Post by Morgan Pendragon on Dec 14, 2008 22:31:25 GMT -5
Reynard smirked. He was on his way to a life of fortune and ease. There was just one test left, and he was just about to pass it. He hardly dared to breathe as he loaded the last bit of gold onto the hardly seaworthy vessel his captain laughingly called Lady Fortune. There. He sighed a bit in relief. He was going to get away with it.
A cloud moved out from in front of the moon. The resulting moonbeam sparkled on something shiny. The greediness in Reynard's soul focused on it immediately. The largest ruby Reynard had ever seen rested beside the captain's head. His eyes glinted. He was the stealthiest member of the crew after all. It would be nothing to sneak up and pluck the stone from the captain. His smirked grew and stretched into a sickly grin. Reynard was an ill man, and that ruby was the only cure.
Silently, he stole through the beachfront camp. Just one last stone, and then Reynard would be home free. Most bum chums thought this island was haunted, and the most superstitious ones wouldn't even sail close enough to see a signal fire.
Reynard placed his feet surely, yet cautiously as he drew ever closer to his goal. He could feel his heart hammering away in his chest, and for one mad moment he feared the captain would hear. His fingers closed around the smooth hardness of the stone.
It was his!
In that glorious moment, he forgot himself entirely, and he let out a loud whoop of joy. Then, realizing what he had done, his eyes grew wide with fear, and he stufffed the ruby in his pocket, and grabbed the arm of another crew member, as the bum chums around him stirred.
"I caught him, Cap'n! I caught him!" The crew member he'd grabbed was a newbie, untried and untrusted. His confusion quickly dissolved into fright as he grasped the situation. Poor lad. "He's been theiving! He was going to maroon us all here!" Reynard continued his ranting, adding crimes and allegations to the boy's list of offences as his voice rose into a cresendo of agitated noise.
The Captain, a fierce, imposing, man, ugly and disfigured, with hair as black as his soul, and missing one eye and part of his ear, scowled at being awakened. The grimace deepened from annoyance to rage as he too began to understand the scene before him.
"Silence, R'nard, or I'll shut ye up meself!" Reynard's mouth closed automatically. No one disobeyed the captain. Moonlight shone off of the lesser man's bald head. His squinty grayish eyes were locked on the captain. "Now, if'n ye can speak without bleatin' like a nanny goat, would ye tell me what the devil is going on?" Reynard swallowed compulsively. The lad he'd grabbed wimpered like a wounded dog.
Reynard sniffed, his ratlike nose trembling. "Well, Sir, It was Akakios, the new fellow, Sir. I caught him red-handed theiving. He'd loaded up the ship with ev'ry bit o' shine on this island, but that weren't enough for im, Sir." Reynard's hand reluctantly plunged into his pocket. He stroked the stone once before pulling it out of his pocket. "I, uh, took this from im." He held the shining gem in the air, before holding it out to the captain.
The dark man took it. Enraged, he tore it from Reynard's grip. "He Did Wha!?" The captain's rage was terrible, and many of the crew shrank away, including Reynard. At this, the lad seemed to regain his voice, and he stood strainght and true before the captain.
"Please, Sir, it's not true." His face was calm, his stance was unafraid, but the tiniest tremor had worked its way into his voice. He took a breath, courage gathering behind his seagreen eyes. "I did not steal from you, Sir. That is the God's honest truth."
The Captain's eye flicked from man to man, as if evaluating each one's story. "If ye didn't take it, lad, then who did?"
"Well, Sir, not to offend, but I think you should consider whose pocket you found it in. If I had really taken it, and Reynard caught me as my hand closed around it, wouldn't it have still been on my person?"
The Captain turned on Reynard. "Mr. Reynard, the boy has a point. Why was me ruby in yer pocket?" Reynard paled.
"Well, I, uh, took it from him. The boy can't be trusted. He talks nonsense. When I caught him, I took the gem."
Another shining glint, only this one was not one that inspired greed in Reynard.It was the point of a cutlass. "I don't tolerate liars OR theives in me crew, Reynard. And ye just told me ye took me gem." Reynard's face paled further. If there was any blood left in his body, it was all pooled in his feet.
"Sir! No! Please, Sir!" Reynard's fearful pleas were drowned out by the cries of his crewmates.
"Silence!" That one word brought a crashing silence down in the night. Not so much as an insect stirred to disturb the quiet. Even the beeze stopped, as if its whispered rustlings through the scrubby trees would bring upon it the captain's wrath. "Paul Reynard! You stand accused of theiving, lying and attempted desertion. Your punishment is a duel with me."
Reynard sqeaked, a small, pathetic sound that fit his appearance. He had put everything into his stealth. The whole crew knew he was not much of a fighter. He felt something cold as death and his hand closed around it. It was the hilt of a sword. It felt foreign and oddly heavy. The crew ringed him and the captain, and the duel began.
As Reynard watched the Lady Fortune set sail, he cried out, but the craft pulled steadily away. As it shrank to an indecernable spot on the horizon, Reynard pulled out his pistol. A crack like thunder sounded as rain fell to wash the blood out of the sand.
A cloud moved out from in front of the moon. The resulting moonbeam sparkled on something shiny. The greediness in Reynard's soul focused on it immediately. The largest ruby Reynard had ever seen rested beside the captain's head. His eyes glinted. He was the stealthiest member of the crew after all. It would be nothing to sneak up and pluck the stone from the captain. His smirked grew and stretched into a sickly grin. Reynard was an ill man, and that ruby was the only cure.
Silently, he stole through the beachfront camp. Just one last stone, and then Reynard would be home free. Most bum chums thought this island was haunted, and the most superstitious ones wouldn't even sail close enough to see a signal fire.
Reynard placed his feet surely, yet cautiously as he drew ever closer to his goal. He could feel his heart hammering away in his chest, and for one mad moment he feared the captain would hear. His fingers closed around the smooth hardness of the stone.
It was his!
In that glorious moment, he forgot himself entirely, and he let out a loud whoop of joy. Then, realizing what he had done, his eyes grew wide with fear, and he stufffed the ruby in his pocket, and grabbed the arm of another crew member, as the bum chums around him stirred.
"I caught him, Cap'n! I caught him!" The crew member he'd grabbed was a newbie, untried and untrusted. His confusion quickly dissolved into fright as he grasped the situation. Poor lad. "He's been theiving! He was going to maroon us all here!" Reynard continued his ranting, adding crimes and allegations to the boy's list of offences as his voice rose into a cresendo of agitated noise.
The Captain, a fierce, imposing, man, ugly and disfigured, with hair as black as his soul, and missing one eye and part of his ear, scowled at being awakened. The grimace deepened from annoyance to rage as he too began to understand the scene before him.
"Silence, R'nard, or I'll shut ye up meself!" Reynard's mouth closed automatically. No one disobeyed the captain. Moonlight shone off of the lesser man's bald head. His squinty grayish eyes were locked on the captain. "Now, if'n ye can speak without bleatin' like a nanny goat, would ye tell me what the devil is going on?" Reynard swallowed compulsively. The lad he'd grabbed wimpered like a wounded dog.
Reynard sniffed, his ratlike nose trembling. "Well, Sir, It was Akakios, the new fellow, Sir. I caught him red-handed theiving. He'd loaded up the ship with ev'ry bit o' shine on this island, but that weren't enough for im, Sir." Reynard's hand reluctantly plunged into his pocket. He stroked the stone once before pulling it out of his pocket. "I, uh, took this from im." He held the shining gem in the air, before holding it out to the captain.
The dark man took it. Enraged, he tore it from Reynard's grip. "He Did Wha!?" The captain's rage was terrible, and many of the crew shrank away, including Reynard. At this, the lad seemed to regain his voice, and he stood strainght and true before the captain.
"Please, Sir, it's not true." His face was calm, his stance was unafraid, but the tiniest tremor had worked its way into his voice. He took a breath, courage gathering behind his seagreen eyes. "I did not steal from you, Sir. That is the God's honest truth."
The Captain's eye flicked from man to man, as if evaluating each one's story. "If ye didn't take it, lad, then who did?"
"Well, Sir, not to offend, but I think you should consider whose pocket you found it in. If I had really taken it, and Reynard caught me as my hand closed around it, wouldn't it have still been on my person?"
The Captain turned on Reynard. "Mr. Reynard, the boy has a point. Why was me ruby in yer pocket?" Reynard paled.
"Well, I, uh, took it from him. The boy can't be trusted. He talks nonsense. When I caught him, I took the gem."
Another shining glint, only this one was not one that inspired greed in Reynard.It was the point of a cutlass. "I don't tolerate liars OR theives in me crew, Reynard. And ye just told me ye took me gem." Reynard's face paled further. If there was any blood left in his body, it was all pooled in his feet.
"Sir! No! Please, Sir!" Reynard's fearful pleas were drowned out by the cries of his crewmates.
"Silence!" That one word brought a crashing silence down in the night. Not so much as an insect stirred to disturb the quiet. Even the beeze stopped, as if its whispered rustlings through the scrubby trees would bring upon it the captain's wrath. "Paul Reynard! You stand accused of theiving, lying and attempted desertion. Your punishment is a duel with me."
Reynard sqeaked, a small, pathetic sound that fit his appearance. He had put everything into his stealth. The whole crew knew he was not much of a fighter. He felt something cold as death and his hand closed around it. It was the hilt of a sword. It felt foreign and oddly heavy. The crew ringed him and the captain, and the duel began.
As Reynard watched the Lady Fortune set sail, he cried out, but the craft pulled steadily away. As it shrank to an indecernable spot on the horizon, Reynard pulled out his pistol. A crack like thunder sounded as rain fell to wash the blood out of the sand.