt.

"Stan’ doon," Captain Ralynn called, stepping forward with paws raised. Clarence's had released his spell so they were clearly visible now. "We're travelers seekin’ assistance, not raiders."

The first guard, a lanky ferret with a patch over one eye, squinted suspiciously. "Travelers? At this hour? Through the forest at night?" His tone suggested this was, in his eyes, a preposterous thing for an honest group to do.

"We had little choice," Ralynn replied evenly. "Oor airship crashed."

"Airship?" The second guard -- a stocky marmot with an elaborate mustache -- perked up with interest. The alarm horn remained in his paw, but he'd lowered it slightly. "Kie'th, did you hear that? An airship!"

"I heard, Jah'Reth," the ferret replied testily. "Doesn't explain why they're creeping around in the middle of the night."

Jac stepped forward, her massive form causing both guards to take an instinctive step back. Despite her injury, she cut an imposing figure in the torchlight. "We not creep. We walk straight to you, da? If wanted trouble, why wake you first?"

Kie’th's whiskers twitched nervously, but he stood his ground. "What business brings you to Tensin Village?"

"Oor ship sustained damage," Rose explained, her gentle voice carrying a natural authority. "We require a Talan mage skilled in crystal repair."

Jah'Reth and Kie’th exchanged glances. "Might be your lucky day," Jah'Reth said slowly. "There's a Talan somebody staying at the Copper Kettle Inn."

Captain Ralynn's ears perked up. "That's the best news I've heard all day. We'd be obliged if ye could direct us there."

More whispered consultation between the guards followed, before Kie’th nodded reluctantly. "I'll escort you. Jah'Reth will remain at his post."

"Like you were before?" Elspeth asked innocently, smoke curling from her nostrils.

Jah'Reth bristled, but Kie’th cut him off. "It's been quiet for days. A moment's rest isn't…." He stopped himself, apparently remembering his position. "This way, please."

As they followed the ferret into the village, Jac fell into step beside him. Despite the guard's initial wariness, the polar bear's natural charm soon had him chatting freely.

"Been on duty long?" she asked, adjusting her pace to match his shorter stride.

"Too long," Kie’th sighed. "Double shifts since the bandit troubles started."

"Bandits?" Captain Ralynn's ears swiveled toward their conversation.

Kie’th nodded grimly. "Been hitting merchant caravans on the eastern road. That's why we've mounted guards at all--never needed them before last month."

"Village always peaceful?" Jac asked, her accent thickening as fatigue from her concussion grew. "Good place, da?"

"Was," the ferret replied. "Until Jah'Reth got promoted to captain of the guard."

"Not fan of superior officer?" Jac probed gently.

Kie’th glanced around nervously before lowering his voice. "Between us? He's a hypocrite. Caught me nodding off once and put me on latrine duty for a week. Meanwhile, he's sleeping more than my grandmother, and she's been dead three years. Goddess only knows what he’ll do when I get back from escorting you, since we were both asleep at the same time. But whatever he does, I have no faith it will be fair."

Jac's laugh rumbled with the warmth of someone who'd weathered similar storms as it echoed down the quiet street, drawing a few twitching curtains from nearby windows. By the time they reached the village square, she'd extracted a surprising amount of local gossip from the formerly reluctant guard, who was also apparently having trouble at home with his husband. Some row over a broken heirloom.

The Copper Kettle Inn stood at the square's edge--a sturdy three-story structure with warm light spilling from its windows despite the late hour. A weathered sign depicting its namesake swung gently in the night breeze.

"Here we are," Kie’th announced. "I'll wait outside while you arrange your accommodations."

"Nonsense," Captain Ralynn declared. "Ye've been most helpful. Join us in a drink, on us, for yer trouble."

The ferret's whiskers twitched with temptation. "Well... my shift doesn't end for hours yet."

"One drink," Jac encouraged with a wink. "Small one. We tell no one."

Appeased by this compromise, Kie’th followed them into the inn.

The common room was mostly empty save for a gangly rabbit youth behind the counter, who nearly dropped the mug he was polishing when they entered. His eyes widened progressively as each member of the crew stepped through the door, reaching their largest when Jac ducked her head to clear the frame.

"G-good evening," he stammered. "Or, well, good night, I suppose. I'm Brenner. How can I...help?"

Captain Ralynn approached the counter, putting on a casual and friendly demeanor to ease the young buck’s clear nervousness at their unexpected entrance. "Rooms for my crew, if ye please. An’ whatever passes for yer finest ale."

Brenner seemed uncertain whether to be more disturbed by their late arrival or their unusual appearance. His gaze lingered particularly on Elspeth's scales and Clarence's yellowed fangs.

The dragonkin moved closer, her claws clicking against the wooden floorboards. "Something wrong with your eyes, boy?" she asked with a voice like a knife cutting silk, a tendril of smoke escaping with her words.

"N-no, ma'am!" Brenner squeaked.

"Good," Elspeth continued, leaning over the counter. "Because you should know it’s rude to stare, I’d learn to keep my eyes down if I was you or someone less polite than me might get angry."

"Elspeth!" Rose admonished, stepping between them. "He's just a child."

The dragonkin shrugged. "Just establishing boundaries."

Captain Ralynn shot Elspeth a warning look before turning a disarming smile to Brenner. "Ye’ll have tae excuse my crew member. We've had a tryin’ day--airship crash, forest trek, the usual disasters. I promise we're normally more civilized."

"Most of us," Clarence muttered.

Brenner seemed to gather himself, professional training overcoming his initial alarm. "Airship crash? Are you all alright?"

"Nothin’ a good night's rest an’ some strong drink won't cure," Ralynn assured him. "Speakin’ o‘ which..."

The young rabbit nodded hastily and began pulling tankards from beneath the counter. "Of course! Right away!"

As Brenner poured their drinks, Captain Ralynn casually asked, "We hear there's a Talan citizen staying here. Would that be correct?"

The rabbit's ears twitched nervously. "Master Greigor, yes. He's been here three days now."

"Excellent," Ralynn replied, sliding payment across the counter. “Do ye happen tae know if he’s a mage?” She smoothly passed another silver piece, this time directly to him, sliding it across the bar with a meaningful look. Brenner looked for a moment at the silver piece, a confused look on his face. Then, an understanding settled in and he quickly took the coin and tucked it into his apron. “I, ahem, I think so? He doesn’t talk much to anyone, you know, but he introduced himself as 'Adept Greigor Animpistos'. And that sounds mage-y, right?” Ralynn glanced at the rest of the crew, seeing the same amused exasperation she was feeling reflected in their eyes as well. "We'll need tae speak with him in the mornin’. It's rather urgent."

Sometimes, there’s nothing to do but go to the source.

"I can wake him," Brenner offered hesitantly, "but he's been very clear about not wanting to be disturbed."

Rose stepped forward, placing her slender hoof gently on Brenner's paw. "No need to wake him noo. But perhaps ye could alert me when he rises in the mornin'? I'd be happy to compensate ye for the trouble." She slid another silver coin across the counter.

Brenner's eyes widened at the generous tip. "Of course! I'll knock on your door the moment he comes down."

With the formalities concluded, they claimed a table in the corner. Kie’th joined them, visibly relaxing as Jac slid a foaming tankard his way. The ferret proved to be a fountain of information once properly lubricated. Between his third and fourth ale (Jac herself was on her twelfth with no apparent effect), he'd outlined the entire bandit situation in detail.

"Hitting merchant caravans from the east," he explained, gesturing with his tankard and sloshing ale onto the table. "Very organized. Too organized for common brigands."

"How many?" Captain Ralynn asked, her merchant's mind already calculating risks and opportunities.

"Two dozen, maybe more," Kie’th replied. "Led by someone they call Twilight Tom, on account of his favorite time to hit a place. Finds out their guard rotation, somehow, and gets’em right when they’re weakest. No one's seen their face and lived to describe it properly. Brown hair, maybe? Scar across his eye, some say. Best we know, I’m afraid"

Clarence leaned forward, his wolf's muzzle wrinkled in thought. "Interesting name. Theatrical."

"That's what the Talan mage is here for," Kie’th continued. "Tracking them down. They hit a caravan belonging to his employer."

“So he is a mage, then?” Ralynn interjected.

Before Kie’th could answer, the inn's door swung open, admitting a gust of cool night air and a middle-aged rabbit who immediately narrowed his eyes at the sight of Kie’th. "Father!" Brenner exclaimed from behind the counter. "You're back early!"

"Clearly not early enough," the older rabbit replied, eyeing their table with suspicion. "Kie’th, does Captain Jah'Reth know you're drinking on duty?"

The ferret blanched beneath his fur. "I was just escorting these travelers, sir. Making sure they found proper accommodation."

"With your muzzle in a tankard? How vigilant." The innkeeper turned to the crew. "I'm Ferris, proprietor of the Copper Kettle. My son's arranged rooms for you?"

Captain Ralynn nodded. "He has indeed. Fine establishment ye have here."

Jac shifted in her chair somewhat, somehow finding a way to loom even while seated, “Do not be mad at Kie’th. I invited him for drink, he has been  good escort and guide. I think he deserve raise!” The lightly inebriated enormous white bear did her best to wink conspiratorially at Kie’th.

Ferris seemed unimpressed by the flattery, but backed down slightly from Jac’s intimidating display. "Kie’th, I suggest you return to your post before your absence is noted."

The ferret downed the remainder of his ale in one gulp and stood. "Yes, sir. Right away." He glanced at Jac, adding in a whisper, "Thanks for the drinks. If you need anything while you're here..."

"We find you," Jac finished with a wink.

As Kie’th hurried out, Ferris approached their table. "Strange hour for new arrivals."

"Necessity rather than choice," Captain Ralynn replied evenly. "Oor ship had a series o’ unfortunate encounters… first with a lovely wyvern family, and then with the forest canopy."

"Airship folk," Ferris said, as if this explained everything questionable about them. "Well, you've paid for your rooms. Just keep the noise down--some of my guests value their sleep."

With that less-than-warm welcome, he retreated to a door behind the counter, leaving Brenner to handle closing duties.

"Charming fellow," Elspeth remarked.

"Reminds me of my uncle," Clarence growled. "Same pleasant disposition as a wet cat. Similar smell, as well." The old wolf’s gray muzzle snuffled in distaste.

Captain Ralynn drained her tankard and stood. "Let's get some rest. Tomorrow promises tae be interestin’, one way or another."

They retired to their rooms--simple but clean accommodations on the inn's second floor. Rose secured a promise from Brenner about alerting her when the Talan mage appeared, while Clarence set a minor alarm ward that would wake him if anyone approached their doors during the night.

Morning arrived with golden light streaming through rough-hewn shutters. Rose woke to an urgent knocking at her door. True to his word, Brenner stood outside, looking nervous.

"The mage," he whispered. "He's just come down. Ordered breakfast and appears to be preparing to leave."

Rose thanked him with another silver coin and quickly roused Elspeth. "Quickly," she urged. "If he leaves before we speak with him..."

The two of them hurried downstairs, not bothering to wake the others yet. In the common room, a solitary figure sat at a corner table--a sleek silver fox in elegant blue robes embroidered with arcane symbols. A staff leaned against the wall beside him, its crystal headpiece pulsing with gentle inner light.

Rose approached first, her healer's training giving her a diplomatic touch the more abrasive Elspeth lacked. "Adept Greigor? Might we have a moment of your time?"

The fox looked up, sharp eyes assessing them instantly. "I'm preparing to depart," he said curtly. "Whatever you're selling, I'm not interested."

"We're not merchants," Elspeth cut in, smoke curling from her nostrils in irritation. "We're crew from the airship Cloudstrider. We crashed in the forest outside town."

That caught his attention. His ears perked forward. "An airship? Here?"

Rose nodded. "Our levitation crystal array was damaged in a wyvern attack. We understand you might be a Talan mage?"

"I am," Greigor confirmed, his initial coldness warming slightly with professional interest. "Crystal damage, you say? Permanent levitation spells compromised?"

"Yes," Elspeth replied. "Six crystals shattered completely, four with cracks that go through the core. The control mechanism is intact, but without enough functioning crystals, we can't achieve stable lift."

Greigor's professional interest was fully engaged now. His eyes gleamed with the intensity that only comes from a specialist confronted with a problem in their domain. "The Talan Assembly doesn't take kindly to unauthorized repair attempts on our crystals. You were wise to seek proper assistance."

"We know the protocols," Rose assured him. "The captain is quite fastidious about respecting Talan jurisdiction over crystal technology."

The mage's whiskers twitched with what might have been amusement, and perhaps also a touch of skepticism. "A rare trait among airship captains. Unfortunately, I have urgent business to attend to."

"The bandits," Rose guessed.

The mage's eyes narrowed. "What do you know of that?"

"Only what we've heard," she assured him. "They've attacked caravans, including one belonging to your employer."

Elspeth leaned forward, her tail swishing behind her. "We're offering a bargain, mage. Help us repair our ship, and we'll help you with your bandit problem. You can’t beat a win-win like that." Her words smiled while her tone bared teeth. Oh Elspeth. Stars above please let me handle this! Along with the thought, annoyance flashed through Rose -- an unusual emotion for the usually gentle doe -- as she shot a glance at the dragonkin. The twice blasted woman just couldn’t keep a rope around that arrogance.

"You?" The hint of threat passed through the mage like light through clear glass. Greigor looked between them skeptically. "I’m not sure how useful an airship crew would be against organized bandits."

"We're not just any crew," Elspeth growled, smoke now pouring steadily from her nostrils. "We've faced worse than land-bound brigands."

Rose placed a calming hand on Elspeth's arm, using every trick she knew to keep her own irritation in check. "What my friend means is that we have combat experience. Our captain is an accomplished tactician, and each of us brings unique skills to the table."

Something in Rose's sincere tone seemed to reach the fox. He steepled his fingers, considering. "There is one item I must recover--a small green metal lockbox taken in the last raid. My employer values its contents above all else that was stolen."

"And if we retrieve this box?" Rose pressed.

"Then I would consider my debt to my employer satisfied and could spare time to assist with your repairs," Greigor conceded.

"Excellent!" Elspeth declared with a smirk. "We have a deal."

The fox held up a paw. "Not so fast. I need to meet your captain and assess your capabilities before committing to anything."

By this time, Jac and Clarence had made their way downstairs, followed shortly by Captain Ralynn, who'd sensed negotiations in progress and hurried to intervene. Introductions were made, and Greigor repeated his condition and concerns.

Captain Ralynn sized up the mage with a merchant's calculating eye. "Fair enough. Ye wish tae evaluate us? Come see oor ship. Then judge whether we're capable o’ handlin’ yer bandits."

The breakfast that followed was a tense affair made worse by the arrival of the innkeeper, who took immediate exception to Clarence when the wolf accidentally knocked over a chair with his tail.

"That's antique craftsmanship!" Ferris exclaimed, rushing to examine the unharmed furniture as if it were a wounded child.

"It's a chair," Clarence growled. "And it's fine."

The situation deteriorated further when Ferris demanded to see Clarence's money before serving him breakfast, clearly assuming the aged wolf couldn't afford his establishment's prices.

A young female rabbit-- Kisa, Brenner's sister and Ferris's daughter, they soon learned--intervened with profuse apologies. "Please forgive my father," she said, shooting a reproachful look at the older rabbit. "He's been on edge since the bandit troubles began."

"Curious how that's everyone's excuse for poor behavior," Clarence muttered, but accepted the peace offering of extra bacon Kisa provided.

Jac, meanwhile, displayed her coins prominently when Ferris similarly questioned her ability to pay. "Count it twice if eyes not working," she suggested with dangerous politeness.

When breakfast concluded, they gathered their belongings and prepared to escort Greigor to the Cloudstrider. Captain Ralynn pulled her crew aside for a hushed conference while the mage settled his bill.

"What do we think of 'im?" she asked bluntly.

"Competent," Elspeth assessed. "Arrogant, but that's typical of Talan mages."

"His aura reads true," Rose added. "I sense no deception, though he holds much back."

Clarence snorted. "Of course he does. He's a mage. Secrecy is their religion."

"Could be valuable addition to crew," Jac suggested. "If bandits not kill us first."

Captain Ralynn nodded thoughtfully. "My thoughts exactly. Let's focus on impressin’ him, then. Show him the Cloudstrider, get 'is help with repairs, then handle these bandits. If all goes well, I'll sound him oot about a more permanent arrangement."

The trek back through the forest was considerably easier in daylight, though Jac still moved gingerly, her head injury clearly troubling her despite Rose's ministrations. Greigor kept pace without complaint, occasionally pausing to examine unusual flora or fauna with scholarly interest.

When they reached the Cloudstrider, the mage's professional demeanor cracked momentarily. "I see," he said, voice amused, staring up at the damaged airship wedged among the ancient trees. "She's a beautiful vessel. Frigate, yes?"

Captain Ralynn preened visibly at the compliment to her vessel. "A frigate, aye, an’ lovely she is. Even wounded."

They climbed aboard using ropes and makeshift ladders the crew had rigged. On deck, Kroshka launched herself at Jac with a squeal of delight. "Mama! You back!"

The polar bear caught her adopted kit in one massive arm, wincing slightly as the sudden movement aggravated her head. "Told you I come back, little one."

Greigor spent the next hour examining the damaged crystal array while Captain Ralynn provided a detailed history of the Cloudstrider's adventures. The mage ran his paws over the fractured crystals, his expression growing more solemn with each examination.

"Each of these contains a permanent levitation spell," he explained, holding a cracked crystal up to the sunlight. "When activated through the control mechanism, they provide lift proportional to their size and quality. Like a thousand invisible balloons, if you will."

He gestured to the complex arrangement of metalwork and wiring that connected each crystal. "Your control system allows fine adjustments--which crystals activate, how strongly they pull--giving you the maneuverability that makes airships so valuable."

Captain Ralynn nodded. "And without enough functional crystals..."

"You're essentially trying to float on a lake with half your hull missing," Greigor finished. "I can repair this, but it will require materials from my supplies and several days of work."

The captain's whiskers twitched with concern. "We have a time-sensitive delivery to Norid. Our contract specifies penalties for late arrival, and the Cloudstrider survives on its reputation for punctuality."

Greigor considered this. "I could perform sufficient repairs to make you flight-worthy for that journey. A temporary solution. But complete restoration would require additional time and components I'd need to gather."

"So ye help us fly tae Norid, we complete oor delivery, you get supplies, then return here for yer box an’ then ye’ll do the final repairs?" Ralynn clarified.

"Precisely," the mage confirmed. "I shall accompany you. Everything I need for full repairs should be available in Norid."

"And the box?" Clarence asked.

"As I told your colleagues, its recovery is my primary concern," Greigor replied. "The fate of the bandits themselves is secondary, though my employer would certainly appreciate them being... discouraged from future endeavors."

Captain Ralynn clapped her paws together decisively. "Right then. I'll have Landry handle the delivery run with Imana navigatin’. The Cloudstrider'll reach Norid on schedule. Greigor, we’ll find yer wee box, an' all is merry!"

"Captain?" Jac questioned, her massive brow furrowed.

"I'm stayin' with ye," Ralynn explained, her eyes bright with anticipation. "The ship's in capable hands with Landry, an' if these bandits are as organized as they sound, ye might need my experience." She patted the crossbow at her side. "Been too long since I had a proper adventure planetside."

Greigor raised an eyebrow. "Most captains I've known would sooner lose a limb than leave their ship in others' hands."

Ralynn grinned, showing sharp incisors. "Most captains haven't trained a first mate as braw as Landry Porton. He can sail her nearly as well as I can--though don't tell him I admitted that."

With their arrangement settled, Greigor began the initial repairs while Captain Ralynn organized her team. "The four of ye," she addressed Rose, Elspeth, Clarence, and Jac, "will work with me tae investigate these bandits while the ship delivers tae Norid. Gather information, locate their camp if possible, but do NOT engage until we've formed a proper plan."

"What about Kroshka?" Jac asked quietly.

The captain glanced at the young kit, who was now "helping" Bindy sort through a basket of medicinal herbs, mostly by asking endless questions about each plant. Despite her misgivings she said, "She stays with us. I know how she gets when ye’re too far away."

Jac's relief was palpable. "Thank you, Captain."

"She has tae stay in the inn while we’re poking about. An’ don't thank me yet," Ralynn replied grimly. "If these bandits are as organized as they sound, we're in for a fight." Her gaze swept over her chosen team. "Rose's healin’, Elspeth's fire, Clarence's spells, Jac's strength, and my aim. Should be enough tae handle a few land-locked brigands, aye?"

"If it isn't," Elspeth said with a predatory grin, smoke curling from between her teeth, "we can always fall back on my original plan."

"Which is?" Clarence asked warily.

The dragonkin's smile widened, revealing rows of gleaming, pointed teeth. "Burn everything and sort through the ashes for the box."

Captain Ralynn sighed. "Let's consider that Plan Z, shall we?"

As they dispersed to their assigned tasks, the captain remained on deck, watching as Greigor examined the damaged crystals with professional intensity. The fox's paws moved with practiced precision as he documented the extent of the damage, occasionally muttering complex formulas under his breath.

"Ye think we have a chance against these bollockin’ bandits?" she asked when he paused in his work.

Greigor glanced at her, measuring his response. "With proper planning and the element of surprise? Perhaps. They're dangerous primarily because they're organized. Someone intelligent leads them."

"This 'Twilight Tom' we've heard about?"

The mage nodded. "A theatrical name, as your wolf friend noted. But don't let that fool you. My sources suggest genuine tactical ability."

Captain Ralynn's whiskers twitched with interest. "Nothin' I enjoy more than outwittin’ a worthy opponent."

"Just remember," Greigor cautioned, "the lockbox is the priority. Whatever else happens --“

"We get yer box," she finished for him. "Understood." Her amber eyes glinted with mercantile curiosity. "Must be somethin' quite valuable inside."

"It is," the mage replied simply, offering no further explanation, “and I would discourage you from trying to open it. I would know, and you would regret it sincerely.”

Captain Ralynn chuckled. "Secret business. I respect that." She turned to watch Kroshka, who had abandoned the herbs and was now showing Jac a beetle she'd found. "We all have our treasures to protect."

By midday, Greigor had completed his assessment and begun the preliminary work on the crystal array. The fox worked with methodical precision, carefully removing damaged crystals and replacing them with temporary substitutes from his personal supplies.

"These won't last forever," he warned, holding up a pale blue crystal that seemed to flicker with inner light. "Each contains a levitation enchantment I've personally cast rather than the permanent spells embedded in your original crystals. They'll provide enough stability for your journey to Norid and back, but no more."

Captain Ralynn nodded her understanding. "And the Talan bureaucrats? Will they no object tae these... unauthorized substitutions?"

Greigor's whiskers twitched with what might have been amusement. "What they don't know doesn't concern them. Besides, these are my own creation--technically still within Talan jurisdiction."

As the crew loaded the last of their tradable goods and secured the wyvern carcasses, Captain Ralynn assembled her bandit-hunting team for final instructions.

"Ship leaves at dawn," she informed them. "We'll establish a base in the village an’ begin oor investigation immediately. Pack light, but pack smart."

Clarence rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "We'll need information first. Local knowledge beyond what the guard told us."

"Da," Jac agreed. "I make more friends in village. Learn secrets."

"I can search for traces of their magic," Rose offered. "Bandits this organized might have a spellcaster among them."

Elspeth grinned, a wisp of flame dancing between her teeth. "And I can provide sufficient motivation if anyone needs convincing to talk."

"No threatenin’ villagers," Captain Ralynn ordered firmly. "We need allies, not enemies."

As night fell, final preparations were made for the Cloudstrider's departure. Emotions ran high as crewmates said temporary farewells -- Jacin making Jac promise to bring him back a bandit souvenir, Trav slipping Clarence a flask of his special reserve whiskey, Bindy giving Rose additional healing supplies.

In her tiny captain's cabin, Ralynn sat alone, writing detailed instructions for Landry. The responsibility of command weighed heavily tonight--leaving her beloved ship in others' hands, all while preparing to hunt dangerous brigands. Yet beneath the concern flickered excitement. The itch for danger and adventure, long suppressed by weeks of routine shipping runs, now awakened like a sleeping predator.

A soft knock interrupted her thoughts. "Enter," she called.

The door swung open to reveal Jac, ducking to fit her massive frame through the doorway. "Captain. May speak?"

"O’course, lass. What troubles ye?"

The polar bear shifted uncomfortably. "Is... unusual. You leaving ship to others."

Ralynn set down her quill. "Ye think I shouldn't?"

"Not saying that," Jac replied carefully. "But is not like you. Wonder if there is reason not shared with crew."

The captain's whiskers twitched with amusement. "Nothin’ gets past ye, does it?" She sighed, gesturing for Jac to sit. "The truth? I'm worried about this mage an’ his mysterious box. Somethin’ doesn't add up."

"You not trust fox?"

"I trust him to repair our ship," Ralynn clarified. "Beyond that? I prefer tae keep an eye on him." She leaned forward, a gleam in her eye. "An’ between us, I've been feelin’ caged aboard ship these past months. A good fight, a proper adventure--that's what keeps the blood flowin’."

Jac's muzzle split in a knowing grin. "You miss action."

"Aye," Ralynn admitted. "The ship needs me, but sometimes I need more than the ship gives back. A bit o’ danger, the thrill of outsmarting a worthy opponent..." Her amber eyes glowed in the lamplight. "And o’ course, our profit margins could use the boost a bandit's treasure might provide."

"Always thinking like merchant," Jac chuckled.

"It's served us well so far," the captain replied, rising to her diminutive height. "Noo, get some rest. Tomorrow begins a new adventure."

As Jac left, Captain Ralynn turned to gaze out her small porthole at the star-studded sky. Beyond the glass, the ancient forest stretched dark and mysterious, sheltering bandits, treasure, and who knew what other opportunities or dangers. Her whiskers quivered with anticipation.

It had been far too long since she'd had a proper hunt.

[lapinebuccaneer]

Chapter 1: A Skyward Menace

The Cloudstrider sailed serenely through the twilight sky, its impressive bulk carving shadow-rivers across the undulating clouds below. The tranquil evening whispered promises of safe passage, and the crew aboard the airship settled into the comfortable rhythms of their simple shipping job to the city of Norid.

Belowdecks, Elspeth -- scales gleaming like burnished silver in the lantern light -- indulged in some herbal pastimes alone, the sweet-spiced aroma of her revelry seeping through the ship's timbers. On the deck above, Jac, a massive polar bear whose white fur caught the day's last light like fresh snow, stood with her adopted daughter Kroshka, a young squirrel kit, perched atop one broad shoulder. Rose, a doe, wandered nearby, her cloven hooves clicking softly against the wooden planks as she gazed at the emerging stars above. Captain Ralynn Fargoer, a golden-furred rabbit with floppy ears that swept her shoulders, stood at the wheel, her keen lapine eyes surveying both sky and crew with equal vigilance.

"Would ye look at tha' sky?" Captain Ralynn's deep brogue rumbled forth, surprisingly resonant from such a diminutive frame, her ears swaying with each determined step as she bounded away from the wheel, leaving it momentarily in the capable paws of her first mate. "Been sailin' twenty-odd year an' still gets me righ' in tha heart, it does."

Jac chuckled, her voice rolling like distant thunder. "Da, little Captain. The sky, she holds many secrets, yes? And my Kroshka, she loves the stars too." Her massive paw gently stroked the child's back. "They remind her of the lights in Volkovgrad during winter festival."

Rose's eyes, liquid amber in the fading light, crinkled at their edges. "The stars are like diamonds scattered by a careless goddess," she murmured, her cultured accent lilting through the air. "Sometimes, I imagine I can hear them singing."

"Singin', is it?" Captain Ralynn strode closer, standing on the tiptoes of her footpaws to peer upward, whiskers twitching with amusement. "Sounds like ye might've been at mah special tea, lass. Next ye'll be tellin' me they're dancin' a jig as well."

Their laughter -- Rose's bell-like tinkle, Jac's booming guffaw, Ralynn's hearty chortling -- mingled with the whisper of the evening breeze. Then came the watchvixen's cry, slicing through their mirth like a blade.

"Something approaches! Port side, high!"

Before any could properly react, something dark and winged swooped toward them, talons extended. Kroshka screamed as the creature's shadow fell across her. Jac's reaction was the instantaneous protective fury of a mother bear. With a thunderous roar that shook the timbers, she flung herself forward, massive body shielding the young girl as they tumbled to the deck.

"Kroshka! Speak to me, little one!" Jac's voice trembled, black eyes wide with fear as she cradled the child.

Kroshka, trembling but unharmed, nodded quickly. "I'm okay, Mama Jac. It didn't get me."

From the hatch erupted Elspeth, her dragonkin form imposing as amber scales caught the moonlight. "What in the nine hells?" she hissed, forked tongue flicking between sharp teeth. The lantern light cast strange, dancing shadows across her reptilian features, making her appear almost demonic in her fury.

The sky, moments ago a canvas of peaceful stars, now framed a wyvern -- leathery wings spread wide, serpentine neck arched in aggression as it wheeled for another attack.

"Bloody fangs!" Clarence snarled, the old wolf's gray muzzle pulled back to reveal yellowed fangs. "That's a juvenile rock wyvern! Stupid, but dangerous!" He pulled a wand from his belt, gnarled paws moving in practiced gestures, the air around them beginning to crackle with arcane energy.

The crew mobilized with practiced efficiency. Rose began a melodic chant, her voice weaving protective magic around the ship. Captain Ralynn darted across the deck with surprising speed for her stout frame, shouting orders to the deckhands while pulling a crossbow from her back.

"Hold steady, ye spineless bilge rats!" the golden rabbit bellowed, aiming skyward. "Aim fer tha wings! Bring tha beastie doon a-fore it tears tha sails! An' someone secure those blasted cargo hatches! I'll nae have oor goods scattered across three counties!"

Jac, ensuring Kroshka was safely hidden behind a barrel, leapt toward the railing. As the wyvern made another pass, she timed her move with uncanny precision. Massive bear paws snatched the creature mid-swoop, muscles bulging beneath white fur as she wrestled it to the deck.

"Ha! Not so fierce now, little lizard!" Jac growled, pinning the thrashing creature. "Is like catching fish in frozen lake -- all about timing, da?"

Captain Ralynn bounded forward, whiskers twitching with excitement. "Tha's a fine specimen! Tha scales alone'll fetch...."

Her words died as a shadow, far larger than the first, blotted out the stars above. A roar shook the very air around them -- maternal fury given terrible form.

"The mother," Clarence growled, ears flattening against his skull. "And she looks displeased. As if we needed more complications on this blasted run." So much for easy money.

The battle intensified, the mother wyvern's rage terrible to behold. The Cloudstrider rocked violently as the creature's tail smashed into the port side. Elspeth spat dragonfire in defense, while Clarence's spells crackled through the air, literal lightning hurtling from the tip of his wand. Rose's healing magic flowed to those injured in the fray, silver tendrils embracing wounded crewbeasts.

Captain Ralynn fired bolt after bolt, her aim unerring despite her small stature. "Keep'er away from tha sides!" she shouted, ears rigid with tension. "If she breaks too many o' the levitation crystals we'll be plummetin' faster'n me auld grandsire's marriage when he found tha whiskey cellar!"

When the battle finally ended, the massive mother wyvern lay dead upon the deck, her offspring subdued nearby. Captain Ralynn's merchant mind immediately began calculating profits as she hopped around the carcass, golden fur now matted with sweat and grime.

"These beasties're worth a small fortune," she said, eyes glittering with possibility. "Tha teeth alone coul' buy us new sails, an' those scales—prime alchemical ingredients, they are! Clarence, ye old dog, what say ye about the bones? Surely some wee bugger has a use fer wyvern bones, aye?"

The wolf grunted noncommittally, still catching his breath from the exertion of battle. Before he could properly respond, the ship lurched sickeningly to one side.

Captain Fargoer's ears shot up in alarm. "That'll have tae wait," she snapped, bounding back toward the wheel. "We've bigger problems."

Indeed, the Cloudstrider had begun listing to port, its descent no longer a matter of debate but of degree. Elspeth, scales gleaming with sweat, volunteered to inspect the damage.

"I'll go," she said, already moving toward the side. "I have wings, unlike the rest of you fur-covered fools." With that, she left off the side and extended beautiful bat-like wings and swooped beneath the keel.

The dragonborn's return brought grim news. "A whole section of port levitation crystals is cracked," she reported, claws clicking against the deck. "We're losing lift with every passing minute. The mother's tail caught us harder than I thought."

Captain Fargoer seized the wheel, her lapine eyes narrowed against the night. "Lookout! Fin' us somewhere tae land a-fore we become intimately acquainted wi' tha ground below! I didn't survive forty years o' sky freebootin' jus' tae end as a flat rabbit in some gods-forsaken wilderness!"

"Village lights!" called the lookout, Ophelia Dannor, a lanky vixen whose keen eyes pierced the darkness. "Small settlement, three miles east! Looks quiet -- might be trading post or farming community!"

Their descent was slow but uncontrolled. Without the secrets held by the mighty mages of Talan, progenitors and sole guardians of the methods of creating these magical crystals, they could do no more than keep the descent below deadly velocity by using Clarence's control of the plant life to grab and slow the ship's fall. The landing was far from gentle -- more guided crash than proper landing -- but the Cloudstrider remained largely intact as it settled into the treetops of a forest some few miles outside the sighted village.

Amid the chaos, Jac's massive head struck the boom with a hollow thunk. The polar bear staggered, stars suddenly dancing before her eyes that had nothing to do with the night sky.

"Mama Jac!" Kroshka cried, rushing to her guardian's side.

"Is only small bump," Jac mumbled, rubbing her head with a massive paw. "Have had worse in wrestling matches with cousin Boric. Once, he hit me with entire pine tree. This? This is nothing."

Captain Ralynn hopped to the edge of the ship, golden fur illuminated by the faint light of stars and moon. "Well, lads and lasses," she pronounced, whiskers twitching, "seems we've found ourselves a wee detour. Question is, what sort o' folk might be awaitin' us yonder? It must be a small village tae have not been ain tha maps."

Her nose twitched impatiently as she surveyed the damage. "Folk who hopefully have levitation crystals fer sale, or at least the means to repair oors. Chance is precious slim, given how small tha place is, but tha attempt mus' be made." She turned to address the assembled crew, moonlight glinting off her amber fur. "Elspeth, salvage what you can from those wyverns -- I'll not leave good coin lying about. Clarence, take inventory of our trading goods -- we may need to barter. Rose, tend to any injuries. Jac..." she eyed the massive bear still seeing double, "perhaps you should rest until your head clears. Can't have my strongest paw stumblin' about like she's three barrels into solstice celebrations."

As the crew dispersed to their tasks, Rose approached Jac and Kroshka, her gentle hooves making barely a sound on the tilted deck. "Let me see that head, my friend," she said softly, placing a cool hand on Jac's fur. "Concussions are not to be taken lightly, even by one as mighty as you. The brain is a delicate instrument, regardless of the case that houses it."

The polar bear submitted to Rose's examination with uncharacteristic docility. "The sky," she murmured, "it spins like Ursa Yaga's house, yes? Round and round on scrawny legs..."

Kroshka clutched Jac's massive paw. "Will she be okay?" The child's voice trembled with concern, her eyes wide with unshed tears.

Rose's magic flowed from her fingers, soft green light seeping into Jac's injury. "She will be fine, little one. Your mama bear has a head as hard as her heart is soft. By morning, she'll be threatening to wrestle more monsters into submission."

Above them, the stars continued their silent vigil, indifferent to the plight of those below. Beyond the edge of the forest, the village lights beckoned—a promise, perhaps, of help... or perhaps of further dangers yet unrevealed. For now, the crew of the Cloudstrider had survived their skyward menace, but as Captain Ralynn's sensitive nose twitched, her whiskers tensed with unease.

"Smells like... opportunity," she murmured, her merchant's instinct never sleeping. "And trouble." She chuckled, adjusting her captain's coat. "Often the same thing, in my experience. Nothin' worth havin' comes withoot a fight... or at least a very spirited haggle."