By Paw and Sail

Chapter 9: The Rastaggur [Trais]

The young otter furrowed her brow as she pressed her ear against the latrine door. She turned to the mouse with a concerned expression on her face.

“Is he okay?” she said. “I’ve never seen an Iriote get wave-sick before.”

“He doesn’t swim either,” Zix said. “I don’t think he’s ever been on a boat for more than a few minutes.”

“Yeah, but the Rastaggur sails smooth, you can barely feel the water. What would happen if he was on a skiff or piragua?”

“He’d probably die.”

Her face twisted into a grimace at the sound of retching from within the small room.

“Poor little guy,” she said. “What’s he like? I caught a look at him when he first boarded, he’s pretty cute!”

“You’ve never called me cute,” Zix said.

“That’s cause you aren’t.”

“He likes fish, that’s about all I know.”

The ship swayed as the helmsman turned the wheel to adjust the ship’s heading. The islands of the Iriote Archipelago were now little more than small bumps on the horizon.

“Oi, you two — leave him alone, would ya.”

The captain leaned over the railing of the upper deck and glared at the two animals loitering below. He scrunched his nose and pointed at the otter and mouse.

“Don’t you have something to do?” he said. “Go and be useful somewhere, especially you, Torqe.”

Zix nodded in agreement as he tugged on his friend’s forearm. Torqe glared back at her grandfather as the mouse led her across the deck towards the front of the ship.  

“He always ruins my fun,” Torqe said.

“We aren’t here to have fun,” Zix said. “Neither is Trais. He is here because his friend is missing, not to amuse you.”

“Well, it’s not my fault that this bucket is the most boring place on Expance.”

“It’s not that bad.”

They turned at the sound of heavy paw-steps behind them. Tess trotted towards the ship’s bow and hopped onto the railing beside them.

“How is he?” he said.

Zix shook his head.

“He’s gotta run out of food to toss eventually,” Torqe said. “He’s been at it for half an hour.”

“Well, he’s my sister’s son, he’ll figure it out,” Tess said. “He hasn’t spent more than ten minutes of his life on the sea, so it might take a bit.”

“Why did he come with us if he hates the water so much?” she said. “I mean, we would look for his friend even if he stayed at home.”

“Jassri is practically kin to him,” Tess said. “They’ve been friends since they could walk. I’m not quite sure what they have in common, but they were always together on the docks.”

“Is she his mate?”

“Nah, lass, she’s just his friend as far as I know. Why, you taken a fancy to him, Torqe?”

The otter blushed as she narrowed her eyes.

“No, I was just curious is all. You think Rutt would let me fancy a little cat like him? He’d throw your nephew right off the ship.”

“He almost threw me over the side once,” Zix said. “And I don’t even fancy you.”

“Ah, well, it’s best for animals to take to their own kind anyhow,” Tess said. “After all, what’s the point if ya can’t have kits, ya know?”