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XXXVIII

The Era of Change

The ferret sighed as he held the thin stick over the makeshift flame and waited. He moved the stick back and forth slowly, heating it up with the fire. Then the ferret waited for a moment and held the stick firmly in his paws so he could straighten it out. Bloodbrain blinked when he heard a few birds in the sky fluttering around or chirping. He looked into the canopy and scowled when he noticed the sun was shining in his face. S'all I need, he thought. Another way for me to be exposed. The ferret sniffed as he finished straightening out the stick and exhaled again as he put a blade against the thin piece of wood and started to shave it. He ran the knife against the stick several times, twisting it around slowly to smooth and straighten the cylindrical piece of wood even further. Bloodbrain turned around and looked at the various other primitive arrows he had on the ground, all of them missing an arrowhead but consisting of a sharp point. Bloodbrain cleared his throat when he heard more flapping above and blinked. The red and black-stripped ferret put his knife back into his pocket and picked up his bow and quiver full of makeshift arrows.

Bloodbrain crept along the ground, moving through the grass slowly so he wouldn't alert anybeast in the area. He looked into the canopy and heard more wings flapping not far from where he stood. The ferret sniffed and growled. He leaped towards the tree in front of him and started to climb up, latching his claws into the bark and hopping from branch to branch. The ferret heard another branch creaking and stopped moving. Bloodbrain blinked twice and crouched down on the branch he was standing on. He took two steps forward and saw the beast hop on the branch in the adjacent tree. Bloodbrain blinked again and slowed down. He looked up at the kestrel in the tree and watched as it picked at its feathers. The ferret looked around at the other trees in the area, trying to see who else might be watching him. But all he saw was the kestrel, the beast still unaware of his presence. Bloodbrain quickly notched an arrow to his bowstring and aimed for the kestrel's throat. Then he fired. The ferret blinked and waited until he heard a faint thump below. Then the ferret climbed down the tree and jumped onto the ground. He turned and looked at the dead bird and huffed.

"Figures," he murmured.

The ferret walked over to the kestrel and dragged it over to the pile of dead birds he had lying beside his campfire. Then the ferret sat down on his log and resumed working on his makeshift arrows. Bloodbrain flared his nostrils twice as he reached down and started shaving one of the other sticks.

"No point in sneakin' up on somebeast when they can smell you," he said.

Bloodbrain waited and listened to the beast some yards behind him sigh heavily and stomp towards him. He looked up from the bonfire in front of him and saw the scarred ferret casually walk in front of him.

"S'pose not," Kurwin started, "but it ain't like I'm takin' a bath anytime soon!"

Bloodbrain blinked and looked down at his sticks and makeshift arrows on the ground. He started to sharpen the tip of one of the sticks with a knife, listening to the fire crackling and Kurwin breathing softly. The ferret ignored the pirate's presence and kept working on his arrows. But every now and then, Bloodbrain would pause whenever Kurwin started to walk around the log he was sitting on. Bloodbrain slowly shifted around when Kurwin started to walk behind him. He looked up at the captain again and saw a grin on his face. Bloodbrain sniffed.

"You can leave now."

Kurwin shrugged. "Jus' felt like comin' out here an' spendin' some time with ya."

Bloodbrain huffed. "Wot d'you want?"

"Wot makes you think I want something?"

"Everybeast wants something from me. I've been with this crew for a while now, and nobeast has yet to come near me just to say 'hello.' So wot do you want?"

Bloodbrain noticed that Kurwin was starting to circle him again, like a predator intimidating its prey. Bloodbrain shifted around on the log again so he could keep an eye on the pirate.

"Always so direct. Guess that's wot I like about ya."

"Did you come here just to kiss my posterior?"

Kurwin snickered. "Does it look like I wanna put my lips anywhere near yer dirty arse?"

Bloodbrain didn't answer and sighed as he heated one of the sticks in the fire. Kurwin folded his arms and wagged his tail.

"That's the thing about you mercenaries: don't care 'bout nobeast but themselves. You can flaunt as many rewards as you want in their faces; won't change wot ya are. Ain't got no family, ain't got no friends, ain't got no home--yer jus' a walkin' weapon fer beasts to use. S'that bother you, ta know that ya spend yer life bein' a thing fer somebeast's advantage?"

Bloodbrain blinked. "Does it upset you that, even at your age, you are not fully capable of enunciating words properly?"

Kurwin frowned and snorted at Bloodbrain. He started circling him again. "Knowin' wot ya are, wot role you play in society--it can get to ya. Might drive ya mad."

"Or perhaps I embrace wot I am."

Kurwin walked directly in front of Bloodbrain and glared at him. Bloodbrain looked up at the ferret's face as he flashed his crooked yellow teeth at him.

"Yes...yes, you do. Killers like you are professional. They gotta be great at wot they do, otherwise they're obsolete. Hmm, assassinations, torture, murder, flaying, poisoning--you know it all."

Bloodbrain looked back down at the stick he was burning and started to straighten it. The ferret grunted when he bent the stick too hard and it split in half. He shut his eyes as Kurwin laughed at him, and then opened them again slowly.

"My presence distracting you, Bloodbrain?"

The mercenary tightened his jaw and snorted. He stood up slowly and looked down at the captain. Bloodbrain held each half of the broken stick in each paw and tightened his grip.

"Is there something you would like to ask me, Kurwin?"

"Is there something you wanna tell me, Bloodbrain?"

Bloodbrain nodded. He leaned forward, his muzzle brushing against Kurwin's nose.

"You're a fool," he growled.

Kurwin backed away after feeling Bloodbrain's hot breath on his nose and snorted. "Am I?"

"Absolutely. You walk around here, acting like you're the new ruler of this forest, that you deserve to own everything."

"I do deserve everything," Kurwin snarled.

Bloodbrain shook his head. "No, you don't. When I first started working for you, you had at least three times the amount of pirates you have now. You lost some due to a mutiny, some from the plague, some out of stupidity. And then you lost everything when your last two ships crashed up on that beach."

"I didn't lose a thing. I was simply given a better opportunity."

"And you took that opportunity and decided to piss all over it. Sure, yes, getting more allies was a smart move. Getting the Juskamard tribe?" Bloodbrain shook his head. "You gave a bunch of lazy, inexperienced slobs weapons and told them to fight. And unsurprisingly, nearly half of them perished when we fought the MSB."

"It was necessary so we could attract attention from other vermin tribes and pirates similar to the Juskamard clan."

Bloodbrain nodded. "Yes, that is a good point. But now, you've also attracted the attention of this badger Urthquake, who commands the Long Patrol. Now, I haven't seen the Long Patrol myself, but I'm sure they're much more experienced, and vastly larger, than your army. But wot really makes no fucking sense to me, was when you had us eliminate the Cleavers so you could gain the support of some group of goodbeasts. So...so let me get this straight: you're trying to gain more support. But instead of killing a defenseless tribe of goodbeasts you know you can trounce, you decide to slay a perfectly competent clan of vermin killers you desperately need on your side. And after you slay them--which was not something those goodbeasts wanted--you had the audacity to tell them right to their faces that, if you wanted to, you could rape and kill their whole tribe. Explain your logic behind that."

Kurwin grinned and folded his arms. "As I told Dirtfoot, manipulation an' sentiment are great motivators."

"Fear is a great motivator, you dumb fuck," Bloodbrain snarled. "You weren't kind to that tribe; you made them fear you. I even saw one of them piddling themselves when they looked at you and your corsairs. You really think they're going to support you after wot you did?"

"You answered yer own question: fear is a great motivator."

"Now you're just being a hypocrite to try and justify your reasoning. Fear won't make them allies for you--it'll make them turn against you. You think the Redwallers weren't scared when Cluny tried to take over their home? You think the Long Patrol wasn't scared when Ungatt Trunn and Ferahgo tried to storm their mountain? They didn't bend over and take it up the ass; they banded together and fought those beasts. And they won, Kurwin--that's the important part. Cluny, Ferahgo, Razzid Wearat, Damug Warfang--all these beasts had plans similar to yours, and they botched it. Horribly. Because they underestimated their foes, or because they were overconfident, or they couldn't keep their troops in line--wotever they did, wotever they planned, it failed."

Bloodbrain scoffed. "I thought you were trying not to make their mistakes? I thought you said you were 'better' than they were."

Kurwin stared at Bloodbrain in silence and blinked. "I am better," he murmured.

"No, you're not. Just because you're not stupid enough to try and take over Redwall or Salamandastron doesn't mean you're a brilliant warlord who knows how to succeed in conquering this forest. You keep this up and it won't be long until you join Tsarmina and all the rest in Hellgates. And I guarantee you, you're gonna take wot's left of your crew down with you. We both know that's not wot you want, so you better wise the fuck up. Today."

Bloodbrain didn't say anymore. He didn't need to. After he saw the look on Kurwin's face, the ferret blinked and backed away. He dropped the sticks from his paws and sat back down on the log. Then he turned around and resumed working on making more arrows for himself. He finished constructing another makeshift arrow and rubbed his paws around the smooth stick gently. He heard Kurwin walking behind him very slowly; he felt his presence mere inches from his back. But he didn't turn around. He grabbed another stick and started to shave it again when he felt Kurwin's paw on his right shoulder. Bloodbrain raised an eyebrow and turned, surprised at the gesture.

"Thank you," Kurwin said softly.

Bloodbrain blinked. Are you serious? the mercenary thought. Are you sounding genuine right now? Is this...well. This is oddly uncomfortable. ...Huh. Bloodbrain was about to reach up and remove Kurwin's paw himself, but eventually the captain took his paw off his shoulder. Then he turned and walked away, leaving Bloodbrain alone to make more arrows.

---

Traegar was leaning against one of the trees beside the captain's tent. The weasel sniffed and looked around the area, watching as the pirates continued to sharpen their weapons and started to stock up on food. He could smell a few birds roasting over a fire, and he heard a couple of beasts smacking as they chewed on flesh. Traegar heard a few footsteps coming from his right and spotted Kurwin walking towards him. The weasel glanced at the other pirates before he crept towards the captain.

"Did he do it?"

Kurwin shook his head. "Nope. He's in the clear."

Traegar blinked. "You sound very relieved. D'you figure out who did kill Ishlin?"

"I will soon, don't worry."

"I have to, Cap'n. Somebeast tried to kill you--somebeast in our own crew. And in the process, we lost Ishlin."

"Yah, we did. But as I said, no worries." Kurwin sighed heavily and started wagging his tail quickly. "Startin' to feel good t'day!"

Traegar chuckled when he saw Kurwin smiling. "What did Bloodbrain say to you, exactly?"

"That I'm a fuckin' idiot."

The weasel started to frown. "I don't get it; why didn't ya knock his fuckin' teeth out?"

"'Cos he's right. That's why I need you an' some beasts to fetch some birds. Don't kill 'em, don't roast 'em, jus' pluck one or two of 'em out the sky. Keep 'em alive so I can talk to them."

Traegar looked up into the canopy and blinked a few times. "You think that Badger Lord Log-a-Log mentioned has some birds spyin' for him?"

"I wouldn't rule it out. We're still not a large enough army to take on Urthquake and his hares. We need more troops sooner than later; we can't take the risk of runnin' into another MSB squadron, especially if it's larger than before. So get me those birds. I'll handle the rest."

Traegar nodded. "Aye, Cap'n!"

The weasel and ferret went their separate ways. Kurwin knew now wasn't the time to lollygag. All the time he spent ignoring Ishlin's killer meant the perpetrator had more time to strike at him again. All the time he spent resting in one location seemingly unprepared for trouble gave the MSB and Long Patrol more time to find him. Kurwin breathed heavily as he looked around the campsite. Several groups of vermin were scattered around the woods. He looked up and saw some beasts chopping branches off trees; many beasts were sitting on the ground, maintaining their weapons and checking to see how much food they had left. A few beasts were drinking rum and jabbering nonchalantly. All these creatures, Kurwin thought. Any one o' these fuckers could be plannin' a mutiny. Kurwin blinked as he continued to observe the pirates. He started to walk forward, heading right for the giant crowd. The ferret looked up into the canopy again and flinched when some of the sunlight hit his eyes. He turned away and continued to scope out the area. Some pirates were climbing up the trees and plucking pears from the branches. The captain came across several of his crew members and casually smiled and nodded at them when they greeted him.

Kurwin was examining the area when he stopped and maneuvered past a pile of excrement somebeast didn't bury. The ferret spotted two rats urinating on the same tree and could hear a couple of beasts having sex yards away from the main group. The ferret grunted when he felt something wet plop on his head and grimaced. Kurwin looked up and snorted when he saw a back-striped weasel lying down on a branch with his mouth wide open and a strand of saliva hanging from his jaw. Kurwin huffed and picked up a stone from the ground. Then he hurled the stone right at the weasel's mouth, causing the beast to shout when one of his teeth was knocked loose. The weasel yelled again when he fell out the tree and landed on the ground with a hard thud. Kurwin folded his arms as he looked at the brown weasel with a white stripe going down his spine.

"Whuh? Fuck ye wan', Cap'n? Tryna sleep 'ere!"

"I see that, Gyges. Got a favour t'ask ya."

Gyges opened his mouth wide and yawned before he smacked his lips and scratched his sides. "So ask."

"I need you t'spy on some beasts for me. Lotta shit's been happenin' since Ishlin died. Wanna know who I can still trust."

"So wotcha want me t'do? Go around climbin' trees an' shit, eavesdroppin' an' stickin' me nose in other beasts' business?"

Kurwin grinned. "I just want you t'do wot ya do best."

Gyges blinked and snorted. "M'goin' back to sleep."

Kurwin watched as the weasel climbed back up the tree and got onto the same branch. He groaned as he lied down on his back and started to get comfortable. The ferret stayed still and waited until Gyges started snoring. Then he shook his head and started to walk away.

"Lazy-arse cunt," Kurwin whispered.

Gyges groaned as his ears twitched. "I heard that," he mumbled.

Kurwin looked over his shoulder at the "sleeping" weasel and smirked. He resumed his walk through the woods and started to scrunch his face when he noticed a ghastly odor heading in his direction. The ferret gazed at a small opening between a set of bushes and spotted Jenrik and Blowhorn standing beside each other and laughing. Judging by the way both of them were pointing their rumps at each other, the captain figured they were taking turns passing gas. Kurwin huffed and shook his head as he walked away. He stepped over a few thin roots near the giant sycamore trees surrounding him before he heard somebeast snort twice and spit on the ground. The captain gradually headed towards the sound and heard a shrill THUNK as well. When the ferret walked past two trees and spotted a few supplies lying on the ground, he turned to his right and saw Turvin and Slipfoot sitting together and fidgeting with their weapons. Slipfoot was checking to see how many more arrows he had while Turvin was slouching and flinging stones at a small target she painted on the bark with dye. The stoat closed one eye as she pulled back with her sling and let the stone fly. Kurwin heard another wooden THUNK before Turvin chuckled.

"Heh. Still got it!" the stoat told herself.

"Good," said Kurwin, interrupting the trackers' tasks. "Then you won't mind doin' somethin' for me."

Slipfoot huffed. "Depends on wot it is."

Kurwin flicked his eyes into the canopy and blinked. "Fetch me a bird."

"We got plenty of birds 'round here, Cap'n. Just find some roastin' over a fire an' dig in."

"I mean a live bird, Slips. We're gonna need some if we wanna accelerate our plans. I already got Trae lookin' for one; I want you to find another, in case he doesn't catch one soon."

Turvin fitted another stone to her sling. "No can do, Cap'n. Sorry."

Kurwin frowned. "Why not?"

Slipfoot looked around the area. Then he snorted and looked up at Kurwin. "Case you ain't noticed, ain't many trackers left! Pretty much jus' us now!"

"In case you ain't noticed," Kurwin retorted, in the same tone, "there's over fourscore beasts 'round this whole forest. I'm sure ye c'n find some replacements."

Turvin let the stone fly. "Name some."

"Razzik, Bloodeye, Olfyn and Fekwin."

Slipfoot and Turvin looked at Kurwin with raised eyebrows. "You came up with those names immediately," said Slipfoot suspiciously.

"Razzik might not be top-notch in combat, but he's capable of handling himself around a team; he showed that when we rescued those monitors from the otter clan. Fekwin is very good with a spear; Olfyn's good with a spear and archery. You two and Olfyn can handle the long-range combat and stealth; Razzik, Fekwin and Bloodeye can handle close-quarters combat."

"How is Bloodeye gon' help us?" Turvin asked. "He's just gunna run his mouth the entire time, especially if he's fightin' alongside Razzik!"

"Yes, he will be with Razzik. An' you two are gonna make sure they don't cut each other's throats out."

Turvin groaned and rolled her eyes. "Fer fuck's sake, Cap'n."

"So now we're baby-sittin' some pups?" asked Slipfoot.

"Somebeast poisoned Ishlin. Somebeast within this crew, this family, killed one of their own. I don't care how 'dire' your grievances are with other beasts. Yer not gonna sit here an' ignore 'em. Either mend the fence you tore down, or get the fuck out me crew. I'm not losin' anymore beasts over trivial shit that could've been resolved if two beasts jus' sat down an' talked it out."

Turvin sniffed and blinked. She shrugged. "S'pose we can't jus' lock Razzik and Bloodeye in a room together, can we?"

"That's not an option."

The stoat sighed and stood up. "Awright then. I'll go find 'em and let 'em know."

Kurwin watched as the stoat gathered up her stones and started to walk away. As the stoat left, Kurwin glared at Slipfoot and stood by him.

"You seen Fleckle anywhere?"

The rat shrugged. "Last I checked, he were busy tryin' t'catch his tail or some shit."

"You mean he's by his tent?"

"I guess. I ain't his keeper, Cap'n."

Kurwin disregarded the rat's smarmy attitude and headed for Fleckle's tent himself. He knew something was wrong with the stoat; the Juskamard tribe seemed distant lately. Maybe Kurwin was being more paranoid than he should be over what happened in his own crew. Maybe he was looking for demons and ghosts that weren't really there. But after Ishlin's death, and what Bloodbrain told him, the pirate knew he couldn't afford any more mistakes now. The captain grunted as he jumped over a few logs and found Fleckle's makeshift tent several yards away from where Kurwin's crew was resting. The ferret stopped walking when he heard somebeast grunting and bracing his back against the main support post for a tent. Then the ferret smirked when the beast shouted and the post fell, along with the entire tent. Kurwin chuckled as he walked beside the rubble and watched as Fleckle crawled out from underneath the tarp.

"Oh! Hey, Kurwin. Don't s'pose ya know how ta set these things up?"

"You gotta put some pegs or stakes in the ground 'afore you set it up."

Fleckle scratched his head and blinked. Kurwin groaned and rolled his eyes; he walked forward and helped the stoat get back to his footpaws. The stoat stood up and wiped some of the dirt off his legs before he sighed.

"I'll figure it out later I guess."

Kurwin rubbed his paws together and sniffed. "So I'm sure you already know wot happened ta one o' me captains, yeah?"

Fleckle nodded. "Yah...shame really. Lotta beasts in me tribe still ain't over wot happened to Jarron an' the others either."

"I've noticed a lotta beasts ain't over that."

Fleckle glared at Kurwin and tightened his jaw. "You askin' or tellin' me that?"

Kurwin shrugged and started to walk around the tent. "You made the right decision, choosin' ta stay with me an' my crew. But I'm not entirely sure your tribe feels the same way."

Fleckle chuckled nervously. "Th-they lost lots of friends that day, Cap'n. How would you feel if nearly half yer mates parshed...mmm...perished--that's the right word, yeah?"

Kurwin nodded, and the stoat continued. "Right. So wot would ya do if nearly half yer crew died in a single battle?"

"Before I became captain, an' I was first mate, this crew were over a thousand strong. By the time I was captain, that number went down to a li'l over seven hundred. D'you wanna know how strong me crew were when I first met you and Rord?"

Fleckle shrugged. "Four hundred?"

The ferret shook his head and lowered his paw. "Li'l less than two."

Fleckle stared at the ferret for a moment, his head drooping and his tail going limp. "Oh," he said gently.

"I'm an old beast, Fleckle. An' when you get..." Kurwin paused. He blinked twice and exhaled as his tail went limp. "You can replace an army, Fleckle. You can't replace your family an' friends."

Fleckle scoffed. "Trust me; I learned that quite clearly followin' that twat Rord."

Kurwin stopped circling the tent and walked up to Fleckle again. "But this is your family, Fleckle. Nobeast else's. An' if you don't want somebeast else runnin' this family, ye gotta make sure everybeast is in line."

"Sounds like I should be tellin' you that. Wasn't it somebeast in yer own crew who poisoned Ishlin?"

"That's the point I'm tryin' ta make. You don't wanna be in the same position I'm in right now. So let's make sure it don't ever reach that point."

"How?"

"Rum."

Fleckle blinked. "You want me to bribe me tribe?"

"No, not at all! Gather 'em all 'round later today! Have some...have a commemoration."

"A wot now?"

"Give everybeast a li'l more time to wind down. Get 'em all nice an' drunk."

"Sounds good, but that'll only go so--"

"Wotcha notice when beasts get drunk?"

Fleckle shrugged. "They like ta throw up an' piss themselves?"

"They like to talk. A lot, Fleckle. They tend ta say shit most beasts would keep to themselves if they were sober. So somebeast like you is havin' issues with his troops? Why not...why not let these troops expose themselves? An' while these troops are busy blabbin' on an' on about wot a 'terrible' leader you are, you'll be standin' right by their side, drinkin' water an' keepin' yer mind clear."

Fleckle started to smirk. "Clear enough to remember anything malicious somebeast says about me."

Kurwin grinned. "That's exactly right."

The stoat giggled. "That's a fantastic idea! S'not like anybeast will know the difference! But, wot should I do if I find any traitors in my tribe?"

"I can't answer everything for ya, Fleckle. Yer the new leader now. That decision is entirely up to you."

Kurwin patted the stoat on his shoulder twice and nodded. Then he walked away and rejoined his own crew. The stoat looked at Kurwin as he walked away and began to ponder. Is he right, Fleckle thought. Is somebeast in my tribe plottin' ta kill me or somebeast close to me too? Is somebeast out ta get me? ...Hmm. Prob'ly shoulda asked if he could stay behind an' help me set this tent up.

---

Sharkbait wasn't stressing himself out. What good would it do him? Sure, dozens of pirates had perished in the last few weeks, but there was no reason to get upset or enraged when his family was still going strong. He still had other beasts like Stinkfoot and Razzik who were his friends. And fire ants. Fire ants were always his friends. No matter how much blood he was covered in or how rank he smelled, they'd always come crawling towards him, drawn by his radiant behavior. Sometimes the ants would climb on top of Sharkbait's body and tickle him with their tiny legs and antennae; other times they'd playfully bite him, and the stoat would yelp and giggle. But most importantly, Sharkbait always trusted the ants whenever he was hungry. He knew the tiny insects would always run off to the nearest source of food they could find, and he'd always follow. So the stoat slowly walked along with the ants, his muzzle almost planted in the dirt. He ignored all the other beasts who bumped into him or gave him queer glances. None of that mattered. All he cared about was finding more food. And after following the ants to a few blueberries that had been crushed into the dirt, Sharkbait looked up and spotted a familiar face.

"Hello, Jaleen!" Sharkbait shouted.

The plump ferret stopped chewing on her blueberries and frowned when she spotted the stoat smiling at her. "Oh...hey, Sharkbait."

Sharkbait sat down in front of the ferret and smiled. He didn't say a word, nor did he move close to her. At most he wagged his tail and flared his nostrils. Jaleen looked down at the bag filled with blueberries before looking back over at the smiling stoat. The ferret sighed and handed the bag over to Sharkbait.

"Thanks!" Sharkbait shouted.

Jaleen blinked and watched as the stoat started to messily cram the tiny berries into his mouth, crushing them all over his paws and smearing some of the juices around his face. After the stoat had his fill, he swallowed hard and handed the bag back over to Jaleen.

"So wotcha dooooooin'?" Sharkbait asked.

"Eatin' blueberries. Now go away," Jaleen growled.

"Why?"

Jaleen snorted. "You threatened me. You choked me. You almost cut my fuckin' belly open o'er some fuckin' chestnuts. Piss off."

Sharkbait wagged his right pointer finger. "No, no, no!" He pointed at Jaleen. "Sharkbait almost killed Jaleen 'cos Jaleen was bein' rude!"

"That don't give you the right to up an' kill somebeast."

"An' Jaleen didn't have the right ta be mean to Sharkbait."

The ferret snorted and went back to eating the berries. "...I'm really not in the mood t'day. Can you jus' leave me alone, please?"

"Why?"

Jaleen blinked. "'Cos I dun' want no company 'round me."

"Why?"

"'Cos bein' 'round beasts distracts my thoughts."

"Why?"

Jaleen slowly pinched the bridge of her muzzle and shut her eyes. "Sharkbait...now I'm askin' you nicely. Please go away."

"But Sharkbait wants to help Jaleen! Maybe-maybe Sharkbait can make Jaleen feel better."

Jaleen paused when the stoat started to creep behind her. The ferret was about to drop her bag and reach for her dagger when Sharkbait planted his paws on her shoulders. Then the stoat smiled and started to squeeze and rub around the ferret's shoulders and neck. Jaleen blinked a few times and sighed as she leaned forward. The stoat started to scratch at Jaleen's back, rubbing and massaging her very slowly.

"You can't make Jale...me feel better. It's not like ya can raise my friends from the dead."

"Untrue! Sharkbait remembers the time he-he lost a friend o' his! Sharkbait cut off his head an'-an' he used it as a li'l puppet! Day and night Sharkbait would have such fascinating conversations with his puppet head!"

Jaleen raised an eyebrow in confusion and played along. "Err...that's interesting. Wot, um, wot happened to this puppet head?"

Sharkbait growled. "Kurwin made Sharkbait get rid of it. Said the smell was makin' everybeast ill. Such rude pirates--so wot if my puppet head didn't bathe? It's not like they do either!"

Jaleen quickly changed the subject. "That's creative an' all, but I'm talkin' about all my tribemates who died when we attacked the MSB. They're gone, Sharkbait--I can't bring 'em back. Not in the same form they used to be in."

"Sharkbait lost friends too, Jaleen. Sh-Sharkbait had to bury beasts he loved too..."

Jaleen and Sharkbait went quiet for a moment. Jaleen sat straight up, and the stoat started to play with Jaleen's ears. The ferret tried to swat his paws away, but Sharkbait grinned and kept scratching them.

"I know, but you-you always seem so chipper."

"Sharkbait always happy! Sharkbait don't get sad no more!"

"Everybeast gets sad, Sharkbait."

"But why? Wot is there to be sad about? Look around, Jaleen! Yer still surrounded by friends! We're stuck in a lush forest teeming with all sorts of vittles! An' we're all havin' a fun adventure! Sure, yeah, maybe we did lose some friends, but that's okay! Sharkbait still has their memories--he still knows their souls are still with him! Isn't that wot matters?"

Jaleen sighed deeply. "I guess so. S'pose mullin' won't do me any good anyways. Got other shite ta worry 'bout now, huh?"

Sharkbait giggled and wagged his tail. "That's exactly right! No need to be sad, Jaleen!"

"Wot about angry?"

Sharkbait sucked air in-between his teeth shrilly. He started to rub Jaleen's neck very slowly. "Oooooooh...that's not a good word for Sharkbait. Not a good word at all. That's one o' Sharkbait's trigger words."

"The hell does that mean?"

Jaleen noticed that Sharkbait was starting to squeeze the back of her neck. "Sharkbait noticed...he noticed that he's very happy when he's angry. But Sharkbait can't get angry. No, that...that leads to...Sharkbait made a deal with himself: he can only get angry during battle. That's it."

Jaleen sniffed. "So...so wot happens when you get angry outside a battle?"

Jaleen felt the grip on the back of her neck tightening. Suddenly, Sharkbait let go and stepped in front of the ferret again. He crouched down and wagged his tail as he got in the beast's face. "That's the easy part!"

Sharkbait stuck his paw into the bag of blueberries and grabbed a giant pawful. Then he exhaled as he crushed them all in a matter of seconds. Some of the juices and mush began to drip from his paw.

"Sharkbait just crushes things! Yes, he does. It's very soothing to him...very relaxing. Sometimes Sharkbait grabs something soft an' squishy, and he just squeezes...he squeezes very hard--hard enough to crush wot he's holding! Hehe, that's why Sharkbait loves slugs so much! They make such silly noises when Sharkbait squeezes them and juices come out!"

Jaleen blinked. "Um...juices?"

Sharkbait opened his mouth and started to lick the crushed berries from his paw and nodded. "Uh-huh! Like squeezing an eyeball!"

"...Right. Well, uh, thanks, Sharkbait," said Jaleen with a slight smile. "I do feel a bit better now."

Sharkbait giggled. "Always here to help!"

The stoat stood up and patted Jaleen on the head with one of his paws. Then he giggled again and walked away. The ferret was about to eat more blueberries when she felt something sticky in her fur. She reached up and grasped her head, and then scowled when she realized Sharkbait just smeared his crushed blueberries on her scalp.

---

Muslar and Dirtfoot were waiting impatiently. Dirtfoot was muttering to himself and pacing back and forth while Muslar was biting the tip of his claw. He folded his arms and exhaled as he looked around the forest, still feeling very paranoid. The bright sun was beginning to set, causing the rays to breach through the canopy. The sky was a shade of orange and blue, and the rat could already hear a few insects chirping in the distance. Muslar turned around and started to look around the trees. He even climbed up the pear tree he and Dirtfoot were standing beside, just to make sure nobeast was spying on them. Then the rodent climbed back down and proceeded to bite one of his claws again.

"We need an exit plan," he blurted out.

"Shurrup. We'll make one if it comes to it," Dirtfoot retorted.

"It has! You know that! If somebeast figures out--"

"They won't. Shut yer fuckin' mouth."

Muslar took three deep breaths and rubbed the back of his head. "It-it'll be dark soon. A lotta beasts will be drunk or sleepin'! We got vittles all 'round us; we just gotta make a run--"

"I told ya to shurrup! Wot yer doin' right now, that's wot's gunna get us fucked! You stay calm, don't be walkin' around with shit in yer britches, an' we'll be okay."

Muslar chuckled and sniffed. "Right, go on an' tell that to Glud! The fuck is he?!"

"I told him..."

Dirtfoot stopped talking when he and Muslar heard leaves and sticks crunching. They turned to their left and saw the shaggy ferret walking towards them and scratching his hide.

"Awright, I'm here," Glud whispered.

Dirtfoot stomped towards the ferret and snarled. He grabbed him by the throat and choked him so hard Glud couldn't even squeal. The rat shoved Glud against a tree hard and snorted.

"You son of a bitch," he snarled, with spittle flying from his mouth.

"Ack...le..." Glud whimpered as he grabbed Dirtfoot's arm and tried to pry him away.

"Gimme one good reason why I shouldn't break yer fuckin' neck right here an' now!"

"'Cos Kurwin an' the others are still lookin' fer a traitor! The fuck you think's gonna happen if we kill Glud right after Ishlin got slain?!" Muslar pointed out.

Glud whimpered again as Dirtfoot tightened his grip. He gagged twice and nearly reached up so he could lash at the rat's eyes, but Dirtfoot eventually came to his senses and let the ferret go. Glud inhaled sharply and started to cough as he rubbed his throat. He bent over, hacking and spitting all over the ground. The two rats stared at Glud and growled at him.

"You'd better start talkin' right now! The fuck happened?!" Dirtfoot demanded.

Glud hacked as he rubbed his throat and stood straight up. The aging ferret coughed a few times and sniffed. "I dunno mate. Why dont'cha tell me? You told me you were gonna wait."

Dirtfoot exhaled. "I understand yer upset--"

"You fuckin' told me you wouldn't do anythin' until all three of us made a decision!" Glud turned and faced Muslar. "Let me guess: you knew wot his plans were too."

Muslar shrugged. "Hey. Ain't my fault you missed a meetin'."

Glud scoffed. "Damn it, Dirtfoot! How are we s'posed to rule this crew if we already don't trust each other?!"

Dirtfoot snickered. "Lookit the hypocrite on his tall-arse throne. You stand there an' say yer on our side, yet the only reason why Kurwin ain't dead is 'cos of you. You were the one who bumped into him. You were the one who didn't even try to convince Kurwin to take a drink."

Muslar chuckled. "And don't go cryin' about Ishlin! It ain't like you tried to stop him from drinkin' that poison!"

"Because I didn't think you'd go through with it! For once I had hoped--I had a li'l bit of hope that you wouldn't go ahead an' try somethin'! But somethin' in my gut told me that Kurwin was in danger, so--"

"So you intentionally bumped into him and made him spill his drink. You ain't even gonna try to deny it," Dirtfoot concluded.

Glud huffed and shook his head. "It's not time yet. We need to wait--"

"Now's the perfect time. Everybeast is questionin' him--especially now that Ishlin's dead. Before woulda been even better if you hadn't cocked it up!"

"Use yer brain fer one fuckin' second! If you had killed Kurwin, and then immediately afterwards, declared yerself captain, wot d'you think the others would realize? Hmm? They already know somebeast within our crew killed Ishlin--they woulda come to the same conclusion if Kurwin had been the one who died!"

Muslar turned and looked at the other rodent. "He got a point there, Dirtfoot. They woulda been all o'er yer arse in a heartbeat. 'Sides, Traegar's his first mate; we'd have to take him out too."

"That's too many bodies in too little time. We can't--"

"Shut the fuck up! Both of you!"

Muslar and Glud shut their mouths. Dirtfoot removed his knife from his waistsash and walked towards Glud. The ferret instinctively began to back away until he found himself pressed against a tree.

"D'you trust me, Glud?"

"Yes, I-I--"

"Yore lyin'. If you did trust me, Kurwin would be dead by now. You don't think I'd be a good ruler? Huh? Is that it?"

"I didn't say--"

"Kurwin is the reason why all this bad shit keeps befalling us! Kurwin is the reason why we've lost so many beasts these past several seasons! Something has to change or this entire crew will be gone! The only way this crew will survive is with Kurwin in the ground an' me as the new captain! Wot part of that don't you understand?!"

Muslar wagged his tail. "Sounds clear ta me!"

"I wasn't talkin' ta you, dibshit!"

Muslar shut his mouth just as Dirtfoot held his blade up to Glud's throat. "I can't have you doubting me."

"Dirt--"

"No. Shut yer fuckin' mouth. When I become captain, there will be no tolerance for cowardice or treason! I may as well do m'self a favour and kill you right now."

"Dirtfoot...please, believe me. I am not a traitor."

The rat scoffed. He lowered the knife and tossed it at Glud. The ferret yelped and caught it before he dropped it while Dirtfoot folded his arms.

"Prove it then. Go kill Kurwin. Tonight."

Glud's eyes grew wide. "Tonight?"

"You wanna prove you ain't a traitor to me, this is how you do it. Go slay him in his sleep, or when his back's turned, or when he's takin' a shit--I don't fuckin' care. Just kill 'im before sunrise tomorrow."

"Get rid of Trae too while yer at it," Muslar added. "He's prob'ly gonna be guardin' him most of the night anyways. An' like you said, even if we kill Kurwin, Traegar'll just take his place. We're gunna have to kill 'im sooner or later anyways, so why not now?"

Glud breathed heavily as he stared at the two rats. "Wot-wot if I refuse?"

"Yer not gonna," Dirtfoot growled.

"Final shot, Glud. Take it or we'll go ahead an' cut yer throat now an' be done with it," Muslar added.

Glud stared at the two rats, and then looked down at the blade. He shut his eyes and took a long breath, pondering deeply, trying to decide on what he should do. But Glud knew what had to be done. He knew who the proper leader of this crew should be. He knew his decision could backfire horribly; he was certain it'd get more beasts killed. But he had to do it, or else everybeast he knew and loved would perish. Glud opened his eyes and looked at Muslar and Dirtfoot, now feeling calm and focused. He nodded.

"Fine," he said softly. "I'll do it."

---

The sun finally set. Everybeast was sleeping or taking turns patrolling the perimeter. The canopy blocked out a large portion of the moonlight; the only source of light the beasts had was from the fires they set. Everything seemed so serene now, even though everybeast had to bury one of their captains less than a week ago. The area was rife with crickets and cicadas, to the point where some beasts found it hard to get any sleep. At best, somebeast would nod off around a campfire and let the sound of the crackling wood lull them to sleep. The corsairs on patrol didn't encounter much. Somewhere a bird was squawking; elsewhere somebeast yelped when a grasshopper landed on their footpaw or inside their trousers. Nobeast smelled anything strange in the warm spring air. As the night continued to move along, the patrol units grew smaller and smaller, and more beasts decided to get some sleep.

But not Glud. The old ferret was sitting alone on the ground, his back pressed up against a tree in the darkness. No campfire was lit, and the light from the stars and moon didn't reach him. He could barely see a thing, and nobeast could see him. Everything was very peaceful out here, away from everybeast else. The ferret actually had time to contemplate without another beast interrupting his thoughts or sleep. But right now, Glud couldn't fall asleep even if he wanted to. He was hoping life would take its course and his time would run out. The beast was old; he was surprised his body hadn't shut down already. Glud closed his eyes and ran his fingers through the fur on his scalp. Then he grunted and pulled off several strands of his fur with ease. Glud sighed and wiggled his fingers, dropping the fur onto the ground. He listened to the insects creating a racket around the woods, followed by a strong gust of wind that made several branches in the trees sway.

Glud swallowed as he gripped his dagger. He stood up slowly, his heart beating fast as sweat continued to run down his face. Glud kept gripping the dagger; he had to do this. Dirtfoot and Muslar were too tenacious now. If he didn't do this, those rats would just find somebeast else. So the ferret crept around the forest, avoiding all the wide-open areas and sticking beside the trees so nobeast would spot him. The ferret could hear some squawking in the distance and wings flapping; Glud assumed somebeast just shot down another bird. Glud threw himself into a ditch when he heard somebeast grunting above him. Several branches creaked and snapped; Glud could hear somebeast jumping from branch to branch above him and sniffing the air. The ferret waited until the beast on patrol hopped several more trees away before he exhaled and stood back up. Glud started to jog towards his captain's tent, where the flapping intensified and he could hear some kind of bird talking in a harsh voice.

"...flight...trapped...business!"

Glud was close enough to the tent to see the outline of two beasts inside. He crept closer to the tent so he could listen in on the conversation.

"We are not forcin' you t'do anythin'," Kurwin said calmly. "We're jus' lookin' for a li'l assistance is all."

Now Glud could hear clearly. The third creature inside the tent was definitely a bird.

"Bollocks! You beasts were tryin' ta eat me earlier! You deceived me, putting out that slice of peach crumble just so you could trap me in some confounded box!"

Traegar snickered. "Hey, don't blame us fer your stupidity. Ain't our fault you didn't look up!"

"Look, if we were gonna cook ya up and eat ya, we woulda done so already. Just calm down and lissen to wot we gotta say," Kurwin reassured.

The bird squawked with irritation. "Fine then! What do the stupid groundbeasts want?"

"Simple. You know yer way around the Northlands, yeah?" Kurwin asked.

"What of it?"

"Good. I want you to fly up near the mountains. There's a beast near the base of it, scrawny fellow by the name of Rilus O'Granger. Last I heard he were amassing an army, trainin' somebeasts for some kind of takeover. All I want you to do is go o'er there, find Rilus, an' tell him that his ol' pal Kurwin is back. Tell 'im we should meet up at the Northern Shores beside the cliffs. Ya got that?"

The bird paused. "What's in it for me?"

"Come this time in the summer, fall at the latest, my army's gonna be in control of this forest. An' I'll make sure you and yer entire family of crows is so well-fed that you'll be too fat to flap them wings of yours."

"Hmph. Hollow words from a beast I know nothing of."

"All good things come to those who wait. I'm offering you more than a simple 'thank you' fer your efforts, an' all I want you to do is deliver a message. How hard is that?"

Glud waited and listened as the bird flapped his wings twice. "Fine. Rilus O'Granger was it?"

"Yah."

The bird flapped his wings again and started to hop around in the tent. "Give me a couple days."

Glud waited until he heard the wind rushing and a series of flapping seconds later. He noticed something large appear in the darkness and gradually head towards the canopy. Moments later, the dark mass was gone; Glud figured the bird just flew off, and Traegar and Kurwin were alone now.

"'Last you heard'? We talkin' weeks or seasons, Cap'n?" Traegar asked.

"Rilus told me he were makin' preparations last fall, and it'd take him two or three seasons. They prob'ly had a minor setback in winter, but the timing should be right. Getting close to summer now, so we should be good."

"What if Rilus is gone or dead?"

"Only time Rilus ever left the mountains was when he planned on doin' somethin' big or he went out lookin' fer recruits. An' if he's dead...well, we'll just have ta find somebeast else, won't we?"

"...You sure this will work?"

"It has to...we've come too far now, Trae. As soon as we find this sniveling turncoat in my crew, we can get back to my original plans."

Glud heard enough. He had to make his move now. The ferret stood up and stomped around the tent. He gripped his dagger tightly as he shoved the tent flaps aside and stormed into his captain's quarters.

"Oh. Hey, Glud. D'you--"

"Dirtfoot and Muslar are plannin' a mutiny an' tryin' to kill you!" Glud blurted out.

Kurwin and Traegar stared at Glud with befuddlement. "Err...what?" Traegar asked.

Glud panted as he put his dagger away and wiped some sweat off his face. "It...it's true! They're conspiring with one another! They-they poisoned yer beverage that killed Ishlin, Cap'n!"

"Are you shittin' me?!" Traegar bellowed.

Kurwin stared at Glud before he flicked his eyes over at his first mate. The captain closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead and scalp, irritated. Then he groaned with exasperation and sat down on his cot hard, still pressing his fingers around his eyes. Kurwin took a long breath and lowered his paws. He looked at Glud and Traegar; he appeared tired as opposed to furious or vengeful. Kurwin blinked twice before he shook his head and chuckled.

"I need a fuckin' drink."