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Somehow, word of the Mjauzi reached the ship long before Kali and Masede–and Joyana–had returned.

By the time Kali scaled the ladder, it seemed like every sailor, freshly roused from an interrupted slumber, had gathered on the top deck. Every pair of ears clustered together on the starboard side, their whiskers arched towards the sand below. The dusty air loaded with furtive whispers as they shoved past each other and tried to glimpse the supposed Mjauzi escort.

They hardly left room for Kali to even climb onto the deck, or Joyana, who hauled herself up the last rungs with an exhausted wheeze. Neither of them received a passing glance, as a couple of negligible apprentices. Though once Masede joined them, with a few terse growls, the nearest cats shuffled a few steps back, leaving more than enough space for his whiskers.

“Step back!" Masede tossed his arms, swatting at the sailors nearby and roughly motioning the rest away from the railing. “Get out of the way, unless you want to lose an ear. Make some space!"

And they narrowly did. A flash of black behind Kali, a gust following that slung sand across the crew, and Grynkeel slammed onto the main deck. Their talons gouged the wooden boards, as they locked themself into place. They raised their skull with a slow, low hiss, empty sockets roving over the mystified sailors. A menacing gaze that ended the moment Darshan hopped off their back and clicked his tongue once. Reprimanded, Grynkeel's skull lowered with a resigned huff.

Though Grynkeel's cold, hollow stare was soon replaced with Darshan's, as he scanned the whiskered faces around them. “Where is your captain?"

He posed the question over his shoulder towards Masede, rather than the wide-eyed crew. “She should be here. Somewhere," Masede answered. “I'm sure–"

“Move! Get out of my way!"

Tulaziya's voice cut through the sailors, cleaving a clear path to the edge of the ship. Her scarf trailed behind her, loosely tossed around her neck, every tassel glinting in the bright afternoon light.

She tossed her tail, a quick and friendly greeting, though the motion wasn't reflected on her muzzle. A deep, severe frown weighed on her whiskers the moment the crowd parted and she saw a Mjauzi and their Bryburkel standing on her deck. An ill omen in any captain's book. “Mjauzi Darshan," Tulaziya greeted him with another stiff bob of her tail. Something to reassure the sailors, despite the visible tension in her muzzle and pelt.

“Captain Tulaziya." Darshan returned the gesture with a flick of his own tail.

“It's been a while. A good while." Tulaziya lingered on her last statement, like she somehow wished it were still true and that the while without had lasted longer. But here the Mjauzi was, so she licked the sand off her lips and continued, “We don't see Mjauzi around here often. What can I do for you?"

“A word," Darshan said. He glanced at the surrounding sailors. Kali thought she might've seen a nervous wiggle of his tail, but it could've been the strong breeze. “Alone, if possible."

Tulaziya nodded. “We can speak in my office. Anything you need, Mjauzi. Our ship is yours."

Tulaziya turned, and the sailors parted again. Yet more whispers, as Darshan followed her towards the cabin. Though he stopped after a couple steps, when his ear twisted towards Grynkeel's clicking claws that trailed after him.

Darshan searched for a moment, eyes combing through the crowd, until he found Kali. He held up a hand, stopping Grynkeel where they were. “Kalari, can you tend to Grynkeel?"

Kali chirped and nodded before she even considered the question. “Of course," she said. “I can watch them."

Darshan clicked twice and gestured over at Kali, though Grynkeel needed little prompting. Before Kali could brace herself, they dashed over. Their skull butted into her chest, pronged antlers almost catching the side of her muzzle. She would've fallen overboard if Masede hadn't caught her by the arm.

“Thanks Mas–Bosun," Kali said, as she grabbed onto one of Grynkeel's antlers.

Once her feet were better under her, Masede let go. He took a step back, eyeing Grynkeel warily–particularly the sharp talons that left divots into the deck. “Right then. If that's settled," Masede muttered. He turned to the sailors, waving them off. “Get back to your bunks! The sun's out, and there's too many tails out here. I better not hear complaints in the morning, because you lot didn't get enough sleep and dragged your feet! Get moving!"

With several yawns and some grumbling, the sailors slowly filtered back to the cabin. As the crowd thinned, Joyana got onto her feet and dashed over to the port side, where the apprentices had gathered. The two sailors Masede had assigned were back, too, along with a familiar brown tabby and his lanky, red-scaled Bryburkel.

Symas tossed back his hood again, once more flinging bouts of sand off his cheeks. Some of which landed on a couple of Dockies, who growled and hissed their dissent. None of which Symas noticed, as he turned his back on them and headed over to where Kali was.

“Kali," Symas said. His tail lifted, a casual greeting, and their eyes met for a moment. Long enough for him to see, this time, in the bright light, how different they were. More than long enough to be perturbed by it, as he looked out at the sand and lightly cleared his throat. “I haven't seen you around. Not for a minute."

“Yeah, I guess not." Kali turned her muzzle away, keeping her bad eye aimed at Grynkeel. A rather easy adjustment, considering the devoted attention Grynkeel demanded, and let Symas look at her properly again. A slight turn that also hid her nervous, twitching tail behind her legs, too.

He tilted his head, an eyebrow raised. “Have you been to the Mjauzi fields? I haven't seen you practicing recently."

“I was there a few days ago."

“Really? I didn't see you there. I must've missed it." He nodded over at Grynkeel. “I'm guessing Darshan made it on board. Or did old Grynkeel finally toss him into the waves?"

Kali smirked. “He made it," she said. “He's talking to Tulaziya."

“Makes sense."

She stroked her fingers along Grynkeel's thick black mane, brushing out some of the loose sand, mostly to keep her hands and tail somewhat steady.

Symas differed from the other Mjauzi she talked to. He was the newest member–the youngest. Only a few years older than she was. Maybe that's what made talking to him so nerve-wracking. He was too close to what she really wanted to be–where she wanted to be. Which wasn't an apprentice on a ship.

Kali's tail lashed once. An attempt to get the rest of her nerves out of her pelt. Symas wasn't the only thing itching at her, either.

She looked across at the desert. At the flats, which looked as peaceful as they always did. Serene. Still. The sand undisturbed apart from the ripples made by the Sandstalker gliding through. A beautiful sight, even in the bright daylight, which could easily hide any threats lurking underneath.

Like a certain infamous shark who might swim beneath their ship as they speak.

“Hey, Symas," Kali said, lowering her voice so the Dockies across the deck couldn't hear. “Did you actually track Touzimi out here?"

Symas scratched at his cheek, flicking another couple grains of sand from his fur. “About that," he said, similarly dropping his voice to a whisper. “I shouldn't say anything on board. We're trying not to start a panic or anything."

“So you did."

Symas set a hand on Enzaden's skull and glanced at the cats behind him. Assured there weren't any ears on them, he nodded. “We saw her in the dunes," he said. “Before we could land a hit, she dove under the sand. Last we could tell, she was headed this way."

Kali shuddered. Even with her fingers in Grynkeel's mane, she could feel a chill creeping into her pelt. Symas noticed too, and he quickly shook his head. “That's not to say she's here–" He glanced back again. “When they dive, they can turn where we can't see. She might've diverted out towards the rapids."

“But Darshan is here," Kali said, frowning.

“And I'm here." Symas shrugged. “That really doesn't mean much."

The sudden, stark honesty made Kali's whiskers puff out. She laughed once, the twitches in her tail easing up. “Hey, you're not that bad with a bow."

“I'm not as good as Jorian or Ansa, either," Symas countered with a broad smile. “Darshan's probably putting me and Enzaden through our paces. That's all."

“I'm not so sure. He still seemed pretty serious about this."

“That's Darshan," Symas scoffed. “He's always serious. You know he'd making hunting a crab a matter of life and death."

Kali laughed at that, too. She patted the side of Grynkeel's neck, her hands feeling less shaky now. She couldn't tell if it was the reassurance from Symas that did it, or just their simple conversing that loosened her hackles. Either way, she was glad. Though the little nervous fidgets of her tail were still there. As they were in Symas's, too, from the quick glimpse she caught of his striped brown tail.

“So this is your ship," Symas said with a casual wave of his hand. “I thought I'd heard you were starting an apprenticeship."

Kali's ear flicked. She turned to Symas, her muzzle scrunched at him like he'd made an accusation rather than a passing remark. “Starting? I've been doing this for a few weeks now."

“Weeks? This isn't your first sail?"

“No. It's my third." Kali said. “You can't sail a chumrider on your first day."

“You'd know better than me," Symas agreed with another easy laugh. “I've only ever been on a ship with Enzaden. I've never actually sailed before."

“Really?" Kali tilted her head a slight. “What did you do before you joined the Mjauzi, then?"

“I worked at one of the cook shops. You know the one with the big banners? Has a big crab with a shrimp on its head–"

“The place that only serves shrimp?"

“Even though it has the big crab sign. That's the one," Symas said, bouncing his whiskers with an enthusiastic nod. “And I still hate shrimp, even to this day."

“Yeah, their food isn't great."

“The worst," Symas readily agreed. “You know it was bad if they let me cook. I didn't know anything–still don't. I don't know why they hired me, or paid me for that slop."

“I didn't know you cooked."

“Because I don't. Not anymore. Thank 'Mere," he said with a laugh. “My cooking is a crime."

Kali grinned. Her tail lifted higher, swishing with newfound ease. She was so distracted, she even stopped stroking Grynkeel's mane, which resulted in a jabbing reprimand from their antlers. Kali grunted and shoved their skull a safer distance away from her face, though she did resume the demanded petting. “Well, you won't find any shrimp here," Kali assured him. “Only crabs and more crabs."

“I don't mind that." Symas looked around, as if he might see these mentioned crabs somewhere on the deck. “I've never had a meal on a ship, either. Do you think they'd mind if I grabbed a bite?"

Kali pinched her lips. They would definitely mind. With some silent grumbles and mutters, since anything taken out of the chowder pot might as well be snatched from a sailor's hands. But they wouldn't say anything directly. Not to a Mjauzi. “They wouldn't mind."

“Then would you mind showing me where the kitchen is, then?" Symas asked.

“It's a galley," Kali said. “And sure, I can–" She glanced at Grynkeel, who answered her look with a knowing hiss. “Maybe when Darshan gets back."

“And we all say Melganzi has a temper." Symas chuckled. He gave Enzaden a pat on their skull, a quick look at one of their empty sockets, then turned to Kali with a curl to his tail. “I could always have Enzaden stay with Grynkeel."

Kali chirped, startled by the obvious suggestion, and her hand paused midway on Grynkeel's smooth nose. “They can? Is that okay?"

“They won't go anywhere. Not without us," Symas said. “We've left them on ships before. As long as cats don't climb on them, they'll be fine."

Kali cast a wary glance at the apprentices on the other side of the ship. Fortunately, Masede was with them. Doing some sort of supplemental instruction, it seemed, since the chumrider sailing didn't go as planned. Whatever he said, they hardly listened. Either way, they wouldn't bother the Bryburkels. Even if Masede wasn't around, the eerie, hollow skulls and sharp talons served as enough of a deterrent for most mischievous paws.

Her tail wavered, still not wholly convinced, but if Symas said they could leave, then it wasn't her place to doubt him. “I'm not sure what they'll have ready to eat," Kali admitted. “But we can go check. It shouldn't take too long."

“You heard her, Enzaden." Symas tapped two claws on Enzaden's shoulder, clicking them on the rusty red scales. “Watch over old Gryn while we grab a snack. Do you think you can do that?"

Enzaden answered with a sigh. They lumbered over, skull held low, and took a rather awkward position alongside Grynkeel. Not too close, a safe distance from their antlers or a kick from their taloned feet, and they stood not quite parallel, as if they didn't want their hollow sockets to meet Grynkeel's. Something Kali was rather familiar with, though it was strange to see Bryburkels behaving so.

“See? They'll be fine."

Grynkeel hissed as Kali took her hands away. They didn't nudge or prod her this time, at least, seeming as resigned as Enzaden was. “They don't really sound fine."

“You know how Bryburkels get." Symas turned, leaving the two steeds behind him and surveying the main deck. His tail danced and twisted with all sorts of curiosity as he shaded his eyes with a hand and stared up at the main mast. “So where's this gallery-thing at?"

“Galley. You really don't know anything about ships, do you?" Kali asked, a smart grin picking up her whiskers. “And you won't find the galley up there. That's where the gulls eat. Cats eat this way."

“Gulls?"

“They'll peck out your eyes and eat them, if you fall asleep on watch." Kali stopped at the cabin doorway, a sudden nervous twitch in her tail as she realized exactly how grim that sounded. “That's just something the old sailors say. You know, to keep us on our toes. They don't actually peck eyes. I don't think they do."

“That's pretty good!" Symas said, a single laugh as he hopped across the doorway. “Reminds me of what my dad always said. He said gulls would peck out my ears if I didn't listen to him."

“Really?" Kali's tail perked back up as she led Symas down into the ship's depths. She blinked quickly, forcing her eyes to focus on the sudden dim. She mostly had to feel her way along, while they adjusted, trying not to trip too often on her own feet, since Symas didn't seem to have any trouble adjusting to the dark. “Sounds like something Mikora told me before. Or something like it, I mean."

“Just some kind of vague threat that usually involves a gull. I think it's in the parent's handbook."

Kali chuckled at that. Something that sounded far too true, considering the number of gulls she'd heard about in her lifetime, despite rarely ever seeing them nested around the Benz. She paused in the hallway, seeing better now, and turned by to Symas with her tail wavering again. “Why haven't we talked like this before?"

Symas paused, too, an ear twisting towards Kali. “I don't really know," he said. A sneaky smile played at his whiskers when his nose followed, and he looked at Kali again once he saw her pupils better balanced in the lower light. “I think the first time we met, you were too busy hissing at me."

“You pounced on me," Kali said, a growl creeping into her voice. “I was going to hiss."

“I didn't know you were there!" he said, holding up his hands in mock defense. “I thought it was just Mikora. Mikora always finds it funny."

“Because she could knock you on your tail, if you actually annoyed her," Kali scoffed, as she turned and continued leading him down the hall. “She could toss you like a flea."

“True." Symas lagged a couple steps behind, peeking around every corner and doorway they passed, and Kali had to slow down with him. His whiskers arched forward and ears pointed ahead while he perused the ship. Though Kali had no idea what he possibly found so interesting about the various hallways and storerooms. “I think it's just bad timing."

“Bad timing?" Kali asked, pausing again while he meandered over.

“We're just never in the palace at the same time. It's just that awkward interval. I'm out training on the sand, and you're training in the yard–" Symas gave a nonchalant swish of his tail. “Or sailing on a ship."

“Bad timing," Kali mumbled to herself.

It sounded believable enough. Though, as with anything, she had a sneaking suspicion there was more at play. Able to take a better look at Symas now, and having more than a passing second to do so, she could see he was a fairly cute tom. A certain calico likely noticed that, too, and scheduled their training days accordingly.

But Kali wasn't going to admit that to Symas. She wasn't going to tell him Mikora didn't let them train together, because he was cute–with his long brown tabby fur and slightly snaggle-toothed grins.

She wouldn't say it outright, at least. He could infer what he wanted from the occasional playful swing of her tail. The way it moved now, when their eyes met again. Symas held her gaze longer this time. With the dim ship's interior helping, her eyes weren't as dissimilar as they were in the bright sun. But, even in the dark, the difference was still there. Anyone who stared long enough always noticed the same way Symas did now.

Symas dropped his eyes and looked over at a scuff on the wall. A feigned vapid interest as he picked at a couple of splinters that stuck out and flicked them on the floor. Even though he looked away, a small smile tugged at Kali's lips. That was a more polite reaction than she usually received. “Yeah," she finally answered with a shrug. “Makes sense to me."

Symas turned an inquisitive ear. “Would there be another reason?"

“Not really." Kali pivoted on her foot and gestured down the hall with a lash of her tail. “The galley is just down here. But I wouldn't get too excited. They don't serve shrimp, but it's not much better. Don't let the scent fool you."

Symas lifted his nose at Kali's warning, taking a quick sniff. “Mussels?"

Kali laughed. When Symas didn't join in, her ears twisted to either side, and she looked back with a perplexed frown. “Was that not a joke?"

“Not intentionally. It was a bad guess." He tapped the bridge of his crooked nose. “I can't smell very well."

“Huh. I didn't realize." Kali shifted uneasily on her feet, her tail twitching. “Sorry."

“Nothing to be sorry about. You wouldn't know. It's not like we've talked much about it before. Or talked much at all before now."

“I still would've phrased it differently, if I'd known." Kali looked towards the kitchen, frowning at the rather obvious, heavy scent of overcooked greens and shellfish that flooded through the halls. She didn't know how he could miss such an overwhelming stench. “Well, it's probably better you can't smell it, anyway."

“It's that bad?"

Kali snarled, making her disgust plain to see. “It's good if you like overcooked, mushy greens and watery crab soup."

“Soup? Not a chowder?"

“Soup," she confirmed. “We haven't fished up all the traps from the last sail, so we're eating scraps. Boiled scraps."

“Sounds great!" Symas clapped his hands together, a fake enthusiasm he paired with a smile. “I can't wait to try it."

Kali chuckled. “We'll see." She kicked up the tip of her tail, motioning Symas to follow as she stepped into the galley.

Despite the lingering smell, only two pots billowed steam on the stovetop. They had found the source of the bitter scent that crinkled Kali's nose. An attempt to better the taste of whatever cheap leafy vegetables the chefs picked up at the market before they soured. The few chefs working this early were stationed at the prep counters rather than the stoves, and all shucked the few crabs they'd caught to tide them over a few days.

And Rinzaan's brown-tipped tail worked alongside them. He paused, mid-scrub, and turned like the other chefs did to look at the unexpected visitor. His tail lifted, bobbing up with a cheery curl, when he saw Kali–a delight shared by no other.

Then his eyes wandered over to the brown tabby behind her.

His tail plummeted. The smile that was ready to crack across his muzzle and lift his whiskers up to the sky melted away into a confused grimace. His brow furrowed much like the rest of the cats when they spotted the unfamiliar, rather sandy tom behind Kali's shoulder.

But strange looks weren't exactly new to Kali. With the glares and hisses she had experienced, a few stares and half-snarls weren't enough to deter her. “Well, this is it," Kali said. “The galley."

“Oh-ho hold on, now–"

Kali's ears flicked at the interruption. Bomae, half-hidden behind one of the other chefs, emerged and blocked Kali's path. As attentive, and apparently nosy, as always. Of course, Kali couldn't just sneak in and grab an early bowl of whatever the chefs were brewing. Not without inciting the wrath of their resident guard-cat.

Bomae held up a spoon, pointing the end at Symas like she wielded a dagger. “That's not one of the new apprentices. Who's this stowaway? How did he get here? And why is he in my galley?"

“Bomae, he's not–"

“Nu uh. You know what? I'm not asking you. I'm asking you." She jabbed the spoon at Symas's muzzle. “Who are you, and why are you on my ship?"

“Bomae!" Kali's eyes widened and her ears pinned, but before she could try again to explain, Bomae's spoon whipped over to Kali's muzzle and waved in front of her nose. A curt shushing, which snapped Kali's jaws shut–lest the brandished spoon smack her on the nose.

“No, I want to hear what the stowaway has to say," Bomae growled. “Before I wake up head-chef, and we take this—this sandy tom—" Bomae's nose scrunched, as she finally looked at Symas with a more careful eye. Kali could see the wheels turning between her ears, but the sous-chef couldn't quite figure it out.

Though Kali was thoroughly horrified, her ears flat on her skull, she still heard Symas behind her. Laughing before he could get a breath to answer. “Sorry," he said. “About intruding and everything. I didn't mean to cause a fuss. I'm fairly new to this." His tail flipped up and waved, an oddly chipper greeting despite the spoon Bomae aimed at him. “Mjauzi Symas, in service of the Mjau empire and our Empress Dezindra."

He bowed. His nose almost struck the end of Bomae's spoon when he did, which Bomae immediately retracted and clutched against the front of her apron. “Mjauzi–" The wheels stopped turning, frozen with the same horror that had once been on Kali's muzzle. Though Kali's horror was replaced with an amused grin, now that Bomae realized her mistake. “M-Mjauzi Symas," Bomae stammered. “I didn't realize we had a Mjauzi aboard."

“Two, actually," Symas added. “Lead Mjauzi Darshan is with me–or I'm with him, more like. Just a quick visit while we're crossing the sands."

Kali's tail curled curiously as she glanced back at Symas, which he returned with a subtle tilt of his muzzle and a quick half-smile. No mention of hunting sharks–or Touzimi. That was a secret he kept locked behind his toothy grin.

“I'm sorry for intruding unannounced," Symas continued. “I asked Kali if she could show me the kitchen. It's my first time on a ship this size, so I didn't know the way. I thought I'd grab something to eat before—"

“Symas."

Symas's ears whipped around, and his muzzle straightened. He turned, tail half fluffed, to face Darshan, whose sharp eyes pierced him from halfway down the hall.

Kali's ears did similarly when she saw Tulaziya behind him. They turned forward, alarmed, then promptly dropped when she recalled where she was supposed to be right now. Kali's eyes turned to the floor, mortified. Somehow, she managed to defy both Darshan and Tulaziya. She wasn't with the apprentices, and she wasn't watching Grynkeel, either.

She couldn't manage any sort of quick-tailed greeting for Tulaziya. Not with her tail solidly tucked against the back of her legs, as she waited for Darshan to say something to her. To look at her with disapproval. For some sort of admonishment.

But his eyes stayed on Symas. His ears and tails betraying nothing about whatever he thought. Only a short, huffed sigh expressed his annoyance. “Where is Enzaden?"

“They're upstairs," Symas answered. “They're fine. I left them with Grynkeel."

“With Grynkeel, who doesn't enjoy dealing with freshly formed steeds," Darshan said, his lips drawing back with a thin scowl. “I've told you before. Don't leave them unsupervised."

Darshan looked at Kali, who immediately dropped her eyes on the floor. A fresh, hot embarrassment simmered in her ears. “Kali," Darshan said. “Thank you for looking after Symas."

Kali chirped. That wasn't what she expected to hear. She looked up, but Darshan's cool stare had returned to Symas. His fleeting scowl was replaced by the usual indifference he wore. The only scorn left remained only in his voice. “Return to the main deck. We're leaving."

Symas returned the order with a jerky nod and hurried down the hall. He paused only when he reached the end, while he waited for Darshan. Clearly lost, with how his tail flicked when he looked either direction. He really hadn't been on many ships before.

“Are these crabs going to clean themselves? Get back to work," Bomae growled. “Or so I need to wake up the head-chef after all?"

Kali turned an ear back, grinning at the resounding “no" that the kitchen answered with. The galley cats turned back to their prep stations and directed their whiskers at whatever was in their claws. All returning to their work, except for one. One cat, whose gaze lingered on Kali, and who she looked at, too. She risked a little flip of her tail, even though Bomae was undoubtedly watching.

She didn't see if Rinzaan returned the gesture. Something else caught the corner of her eye and drew attention away. The fluttering fabric and dancing tassels, as Tulaziya spun on her heels and headed the opposite way down the hall. Away from the stairs that led to the upper deck, towards her office, where she might retreat for several hours.

Kali's tail twitched as she considered, but ultimately her curiosity prompted her to trot after. The questions on her tongue itched for answers.

“Ziya–" Kali skidded to a stop upon seeing a sharp lash of Tulaziya's tail. A warning Kali heeded as she cleared her throat and tried again. “Captain," she said, taking a more demure, respectful tone. “Captain Tulaziya."

“Apprentice." Tulaziya looked over her shoulder, checking the hallway before turning and greeting Kali with a short lift of her tail. “Kali."

Kali shifted on her feet. Under Tulaziya's curious yet stern stare, she suddenly didn't feel quite as bold as she had a moment ago. Her tail twitched nervously, once again pressed closer to her legs than usual. “Did you talk to Darshan?" Kali asked, and, again, she corrected herself. “With Mjauzi Darshan."

“I did," Tulaziya answered at length, her long tail steadily drifting left and right. “And what makes you think you have the right to pry, apprentice?"

Kali frowned underneath Tulaziya's icy gaze. But she didn't back down. Even with her hackles prickling and her tail half-tucked, she kept her nose up and her eyes on Tulaziya. Until, finally, Tulaziya's intimidating demeanor cracked with a tight-lipped smile. “Really?" Kali sighed. Her pelt and tail loosened, and she tossed up her hands. “Do you have to do the scary-captain-thing every time?"

“Need to keep my sailors on their toes," Tulaziya answered. “That includes you, too."

“But every time–" Kali shook her head. “Whatever. Did you guys talk?"

Tulaziya's smile left her muzzle. “We did," she said. “And that's between him and me."

“Did you talk about Touzimi? Are we turning the ship around?"

Tulaziya's ears flicked. She checked the hall again, glancing at the kitchen and the path behind her before she answered. “Yes and no. But keep your voice down." Tulaziya stepped closer, leaning in to whisper. “Who else did you tell about this?"

“Nobody. No one else knows–" Kali hesitated. “Except Masede." She paused again, thinking back to their brief excursion on the sand. Kali winced. “And maybe Joyana."

“Joyana?"

“A Dockie apprentice. She was on the chumrider with us."

Tulaziya ran a hand down her muzzle. “Great." She stepped back, and her tail lashed again. “Not much I can do about that. I'll have to tell the crew–" Tulaziya shook her head. “Not that it's your problem. Thank 'Mere I know ahead of time. I'd rather take this problem by the teeth than the tail."

“So you're going to tell the crew about Touzimi," Kali said. “But we're not going back to shore?"

“Not back to Mjau," Tulaziya answered. “We're two days out from a barrier island. We'll dock there until the Mjauzi give us an all-clear." Tulaziya's nose wrinkled. “And don't say that name on my ship! It's bad luck, and you know better."

“Right. My bad." Kali's tail flicked. She shuffled on her feet again, briefly pivoting an ear towards the distant chopping and clattering from the kitchen. “So we don't need to worry about Tou–about the shark?"

Tulaziya looked at Kali, her eyes briefly flitting to the nervous prancing of her gray tail before returning to her eyes. A level stare that few cats could hold with Kali, but Tulaziya held all the same. A fearlessness and familiarity Kali only shared with one other cat–the cat, the other cat, who raised her.

“Are you scared?"

Kali's tail paused, mid-flick, and she swallowed the lump in her throat. She tried to brush off the question with a shrug, even if she couldn't manage to with her nervous tail. The stiff jerk of her shoulders didn't inspire confidence–not in her or Tulaziya. “Just, you know, a little."

Tulaziya didn't laugh or jeer at the answer. She looked at Kali, answering with a sincere fall of her whiskers. A caring frown that assured Kali that she, too, had that same little fear nagging at her. Even with all Tulaziya's years of sailing the sands–or maybe because of it. “You're not wrong to be," she said, her rough voice a soft whisper underlying the distant noise from the kitchen. “But if we were in danger, actual danger, the Mjauzi would stay close. They wouldn't go back out on the sand, like they plan to, and keep hunting. Darshan told me himself. They saw the shark turn this way, but they don't know where it went once it was under. And sharks, big sharks like 'zimi, they don't roam the flats. Chances are, it turned back towards the rapids. Alright?"

“Yeah," Kali said, nodding along with more ease now. “I'm sure you're right."

“I'm the captain," Tulaziya scoffed. “Of course I'm right."

“Right, Captain," Kali agreed, a small smile brightening her whiskers.

Tulaziya set her hand on Kali's shoulder. A rough, reaffirming squeeze helped smooth Kali's fur. “And I don't sleep on stuff like this. Even if the shark is back in the rapids, we'll double up watches until we're safe at the isle. We see a fin, then we'll take care of it. It won't be the first time we've seen a shark, if it does show, and we know how to sail through them."

“You do?" Kali asked curiously. “I don't remember ever seeing a shark before. Not while we were on the Sandstalker, anyway."

“Oh, we've seen sharks. We just kept you out of it." Tulaziya winked. “And you slept through most of them."

“I did?"

Tulaziya let out a hearty laugh. “You definitely did. Ask Mikora about it, when we get back. Just don't mention this current shark business, when you do." Tulaziya's easy smile left. Though Kali wasn't sure if it was because she said Mikora's name, or if she thought about the sharp scolding she'd receive if Mikora knew the threat they sailed under. “Yeah, eh, don't mention that part."

“I won't," Kali assured her.

Tulaziya forced her whiskers back up with a grin. “I know you won't. I can always count on you." Her eyes wandered over behind Kali, and she gave Kali's shoulder one last squeeze before letting go. “Now, get going." Tulaziya nodded over at the hallway and hissed a sigh. “That tail you're after is stalking you."

Kali glimpsed Rinzaan's muzzle before he darted behind a corner. A completely failed attempt at eavesdropping. Though, that didn't concern her as much as what Tulaziya said. “He-he's not–"

“Kali. It's my job to know what's happening on my ship. And off my ship, if it involves my crew–my apprentices." Tulaziya sighed. “Just don't get knocked up on board. Or just say it was on shore, if it happens. I don't need your mom at my neck for that."

“We're not–wait, does that mean you're okay with this?" Kali asked, confused. “Even if he's a Dockie?"

“What you do on your downtime doesn't worry me. As long as kittens aren't involved." Tulaziya narrowed her eyes. “If you need something for that, just tell me."

“I don't. I'm good." Kali waved her hands. “No, uh, pregnancy or kittens or whatever. Promise."

“Yeah, I figured." Tulaziya smirked. “I know you were taught well enough about that."

Kali grinned, too. She remembered bits and pieces from the very awkward conversation with Mikora, regarding the subject. She better remembered when Tulaziya kicked Mikora out of her office, shutting the door on her nose, and then explained it herself instead. With some rather crude language, given her background and that toms weren't her particular fancy, but Tulaziya explained the complexities of tangled tails and litters of kittens far better than Mikora ever did.

“Now, get out of here." Tulaziya growled, a quick whip of her tail dismissing Kali. “I've got captain business to do. Can't kitten-sit all day."

“Thanks, Ziya." Kali answered with a cheery wave of her own tail.

For once, Tulaziya let the informality slide. Chuckling, she turned away and cut around a corner and headed back towards her office. Her tail held higher than it was, when Kali first chased after.

Kali twirled on her toes, her own lifted tail falling low when faced with the empty hallway. She didn't see any whiskers sticking out from around the corner. Not a trace of how brown-tipped tail. It seemed like he hadn't waited for her, after all.

She prowled forward, ears attentive, as she strained to listen past the clattering and curses coming from the kitchen. If she hadn't seen him in the hallway, Kali would've assumed that some of Bomae's frustration was directed at Rinzaan. As it was, she couldn't tell who or what Bomae was so angry with.

Her tail perked up, when she arrived at the intersecting hallway. For a moment, she'd thought Rinzaan had retreated once Tulaziya had spotted him, but he hadn't left after all. When she turned the corner, there was Rinzaan.

He was still there, waiting, just for her.

Kali almost trilled at the thought, but she managed to swallow the giddy warbling that tickled in her throat. “Fancy meeting you here," she said, the widest smile raising every whisker on her muzzle. “I thought you'd be busy cleaning crabs."

“I was, but–just come over here for a second," Rinzaan said. He grabbed Kali's hand and tugged her into the narrow hallway. Safely hidden, out of eyesight from the kitchen doorway.

A certain amount of secrecy which perplexed Kali. She was so excited to see him, she hadn't noticed the way his ears were turned or his tail fluttered with more agitation than usual. Not until they were face to face, alone in the hallway. “What is it?" Kalli asked. “Is this about the shark?"

Rinzaan's ears lurched forward. “Shark?" He asked in return, a tremor in his voice. “There's a shark?" He took a quick breath in. His ears skewed again, and he straightened his muzzle with a strange forced calm. “No, this isn't about a shark." he said, as if he were telling himself more than Kali.

He dragged his hands down the back of his neck, smoothing his ruffled fur, then he looked straight at Kali. Eyes unwavering, not like they usually did. He genuinely looked into her eyes–even her bad eye–as he searched for an answer to a question before he even asked. “Who was the tom?"

“The tabby? He's a Mjauzi," Kali answered. “He's with Darshan."

“Darshan?"

“He's another Mjauzi. The lead Mjauzi, actually. Which you should probably learn at some point, if you're going to be a palace cat." Somehow, that didn't seem to comfort Rinzaan. If anything, his ears twisted farther away from her, and they almost laid flat now.

But Kali wasn't too startled. He probably knew if the Mjauzi were here, then the threat of a shark could be real. “It's not a big deal," Kali assured him. “If Tulaziya isn't worried about the shark, then we don't need to be. If we were in actual danger, she'd turn the ship around. She's done it before."

She thought that would put Rinzaan's ears at ease. It certainly did hers, after she spoke with Tulaziya. But his ears stayed fixed where they were. Awkward angles, with no sign of relief. “Is that why you were with that Mjauzi guy?" Rinzaan asked, now with a slight growl. “Because of that?"

“Not really. Symas wanted to see some of the ship, so he asked me to show him to the galley–" Like Bomae before, a thought finally crossed between Kali's ears while she studied Rinzaan. His hackles bristled, despite being reassured there wasn't a shark, and his tail lashed even after she answered all his questions. Except the one question he didn't ask, which only occurred to Kali now. “Wait," she said. “Hold on, did you think that he was–that I–"

Rinzaan's tail whipped through the air, rapping against a wall. That was all she needed to confirm her suspicions, and Kali's whiskers lifted with a surprised laugh. “It's not like that," she said. “I was just showing him around the ship to be nice."

“Really?" Rinzaan's eyes narrowed, tail lashing yet again. “Seemed like you two were having a great time, just walking around a ship."

Kali laughed again. “He's never been on a ship before. Of course he's going to be interested."

“Is he interested in the ship? Or in you?"

“The ship–" She could still see Rinzaan's tail lashing, the brown tip darting left and right. And his hackles, somehow, were raised higher than before. He really wasn't convinced, no matter what she said. Kali huffed. Irritation crept into her tail, too. “Okay, even if he was interested, why does it matter?" Kali asked. “It's not like we're exclusive."

That stopped Rinzaan's tail for a moment. “That's different."

“How's you sleeping with Cerinnia different?" Kali asked, the tips of her teeth showing when she uttered the name of her old nemesis. “So what? You can sleep with every molly on Dockside, and I can't see a single tom. Yeah, that sounds fair."

Rinzaan's ears lifted. “It's not the same."

“Yeah, it is," Kali said, putting a broader flash of teeth behind her words.

“I'm not going around flirting and swishing my tail at her," Rinzaan snapped. “I don't actually like Cerinnia. It's different! I don't have a choice."

“Well, it's not different to me," Kali hissed. “And you keep saying you don't have a choice. Well, you do. You just won't say it. You won't tell them no. Just like you wouldn't tell Tasean."

“That's not the same, either!"

“Well you can't sleep with half the palace, then tell me I can't do the same! And none of this matters, anyway. It's not like you want this, this thing we have going, to be something serious–" Rinzaan's tail froze again. Not just a pause this time, it dropped behind him, hanging limp.

Kali's snarl left her muzzle, and her ears turned forwards again. The words tumbled off her tongue, lost somewhere on the sandy floor, and she couldn't recall what she was going to say–or figure out what to say next. All her thoughts tangled together.

Rinzaan found his tongue first. “So what if I do?" he asked, a sullen droop slumping his tall brown ears. “I can't–I can't change who I am, my pedigree and–I just don't know what to do." Rinzaan sighed, and he reached up, smothering his hackles under his palm. “I really like you, Kali. I really do."

Kali's tail twitched, wracked with sudden nerves. “I like you, too." A flat statement, and one that felt awkward on her tongue and sounded even stranger on her ears. After shouting and growling only moments before, it didn't carry the heartfelt weight it usually did. “But you can't just–you can't just say that."

“That I like you?"

“Not that." Kali sighed again. A lighthearted sigh this time, seeing the faint smile that lifted Rinzaan's whiskers. “You know what I mean."

“What else am I supposed to say?" Rinzaan asked, his smile sneaking across his muzzle. “Should I just say that I–"

Kali stepped forward and clapped her hand over his muzzle. Though that didn't stop him from grinning at her, like the air headed fool he was. “Not that. Not until we get this figured out. Or at least figure out the Symas part." Rinzaan's smile disappeared from behind Kali's fingers. “Don't pout, okay? I don't like him like that. I barely even know him. This was our first time meeting, really. The first chance we've had to talk. So that's all it was. Promise."

Rinzaan's ears didn't turn on her, and his tail didn't lash this time. That finally seemed to settle him down–mostly. Though, from what Kali could see of his face past her hand, he still wasn't entirely convinced.

“You're special, remember?" Kali asked, as she took her hand from his muzzle. Before he could answer, she pressed her lips to his. A quick kiss to steal away any insecurities that still plagued him. It didn't quite work. She didn't feel his whiskers tickle her the way they often did when a smile was at his lips, nor the same sort of pressing need, when he usually leaned into her and returned whatever affections she offered tenfold. He still wasn't convinced.

Kali broke their kiss for a moment, checking the hallway behind her with a single ear. No footsteps. No voices. Only the faint sounds from the kitchen.

She pressed her muzzle against Rinzaan's again. This time, she pushed him back a step. Closer to the wall, where they were better hidden around the corner. Her hand drifted down his chest to his pants. Lightly kneading with her fingers, as she leaned into him. She felt a soft, stifled mewl at her lips.

He didn't shove her away. Only melted into her hands, her kiss, as she drew him close. His tongue trying to tease its way to hers, even when she took her muzzle away and looked into his eyes again. “If he was interested," Kali said. “I'm not saying that he was, but even if, I wouldn't have said yes. Because I don't like him. I'm never going to like him, not the same way I like you." Kali smirked. Her hand drifted up, following along the rigid bulge of his pants up to his waist, where she toyed with the button. Plucking with her claws, until it came loose. “And I'll prove it as many times as you want."

Her hand slid down. Her fingers pressed into his fur, digging past his pants and underwear until she found his sheath. A slight, slick prod from his half erect member against her palm. She paused, her thumb tracing a circle against the side of his sheath, and waited for a shuddered breath before she asked, “Or I can stop, if this isn't what you want."

His hands jumped up, grabbing either side of Kali's neck. Rather than a direct answer, he pulled her lips up to his. His tongue slipped past her parted teeth, embracing hers. A frantic, uneven lick as his hips pushed against her hand. A not-so silent plea, with a purr that rumbled in his chest. One Kali obliged, and she pressed her fingers into his sheath. Just hard enough to bring another moan into her muzzle, between breathless pants, but not enough to draw out her claws.

Rinzaan's tongue slipped back, and he licked his lips once, lightly panting when he touched his nose to Kali's. “Keep petting me," he whispered. “And don't do this with anyone else. I don't want you to pet anyone else like this. Not, um, not like this."

“I won't," she promised. And she meant it, too. Even if he didn't believe her, until her hand was in his pants. She couldn't feel like this for anyone else–not how she felt for Rinzaan. How she longed for his company, every time they were apart, and the sparks she felt in her fur when they were together. Even if she didn't want to say it out loud, to speak it into reality yet. Words that burned on her tongue, in her throat, every time she saw him.

Kali dragged her fingers along his sheath. She grinned when Rinzaan pressed his nose to her shoulder, burying a short mewl in her fur. The same way she always did when he dove into her. And, again, they hadn't even been apart that long. Only a single day had passed, and he still lusted after this, after her, like they hadn't seen each other in years.

And she wanted this just as badly, as her fingers left his fur. Trailing up along his slick length, a slow and steady stroke until she felt the prick of his barbs against her palm. Another shuddered breath, as she circled her fingers around the tip and took a firm hold.

She let those barbs press into the pads of her fingers for a moment before gliding down the shaft again. Taking her time as she moved her hand up and down and slowly rubbing her thumb across the sensitive tip when she reached the end. Each caress a little rougher, a little faster, than the last. Quickened by her slick palm every time she toyed with his barbs and let them dig into the leathery pads of her fingers so she could gather every lusty droplet.

She stroked until Rinzaan couldn't even mewl into her shoulder. His breaths chopped into ragged panting, warm and damp at her neck, while his hips bucked against her hand. A mounting tension that Kali could feel in her fingers, which he chased for release. And he came so close every time she took the barbed tip between her fingers, only to slide away at the last second.

She paused at the base, so slightly loosening her grip. She let him gasp into her fur and catch his breath. Though he pressed into her hand, urging her to keep going despite her fingers staying still and resolute where they were. Kali leaned in close to his dark brown ear, grinning. “You've got two choices. We keep going like this–" She slid her fingers along the shaft, an excited tremor at her fingertips, then she paused again. “Or," she whispered. “I can take you on my tongue."

“Or?" Rinzaan asked.

He searched, as expected, for that third option, but Kali shook her head. “I have to get back to work. I won't have time to chance, and I can't drip all over the main deck."

“Who says you can't?" Rinzaan asked between quick breaths.

“I say," Kali answered with a quick laugh. “So you get to choose. Do you want this–" She slipped her hand along his member again. Loosely enough that she didn't push him over the edge, but tight enough that he let out a shuddered, hungry breath. “Or do you want to finish here?"

She licked the base of his ear, dragging her coarse tongue along his fur. Another shuddered breath radiated through her fur. This time with a little jump at her slick fingers. Which she hadn't quite expected, given how nervous he was the first time she took him past her teeth.

And, now, he gave an answer she wasn't expecting either. “That," he mumbled. “I, um, I want–I want that."

Kali's tail lifted, bending into a tight curious curl. But she didn't question it. She only grinned as she slipped her hand out of his pants, making a show of licking her palm. She dragged her bristly tongue along the surface and between each finger while Rinzaan watched. “Then we'll do that," she agreed.

She crouched down, running her hands along his thighs. Half ready for him to pull away once her muzzle was close. But he didn't. He stayed still, apart from his tail, which darted left and right with a frantic enthusiasm.

He must've actually enjoyed the last time they did this. Despite the untimely interruption at the very end.

She pulled his pants aside, tugged his underwear with them, until his erection hovered before her nose. Still, he didn't falter. Only watched, licking his lips in anticipation.

Kali pressed her tongue to the tip. He pressed into it, his hips moving against her hands. A far more enthusiastic reaction than before. He really wanted this, now.

She eased him into her muzzle, ignoring the push of his hips. She still had several sharp canines, though Rinzaan seemed to forget that now. The moment he felt her tongue, a quick flick against the tip, he gasped into the air. Her needy licks sent fresh throbs of pleasure through him, a desire she felt between her legs, too, although she couldn't sate that urge right now.

But she could satisfy Rinzaan, at least. A fact her tongue and lips sought after, running up and down his length. His erection seemed harder and harder every time her tongue raked against the tip, tugging on each rough barb. One by one, locked together, drawing him further and further in. Until he couldn't hold it back anymore.

She was better prepared this time. He thrust into her muzzle, moaning as he finally achieved that release he lusted after. And Kali swallowed every drop, her soft purrs dragging out everything he had.

She pulled her muzzle back, moving clear as he dropped onto the floor. His once throbbing member softened now, gradually receding back into its sheath. Safely stowed away, while he sat on the floor and panted up at the ceiling.

Kali, pleased with her work, and sat back on her heels with a self-satisfied grin. “See?" she asked. “Nothing to worry about."

Rinzaan laughed a few times before falling back into his light pants. His breathless laughter only lifted Kali's smile higher, her tail as high as the corners of her muzzle.

“Yeah," he eventually answered. “I guess you're right about that."

“That's good. If a quickie in the hall wasn't going to convince you, I didn't know what I'd do."

Rinzaan laughed again. He shook his head and leaned forward, his arms slung over his knees. “I'll have to return the favor later."

“Your hammock, this time?" Kali asked with a mischievous swish of her tail.

“Definitely mine. I don't want to try crawling down a post naked again."

“You'll save that honor for me? How sweet," Kali said, as she pushed herself up onto her feet.

“No, you'll just have to stay with me," Rinzaan answered, a broad smile at his whiskers. “And give me more time to enjoy your fur. I think I deserve that much."

“We'll see." Kali gave a particularly dismissive wave of her tail, but it didn't phase Rinzaan. He just looked up at her, that beaming smile still on his face. Because they both knew he'd get what he wanted, and she'd stay with him, at least for a little while, that night. Maybe even through the next morning, when the slim rays of light reached through the portholes.

But, for now, Kali wanted to ruin his fun a bit. She pointed at his pants. “Might want to secure that, before the captain comes back and sees."

Rinzaan jumped, when he realized. He dragged himself onto his feet, nearly tripping as his pants slid farther down. He grabbed at them, his fumbling hands struggling them back up to his hips. Taking even longer, as he seemed to forget how buttons worked.

Kali turned away, her tail high again as she stepped out into the main hallway. She checked either way one more time, ensuring there were no witnesses before stepping out.

The hallway was clear–as was her route back up to the top deck. Which was for the best. If Kali had run into anyone, they would've questioned the cheerful perk of her tail, considering she was an apprentice heading back upstairs where the bright sun and bossy Masede was waiting, and she wouldn't have any good excuse for it.

All she could say was that she was excited to get the day over, head back to the hammock, and curl up with the cute tom who would be waiting for her.

And a surly and likely lonely sailor wouldn't want to hear that. Not from an apprentice, especially. Even if she was only telling the truth.