On the Sayladar, the day had passed with painful slowness. Now the sun had began to grow heavy in the sky, creeping towards its bed beyond the horizon. Blinking lazily, the fox Lieutenant Scaplax leaned upon the portside deckrail. His blank gaze was cast out over the waters, afire with the setting sun's fierce light. Only when he heard a set of particularly loud pawsteps behind him did he return to reality. Turning 'round to discover what could be stomping so loudly, he recieved a quick answer. Two ferrets, their strides in unison, approached. Their steps contained a gaily bounce, their cream-furred faces bearing cheeky grins. Scaplax could not help but chuckle inwardly at the pair, leaning back upon the deckrail as he spoke. "Kolya, Kuzma, don't they have decks for you to swab or somesuch around here? And wipe those grins off your smug mugs, I'll have no cheerfulness here whilst this is MY ship!" But Scaplax could not conceal his grin while he spoke, and the twins didn't help it any. Immediately they bore mock-serious expressions upon their visages, sniffing with a sort of noble disdain. The two cream-colored ferrets were exactly identical, and could only be identified by their dress. Each wore a blue bandanna upon his head, ears jutting out through holes. They carried each a fine rapier and a wooden buckler shield, with which they were wonderfully and deadly skillful. Each also wore a green scarf, and it was by this that they could be told apart, for Kolya wore his tied around his neck with its long ends trailing down his chest, while Kuzma wore his like a sash across one shoulder. Neither wore a tunic, only long trousers that nearly covered their heavy seaboots, held up by thick eelskin belts, which also held their rapiers and scabbards. Kolya spoke up first, though Kuzma was quick to interject. "Well then, o Captain, I suppose we shall have to go off to our quarters and have a good cry, since-" "-We can't be cheerful." The jolly and irrepressable twins had the habit of finishing eachothers sentences frequently, and Scaplax was quite used to this. He was glad he had chosen the two as part of his guard crew, for they made it quite easy for him to take his mind off the anxiety of the situation. He had recieved neither sight nor sign of Morgan all day, for the mouse Captain had left at sunrise, and now 'twas sunset. His thoughts returned to his friend and leader, and he began to furrow his brow in worrysome concern. A dull look returned to his fine blue eyes, and he began to stroke his short red beard, a habit of his when thinking. Kolya and Kuzma genuinely frowned and glanced to eachother when they saw the distant look of unease on their friend's face. "Oh c'mon now, dear sir, shouldn't the rule on your fine ship here be against turning into some sort of- "-Brainless worry-" But the twins were silenced quickly, a booming call sounded from the crows nest up upon the main-mast. "SAILS ON THE HORIZON! SEEMS TO BE HEADING THIS DIRECTION, SIR!" Mouths agape, Scaplax, Kolya, and Kuzma stared at eachother, stunned. Finally Scaplax managed to get a few words out, with the help of the twins. "Did he-" "-Just say-" "-We're doomed?" (To be continued...)