[X]-[X]-[ ]
Journey to Angler's Spire
Atus – At the Helm (Cut a Path)
Tharr – Squirrel Hunting
Tolliver – On Watch
Park – Enjoying Life
The sun continued to shine brightly upon their merry crew, with Atus keeping the ship steadily heading westward. When they awoke, Tolliver took up watch, scanning the horizon and admiring the view. Tharr got up next and kept vigil beside Tolliver for a while before focusing on watching movement in the waves around them, tracking the movements of the spring-foxes. He managed to sight, hunt, and catch several squirrels before the foxes got to them, and it became something of a game between them, at least for the foxes.
Park came up much later, having spent the previous night working, not partying, and as such requiring more rest than the others. He enjoyed the sun with the others, and was the one who checked the skapp-beetle hive and unrolled the bark with a message from their companions, the crew of the Slipfang.
So that all of them could read it, Atus briefly anchored the ship, and they enjoyed a brief meal of 'cuda jerky while they read the report that Ham had written them. It seemed that the Slipfang had hit hard luck; a half-sunken ruin that had promised great treasure had instead revealed itself to be the host of a burgeoning hornet hivemind that had crippled K and killed Duo. Though most of them did not know Duo well, as the tzelicrae had not been one of the original group, they were all quieted by the news that the mothryn wordbearer was in a coma. They thought briefly about what messageIf you want to send a message to your sister ship via the beetles, you can simply write one in your post(s). You can send as many as you want. they should send back, if any, for words did not seem sufficient.
Atus got the ship moving again shortly thereafter, and the crew took back up their tasks, although with a more somber mood.
Despite not being on watch, it was actually Tharr who noticed the first sign of trouble. Park pondered what he could cook from the growing pile of squirrels Tharr was collecting when he noticed the squirrels had stopped coming. He asked what was the matter, and Tharr pointed out that the springfoxes had stopped their playful hunting, and had all fallen back behind the ship.
Tolliver wasn't too far behind, though, and the gau, from his perch near the storm-rail, noticed something unusual ahead, and called out to the others. Tharr and Park joined him on the starboard prow as he signaled for Atus to slow.
Well ahead of them were scattered patches of densely clustered bright red flowers, and a deeply unsettling silence. The wind blew gently still, but the constant chatter of birds and insects had ceased entirely. The stench of decay reached their noses, or whatever passed for noses among the organic crew, shortly after.
It was fortunate then that Tolliver was on watch, as he also noticed the greenery between the red patches; the gau had a special dislike of such greenery, and as such a greater awareness of it than most. The treetops between flower patches were covered in thick, ropy, occasionally thorny vines that Tolliver judged their longjaw might have some trouble with. However, the vines were thinner near the flowers. Tolliver thought they could probably mark an easier path by hopping from flower patch to flower patch, but the Argos had stopped a ways away, so it was hard to make out details quite yet.
Of course, they could also go around this odd stretch of sea, but that would lose them time.