A near-Jupani peeks out of the forests near the port where he scented the acrid chemicals that signalled airships. Before him is a veritable armada of ships curiously like the fat tankers and freighters that he knows from space, yet unlike them, bound by gravity and requiring strange contrivances of gas bags and sails with which to travel. Doesn't machinery work here? Evidently not, to judge from his memories of sweating sailors.

WolfSinger looks around for any of the sailors that look like Jupanis

WolfSinger thinks," gotta find someone I can talk to and find a ship going back to Elamoore."

Hundreds of the ferret-like Kavis swarm over ships being constructed, their hulls grounded like beetles turned over on their back. In the crowds of different species going to and fro, it's difficult to single anyone who might be specifically Jupani… As compared to, say, a fox or a dog of some kind. The ports stretch across a mile of ground at least, the farthest airships all but toys.

WolfSinger sighs. "I wish Winnowei were here." He starts to slowly wander down the dock, looking for Jupanis, and listening for voices he can understand.

Conversations drift to WolfSinger's ears, the familiar off-kilter rhythm of what must be the trade language. It's almost starting to make sense… Many are talking about 'shekels'.

WolfSinger thinks, "Shekels… Shekels… where have I heard that before. Ah, yes! Those coins that fox won at the fighting pit."

Strangely, though the Port is getting busier by the minute, a silence and cessation of movement ebbs through the crowd ahead of WolfSinger by a few hundred feet and to the left… In a minute he sees why: three Jupani guards and a Zelak walk down the port making their rounds. Some of the quieter speakers disappear into the shadows as they approach.

WolfSinger thinks "Oh, oh… I wonder if they know about what happened at the temple?" He starts to head away from them, trying to look like he fits in.

The guards wear what seems to be Temple livery marked with the gold star and anchor, though their colors are purple and white. They wear swords of some kind and carry crossbows strapped over their backs. One gestures to the others, and points to a fat merchantman riding low in the port, its cargo nets already bulging with goods to be transported to the low lands.

As WolfSinger moves away, the guards' talk – more trade talk – fade into the distance. Sounds like they're shaking the captain down for a bribe.

WolfSinger thinks, "hmmmm… looks like they have corrupt cops here, too… "

Past the higher, richer docks, things get steadily grimier and more strewn with trash and broken or empty crates and barrels lying about. WolfSinger passes two merchant stags in full argument with their boar-like bodyguards standing nearby, apparently discussing the amount of gravel which has been used to weigh down the scales in a bag of grain. Out-of-work sailors slouch against unused mooring posts giving passerbies hungry looks.

WolfSinger sighs, and heads back the other way.

WolfSinger decides to start approaching the ships, asking if anyone can understand him.

One of the idle sailors, a red foxish creature who looks as if he's seen better times, calls out to WolfSinger in that trade language again. Some kind of greeting perhaps. He does not look much like Tarin, his hair being short and cropped, an ear cropped halfway, a loose turtleneck sweater and stained pants his attire.

WolfSinger politely wufs a greeting back to him, shrugging to indicate he doesn't understand.

The red fox shrugs back, then tries again. "*garbled* hunting, brother. My Jupani little good, but gehnoh? Looking for… " He pauses to think of a word. "Good prey?"

WolfSinger says, "I'm looking for a ship headed for Elamoore."

WolfSinger's tail slowly wags hopefully.

"Ah," the red fox says. "Elamoore. Good *garbled, trading post or ground base?*." He gives the rows of ships a sour look. "Want to hunt there. *garbled, leader of the pack? But plural* look at me, think I bring trouble. It is bad time to be fox and airship crew."

WolfSinger says, "I wish I could help you, but I don't know much about airships."

"So why for you want hunt Elamoore?" the fox asks. The other sailors look disinterested in the conversation.

WolfSinger says, "I have a friend there I left behind. "

WolfSinger says, "and once I find her, I want to get back to Himar."

"Ahhhh, a mate," the fox says knowingly. He looks about. "Try three *untranslatable, docking corridors?* down, the second on that section. A small… " He hunts for a word and then says something in trade talk. "Not take me, say I bring too close *garbled*, maybe take you. Strong back. Strong arms."

WolfSinger blushes slightly at the mention of Winnowei being a mate. "Thank you very much. Is there anything I can do for you?"

The fox shrugs. "You buy me drink one day. No fur off my back." He laughs.

WolfSinger says, "If I come across anyone in need of a worker, I'll tell them about you."

"Hunt well," the fox says.

WolfSinger says, "thank you very much, friend."

WolfSinger looks off in the direction that the fox described.

The named ship turns out to be a small but feisty-looking caravel with a wood-and-leather contraption of some kind mounted on a post on the front that can be swiveled. The crew is almost entirely Kavi with a few rodentine types mixed here and there, large round ears peeking over boxes being moved, pink tails laid alongside thin furred ferret tails. WolfSinger can't make out the name, but the figurehead is a winged Kavi angel with a suspiciously sly look to her face.

A strange musky smell comes from the ship's interior, familiar but not quite keying WolfSinger's memory.

WolfSinger sniffsniffs Curiously at the air.

WolfSinger walks to the edge of the ladder and calls out. "umm, hello?"

A Kavi so small as to possibly be a dwarf, with orange-speckled red fur and a tiny uniform of blue with black stripes, trots over to WolfSinger from behind. He chatters in trade talk, then tries again seeing the lack of comprehension. "You're Jupani right? Come to buy something?"

The mini-Kavi bounces up onto some stacked crates to be more on eye-level with WolfSinger, then leans on one casually.

WolfSinger says, "I'm looking for a ship bound for Elamoore."

"Ah! Slacker or sacker?" the Kavi asks.

WolfSinger tilts his head slightly. "I don't quite understand."

"Paying for a ticket, or working passage?" the Kavi explains. He bounces a bit impatiently and looks about, chattering trade talk at the other workers to urge them to load faster. "What can you do? Navigator? Handy with tools? Riggings? Sails-man?"

WolfSinger says, "well, I do have some money… how much would it cost me? If I don't have enough to pay for a ticket, I'll work the rest."

The Kavi mms. "Elamoore, right? Fifty, sixty. Not big for carrying slackers, we are, Shaki's Wish mostly carries stuff. Yes, stuff." He grins. "You eat what we eat. No wine steward."

WolfSinger nods. "Elamoore." He starts to pen his sack, and pulls out the larger ceramic coin first. "How much is this one worth in Shekels? I don't quite know the exchange rate…

The Kavi looks at the coin, then takes it and turns it over, holds it up to the sun, shakes it a bit, then licks the bone-carved coin. "Mm. Not very old. Maybe eight shekels. Old Isart the moneychanger always wants his cut."

WolfSinger says, "and this one?" He pulls out the smaller ceramic coin."

The Kavi hmms. "Is one shekel. Never seen shekel before?" He grins at WolfSinger. "Shekels are what makes world go around."

"Run out of shekels," the oddly uniformed Kavi says. "Pretty soon world shows you your stop, says 'You get off here', gives you the boot."

WolfSinger says, "you mean these?" pulls out the 5 shekles."

The Kavi nods. "Yes. Shekels."

WolfSinger says, "that's all I have. What's the going rate for a worker?"

The Kavi motions for WolfSinger to keep pulling out coins. "Got more? No? Then you got be sacker." He rubs his chin and looks the wolf up and down.

WolfSinger says, "I'm willing to try anything… as long as it doesn't involve climbing rigging or anything like that. I don't like heights."

"Is ten days to Elamoore," the Kavi says in his accented Jupani. "Maybe twelve. You give me fifteen shekels. Work hard, load cargo, help crew with sails. You look strong, can handle sail-masts. We get attacked, you help. We get Elamoore, you help put cargo off. Then we even. Gehnoh?"

WolfSinger nods! His tail starts to wag a bit. He gives the Kavi the money. "When do we leave?"

The Kavi looks a bit surprised but then nods. "Gehnoh. You call me Captain or Shaki. No matter. Grain over there. Dried meat over there. Bring up, take to hatch, give to crew to put in. Got it?"

WolfSinger nods! "Would you be in need of another worker? I met a fox earlier looking for work."

"Bah! Foxes are trouble," the Kavi says. "You bring a fox on, the bugs come snuff-snuff-snuffing around, customs wants big bribes to not take your ship apart, look for maybe fugitive fox." He waves his hand dismissively. "You seen fox like everyone talks about? Got bits shaved off here and there, walks like this… " He points to his digitigrade legs. "Red?"

WolfSinger says, "no… he was red, but didn't have any shaved fur."

The Kavi perks his ears. "Real trouble-maker? Kind that maybe kill people look at them wrong?"

WolfSinger says, "I only talked to him briefly, but he seemed nice enough. Just down on his luck. He pointed out your ship to me. "

"Oh, I know him. Nothing personal. Just big trouble with customs." Shaki waves his hand dismissively and then points WolfSinger over to where large hundred-pound sacks of grain and bags of dried meat have been laid to rest. "Well? I don't pay you to stand around and talk. Help fellow crew!"

WolfSinger says, "I just wanted to help him… he helped me. That's the way I am."

WolfSinger walks over to the sack, picks one up, tosses it over his shoulder, and starts to carry it aboard ship.

Shaki grins to WolfSinger. "He family? Have strange cousins in family?"

WolfSinger says, "ah… no sir. I'm just like to help people when I can." "

"Maybe you the strange cousin," Shaki says, gesturing with a two-thumbed hand. He winks. "No matter. Just get grain aboard quick, we take off, we all get to Elamoore sooner."

WolfSinger nods. He's a little unsteady on his feet carrying a large sack of grain over his shoulder, but he manages.

It takes four of the Kavis to manhandle the sack belowdecks once WolfSinger has brought it on board, but nevertheless, it seems clear that the wolf will be a big help to the smaller crew, with his muscles. Many hands make light work and by afternoon the ship is ready to sail… There's just the matter of customs inspection before Shaki will be granted permission to depart now.

A bored-looking poodle comes by with two Zelaks, which sniff at the ship curiously and then clack and hiss their reports. He discusses manifests with Shaki for a while, some money changes hands, and the poodle seems to agree that there's undoubtedly little of great interest on board…

Just then, the poodle looks up at the wolf on board and asks Shaki something curiously… A name that sounds much like the Jupani for 'Swishytail'.

Shaki yells up to WolfSinger, "Hey, do you know anyone named Swishytail?"

WolfSinger pauses slightly, thinking, "oh, oh… "

WolfSinger answers, "ummm… no. why do you ask?"

Shaki mutters to the poodle, who seems satisfied and starts to walk off with his purse a little heavier.

After this, Shaki starts to skitter up the ladder to the ship. "He says there's some fox in port been asking after a Jupani named Swishytail. Hah! Can you believe that? What Jupani would let themselves be named that?" The midget captain grins.

WolfSinger says, "a fox looking for a Jupani? Did he say why? SwishyTail sounds like a nickname one would give to their mate."

"It does, doesn't it," Shaki says with a big grin. "In a nice comfortable den, I bet. No, he didn't say. Not something important on a big Port Inspector's mind, no. More important things to think about. Like who can cough up a good-sized bribe!"

WolfSinger chuckles a bit. "Well, their day will come. They just might try to bribe the wrong person some day."

Shaki corrects WolfSinger as he signals to the crew, "Get a bribe from the wrong person, you mean, Swishytail." He grins, sticking the nickname on the Jupani even though the wolf has denied it. "They're the ones get the bribes, we're the ones as pay them."

And with lines cast off, the Shaki's Wish rises from the port, leaving troubled Rephidim behind WolfSinger…

WolfSinger looks off over the railing as Rephidim gets smaller in the distance. He lets out a big sigh of relief.