This is a book written during Nanowrimo. Please know editing is for December. This is raw material which is often not corrected until November ends. Please enjoy!

"I think the star garnet is going to crack!" Lilllana Rabbit shouted as she hit the gauge on the large copper tank. Lilly's gold gears on the back of her corset started to turn quickly. The metal bars going down to her back legs contracted. Spinning around she hopped to the panel built into the airship basket and twisted a few gears, flipped a switch, and then turned again to watch the top of the copper tank open. The large hatch covered in broken quarter star garnets, lifted from a single, large hinge. A brilliant light with red radiations and great billows of steam escaped as the cover lifted with creaks and groans.

Lilly bounded to the top of the tank, grabbed the edge of the cover to stable herself as she leaned over the mouth and peered in. Her white dewlap fur spilled over the top of her corset as she slid her goggles down over her eyes since steam was still rapidly escaping the hatch.

"Well?" Came a voice from down below, "Can we make it?"

Lilly straightened from looking in the tank, brushed the beads of water from her brow with the back of her hand, and then twisted to lean down toward the deck. "No. It already has one crack. It is only a short amount of time before the remaining three rutile branches go. Find a place to land." She jumped back down to the deck and pushed the goggles to the top of head. She joined the first mate at the wheel as they used the ship's remaining energy to get as close to the Emerald River as possible.

Lilly's first mate, Emmett Raccoon, readjusted his suspenders and then put both hands on each side of the large ship wheel. His brown leather boots, glinted in the sun, were planted firmly on the deck.

"It's not going to be a pretty landing," Emmett spun the wheel, aiming the ship toward the nearest meadow he knew, and push a large lever located next to him on the floor. The airship tilted swiftly downward and soon the tops of trees could be seen.

Crack! The top of the copper tank exploded with light and the airship dropped altitude with a large dip. The gigantic balloon, marked in grey and pale blue to blend with the sky, bounced against its rope leads which tied it to the airship basket.

"Another rutile went!" Emmett held himself against the wheel as the airship basket started hitting the tops of the tall pine trees. The forest of Coeur d'Alene was right below them. Lilly looked over the side of the ship and was almost hit by pine branches.

"Just bloody land us!" Lilly grabbed the edge of the basket and waited for the crash.

Another blast from the copper tank, followed by a second, and steam water which condensed on the bottom of the balloon started to rain upon the deck. Lilly's mottled white and brown fur quickly became matted and slick. The gears located along the outside edges of the basket stopped turning. Now there was only the sound of the breaking branches as the ship's end broke the tops of some pines. The basket tilted and then the nose bottomed and dug into the grass and dirt of the meadowland. Emmett gripped the wheel but lost hold, his feet flew up, and he dropped to the deck. Dirt sprayed, showered the ship, puffing dust into the air, with each of the five bounces the ship made as it landed. The copper tank shook and water splashed up the sides. Emmett looked up when the ship was still to see Lilly against the side of the basket, crumpled into a ball, not moving. The dirt had mixed with the water and created muddy splotches all over both of them.

He raced to her side, slipping on the muddy deck. He bent down on one knee and placed one hand on her side. "Lilly...", he said as he turned her expressionless face toward him.

"Don't think you get my ship yet," Lilly said as she opened her eyes and then wiped the water from her face. "This crash is nothing compared to what I went through when we battled the Basque last spring." She put her hands on the deck and pushed herself to stand. Her fur was still dripping from the steam water and a small puddle formed at her boots. She gave a great shake and sprayed dirty water all over. Her hand caressed the cracks in the braiding of the basket. "The Compass Rose will fly again; we just need to mine a new star garnet."

Emmett got off he knee and shuffled to Lilly. He looked around at the ship. The panels had three cracked plates of glass and one section was missing a few bolts. Looking up at the balloon he was relieved to see it still afloat but there were several ropes which had been severed. The basket was bound to have multiple holes in the hold from the meadow landing. "The star garnet will be the easy part."

He walked over to the trap door, brushed a pile of mud from the handle and opened it. Walking down a few steps he disappeared for a moment and then reemerged with a coiled rope ladder. He attached its two hooks to the edge and threw the coil over it. The ladder tumbled down the side as it unrolled. Emmett hoisted his leg over the edge and placed his foot on the ladder.

"The Emerald River is only a short hike from this meadow; I played here as a young child. Are you coming? Finding a large enough dodecahedron and carrying it back here will take the two of us."
Lilly's gears moved the bars on her legs and she lept into the air, over the edge, and down to the ground below. "Ladders are for asters!"

"I don't care if you have to glue it together with tree sap, I want the star garnet mounted so we can get this ship down to Farragut and get our supplies." Felix Fox slapped the end of his saber and spun on his heels. His shoulder epaulettes caught the sunlight and glinted into the eyes of his companion.

"Cut that out, Felix," Bartholomew Beaver shielded his eyes from the light until it went away and then wrestled to get the star garnet into the holder. Every few minutes his hand would briefly check his top hat to make sure it was still secure on his head, a habit he just could not break, and then quickly return to the task. He struggled to pry open the metal hands of the holder so the raw star garnet could settle into place. "Help me with this!"

Felix reached down and grabbed two of the three prongs which Bart had worked open. Bart moved the star garnet into place and then Felix let go. All three prongs snapped and held the rough stone suspended.

"Let's get it in the water," said Bart. He went over to the control panel and starting working. The large arm attached to the star garnet holder shook and started to lift upward and over the copper kettle. The arm continued to recoil into the copper kettle bringing the star garnet lower and into the water which sat in the tank. Steam immediately began to emanate from the top of the kettle. Bart flipped a switch and the lid, which was suspended above with cables, was lowered to seal the steam in. The series of gears along the frame started to turn and the clock mounted in the face of the kettle began to work.

"Success! Bart, you are a work of art," Felix tapped his blue turban in a salute, the silver shell and feather emblem in the center was bobbing with the movement.

Bart slapped his large mechanical tail and shuffled off to the steering center. "I thank you, Felix. It is my job but I must say it becomes art the longer you do it." He tapped his top hat to keep it firmly in place and started to move the levers to get the ship ready for flight.

"We need to get to Farragut. Get this baby in the air," Felix said as he pulled a scrolled map from his coat. He unrolled the parchment and peered intently down at the scribing. "I think we should stop at the Emerald River and pick up a spare star garnet. The one in the tank is rather small and only a four pointed star so it won't last us the week. It is getting harder and harder to find large ones these days."

"We might run into some en 'Lair."

"Not a problem for Basque. We are always supreme!"

"The last fight we weren't so lucky. The propellers suffered from quite a bit of damage."

"That is just war wounds, not at all a problem."

*******

Bart threw up his hands and shook his head. Muttering under his breath he turned his attention to the steering, and shifted levers as the airship banked right. His large collar protected his neck from the sun as they breached the treeline. The light made their shadows strong and large on the deck of the ship. With the levers evening out the ship continued straight, the sun at its back, a breeze blowing strong, and the soon saw the house tops of Farragut.

Felix looked up from his map and saw the skyline. There were steam pipes attached to side of every other building, bending and twisting from the ground, up to the roof and ending with one of two symbols, a snail shell or a triangle. The light from the setting sun gave a glow behind the steam coming from the steam pipes. "I thought we were stopping at Emerald Creek first?" He rolled the map and stuck it back in his buttoned up royal blue coat, his long, silver scrolled gauntlets gathering up as he forced the map back into the hidden pocket which was a deep reach from the collar.

"We need food and I need some tools from the tinker shop," said Bart while he moved a lever which lowered the airship. "I thought you might want to get some ammunition as well."
Felix put his hand to his chin and rubbed it slowly. The ship bumped the ground and the dock at the same time; Felix shifted to stay erect. "I could use some charging powder for my aether disruptor and my Fizziwig blaster needs more bullets." He moved to the door at the back of the ship, unhooked the latch and opened the door. The leather hinges were almost silent as door opened. Felix disappeared down the stairs inside and banged about below deck. He came up, holding a silver barreled blaster in one hand and an intricate scrolled, narrow barreled disruptor. Spinning them on each finger, he then dropped them into a leather satchel, silver stitching marking a pattern of gears and a compass, he had slung across his chest and over one shoulder.

Bart sat back on his tail, so the underside was visible. The exact coordinates spun on dials until they displayed the correct numbers for Farragut, the silver hands on the compass swung around wildly and then settled for small wiggles as Bart adjusted his feet. The entire edge of the of compass had gears intertwined with gears, all whirring and spinning, created a subtle but audible ticking. "I believe this dock is only a few 'clicks' North of your favorite armory, Pistolet. Shall we meet back here by noon tomorrow?"

As the lamplights started to flicker on along the sidewalks, and other animals strolled arm in arm along the street heading toward the pubs for dinner, Bart sighed. "I guess we might as well have a warm meal in our bellies, some music for our souls, and then be on our way to mine."

He moved to the panel at the side of the ship and push a large silver button. A large part of the side of the ship lowered a few feet and then shifted until a steep ramp connected the deck with the dock. Bart flipped his tail behind him, hiding all the gears, and joined Felix walking down the plank to the city below.

*******

The forest trees created a pathway of pine needles through the forest. The Emerald River bubbled and flowed over the rock bed. The sun light was filtered by the branches but was creating long shadows as it sank lower and lower.

Lilly was crouched low on the edge of the river, looking into the water as it tumbled swiftly over the small waterfall. The swirling water created soft foam on the top so Lilly reached her paw into the water and brushed the foam away. "I still have nothing." Lilly splashed the water, spraying it all over Emmett who was next to the waterfall, cupping his hands in it as it spilled over the edge.

"Man, you just like spraying me with water today, don't you! At least this water is not muddy." Emmett shook his bushy striped tail with its gold chains and he ran his hands down his puffy white sleeves, bumping over the two leather strappings. He flapped his hands, spraying droplets of water down to the ground and back to the beautiful Emerald River. "I can not believe we have not even come across more than a blaster size star garnet. This waterfall was always plentiful when I was little. I can remember my father carting three or four star garnets the size of a ship's wheel into our airship. It is as if we have run out."

Lilly stood straight and took a hop to the right to stand next to Emmett. "I understood the Wise One confirmed we would have star garnets for power for the next five thousand years. The prophecy was given this past summer and I am not one to doubt what was said. We have not run out." She clapped Emmett on the back, beside the gold, centered, suspender ring. "Do not doubt; it weakens you."

"I am not doubting, Lilly," Emmett brushed her hand off of him, "I am only saying there are no star garnets to be found. What else can I think?"

"I am going to continue to look." Lilly took a giant leap to the far side of the river and began splashing in the water.

Emmett turned around and walked down the pine needle path, his tail swinging back and forth along the ground and his hands crossed in front of his chest. He kicked a pine cone with his boots and watching to bounce along the roots which were raised every so often in the needles. He looked up into the trees and saw some cardinals flitting about in the branches. As he turned to the left something caught his eye. A light reflection sparkled and then darted behind a large trunk about twenty feet in the air. Emmett took one hand and brought it calmly to the butt of his pistol. He flipped of the leather strap which held it into the holster. Fingering the cock he backed slowly away, never turning around and keeping his eye in the branches of the large pine.

"Emmett, I think I have one!" Lilly's shout radiated in the woody silence of the forest.

"Get up; we are being spied on." Emmett's voice was a harsh whisper but even from that distance Lilly's powerful ears heard him. Emmett turned and sprinted back to the river bank as Lilly pushed the rough stone behind her and pulled out her two pistols.

"Where?" Lilly asked as her eyes scanned the forest ground where Emmett was moments before.

"Not the ground; it is in the trees to the West." Emmett pointed his left finger toward the tall pine just as a small sparkle of light winked from behind it. "See? There. I do not know how long they have been there, but they could have been on us at any time. They chose to hide instead." He knelt down behind Lilly and took a quick glance at the stone. "Small, but looks like it might be a six star."

Lilly's gears on her corset turned and she crouched down on her legs. With a powerful lunged, she left from the ground to a branch fifty feet off the ground and fifty yards away. She was just a few trunks away from the glinting light. Gripping the trunk, hiding behind it, Lilly snuck a glance around the left side of the trunk. A brown and white fluffy thing, with copper plating, was nestled into the pine needles of three crossing branches. "Hallo?" Lilly foot smacked the top of the branch she was on, giving a large thumping sound. "Friend or foe?"

The brown and white fluffy thing started to emerge from the needles, but only the face. A small feathered face, with copper face plating over the beak and eyebrows twisted into view. "Friend!" It tweeted.

"You are just a little owl; come out here. We are friends as well." Lilly moved further out on the branch and holstered her pistols. "I assume you are a river guardian?"

The little barn owl pipped over on her branch so her entire being could be seen. The copper plating was also down the front of her chest, like dragon scales, and the owl's tail had ribbons of metal twirling off of it as if there were extra feathers of sparkle. "I am only in training, Rabbit."

"Lilly, little one. And what might your name be?" Lilly motioned with her hands to move to the ground, recoiled her leg irons and made another giant leap, and came to rest on the ground. Emmett had since moved closer to the action, lugging the rough gem with him.

Fluttering to the ground, copper feathers twirling, the little owl stirred the pine needle floor as she landed. Her plated face turned to the ground she spoke, "I am Wise Agnes." She scratched the pine needles with the talon of her left foot and then looked up, tilted her head, and then dropped her gaze to the floor again.

Emmett gave a chuckle. "You are a little young to be a Wise One, aren't you?" He looked around and then started to gather fire wood. "I say it is time for a fire and some food. Would you like to join us, Wise Agnes?"

"I would. I am a young owl but was born under the Wise One so I am in training. I will be a Wise One all the days of my life." Agnes flapped her wings and then turned to Lilly. "And I am to watch the Emerald River, right at this waterfall, to learn of its wonders." She looked over at the rough stone Emmett had left by Lilly's feet.

Lilly followed her gaze and reached down to place a protective paw on the wondrous gem. "This is a star garnet. We need it for our airship; it makes it work." She patted the rough corners of the dodecahedron and smiled. "Have you ever seen one work?"

"No, I have not," Agnes started to flap her wings and hop from foot to foot. "I have heard, yes I have, but I have not seen. Will you show me? Will you let me ride your ship?" She created a little wind storm which swirled the pine needles and dust into a small whirlwind.

"Yes," Lilly laughed, "Yes my little one. We will take you to our ship and show you the wonders of the star garnet." She placed a calming paw on the little owl's head, caressed the copper eyebrow plates, and then firmly guided her to sit down.

Emmett sauntered back with his third load of firewood, unfolded a gold shovel from his satchel, and dug a small hole. He stacked firewood and tinder in the hole, struck a fire starter stick against the shovel, and sparks showered the stack. The embers caught and soon the three were sitting around a crackling fire, eating nut cakes and berry fritters, and listening to Lilly tells some stories of the recent Basque battle.

*******

Bart threw up his hands and shook his head. Muttering under his breath he turned his attention to the steering, and shifted levers as the airship banked right. His large collar protected his neck from the sun as they breached the treeline. The light made their shadows strong and large on the deck of the ship. With the levers evening out the ship continued straight, the sun at its back, a breeze blowing strong, and the soon saw the house tops of Farragut.

Felix looked up from his map and saw the skyline. There were steam pipes attached to side of every other building, bending and twisting from the ground, up to the roof and ending with one of two symbols, a snail shell or a triangle. The light from the setting sun gave a glow behind the steam coming from the steam pipes. "I thought we were stopping at Emerald Creek first?" He rolled the map and stuck it back in his buttoned up royal blue coat, his long, silver scrolled gauntlets gathering up as he forced the map back into the hidden pocket which was a deep reach from the collar.

"We need food and I need some tools from the tinker shop," said Bart while he moved a lever which lowered the airship. "I thought you might want to get some ammunition as well."
Felix put his hand to his chin and rubbed it slowly. The ship bumped the ground and the dock at the same time; Felix shifted to stay erect. "I could use some charging powder for my aether disruptor and my Fizziwig blaster needs more bullets." He moved to the door at the back of the ship, unhooked the latch and opened the door. The leather hinges were almost silent as door opened. Felix disappeared down the stairs inside and banged about below deck. He came up, holding a silver barreled blaster in one hand and an intricate scrolled, narrow barreled disruptor. Spinning them on each finger, he then dropped them into a leather satchel, silver stitching marking a pattern of gears and a compass, he had slung across his chest and over one shoulder.

Bart sat back on his tail, so the underside was visible. The exact coordinates spun on dials until they displayed the correct numbers for Farragut, the silver hands on the compass swung around wildly and then settled for small wiggles as Bart adjusted his feet. The entire edge of the of compass had gears intertwined with gears, all whirring and spinning, created a subtle but audible ticking. "I believe this dock is only a few 'clicks' North of your favorite armory, Pistolet. Shall we meet back here by noon tomorrow?"

As the lamplights started to flicker on along the sidewalks, and other animals strolled arm in arm along the street heading toward the pubs for dinner, Bart sighed. "I guess we might as well have a warm meal in our bellies, some music for our souls, and then be on our way to mine."

He moved to the panel at the side of the ship and push a large silver button. A large part of the side of the ship lowered a few feet and then shifted until a steep ramp connected the deck with the dock. Bart flipped his tail behind him, hiding all the gears, and joined Felix walking down the plank to the city below.