Drunkard's Choice by Camstone Fox

Background: This exchange started off as a post in ALF for Qit-Remel's Furvey... it took on a life of it's own after that.

Participants: Camstone Fox, Kamau Lion, (Anthropomorpic Version), Smrgol the Kirin, SnapE the Tiger, and Ion the Otter.

Opening scene, the living room with Qit-Remel's welcoming party at the ALF house known as 'Homestead.'

Camstone Fox removes his green vest and dons his Navy Captain's uniform and brings a large tray of warm Roast Beef, medium rare, with Ajus and Horseradish on the side and sets it down before the potential military fur cadet, Qit Remel.

"Cadet... Prepare to Eat.... wait for it..... *EAT*"

Camstone smiles, and puts back on his civies... Camstone leaves and returns with a pint of meade and sets it next to the Sand Cat... "Welcome to the Furry side of Life..."

Kamau AV (Anthro Version) replies at the fox, "Ah yes, the Navy. Transportation branch for the Marines."

Kamau Lion looks at Kamau AV getting into USMC mode again and heads for the tall grass. He's seen this exchange before from his brother.

Camstone continues changing without looking at the AV Lion.. frowns... stating quietly, "Hmpf.... last I checked, *WE* were all *Brethren*...."

Camstone thinks instead of *Brethren,* he should have said *NAVY,* but doesn't let his pride or convictions stand in the way... but he is sorely disappointed when somefur reduces the pride in any fur's conviction to serve or what he may do to serve his country.

Camstone listens with back still turned... preparing mentally for the possible onslaught ... wondering if the AV has any idea how much he has had to fight his own *Navy* brethren to get needed equipment into the field for his fellow brethren *Marines,* how he has forged links with the Army to leverage investments that flow into the ground units paws ... and how he was forced to retire and lost his own MilFur career for backing ideas that were sorely needed by the *Fighting Navy Ashore,* because they weren't Navy doctrine or pre-set priorities...

His frown deepens... for Camstone prefers peaceful coexistence and commradery to confrontation... but he knows he can't back down from anyone who challenges him, for respect is earned...not given. Even if he fails to a stronger and possibly superior strength opponent... he has to stand his ground.

He turns, straightens, and the hackles rise on the back of his neck... staring at the Lion's eyes with his own cold, cold blue grey steel eyes...

"Pugel Sticks, Obstacle Course, Paw*to*Paw (Hand to Hand) or *Drunkards Choice*?"

Kamau AV replies "Drunkards Choice. English ciders."

Camstone walks up closer to the AV Lion, maintaining eye contact the entire time, his frown melts into a smile, and then realizes as he probes deeper into his opponents eyes - that he has indeed selected wisely - for what he sees is not confrontation...

Camstone claps his paw on the back of his opponent.

"Good..." his gaze breaking as he lets out huge breath - laughingly. "..'cause I hate Pugel sticks... why do you think I went into the Navy?!"

The Lion and the Fox both laugh strong and hard... moving into the Homestead bar and each grabbing a tankard of the Cider... Clicking them together, with Camstone yelling "00-Rah" and Kamau yelling "Anchors Away" - they down the tankards contents look at each other again, laugh long and hard, and clap arms around each other... and decide to play 'Drunkard's Choice' just for the fun of it ... (It's a MilFur thing.)

Kamau AV sits at the bar with Camstone, both of them staring intensely at each other... *Blink*

"Damn!!!" Camstone yells slamming his paw against the bar... as Kamau laughs deeply... Camstone takes the tankard and drinks the contents to the bottom. Slamming the tankard back onto the bar... "this might be a long night... Bartender?!"

Camstone has a new tankard set before him and the staring match resumes.

It seems and even match until a shapely tigeress walks behind Camstone. Kamau blinks to clear his unbelieving eyes "I thought she only hung out at the Watering Hole." and he watches her move over to a large tiger at a side table.

Camstone turns and looks... "Hmmm.... I've seen her here before, nice tail..."

Camstone taps him on the paw and remarks. "I believe that was a blink?" to which he states grinning "Bottoms up."

Kamau nods and lift his tankard. "Yes this could be long night." He comments placing the empty tankard on the bar. "Barkeep, another cider!"

The wolf bartender refills the Lion's tankard, and then the match continues... this time long periods pass where neither of them blink. Camstone tries various methods of trying to get the Lion to close his eyes, such as fake movements with his hands and shifting on the barstool... but nothing deters the Lion from his gaze. It's a statue-like gaze that Camstone has only seen once before... and remembers the morning afterward...

Perspiration begins to form on both of the contestant's eyebrows, and a small crowd begins to form around the two contestants... neither shifts their gaze... then all at once, a waitress behind Kamau drops a full tray of drinks on top of a small party of ferrets.

*Blink* "Son of a B..."

"Ooops...Thanks...Sorry ladies... " Camstone smiles, raises his tankard to the various lasses, as they giggle, in the spirit of a toast - and downs his drink.

Camstone calls...."Barkeep, keep them coming!"

The wolf returns and fills Camstones tankard with the golden liquid... "Uh, would you two care to start a tab?" Camstone throws down a pair of fins on the bar, "This one's on me, Laddie... your money's no good tonight, 'cause I'm going to carry you out of here over my shoulder..."

The Lion looks at the Fox and slams down a pair of bills as well, pointing at the fox and roaring "No, I'm carrying you out of here over my shoulder out that door!" And as he finishes his sentence... they both fall into the staring game again... eye locked to eye... increasing in intensity... looking deeper and deeper for weaknesses.

The bartender shrugs, picks up both sets of bills, and returns to the cash register... he's seen this sight before. He goes to the payphone and dials the local taxi service..."Yeah, Joe? I got a pair of military types playing Drunkard's Challenge... yeah, I know... look, cover the back seat of your cab with plastic and come on over in a couple of hours, OK? Sure, sure... I'll let you know..."

He returns to the bar and fills a number of drink orders as the two continue staring... after all he does a great business when these things happen... and the tips aren't bad either.

A white otter with blue streaked fur walks over to watch the contest and cheer on a Navy fur. He carries a plate of highly seasoned wings with him. The smell of the wings reaches the lion's nose and it begins to wrinkle as the herbs tickle his sinuses. He struggles to relieve the urge that he knows will invoke an undesired blink. A series of deep gasps signal a warning of the storm to come and the crowd move back knowing what will be unleashed. The Fox looks wide eyed at the Lion and tries to brace himself for the coming blow.

Nothing can stop it now and Kamau drops his head to the side of the bar as the full force of the sneeze is unleashed. The force of the sneeze and the slamming of a paw upon the bar causes the tankards to be overturned spilling their content.

"Gutzuntight." Camstone says as he looks at the carnage on the bar... the lion slowly raises his head replying, "Thanks. Love spicy food. though I never developed a taste for wings, but in the mouth not the nose."

The Lion finishes raising his head and sees the disaster he has caused. "Damn, Alcohol abuse," he exclaims as the Fox recovers from the gale force sneeze and bemoans the lose of good cider.

"Not to worry." Kamau replies "As I did blink so will I drink." and in the usual feline manner laps the cider from the bar.

"To be honest," the fox replies to the lion, "I didn't see you because I blinked at the same time you sneezed... so we both need to drink on that one, I think."

"Agreed." The lion finishes what was left in his tankard and signaling for another.

"Barkeep two more ciders." the lion calls to the bartender who is only now coming out of hiding, " We still have a contest to complete."

Camstone grabs his tankard, finishes it and returns it to the bar with the bartender filling it yet again. The fox begins to feel the warmth of the liquid seeping into his bloodstream. It's not an unfamiliar feeling, more like the welcoming hug of an old friend... his tail twitches with excitement as he watches the Lion prepare for another round. Before they start he grabs a couple of the spicy wings on the bar and gnaws down to the bones in mere seconds. "Mmmmm, nice..."

SnapEtiger notices that the fox and the lion have had probably a few too many.. (a drink for every blink would probably have put them in the grave by now) So sensing that it is the right thing to do, The tiger grins and asks them both for their car keys and offers them a ride home. He thinks "Whew!! this could be a long night seeing how these two are carrying on, back and forth, back and forth. Ah, what the heck... it's pretty amusing!!!"

Smrgol, the only Kirin at the bar, takes SnapEtiger aside and whispers in the tiger's ear, "Don't worry about them. Camstone's suite is just down the hall, and all he will have to worry about is his better half. We can put Kamau in one of the singles if he can't get up to his own suite. This will be going on for a while."

The fox notes the discussion while still eating the wings and mentions to the two between wings..."You guys know how difficult it would beto hold a stare while you're fishing out car keys?... but, uhm, thanks."

Camstone slowly hands his keys over to the concerned twosome.

SnapE winks at Smrgol to signify that he gets the picture then hands the keys to the barkeep, and replies laughingly to the Kirin, "Lucky to have such a close place to crash, instead of Crash!"

The fox glances around the room quickly, resting his eyes, looking at the crowd that has gathered... All types of furs and their mates are on looking. Talking chattering, and whispering to each other... the fox sees some money being passed about... then feels a tap on his arm.

"Ahem" the lion ruffs.

"*Oh*, sorry... ready?"

"Hmmm..."

The two straighten themselves at the bar, and lock gazes again. But it's not long before the fox hears the bartender wiping up the last part of the spill...

*BLINK* The lion grins from ear to ear... the fox shakes his head... "Son of a...., oops... Sorry lasses...not again!" Camstone holds up his index claw and sticks out his tongue and holds it with his paw... mockingly making a jest out of it... and some of the lasses giggle at the vulpine's antics.

Camstone quickly downs his cider, and relocks onto the lions stare..."Alright Kamau, enough warm ups... time to get serious."

Camstone begins to squint at the lion with a fiercesome stare... one he has had to use in the artic while being on watchduty on Navy destroyers... cold, foreboding, winter... steel-like.

The lion knows that look and moves to his own duty stare his large orange eye probing for a weakness.

The fox probes deeper and deeper... then says to the lion... "Have you heard the one about the Scottish kit who made a kilt and had extra material left over?"

Kamau replies "A true Scot when he went to show his girlfriend thought he didn't know it," his tail now twitching with delight from the cider and camaraderie of the contest. He too has become aware of the crowd and the increase of cash passing hands.

Somewhere in the room a fruit machine comes to life with it's usual annoying sound. For some unknown reason there is a high frequency over tone to many of the sound which hit the Lion's ears like nails on a blackboard. He pushes it out as best he can but then one outburst is just too much and from the distraction and perhaps pain he *blinks*.

"Got you" the Fox cries with glee "Time to pay the piper." The Lion downs another tankard and sends a glance in the direction of the fruit machine causing some furs to suggest the play be delayed.

Camstone looks over at the fruit machine and says... "Hmmm, I could have sworn that was a jukebox playing the theme song from 'Orca or me', ah well... " the Fox asks more confident then ever following the Lion slip.

"Ready?" the Fox asks more confident then ever following the Lion slip.

"Certainly ... but let's up the ante... a tankard for each eye." Kamau says with a grin "You up to it?"

A quiet murmur runs through the crowd, and more rustling of bills are heard. Whispers flow into the fox's ears and he sees a small smile of confidence in the orange eyes of the lion... he thinks and frowns deeply, looking down the bar at the empty glasses that litter it... Then a smile flashes over the foxes lips... and a new brightness is seen in his eyes.

"*DONE*" Camstone crashes his paw against the bar and squares his shoulders and bolstering his mind. A small glad cry runs through the crowd. Camstone waves to the bartender... requesting second tankard be placed before each of the two of them. More chatter is heard from the crowd.

"*And* just to show you I'm a sporting bloke..." Camstone stares directly at the lion, and then quickly, but intentionally with the left eye...*Blink*... and then separately, with the right eye...*Blink*

The crowd becomes hushed... none can believe what they have just seen... and some wonder how they cash out that set of bets... they think the poor fox has lost his mind... what could he be thinking? Does he want to loose?

Smrgol and SnapEtiger look at themselves and wonder what the bartender been placing in with that cider - and how are they going to explain this to Camstone's wife, Jenna, at the fox's homestead room door - with a limp fox's body held between them? The bartender meanwhile goes to see what the expiration date was on the last keg he drew the spirits from...

The fox smiles gleefully and proceeds to down both tankards in short order... turning the first tankard over so it sits upside down on the bar. He gasps for air as he finishes the second and turns it over as well...

"Ah."

... and immediately looks at the lion who himself *blinks* at the fox in disbelief... but as the Lion realizes what he has just done... the fox quips solemnly...

"Now, friend... let's put and end to this game of boasts, before we give a wrong lesson to these fine furs... that it's one thing to do our business in private, but it's another to drink to debauchery in public over a silly matter of words between two brethren... and possibly hurt ourselves or do an innocent harm because we both weren't fur enough to say *when* "

Camstone looks at the remaining tankards and then looks into the proud eyes once again, but this time his own blue grey steel eyes are not as cold, not as hard, not as unfeeling. But deeper and a little more wise than they may have appeared when he was in the heat of competition. More the warmth of a wood burning stove... strong and inviting.

His tail fluffs as he extends a forepaw to Kamau, offering a draw...

The crowd still looks on silently, fixed, still disbelieving. The fox however continues the stare and look even deeper into the reaches of the lion's soul... this time not in competition, instead finding something he likes, something different, yet something the same.

The fox speaks in a large proud vulpine voice... "SEMPER FI!"

Kamau understands all too well what the Fox is about. There is not honor in a victory that hurts your comrades and friends. He smiles broadly at his opponent and friend.... but does not take the foxes paw, immediately.

"Now let me see..." he continues not breaking his gaze "by my count you've matched my record of seven tankards. Now I've had, Hmm, let me count."

He looks at his paw and begins to count on his fingers but the image is difficult to bring into focus, he squints as he continues the count ... "I make it four plus that which I lapped from the bar, so let's say five..." Opening his eye wide the lion continues - pointing at the fox's chest... "Ah yes, and I just blinked, so I'll have to drink the two we wagered, one for each eye - *That makes Seven!*"

The lion reaches over to grasps a tankard, tilts his head back, opening his mouth and in raising the tankard above him pours in the cider from the first onto his awaiting tongue as the crowd looks on still silent.

Setting the empty tankard on the bar, he grasps the last tankard and stares at the fox, who is still transfixed by what he has just seen....

"And as to the Navy," leaning slightly forward, matching eyes to eyes and proudly roars... "Comrades in Arms and true Warriors of the Seas... *Anchors Away!*"

The fox sees his friend's deep respect for his branch of the service and smiles widely. Kamau raises his tankard and drains it dry, placing the empty on the bar with a resounding *thump.*

The Lion voice ascends over the crowd noise... "Now let's go home and leave these good fur to enjoy themselves.... you have a mate to get to, and the night is calling me as well." He reaches forward and places his paw in the Fox's, and each shakes with a strong grasp. The surrounding crowd cheers and Ion, SnapE, and Smrgol all sigh in relief...

Camstone states, as he lifts his other paw onto the Lion's shoulder... "Right you are, *Gyrine.* It's been a evening I will treasure, always."

"As will I, *Swabbie*, as will I." states the Lion as he slides from his barstool.

The Fox, as well, rises from his seat and the two start to walk shoulder to shoulder toward the door, each finding need of the other's shoulder to maintain their sea legs. But legs softened by this much cider causes them to begin a bazaar jig, which ends with the Fox stepping on the Lion's tail... sending both of them sprawling to the floor, the Fox landing on top, and then rolling to the floor beside the Lion. The room raises a gasp as the two hit the hard wooden floor.

The two contestants eyes meet each other in one last stare on the floor... first looking in disbelief, and then in an infectious roaring laugh that spreads throughout the bar.

Smrgol and SnapEtiger run to untangle the two furs and help them to their paws. Smrgol lays Kamau's arm across his own shoulder and SanpEtiger does the same for Camstone. The two former gasping opponents look at each other and burst into laughter yet again, and then into song as they are assisted out the door.... Ion holds and closes heavy wooden doors of the bar, and as the five exit - the view through the stained glass window breaking up the shapes of the furs weaving back to the home they love... two from excesses of cider, and the other three trying to keep the pavement from coming up to greet the first.

"It's a long, long way to Tip-per-ary, it's a long way I know..."

(Morale of the Story: True warriors may square off at one another once in awhile... but they'd rather get drunk and share the load. Of course, that doesn't mean they can't take a friendly jab at one another, now does it?)

END of Story; Beginning of Great Friendship