DISCLAIMER: The Furship Chronicles narrate the adventures of our gaming group as we playtest the Age of Animus Storytelling Game. Bunwick is played by Frank, Raz is played by Steve, Wilhemina is played by Fab and Zouly is played by Lyne. The interactions you read are not straight transcriptions of their conversations in the game (My memory isn’t good enough to remember them all) but rather my interpretation of their characters as they played them in our gaming session. I hope I do justice to the fun we had playing.

“That will be two Shinies, sir.”

Raz sputtered indignantly, “Outrageous! Simply outrageous!”

The vendor looked dumbfounded, “But, it’s a fair price. Your friends all paid…”

Raz shook his head, “That’s beside the point! I can’t bring myself to pay such an outrageous price!”

Bunwick and Zouly looked on horrified, as their companion made a scene. Other furs were starting to stare. Wilhemina looked disinterested. They had reached the market in Sunnyvale and were finally able to buy provisions for their travels. The smaller furs and scaley had pawed over the Shinies for their travel rations. Raz apparently could not accept the price even though it had seemed to the others as being rather standard.

The vendor, a rabbit, hesitated. “Then you DON’T want the food?” he asked tentatively.

Raz growled, “Of course I want the food!”

The rabbit was now confused, “You want the food, but you don’t want to pay?”

Raz nodded, “Not at that ridiculous price I don’t!”

The rabbit shook his head slowly, “I’m sorry sir, but it’s the best price I can make for you.”

Raz stood defiant. The two were deadlocked until Zouly finally sighed in exasperation, “Oh for Six’s sake!” He slapped two Shinies on the vendor’s table, “There! Now take the food and let’s get going!”

The rabbit pawed over the bag of trail mix to the big wolverine who quickly snatched it and stuffed it into his satchel.

“You owe me!” the frog told his companion.

Raz smiled nonchalantly, “Of course! Of course! I always repay my debts!” He paused before quickly adding, “Not with Shinies of course. But I’m sure we can come to an agreement!”

Zouly shook his head in derision, “Of course…”

* * *

“One Shiny for the night.”

Bunwick, Wilhemina and Zouly all looked to Raz. They had reached Calix’s Cross and after days of sleeping in barns or camping on the side of the road, had decided to take the opportunity to sleep at the inn. With the decision made, there was still the question as to whether Raz would actually pay up.

The wolverine struggled with the decision. Parting with Shinies was never easy for him. They were just so pretty! He hoarded them avariciously. The compulsion to hold onto his Shinies was so strong that sometimes he found himself unable to pay for things he really needed and had to go without. Such had almost been the case with the vendor in Sunnyvale until Zouly bailed him out.

But on this occasion, his reason was able to overpower his compulsion. He narrowed his eyes to give the innkeeper a shrewd stare, “Is there a meal included in the price?” If he had to part with one of his precious Shinies, he was determined to get the most out of it.

“Of course!” the innkeeper said with a smile, “Here at the Cracked Bell, your stay always includes a warm meal!”

Acting as though he were making a supreme effort, he at last grumbled, “Oh all right then!” Grudgingly, he paid the innkeeper his Shiny.

The others breathed a sigh of relief and followed suit.

* * *

He observed them from atop his tree. The porcupine had heard them long before he could see them. The girl especially had a shrill voice. His squirrel companions were crouched next to him, waiting on his word. They were of the Wild and he had trained them. He considered the little critters like family. At his behest they would swarm any passers-by. Then he would swoop down and relieve his victims of their valuables.  Locally he had earned the nickname of the Critter Bandit.

The foursome drew nearer. There was the weasel and the beaver. They appeared to know each other better than the others. A couple perhaps? The beaver was often apologizing for the weasel’s behaviour. Her guardian, more like. They had a frog, a grumpy one, with them. Curious. More concerning however, was the wolverine. Size and power could sometimes trump even skill such as his. It was a gamble he did not like to engage in. He waved off his cohorts and contented himself in watching the quartet as they unknowingly passed him by.

The beaver pointed, “There’s an inn up ahead. Maybe we could get a room for the night?”

The wolverine and the frog both shot the idea down, the former more vehemently than the latter, “What, do you think I’m MADE of Shinies?” The big fur shook his head, “Absolutely not! We’re trying to EARN Shinies, not spend them! Besides we just stayed at an inn three days ago! Surely you don‘t expect us to stop at every inn we come across? We‘d be bankrupt within weeks!”

“It was just a suggestion,” the beaver said glumly.

The weasel chimed in, “Well *I* think we should…”

“Nobody cares what you think, Mina!” the frog snapped, trying to cut her argument short.

The weasel went on unperturbed, “Well you should! You’ll live longer!”

The frog ignored her as she continued yammering away.

The Critter Bandit wondered how long it would be before the frog and the weasel came to blows. He considered himself a patient fur, but he had to admit that the weasel had a grating personality. She was pretty though. She reminded him of a rabbit he’d once known. That was long ago though, when he was a much different fur. Their lives had gone in different directions. She married into wealth and he made his wealth by stealing it from innocent travelers. What she would think of him if they were to meet today? Not much, most like, if she recognized him at all. Furs like her tended to forget the furs from their pasts once they moved up in the world. Still, he wondered how she was doing…

By the time he emerged from his thoughts the group had moved on. Their voices were less distinct but he found that he no longer cared about what they had to say. There was no profit to be made here. He scampered from treetop to treetop back towards his hideout, leaving the four to continue on the road to Lancton.