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| - Out on the Western Sea under a full moonlit sky a ship sailed northward. On deck a searat stood dozing, his paws resting on the tiller handle. Down below the crew lay asleep in their bunks, some snoring, others muttering in their sleep, and below them were the slave galleys with squirrels, mice, hedgehogs, voles and otters chained to oars slumbering fitfully some whining and whimpering in their dreams. Only two slaves were not asleep, one an otter and the other a mouse. They were conveniently chained to an oar together so that they could talk with each other. Both beasts were ragged and thin but strong. They were conversing together in whispers.
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| - Out on the Western Sea under a full moonlit sky a ship sailed northward. On deck a searat stood dozing, his paws resting on the tiller handle. Down below the crew lay asleep in their bunks, some snoring, others muttering in their sleep, and below them were the slave galleys with squirrels, mice, hedgehogs, voles and otters chained to oars slumbering fitfully some whining and whimpering in their dreams. Only two slaves were not asleep, one an otter and the other a mouse. They were conveniently chained to an oar together so that they could talk with each other. Both beasts were ragged and thin but strong. They were conversing together in whispers. “We have to figure out something to get off this ship” said the mouse. “I know, I know Cobel. Just let me think” replied the otter Cobel watched his friend closely as the otter sat pondering their situation. Just then they heard a sound from above, and a horn was blown. The mouse sighed and sat up straight. “Well Derrriack another day of rowing.” He gritted his teeth, “But it will be one of the last.” “Aye mate.” Derriack agreed. “It will be at that.” Scuvro the stoat slave driver came down below deck, swinging his whip and barking out orders. “All right ya lazy swabs, I want to see you rowing till your paws have blisters on top of blisters, ya idle layabouts! Bend your backs and heave ya filthy scum!” Derriack glared up at Scuvro “Big talk for a small creature.” Scuvro glared back. He was very small for a stoat and the otter and mouse teased him about it as often as they could. He didn't dare whip them though. Last time he did Derriack had gouged out his eye with the end of the oar. Now the stoat wore an eye patch over it, along with his stained corsair tunic and belt. The only weapon he carried other then his whip was a dagger thrust into his belt. Scuvro knew he couldn't do much to the otter so he went along to the next two slaves and whipped out at them. Cobel clenched his paws into fists and ground his teeth audibly. “Some day I'll send that stoat to were all his kind belong. The bullying scum!” Derriack nodded “Aye his time will come. But we can't do anything unless we're free. So we need to make a plan.” The two slaves were lost in their thoughts of escape, as they rowed the ship along. Up on deck in the captains quarters stood an old female searat and the captain of the ship, a tall handsome looking pine marten. He was brown with a creamy yellow throat and ears he wore the traditional corsair silks and satins as well as a creamy white belt. Strapped to his belt were three weapons. Two scimitars one with a gold hilt studded with emeralds. The other with a silver hilt studded rubies. The other weapon he carried was a silver bladed dagger with blue sapphires on the hilt. On a bed in the cabin lay his mate. She was breathing heavily and gasping. The old rat was holding something in her paws which she turned and handed to the male pine marten. “Here Captain, is your son.” she said. Captain Udrack Martes stared down at his son, who stared right back without blinking. Udrack laughed. “Ha Ha! We'll make this one into a hypnotizer yet! He doesn't even blink when he stares back at you.” He reached down his paw and the baby pine marten bit it. Udrack laughed again. “He will be a vicious killer when he's older. See how he bit my paw and drew blood? I tell you he's a pine marten born.” He handed the baby back to the rat. She looked down at the tiny pine marten starting to drift off to sleep with blood around his mouth, then looked up as the pine marten Captain wiped his paw on a towel sitting on a table. “What will he be called Captain?” She asked. Udrack thought a moment then grinned as he said “Ublaz. He shall be called Ublaz. That is a name that would be fit for even an emperor. Yes, Ublaz it shall be.” And with that he strode out of the cabin and onto the ship's deck. Leaving behind the female rat holding the baby pine marten with the name of an emperor. [edit] Chapter 2 Ublaz didn't stay a baby for long. Soon he was up and about running around the ship with his three friends. Romsca, a female ferret, and Barranca and Conva two stoat brothers. The four young vermin were notorious for getting into mischief. They would do anything to anyone that they felt like pulling pranks on, corsair and slave alike. Captain Udrack watched as the four sneaked up behind a searat who was repairing some rigging and Barranca poked him in the bottom with his small sabre. The rat whose name was Bilgepaw, yelled and jumped straight into the air. The four miscreants ran away laughing and snickering. Udrack smiled to himself, "Those four will make top mark corsairs one day. Today poking with swords, tomorrow slicing and stabbing! Hahahaha!" he laughed. "Come here son!" Udrack called to Ublaz. Ublaz turned to his companions and said "I'll be right back. Don't do anything fun while I'm gone!" And with that he walked over to were his father was waiting. "Come along Ublaz" said Udrack. "It is time for your lesson." The two pine martin's went into the Captain's cabin. Ublaz's mother Vylaga Martes was in there drinking wine and eating a roasted fish. Udrack went over into the corner and brought out a box filled with water. He placed it on the floor of the cabin and stood back. A long slithering creature came out of the box and sat staring at Ublaz. The young pine marten stared back at it. Udrack sipped from a wine glass his mate handed him and said to his son. "Ublaz remember what you are supposed to do. Concentrate all your hypnosis powers on the coral snake, and don't forgetto sway from side to side and say the chant." Ublaz stared at the snake harder and began chating. "Golden guardian of my wealth, Hear me now, be still, Deathly fang and coiling stealth, Bend unto my will." The snake closed it's eyes and began to sink slowly to the floor. Ublaz turned and looked at his father "Father, look! I'm doing it!" he shouted. At the moment Ublaz took his eyes from the snake, it reared up and hissed and prepared to strike. Udrack calmlyset down his wine glass and stepped in front of his son, he stared right at the snake and he began to sway and chat the lines that Ublaz had chanted before. The snake stopped in mid strike and began to sway from side to side as well. Ublaz watched on amazed at his father's skill. Finally after awhile the snake sank down and closed it's eyes and mouth. Udrack stroked it's head and returned to his place next to the table. Vylaga handed him back the glass and said "You have not lost your touch at all dear. You are still the best hypnotizer ever!" Captain Udrack smiled "You are not so bad yourself Vylaga!" His mate smiled "Yes, as those fool wildcat rulers down south learned. They could not boss us around anymore." Udrack smiled evilly too "Your right. To bad they "fell" out the window and into the sea!" Both pine marten's laughed at this. Then Udrack spoke to Ublaz. "Remember son, never take your eyes off of your victim, you lose the hypnoses spell when you do. Having hypnosis is a very powerful thing, use it to your advantage. All pine marten's have this power but not all of them have the will power to use it. Master it, and one day you can be a very powerful beast. Now go and play again." Ublaz nodded and left the room, remembering this valuable lesson he had learned. His father's words came back to him. "Master it, and one day will can be a powerful beast." "I will master it" he told himself. "If it takes forever I will master the hypnosis power!"
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