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 Posted: Wed Nov 10, 2010 9:23 pm
Damshe Ralke sat in his car, staring out at the rising sun and the forest scene that it illuminated. He rolled down the window and breathed in the fresh morning air. He exhaled with a satisfied sigh. Today seemed like a beautiful day for drawing.
Opening the glove box, Damshe raffled through various papers, odds, and ends in an attempt to locate his sketchbook and pencil. However, this time around he was unable to locate either one successfully. Frowning, Damshe began dumping items out of his glove box to see if they were buried further back. He ended up with a large pile of junk in the passenger seat and no sketchbook or pencil.
Damshe sighed as his eyes roved over the pile of useless items.
"Maybe I should opt to clean this car out more often," he mumbled to himself.
Suddenly, he noticed something among the other mundane items that didn't seem to belong. Reaching over, he pulled it free from the pile and examined it.
It appeared to be an old-fashioned peice of parchment, held in a cylinder by a peice of twine. Undoing the twine, Damshe found himself staring at a complicated bunch of aged ink scrawlings. After a moment's examination, he realized that it was a map of the Otter Reserve! And according to this map, there was treasure here!
Now, Damshe wasn't much of a person for material possessions, but he rarely passed up the chance for a good hike with a little bit of adventure mixed in. Although he had no idea how the map had gotten in his glove compartment, he was still willing to give it a shot.
After eating a quick bite of energy bar, Damshe set out on his quest. It took a few hours to get to his location. Along the way, Damshe viewed the usual beauty and peacefulness of the Reserve, admiring its varied landscapes and its precious inhabitants. It was certainly a great day to be here.
The end of the line was a cave by a lake. Inside was one simple chamber with gigantic stone doors at the end. On both sides of the doors were two lever, apparently used for the opening of aforementioned doors.
Damshe stopped and looked from one lever to the next. Here, it looked like he had a problem. Although he was probably strong enough to use both levers, he did not have a reach capable of grasping both of them. He would need a second person to help.
Wandering back through the forests of the Reserve, Damshe tried to think of someone he knew nearby who could assist him. He personally knew nobody living in the area. So, he'd need to recruit some random help.
As it turned out, random help was closer than he had thought. Ahead of him on the trail was a young man spattered in paint. He was sketching an otter that was sitting nearby.
"Hmmmmm," thought Damshe. "A fellow artist and an otter.... They could both be helpful."
Damshe walked silently up behind the young man and tapped him on the shoulder.
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Posted: Thu Nov 11, 2010 1:34 pm
Francis had come to the reserve with one goal, to sketch otters, so that his latest project could progress. This was the first one of its kind he had received, a carousel that was to have otters in place of horses. Even when he said that he'd never even seen an otter, they'd be adamant that they wanted otters and he was the woodcarver to make them. After hanging up, he'd had his usual ranting tirade of how he'd never be able to pull it off ending when he sunk to the ground, hands gripping at his short hair.
Once he'd woken up, ranting and having mental breakdowns were exhausting (and extremely helpful to his muses), he'd set off to find somewhere he could observe otters. He'd tried a zoo and been refused to see the animals by himself, and though he'd tried watching through the glass--flashes and people made it terribly hard. The only way he could make that work was to find a box, slice off one side and use that to shield him. (Where he'd find a box or how long it'd take for someone to trip over him made him decide against it.)
He had been about to give it up when he'd found The Otter Oasis. That was how he ended up seated on a rock, sketching an odd mini that had a gold hoop through one ear and a crown skewed to one side on his head. He'd completed a front-view and profile by enticing the fellow with shiny coins--quarters seemed to work very well.
He was motioning for the mini to turn about so he could get the rough-sketch of his back done when it seemed to back off and a tap was felt on his shoulder. It startled him mildly--he was used to getting tapped when he was absorbed in his art--and he turned to see who (hoping it was a ranger of some sort) it was.
"Can I help you?" he asked, instinctively.
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Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 3:06 am
Damshe looked thoughtfully at the young man as he considered his question.
"Help?" he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Hmmmmmm, not quite help but in a way yes. Actually, I have something of an offer for you. You see, I recently came into possession of a treasure map that leads around these parts. I've gone all around in search of this treasure and I've found where it's supposed to be. From there, I can go no further without the assistance of a strong youth such as yourself. I have no interest in riches really, but I'd like to finish what I started. You help me do that and you can keep the treasure. How's that for a deal?"
Damshe stood waiting for a reply.
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Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2010 2:11 pm
Of the two listening, and indeed the mini otter was listening, it was Calico Jack that had an interest in the treasure. Already gold doubloons and gilded goblets and vivid jewels danced in his eyes--a tango to be sure--and he hurriedly made his way closer to the two two-leggers.
The woodcarver carefully absorbed every word in that rather nerve-wracking way he tended to do. He stared unblinking at the other man, attention never wavering from his face and never moving to interrupt. It was almost as if he was studying the words and the man saying them.
It was only once Damshe was finished that Francis made any sort of movement. He closed his sketchbook and carefully placed his pencil in his case, placing them in his bag and shouldering it. Belatedly, it occurred to him he hadn't said anything and his pale skin flushed.
"Ah, I'm not really strong," he replied not at all bothered it anymore (at least not usually), "but I wouldn't mind trying to help." He gave a nod thinking a treasure could be useful in his business--woodcarving was a delicate craft and his supplies were not cheap--though he preferred not to count his chickens before they hatched.
Calico Jack made a chittering sound then, as though he too was assenting to go on the treasure hunt. Of course one look at him answered any question they might have had. He was decked out in gold and shinies, after all.
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Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 8:31 am
Damshe laughed in a good-natured way at the replies of both his new acquaintances.
"Well, there's no real need to be strong," he said, patting the young man on the shoulder. "Just an extra pair of hands will do. In this case, it looks like I'll have an extra set of hands and paws."
The last part of the statement had been referring to the small otter, which now seemed intent on getting into Damshe's little quest. Damshe eyed him carefully for a moment and fixed him with a warning glance.
"Don't go stealing it all, you little rogue," he said. "We need to save some for our young friend here. My name's Bill, by the way. Bill Connors."
This was, of course, a false name. Damshe used it often when he was trying to remain inconspicious. He had a few unfriendly types looking for him and he'd prefer not having his real name in the open.
"So, why don't you tell me your name while I check th- Whuh-oh..."
Damshe held up the tattered shreds of the map. Glancing around, he soon found the rest. A belligerent-looking hedgehog was chewing on it.
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Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2010 2:31 pm
The young, twenty-something, artist looked at the mini otter and then back to Damshe. An odd trio but perhaps they would be successful. He was contemplating what an otter would do with treasure when the other man introduced himself.
"Ah, my name's Francis," he gave a pause--giving ample time for either man or mini to get their puzzled looks or laughs out of the way--and then continued, "though you can call me Kess if you like." He gave an affable grin.
Calico Jack looked a bit affronted by the incredibly (true, totally true) harsh accusation that he would run off with it all. He even crossed his paws over his chest thought it made him look at the golden armlet he had and his sour mood melted. He grinned at his reflection in it until he heard the human fumble in his sentence.
His head snapped up and once he had figured out that it was something to do with the map, he about threw himself at the hedgehog. "NONONO!" he screamed at the poor creature who by now had stopped caring about the map and curled up in a ball.
"Hey!" Francis shouted, scooping up the frightened hedgehog. "Poor little guy," he crooned to the animal. He threw a reproachful glare at the mini. "I'll call you Quill," he grinned finding it amusing. He carefully placed his new pet into a separate compartment of his bag and turn his attention back to the man (not) named Bill and the map. "Did he--she?--chew it up bad?"
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Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 4:48 pm
Damshe sorted through the surviving shreds of map before reaching a verdict.
"Yep, we've lost the map...." he said, shaking his head. "But no worries. I went to where the treasure was supposed to be before I found you guys. I don't know exactly where it is but I know that it's a cave next to a body of water. All we have to do is find that water and search the shores for a cave. It might consume some time but I've got nowhere else to be anyways."
After pocketing the shreds, which he planned to properly dispopse of, Damshe turned back towards Francis, the otter, and Francis's new pet. He raised an amused eyebrow.
"Franics is it?" he asked with half a grin. "That's a different sort of name for a different sort of person.... and that's not necessarily a bad thing either. Sometimes, the world could use a different sort of person."
Damshe then looked towards the otter again with the same amused look.
"And you try not to take offense. You know what I say is true by the looks of things. I'm just tryin' to make sure that we don't get off on the wrong foot."
Damshe turned back towards the direction that he'd come from and gestured that way.
"In any case, you teach Quill there some manners and make sure our otter friend knows to keep his paws off of other people's possessions. I don't want any holes chewed in my jacket and I'd really like to keep my shades."
Laughing at his own statements, Damshe started at a reasonable pace down the trail.
"Alright, fellas... Let's go!"
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Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 5:22 pm
"Uh, thanks..." he responded to the comment about his name because what else was there to say to that. It wasn't an outright insult but it was definitely a tricky compliment--if one could call it a compliment. Since he had been called a lot worse, he didn't really think much of it, simply let it go in one ear and out the other.
Blinking, he wondered how he'd become caretaker to the mini otter. It wasn't his--wasn't even sure otters could be owned. Adopted? Sponsored? He would have to look into that, on the merit that he was curious. Even if he had wanted one, which he didn't, he had a feeling in a few months time he might be rather tired of looking at otters (at least carved ones).
Calico Jack was much less zen about the whole thing. He, however, had a rather large communication gap on his side. He gave a nod, as though he was accepting the human's wise words. And then, with a subtle twitch of his whiskers, "Gonna swindle you dry, if it any good!"
"Right," Francis replied, giving his eyes a roll. He kind of thought with all of that they'd be lucky if all that happened was the mini stole the treasure. He trailed after Damshe thinking the overused you attract more flies with honey than vinegar was rather apt in this case. "Uh, Bill, you might want to be nicer to the little otter. I think he could easily outrun or outmaneuver you...," he ended up saying.
The otter chattered a response, eyes lighting up, which pretty much confirmed the suspicion. He knew a lot more about this place than they did after all. And he had an eye for shinies. Even if truthfully he didn't to be too enthralled to get away with whatever he found. They didn't need to know that.
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Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 6:23 pm
Damshe kept walking as Francis advised him to be nicer to the otter, glancing here and there for familiar landmarks. He looked over his shoulder at the following trio as he replied.
"I wouldn't worry about it," he said in an unconcerned tone. "I've dealt with slippery characters before. I'm pretty sure that I can keep him under control, if necessary."
Pretty sure. Not completely. Although Damshe was sure that his experience would permit him to at least outrun the small otter, he wasn't sure that he could prevent it from outmaneuvering him. The fiesty, little creature seemed to be mocking them in some way with its unintelligible chattering. Yet, he gave the impression that he was going along with this little sojourn as nicely as possible.
Damshe wasn't sure which side of this otter seemed real. An obvious barrier in communication was not helping him to spot the truth. He took a moment to analyze the otter's face, trying to spot any sort of clue to his intentions. He found none but that didn't make him any less cautious.
Still, he didn't want to appear suspicious, so he simply smiled again and kept on walking.
"I'm pretty sure the little scamp has a heart of gold underneath," he stated to Francis. "We can probably trust him as far as this cave. After all, he probably needs my guidance to find it, don't ya, little buddy?"
Upon saying this, Damshe mentally cursed himself. Of course the conniving otter didn't need him. The little bugger had probably lived here all his life and Damshe had already given him a large clue as to where to find the treasure!
Still forcing a smile, Damshe stopped and gestured off the path.
"I think that the way to go is through these trees. Water should be right on the other side. Won't take us long to find our way from there."
Without waiting for a response, Damshe walked into the woods, determined to stay one step ahead of the thieving otter.
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Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2010 9:01 pm
He wasn't sure what to think of the character before him, except that he seemed unconcerned with barging right in and barreling ahead. Not that Francis himself was a cautious person--unless it came to his art. It simply seemed in this case that it might be best to take a different approach. He tended to go with the flow, most often because when it came to things he either was too excited (or too worried) to think or he was being dragged along. Much like he was now.
"Under control, how?" he wondered aloud. He didn't like the sound of it. He glanced at the otter who seemed unconcerned. He shrugged, "He'd probably tear it out if he did." A rather fair assumption all things considered.
Calico Jack pretended not to have heard that last little bit about needing the human's guidance. He had a good idea of where they were heading from the description the rather stupid male had given but no need to let him know that. He merely followed along.
"I think--" was about as far as Francis got in his opinion on the matter. He blew out a breath and looked at the otter plodding behind Bill. "Right, no need to listen to me. What do I know?" he muttered sarcastically to himself. He took a second and then trundled into the woods. Even though his conscious, who sounded a lot like his grandmother, kept repeating the phrase, "And I suppose, young man, if they walked right off a cliff, you'd follow, too?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 2:51 am
Damshe had heard Francis's words but said nothing. He just continued to pick his way through the trees, smiling secretly to himself. Perhaps he was being a little too commanding for this trip. It was, after all, only a little treasure hunt.
Still, Damshe was getting pretty weary of the otter that tagged along with them. Cute as he looked, Damshe could not deny that he had a mischievous air about him. Although Damshe wasn't after any treasure for himself, he was determined that everyone else should get a fair share of the loot. So, it was probably necessary that he kept ahead of the otter.
He did a mental shrug of his shoulders. He'd make it up to Francis in some way. As they came clear of the trees, Damshe found them to be on the rocky shores of a lake (luckily, with no cliffs in sight). Looking up both directions that the shore ran, Damshe figured out one thing he could manage for the artsy kid.
"Well, here we are," he said cheerfully, turning back to Francis. "Now, which direction should we go, sport?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 1:53 pm
That wasn't exactly what he'd meant when he'd muttered about not being listened to. He hadn't seen the map, there was no way to tell which way to go. He opened his mouth to say as much when he felt a tug on his jeans and looked down to see Calico Jack trying to covertly get his attention.
As Bill seemed not to like the otter much, he decided to pretend his shoelace was untied and sunk to the ground. He wasn't going to lie, simply let Bill draw his own idea about what he was doing. Since the mini was hiding behind him, all the human would see was a tail.
Calico pointed emphatically to their right and that was good enough for Francis. He stood up and after looking both ways, he pointed to the right.
"That way?" he shrugged.
It wasn't likely the otter was going to send them off in the wrong direction, he needed them at least to pull the levers--or at least one of them, but better to have them both. Then he could slink in and hopefully found another passage or get the mini horde to help him.
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 6:35 pm
Damshe watched Francis move to tie his shoe and turned away as if to survey the surrounding area while he awaited an answer. In truth, he was trying to hide the knowing smile that had crept upon his face as he had realized what they were up to.
"Do they think that I was born yesterday?" he thought to himself. "That's got to be one of the oldest tricks in the book! Uh well... It's not like they're hurting anything..."
When Francis did provide the answer, Damshe looked in the direction that he had indicated, switched to a more cheerful grin, and gave a brisk nod.
"That's as good a direction as any. I wouldn't be surprised if we came upon that cave quicker that way!"
Of course, he was telling the truth. The otter clearly had a better idea of where they were going than Damshe did, and he had obviously provided Francis with the answer. The little, thieving rascal was probably just waiting for Damshe and Francis to reveal the treasure so that he could snatch it all away for himself. He certainly had some cheek!
Damshe snorted as they approached the cave. He'd teach that otter a lesson or two before this trip was through! It wouldn't be anything too harsh but it would at least humble the furry villain some. And in the end, both Francis and the otter would get their fair share of spoils. At least, Damshe hoped that was how things would go. He still wasn't sure that the otter mightn't outmaneuver him first.
Damshe would just have to remember to check his wallet after all of this. For now, there came the business of entering the cave. The entrance was partially submerged, requiring that any visitors would have to wade into waist-deep water to gain entrance. It wouldn't present much of any real problem, except for getting wet.
"Well, here we are at long last," he said to Francis. "I forgot to mention that you'd be getting a bit soaked but that shouldn't matter. Just mind the leeches and I'll see you inside!"
Damshe's laughter echoed off of the cavern walls as he stepped inside.
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 7:45 pm
By now, Francis honestly found "Bill" to be less than suitable company. He reminded him of someone that had rarely had friends and had thus adopted a devil may care attitude that came off as over-bearing arrogance. Not unlike his agent really. Still it wasn't something he could stand forever. And he was starting to think maybe he should help the mini pull off an epic heist.
He watched as Damshe walked right into the cave and sighed. So far this little treasure hunt was not turning out to be much fun and he wasn't sure treasure would be soothing in the end. Next time something like this happened, he was going to run in the opposite direction. Perhaps the reserve was less for otters (and whatever else...he was sure he'd read about some other animals) and more for insanity. Oh yes, that had to be it!
"No offense but you're kind of a t**t, aren't you?" he muttered darkly as he hefted his bag (and Quill) up over his head and began to wade into the water. He stopped, squinting his eyes shut and shivered, "Criminy, that's cold!"
Calico chittered in response--to one of the artist's sayings, it was hard to tell which one. He drove into the water, using his tail to propel him like a bullet through the shallow depths. Once the water died out, he pulled himself up onto the stone floor and waited. See, he could be polite.
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Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2010 8:08 pm
Damshe was waiting for them both inside, looking quite dry. He gave the otter a wink as he showed up and lent Francis a hand in getting out of the water.
"It's alright there, sport," he said encouragingly, patting him on the back. "You'll be fine. This warm cave air will dry you off before you know it."
As he said this, Damshe let some of his energy flow through his hand and into Francis's clothes, drying them in seconds. Of course, it'd been so subtle that he probably wouldn't have noticed but at least he wouldn't be cold. Damshe really didn't mean to seem so heartless himself, but sometimes his inner commanding instinct overran his more people-friendly ones. On top of that, he was used to most of the grueling circumstances of the wild and wasn't used to traveling with anyone who was not.
He made a mental note to attempt a better attitude for the sake of all normal human beings that he came into contact with as he continued to console Francis.
"See what'd I tell ya? Now, let's go and get your hard-earned loot...."
Damshe walked over to the large stone door that blocked their progress. He gestured towards it with one arm.
"Now, this is the obvious problem. All we have to do is pull the levers on either side of the door and we're in."
Damshe took the one on the left side and waited patiently for Francis to do the same.
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