First Voyage; Introduction {Video}

[whynotamus]

{There's a video feed coming in, of a large early Victorian sitting room and fireplace. The first thing one might notice, however, is not the period furniture or the formally dressed man in the middle of it, but rather the crowd of animals puttering around him. They're smaller animals, to be sure, but there are a lot of them-a dog, guinea pigs,

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[strangehstorian]

Welcome to the Barge, Doctor!

[Utterly unfazed.]

[whynotamus]

Thank you, Miss! We are quite glad to be here! Chee-Chee seems upset at having left some of his friends behind but he'll soon come around. It isn't as though he is alone here, despite what you might believe to hear him carrying on, good heavens.

[strangehstorian]

Do they all speak coherently on your world?

[whynotamus]

I should think that all animals speak coherently on every world. {Multiple worlds! Yes, yes this is entirely fascinating!} So few have taken the time to sit down with them and listen. Or, more to the truth, so few have had the opportunities I've had. Polynesia has been a most excellent tutor in the art of animal language.

[strangehstorian]

Not where I'm from. That is very fascinating! Well, I'm sure there are many things from my world that would seem strange as well...

[whynotamus]

Are there those from your country that can converse with animals? Can you, yourself, do this as well?

[strangehstorian]

No, I'm afraid they can't. There is a people called the Kaldorei that spend their lives serving the spirits of nature and taking animal forms to defend it, but they are very secretive in most centuries.

[whynotamus]

Ah, a most noble cause. It's a shame that animals and nature require protection from man. I wonder why it is that they keep themselves secret? {After all, keeping his fantastic and insane ability to himself didn't even occur to him.}

[strangehstorian]

Large parts of their history are characterized by xenophobia.

[whynotamus]

Not very friendly, then, are they? Ah, well, I'm sure they have their reasons. My friend Long Arrow from Tibet and his people are much the same; if it weren't for a sick goat I doubt myself or anyone else would have ever heard of their existence.

[strangehstorian]

I sense an interesting story behind this!

[whynotamus]

Unfortunately, it isn't quite as interesting as that might make it out to be. I was in China, searching for a rare albino pheasant, you see-and I did find him, not at all the magical beast the natives made him sound to be but a rather knowledgeable creature regardless-when I heard tell of a goat who had taken ill with no warning whatsoever. After an initial misunderstanding, as Long Arrow and his people haven't learned English, I was able to enter their little village and tend to their goat. Very fortunate, as Long Arrow has proved a marvellous friend indeed.

[strangehstorian]

Now, wait a moment. Don't animals in different countries speak different languages?

[whynotamus]

They have regional dialects, but I wouldn't say they're disparate enough to be considered separate languages. Animals, for their part, are concerned with far less than people and don't tend to have so many words-which leaves them less room for variation. It does cause difficulties, of course. Why, one visit to Brazil Chee-Chee was quite taken with a spider monkey there and wished to tell her that her eyes were like jewels. Unfortunately whether by his own omission or some discrepancies in the language, she seemed to think he was stating he wished to take her eye jewels.

Well. {Awkward face.} Chee-Chee hasn't wished to return to Brazil since that incident.

[strangehstorian]

Oh my... [giggle.]

[whynotamus]

Yes, it was rather a tangled mess. One sees rather a many of those, dealing with animals-some of them are quite flighty creatures.