Captain Earring: Chapter Three
#4 of Captain Earring
Gabriel and his traveling companions go to the ferret, Faro's house to bury his brother. Meanwhile, Earring arrives in Mossflower.
Chapter Three
The morning sun rose as an elder ferret male was chopping wood in front of his house. His wife and future daughter-in-law were inside cooking breakfast. His chest swelled with pride as he thought on how at last one of his sons would pass on the family line. His eldest never seemed lucky enough to have found himself a ferretmaid to share his bed with. He wiped sweat from his brow as he saw a familiar figure enter from the woods surrounding his home. The tobacco stick he had been smoking fell from his mouth when he saw his youngest son being carried by his oldest.
Faro disheartened greatly at his father's reaction.
The elder ferret dropped his ax then ran toward his sons. "What happened?"
Faro turned his gaze the small mouse behind him. "Ask him."
Gabe gulped then fell to his knees. "I am sorry. It is my fault."
The ferret held his slain child. "Donaldo..." Tears formed in the old man's eyes. "Why?"
Faro touched his father's shoulder. "Dad..."
The old ferret growled. "You! You led him astray didn't you? Why else would a mouse of Redwall have attacked him?"
Faro bit his lip. "Yes... We had intended to make off with the otter there."
The ferret slapped his son. "You would have led him to infidelity when you knew already he was to be married?"
Faro's lip quivered. "I would have... We were just walking; it wasn't even in our minds until we saw her."
Liz blushed at the ferret speaking of her.
Derry comforted her.
The father growled a curse under his breath. "Come, it seems now our planned wedding will be a funeral."
...
The ferretmaiden, Rita fell to her hands and knees on seeing the body of her betrothed.
Faro held her as she wept over his brother's corpse.
The mother wept as well.
Gabriel felt increasingly worse as the day went on.
Faro's father held back his tears as he dressed his young son into the last clothes he would ever wear. When he was finished, he nodded to Faro. The son and the father both worked to carry Donnie's body to a small graveyard where the father's own parents had been interred in the past.
The whole family stood around the fresh dug plot.
Gabriel, Derry and Liz all watched in silence as the family prayed in a foreign language unfamiliar to them.
"Donaldo... may Heaven welcome you with open arms." The father spoke before he began the terrible task of burying his youngest child.
Liz shed tears. Derry held her then Gabriel. The mouse relented. He hugged his two traveling companions.
The father looked to them as he finished. "I am grateful that you paid your respects as well. I apologize for Faro's sacrilegious behavior. I am his father. I should have been stricter."
Faro turned his eyes to the soil, not feeling he could look at his father anymore. "They killed him."
"But you led him there in the first place! Do you deny that?"
Faro sniffed. "No..."
The father threw down his shovel then held his wayward elder son. Then he looked back to the trio of Redwallers. "I don't suppose you three would care to have supper. My mother always said eating with friends and family was a good remedy for tragedy."
Gabriel spoke for his friends, "We would be honored."
...
Earring awoke to Flower at his bedside. Crafty girl, he thought. He did not even hear her come in. He lifted the blanket and saw that she was bare, as was he. He must have been hard asleep, he thought. He nuzzled the lovely ferretmaid.
She stirred then opened her pretty blue eyes. "Good morning, Cap." She cooed rubbing his muscular chest.
Earring ran his paws through her brown headfur. "Did we do anything last night that I missed?"
Flower giggled. "You didn't have to do much. But since you're awake, you can do more."
He pushed the blanket aside then sat Flower on his chest as he sucked on her nipples. The ferret pushed herself back across the hyena's body, moaned as her crotch slid over his rough belly fur. She laid out on top of him as they kissed.
The cabin door opened at that time. "Will! We've found land." Dan shouted.
Earring stood at the prow of the ship. He saw much trees of vibrant green colors. "Rich land which means rich people." He grinned.
...
Gabriel and his friends sat around the dinner table with the ferret family. Gabriel felt a thought come to his mind. "I beg your pardon, Mister..."
"Malachi..." The old ferret spoke. "I am Malachi."
Gabriel nodded. "Malachi, how did you know we were from Redwall?"
The ferret let a weak smile show. "Well for one, you three are far too clean to be travelers. Another, I recognized your sword." He pointed his cane to the Martin Sword which rested against a wall. "I saw it myself when I was once at Redwall."
Derry blinked. "You were in Redwall?"
The ferret nodded. "My wife and I had made the trek from our home country to this land. We felt it would be safer from the crime in the southern lands we came from. In the time we traveled however..." He looked to his wife. She nodded with a mischievous smile. "Well, it was Spring when we got here, so you can guess for yourselves. And well, by the time we'd made it to these woods, our son, Faro was weighing heavy in his mother's womb. She fell crossing the River Moss. Otters from Redwall found us; they offered to escort us to the Abbey for shelter."
The son was beginning to blush from being reminded of this.
Malachi patted Faro on his shoulder. "Yes, my Faro was born a Redwaller." He laughed. He calmed himself then he looked at Gabriel. "Tell me, young warrior. Is Bruce still at Redwall?"
Gabe nodded. "He is the abbot there."
Malachi laughed again, stroking his whiskers. "Really? Well, that is good to know. We became friends during those first few years we'd lived there before Carol and I decided to leave and build our own home." He decided to change the subject. "What were you three doing in the woods, then?"
Gabe spoke, "We were on our way to Salamandastron."
"Ah, what for?"
The mouse politely nodded. "If you don't mind, I'd rather keep that private."
Malachi cocked an eyebrow. "I see..." He suddenly stood up. "Well, it's already late. I'm happy to offer you three a place to rest before you continued on."
The mouse laughed. "You're sure we won't be a bother?"
The elder ferret smiled. "Not at all."
...
That night, Gabe found himself unable to sleep. He heard pawsteps. He followed them as quietly as he could and found Faro kneeling by his brother's fresh grave.
The ferret looked up as the mouse joined him. "Hey..."
Gabriel nodded. "Hey." The mouse sat with the ferret.
Faro sighed. "I don't blame you anymore. I realize my brother would still be here if I weren't so hardheaded."
Gabriel snickered. "Thank you, but that wasn't my question. How old are you, Faro?"
The ferret looked up to the smaller male. "Um, I've just recently turned 24."
Gabe nodded. "Ah, we're two years apart. I was asking because, I was born in Redwall, I spent my whole life there, I never remembered seeing ferrets in the abbey."
Faro scoffed. "Yes, well, I'm sure you've heard of the gallant reputation of ferrets in Mossflower."
Gabe shrugged. "You can't judge a whole race on the actions of the few."
The ferret smiled. "That's a good one." He stood up. "Thank you for this talk but, I'm turning in."
The mouse stayed seated. "Alright, I'll be in shortly. Good night, Faro."
The ferret stopped briefly, then walked in with a smile. Faro walked past his brother's room when the door opened. His brother's fiancée was there.
"Faro..."
He hesitated.
She stood there with her arm resting against the doorframe. "You can have me to yourself now, Faro." She whispered.
He sighed. "Rita, I told you, that was only one time. I didn't want to hurt Donnie."
Rita spoke matter-of-factly, "You can't hurt him now." She leaned on his shoulder to let him feel her. "I always loved Donnie. I would have married him. I wanted to so much." She kissed his cheek. "But if anyone was to sire my first child, I'd prefer someone wilder." She held his waist.
Faro groaned. He bit his lip as he could feel himself become aroused from her forwardness. He remembered the last time he had let her seduce him. The previous month when his brother was at market with his father, he was bathing in the tub when she walked in. With nary a word, she locked the door, disrobed then joined him in the tub. She was his for that moment.
No sooner had his mind returned to the present did he find himself locked in embrace with his dead brother's fiancée. This was so wrong, he thought. Here he was in his brother's bedroom being undressed by his betrothed. He was glad at least that he'd remembered to close the door before she threw him on the bed.
Gabriel was walking by when his ears picked up noises from the previously empty room. With a glance to check if anyone was around, the mouse opened the door partway.
Faro had Rita on her back now as he mated furiously with her. He never noticed the mouse watching his strong haunches flexing on each thrust.
The mouse blushed dark from seeing the ferrets. He bit his finger, he could feel his undergarment tightening.
Rita dug her nails into his backside as she felt her climax, biting her lip to prevent waking his parents.
Faro was not so reserved. He leaned in close, uttering a deep guttural growl of lust as his own climax hit.
Rita delighted at Faro's seed warming her belly.
Faro did not feel as good. He felt guilty in fact. "This is the last time." He said before getting up.
The ferretmaid waved him off as she whispered to herself, "He'll be back."
Faro stepped into the hall naked, his clothes held in front of him. He hurried back to his own room, praying no one would see him.
Gabe was in the guest room he'd had to share with Derry since Malachi would not allow "unwed lovers" to sleep together under his roof. He knew he would have trouble sleeping now.
...
The following morning, Gabriel, Derry and Liz were treated to a fine breakfast of robin eggs. Soon, the trio was ready to go on their way.
Malachi's whole family were outside to see them off.
Faro felt his father's paw on his shoulder. "Dad?"
Malachi smiled. "Go with them, Faro."
The young ferret gulped from his father's words. "You mean it? You want me to go?"
The elder ferret whispered, "You are very much wild at heart my son. Maybe if I let you see the world you'll decide for yourself if you're ready to be a man. Either way, I'm still proud of you."
Gabriel heard what Malachi said. "Don't worry, sir. I'll make sure your son comes back not too banged up."
The mother wagged a finger. "You do so."
Soon Faro was packed and ready to leave as well. He hugged both of his parents.
The newly formed quartet began their journey when Rita ran out to stop him.
She struck him on the chest. "So that's it? You're just leaving?"
Faro sighed. He held her shoulders. He leaned in and said, "Bugger off."
She blushed at his swearing at her. "But what about us?"
He threw her off. "There is no us! I don't want you! Now go!"
Rita fell to her knees as the quartet walked away. She cried into her paws.
...
Earring led the expedition from the ship to check for any indigenous beasts. On his group were Dan, Flower, Marko, Dewclaw and two stoats.
Will looked about the dense forest. "It seems very thick."
Dan slashed his way through any low branches. "We should at least check for food." The fox stepped wrong on a hill. "Oh shit!" He slipped and fell. He rolled to a stop at the bottom. "Damn, that could've been better." He looked up and found himself staring into a spear point.