Tales of a Roving Trader, Chap. 2: The Bayou by Aethze < Submission

Keywords husky 28362

Tales of a Roving Trader
Chapter 2: The Bayou

A sunny day, the light of the sun reflecting from the always present snow on the ground in the small northern village almost blinded the 6 year old light brown husky after opening the animal hide flap of his family's tent. Snowflakes blew through the air, making it seem like it was coming from the heavens though there was not cloud in the sky. The pup looked around at the other tents bearing the blue and red tribal crests of their owner's families, surrounding the common pavilion in the center of the village. Not a soul was to be seen outside, wisps of smoke trailed from the tops of some of the yurts, but most obvious was the smoke of multiple fires coming from the exhaust holes in the top of the main tent, that must be where everyone was, a party or ceremony must have been going on for all of the husky and wolf villagers to gather together, but it was strange for the puppy witnessing this scene to not know about such things, his father being one of the village's tribal leaders. The small dog walked himself in his little booted feet and fur parka across the small bit of tundra to the entrance of the tanned hide pavilion. He peeked his head inside and saw a rare, yet familiar, scene, the traditional decorations and somber, but still lighthearted attitudes of the guests attending, a good-bye party, but who could be leaving? No one had left the village for 2 years, he remembered that day, and thus he remembered the symbols of the occasion, but who was going, where, and why? He looked around for a name that was usually displayed on a banner. He found the answer to his question straight above his head, and his stomach dropped when he saw the name, one of the few names, and words in general, that he knew in writing. Barin, his own brother, his disappointment in what he saw quickly changed to sadness and tears welled up in his eyes as he looked around, swiftly shifting his sight from side to side, looking for his dear brother. His tears started to roll from piercing light blue eyes down the average husky patterned fur of his face. He walked through the crowd looking left and right for his brother's gently smiling face, seeing the familiar aspects of his fellow villagers. Some greeted him, "Hello Mawti", seeming to not notice his melancholy, others offering some sympathy, "What's wrong, sweetie?", but he just continued pushing through the others to find who he was looking for. After what seemed like minutes in his distressed mind his saw his brother, a tall, muscular, handsome husky of similar coloring to himself. Barin was talking with a few of his friends and noticed Mawti almost immediately as he emerged from a small crowd. Barin bid for his friends to excuse him for just a minute and walked over to his crying younger brother.

"Morning Mawti. what's wrong?" he spoke in his calm, smooth, low voice, so very reminiscent of his father's, and dropped to one knee, wrapping his arms around his little brother.

"Where... are ... y-you ... going ... Bari, w-why didn't you tell me you were l-leaving?" Mawti sobbed into his brother's shoulder.

"Mawti, I've got to go do what I feel like I have to do." Barin said, then pushed away from Mawti to look him in the eyes, keeping his hands on his sibling's narrow shoulders. "I'm going off to travel the world as a trader."

"W-why can't you stay here, a-and be a hunter or help with the village like Papa?" Mawti questioned.

"I just don't feel like that's what I'm being called to do, I wouldn't leave you if I could, my brother, but you know that I had to choose my profession soon after I came of age, and that was not too long ago. You'll have to do the same when you are seventeen, and I'm sure you will make the choice that you know in your heart will make you happy, you can be the one to be a hunter or help Papa if you feel like you have to, but the road is to be my home now." Barin explained to the pup between his arms, "I promise I will come back some day and I will send letters when I can, to tell you of my travels."

This brought some solace to the husky pup's mind, but still tears came from his eyes and his nose dripped at the present thought of his brother leaving.
"I'm going to get back to my friends." Barin said standing up to his full height, "Now why don't you go find Ma and Pa, and always rememb..."

* * * * *

"Hey, dog! Get up!" said a gruff, graveled voice, shaking Mawti awake in his hammock in the belly of The Turbulent Wind. "We've arrived in port. Get your things together and get up on deck."

Mawti rubbed his eyes and saw the grey matted haired rat that had awakened him in such a rude manner. "Gah! I'm up!"

"Fine, like I said get your things and get up on deck." again the rat said, then climbed up the ladder to the upper decks of the ship.

After the rat's worm-like tail disappeared from sight Mawti attempted to get out of the net hammock gracefully, but his stiff body prevented any acute movements and Mawti rolled awkwardly out of the netting and onto the floor with a loud thud. Mawti lay on his back for a few seconds, staring at the ribs of the wooden ship running up the walls and to the bracing on the ceiling that supported the deck above. He then sat up and stretched as he moved toward his bag, hoping that the seamen that bunked in the same room as him had not gotten into his jerky while he slept.

As he looked through his bag, seeing all of his still wrapped jerky in place, he thought of the dream he had been awoken from. His brother, how much he missed his brother, 11 years it had been since Barin left the village to travel and make his fortune as a trader. He had never returned to the village, but the letters he promised came quite regularly, at least up until four years earlier, since then no new news had come about him, of course some assumed the worst, including his parents, but most believed that he was probably still perfectly fine and the writing of letters had just slipped his mind. Barin was always the strongest, fastest, most charming individual in the village, and Mawti idolized him in every move he made and word he said. He had been given honours from the elders usually reserved only for some of the older members of the village. Even in their village where the tradition was for the girls to choose and ask who they wanted to marry and the males accepted or declined, most males getting one female or two to like them if they were lucky, Barin had, at one time, eight girls after him. Eight! And probably more who were just too scared to ask. Barin always seemed to be in situations of unusual power when it came to just about anything. Barin had also always been the one to deal with the traders and welcome visitors to the village, that was probably why he had left to pursue his chosen profession and why he never married despite the encouragement of almost everyone in the village to choose a mate.

Mawti closed his sack without putting on a shirt, knowing that it was going to be hot and humid, because the city of Bayou was on the large swamp island, Mikjo, that almost connected the north and south peninsulas of the crescent-shaped continent. This place was an exact opposite to his home; nothing grew in the frozen wastes of the north except grass on the tundra and few struggling trees every so often. Here trees grew readily and tall, with mosses hanging from the branches like long beards, pulling moisture from the saturated air. Pools of scum covered water, swamps with deep waters infested with feral alligators that would attack you any chance they got, the roots of trees making them almost impossible to pass through even with a boat, and muddy ground covered the isle leaving very little of what most would call inhabitable land, but still those who called it home survived making a decent living, though most would still be considered quite poor.

Mawti climbed the ladders, up through three decks of the ship to the top deck, where he saw the brown furred otter captain, Velvalo Arelos, surveying his men unloading cargo onto the docks. "Good morning captain." Mawti greeted him.

"Ay, good morning to you too, so will you be headed out now?" the captain replied.

"Yep, I'll be heading down to the Continental Courier office, then I'll probably get another delivery to make, not sure after that." Mawti said.

"Well, I would suggest that you go buy a weapon from one of the merchants in town," warned the captain, "Bayou isn't a safe city like Trepenabsats or the little tribal village you come from, the people here aren't the richest in the world and the heat keeps them pretty annoyed and active, and you aren't the strongest looking fellow out there, no offense, but that will make you a target."

"I'll keep that in mind, so who in town would you suggest I go to for general supplies?" Mawti asked.

"Oh, I don't do any trading around here, I just deliver goods. You should ask them at the triple C office, they would probably know, the office is right down the wharf from here, by the way." the captain replied, pointing to the right from the ship.

"Thank you, I guess I'll be going then." Mawti said walking toward the plank leading down to the dock and the captain raised his hand in a short wave before turning back to watch his crew. Mawti looked out over the city; every building was stood atop wooden stilts to keep them out of the water and they were connected by wooden pathways that left canals between two sides making what, in most cities, would be a street, and small boats in the canals were tied to the larger wooden poles securing the paths. Most buildings were simple shacks, wood covered in moss and algae with stick thatched roofs. Some buildings of two to four stories, most seeming to be just multiple shacks stacked atop each other, created the city's skyline. Bayou was, in fact, just a dirty swamp town; even the best parts would be considered a slum by the standards of most city-dwellers in the world.

Mawti walked along the dock, in the direction the captain had pointed him in, getting many looks from various creatures on the wooden dock; most had probably never seen a dog like him before. Shortly he saw the small building with a sign above its door bearing the Continental Courier Company logo. Opening the door by its slimy, wet wooden handle he walked into the small building, which was no more than a room with a counter for pick-ups and a small desk in the corner. At the desk a short portly badger sat, leaning his chair back against the wall, daydreaming about something far off from the present situation, not even noticing Mawti enter.
Mawti took the Continental Courier bag from his shoulder and set it on counter and stood, wondering if the badger was who he was supposed to talk to. After a couple of seconds of watching the badger stare at the roof of the shack Mawti decided to speak up, "Umm... excuse me." he said, the badger just sat in his chair behind the desk, his pointed black and white striped muzzle aimed slightly upward at the ceiling, seeming almost as if he were sleeping. "Excuse me." Mawti said with a little more volume and emphasis.

At that the badger awoke from his state of pseudo-unconsciousness, the front legs of his chair slammed down hard on the floor. He looked around with his beady eyes as wide as they would open, obviously quite surprised by the sudden noise in his little fantasy world. He saw Mawti waiting at the counter, "Oh, uh, sorry," He got up from his chair and walked from behind his desk to the counter, "so, a delivery then?" He said, in a bored tone that suggested that he was not thrilled in the slightest to be dragged away from his reverie. He opened the bag and took out a small slip of paper and read it carefully, he took the leather bag and bent down under the counter and returned after a couple of seconds with a small handful of gold coins, "This is your pay for this delivery." Then turned to head back for his chair and thoughts.

"Do you have any deliveries for me to make?" Mawti said quickly to keep the badger's attention.
The badger softly growled, "Fine, I'll check." He said, rolling his eyes and bending back down under the counter, he came up with another brown leather sack and a small tan envelope, "You're in luck, this is the only one." handing the bag to Mawti and writing something down on the paper on counter; then walking back to his desk.

Mawti hung the bag over his shoulder and took the envelope from the counter and opened it. Pulling the paper from the inside he read it. Another small bag of letters this time to be delivered to a small village in the north of the southern peninsula called Susurrus. "That's in the Canid Empire, I should fit right in." Mawti sniffed at the thought of fitting in anywhere but in the North as he walked out the door onto the wooden planked sidewalk.

Mawti figured he should find a merchant to sell the jerky to, and just on his right he saw another wooden sign for a general store, this one much more weathered than the Continental Courier's. Mawti decided that this would be good enough and pulled on the door's handle. The door barely budged and it hinges groaned loudly when Mawti pulled harder, afraid he might pull the handle from the door. Finally inside after the struggle with the door Mawti looked around at the dust covered knick-knacks and barrels full of various dried foods and other somewhat unrecognizable goods. Behind the small counter at the back of the shop an obviously aged tan scaled lizard sat in a rocking chair; pitching back and forth, his head a thrown back against the headrest, snout sticking almost straight up in the air, mouth open with his thin tongue hanging out the side of it, and snoring loudly. Mawti walked through the cluttered barrels and tables, chuckling to himself at this old reptile. "He reminds me of grandpa", he thought, conjuring up memories of his grandfather who would fall asleep in a similar position on the mountain of pillows in his tent that he used as a chair. As he arrived at the counter Mawti saw a small bell hanging from a string, and rang it to get the lizard's attention. The bell's ring was high pitched, but surprisingly loud for its size.

The lizard's eyes opened immediately, one was milky white from blindness, and he flicked his tongue in and out of his mouth a couple of times before turning to face Mawti, "Oh, hello there!" he said in a high-pitched voice typical of some elder creatures. "Jest a minute, lemme get up." He slowly pushed himself up from his chair, his legs shaking under his weight, and shuffled up to the counter opposite Mawti, his toe claws scraping slightly on the wooden floor, "Never seen ye 'round here befer. Creeches here just call me Ole Hiss. So ye lookin' to buy sommit, or ye got sommit fer me?" he said quite merrily with a smile, a whistling sound coming from between his teeth on every S'.

"My name is Mawti, and yes, I have some jerky that I brought from up north," Mawti said pulling the wrapped packages of dried meat from his tan leather pack.

"Ooee! Ain't had no northern jerkeh in a while now." the old lizard yelped excitedly, "So, how mush you wantin' to sell?"

"Well, I have three pounds here, and I'm looking to get twelve gold for it all," Mawti said politely, remembering to get just a bit more than he payed for it.

"Hmm, ye know wha'? Ye seem like a nice young'n, I'll give ye fifteen gold fer it." said the reptile.

"Oh, well, thank you very much." Mawti said surprised by this very kind gesture, and put out his hand to receive to the gold that the lizard pulled from a small sack on his belt. "So have long have you had this shop?"

"Hmm. Well, thad have to been, oh, fifty years ago, I'd reckon, that I opuned this place, used to do mush better business than now, but I figger most creeches dun't even realize I'm still alive." Hiss said quite jovially, despite the topic being others thinking he was dead.

"Really? Fifty years? That's impressive. I don't think I have the kind of commitment to stay with anything for that long." Mawti chuckled.

The old reptile smiled a toothy grin, "Neither did I back then when I was young, but things kep' goin', buyin' n' sellin', meetin' interestin' creeches like yerself, hearin' thur stories n' such, kep' me goin' n' lovin' the trade." Mawti could see in the lizard's eyes the memories flooding into his mind.

"Definitely sounds like you have a lot of history in this old shop." Mawti said

"Oh yes, I'd never trade any of the mem'ries I've got of this place, not fer all the gold in the world or my youth", he said snapping back to reality. He then pulled a piece of meat from its paper wrapping and quickly tearing off a piece from it with his sharp front teeth and swallowing it whole. "Mmm, I do love muh meat, well, I suppose yuh've got somwer impertan' to be, an' I'd better get back to muh nap. Jus' you remember to come back an' see if Ole Hiss's still kickin' nex'time ye come 'round Bayou." He smiled with his mouth of pointed teeth with a few missing and shuffled back toward his chair.

"Thank you, and have a nice nap." Mawti joked as he turned and squeezed his way back through the maze of odds and ends and out the sticking door again.

The air outside was still humid and hot and seemed to have a weight unbecoming of what appeared to be empty space, and the sun beat down making even Mawti's light colored hair start to get uncomfortably hot. Mawti walked further into the jungle of wooden shacks, still getting the same curious looks as before, though some becoming more malicious the further he went into the city. Children darted past him, many of them with fur matted with mud and other filth. Old timers sitting outside their houses playing crude board and card games. Small groups of young and middle aged creatures, mainly the ones giving Mawti baleful looks, talked amongst each other, lowering their voices as Mawti walked past. Mawti continued to walk along the planked walkways, not entirely sure where he was headed. After a while of walking he suddenly found himself at a dead end in the path, a small vegetable garden sat in the middle of this courtyard of sorts created by a circle of the backs of houses surrounding it. Mawti slowly turned around to walk the other way, but saw a group of creatures standing in the path, some leaning against the sides of houses the others standing directly in the path with menacing glares aimed at him.
"A little lost are we?" smoothly rumbled the crocodile standing in the center of the group. His white plated underbelly exposed on his shirtless torso and greenish tan scales of his back and face dotted with mud. He was very muscular, more than a match for Mawti, even without his gang behind him. "Perhaps, we can help you out." he continued in a sinister tone, taking a slow step forward toward Mawti.

Mawti's heart pounded loudly in his chest, he frantically looked around for a possible route of escape as he backed away at the same speed as he was being walked toward. Nowhere to go besides onto a roof, but he most likely would not be able to pull himself up before being yanked back down and the roofs probably wouldn't support his weight anyway. His breathing quickened with each rearward step, some of the other gang members started to move toward Mawti following their leader, closing off any space for Mawti to escape through.

"Why don't you just give me everything you've got and we'll leave you alone." said the crocodile sustaining his walk toward Mawti, his yellowed teeth bared in a threatening smile.
Mawti proceeded to back up without saying a word, knowing this to be a lie. Suddenly the back of his foot paw hit something solid and he lost his balance, falling hard into the mud of the garden in the courtyard. Mawti tried to push himself backwards, his arms and legs flailing wildly. The crocodile saw his moment to attack and quickly accelerated toward Mawti on the ground, lowering his head to make a lunge. Mawti turned his head quickly left then right and spotted a short, lightly rusted spade sitting in he dirt. He straightened his right arm out and hastily grabbed it in his now mud covered hand then wildly swung it out above his body, hoping to hit something. As Mawti's luck would have it, just as he made his mad swing, the crocodilian foe made to strike at him and put his head within striking distance of the spade. The blade of the shovel caught the reptile just behind the eye, causing his dive to divert to Mawti's left and ripping a large gash in the spot where it hit and immediately started gushing blood as soon as he hit the wooden path and slid a few feet.

Mawti lay on his back with his left elbow propping him up. Still breathing hard, he stared at the figure slumped on the ground a few feet away from his, almost not believing the fortune he just had. However, his stomach dropped when he remembered the rest of the gang that was blocking his escape. He sat up to face the rest of his attackers, who stood and stared, appalled looks and agape mouths on all their faces. Mawti stood up, muddy shovel in hand, and prepared himself for a fight, but as he did so the creatures facing him turned and haphazardly ran in the other direction, tripping over each other in their hurry. Mawti breathed a sigh of relief and let the shovel in his hand drop and rest on the ground while still in his grip.
Mawti stood catching his breath, not noticing a figure peering out from the dark of a shack through the only door facing into the alcove of the courtyard. The middle-aged dark brown furred skunk cautiously stepped out from the doorway, looking side to side to make the gang had left. He gingerly snuck closer and closer to Mawti across the small open space amongst the shacks. As he moved close enough he realized Mawti was obviously not local and would most likely not attack him.

"Hello?" the skunk said timidly.

Mawti swiftly turned and stepped back to face the skunk, very startled by the noise from attention being dispersed, lost in a haze coming down from his adrenaline high.

"Whoa, calm down now," the skunk said, putting his hands up, palms out in front of him, "I ain't with them, are you all right? Why don't you come inside and sit down?" The skunk took the shovel from Mawti's paw and set it on the wooden floor next to the edge of the garden, then grabbed Mawti's arm and gently lead him into his small shack. As they walked into the building the skunk guided Mawti into the bed in the corner; Mawti lay down and closed his eyes. "Don't worry, I'll get the mess outside cleaned up, you just lay there and rest." said the skunk while walking back outside. Mawti only lay for a few seconds before falling asleep in this stranger's bed.

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Tales of a Roving Trader, Chap. 2: The Bayou

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