The Good Fight

[Robert Rosequill]

Robert closed the door to Old Hriston's cabin, leaving the much older hare in charge of Scully's safety during Atlas's barbaric crusade for pirate blood.

As much as I like the lad, Hriston's not got much else to do but dibbunsit.

As Robert walked down the hallway below deck, the claustrophobic atmosphere started getting to the sailor, pressing into Robert from all around with each step he took. The wood paneled walls blurred in on themselves, creating a dizzying stretch of room that Robert was beginning to struggle down. The walls felt like they were closing in on the hedgehog, choking him and filling his lungs with its stuffiness.

"I need some air. . ." Robert gasped to himself.

The hedgehog stumbled across the planks, paws on the walls to steady his footpaws.  Robert raced to his quarters, trying his hardest not to bump into the soldiers rushing upwards to the main deck. The sailor wrenched open his door and kicked aside various instruments in a mad dash to his porthole on the far side of his cabin. The hedgehog swung it open and shoved his snout out into the night, breathing in the outside and letting the smells and the cool air flood over him like a crashing wave.

What crazy mess are we about to get into 'cause of you, Atlas? Robert thought. You're sending beasts to die against these pirates for no reason. We could have jus' sailed around 'em, no fuss. The Zephyr be fast enough. The hedgehog sighed. At least this way that lil' ratmaid be fine for now.

That Atlas done lost his bloomin? senses, goin' to kill that poor lil? ratmaid, Robert growled to himself, thinking back to the young rat?s near brush with death. Ain?t nothin? she do wrong ?cept steal a bit o? grub. That ain?t no crime worth?n an execution. Robert grunted, realization striking. Our Lord Atlas needs to be taken down a peg. Afore anybeast else gets caught up in that badger's madness.

These mutinous thoughts muddled his brain for the longest time, until suddenly the entire ship rattled and shook. The Zephyr had struck the oncoming pirate vessel again.

The collision left Robert sprawled out on the floor of his room. As the hedgehog struggled to his footpaws he heard shouting above deck.  Suddenly, familiar cries of pain erupted from the beasts aboard the enemy vessel as battle commenced between the pirates and Waverunners. Robert scrabbled to his footpaws, listening in horror as he heard what was most certainly his fellow crewbeasts getting cut down by the far more experienced corsairs.

This is all that bleedin' lunatic badger's fault! Robert shouted to himself. Ain't nobeast here ready to deal with this insanity!

The hedgehog peeked out his porthole once more, straining to look out to the pirate ship's deck. It was to no avail, however. His tiny window taunted him by only barely showing him the name of the ship: The Silver Maiden. Cursing to himself, Robert slammed the window shut.

I can't go up there. Robert thought. I'd only be gettin' in the way. But after only the briefest of pauses, the hedgehog raced to his door anyway, wrenching it open and making his way up to the main deck. He was barely halfway there before he saw two beasts running towards him, carrying an unmoving body. Robert realized the squirrel was Ricken, an arrow protruding from his chest. He had spoken to the young squirrel just this morning about breakfast. He was barely twenty seasons. Brow furrowed, Robert ran faster and with more determination in each step.

Once he reached the main deck, the hedgehog swiftly scanned the ship. Most of the Waverunner crew was on the pirate vessel by now, but Robert saw many had never even made it off the Zephyr before meeting their fates by any number of things. Noticing a shrew moaning to his left, the hedgehog hurried to his side. The shrew, a usually quiet beast named Morton, was curled in a ball, holding his head.

"Eh now, don' you worry lil' buddy, I gotcha."  Robert bent down to try and pick the shrew up, but the hedgehog's own arms wouldn't cooperate.

Come on now, he's just a tiny lil' thing! Robert grunted, and tried to drag the poor beast, but Morton howled in pain as he tried. Cursing, Robert looked around for anybeast who could help. He noticed two other hedgehogs, each struggling with the rigging on the ship.

"Ahoy! Willy, Bilford!"Robert shouted. The two hedgehogs glanced over to Robert, still very much invested in the rigging. "Ain't no time for that, now, beasts be dyin' out here! Help this'n out, he be needin' it!" A look of sudden realization on the two beast's faces, they hastily made their way over. They each gingerly hoisted one end of the shrew into the air, careful not to move him too quickly.

"Thank you muchly, friends!" Robert smiled in relief.  "Just bring the fella to Crue an' she'll be fixin' him up right."

Bilford frowned a bit. "An' whatchu fixin' to do now, Rob? Ain't you comin' wit us?"

Robert's face fell, a dark seriousness seeping into his eyes. "I be needed over in the fight, you see. Them younguns ain't ready for all this nonsense that badger's got us in."

Willy frowned this time. "But ain't you just the navigator there, Rob?"

"Aye, I be the navigator," Robert said, a familiar gleam in his eyes, "but ain't nobeast jus' one thing."

With that, Robert left the three beasts and bounded across the deck towards The Silver Maiden. Armed with nothing but a battlecry, he leaped onto the enemy ship. Landing painfully wrong, the hedgehog winced as he started to hobble across the deck towards two beasts he found nearby, locking blades. A burly wildcat was chopping with his cutlass at a young hare soldier. Robert recognized the hare as Berek. The usually spirited young lad was now wide-eyed with fear as he fought back at the wildcat with wild swings of his sword.

?Tuck ?n roll, Berek!? Robert shouted to the hare, ignoring the pain in his footpaw as he barreled towards the beasts. Berek immediately dodged to the side just as the hedgehog smashed into the pirate with all of his weight. The wildcat dropped his cutlass as he tumbled, which Robert snatched off the ground and thrusted into the prone beast?s chest. The usual gut-wrenching gurgle of pain erupted from the wildcat?s mouth, and Robert ripped the cutlass right back out, ending the poor beast?s life. The hedgehog turned to Berek, out of breath.

?Try an' avoid the bigger fellas, boyo,? Robert panted. ?They?re size an? skill is jus' too much for you to be competin' with.? Berek, mouth open wide and gasping as well, nodded. Robert nodded, then whirled around to scan the deck. Underneath the burning sails of the ship, many good soldiers were already dead on the ground, drenching it with their pools of blood. Several pirates were dead, too, but not enough to feel any sort of sick victory just yet. As he thought this, two ferrets came rushing towards the hedgehog and the hare. One was wearing an eyepatch, the other a snarl.

?Berek, take the one with the eyepatch!? Robert shouted. ?Focus on his blindside, you?ll be puttin? him on the defense!? The hedgehog then charged for the snarling ferret with the dead cat?s cutlass, and swung in an arc towards the ferret?s middle. Leaping back, the ferret then lunged for Robert?s heart with his own blade. The attack was an obvious one, and Robert instinctively ducked to the side, but he wasn't fast enough and his shoulder was nicked in the process. Gritting his teeth in pain, the hedgehog came in close for another strike. The ferret was prepared for the sword, however, so the hedgehog socked him in the snout with his free paw. Yowling in pain, the pirate staggered back and Robert finished him with a lunge to the chest. Not bothering to retrieve his own cutlass from the corpse, he steals the dying ferret?s. He then spun around desperately to check on Berek.

The young hare was faring well. He was unrelenting in his swings, and the ferret struggled to keep balance under the barrage of blows. Finally, the ferret slipped on the blood-slick deck and Berek took the chance, running the pirate through the heart. Robert couldn't contain a whoop of relief.

"Great work, me boyo! We may jus' get through this yet!" Berek turned to Robert, a look of pride splayed across the young hare's face. As he opened his mouth to shout back some of his own words of victory, a sword blade wedged itself into the back of the hare's skull with a sickening thunk. The hare crumpled to the ground.  A scrawny stoat flashed a grin of sick glee as he dislodged his sword.

Robert's heart dropped to the floor and his breath caught short in his throat. The hedgehog gritted his teeth. Glaring into the stoat's eyes, the hedgehog charged forward, swinging his cutlass. The scrawny beast, now with a face full off horror, twisted around to flee.

"Don' you dare run, you flea-bitten coward!" Robert bellowed, leaping the gap and burying his own sword into the stoat's spine, bringing the pirate down. Without second thought, Robert crouched next to Berek's lifeless body. Looking upon the young hare's face, the hedgehog saw it was still frozen in that small moment of victory. 

Robert could feel the emotion rising in his chest."Hey now, you bring that pride with'n you to the Dark Forest, you hear? You earned it, lad." Reaching down, Robert picked up the hare's sword. The old sailor rose once more for the battle, searching the deck for his fellow crewmates.

I cain't stop 'em from dyin', Robert thought. But I sure as 'Gates can make their dyin' mean somethin'.