The Cook

[Airan]

Name of character: Orwin
Character's species: Stoat
Character's gender: Male
Character's age: 25 seasons.
The category you're applying to: Cook

The night rang out with music as a lone searat played away at an accordion outside, and for the fifth time that night, Orwin ran a long-ruined dishrag over the surface of the tavern's counter, gouged and stained from seasons of use. The barkeep's dark eyes glittered in the light of the dimly-lit lamps scattered about the vicinity, and an ear occasionally flicked as he picked up the occasional tidbit from the few patrons still brave enough to sail so close to The Badger's most recent raid for a long, long needed drink.

Perhaps they reckoned his tavern was hidden well enough, buried amongst the trees and undergrowth of the small Isle of Irgash, or perhaps they thought that, being small-time seafarers who've long lost their swashbuckling swagger and corsair boldness once they realized that stronger beasts were willing to fight back, and were now currently hunting them down, that The Badger wouldn't consider them enough of a threat to have to deal with himself.

With these two ideas in mind, Orwin realized just how idiotic his clientele could be. And just how idiotic he was.
A shiver rattled down the stoat's well-groomed spine as he resettled the red Phrygian hat perched over his ears, considering just taking everything of value and abandoning his tavern (He could take the little sloop he'd hidden outside and head for open water, seeing as moving at least seemed to give him a slightly higher chance of survival), when the searat's music stopped.

The stoat and all the other wavevermin within the Bloodless Dove Tavern looked up.

And watched with horrifying fascination as the door to the tavern slowly slid open, and a badger stepped inside, wreathed in a cloak.

He had an eyepatch and multiple scars cutting a jagged path across a face that had seen far more battle than was healthy.

The barkeep's heart nearly stopped.

It was Him.

It was The Badger.

Paw shaking as The Badger slowly began to approach the counter, a paw lowering to draw something, Orwin strode backwards and ducked into a room in the back. Seizing his swordbelt, ears listening intently, he buckled it on, grabbed an extra hat and his seacoat from a peg on the wall, and threw himself out the back door, heart pounding just as hard as his footpaws against the ground as he charged towards the sloop's location.
The Badger had apparently taken note of this, for shortly after several screams echoed throughout the darkness, two powerfully-built hares came racing after him.

Throwing his floppy hat and seacoat into the small craft, Orwin crashed through the shallows, just as a calloused paw swiped at his tunic. Screaming in a combination of terror and rage, the stoat kicked out with a footpaw, sending the assailant tumbling backwards with an "Ugh!". The stoat placed his paws against the front of the craft and heaved it into deeper waters, towards the great stretch of sea ahead. Clambering aboard his vessel as the second hare leaped over the other and drew his sabre, Orwin treated him a paw gesture as the diminutive sloop sailed onward, to gradually disappear beyond the horizon.

The two hares, defeated, returned to their duties with just as much bloodshed as prior.

And Irgash burned.

[Airan]

Character Name: Wilson Willow
Species: River Otter
Gender: Male
Age: 26
Category: Cook
               
There was a time when Willow enjoyed the sight of the ocean. Today though Willow stared at the endless sea like one does a bitter rival. He was very self conscious of the stares he was getting from the small group of crew beasts that had gathered to watch him but tried his best to pay them no mind.

The crew had, surprisingly, been overjoyed at the addition of an otter cook. They expected the natural born swimmer to bring in loads upon loads of fish. Which would have been true...if Willow could swim. Truth be told the beast could actually swim but the dark, bottomless water...Willow shivered at just the thought.

Willow didn't really find it fair that they blamed him, and only him, for their lack of fishy foods. The sea didn't seem kind enough to grant any beast who fished from this ship even a minnow. But as a woodlander Willow made an easy scapegoat.

The cook tried to compensate for the lack of meat by trying to spice up his stew. Unfortunately a week of heavily salted vegetable stew had not adhered the crew to him as much as Willow had hoped. After two weeks the otter was sure that beasts were waiting around every corner to knife him in the back.

"Don'tcha lot have anythin better to do?" Willow was young, but his voice was gruff.

A fox in the center of the group crossed his arms. "We came to watch the show." He said with a smile. "Observe mates, how yonder cook prepares his line. Baiting it with...is that a weevil?"

"Sure is. Worms are runnin low but the bread has plenty of weevils." Willow chuckled as he cast his line into the sea. He stopped chuckling when no one laughed with him.

The fox rolled his eyes, "No wonder he can't catch anything. No one ever taught him how to fish!"

"I always thought he ate the fish before bringing it to the larder," a mink in the back spoke up, prompting the fox to reply again, "It would explain how fat our cook is growing. That or it's all the woodlander feed he has been giving us!" The fox made a face of disgust. Stepping closer to Willow he said with a rather vicious smile, "Makes you wonder why we bother with fish. There is enough meat right here to keep otter stew on the table until we reach port..."

Continuing to focus on the sea through all these comments Willow finally replied, "I would ruin your diet mate. Too full of grit and gristle." Then Willow turned to the fox and smiled causing the offending beast to step backward.

It was hard to argue with an otter that filed his teeth down into fangs.

Then the line tugged. Hard. All thoughts of eating the cook vanished as the beasts came to his aid. The battle was hard and long fought but the reward was enough to make even the fox cry out in joy. Willow had no idea what the fish was, nor did he care. "Well look at that mates, who can't fish now?" Willow laughed, "Take a look boys. Tonight we toss the veggie stew overboard and feast like-"

CHOMP!

The beasts let out a collective scream as a massive head erupted from the ocean. As quickly as the shark appeared it vanished...along with the cooks catch.

Slack jawed, Willow could only stare. After a long moment he gulped and dared to face the looks the pirates were shooting him.  "I'll...work on a new recipe for that...stew..." His bravery failing him the plump otter backed himself against the railing as the fox leaned forward to growl at him.

Slowly the beasts dispersed, leaving Willow alone. It looked like stew was back on the menu tonight. Whether it was vegetable or otter stew had yet to be determined...

[Airan]

Character's name: Vera Silvertooth
Character's species: Fox
Character's gender: Female
Character's age: Early thirties
Category applying to: A Cook

Vera Silvertooth looked up from the simmering cauldron of soup as the door to the kitchen slammed open and Fort Blackfur?s commander stormed in with a half-dozen of his biggest soldiers.

?Seize her,? Captain Rigal said, and two of the soldiers grabbed Vera.

The vixen inclined her head nobly towards the rat as his troops manhandled her. ?My good Captain, what seems to be the problem??

?The problem, fox, is that my ruby amulet is missing.?

Raising a paw to her mouth, Vera said, ?How dreadful! Who could have taken it??

Captain Rigal stalked up to her. ?I think you already know the answer to that. I?ve been out on patrol and Naptooth said the only beast he saw near my rooms was you.?

?Oh, dear! I was merely cleaning up the remains of your dinner. You can?t possibly think that I had anything too do with...?

?That?s exactly what I think,? he interrupted. ?So, you and all of your belongings are going to be searched, top to bottom. When I find my amulet, you?ll wish you?d never been born.?

Vera blinked wide, innocent eyes. ?Oh, Captain, I know how much that amulet means to you, but I swear that I don?t have it. Search, if it will make you feel better. I just ask that your men clean up any mess they make.?

Rigal jerked his head to the door. ?Get to it. Leave nothing unturned.?

As four of the soldiers filed out, Captain Rigal himself searched Vera.

After a fruitless search, Rigal retired to a chair and waited.

Vera, meanwhile, straightened her apron. ?If you please, Captain, may I return to my preparations. Supper won?t cook itself.?

?You?re not getting off that easy. We?ll find it.?

She smiled. ?I?m sure you will. Excuse me. My bread is starting to burn.?

Vera used the corners of her apron to pull out loaves of perfectly baked bread from the oven. She lined them up near the window to cool, then returned to stirring her soup.

Captain Rigal?s men returned. ?Sorry, sir. No sign of it.?

Rigal exploded from the chair and grabbed Vera roughly by the scruff of her neck. ?I know you stole it, Vixen! Where is my amulet??

This time, she grabbed the heavy knife from the table where it had earlier been chopping vegetables, and pressed it against Rigal?s side through a chink in his armor.

?That is quite enough, Captain! I have meekly submitted to these unreasonable searches and you have nothing to show for it! I won?t stand for it any longer. Release me!?

Rigal dropped his paw and stepped back, allowing his armed soldiers to step between him and the fox. ?This isn?t over yet, Vera. I?ll find it.?

Supper time came and went and the vermin of the fort ate without abandon. As night fell, so did the eyelids of all the beasts in the fort.

All, but Vera.

Close to midnight, she sat on a nearby hill and watched the wood fort, ablaze now with fire. She pulled out a loaf of bread leftover from dinner and began ripping it into large chunks. With a claw, she dug out a glint of silver from the loaf, revealing a beautiful necklace with a large ruby hanging from the chain.

She dropped the ruby amulet in a bowl of water to soften the bread dough from it.

?I found your amulet, Captain Rigal,? she said in a sing-song voice.