long since been tossed aside onto the furs, leaving the captain to pace and storm about in his rolled-up shirtsleeves, vest, trousers and dark leather boots.
Moira looked up from her place by the fire where she sat examining the broken pieces of the opti-telegraphic. "Pacin' the room will nae solve much. Ye'll be stewin' up into a temper."
Hunter scowled toward the wooden door at the front of the long house. "A margin of length too late for that."
"O'Fallon?"
"Indeed. We've been in their village for at least two hours, most of that they've been treating him."
"Ah'm sure they're doin' what they can. William said they be havin' somethin' about treatin' strangers with respect."
William shrugged from where he sat on the far side of the fire near Angela and Miles. "It 'twas what they said." The young man paused, then blushed a little and mumbled. "Least wise it sounded like it."
Moira smiled at William to reassure him. "Ah nae think ye be wrong about it. Ah spied more'n one bullet wound on a few a' their own. Look ta be treated well enough and they were walkin' about. Ah'd also be thinkin' that if they wanted ta do us ill, they'd leave us out in the snow."
Hunter sighed and turned away from the door that had not opened on its own despite his worst scowl. "Point well taken. So, found any inspiration with the opti-telegraphic?"
"The bullet tore the casing open near the key lock itself. Outside a' that, we be havin' two gears bent, one locknut's missin' and a secondary windin' spring got itself caught on one o' the bent gears and stretched outta shape. I'm more'n a little surprised it didn't break. Quite a mess really."
"Do what you can with it. If the contraption has at least some life left, try and get a message out. Something the Griffin could track on to find their way here."
Moira nodded briefly. "Very well Cap'n. Right away."
Angela looked up from the fire. "Cap'n? Sirrah?"
"Yes, Angela?"
"Will the pirates find us?"
Hunter hesitated a moment. "I don't know for certain my dear, but I hope not. They should believe we were buried by their avalanche. Provided they don't go to ground and check beneath the trees, they won't find what really happened to us."
"But what if they do?"
"We'll deal with that when it comes then. No worries now."
Behind them, at the front of the room, the door opened with a slight creak of protest. Through the doorway stepped a Yeti warrior. He was shed of the coat of mottled white fur from before. Instead, he wore thick linen tunics, trousers and a brightly-colored woolen vest. He still bore the angry red bruise where Captain Hunter had punched the tribesman across the face in the fight on the mountainside. The Yeti warrior gestured towards Hunter with his bow and then pointed out the doorway.
"I take it we are to go with you? In that case, I'll want one of my crew along." Hunter replied and pointed towards William Falke, then himself, then to the doorway. The Yeti looked at both men and nodded once then stepped back from the doorway then looked expectantly towards the two men.
William grabbed his woolen coat and slipped it on quickly. "I think he's wanting us to go first."
Captain Hunter scooped up his own coat and slipped it on in anticipation of the chill outside. "I suspect you are correct William. We'd best oblige."
Outside the door, William and Hunter were met by a second and third Yeti warrior. The two guards looked the two airship sailors over once then turned to walk away. A firm push from the Yeti warrior behind them encouraged Hunter and William to step lively to catch up.
The path the Yeti guards took led them to another stone and wooden building much like all the others in the village. The difference in this one was that it was much older and longer with its rear stone walls flush up against the foot of a rocky rise.
The front two guards stepped to either side of the main door. The Yeti that trailed behind stepped around Hunter and William. Without so much as a look,
Moira looked up from her place by the fire where she sat examining the broken pieces of the opti-telegraphic. "Pacin' the room will nae solve much. Ye'll be stewin' up into a temper."
Hunter scowled toward the wooden door at the front of the long house. "A margin of length too late for that."
"O'Fallon?"
"Indeed. We've been in their village for at least two hours, most of that they've been treating him."
"Ah'm sure they're doin' what they can. William said they be havin' somethin' about treatin' strangers with respect."
William shrugged from where he sat on the far side of the fire near Angela and Miles. "It 'twas what they said." The young man paused, then blushed a little and mumbled. "Least wise it sounded like it."
Moira smiled at William to reassure him. "Ah nae think ye be wrong about it. Ah spied more'n one bullet wound on a few a' their own. Look ta be treated well enough and they were walkin' about. Ah'd also be thinkin' that if they wanted ta do us ill, they'd leave us out in the snow."
Hunter sighed and turned away from the door that had not opened on its own despite his worst scowl. "Point well taken. So, found any inspiration with the opti-telegraphic?"
"The bullet tore the casing open near the key lock itself. Outside a' that, we be havin' two gears bent, one locknut's missin' and a secondary windin' spring got itself caught on one o' the bent gears and stretched outta shape. I'm more'n a little surprised it didn't break. Quite a mess really."
"Do what you can with it. If the contraption has at least some life left, try and get a message out. Something the Griffin could track on to find their way here."
Moira nodded briefly. "Very well Cap'n. Right away."
Angela looked up from the fire. "Cap'n? Sirrah?"
"Yes, Angela?"
"Will the pirates find us?"
Hunter hesitated a moment. "I don't know for certain my dear, but I hope not. They should believe we were buried by their avalanche. Provided they don't go to ground and check beneath the trees, they won't find what really happened to us."
"But what if they do?"
"We'll deal with that when it comes then. No worries now."
Behind them, at the front of the room, the door opened with a slight creak of protest. Through the doorway stepped a Yeti warrior. He was shed of the coat of mottled white fur from before. Instead, he wore thick linen tunics, trousers and a brightly-colored woolen vest. He still bore the angry red bruise where Captain Hunter had punched the tribesman across the face in the fight on the mountainside. The Yeti warrior gestured towards Hunter with his bow and then pointed out the doorway.
"I take it we are to go with you? In that case, I'll want one of my crew along." Hunter replied and pointed towards William Falke, then himself, then to the doorway. The Yeti looked at both men and nodded once then stepped back from the doorway then looked expectantly towards the two men.
William grabbed his woolen coat and slipped it on quickly. "I think he's wanting us to go first."
Captain Hunter scooped up his own coat and slipped it on in anticipation of the chill outside. "I suspect you are correct William. We'd best oblige."
Outside the door, William and Hunter were met by a second and third Yeti warrior. The two guards looked the two airship sailors over once then turned to walk away. A firm push from the Yeti warrior behind them encouraged Hunter and William to step lively to catch up.
The path the Yeti guards took led them to another stone and wooden building much like all the others in the village. The difference in this one was that it was much older and longer with its rear stone walls flush up against the foot of a rocky rise.
The front two guards stepped to either side of the main door. The Yeti that trailed behind stepped around Hunter and William. Without so much as a look,
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