"Why you dirty rat, invanding a gentlewoman's privacy!" Lady Lennipi shouted, only to discover that she didn't see the face of whoever entered. On looking down she saw it was but a blue bird-like critter.

Lady Lennipi's rage ceased. She remembered birds like this from her home in Meridian - gathows. Lennipi had simple loved gathows since she was a little girl barely capable of walking.

"Sorry if I frightened you," she said to the bird-like critter, bending down to cuddle it. "I'm afraid these sea scum only left some moldy cheese, but when I get rescued I'll take you to my father's castle and feed you honey every day."

The the blue gathow-like creature went back out the door and rolled a ball into the cabin. It stood there for a few moments, Lady Lennipi staring mesmorized by the cleverness. It knew tricks!

Then, without warning, the bird hit the ball straight at Lady Lennipi's foot.

"Owwwwwww!" Lady Lennipi cried so loudly and for so long she didn't hear the crew coming to check on her. When she was finished, she stared at the pawkeet intruder and...