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Days passed quickly while serving as a ship's apprentice. Starlit nights went by even faster, with the flurry of activity on deck. Half of which was missed, as the apprentices slept before the morning shift. This was how The Sandstalker operated from sunup to sundown with its feline crew. At night, the seasoned sailors hunted their quarry, and during the daytime, the apprentices prepared for the next night. Work never ended. Not while The Sandstalker traveled across the desert sands.

The crew delegated several very important tasks to apprentices during daylight hours. Like climbing up the mainmast to serve as a lookout during the hottest hours of the day, untangling heaping piles of ropes and nets, and scraping rust off the oldest, rickety traps. But, of all the amazing tasks gifted to The Sandstalker's hard-working apprentices, nothing was more thrilling, more tantalizing, than an entire morning and afternoon spent below deck shucking crabs.

All day scraping sand out of leg and claw joints, cracking open bright red, sometimes blue, shells. Broken bits of chitin flying in your eyes. Sand, also, getting in your eyes, flung from the end of a thick bristle brush. All sorts of detritus getting into eyes or fur. Usually in both, if the job was done right.

After two days of it, Kali's was plenty sandy by now, from her toes to the pointy tips of her ears. It's not like she was new to shucking crabs, either. It was messy work even when she was at home with her familiar array of brushes and knives. Messy and boring.

Kali grabbed another leg and snapped it at the knuckle. She dug a single claw into the meat and pried it free, tossing it into a tall pot with the other morsels. The same process for the last leg. Scrub and scrape. Crack. Pluck. Toss. Scrub again and scrape some more. Over and over. With an occasional wince, when a bit of sand struck her muzzle. A following sneeze, if it got in her nose.

Even with frequent pauses to swat sand off her face, Kali still managed better than the other apprentice with her. There was constant spitting and sputtering from the cat on her left, Joyana. One of few Dockies that wasn't a colorpoint. She had a tux pattern on her tan and white fur.

After one last cough, Joyana took up a mallet in her slim, white furred fingers and started tapping on a crab's claw. Kali watched for a minute. The shell was gradually giving in and breaking into thin red splinters. Annoying, yes, but Kali was more concerned by the occasional glint she saw. Every tap knocked specks of sand loose, flying across the wood counter.

Kali cleared her throat, raising her voice over Joyana's unenthused hammering. “Hey."

Joyana's mallet froze in the air. Her whiskers lifted, as her tail did, at any excuse to stop what she was doing. Not that Kali really blamed her. “What's up?" Joyana asked.

“You might need to scrub that a bit more," Kali said, darting a nod at the halfway cracked claw. “There's still sand in it."

“What? Again?" Joyana's tail dropped down, and she was particularly crestfallen as she inspected her work and found more sand wedged in crevices. “Really? Ugh!"

Kali grabbed another crab from the box across from her. She picked up her brush and resumed scrubbing, right as Joyana did, working on the joints - the worst culprits for a gritty meal. She turned an ear, listening to Joyana's enthusiastic scrubbing. Almost furious, as the Dockie tried to scour the single spot she missed. Despite the setback, she wasn't doing a terrible job. Apparently, Joyana and the others worked hard when they wanted - and when Cerinnia wasn't around to distract them.

“How much more do we have to do, anyway?" Joyana asked. “When can we stop?"

Kali paused mid-brush. She peered over her shoulder at the kitchen behind them. As one of the largest ships of the Mjau's fleet, The Sandstalker had a larger galley to support its crew. The room was longer than wide, with one wall lined with burners and a solid wood workbench on the other. Between them was a narrow island, where the chefs worked chopping up leafy greens and other less sand-ridden components. The pots on burners were up to rolling boils, with plumes of steam billowing out. Six pots now. Six more to cook, once those finished. Then the two other pots between Kali and Joyana, where their crab meat was going.

“I don't really know," Kali admitted. She watched a couple of cooks rush across the kitchen, tossing in some bright red spices at the last minute. One of them hauled a pot off a burner to cool. “Whenever Bomae- Whenever Sous-chef Bomae comes back and says we're done."

“Great." Joyana half-sighed and half-growled her frustrated response. She resumed her frenzied scrubbing, with yet more growling under her breath. Kali did similarly, but with fewer accompanying grumbles.

Bomae had to return eventually. She couldn't have gone far. The lofty cargo bay occupied most of the ship's interior. She wouldn't have gone outside, either. Not a single whisker dared venture outside right now. The crew had completely abandoned the top deck, lest anyone get swept away by the turbulent sandstorm.

Past the crackling stoves and clattering pots, Kali could faintly hear the raging wind outside. The constant, hissing drone as sand swept across the deck. The hull creaked and groaned as towering waves of sand struck the sides. She could feel it in her tail, too, as it swerved left and right to keep her balance. As all the cats' tails did, with the ship rocking and lurching underfoot.

Kali didn't dwell on the sandstorm for long. She and Mikora rode out rough storms before - several on this exact ship. When she was a kitten, all the groaning wood sounded eerie and foreboding, like the ship might snap and break. They didn't sound so bad now that she was older - just the normal sounds a ship made when getting tossed. Nothing to worry about, if the sailors weren't worried. None of the chefs in the galley turned their ears towards it. They just carried on cooking like nothing was wrong.

Kali's whiskers pulled back, and she grimaced as some sand flew her way. Currently, she was less bothered by the sandstorm and more by her uninteresting company for the afternoon. Joyana was fine. Chatty when boys and fashion were involved, less so when someone brought up anything else. Joyana wasn't the worst, but Kali had far more fun the afternoon prior, when Rinzaan was assigned to galley-duty, too.

Granted, they couldn't fool around. Not in the galley. There were too many chefs. The pantry was the only place they could sneak a quick rendezvous, but it was small. Barely taller than Rinzaan's ears. Not much longer than Kali's tail. Too cramped to try, even if noses and whiskers weren't constantly darting in and out. No chance at getting undressed in this kitchen, but Kali still had plenty of fun, regardless.

A well-timed swish of her tail meeting his. The tips of their whiskers brushed past as Kali reached across the counter. A nudge with an elbow. Her hand bumped his. Really any excuse for the slightest bit of contact, which often resulted in a fair amount of fidgeting on Rinzaan's part.

They made up for it later. At their usual spot in the cargo bay, where they met for their routine lunchtime trysts. Though it wasn't quite as fun as sneaking in a quickie somewhere in the galley. Kali glanced at the pantry's narrow doorway. A chef dashed out and tossed a handful of greens into a pot. Maybe during the off-hours, with fewer cats around, they could manage something. The pantry didn't look as small, now that she reconsidered it. There were plenty of shelves. Just knock some spices off, and she could perch her tail on one of them. Might be even easier than the crow's nest. She could just sit and run her fingers along Rinzaan's slim shoulders while he had his way with her.

Kali's ears flicked. There was more clattering. While she was daydreaming, the chefs moved several pots off the stove-tops. A chef ferried the first to the ravenous sailors, whose voices faintly echoed down the hall. More importantly, as she came to, she spotted a familiar pair of pointed, orange ears and striped tabby fur headed their way.

“That's enough for today," Sous-chef Bomae said, much to Kali's relief and Joyana's sheer delight. “Good work, both of you. This should make a hearty stew for breakfast."

“We can go?" Joyana asked.

Bomae nodded. “You can go."

Joyana ripped her apron off and hurled it on the counter. Abandoning the last crab on the counter, which was perfectly clean after all her impassioned scrubbing. But Bomae just laughed. “Ah, the usual. Nobody likes kitchen-duty." She dug the crab out from under the discarded apron and broke off one leg. “Aren't you going to run off, too?" she asked with a sly glance at Kali.

“I don't mind it that much," Kali said as she folded her apron and set it aside. “It's not hard. You and Mikora had me cleaning crabs since I could walk."

“Hm." Bomae broke open another leg. Three snaps in rapid succession. She plucked the meat out of each section and tossed it with the rest. “You seemed plenty eager to leave yesterday."

Kali laughed. A sharp, nervous laugh. An unconvincing one. “Yeah, well, you know what happens when you're late to lunch," she said with a jerky shrug. “I missed the previous one. Only got scraps. So, I had to run."

Bomae peered at Kali from the corner of her eye. Just like Mikora and Masede did when they knew she was up to something. Which, to be fair, Kali almost always was. The sous-chef cracked the crab's claw open with her fingers, prying the shell apart. A pointed snap that made Kali's ears flatten. “I remember those days, too," Bomae mused. “When I missed the good parts of lunch and got left with scraps."

“Yeah, so I should probably get going." Kali turned on her tail, hoping she could swiftly exit wherever this conversation was headed.

“Hold it!"

Kali only made it one step. She froze where she was. Her fur fluffed in apprehension as she turned towards Bomae. “Sous-chef?" she asked, with as much fear as courtesy.

Bomae didn't hold her scowl for long. She broke into a grin and laughed. “Don't get your tail in a fluff," she said, waving the broken crab's claw at Kali's nose. “You did good work these past couple days. Don't think I didn't notice. And, unlike our stingy captain, I pay up." Bomae flung out a hand, bringing a chef toting one of the loaded pots to a skidded stop. The crew's dinner almost sloshed out. Bomae didn't even twitch a whisker. She whirled away, grabbed a bowl out of a cabinet, and she took a ladleful from the serving pot. Then two more. When Bomae finally handed the bowl to Kali, it was filled to the brim.

Bomae motioned the chef on with a wave, and she plucked the lid off a different pot behind her. “You're welcome in my kitchen anytime, kitten. Wish my kittens were as good as you are. You're always such a help." She tossed a handful of steamed crab on top of Kali's bowl. Had Kali waited, she probably would've gotten another. But she didn't. Her ears couldn't take it, and her whiskers couldn't, either. They both simmered hotter than the pots did. She heard the other cooks snickering as she rushed out, and Bomae's rumbling laughter joined in.

Shucking crabs wasn't that bad. The problem was when Bomae started acting like Kali was knee high again. Boredom she could handle. Embarrassing cooing and mewling were different.

Kali heaved a weighty sigh once she was in the hallway. As annoying as Bomae could be, she did give Kali a heartier dinner than usual. The same as she had yesterday. Working in the galley was messy and often embarrassing, but it wasn't all bad. A full stomach almost made a difference.

Kali picked up a chunk of crab meat with the tips of her claws and popped it into her mouth. She chewed slowly, savoring the slight spice to it. Whatever they seasoned it with was rich with a pleasant burn at the tail end. Not enough of it, since they rationed spices like usual, but it tasted better than yesterday's.

She stepped backwards, letting a cook hurry past with another full pot. A round of boisterous cheers greeted them as they entered the mess. A more boisterous welcome than usual. As Masede often told her, the best way to pass a storm was with a drink in one hand and another drink in the other. After three days of nonstop storming, the crew was certainly more than two drinks in. By the drunken, slurred shanty Kali heard as she passed the doorway, they were having a fantastic time, despite the dusty weather.

_Chowder tastes like slop

Salt don't save it, see

Can taste every grain of sand

In the flea-bit sea_

_So I told the chef

And I told 'em twice

Keep your sand out my food

But they won't play nice

The milks gone sour-_

Not exactly a good portent, if they were singing The Sandy Slop, but not necessarily a bad one, either. A longstanding favorite song on The Sandstalker, it had to come up at least once or twice during a storm. Were she in the right mood, she would've joined in. Slipped into the mess, joining the ragged, sing-song chanting, taken a spot by Masede and seen if he would slip her a drink or two. For now, she wasn't interested in singing shanties and smuggling booze. Kali expected something more appealing waited for her in the cargo bay.

Her tail bounced with each step downstairs, as carefree and airy as any cat's tail could be. Though she was careful to keep her hands steady, cradling her bowl against her chest, and she stopped and braced each time the ship pitched. She didn't fancy spilling any of her premium meal. If the sizable crab chunks were on the ground, Rinzaan wouldn't be so impressed.

She paused on the last step, blinking in the dark. Without a single lamp lit, and the storm outside, there wasn't a sliver of light. Only what little carried in from lanterns lit on the stairs. Not that cats needed much light. If anything, she saw better in the ship's dark depths than she did outside in the blinding sun. Yet what she saw down the length of the cargo bay, besides the crates and piles of sand, made her tail twitch. Since she saw nothing else.

Kali checked the narrow alleys between the crates to be sure. She scouted from the far end and back to the stairs. She didn't see a single brown or cream-colored hair from his pelt. Nothing. Just crates and sand like it used to be.

She tossed another piece of crab in her mouth and grazed while she pondered. Her tail ticked left and right. Rinzaan always showed up early. He was always waiting for her. Sometimes he remembered to grab something to eat beforehand. Other times he didn't. Some days he was more interested in her soft, if not sandy, fur than gritty leftover chowder. Which was understandable, with how the chowder's quality varied day by day.

Kali took another bite and returned upstairs. Though she loathed it, there was another place to check - the usual place the Dockies were during lunch.

Before Kali even peeked inside, her ears were low, and her tail was lashing. She could hear Cerinnia's voice down the hallway, cloying and snooty, and it wasn't any better up close. The tortie sat atop a table today, instead of in a chair, gloating about whatever made-up thing she needed to gloat about now. Kali paid little attention to it. She heard little of it, either, with her ears pressed down. Instead, she scanned the other pelts in the room. There were a bunch of brown ears and white coats. None quite like Rinzaan's. He wasn't there, either.

The ship rolled again. A slow, shallow list towards port, but Kali still dug her claws into the wall to keep steady. A portion of her bowl spilled. Kali's whiskers drew back with a grimace. She wasn't sure what was more annoying. Not knowing where Rinzaan was, or the storm wasting some of her hard-earned meal.

“Should someone go check on Rinzaan?"

Kali's ears shot upright. That was a tom's voice. A voice riddled with concern. Kali stepped back from the doorway, hiding safely out of view, but she kept both ears pointed forward. She heard a dismissive laugh from Cerinnia.

“He's just seasick," Cerinnia scoffed. “He's fine."

“If we take him anything, he's just going to puke," another said, “and then they'll make us mop it up."

“Won't he be hungry later?"

“He won't be, if we leave a bowl out for him, and if a certain someone doesn't eat it all," Cerinnia said, with some growl added for emphasis. “Stop eyeing it like some kind of sickly kitten, Joyana. You've had more than enough-"

Kali darted past the doorway. She headed past the galley and past the mess, and all the drunken sea shanties that carried on, and went down a smaller, spiral staircase that led to a different section of the ship. A quieter area, away from the clattering kitchen and singing sailors, and even farther from the laughing and jeering apprentices.

The short hallway opened up into an expansive room. Thick posts supported the high ceiling, with rows and rows of hammocks slung between them. Some hammocks were low enough that your tail would hit the ground if it flipped out. Others were so high up, a cat's shortest whiskers could touch the support beams overhead. Several hung over each other, some crisscrossed and some parallel, all stacking up to the ceiling. A slipshod construction. Like crew quarters on every ship were. One that changed every time they docked and every time they departed. A lot of sailors enjoyed having their own personal hammocks and brought them each voyage and took them back to shore after. Plenty of sailors picked fights if someone else tried to use what wasn't theirs, too.

Kali wandered through the fabric maze, past bright blues and greens with painted designs. Vivid yellows and oranges. A few brown hammocks for the old-fashioned sailors who didn't care where they slept. Only a couple of reds. Supposedly an unlucky color, but some sailors were daring or dumb enough to use them. And some apprentices, who didn't know red was considered unlucky, were dumb enough to use them, too.

She found Rinzaan's bright red hammock towards the back, which was occupied, judging by the lumpy texture and how it sagged. It was a fair distance from hers, which she situated in a less crowded corner. The fabric wasn't red, wasn't unlucky, but that didn't steer the sailors away. Some thought her eye was unlucky. Some thought it was cursed. Others said she could look through a cat's heart, see their soul, and steal it out of their body, or that she could see death, and anyone caught by her gaze would die in a fortnight. Nobody really believed it. She hadn't stolen any souls via eyeball, and nobody had died around her, but they were cautious all the same. Weird rumors circulate on boats. That's just what happens when a bunch of cats are stuck in close quarters for weeks at a time.

She lightened her footsteps and listened to Rinzaan's steady breathing - listening for any signs he was ill. Any gagging or coughing or, at worst, retching. If he was, she had every intention of turning tail and leaving him be. But the bucket, left far below his hammock, was empty, and he didn't sound too sickly. He was unhappy, by the occasional groan, but it wasn't an about-to-throw-up groan. Once assured he was okay, Kali tapped her claws on a post. “Rinzaan?"

Rinzaan's hammock lurched. The fabric jostled, the sides flexing and rippling as he struggled, but he managed to claw his way upright. He looked worse than she expected. His ears fanned out at a weird angle, seeming unable to right themselves, and his muzzle strained against a sickly glower. Still, he tried to play it off as he leaned on the edge of the hammock, draping his arm over the side. “Hey, Kali," he said, with a forced swallow, then a flash of his brown tipped tail in greeting.

“Hey," Kali said, similarly lifting her tail, “I heard you were feeling seasick."

“Nah. I'm just tired-" Rinzaan cringed as the ship listed. He clenched his teeth so hard his whiskers quivered until the boat leveled back out again.

“I, uh, guess you don't want anything to eat," Kali said. She held up her bowl. Rinzaan's nose twitched once, and he reeled. He twisted away, throwing his arm up over his muzzle, blocking the smell with his sleeve. The edges of Kali's lips curled, but she managed not to laugh. “Yeah, I guess you don't." She scratched behind an ear and cast a furtive glance the way she came. “I can just leave you to it-"

“Wait!" Rinzaan swallowed hard. He lifted his ears a little, as high as he could, and he pouted at her with his miserable, cloudy blue eyes. “Can you stay a while?"

Kali's whiskers dipped. She frowned at the empty bucket, then up at the pitiful Rinzaan. She had a tough time saying “no" to such pleading eyes. “I guess." She set her bowl down, watching while the ship rolled starboard. It slid across the floor and bumped against the far wall, but it didn't spill. “Do you want to walk around some?" she asked, peeling her eyes off her forsaken dinner. “You'll feel better."

Rinzaan's ears plummeted, and he shook his head. “No. No, that makes it worse."

“Okay then." Kali surveyed the surrounding hammocks. They looked nice. Too nice. One had fancy tassels trimming the edges. Another was hand-painted on the outside with spirals and waves. She wasn't going to risk her tail by sitting on any of them.

“You can, uh, come up here, if you want."

Kali's ears flicked. She looked at Rinzaan again, who loomed over her. His tall brown ears almost hit the ceiling. “Up there?" Kali smirked. “So you can throw up on me? No thanks."

“What? Who says I'm throwing up? I haven't thrown up."

“Yeah, but you sure look like you're about to."

“I'm just queasy," Rinzaan growled. “I'm not throwing up. That's gross."

“Yeah. Not on me, you're not," Kali said with a pointed laugh. “No way."

“Can you just come up here? Please?"

Kali lashed her tail. With a few angry mutters and a growl under her breath, Kali started climbing up the nearby post where one side of his hammock was tied. She preferred not to risk it, but he was so pathetic, so sullen, she couldn't tell him off. He was really lucky he was cute. Were he not, Kali would've left the moment she saw his skewed ears. “If you throw up," Kali said as she clawed her way to the top. “If you do, I'll kick you so hard-"

“I won't. I promise."

She didn't believe him. Not for a second. Kali hung onto the top of the post, hesitating as she considered retracting her claws and sliding back down. Again, Rinzaan's woeful, pretty eyes kept her from turning tail. She sighed and set one foot in the hammock.

The next step wasn't as easy. Right as Kali pried her claws loose, as she took another step in, Rinzaan shifted, and the hammock jerked left. She toppled, her elbow landing on Rinzaan's shoulder. His knee jabbed her in the gut. With some flailed limbs, eventually Kali squirmed herself into a more comfortable position. Though her arms were crushed against his side, one of her knees jabbed his thigh, and his elbow jammed into her shoulder.

Her tail lashed with every bit of discomfort, but Rinzaan just laughed. His warm, sonorous laugh that always made her smile - even when his pointy elbow stabbed her every time the hammock bounced. “You're going to get us caught," she chided.

“Who's going to catch us?" he asked, with a wide grin still on his muzzle. “Nobody's here."

“Because they don't want to listen to you throw up."

“I'm not throwing up." Rinzaan twisted, or tried to, and winced. “Can you move your leg?"

“No." Kali grumbled. “Can you move your arm?"

“No." Rinzaan wriggled again, craning his neck as he tried to move. His whiskers tickled at Kali's ear, which she promptly flattened. He stopped moving again, surrendering with a huff. “Are you, um, comfortable?"

“Are you seriously asking that?" Kali asked. “No. I'm not comfortable."

“Yeah, I didn't think so. Roll over."

“That's not going to help-" Kali grumbled. Her tail thrashed, as much as her tail could thrash, since their awkward arrangement pinned it in place, but she didn't have any better ideas. With more flailed limbs and violent rocking, Kali managed to twist her way around. Rinzaan wiggled behind her, shifting his arm from under her while keeping his single pillow in place. After scooting up higher, Kali dropped her cheek on Rinzaan's arm. Once everything settled, their limbs and tails in place, she was a bit surprised. For once, Rinzaan was right. This wasn't as bad. With his left arm under her cheek and his right over her waist, she wasn't getting jabbed by knees and elbows anymore. “I guess this is better after all."

Rinzaan agreed, but he didn't say it. He just pressed his muzzle just behind her ear and rubbed his chin against her fur.

Suddenly, all his ills were gone. The ship still rolled, but all she heard behind her was his low-pitched purring.

“So what?" Kali asked, smiling as Rinzaan rubbed his cheek against her shoulder. “All you need is my pelt to make you feel better?"

“I mean, it doesn't hurt," he admitted.

Kali smirked. His fingers were already digging into her waist, trying to slip under her shirt. She reached down and grabbed the bottom hem, loosening the ties that held it down to help him out. He slid his hand up to the middle of her stomach, his thumb tracing circles in her fur.

“Thanks."

Kali turned an ear back. She chirped lightly when his fingers stilled in her fur, and his persistent nuzzling stopped. “You don't really have to thank me," Kali said. “It's not like I don't like this or something."

“It's just-" Rinzaan sighed, his weighty breath bothersome at her ear, “I just needed some company, and no one else would stay with me. Because I wasn't feeling very well-"

“I thought you said you weren't throwing up?"

She didn't like how he hesitated. His fingers tensed against her stomach. The tips of Rinzaan's claws prickled against her skin. “Maybe I did a couple times," Rinzaan mumbled. “I had to grab another bucket." He sighed against her ear again, which flicked in return. “I'm really not any good at this."

“What are you talking about?"

“Sailing. Ship stuff. I'm no good at any of it. Not at all."

Kali shifted under his arm. She worked her way around, until their knees and elbows jammed against each other again, and she could look into his glossy eyes. “It's your first storm, and it's a bad one. It's okay to get sick," Kali said. “I got sick the first time I was in a storm, too."

“It's not just this. I was really bad yesterday, too. At the crab stuff."

Kali shrugged. “I mean, you hadn't shelled a crab before. You're not going to pick them apart like Bomae on the first try."

“I'm bad at climbing the mast. I'm the slowest one."

“The main mast is pretty tough to hold on to at spots," she reasoned. “It just takes practice."

“I can't even tie a knot," Rinzaan muttered. “And I tried to help hoist the sails the other day. My hands are still burning. I'm just not any good at any of this at all."

Kali fell silent. She would rather disagree with him, but she couldn't deny it. Rinzaan was sort of right. He tried, which was more than most apprentices did, but that didn't make him a sailor. This sort of life wasn't meant for him. Kali knew it. Rinzaan knew it, too. They all did. That was why almost none of the Dockies stayed on a ship's crew. “It's okay not to be good at this stuff," she said softly. “You don't have to be."

“And you do," Rinzaan said. “I know." He turned beside her, kicking until he could roll onto his back.

Kali wiggled over next to him and rested her cheek on his shoulder. She didn't have much else to say. Nothing that would alleviate Rinzaan's frustrations. So, she didn't say anything. She just stayed there with him and lightly stroked the fur on his neck, listening to the ship creak and the sand buffet on the hull outside. Hopefully, her being there was enough to comfort him, even without his nose tucked into her fur.

Her petting seemed to cheer him up. Each time her hand brushed along Rinzaan's neck, tension left his shoulders and arms. His tail's annoyed whipping against the fabric settled down to a faint tapping. Rinzaan's frustration ebbed away. His subtle purring was only evident by the light vibration under Kali's fingertips. And his purr halted again when his chest rose and fell beneath Kali's arm with yet another weighty sigh. “If you didn't have to do this ship stuff," Rinzaan said, “if you could do whatever you wanted, what would you do?"

Kali grinned. She was relieved by the perked-up tone of his voice. Almost as relieved as she was at the subject change. “Well, that's easy," she said. “I'd be a Mjauzi."

Rinzaan craned his head, peering at her down his muzzle and whiskers. “Really? A Mjauzi?" He frowned, and his puzzled ears slanted awry. “One of the palace guards? Those Mjauzi?"

“Why are you so surprised?" Kali asked with a lighthearted laugh. She flexed her fingers and picked at the edge of his rumpled shirt with her claws. “You asked."

“I just wasn't expecting that, of all things," Rinzaan said. “I thought you might want to run a shop. Be a merchant or something. I didn't think you'd want to be a Mjauzi. Considering-"

“My dad?" Kali dropped the corner of his shirt that she played with. “It's awkward, I know, but I still want to do it. I'm actually a good shot with a bow. I almost hit the target dead-center the first time I tried."

“Wait, you've been to their archery grounds?" Rinzaan asked, his ears lifted. “At the palace? The actual palace?"

“Yeah. Mikora takes me up there sometimes. Sure, we can't go through the palace proper, but we can cut through the servant's quarters. She used to go up so she could practice and see the other Mjauzi. Then I tried it for fun-" Kali shrugged. “And they say I'm a natural. So, I might try out someday. I don't know. I'm practicing. Not sure if I'll ever be good enough to join, but I hope so."

Kali's tail fidgeted. Rinzaan was strangely quiet. His droning purr faded away under her palm until. Maybe he didn't believe her, or maybe he thought the idea was dumb. Whatever Rinzaan thought, she didn't want to find out, so she kept her eyes fixed on the loose collar of his shirt.

“That's-"

Kali squeezed her eyes shut. “I know. It's dumb."

“What? That's not true. I was going to say, that's really cool," Rinzaan said.

Kali risked a look up at him. She felt warmth radiate through her whiskers again. The way he smiled, when he smiled so genuinely, made her chest flutter. “Really?"

“Well, yeah." Rinzaan said. “I just had no idea you were training for it."

“It's not really official training. Just some in my spare time-"

“Still, it's pretty cool." Rinzaan's tail thumped against the hammock. “I wish I knew what I wanted to do."

“Hey, you'll figure it out someday," Kali said. “If you don't, you can always come stay with me when you get sent to the Benz."

Laughter rumbled under her fingers. Kali grinned. She wasn't joking, but at least Rinzaan brightened up, lifting his dour tail with a cheery wave. He bumped his chin against the top of her head, resuming his nuzzling from before. Kali giggled as his whiskers tickled her ears.

“You always know what to say," Rinzaan purred as he rubbed his cheek on her ear. “You always know what to do-"

“No, I definitely don't," Kali insisted. “I don't know anything."

“Whatever. You just always make things better. So, yeah, thanks for that."

Kali's voice trilled when his rough tongue met her fur. A single lick on her forehead. Still enough to make her squirm and her whiskers feel full and flushed. Rinzaan clearly noticed, because he buried his nose into her fur and licked again. Slowly this time. His tongue dragged from the bridge of her nose all the way to the corner of her ear. “Hey, Kali?"

“Yeah?"

“Can you maybe turn over again?"

“Why?" Kali asked, with a clever lash of her tail. “Too bothered by my weird eye?"

Rinzaan scrunched his muzzle. “No. I'm not," he said, a light rumble to his words. “Can you just turn over?"

Kali chirped. She wasn't expecting the growl in his voice, or how much it ruffled her fur, either. Ruffled it in pleasant ways that rippled down to her toes. She certainly wasn't going to argue with that. Kali twisted and turned, flailing about until she could drag herself over. As soon as her back was against Rinzaan, and his hips pressed against her backside, she discerned why he was so insistent. “You can say please," Kali said, her whiskers still lifted. “If you really want to grind against me."

Rinzaan ignored the jibe. He pressed his tongue between her shoulder blades. A warmth bloomed and traveled up her nape, following the gliding path his muzzle took. Shivers racked Kali's fur. He didn't need to grind against her at all. Just his steady, forceful licks made her hips roll and squirm against his firm erection.

Rinzaan paused. He panted into her fur, his warm breath sending yet another ache racing down her thighs. Just being pressed so tightly against him drenched the fur between her legs.

“Think you can take off your clothes?"

“The important ones, sure," Kali answered with a coy smirk over her shoulder. “I can wriggle out of my panties for you."

“What about the rest?"

“The rest?" Kali's tail flicked curiously. “You want me all-the-way naked? Right now?"

“I mean, if you don't mind-" Rinzaan stammered, his fleeting bravado lapsing.

“Both of us?"

“Well, yeah. I-" Rinzaan pressed his nose back into the base of her neck, hiding his face in her short gray fur. “I just want to feel your fur on mine. All of it."

He waited patiently for her answer. More patiently than the firm lump pressed into her rear. Kali flipped her tail a couple times. She grabbed the hammock's side and leaned up to check the room. Her ears pivoted about as she listened. There wasn't a single whisker around. Not by eye or by ear. With the sailors carrying on in the mess and the chefs busy cleaning up, nobody else would prowl around the crew quarters anytime soon.

Kali dropped, letting the hammock snap back into place. The risk of getting caught seemed paltry compared to the craving that slicked between her legs. Instead of answering, she dug her claws in and started prying off her belt and pants. The squirming required to do so revealed her intentions immediately. Rinzaan's whiskers brushed at her ear, lifted with a broad smile, and he promptly started wrestling off his own clothes behind her.

For once, Rinzaan slipped out of his clothes before Kali did. Likely spurred on by his tightening pants. He grabbed an arm of Kali's shirt and helped tug the last part off, and he tossed and kicked until it joined the rest of their discarded garments.

“So, this was what you had in mind?" Kali asked, shifting and rubbing her bottom against his rigid sheath.

“Almost."

Rinzaan firmly grabbed her shoulder and pushed her forward. Harder than she expected. Kali chirped as her nose pressed into the hammock's fabric.

“Are you good?"

“Mostly." Kali picked her muzzle up. She reached over and grabbed a pillow pinned under Rinzaan's arm. With a rough pull she dragged it over under her chin. Still not as comfortable as before, but the positioning was better. At least with her head propped, she wouldn't suffocate on the hammock's weave. “Now we're good-" Rinzaan's tongue pressed against the back of her neck. A sharp trill left her throat. Her tail whipped against his thigh, but he stayed there. His chest flush against her back. His hard member pressed against her rump; the sultry flesh drawn from his furred sheath.

He pressed down harder with his tongue. She wasn't sure if she felt the sharp tips of his teeth on her nape or if she just imagined it. She squirmed against him, mewling into the hammock. His hand slid between her inner thighs, the tips of his fingers following along her wet fur. Her breath hitched, as his finger traced along the folds. Her legs tensed, until his hand slid back around to her rear and his claws moved safely away.

Rinzaan shifted behind her, his knees pushing between her legs until she straddled him. Kali clutched onto the pillow. She lifted her tail as high as it would go, curling it up towards her back. Though he didn't need the invitation. He slipped in between her soaked thighs, his claws digging into the hammock as he pressed in.

Kali trilled into her pillow. He was hard. Even harder than he was during their previous flings. Rinzaan leaned forward, dragging his fur against hers. He moaned into her neck. She felt a throb between her legs. A lustful spasm of his member. The lightest grate of his barbs on her walls.

He drew back. Kali winced, but his tongue stole her thoughts away from the scratching at her loins. His teeth, for certain this time, combed through her fur. Kali whimpered. She grabbed onto the pillow at her muzzle, driving her claws in. He started to thrust. Short, quick thrusts. Every pull raking on her folds, sending pleasured spasms through her loins. Each time she clenched onto him, when she came so close, he stopped. Kept her pinned between him and the hammock, unable to wriggle her way into her own release. Left her wanting for more. Aching for it.

Kali panted raggedly. The pillow was in shreds. Feathers falling out of the rips. Another quiver ran through her loins up her spine. Rinzaan drew back. His barbs pulled. Dragged out until just the narrow tip pressed in. He grabbed her hips and guided her back, throwing his weight forward and thrusting back in. Kali bit down on the pillow, moaning through her teeth. His warm breath seared at her neck, his tongue still at her fur, thrust after long thrust.

Rinzaan panted against her neck. His teeth bore down into her fur until she felt them pinch into her skin beneath.

Her walls ached. Deep between her hips. Rinzaan bore down, thrusting harder. Kali arched her back and leaned into him. Anything to relieve the mounting pressure. He pulled on her neck, biting harder down. She shrieked into the pillow.

He thrust in, clasping her hips against his. Even as she twisted and bucked under him. A long, warm throb surged up in her. Kali raked her claws through the pillow, trilling as she gave in. A final climax, tension seared from her tail to her whiskers. Her walls clenched as he pushed forward, released again. Taking in every last drop. His claws bore into her skin, holding fast, staying buried as deep as he could.

Slowly she started to loosen. The contractions ebbed away. The lust-driven haze gone, she could feel the pointed barbs pricking her flesh, though they weren't as rooted now that Rinzaan was spent.

Rinzaan let go of her neck and wheezed. He didn't pull out. His arms dropped him, and he lay on top of her, panting at her shoulder. His breaths were as loud as hers were, if not worse so. “I just-" he wheezed. “Need a minute."

“Same." A smile spread across Kali's lips. “I kind of thought you were lying?"

“What?" Rinzaan asked between breaths.

“You really have been practicing, haven't you?" Kali asked. She glanced over at Rinzaan, flashing a toothy smile. “You're a pretty good breeder."

Rinzaan burst into laughter. He rubbed his cheek along her neck and drew back, barely grazing as he slid out. “I can't make something like that up," he said, as he flopped onto his side with a sigh. “You really have no idea how many tails I've seen."

“That many?" Kali twisted around, turning to look at Rinzaan without shifting her legs too much. Lest she part her thighs and drip all over his hammock. Which would thoroughly embarrass Rinzaan once the sailors noticed. “So, you guys actually practice up there? I thought that was just a joke."

“Yeah, it's true. We do, and it's awful." Rinzaan ran his hands down his muzzle to the pointed ends of his whiskers. “And they coach the whole thing. Start to, uh, finish."

“No!" Kali gasped. “Someone watches?"

“How else are you supposed to have a perfect breeding form?" Rinzaan asked, rolling his eyes. “Lean farther forward. More hips. Less hips. Move your tail up. No not that high, move your tail back down-"

“How sexy."

“It's definitely not."

“I know. I was joking. It sounds awkward." Kali playfully tossed her tail. She watched Rinzaan with her bad eye as he stared up at the rafters. He didn't look sickly now, but the boat wasn't rocking as violently as before. The roaring storm outside had died down to a hushed whisper. “Seems like the storm is letting up."

“Is it?" Rinzaan asked, pivoting his ears around.

“Yeah. We should be setting sail again tonight. Finally get back to shore-" A sly smile lifted whiskers. “You can get back to your tail practice."

“Please no." Rinzaan groaned. He rubbed his eyes, exasperated, then dropped his arms. “Not that. Just get it over with and send me to the Benz."

Kali laughed halfheartedly. She stared at the bright red fabric in front of her, the fine weave, her eyes following along the traces of gold embroidery at the edge. “You know-" Her claws dug into the tattered pillow under her. You could see the Benz with me. A simple suggestion, but she couldn't bring herself to ask. Her claws bit farther in, nearly reaching the leathery pink pads on her palms. “It'll be a couple days," she continued. “Before we're back at port."

“Yeah-" Rinzaan stretched his jaws with an exaggerated but genuine yawn.

Kali bent an ear towards him. “If you get me my panties, I can go," she said. “And you can get some sleep."

“Stay a while," Rinzaan mumbled, as he turned towards her. He hooked his arm around her waist and dragged her back. Kali chirped in surprise, as she was rolled and tucked against his chest. He dropped his chin between her ears, nuzzling and purring anew.

“We're going to get caught-"

“Just for a few minutes," Rinzaan mumbled. “Just let me have a little more time with your fur."

Kali sighed through her teeth. She needed to spurn Rinzaan and get her underwear on, but his persistent nuzzling was all too convincing. His angular chin jabbed her head as he tousled her fur. His deep, resounding purrs brought an unsolicited smile to her lips. She leaned back, twisting and bumping back his chin. A light, higher-pitched purr in Kali's own throat accompanied his.

She could stay a couple minutes longer. A couple more minutes wouldn't hurt at all.