Unexpected Guests and Lessons (October 6, 2005)

Background: A few days after Lansing's little stunt at the river, the ferret's at the bank's edge again.
This time, he gets a few unexpected visitors, and learns an unexpected lesson, too...

The River Moss
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Along this streach of the River Moss, the waters flow calmly on. As you peer
into the waters of this great river, you are able to see the fish swimming
around in slow circles near the surface of the water. Nearly all of the river
surface is shaded, though at some parts a sliver of sun peaks through. The
waters here are dark and clear, so you are able to see any trout or
greater-sized fish near the riverbed.
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Exits: [S]hrouded [P]athway, [Ca]mp [W]illow, [E]ast to [S]hore, [U]p [R]iver, [W]est to Shore, [D]own [R]iver
With:
[DYN] Belliger
[ZZZ] Aldara
[ZZZ] (Kitsuno) is at it again!
[ZZZ] (Amethyst)'s hair is dark purple.
[ZZZ] Four Eyed Mouse (Augustus)
[ZZZ] Fira
[ZZZ] Seth
[ZZZ] Racheal
[ZZZ] Nia
[ZZZ] Malli
[ZZZ] Xavius
[ZZZ] Jukka

The Dibbuns here at the camp have some free time, and so Lansing is over at the edge of the river bank, looking around on the ground for rocks. Finding a flat one, the young ferret chucks it out over the river, watching it skip once or twice.

Belliger steps out of the brush, appearing on the opposite side of the river while munching on one of those fabulous shrewcakes and carrying a pole, string, hook, and a box, presumably with bait in it.. His cheeks puff out with each chewing motion, and he plops down on the bank, turning his attention to the fishing rod, but... also noticing Lansing at the same time. "...Ahoy!" The shrew drops the pole to the bank, and raises a paw high in a wave.

Lansing looks up, and waves excitedly. "It'sa sh'oo!" he exclaims. "H'lo!"

Belliger grins at the enthusiasm of the young ferret, and chuckles, returning to baiting his hook. "Whatcha doin' out by yerself, huh?" he asks of the little hob, slipping a small insect on the hook, and standing up with pole in paw.

Lansing shakes his head, calling back. "'M not by meself!" he says, but he doesn't explain further.

Belliger dangles the pole in his paw, letting the string hang low. He considers the dibbun's response with a bit of thought, then shrugs. "Well, then, who're ye wit'?"

"'M with th' Abbey," states Lansing happily. "Allus Dibbuns are takin' a trip to Camp Willow!"

Belliger nods slowly, then casts his line out into the river. "Ahh, wit' tha Abbey." He lets out a gruff, "Aye," and watches his line move farther downstream. "Hm..." The Log-a-Log murmurs something about the current, and starts to pull his line back in. "A trip ta tha camp, ye said? Sounds like a great deal o' fun fer ya young'uns!"

Lansing bobs his head, and then watches the shrew's activity with curiosity. "Whatcha doing? 'R ya fishing?"

Belliger nods a few times, walks upstream a few paces where the water of the river gets a little darker, and then tosses out his still baited line again. "Aye! Didja ever do any fishin' afore?"

Lansing shakes his head. "Only watched some. Augy's gonna show me sometime."

"Aye? Augy." Belliger grins, watching his line. It dips a little, but he doesn't pull it back in, just watches it carefully. "Well, I guess tha best time ta learn summat like fishin' is on a campin' trip!"

Lansing looks a bit crestfallen as he watches Belliger, which he promptly explains. "I'd come over there...but th' water's awful cold. An' it looks kinda far."

Belliger hmphs, as he feels a quick tug on the hook, and gives a big tug, only to find nothing on his hook... Not even the bait. At the ferret's words, though, he perks his ears, and gets an idea. "'ey, if'n ya wanna get on over 'ere, I can come an' getcha!" He pulls in his string, and points to the logboat that's docked just upstream.

The ferret asks, hopeful, "Y'can?" He looks over and sees the logboat, and he looks excited. "'ve never rode in a boat b'fore!"

Belliger grins, nodding and laying his pole back on the bank, and working up a trot as he heads for the boat upstream. "I'll be right over in a jiffy!" he announces, untying the rope and hopping into the boat with enough momentum to take it off its banked position, sliding it out onto the river, reaching for the paddles. "Yer first boat ride, ha! It's great fun! Us Guosim shrews do it all tha time."

Lansing hops a little with joy, eager to have some fun. He calls over, "'Re you a Logalog?"

Belliger dips the paddles into the water, and rows steadily, angling his strokes upstream a little to compensate for the current. "Aye! I'd be tha Log-a-Log arright!" the shrew exclaims with pride. Pretty soon, he's nearing the bank, and lets his strokes die off a little to coast more towards the ferret.

Lansing has only heard stories about shrews; he hasn't seen shrews all that much before. "C'n I fish firs'??" he asks excitedly.

"Aye, o'course! I'll jes' show you tha ropes, an' ye can fish away!" Belliger starts paddling furiously now, dipping the paddles deep in, and running it right up onto the opposite bank, near where Lansing is. "Arright! 'op on, young 'un!" The shrew stands up in the boat, and walks towards the bank, extending a paw to help with the ferret's step.

"Jus' a sec!" Lansing runs off for a moment, and then returns with a big grin. "'dults say I c'n go!" he exclaims with joy, then reaching to grab the Log-a-Log's paw.

Belliger clasps onto Lansing's paw, and pulls him aboard, grabbing an oar and sitting down... A few rows, and they're off the bank, and heading for the other side. "Glad they letcha go, I wouldn't wanna be kidnapper, aye? Harr!"

Lansing giggles a bit as they move on the river. "Nope. Y'look too nice t'be a kidnappa!"

Belliger laughs as well, rowing over to the other side of the river, scanning for where he left his fishing pole, and aiming for that. "Now, mosta fishin' is jes patience. That's all wot ye need, really, 'ceptin' mebbe knowledge'a tha right bait, an' such."

Lansing looks around at the logboat, fascinated at how they're floating on the river without getting wet at all. He is listening to the Log-a-Log though. "Right bai'?" he asks, puzzled.

Belliger continues paddling towards the other side, more leisurely, though, letting the boat slip downstream before paddling it upstream, letting the ferret enjoy his first boat ride. "Aye. Worms, insects, other critters wot fish like ta scoff. Ye put it on yer hook an' wait fer tha fish ta bite."

You ask, "What're you usin' right now?"

Belliger smirks, both paddles digging into the water shallowly, cruising at a gentle pace to the other shore. "Righ' now, I'm usin' beetles. Never used beetles afore, so I'm seein' 'ow it works. Didja ever play wit' worms when ye were younger?"

Lansing shrugs softly. "A little bit," is his reply.

"Well, that's pritty much wot bait collectin' is!" Belliger informs the younger beast with a grin. "Rootin' through tha mud an' findin' critters fer bait." He lets the logboat near the other coast. "Get a 'old on tha boat, li'l un."

Lansing reaches with his paws and with each grasps the sides of the logboat, as Belliger bids.

With a few more powerful strokes, Belliger speeds up the boat, getting it up to a good velocity, which runs the logboat up onto the shore with a quite noticeable 'bump!' "Ah, there we are then, matey. 'ey, wot's yer name, anyways?"

Lansing's eyes widen a little as the boat picks up speed, and his grip on the boat tightens accordingly. He jerks forward a little as the boat runs aground. He almost falls backward after that. After recovering, he comments. "That was bumpy," and then grins a little and states his name. "I'm Lan-sing!"

Belliger hops on out of the boat into the shallows of the bank, extending his paw yet again to help Lansing out. "Ahoy, Lansing! Me name's Belliger, but most jes' call me Log-a-Log, on account'a it's me title."

Lansing bobs his head. "Okie, Log-a-Log," he says, grabbing a hold on Belliger's paw again.

Tug! Belliger all but launches Lansing off of the boat and onto dry ground, the shrew reaching into the boat and grabbing some rope, tying one end around the boat and the other around a surfaced root nearby, giving a few tugs to test the knot. "Well, see all this bankmud 'ere? 'ow's about we get a liddle messy findin' some worms?" the Log-a-Log offers the kit with a grin.

Lansing whees a bit as he flies off the boat and onto the shore of the side of the river opposite that of the camp. He grins right back at Belliger's proposal. "Yay!" He goes right to work, starting to dig a small hole in the mud with his paws.

Belliger gets on his own knees, and digs his paws into the mud, looking for worms, insects, or any other manner of critter that could be used as bait. Lots of fun, slippery, sloshy mud is tossed within a short radius as the shrew searches for some unfortunate ground-dweller. :P

Lansing can be seen tugging lightly on something, and his grimy paw then holds up a worm. "How 'bout this?" he asks with a proud smile.

Belliger lifts his paws out of the mud, and points one slimy finger at the ferret. "That'll do, Lansing! That'll do jes' fine." Dipping his paws into the water and washing them off, he goes to retrieve his fishing pole. "Jes' hold onta it fer a bit more," he requests, as he returns with the pole, and starts to gather up the line.

Lansing's other paw comes under the one holding the worm, so he can catch the worm, should it slip out of his grasp. "'Kay!" For now, he just watches it wriggle.

Belliger holds the string close to the hook, and grins, watching the worm. "Arright, now Lansing. What I wantcha ta do is wrap tha worm 'round tha middle parta tha hook, an' then spear it right on one'a tha tips... Careful not ta poke yerself, aye?"

Leonidas has arrived.

Lansing nods a bit, and carefully wraps the worm around the hook, and very slowly spearing it on the hook without any injury to himself. "There," says the Dibbun. "Like that?"

The Log-a-Log winks. "Aye Lans, tha's th' ticket! Now 'ere." He reaches to place the fishing rod in the young ferret's paws. "I'm gonna show ye how to cast th' hook. Just hold it tight like tha', will ye?"

Lansing rinses off his paws in the river, quickly shaking off the cold water and drying them off on his pants before taking the fishing rod in his paws. "Okay!" he says, still smiling.

A young fox lad appears on the edge of the shore, clad in rather fine looking garments. It's only a white tunic and long black pants, but they're made of fine materials, with silver thread embroidered around the collar and sleeve edges. He's well groomed, as well, with not a hair out of place. Leonidas is carefully picking his way, avoiding the mud patches. A rat guard armed with a sword trails behind him.

Belliger carefully lets the line drop to the ground, making sure the worm is still snugly fit on the hook. He crouches behind Lansing, and gently grabs the arm with the fishing pole in it. "Now, whatcha wanna do is jus' tilt yer arm real far back, like this..." He gives a gentle tug to the ferret's arm, starting his movement backwards but not forcing it at all. The fox and rat have yet to be noticed.

Leonidas draws closer, not showing even the tiniest hint of a slouch in his walk. Upon stopping, his shoulders pull back just slightly as his paws clasp behind his back. His chin tilts upward a fraction, and he watches the two with an almost solemn expression on his face. The rat guard halts just behind him.

Lansing lets the shrew guide his movements at the moment. "Ok," he says, waiting for Belliger to proceed. Since the shrew's the one doing the work for his arms, he casually glances around them, and in the process he spots Leonidas and the rat behind him. The sight brings a puzzled, rather than fearful, look to the young ferret's face. "Who're they?" he says softly to Belliger, thinking the shrew has already spotted them.

The Log-a-Log is about to continue the instruction, when Lansing asks about the beasts that had yet to be seen by the shrew. "Ah, 'old a bit, matey," he mutters, still cheerfully, to the ferret, before standing and turning to the fox and rat. "Ahoy, there!" His paw arcs high in a wave.

Lansing continues to hold the fishing rod, a puzzled look still on his faces as he watches the other pair.

Leonidas's solemn expression promptly trades for a smile. His tone has a clear note of education, despite his age, "Greetings. Would you mind if I inquire as to whether you're from Redwall or elsewhere?"

Belliger blinks for a few seconds, then shuffles with a grin. "Well, aye! This liddle un here's from tha good ole abbey. Meself, I'm from all 'round Mossflower!" he answers heartily. "Why d'ya ask?"

Leonidas says, "I heard Redwall is hosting an event for children my age, and I was hoping I could join them."

Lansing holds the fishing rod in one paw, while pointing to the opposite shore with the other, in the particular direction of what looks like a campfire on the other side. "They're ova there." The puzzled look fades to a smile, at the prospect of another young one to join the 'party'. He waves a little, saying "I'm Lans'!"

Belliger nods to the pair, smiling broadly. "I can't speak for 'em, but..." He watches Lansing greet the other young creature, and shrugs. "I really don' think they'd mind another body on tha little trip. Though, as tha tyke said, it's 'cross tha river. I'd be 'appy ta take ya across, but I'm in tha middle of a fishin' lesson." He smirks, gesturing to the fishing rod.

Leonidas asks, "Might I watch?"

The faintest hint of a shy smile appears toward Lansing from the tod. "...And, I apologize. I'm Leonidas."

Lansing bobs his head. "Nice ta meet ya. Yea, you c'n watch!" He then offers, "Wanna try it after me?"

Belliger shakes his head, spreading his paws wide. "I don't see any problem in ye watchin'... Silent type, aye?" he prompts the rat behind Leonidas, with a chuckle, before he crouches behind Lansing again. "Ready, Lansing? Now, yer gonna 'ave ta stand nice an' straight fer me so ye can get a good cast..."

The rat shrugs moodily. Leonidas looks hesitant, "Me, try it?"

Lansing stands straight for Belliger, in the meantime telling Leonidas, "If y' want?"

"Arright." Belliger casts a friendly glance at Leonidas, nodding. "Aye, yer free ta try if'n ye want, after Lansing 'ere!" He crouches again, and draws Lansing's arm back. "So, wot I wantcha ta do is fling tha rod forward really fast, an' don't stop 'till the rod's level with yer shoulder. Now..." The shrew steps out of the way, so he doesn't get hooked. "Give 'er a try!"

Lansing gives a soft, kinda squeaky "Umph" (typical for somebeast his age) as his arms fling forward to around the level Belliger asked, and the hook flies forward into the river.

Leonidas makes one slow nod, but lapses into silence. He's watching.

Merdez has arrived.

Belliger claps his paws together a few times after watching the hook and line fly through the air, worm bait in tow. "Very good! Now... Ye might not get a bite quite yet, but it was a fine first cast! Shoulda been born a shrew, aye!"

Lansing makes a wide smile at Belliger's complement. "T'anks," he says as he watches the hook fly and eventually plink into the river. Sort of mimicking what he saw Belliger doing earlier, the dibbun ferret sits down on the drier edge of the riverbank, waiting patiently to see if something bites.

Merdez is preceded by a pair of guards in black and red, who seem to be having more trouble with the wilderness hike than Merdez himself, who makes his way over the roots and underbrush with a fair degree of ease, his left paw resting on the pommel of his sword, otterfur cloak brushing the tips of the weeds.

Leonidas's ears flick at the crunching sound of several footsteps. He turns, and a delighted smile promptly appears on the young lad's face, "Father!"

Lansing is just idly waiting around, holding the fishing rod. He hears Leonidas' statement, and turns to see Merdez and more guards. That puzzled look returns to his face.

"Now, tha wait. I'm not sure there'll be any bitin' fish, but ye can always 'ope..." Belliger's ears flick, and he turns his head towards where Leonidas is looking, and... stands up straight again. "Ahoy!" That same greeting, along with the familiar wide, tall arc of his paw is given to the oncoming beasts.

Merdez smiles as he spots Leonidas, saying something in a low tone to the guards who salute and halt in their tracks. The foxlord nods to Bellinger, but heads for Leonidas first and foremost, motioning for him to come close, "Blood of my blood, I hope you didn't think I wasn't going to see you off."

Leonidas heads rather quickly toward his father, though a mudpuddle is carefully stepped around. A hug is offered, wide smile still present, "I thought you were busy."

Lansing watches Merdez for a moment and, hearing what he says to Leonidas, doesn't look all tha much puzzled now as he understands what the elder fox is saying to the younger. His father saw him off as well. He looks back to the fishing line in the river, waiting.

Belliger gives a little smile at the heartwarming father-son moment. Aww. Of course, he turns away, out of respect, or something else. He -obviously- takes in how well-dressed the other beasts are, so if somebeast were to be looking, they would notice. But, he simply watches where the string meets water. The current isn't too strong at this point, so there isn't too much strain on the rod.

Merdez bends down to hug Leonidas, hoisting him up for a moment, then setting him down, straightening, "A beast should never be too busy for Family. Your mother would doubtless be here as well, but she has her paws full at the moment, with your sibling to be..." he glances around, "Perhaps we could take a brief walk. I'd like to speak to you about what this..." he indicates the scene, "Should be seen as."

Leonidas's eyes turn questioningly toward the campsite. Then, however, he gives a nod, "Of course, Father."

One of Lansing's ears raises briefly at what Merdez says. He continues watching the line in the river, and asks Belliger (softly for Merdez and Leonidas' sake), "How d'you know when a fish bites?"

"Well, yer gonna..." Belliger casts a glance to the side to Merdez and Leonidas. "Yer gonna feel a real sharp tug on tha pole. Ye'll know when ye've got a bite, believe me. What ye do then is grip tha pole in both paws, and tug back -real 'ard.- Wot ye wanna do's try an' draw tha fish ta jump outta tha water, an' when it does, ye wanna give the pole a nice pull back, so's it flies t'wards ya. If there's too much slack 'n tha line, walk back'a bit. An' just keep doing alla tha', and ye should get it."

Merdez turns from the campsite, paws clasping behind him, "Come, my son. This shouldn't be long."

Merdez leaves with: Leonidas
Merdez has left.
Leonidas has left.

Lansing nods his head. And almost as if on cue, a sharp tug nearly yanks the rod out of the ferret's paws. "Woah!" His grip tightens quickly, but the force of whatever's pulling is slowly pulling him closer to the edge of the bank, as he tries to do what Belliger said and pull back.

Belliger watches Merdez leave off, a little puzzled... So, he doesn't notice Lansing start to be drug towards the river. "Hmm." He turns around slowly, watching the line... "Lansing, ye've got a bite--" He cuts himself off, as he turns to the ferret, and realizes that Lansing's probably already realized that. "Er, 'old still, dig yer footpaws inta tha ground!"

Lansing digs his footpaws in deep, but even with that, he's not gaining much ground, if any at all. "..Mus' be big!" grunts the little one as he's trying really hard to keep his grip on the rod and not lose ground.

Belliger seems hesitant to go help the ferret, seeing as he's teaching him how to fish, not doing it for him... But seeing as he's gonna get pulled into the river any second now, he caves and rushes behind Lansing. "Jes' 'old onta tha pole." And what he does next may take Lansing by surprise... He actually picks the ferret up, and digs his own claws into the ground.

Lansing continues to grunt as he pulls on the rod, which grunting changes to a "..Rrgghhh..g-uuhh?", his eyes widening a little in surprise as he's picked up by Belliger. Nevertheless, he doesn't let go, and he shouts, "Look!" as he sees something splashing on the surface of the river.

Belliger grins as he's got a nice foothold on the ground, and leans backward, walking and carrying Lansing with him. "If ye see it come above tha water, give a real sharp tug, arright?" He enthusiastically smiles, walking slowly backwards, trying to just lure the fish onto the shore by dragging it.

The ferret focuses and tugs sharply as some more splashing comes to the surface of the river, which gives the little one some slack on the line. "Rrmph!" he grunts as he tugs.

Belliger continues to just tug the ferret backwards... But it's just now that the comedy of the situation hits him, and he starts laughing as he does so, steadily moving backwards. "Is it outta tha water yet?"

Merdez arrives from up river.
Merdez has arrived.
Leonidas has arrived.
Merdez arrives with: Leonidas

"Can see lotsa splashin'!" Lansing says quickly as he maintains his grip. Out of it all, the ferret can spy out a trout that's on the bigger end of small. He quickly tugs again, leaving the two with more slack.

Belliger is on much more firm ground now, and so he puts the ferret down. "Now, dig your footclaws in, and get it tha resta tha way yerself, Lansing!" He grins and watches the mustelid, backing up from him to give him room.

Merdez walks in with his son, paws still clasped behind him, eyes seeking. He spots the commotion by the riverbank, ears perking. He glances to Leonidas, "And there are also some practical skills you'll likely learn as well." he says, with a smile.

Lansing continues to tug, teeth gritting and the little muscles in his arms sticking out a bit as he slowly but surely gains ground on his catch. Finally, the said trout flops onto the riverbank, while the ferret cries, "Woaah!" again as he falls down, since the trout isn't tugging anymore. In the process, he let go of the rod, but he quickly gets up and dives back to the ground, regaining his grip on the rod. He's not letting this one get away.

Belliger clenches his fists together, silently cheering on the ferret on his first attempt and first catch of his life. A smile grows across his face as he gets the fish ashore, then he grimaces as he drops the rod... And again, he grins and almost jumps as Lansing gets the rod again. "Pull 'er on away from tha bank, Lans!"

Lansing gets back up with the rod in both paws and gives it a good jerk, bringing the fish far enough on land that its chances of escaping back to the river are about nil. He sets the rod down, a somewhat comical scene now unfolding as the ferret tries to get a grip on the slippery fish. "Can' hold it!" he sort of complains in his attempts that are so far proving futile. Eventually, he uses his small claws to get both paws tightly on the fish, which is still flopping in his grip. He then just beams, proclaiming proudly, "I got it!!"

Belliger chuckles as he watches the ferret attempt to get his paws on the fish, and shakes his head, his arms crossing over his chest. "Careful ya don't cut yerself on tha hook there," he warns, but seems confident that he'll be safe, grinning. "Well, ye got yer first catch! Ye did well!" He claps again for the ferret, a little more meaningfully this time.

Merdez heads towards Belliger, now that the struggle is over. He watches the fish with some bemusement, "When you've time, sirrah shrew, I would like a word or two."

Lansing has a grin from ear to ear over his accomplishment. Then, he stares at the fish in its throes a bit blankly. "What do I do with it now?" he asks.

Merdez's brows lift, and his lips quirk in a small smile, "Might I step in for a moment, sirrah shrew?" he inquires, lightly.

Belliger grins at Lansing, and walks towards him. "Well... Ye jus' wait 'till it stops floppin' 'round like that." Cause he's not so sure that he wants the kid to witness the gutting of a fish, heh. "I'd say tha's a good-sized fish, aye! Ye could bring it back ta yer camp an' show it off, an' eat it!" As Merdez steps forward, though, his attention is caught, and he turns to Merdez, still with that proud grin. "Aye?"

Lansing holds it out for Leonidas to see in the meantime. "W'nna see?"

Merdez steps up, "A large fish like this, a fine catch if you will permit me to say, young sir ferret, shouldn't be left to flop about. There is a trick to it..." he unclasps his cloak, tossing it onto a nearby shrub, "May I see the fish?"

"...Erm." Belliger holds up a claw, but decides not to interfere, wondering just what the fox had in mind. He turns to the guards and gives them a small wave, grinning a little.

Lansing brings the still-hooked fish over to Merdez, which is still twitching just a little. "Okay.." he says, holding it up for Merdez to take, looking mystified as he doesn't know what the fox has in mind either.

Merdez takes the fish, kneeling, and holding it between his forearms, paws on either side of it's fishy head, "If you want to eat the fish, the quickest way to get it to be still and at rest is this..." he places his thumbs just behind the fish's eyes on each side, then sharply jabs in on both sides. The fish stops moving almost at once. Merdez withdraws his claws, "Quick and merciful. Better than waiting... I learned that during my exile." he offers the fish back to Lansing, "Be proud of this. It is no mean feat to catch a meal. That is one of the most primal of quests."

OH! So he's just gonna snuff the thing out right in front of the kid's eyes. Belliger's jaw drops a little, and he blinks in disbelief... But then, he just shrugs. Oh, well. "...Aye, guess that woulda worked, too..." he mumbles, turning to the guards again. Still dead as ever.

Lansing flinches slightly at Merdez's sudden movement in ending the fish's life. He takes the fish back in his paws, staring at it for a moment, looking a little confused as he beholds a very stark contrast to what he was dealing with just minutes ago. The ferret is unsure what to say in reply. For one thing, Merdez's words that follow are just a little bit over his head. And sure, he went through a lot of trouble to get the fish to begin with, but the young one never really had any thoughts about what to do with it once he did catch it. Certainly not killing it in the manner the fox did. Finally, he looks up smiles back faintly, saying "Thanks."

Merdez dips his head, "Be thankful as you eat it," he says, "And remember to be merciful even to the merest of creatures. Stars guide you, young one..." he turns towards Belliger, paws clasping behind him again, "Now, sirrah shrew... that word?"

"Aye." Belliger responds immediately, glancing over Lansing to see just how well he took that. Well... dumbed silence is better than crying and wailing, eh? "Wot'd ye need, sir?"

Lansing sits down on the bank's edge, still silent as he mulls over Merdez's words and continues to stare blankly at the now-dead fish. He sniffs at it curiously.

Merdez stoops to take up his fur cloak again, sweeping it around his shoulders and fastening the clasp, "Are you the director of this particular expedition?" he inquires, getting to the point more or less at once.

Belliger follows Merdez, turning his body with him as the fox moves. At the question, he's left staring blankly for a few seconds, before he realizes what he's talking about, and shakes his head. "No, no, sir, I jes' happened upon Lansing 'ere while doin' some fishin'. Why d'ye ask?"

Merdez's brows rise slightly, then nods, "I see," he says, "But will you be speaking to the directors any time soon?"

Belliger gives Merdez a hesitant shrug. "Can't really say either way, sir. If'n I run into 'em, I can give 'em a message fer ye, if'n ye want," he offers, his voice turning up in question on the last few syllables.

"Augy, 'methyst an' Kessy 're the adults ova there," pipes up Lansing as he points to the other side of the river. "I c'n talk to 'em, too?" volunteers the little Redwaller.

Merdez glances about to Lansing, ears perking, "Augustus, Amethyst and Kestrel?" he says, brow rising. He smiles slightly, "Indeed, I would that you would give them a letter..." he reaches into his leather satchel and takes out a sealed letter. He pauses for a moment, "What is your name, young hob?"

"Lan-sing," responds the young ferret.

Seeing as he's not really needed at the moment, the shrew's eyes go right for the guards again. Rocking on his heels, he raises his brow high, and gives them a grin. Heh.

Merdez holds the letter out to Lansing, "Well met, young Lansing. And I am Merdez Soulslash. My son is Leonidas. I hope you two will find some friendship in each other."

Lansing takes the letter in one paw, still holding the dead trout in the other. At the mention of Merdez's son, he looks over at the younger fox and gives a greeting smile. "H'lo." He'd wave if he had a free paw.

Leonidas had lapsed into utter silence. A small smile is returned to Lansing, however.

Merdez turns, nods a small nod to Bellinger, and motions for the guards to fall in line. He goes to his son, eyes on his, "Stars guide you, blood of my blood. Return to your mother and I safe and stronger for the experience." he bends down to places a benedictory kiss on Leonidas's head.

Leonidas smiles, reaching to give Merdez one last hug, "I will, Father."

Merdez has left.

Lansing looks over in the direction of the camp across the river, able to see the glowing fire. He looks at the fish, and then to the Log-a-Log. "Should get back to th' camp.."

Belliger smirks to Lansing. "Aye, don't want tha abbeybeasts ta be worried 'bout ya. Nice catch!" He nods to the ferret, and heads back to the logboat. "Wanna hop on in, then? Mebbe try an' get in by yerself this time," he suggests, stepping backwards in the boat to give him room.

Lansing bobs his head at Belliger, and hops on in. Leonidas follows, the pair of Dibbuns settling in the boat while Belliger undoes the moorings of the logboat. Soon the three are off across the river as the Log-a-Log paddles. And before the young ferret knows it, they are on the other side. He gives the Log-a-Log a parting wave while the shrew heads back the way he came. And so the ferret and fox return to the camp. As Lansing goes however, he can't help but pass a stare at the dead fish he has in one paw, and Merdez's letter in the other. His brow furrows a little in thought over the manner in which the fish's life was ended. His feelings are mixed, but for now, the happiness over his first catch and the prospect of a meal, prevail in his thoughts. Still, the other end of the spectrum is more than likely going to remain in the back of his mind for a while.