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Splintered Light Chapter 6.4: Anache u' Tonn

There was something refreshing about the early morning, and Ash-Moon always made it a point to rise with the sun. There had been a time in the Jackal's life during his adolescence, before he had earned his name when he had trained to be a hunter. During those years he had been active at night; despite the beauty of the moon, he greatly missed the sun. Broken-Marrow, his mentor of the hunt told him that was because only the unskilled relied on the cover of night to hunt, and Ash-Moon was one of his best students. Then again, Broken-Marrow's wasn't the only opinion on the matter.

Whispers-of-the-Ancients, the tribe's Shaman believed there was another reason why Ash-Moon loved the daytime, but it had not been easy for the young Jackal to uncover. The Shaman was even more tightly-lipped than the title usually suggested, and so he'd been required to find a way to get the information he desired. The best way to do that was to challenge Whispers-of-the-Ancients' apprentice to an honor dual... and kill him. The first time didn't work, but by the time the Shaman's third apprentice met his end at Ash-Moon's teeth there was some room for negotiation.

So it was that Ash-Moon had the opportunity to learn beside Whispers-of-the-Ancients' fourth apprentice, and he finally learned the story by which the Shaman had viewed him. He was told stories about the great Sunflowers-- fiery, blazing plants so bright that they could kill a man to look upon them. These flowers grew only in one location: far to the east in a place known as the Land of the Dawn... a place where nothing else could grown-- an entire island of scorched earth and vast deserts. Morning was the time when the flowers glowed brightest, and the tribes could see them as the dawning sky.

The Sunflowers were individually larger than an entire village, with each petal the size of a hut. Every day at dawn one Sunflower would cast a single petal into the air like the cinder from a campfire and The People knew it as the sun. The petal would rise high into the sky and the celestial breeze would carry it slowly westward. Eventually, when the petal finally came down, it would descend onto a vast grassland-- the Sea of Cinders. Every morning the grasses there would regrow and over the course of a single day, the ground would be covered in green. The great conflagration that arose from the petal touching down in the grass lit the western sky with the dusk-time fires... when the fire ultimately burned out night would finally come.

Whispers-of-the-Ancients had told him that the young Jackal reminded him of the petal of a Sunflower; he was a powerful presence and he changed the world merely by existing. He was unmistakable and beautiful, but also so destructive that he turned everything he touched to ash. The teenager was trained as a hunter, but he also refused to be told no by the Shaman, and demanded to learn the ways of the spirit... which had always been the purview of the diviners and the moon-speakers.

The folk of The People were always given their true name at birth; it was the name used only around family and the truest of friends. The name which was spoken daily in the presence of anyone else was received once they became an adult. So it was, by the time Ash-Moon had his titling ceremony, he was named after the charred fields of the Sea of Cinders, and also after the Mirror of the Seers, known more simply as the "Uff", or, as the Stone Tribe called it, "The Moon". So he came to be known as Uffu'Ros... or "Moon of Ash".

The First Mate sat on the bench at his desk, golden light streaming in through the porthole as he reviewed his pigments. It had been over a week since Mr. Fritz was placed in the brig, which meant that he was going to be released, on a trial and possibly temporary basis. The crew had been understandably cautious around Ash-Moon and he honestly didn't care, but the fact that he'd continue wearing his war paint during that time was starting to disturb the Captain. Ash-Moon didn't want Alistair to be disturbed, and so he had agreed to cease presenting himself in such a fashion.

The Jackal used a small bone comb to brush the last of the white pigment out of his fur; the Captain had said it was time to end the skeleton, and so it was time to end the skeleton. What Ash-Moon had agreed to was that he would stick to gray. The Jackal didn't always color his fur but with the crew on edge and Mr. Fritz's pending (trial) release, the first mate considered pigment to be far more important than armor; there was no need to fight if nobody was willing to challenge him.

Even with the Marmot still imprisoned, however, the liberties the Jackal had taken with him had made the rounds as more-than-rumors. It was something Ash-Moon didn't mind but the Captain was understandably concerned; it was one of the Stone Tribe's many failings and it was something the Jackal had to accept as part of who Alistair was. Regardless, Ash-Moon didn't regret his treatment of Mr. Fritz any more than he regretted his treatment of Mr. Lews; they had both received what was due.

The Jackal's lips pulled away from his teeth and he found himself looking at his own smile in the mirror as he brushed the last of the white pigment out of his fur; aside from lacking any self-confidence, Mr. Lews turned out to be very capable when it came to learning the words of The People. True, there were certain things that caused the big Dog to fall silent and look like a pup caught with his paw in the honey jaw, but Mr. Lews (or 'Archie', as the sailor requested to be called in private)-- there was hope for him.

Ash-Moon began applying a fresh coat of dark gray powder to his fur as he thought back to the previous day when he'd finally convinced the large Dog to take off his shirt and allow the Jackal to apply some fur paint. They had continued their language lesson while Ash-Moon had worked; he explained the importance of different colors and where it was the paint went. The first mate had used yellow, which signified insight, and gave the sailor symbols across his chest and upper abdomen that signified a guardian and protector among the Bone Tribe's warriors. Even after all the Dog had been through and trouble he'd caused, it was a suitable designation.

Once the first made had his own fur freshly darkened he put away the rest of his powders and stood up, smoothing everything down before he gathered up his loincloth. Gazing at it for many moments, the Jackal set it down and went to collect his leggings instead. True, they were much less comfortable, but he wanted to reassure the Captain that he was capable of being both civil and tame when the need arose. With everyone on edge about Mr. Fritz a pair of trousers was worth the inconvenience.

The noise from up on deck as sailors shouted back and forth amidst morning activities caught Ash-Moon's attention the moment he stepped into the hall. It wasn't a long journey from his cabin to the stairs and, as he ascended them he heard the sound of a few men laughing near one another. Moods seemed to be decent enough, which he knew would be a good thing for Alistair's frame of mind. Ascending the steps, Ash-Moon emerged onto the Wave Rider's deck, and all of social sounds came to an end; every sailor who could see him fell silent, and all eyes went to Mr. Fritz, who was just across the way.

The Marmot's eyes were locked on his, and the sailor immediately took a step away. Ash-Moon appreciated how well cowed the man was, but it wouldn't do for him to be meek-- not aboard a ship. "Mr. Fritz!"

The rodent looked as if he wanted to hide behind something but, to his credit, he didn't run. "Sir?"

The Jackal crossed the distance easily enough; any man within arm's reach of him as he approached Mr. Fritz took a step back. Ash-Moon stopped when he reached close talking distance. "The Captain said you could work as long as you behave. You WILL behave... yes?"

The Marmot nodded before announcing in a squeaky voice. "Y-yes, Sir."

The first mate smiled reaching out to lay a paw on the sailor's shoulder; Mr. Fritz jumped at the contact but said nothing. "Good."

They remained staring at one another for several seconds, the Marmot continuing to wilt under his gaze until, after he could stand no more, Mr. Fritz spoke up. "A-anything-- er... is there anything else, S-Sir?"

Ash-Moon's smile widened as he bared his teeth, and his first finger slid further down the sailor's back to brush over the slight divot in the rodent's flesh that could be felt through his tunic. "No, Mr. Fritz... as long as you behave yourself there will be nothing else. Thank you."

Mr. Fritz, being dismissed, quickly fled to Foremen Zuider, who was staring at the Jackal. The Goat said a few words to the Marmot, who immediately went to join a group of men tying off lines on the deck. Ash-Moon raised a paw in a friendly manner to the Foreman, who simply snorted and walked off. He didn't particularly count Mr. Zuider among his friends but the Goat knew his place.

"You're still making quite the impression, aren't you, my friend?"

Ash-Moon didn't need to turn to recognize the voice. His smile became much more genuine and much less predatory as he spoke. "I am keeping order for you, Rohn."

A second voice added itself to the conversation, signaling to the Jackal that Alistair was not alone. Rolf's voice was likewise easily identifiable. "It's easy to make impressions in soft subjects, isn't it, Sir?"

The Bosun had a certain way with words that many found humorous and witty; it often frustrated Ash-Moon because he had enough trouble with the Stone Tribe tongue without having to play games with the words... but he understood what the Prong Horn meant. He had a counter to it, however, turning around and addressing Rolf first before then making an announcement to the Captain. "Harder goods make for more permanent impressions, Bosun. Rohn, Mr. Lews is doing very well with learning The People's tongue. I am pleased with him."

Alistair nodded to the Jackal and held up a paw to forestall whatever retort the Bosun might have had; it was no secret that Rolf did not like the method with which Ash-Moon had punished Mr. Fritz-- it was, in fact, a sentiment shared by many other crewmembers. "Mr. Lews speaks highly of you, Ash-Moon. He says that you have helped him find a new respect for many aspects of life."

The Jackal flicked an ear; nothing they'd gone over had done anything of the sort... at least, not in his own mind. It wasn't important anyway, so Ash-Moon addressed the only thing that was. "Does this please you, Rohn?"

Their discussion was interrupted when a group of sailors shifted around on deck; although the ship was still several days from where the location of the islands were said to be the Captain had made it a point to keep a constant eye on the horizon, going so far as to double the lookouts (another reason for Mr Fritz's release). The movement on deck was just one of the side effects of such an arrangement, and the officers waited patiently as some ascended the mast after others descended.

The discussion continued once the area around them wasn't so crowded and Alistair tightened the drawstring on one of his gloves. "I am glad you have been available to take over Mr. Lews' training while Master Len recuperates."

The Jackal tipped his muzzle slightly. "He is healing well?"

Rolf provided the update. "Tobias was visiting him yesterday. He said Chris released him out of sick bay as long as he stays in his cabin and manages an appointment with her once a day to check--"

The Prong Horn's report trailed off at the Captain's smirk. Only once Rolf fell quiet and gave the Tiger a quizzical look did Alistair bother explaining his mirth. "You just called Dr. Brownell 'Chris', Mr. Severna. Are you on such casual terms now with the Wave Rider's surgeon then?"

The Bosun paused then cleared his throat, tugging at one ear as both reddened just a little-- nowhere near as much as Ash-Moon had seen his brother's do, but the family resemblance was much more prominent at that moment. "Well... ah... apologies, Captain; I had joined my brother and Dr. Brownell for breakfast and perhaps my mind was still back on informal pleasantries."

Alistair gave Ash-Moon a quick nod, the unofficial sign that the First Mate was dismissed. The Bosun and Captain strolled off down the deck, talking about how strange it was that a Prong Horn from so religious a family would engage in a relationship with a Mouse... or something of the sort; Ash-Moon had mostly stopped paying attention. What DID catch his interest, however, was the very animated discussion going on overhead in the rigging.

The two men had obviously sighted something and after a precursory comparison of notes, it was Viktor who shouted down to the deck "SHOAL! PORT BOW!"

Nikolay, the second of the two shouted out an addition. "LANGAN ON THE BOTTOM!"

The two descended from the rigging and Alistair came over to join Ash-Moon to meet with them as they reached the deck; Mr. Zuider and Mr. Severna moved about the ship, shouting orders to slow their speed while the command crew decided how to proceed. Despite Ash-Moon being there to hear the report, he realized readily enough that such a decision would be the Captain's, and so he kept his muzzle shut. It didn't take Alistair long. The Tiger made his way to where the Foreman and Bosun had gathered on the forecastle while the Jackal was left to handle things mid-ship.

With Nikolay and Viktor so close, Ash-Moon had his own questions, and he wasted no time. "What did you see?"

Viktor addressed the question. "There's a shallow spot up ahead... maybe two hundred meters across."

The Jackal nodded, then looked to Nikolay. "Something down there?"

The Husky's tail lashed one way then the other, exchanging a glance with the Hare before responding. "Aye, sir. Looked like a ship wreck."

Ash-Moon snorted. "Did it hit the shoal?"

Nikolay shook his head. "Maybe... if it did then it would've rolled down the slope or we'd see part of it sticking up out of the water."

The two members of the rigging crew exchanged a few words in their language-- yet another one of the Stone Tribe's many tongues that Ash-Moon didn't know. It was Viktor who addressed him after a moment in the one he understood. "The water's still deep enough... we shouldn't hit... touch and go at the worst."

Ash-Moon forestalled any discussion by holding a paw up; his eyes were on the Captain, who had stopped the vessel. Glancing over the railing, the Jackal could see a dark shape seemingly not far beneath them; it had the outline of a large ship. Further ahead there was rocky ground beneath the waves, but it was the wrong angle to judge just how deep it was.

Several other crew members were gathering up on deck, along with some of the passengers. Rolf's brother, Tobias approached, likewise gazing overboard. "Is... is that another ship?"

Rather than answer him, Ash-Moon lingered at the rails, peering down into the deep green beyond. Somewhere down there was rock and earth and, if what the lookouts said was to be believed, a sunken ship. As the Jackal continued to gaze at the vague shape he could have sworn he was able to make out what looked like a broken mast... a section of railing... a-- what was that glint he saw?

There was something glimmering beneath the waves. He briefly considered Firefish, which was something Willem had talked about some time past. The Goat never did explain it to him, and none of the crew were willing to answer any questions he had about them, but he couldn't help but compare the half-story with what he saw.

The Jackal stared long and hard into the water; although the large, dark shape far beneath the waves seemed to absorb light more than reflect it, something down there definitely did glint back up at his gaze, not unlike a gilded signaling mirror... and, as he watched, he saw it again. He murmured quietly to no one in particular "Anache u' Tonn".

Tobias, who was apparently not far enough away for his sensitive hearing to miss the comment moved closer, addressing him in the Stone Tribe tongue. "What? What 'glimmer of gold', Ash-Moon?"

The discussion drew more eyes and, as the minutes passed, the Jackal's wasn't the only voice claiming to have seen something. It was finally at that time when the Captain and the rest of the officers approached. Ash-Moon had a feeling that Alistair had his mind made up, but he'd done so without the full details; the Jackal planned to fix that.