Storm Season | Shelha Series 2 | ✔

Habitation

"Haaard over to east-side; bring in that leafy bit and raise the sails! Arriving at our destination in two heartbeats, so wash that muddy spot and make everything shipshape! Just a touch to west-side now; steady as she goes—watch for that water monster, I say!"

"Taz, will you shut up? I need your help navigating these trees."

Not deterred in the slightest, Taz spun around and bowed deeply. "A navigatah', you say? That would be me, my dear lady. For what treacherous task do you require my assistance? I will do it willingly for one so fair as thee!"

"Willingly?" Firebrand raised one eyebrow. "Excellent. Go hop in yonder water and tow us to shore."

"Heck no! I swear by the proud and living Rocklands I saw at least two giant fish in here when we were coming in!"

"Oh? And what happened to the fierce and fearless shipmaster I just heard hollering on my deck? Don't tell me he's scared of a bit of water."

The Rocklander struck a woeful pose. "Oh spare me your bladed tongue, my graceful lady! Have pity on a poor shipbound sailor! It is not the water of which I am affeared, but the foulest of demons I know to dwell in its depths! They can take a sailor's tail in one bite, to leave him forever in agony and utmost shame; or a paw, that he may never run again! Spare me such a fate, oh kind and talented shipmaster! I know you have more heart than this!"

Turning her face on a pretense of adjusting their 'sails', Firebrand tried very hard to straighten her expression. "Make yourself useful then, sailor, or I'll throw you overboard."

Taz leaped from his grovelling and made himself thoroughly useless by trying much too hard to help. Firebrand held in her mirth until they got to shore. She had never actually intended to make him swim, but entertainment value was hard to come by on monotonous six sun's paw-length trips.

The two Coppertails had been travelling for days this way, raising leafy sails to a steady north wind. Fluffy white clouds spotted the sky, a new experience for both of them. Clouds in the Lowlands came in hundreds of shapes, yet almost never brought rain. For such a hyper, ever-distractible personality, Taz could spend an astonishing amount of time lying flat on his back, just watching them.

Today the clouds were clustered in sheets like a tray of pebbles, interspersed with wispy curlicues like Forester fur. The raft bumped ashore. Taz leaped off with their mooring rope while Firebrand lowered the branch-sails and camouflaged the raft with them. They had yet to encounter any inhabitants on the islands they visited, but their watercraft was too valuable to take chances.

When the raft had been moored, Taz ran up the nearest hill to scout. His report was promising: seventeen hilltops, of which twelve were fused to make this mass of land. None of them were forested, but the far ones were covered in purple-blooming shrubs. Beaten paths wound among the hilltops.

"Any houses?" called Firebrand. Taz flicked a negative, a made-up sign they had invented to bridge their opposing tail-talks. They set out to explore.

Taz of course set the mood immediately. Squinting into the distance, he shielded his eyes even though the sun was currently behind clouds. "Hmmm... one blocked-off cellar at a current bearing of south-southwest; one road ahead, splitting into two shortly past said cellar; which offshoot will this expedition's leader choose first? Weather is a mix of sun and some rather interesting puffball clouds, who the heck knows how warm out but it sure feels pleasant. And we are now turning onto the south trail; our expedition leader has made her wise decision! Slopes up the hills distinctly steeper with a sudden appearance of brush; don't look up, folks, 'cause we might be due for some rather dangerous rain in the next thirty heartbeats if we don't pitch camp and talk it out. You following me, captain Firebrand?"