The Furry Forums
Creative Arts and Media => Creative Writing => Topic started by: IamTheS on June 12, 2007, 06:15:36 AM
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This is the story of Sigma and the events that would change his life. It will probably be rated PG for slightly-higher-than-mild violence and mild sensuality by the story's end (since profanity is innately blocked on these boards). Also, excuse me for any typographical or morpho-syntax errors; it is very late as I type this.
CHAPTER ONE - THE DEVIL'S DUE
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The sound of wood snapping echoes softly throughout the otherwise quiet forest. If Sigma was not on his guard, noises such as this would surely be the death of him. The nearly six-foot tall half-human, half-wolf hybrid dug his claws into the fresh bark of a young sakura tree, and hoisted himself up, steadily climbing the plant until he was perched in a crouch on the topmost limb. Sigma peered through the pink petals, hopefully completely hidden from view. He heard footsteps crunching on the forest floor, and slowed his breathing almost to a complete halt.
The form of a five foot tall human being came into view. Wearing standard American military fatigues, he appeared to be of mixed European descent. In his hands was an M16A2 assault rifle; strapped across his back was another firearm of unknown style and origin. Sigma could also barely make out some sort of knife poking out from a strap on the soldier's leg.
Sigma could hear the man's hard, laboured breathing - and smell it, as well. This individual had a stench akin to mounds of garbage and feces rotting in the sun. Sigma's muzzle winced in reflex and he had to focus enough to not gag. It was as if bathing and oral hygiene were foreign to the human.
The soldier stopped in his tracks, looking around and blindly pointing his weapon in various directions. Sigma had heard that the American military was supposed to have trained their soldiers to become hardened warriors; this fool was better parading for a king's amusement. The wolfman almost felt like attacking the man was not even worth his time or effort; but quickly reasoned with himself that it had to be.
Refusing to take a deep breath prior to his leap, Sigma propelled himself off of the branch with nary a sound, unsheathing his ninjaken in equal speed and silence. Just as the blade of the sword was about to come in contact with the foe's neck, the simian spun around, most likely alerted by the rush of air caused by Sigma's descent. All that was cut was the first two inches of the rifle.
The look on the Army man's face led Sigma to conclude that he was stunned; an opportune time to strike. With a swift motion of his right arm, Sigma cut across his enemy's belly, leaving a long but shallow cut. The man fell backwards to the ground, clutching his wound and howling loud enough to make it seem that he was in more pain then he actually was. He definitely was no warrior.
A lump formed in Sigma's throat as he stood over his bleeding foe. It was occuring once more; he was having trouble finishing his foe. As the founder and current leader of the Yamiokami ninja dan, Sigma had always advocated peace and understanding between and all beings. The ninjutsu that he had developed over the course of three hundred years had its base in the arts taught to him by the Tengu warlord Karashin; this particular branch of ninjutsu was only used for self-improvement, or, shall the need arise, defending one's self and home.
That is what the world had come to. For thousands of years, the Garoujin - Wolfpeople - had lived in harmony with the nature of Japan. The natives had come to respect them, even revere them as Gods. However, one of their kind had been captured - Sigma's own friend and disciple, Gatobi - by a British soldier on vacation, and he was subsequently executed and used in all sorts of vile and disturbing experimentations. Now, the outsiders - people from the Americas, much of Europe and the Middle East, and even Australia - had commissioned their troops into Asia to exterminate all creatures of similar origin; apparently they were deemed a threat by some warmongering individuals.
The Garouotoko were none of the sort; they had only fought to save their homeland in secret, from the shadows. They were a cultured and refined people; lived in caves but were well learned and were capable of advanced techology, although they chose to use very little of this in order to preserve simplicity. They had never declared war on any other peoples of the world and were simply content to their hidden way of life.
Sigma continued to stare down into the injured man's eyes. No hatred boiled in his ocular orbs, only sadness. The human's eyes showed a mixture of fear and anger. With a deep sigh, Sigma closed his eyes and spoke to the man in perfect English. "Go. Your injury is not life threatening. Turn around and leave this place, never to return," he growled. "Tell your superiors we mean no harm. Convince them to call off the war, and go home to your family."
Sigma approached the man and watched as he began to shake and squirm so much that his helmet came off. A tuft of unruly, sweaty dirty-blonde hair was revealed. Sigma snickered and simply kept walking past the soldier. As Sigma was approximately ten yards away, he could hear the human speak into some sort of communication device.
"You've got to help me... one 'o them split my belly open! My entrails are hangin' out!" A brief pause, then the man continued. "And they speak English too! Hell no he didn't say nothin' important. Just some ramblin's. Yeah come get me! And bring the whole squad. These're some crazy mothaf----".
The man's whining was interrupted by the cold metal of a shuriken lodging itself in his brain. Sigma almost cried out in frustration; he did not want to harm these people, but he felt as if he had no choice. Grumbling about the fact that he had used his last shuriken, he began to retreat to the nearest cave base. He needed to confer with his people. The time had come to seek out their brethren from outside Japan's borders. The numbers of their greats allies, the Youkaijin - spiritual Foxpeople - were dwindling, and the Tengu and Kappa were already heading towards extinction before the war broke out. Sigma had never met any more creatures similar to himself from outside the country, but he had heard stories about great hybrid warriors. If any of them should actually exist, the Garoujin were going to need their assistance.
--END CHAPTER ONE--
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Can't wait for chapter two :sparkle:
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Thank ye, love. :lovestruck2:
CHAPTER TWO - SALVATION
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It had started raining as Sigma made his way to the cave, so when he arrived, he had to remove his black-and-green mask, as it was soaking wet. He placed it on a stone near the roaring fire in the center of the grotto, then sat down beside the flame himself, hoping to dry quickly. Within moment, he was approached by Runa, his cousin and second-in-command. Sigma cocked his head upwards to view Runa as she spoke.
"[Lord Sigma, our forces are dwindling. With their brutal war tactics and murderous weaponry, the humans are slowly but surely destroying our people.]*"
Sigma sneezed. "[That is most unfortunate. We cannot keep losing our friends, our brothers, our sisters... there has to be a way.]" Sigma stood up abruptly, nearly knocking into Runa in the process. He turned to address all of the occupants of the cave. All eyes were focused intently on the Yamiokami grandmaster.
"[As many of you know, there are tales of beings similar to us in other lands,]" Sigma said in a loud, commanding voice. "[If this is indeed true, then we may be able to recruit them to assist us. After all, they may be the next target of these bloodthirsty savages.]"
Ojigaruru, the eldest living member of the Yamiokami and Sigma's personal attendant, took a step forward and coughed. "[I will gather three of our finest warriors and they shall set sail by daybreak.]" The old Wolfman's voice was deep, scratchy, and tough to understand; thankfully all present were used to it.
Sigma stared Ojigaruru in his single remaining eye, and shook his head. "[No. I shall go. Alone.]"
The entire cave was flooded by one monumental gasp, as this shocked the inhabitants in unison. After approximately a minute of silence, Runa stepped forward and grabbed Sigma's arm. "[No, Lord Sigma! It is too dangerous! In this dire time, we need your leadership more than ever!"]
Sigma violently pulled his arm away from Runa's grasp. "[No. I will go, myself. This is something I need to do."] He now turned to face his cousin. "[Runa, you are to take charge while I am away. And if I do not return... you shall remain the grandmaster. I have witnessed your leadership skills both on and off of the battlefield. I am most impressed with your abilities.]"
Tears began to well up in Runa's eyes. "[I will go! This clan needs you! I need you! We are the last of our family! And unless you find a mate, you and I will continue to be the last of the bloodline!]"
Sigma gazed sternly into Runa's eyes. Tears were now streaming down her face. Sigma sighed. "[Runa... you do not understand. I must do this. Our people, and perhaps all of the world will be in grave danger. It is my responsibility to to bring peace.]" He now turned toward Ojigaruru. "[Inform the Youkajin, Kappa, and Tengu leaders of my departure. I am leaving immediately.]"
Runa grabbed her cousin's face and looked him sternly in the eyes, trying to blink back her tears. She dragged her tongue across the side of his muzzle in a slow lick. "[Take care of yourself. I love you.]"
Sigma nodded. "[I love you too. I have faith in you.]" Sigma abruptly turned to exit the cave. As he stepped out of the mouth, he heard Runa call after him. "[Come back safely! ]" Sigma merely raised his hand slightly, and did not even turn around.
Upon exiting, Sigma found not only that night had fallen, but the rain had ceased. He drew a breath of the cool night air and sighed. Runa was right about everything. But this could not be helped. True, he could be incorrigible at times. But this matter was something that was out of his hands. Sigma could feel fate pushing him forward as he made his way to the small dock, which was approximately one mile away from his current position.
*Anything within brackets ([ ]) are translated from Japanese.
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CHAPTER THREE - RECKONING
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Nearly a full day had passed since Sigma had set sail upon the junky old raft. Had he better time to prepare, he would have had the community's handymen construct a better vessel. But alas, he had to make due with what was currently available.
The raft was not entirely bad; it held together well enough. However, the wood had mildewed and it smelled terrible. Having an extremely heightened sense of smell - as did all of his kind - this was enough to make him nautious. Or perhaps it was the mildly rough waves that churned his stomach. Most likely, it was a combination of both. It took all of Sigma's focus to not vomit every twenty seconds.
Sigma had brought an excessive amount of food, but with his current condition he had not even given the cache a second glance. He hoped that if he did not have a chance to consume it once he reached land, he would at least be able to barter with it. Other equipment he had brought were a stash of his favorite weapons, and some family mementos.
The day's stress was starting to take its toll on Sigma, and the Wolfman could feel his strength gradually leave his body. After praying to the sun goddess Ameterasu, he lay on the hard, disgusting wood and attempted to fall asleep. It took him some time, but he was about to finally fall asleep when powerful waves began to rock the raft. Queasy, exhausted, and annoyed, Sigma opened a single eye partially. Within his view was the sight of a gigantic, amphibious-looking beast.
"[What in the...?]" Sigma slowly stood and gaped at the lumbering monster. It appeared to be a light hue of punk, with blue spines running down its back. It was serpentine in shape, and had two red fins on either side of its stout head. The beast leered at Sigma with its pure yellow eyes.
After staring up at the monster in disbelief for several minutes, Sigma swallowed hard and attempted to speak to the creature. However, a splash in the distance from the creature's previously hidden tentacle cut him off, and the leviathan itself began to speak in a large, booming voice - in perfect English - with an unidentifiable accent.
"Lupine creature, I have been looking for you."
Sigma swallowed hard again. This beast was overwhelming. He had never been so freightened in all of his life. He then thought of his clan back home, and made an attempt at conversing with the sea monster.
"What are you? Why have you been searching for me?"
The monster grunted and slapped the distant water with two of its tentacles. "I am known as Lusca. I have existed for years, the protector of the Atlantic Ocean. I have come searching for you because I have sensed you needed assistance."
Sigma scratched his muzzle. "Atlantic Ocean? But it has been but a day since I have set sail from Japan. Tell me, Lusca, where am I?"
Lusca nodded slightly. "You are near the Caribbean Sea. I am not familiar with the method of travel which has brought you here, but the seas are full of mysteries. There is an area in my domain that is known as the Bermuda Triangle; the Triangle is so mysterious even I am not certain what takes place there. Now tell me, wolf beast, what is the reason for your journey?"
Sigma sighed and introduced himself, and told of Lusca of his plight. When Sigma finished, Lusca nodded slightly again. "Hmmm... perhaps it is fate which has brought you to this area in such a brief amount of time. I assure you, what you seek is here in this area."
Sigma made no effort to hide his confusion. Lusca apparently noticed this and spoke up again. "It will not be long now... I must go for now, but rest assured, your journey is only beginning. I will find a way to help you further, in due time. But for now, I must prepare. Farewell." Sigma gave a quick bow to Lusca as it disappeared beneath the waves.
The first thing that Sigma realized after his new apparent ally was gone, that his illness had completely subsided. He did not dare to ponder whether Lusca had any effect of this; he had more important things on his mind. Sliding the oar back into the water, he felt invigorated, like a new sense had awakened itself in him. Gritting his fangs, he paddled the raft harder than he ever had been previously in his life.
Nightfall had come sooner than Sigma expected, and the Wolfman finally began to feel fatigued once more. Panting in the cool night as if it were the hottest day of the year, Sigma collapsed to his knees and placed his chin on his chest. Staring at the raft, he felt sleep overtake him. As he dozed silently for some time, he did not sense another enormous object approaching his location. This, however, was no beast, but a watercraft. Sigma awoke when the shout of a woman startled him.
"YOU!"
Sigma rubbed his eyes with his paws and stared at a gigantic ship which loomed dangerously close to his raft. Some sort of person stood leaning over the edge, who he took to be the woman who called to him. He could not tell what species she was. Sigma hollered back to the individual. "ME?"
"YES, YOU!" This time Sigma was certain that this was the woman. Her accent had a hint of Bristol. "PREPARE TO BE BOARDED!"
Sigma had spent hundreds, if not thousands of years training in the art of ninjutsu. His speed was rivaled by none in Japan. However, this lass had surpassed the fastest known being to Sigma, when she leapt from the ship and landed on his raft in the fraction of a second. Her descent jarred the raft, sending an orange from his food supply overboard, and causing Sigma to lose his balance. After Sigma regained himself, he took a look at the woman. With a tricorne, a cleavage-revealing tunic, Elizabethan-era trousers, an eyepatch, and a cutlass in her hand, it was apparent this woman was a pirate. But what shocked Sigma even more was her species. She appeared to be a Garoujin - but she bore large wings. Never in his life had Sigma seen such a being.
"Prepare to die, knave." The pirate scowled at Sigma through gritted fangs. "Nobody sails my seas and lives to tell about it!"
--END CHAPTER THREE--
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*giggles* :snicker: I'm really starting to like this story hehehe specially the pirates ;D
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Thank ye once more, my dear :th_Pyong-1:
CHAPTER FOUR - ENSLAVED
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Sigma squinted his eyes slightly and stared deep into the pirate's eyes. Her eyes were full of bloodlust; it was as if her sole purpose were to skin him alive. Sigma was unaware of any serious transgressions which would have warranted his life worthless to this woman. He was but a humble traveller, attempting to find assistance in a vicious war. Now, he felt that if he did not slay this woman - as much as he did not want to - his quest would be in vain, and his people would die.
Sigma unsheathed his ninjaken in the blink of an eye. His other hand went directly to his restocked shuriken pouch, at ready for anything the pirate brought to the battle. She just continued to glare at him, unmoving besides the slight heaving of her chest from drawing breath. Sigma tightened his right hand around the handle of his sword, and his left hand tensed near his pouch. A lick of his muzzle and a deep breath, and Sigma just kept wondering when the pirate would strike. He refused to make the first strike in any one-on-one battle, especially against a lady.
Eventually, the pirate sprung into action. Their swords clashed, creating a small spark at the intersection of metal. A second clash sent Sigma propelling backward slightly, giving the pirate an obvious edge. The pirate leapt forward, and delivered a mighty kick to Sigma's chest. The ninja felt the breath leave him, and his back struck the raft hard. As he struggled to get back up, the pirate dashed toward him and swung her cutlass, and if Sigma was just a fraction of a second tardy with his own blade, he would have lost his head.
Struggling against the pirate by pushing all of his weight against her sword with his own, Sigma attempted to catch his breath. When he had finally done so, he leaned forward, sliding his sword across hers. Her sword barely missed his neck, while his clipped her ear. He shook the minute amount of blood off of his weapon and prepared to strike again. He took a step forward and slashed again, slashing some of the pirate's fur off, but did not draw blood this time.
The pirate was beginning to pant; obviously the battle was beginning to have its toll on her. Sigma, in more pain, but with more stamina now that he had gotten his breath back, felt he was gaining the upper hand. Sigma reached for his pouch and withdrew three shuriken, which he threw at the pirate simultaneously. The pirate rolled, dodging two of the projectiles, whereas a third struck her right wing. The pirate whimpered a bit in pain, but gritted her fangs and stood, leaving the shuriken still impaled in her wing.
The two of them stood on opposite ends of the raft than they started on. The small raft had served well as a battlefield, but now water had spilled all across its surface from their weight constantly shifting, and one of the logs was starting to crack. If this struggle continued any longer, the raft would go down before either of the combatants did. The pirate seemed to sense this; she swiftly reached into her belt and pulled out a well-hidden flintlock pistol. She pointed it directly at Sigma's head; from the distance and position the warriors were standing, Sigma was quite sure she would land a clean shot, no matter how fast he dodged.
The pirate spit on the raft floor, a red tinge from blood in it. "You're a pretty good fighter, you are," said she. "I'd hate to have to waste such a worthy warrior such as yourself. But you know... you did cross into my sea, and I can't just let you go with a simple knock on the head." She took a couple of steps closer, the gun still aimed at the ninja's head. "There's got to be something I can do. Ah! I've got it!" With a couple of quick steps, she was behind Sigma, bringing her arm around his neck in a half nelson, while keeping the firearm trained on him. In a flash, she had leapt from the raft, landed on the side of the ship, and began running straight up it, dragging Sigma with her. Sigma struggled to break free but it was of no use; her grip was too tight.
The pirate and Sigma had then made it to the ship's deck, where Sigma caught sight of two more pirates; one seemed to be part bulldog, and the other some sort of simian.
"Woah, Cap'n!" the bulldog called as the female pirate's feet touched the deck. "What've ye there?" His accent was unmistakenably British, but from what part Sigma was unsure. He didn't quite care at the moment to pinpoint, either.
"This, Sal, is our new cabin boy!" The captain let out a hearty laugh. "Now we've got somebody to swab the decks again!"
"But, Cap'n, ye killed the last one... what's so special about this scrawny thing?" Sal stared coldly at Sigma.
"This one put up quite a ruckus, so hopefully he won't die so easily. But it won't be from a lack of trying!" The captain laughed again, and this time Sal joined her. The simian pirate was silent. When she had finished laughing (but not Sal), she called to the simian. "Hey Monk! Go and fetch the chains! We're going to need to tie this one down!" The simian merely nodded and walked off to parts unknown to Sigma.
Sigma was terrified. If he were to remain captive on this ship - or worse, killed - his people would never see the salvation they so sorely deserved. "Miss Captain, if I may..." he began. The captain tightened her forearm against Sigma's throat, causing him to audibly choke. "Not another word out of you, slave."
"But..." Sigma started again. The captain grunted. "I said nothing from you. Otherwise I'll make you walk the plank right now." Monk had at that time returned to the deck, and silently handed the captain the chains. The two pirates shackled Sigma to a sturdy grate in the floor of the deck, and when that task had concluded, Monk returned to his post near the cabin. The captain threw a sponge at Sigma that had apparently been brought by Monk at the same time as the chains, and Sal set a large bucket full of soapwater next to him. "Get to cleaning, cabin boy!" she growled.
"Heartless wench...." Sigma muttered to himself.
Before Sigma could even take another breath, the captain had lashed out with her cutlass. At first Sigma thought she had missed, but soon he felt the searing, bloodying pain and screamed. She had taken out his left eye.
The captain bent down next to Sigma, and gritted her fangs. "You watch your tongue, cabin boy," she growled. "Or else... next time it'll be your entire head."
"Yes, ma'am," Sigma muttered weakly, while clutching his eye socket. The pain was still coursing though his body, but he was miraculously able to keep from showing it any further.
The captain walked away from Sigma, and turned to Monk, who had gathered three bottles of rum. Giving the largest one to the captain, and one of equal size to his own to Sal, he nodded and raised his bottle.
"Here here!" Sal called. "To Captain Kaizoku, the Queen of the Pirates! The most murderous maiden the seas have ever seen!"
Sal and Kaizoku laughed in unison while Monk kept nodding slowly. The three of them drank their alcohol as Sigma began to scrub the deck, still clutching his wound.
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awsome S =3 =3 =3
:D :D :D
:drool: :drool: :drool:
(The audience of the reading)
***Emotes taken down due to quantity abuse.***
***Ephemral***
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Doomo, Tinny
CHAPTER FIVE - HARDSHIP
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"Get up, you sodding lazy scoundrel!" The first words to reach Sigma's ears were followed by a slow, but powerful kick to the chest. Not only had Sigma been forced to sleep in the bitter cold, chained to the same spot the entire time he had been aboard the ship, but now a hideous bulldog-man had cracked his ribs. Sigma had started to think that perhaps it was his fate to die here. Perhaps Lusca knew that Kaizoku and her crew would be here to capture him? Maybe Lusca was an agent of Kaizoku's? These were the questions that went through Sigma's mind during the long duration of the night that he was unable to sleep.
"Don't make me have to kick you again!" Sal grunted and turned away. Sigma pushed himself up partway, trying to keep his breathing to a level to where the pain wasn't as bad. He saw Monk approach out of the corner of his eye and drop the sponge and refilled bucket near him. Unlike the other members of his crew, the silent simian did not seem very violent at all. Then again, Sigma noted, it was often the quiet ones that were the most brutal. Sigma nodded to Monk, and the ape nodded back before turning away.
Sigma forced himself to his knees, dipped the sponge in the soapy water, and began scrubbing. This was the same spot he had scrubbed before, and most likely would be the only spot he'd ever clean. The rest of the ship was mildly dirty and starkly constrasted the area in which Sigma was forced to work.
Two hours had passed, and Sigma was beginning to get hungry. His hand was also starting to cramp, having put a large amount of strength into his cleaning. He hoped that if he impressed the captain, she would let him free.
Sigma was massaging his right wrist, when Kaizoku herself walked over to him. "What do you think you're doing?" She growled.
"My hand... it is a bit sore," said Sigma.
"Get back to cleaning, NOW!" Kaizoku sneered at the ninja. Sigma felt he had no choice but to do as he was commanded. As he reached for the sponge, the pirate thrust the heel of her boot down onto Sigma's hand, then started grinding it until he felt something snap. Sigma winced silently in pain, and Kaizoku removed her foot to reveal a bloodsoaked paw.
Sigma began panting heavily, trying hard not to make any noise that would upset the captain. As Kaizoku turned away, she grumbled "Keep scrubbing. And use only that hand for the next two hours. If you do a good job... I MAY let you use the other hand for ten minutes."
"Yes ma'am," Sigma said with a sigh. Grasping the sponge and wincing again, Sigma uttered a Japanese curse under his breath. He would have said it louder, but since Kaizoku's moniker was Japanese itself - kaizoku meaning "pirate" - he thought the better of it. He began to ponder how a pirate with a British accent, who lived near the West Indies, had a Japanese name, but he figured he'd probably do better if he continued his focus on his work.
An hour later, Monk brought Sigma a piece of bread and what seemed to be powdered milk. Before Monk even had a chance to leave, Sigma had devoured the bread and swallowed all of the milk. Sigma returned to washing the deck as the apeman took away the plate and glass.
Approximately an hour following that, true to her word, Kaizoku approached and told Sigma that he could use the other hand to clean. Sigma was refreshed and relieved, and put his bad hand behind him as he worked at the wood with slightly renewed zeal. Kaizoku reappeared ten minutes later exactly, and warned him that she would crush the other paw if he did not begin using the other hand to clean.
Sigma was beginning to form a picture of this pirate's personality in his mind. She was ruthless, violent, a nasty drunk, and cruel... but she did have something resembling honour. Never had he known a being so evil to still posess an ounce of good.
By nightfall, his hand was so worn that it looked like the fur was supposed to be blood red. As he had used it so much, the wound never fully closed. Sigma felt that if he lost any more blood, he would be unable to work any further, and the captain would surely slay him.
Curling up into a ball, Sigma prepared for sleep. At least on this night, it was not so cold. If the pain did not overtake him, he might actually have a decent night's rest.
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CHAPTER SIX - REDEMPTION
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Sigma was awakened this time by a splash of cold water. At first he thought he was back home, remembering that when Runa was still an immature, mischevious pup, she would splash a bucket full of cold water on his face when he refused to wake up after a rough night. Then, when he opened his eye, he saw it was still dark out, and he was aboard the ship he had lived on for the past couple of days, still securely chained up. He looked around for the culprit who soaked him, but the deck was empty. It took him some time to realize that the ship was heaving at an abnormal rate. Sitting up, he was splashed once more by the salty, icecold sea water.
Rubbing his muzzle on both sides with the thumb and index and middle fingers of his left paw, Sigma let out a deep, irritated sigh. Not only was fate against him, but it seemed Mother Nature had as well. Normally a being of strong strength and will, Sigma felt himself being tested like he had never been tested before. Even Karashin's strict training procedures were dwarfed in difficulty in comparison to the hardships he was currently facing. Sigma knew there would be no chance of him getting back to sleep, so he resolved to meditation. Sitting upright, he crossed his legs and gently placed his right paw in his left one. Sigma straightened his back and closed his eye, placing his tongue on the roof of his mouth and opening his muzzle slightly. Sigma took a deep breath in through his nose, held the breath for three seconds, then released it out of his mouth. He repeated this several thousand times, completely ignoring the seawater's constant assault, until daybreak came. At this time, Sigma heard some shuffling; he opened his eye and saw Monk approach him with the bucket and sponge. As they had done the previous morning, Monk placed the items near Sigma, the wolf nodded, then the ape would nod and walk away.
Sigma began scrubbing with his right paw, knowing full well if Kaizoku approached and saw him using his left paw, she would vivisect him. The pain was dull now, but he would still much rather use his left paw - or, truth be told, be free of the entire situation altogether! After two hours, Sigma looked around for the captain. This was approximately the same time she showed up the previous day, but he was surprised that he did not see her. He caught sight of Monk steering the ship, and had heard Sal's yelling and drunken singing continuously since Sigma had begun working. Sigma was tempted to use his left hand, as Monk was the only one who could see him at this time, and he did not think the simian as being one to snitch on him. However, given the recent string of bad karma that had befallen on him, just as he began using that paw, Sal would come down from the Crow's Nest, or, worse yet, Kaizoku herself would appear. Sigma dutifully continued scrubbing the deck, a task which was made increasingly more difficult by the seawater, which would splash barnacles and kelp on the deck every so often.
Five hours had passed since Sigma began working and he still had seen no sign of the captain. The only things he could think of was that she might have fallen ill, or perhaps was planning something below decks. Sigma began to think that, barring her planning something awful including him, that this was a blessing in disguise. A sudden crash made Sigma jump slightly, but turned to see that it was Sal, who had long come down from the Crow's Nest. He was dancing across the ship's poop and had dropped his rum bottle. The dogman whimpered and uttered a random string of curses, as if he had destroyed the most valuable thing in the world. Monk looked at Sal and shook his head, as if he knew that Sal knew there was more rum stashed somewhere on the ship, and the drunken canine was just in a stupor due to his condition.
Approximately an hour after this, Sal had passed out in a barrel near the wheel. Monk had already brought Sigma his lunch - bread and powdered milk, just as in the day before - and Sigma had just started to believe he would never catch sight of Kaizoku, when the door to the cabins suddenly creaked open and Kaizoku stepped out. This was in contrast to previous events in which she exited, in which she normally slammed the door open and stomped outside. Kaizoku took a deep sniff of the salty afternoon air and simply stood there, staring up at the empty sky. Sigma shook his head and began scrubbing again, thinking perhaps the captain was out of her mind. He was completely unaware that his persistent work had reopened the wound on his hand, until another splash of seawater hit directly on top of it. Feeling as if a whitehot fire had been ignited on his flesh, Sigma screamed out in pain.
Curiously enough, instead of yelling at him or punishing him, Kaizoku stepped quickly to Sigma's side, wearing an expression of concern on her face. She pulled some gauze out from a pocket, and, without a single word, wrapped it around his paw. The remaining saltwater still stung, but he was grateful that this woman who had up until now been his foe, had come to his aid. Sigma merely nodded in thanks, unware if he could say anything that would not ruin her mood. Then, as if her previous action had not surprised him enough, Kaizoku withdrew a small, golden key from the same pocket, and unlocked the shackle around his left leg. Kaizoku nodded back, then walked away towards Monk, and began discussing something with him that Sigma could not overhear.
Sigma stood up, flexing his muscles and stretching, walking back and forth slightly outside of the invisible barriers of his prison for the first time since he had been brought onto the ship. Sigma did not know what to make of this event, but he was hoping it was a reward for his work. Sigma did not do anything extensive, for fear it would jinx this joyous moment. He then began to feel that the moment had already been jinxed, when he saw the captain draw her pistol and level it straight at Sigma.
A lump of terror made itself known in Sigma's throat, and for the time being, his fight-or-flight mechanism was malfunctioning. Standing in absolute frozen fear, Sigma closed his eye, ready to meet his fate. He listened as the bullet was discharged from the gun and soared... right past him. A short grunt from behind Sigma made him open his eye and turn around. There, on the ground behind him, lay Sal with a bullet in his brain. A knife was in his loosened hand. Sigma turned back to where the captain was standing, and she had resumed casually talking with Monk. Sigma simply stood in utter confusion as he realized he had witnessed his current greatest foe save his life.
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CHAPTER SEVEN - REVELATIONS
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Sigma could not stop staring at the now cold corpse of the drunken pirate who had nearly murdered him. It was not so much that Sal was dead, as it was the fact that Kaizoku was the one that killed him. And all the while that Sigma was battling to grasp this recent turn of events, the captain talked with Monk as if nothing had occured at all. Coming to terms with this, Sigma swallowed hard and furrowed his brow. He was beginning to grow very weary of this bizarre party of pirates. Maybe it was just uncertainty or fear that did not instill this notion in him before; but now he wanted answers.
Sigma cleared his throat, swallowed hard, and prepared for a fight if need be. "CAPTAIN!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. Monk and Kaizoku looked up at him with confusion on their faces. "I HUMBLY REQUEST A MOMENT OF YOUR TIME!" Sigma then prepared for the moment of truth; the instance which would either clear up this obscure mystery, or leave him dead.
Sigma swallowed hard again, and watched as Kaizoku excused herself from Monk's company and walked over slowly towards Sigma. When she came face-to-face with him, she brushed her right paw up against his left arm, and silently motioned for him to sit on one of the two crates that were stacked a few feet away. When they were both seated, Kaizoku calmly asked, "So, what's on your mind?"
Sigma's jaw dropped open. He could not believe she was being so nonchalant about this! This is a woman who had tortured and mutilated him for days, and only minutes earlier blown away a member of her own crew. Now she was addressing him as if they were old friends! He was beginning to wonder if Kaizoku possessed a split personality. Her demeanor changed entirely too quickly for this to be normal.
Sigma cocked an eyebrow, licked his muzzle, and spoke. "If you do not mind, I would like some answers. Earlier this week I had set sail on a quest to save my people. I was subsequently given advice by a sea beast known as Lusca, and after that, captured by you and enslaved until this morning, when you set me free and murdered your own shipmate!"
Kaizoku smirked. "Ah, he was a jerk anyway." The captain began swishing her tail back and forth.
Sigma placed the sole of his paw against his forehead. "It... it is just that... why? Why capture me and then have a change of heart? Not that I disapprove of the event in which you liberated me. It is simply that... I would like some closure. I need to understand if this just some random and unfortunate chain of events in which I have been drawn into, or if there is some sort of method behind this madness."
Kaizoku looked up and away from Sigma, twirling a strand of her long, dark hair around a finger - which seemed very uncharacteristically strange to Sigma. "Well, if you must know, I truly am a feared dread pirate. I actually did execute our previous cabin boy... and the one before that... and the one before that... in fact, of the fifteen or so crew members I've had, Monk, who came from the second 'batch', is the only one I haven't killed. Well, and yourself, of course. They all turn out to be idiotic dunces. Sal had been here only about two weeks, and he was starting to grate my nerves right around the time you showed up. I had already planned on killing him sometime soon, but he had to get sauced and try to kill you, so I decided to off him then and there. Freakin' moron could've extended extended his life by a day or so...."
Sigma shook his head. "That brings me to the key point of my question; why the change of heart? Just yesterday you would have been willing to kill me for the slightest transgression. Today... I find you unchaining me and saving my life...."
Kaizoku let out a chuckle. "That... is harder to explain. In all my years of piracy, I have rarely dreamed. When I do, it's of killing, maiming, plundering... or just plain sailing the seven seas. But last night... I dreamt of you. You were kind... gentle... caring... like a true friend. Up until this point, Monk has been the closest thing to a friend I've ever had. Since I never dream of anything of the sort, I took this to be a sign. I began to realize that despite my violent, pirating ways... maybe I should have given you the benefit of the doubt, heard your story, and given you the option to join my crew instead of forcing you to do so. That would have gone against everything I have done in life but... there is something about you... that dream made me realize that you could be one of the few people that I have ever considered getting close to...."
The pirate suddenly hopped off of the crate and got on her knees, pressing her paws together. "Please... if you can find it within your heart... will you forgive me?"
Sigma was stunned. He was sure a look of disbelief had set in on his face. The captain... wanted his forgiveness? He scratched his head and sighed. He obviously had the choice to merely refuse her plea, but where would that lead? He felt it was in his best interest - and perhaps the right thing - to go ahead and forgive her.
"All is forgiven, captain," said Sigma. The pirate stood up and gave a slight bow. "Thank you," she said softly. "You will not regret your decision." She nodded to Sigma, then turned and walked back toward Monk and continued speaking with him, no doubt picking up from where they had left off when Sigma had interrupted them.
Sigma's head started to spin. This entire endeavor was proving too much for even him to handle. Perhaps it was a combination of that and the exhaustion of working on the ship, but Sigma felt himself to be extremely dizzy. Before he knew what was happening, everything had gone black.
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I love it dad :th_Pyong-1: probally something i won't forget for a change
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I love it dad :th_Pyong-1: probally something i won't forget for a change
Aw, thank ye! :D Wow, you must have been quite the busy little thing. When I went to bed last night, you had 10 posts. Now you've got 40!
In any case, I probably won't have another chapter up for a while. I have a temporary side project I started on, and something in life has come up that is making it a little hard to focus on writing right now (Kaptain knows to what I reference).
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was talkin to someone really, and i just wokeyz upies and about to go kick my cousin outta my bed beecaause i woke up cuz i wasn't in my bed and my mum got mad :sniffle: dunno why, guess cuz i wouldn't get up and she was trying to clean and he won't wake up no matter what
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CHAPTER EIGHT - LAND HO!
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Sigma began to open his eye, but was only able to see what seemed to be wood, through a dense fog. He blinked several times after realizing that the fog was not external, but was instead an effect of his eye being out of focus. Now he could clearly tell that he was staring at many planks of wood, and it took a moment to register to him that he was flat on his back, on something soft and comfortable. An unusual sensation, considering that he had not felt such a thing in so long.
Straining to move, Sigma felt a wave of nausea overcome him, and he lay still again. By slowly turning his head to the left, he began to glance at objects on that side of the room, and deducted that he had been moved into the cabin - particularly, someone's quarters. Judging from the bloodsplatters on the walls, Sigma did not think it belonged to Monk - unless the ape did indeed have the dark side that he had theorized about earlier.
Just as he was trying to make out an object in a far corner, Captain Kaizoku stepped in his line of vision. "Ah, so you're awake, now. How are you feeling?"
Sigma could only manage to let out an inaudible gurgle as he tried to move again. Kaizoku reached out and gently guided him down flat on his back. "Careful now!" she cajoled. "You hit your head hard on a crate when you passed out two days ago. Monk and I got you down here  as fast as possible, and we gave you the best medical treatment we could with what little supplies we had left. But we thought you'd be out for a week! You're a resilient fellow!"
Sigma groaned and tried to move, but Kaizoku kept her paw pressed against him tightly. "You're not going anywhere, mister! You need to rest!"
Sigma grunted lowly. He had lost a whole two more days! At this rate, his people would be massacred! Sigma struggled against Kaizoku's pressure, but it was no use. At full strength, he would have a tough time moving against her; in his weakened state, she was infinitely stonger. "My..." Sigma finally managed to croak in a voice he did not recognize. "My... PEOPLE!"
"Settle down, you little scamp!" Kaizoku said with a wink. "Don't make me get the chains again!"
Sigma knew that she was at the very least half-kidding, but the thought of being restrained again made him visibly shudder. The captain smirked at this, which only served to make Sigma more nervous. Monk came into the quarters at that moment, with a towel and some gauze in his hands. Kaizoku moved so that Monk could kneel next to the bed and remove the gauze already around Sigma's head. As Monk pulled the bandaging away, Sigma could see the dry blood on the guaze. Sigma lie still while Monk redressed his head, only moving his head slightly when the apeman required it. After he finished, Monk left the quarters.
Sigma felt that his throat had relaxed enough, and his head had stopped spinning enough, that he could speak. "Ugh... where exactly am I?"
The captain looked over at Sigma with a slight look of shock. This expression quickly turned to another smirk. "Well, we tossed ya in the first available quarters... which happened to be Sal's. Sorry it's so icky... but it's not he's like he's using it, right?"
For the first time, Sigma was able to get a perfectly clear look at the walls. There were blood and chunks of flesh all over them. He even saw a seagull's decapitated head leaning against a dresser. Having seen so much death and destruction in his long life, he was more disgusted by the fact that such a being could be so feral, than the evidence of such.
Kaizoku stepped out of the main portion of the quarters and walked into a small alcove. She came back a brief moment later with two bottles, and she offered one to Sigma. "No... thank you. I don't drink...."
"Suit yourself, kid," said Kaizoku as she popped off the lid and guzzled the rum contained within. Seconds later, she had swallowed the contents of both bottles and let out a soft belch. Sigma wasn't entirely sure, but it appeared to him as if Kaizoku had blushed following her minute gas expulsion.
Monk came racing back into the quarters and began gesturing wildly. Sigma cocked an eyebrow and looked at Kaizoku, who then turned to look at Monk. She nodded a couple of times, and then Monk was still. Kaizoku turned back to Sigma. "He says we're approaching land. Come! Let us see where we are!"
Monk nodded to Kaizoku and gently lifted Sigma from the bed, and draped his arm over his shoulders. Kaizoku did the same with Sigma's other arm, and together, the two pirates carried the ninja to the deck. There, in the far distance, was a land mass. Sigma was not able to tell how large the mass was, but he was certain it was not an island.
"It has been a while since I've been here," Kaizoku noted. "This is a good place for supplies. We shall continue the journey following our brief stay here."
"Guys...?" Sigma whispered. "Where are we?"
"We're off the coast of Florida. I have some contacts here that may be able to get you better medical attention."
Sigma coughed. His journey was about to be extend considerably. But, he wondered... was this all part of his destiny?
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CHAPTER NINE - CIVILIZATION
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Immediately upon docking, Kaizoku and Monk hurriedly carried Sigma ashore. Sigma grunted and struggled, as he felt he was well enough to stand and walk on his own. However, the captain would have none of that; she threatened (perhaps half-jokingly) to "knock his block off". Then, she made some remark about stubborn men, and Monk shot her a glance, which caused Sigma to snicker.
Before long, the unlikely trio had reached a large grove. It was full of trees that Sigma had never seen before, and if it weren't for the pain he was suffering, he may have stopped to admire the beauty of the plants. But he had a feeling Kaizoku's leading him here had nothing to do with the trees themselves, but instead, there was a more urgent matter.
As the three of them moved deeper into the grove, Sigma could feel some sort of shift in the air around him, as if they were on elevated land; however, the ground beneath them had remained flat ever since they entered this patch of trees. The air eventually changed so much that it felt to Sigma as if he had reached the summit of Mount Fuji. It was then, that Sigma saw the first one. A bear, walking upright, with a tight-fitting white robe on its brown body, and a walking stick in one paw.
"Bears?" Sigma rasped to Kaizoku. "But bears are not indigenous to Florida... are they?"
Kaizoku coughed. "They aren't bears. These are the Homoursae. They are spread all across North America, living in secret forests such as this one. We were able to enter their domain, as we are non-humans. The Homoursae are a people of welcoming, but they've had quarrel with humans stretching as far back as the days of the natives, so they choose to remain in secret."
The Homoursae had obviously heard the captain relay a bit of his species' history, as he had turned toward them. "Ah!" said he in a deep, gruff voice.
"Kaizoku! Monk! Welcome back! I see you have a new traveling companion... What happened to Oxnard?"
"Pssh!" Kaizoku began to chuckle. "I killed him shortly after leaving here last time. That blasted feline tried to cop a feel... stupid jerk. Anyway, this is Sigma."
"Sigma?" The bearman cocked an eyebrow. "Um... anyway, a pleasure to meet you, Sigma. I am known as Bartholomew." Bartholomew took a closer glance at Sigma.
"Oh, wow... you don't look very good." He then turned to Kaizoku. "Is he alright?"
"He took a nasty spill on my deck. He'll be okay, but just to be on the safe side, we should get him to Douglas."
Bartholomew nodded. "I see what you mean. Right away, then! Follow me!"
The four of them continued through the secret forest, the only sounds being the foliage beneath their feet, and some birds in the distance. In a short time, they came to a large clearing surrounded by trees in the distance, and peppered with caves. At the edge of said clearing, a cabin was visible. There were approximately five more Homoursae visible to the group, all doing assorted tasks such as cooking and laundry.
"Welcome to Ursatopia, my friends!" Bartholomew bellowed. "All you see here is open to you!" Since Kaizoku had no doubt been here many times before, Sigma assumed this was more for his and Monk's benefit than hers.
"Thanks, Bartholomew," said Kaizoku. "But remember, before we let loose and have fun with your city, we've got to get Sigma here to the shaman."
"Ah yes, I apologize. It's just that as you know, we don't get many visitors. Right this way, then."
They walked over to the second closest cave, which had two burning torches outside, despite the fact that the sun was shining directly on them. Two Homoursae were standing just inside the entrance of the cave; they both wore long white pants, black headbands, and brandished spears. Bartholomew nodded to them as the four of them passed by. Once inside the main portion of the cave, they saw a large, black-furred Homoursae sitting cross-legged on an elegant chair with his eyes closed, wearing a loincloth and a feather headress. His chair was flanked by two more torches.
The black bearman opened his eyes and began to speak in a gravelly voice. "Bartholomew. I sense you have brought the young Garouotoko to me for healing." He uncrossed his legs and stood up. "Tatiana is with a patient at this moment, but when she is finished she will assist you to your bed. I will go and make my preperations." He then turned and walked back further into the cave, disappearing at once in the darkness.
"That... that guy knows about Garouotoko?" a bewildered Sigma asked.
"That is our shaman, Douglas," explained Bartholomew. "He spends most of his time studying, to enhance his powers and spells. At forty-seven in human years, he's also the oldest of us who has ever lived."
"Forty-seven?" Sigma's voice got a bit shrill.
Kaizoku spoke up. "The Homoursae do not live as long as your or my, or even Monk's species do. They normally only live to be about thirty-five."
Bartholomew chimed in with a smile. "I myself am sixteen - which is considered middle age. We are by far the shortest living known hybrid species. But it does not matter to us. We live our lives as best as we can, and when we pass on to meet the Ursa Major, we are reincarnated with all of our memories and personality. Legend has it Douglas has been reincarnated more than any of us, so his knowledge just keeps building up on itself."
A female voice came in from a grotto offshoot to the right. "All right, Douglas, I sense Bartholomew and three others are here, just as you predicted. I've prepared a bed for our new guest." She came into view at the end of her statement, her appearance surprising Sigma.
The female wore a loincloth and what appeared to be a bikini top, both lined with fur. She had azure eyes and long brown hair. But the most shocking aspect of her was that she was a young human.
If the Homoursae were at odds with humans, what was this one doing here?
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Just keeps getting better and better :sparkle:
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Thank ye, my dear :sparkle:
CHAPTER TEN - FRIEND OR FOE?
----------------------------
Sigma almost shouted, but decided it would be better to bite his tongue. After all, there had to be a logical explanation as to why the Homoursae, who were determined foes of the human race, had one of them in their city. After all, she knew Bartholomew by name, and was addressing Douglas. Still, Kaizoku had said that humans were not allowed through the secret forest.
Kaizoku's expression did not change as, Sigma noted, she probably knew this girl. Monk's did not either, but that was most likely because Sigma had rarely seen any change in the pirate's expression since he met him - or perhaps he too had met her. However, Sigma must have at least had a miniscule amount of surprise on his face, because Bartholomew took one look at him and burst out laughing.
"You're wondering about Tatiana, aren't you?" The bearman looked as if he had to hold his sides to keep them from splitting. "Oh, oh Major... oh that's funny. Tat, com here for a moment!"
The human nodded and casually strolled over next to Bartholomew. "Sigma, I want you to meet my big sister."
Sigma's eye widened. "Big sister? But she's barely pushing five foot. You have two feet over her, easily."
Bartholomew chuckled. "Well, she's exactly five foot even, and I'm seven-five... but that's irrevelant. She's a year my elder, to the day."
Tatiana spoke up. "I met Fluffy here when I was just three years old and I was but two. He had wandered outside of the secret forest and gotten caught in a beartrap. I freed him, and when he returned to the city, he told the others of me. After five years of pleading, he convinced them to let me join the city. I've been an honorary Homoursae ever since, having abandoned my cruel family. And Fluffy has been like a brother to me all along."
Each time that Tatiana referred to Bartholomew as "Fluffy", a sheepish grin appeared on the bearman's muzzle. After she was finished, he continued the explanation. "Tat was given many garments made with enchanted Homoursae fur, to allow her beyond the barrier seperating the human world from the secret forest. Although she rarely ventures outside of the city, she has them in the event of dire emergencies."
Tatiana slapped her forehead with a flat palm. "Oh, where are my manners. Come, Sigma... let us take you to your bed."
The five of them went through the passage that Tatiana had just came from, and found themselves in a long corridor filled with curtains. Behind the curtains, Sigma could make out the shapes of very large creatures in beds, most likely other Homoursae. Near the end of the passageway was an occupied bed with its curtains drawn back. Tatiana gestured with her hand for Sigma to lie down. He did so. Tatiana then told them that Douglas would be in shortly, and left, with Bartholomew in tow.
Monk had turned his attention to some paintings which were hung on the walls of the cave in between the curtains. Sigma lie there motionless, staring at the ceiling. Suddenly, Kaizoku had grabbed Sigma's left paw and held it tight with both of her paws. Sigma stared up at Kaizoku, and their eyes met. Sigma was unable to read the emotion in her eye; it was a foreign emotion to him.
Douglas approached them, with Tatiana behind him. Bartholomew was nowhere in sight. Douglas opened a beaker full of green powder that was in his hand, and took a whiff of it. "This Heila Powder will cure most of the trauma you have suffered within the last seven days... unfortunately, it will not do anything for your eye. I may be a shaman, but miracles are not my forte. In any case, after the powder has settled in, you will slowly drift off to sleep for approximately four hours. Within this time, the powder will do its work, sealing wounds, replacing plasma, and setting bones. Are you ready?"
Sigma swallowed and nodded. Douglas began sprinkling the powder over Sigma's body - on his clothes, his eyepatch - nearly everywhere. When that beaker was empty, Douglas would take another one from Tatiana and after all four bottles had been emptied, Douglas bowed and clapped his paws. Sigma could feel a tingling sensation overtaking his body.
"Either Tatiana or I will check back on you every hour. There's next to zero chance that anything will go wrong, but we like to keep an eye on our patients, just in case. Sleep well, brave warrior." With those words, Douglas and his assistant exited from Sigma's view.
Sigma could already feel himself beginning to become drowsy. It was at this time he had noticed not only had Kaizoku not left his side, but she had not released his paw. She intently continued to gaze at him. Sigma tried to say something, but his increasingly tired mind had just forced him to spout some garbled mess of syllables; he was not even sure what he was trying to say.
Just as Sigma's eye grew so heavy that he could not keep it open, he could barely make out that Kaizoku's lips were moving. She was obviously saying something, but whatever it was, it was lost on Sigma as he fell asleep.
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CHAPTER ELEVEN - BOSS OF THE BEARS
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Before even opening his eye, Sigma shook his head violently. Remnants of a nightmare were stuck in his head, but the pieces of the terror were too jumbled for him to recall its content. All he knew was that whatever it was, it had scared him. Sigma heard a shriek, and then was coerced into opening his eye.
Sigma saw Kaizoku hovering over him, still gripping his paw, with a look of worry plastered on his face. She released his paw with her right paw and stroked his hair back. "All you all right? You looked like you were having a seizure!"
Sigma blinked several times. "Yes... I should be fine. I just... couldn't shake this strange dream. Heavens help me if I could remember what it was about, though...."
Kaizoku nodded and smiled weakly. "That's good. Tatiana was beginning to worry. She said you had been out for five hours, and that if six hours had passed, Douglas would have to cook up some other concoction to wake you up."
"Perhaps my body just needed the rest. After all, my last siesta was injury related, so I may not have gotten the re-energizing that a normal slumber would provide."
Kaizoku nodded again, and completely released her grasp from Sigma, turning around to look at someone on the other side of the curtain that Sigma could not see. From the voice, he could tell it was Douglas.
"How is our patient?" Douglas asked.
"He's awake now. I'm glad, too, because I was beginning to worry."
"I was, as well. Very rarely does anyone sleep longer than four hours. I was checking in to see if I should begin preparing the Herata Powder. It is good that he is awake, as not only would it have been taxing on him, but I am beginning to run low on several ingredients needed for the powder. I must soon send Tatiana to the merchant's shop to procure the items."
Sigma saw Kaizoku take two steps back, to allow Douglas' huge frame fit between her and the curtain. Douglas used his left paw to move various parts of Sigma's body and examine the previously injure parts of him. Afterwards, he nodded. "My boy, if we take into consideration what I said about your eye earlier, you've got a clean bill of health. You may be a bit disoriented for the next hour or so, but your recovery has gone well."
"Thank you, Douglas," Sigma said, sitting up slightly. "You don't know how much this means to me. Do I... owe you anything?"
"Odds bodkins, no!" Douglas let out a hearty laugh. "You are a friend of Kaizoku, who is a friend of Homoursae. You do not qualify as an outsider, which means that there is never any charge for you in this city. We are not a people who runs on monetary gain."
Sigma nodded, a bit confused on how the Homoursae's society worked, but he decided not to ask. After Douglas explained he had more tasks to do and saying goodbye, Kaizoku helped Sigma out of the bed. Tatianna came in immediately following their departure, no doubt to ensure the bed's eventual usage by another patron.
Sigma leaned on Kaizoku and they walked slowly into the main junction of the cave, where Douglas' throne was. Bartholomew was explaining a painting to Monk, who merely nodded at what was said.
"Hey, are you guys ready to roll?" asked Kaizoku. Bartholomew and Monk turned to face her and Sigma. Monk nodded, and Bartholomew asked where they were all going.
"I decided I'm going to stop by the Laoban's and say hi. Then, we need to get some supplies."
Bartholomew nodded. "I regret that I failed to inform you that Laoban Fell died some time ago. We have a new leader, but I am sure he will enjoy your company just as Fell did. In my opinion, he is just as good as Fell was."
Kaizoku nodded, a frown on her face from learning that a comrade of hers was dead. Since Kaizoku's dream, he really had seen many sides of the pirate that he was unaware of. In fact, he had not seen the battle-hardened side of the captain following that event.
"Come," said Bartholomew. "We shall all visit the Laoban together." Bartholomew turned and exited the cave, followed by Kaizoku, Sigma, and Monk.
The trek to the cabin of the Homoursae chieftain was a twenty minute walk. As the cabin had been visible upon their entrance to the town, Sigma speculated that it was his disorientation that had slowed them down and the journey may have taken less time had he been at full capacity.
The four of them approached the cabin, which had four guards armed with what appeared to be firearms made from wood and other plantlife. Bartholomew nodded to the guards, who nodded in return. Bartholomew then walked to the cabin's door and gave it five sharp raps. A low, deep voice from within the shack proclaimed that the visitors were free to enter.
Bartholomew pushed the door open wide, then moved to the side, holding the door open for his companions. When Sigma has stepped inside, he noticed that the cabin, like the caves, looked much larger inside than it did from outside. He spotted a large, blackfurred bear - at least twice the size of Douglas, sitting in a large wooden chair. Two female Homoursae stood by the bearman's sides, fanning him with large bundles of feathers.
The large bearman straightened his long, white robe, and adjusted the bifocal glasses perched on his muzzle. "Yes, Bartholomew. I see you have brought guests."
"This is Kaizoku and Monk," said Bartholomew as he gestured towards them respectively. "They are the pirate allies in which we have told you."
"Ah, yes," the bearman said. "And the other one?"
"Sigma is their newest companion."
The large bear stood and nodded. "A pleasure to meet all of you. I am Laoban Siguma." Sigma was slightly startled at the Laoban's name's similiarity to his own.
"Hello, Siguma," Kaizoku said with a slight bow. "I came with the intent of meeting with your predecessor... but it appears he has passed on...."
"Yes... I am deeply hurt by my brother's parting. But he is with Ursa Major now, and all is well with him. I have continued his legacy."
"Well, I would love to get to know a bit more about you, as I am sure my companions would as well. However, we must be going. We have a schedule to keep."
Siguma sat down and smiled. "Ah, I am afraid that I do as well. Be sure to come by whenever you are in town."
"Will do," Kaizoku said. Monk, Bartholomew, and Sigma all nodded in unison with her, and they all turned for the door.
After they had left, Kaizoku said to Bartholomew, "I didn't know Fell had a brother."
"Neither did we," Bartholomew admitted. "He suddenly appeared a week after Fell's funeral. Siguma had said he was travelling the Americas for more Homoursae, but had been unsuccessful. We checked Fell's records, and he did indeed have an older brother, so his story seems to check out."
"He's a bit unlike him. Fell was more casual. Siguma... was polite, but it almost seemed if he was putting on airs."
"I thought so too, at first," Bartholomew said. "But gradually, I began to see past that. He really is that polite."
Kaizoku nodded. "I see. I guess we should get to the merchant's shop before dark comes."
Bartholomew said he agreed, and the four of them began to head for the market.
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CHAPTER TWELVE - SKIN
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The merchant's shop was the largest structure in Ursatopia. Made of logs and approximately the size of a small strip mall, it offered many goods and services, ranging from medicinal items to food, to even weaponry and armor. Being the only source of public item exchange in this bustling but miniscule city, it was understandably crowded.
As Douglas had said previously, the Homoursae's economic system was remarkably different than that of most societies. Residents were given a card with their name on it. A tiny LCD-like screen mounted on the card displayed the current date, as well as how many total purchases were made that day. Each resident was allowed up to seven purchases a day; the tally restarted at dawn the next day. This ultra-sophisticated technology was completely at odds with the Homoursae's simpler lifestyle.
Bartholomew graciously offered his day's purchases for Kaizoku and her crew. Tatiana, who had just finished obtaining the items that Douglas had sent her for, also offered up the three purchases she had remaining. Kaizoku accepted this generous offer, and stocked up on as many provisions as she could, which consisted of medical supplies and food. "This should hold us until we stroll into a town again," Kaizoku noted.
Following their shopping venture, Bartholomew accompanied the three of them back to Kaizoku's ship. However, upon reaching the pirate's vessel, they were greeted with a horrific message scrawled across the side in sloppy red letters.
"LEAVE THIS PLACE AND NEVER RETURN!!"
"Who the Hell would do such a thing?" Kaizoku's voice was a whole octave higher than normal. She dropped the box of items she had purchased on the ground.
Sigma took a few steps forward and rubbed his paw in the lettering, and sniffed it. "Blood," he concluded.
"This is a serious affront to our laws!" Bartholomew bellowed. "I swear to you, my companions, that I will not rest until we find who did this!"
Monk shook his head, as Sigma gritted his fangs. Kaizoku did not even bother to take a second glance at the box of provisions and began to stomp off back up the path.
"Where are you headed?" Sigma called after her.
"To see Siguma. He'll help us get to the bottom of this!"
Sigma nodded. "I'm coming with you!"
"We all are," Bartholomew growled. "This simply ticks me off!"
The cavalcade of angered people turned their sights on returning to the Laoban's cabin. Tatiana called after them in confusion, but they ignored her; this was especially disheartening for her that her little brother had shrugged her off as if she were a complete stranger. Bartholomew, Kaizoku, Sigma, and Monk were on a mission to ask for Siguma's assistance in finding the culprit of the graffiti.
Bartholomew did not bother to stop and nod at the guards outside the door of the cabin; he simply slammed one massive paw against the door and knocked it off its hinges. The guards made an effort to stop him, but Kaizoku held up her pistol, and Monk brandished a dagger dangerously close to one of the guards' throats. After entering, Bartholomew approached Siguma, whose demeanor did not change despite the younger bearman's anger being visibly displayed.
"Back so soon? Something seems to be bothering you. What can I do for you?" said the Laoban.
"Some individual, or perhaps group of individuals, have defaced Captain Kaizoku's ship with blood. We have come to ask for your help in finding and apprehending the responsible party for this heinous act!"
Siguma folded his hands. "I see. This is indeed a troubling turn of events."
Sigma detected a familiar odor that was soflty wafting through the air. He took a large sniff and knew at once what it was. The smell had been there before, but only now it stood out to him.
"Do you smell that?" he whispered to Kaizoku.
Kaizoku took a sniff. "Yeah... what is it?"
"I'll tell you what it is..." Sigma whispered. Then, in a louder voice. "Siguma is the one who defaced the ship!"
Bartholomew's head whipped around to look at Sigma. "What?!" he growled.
"I didn't piece it together before, but the smell of the blood from the ship is abundant here. In addition, the smell is coming directly from Siguma's direction."
Siguma began to clap slowly. "I never thought anybody would figure me out. I underestimated you pirates; I figured you were a group of simpletons."
"First of all, you swine, these pirates are no simpletons. And in addition..." Sigma slipped into a ninjutsu ready stance. "I AM A NINJA!"
"Ninja, pirates, what is the difference? The point is, you fools should have done as my warning instructed. Now I have no choice but to kill you!"
The two female Homoursae shrieked and ran further back into the cabin. Siguma stood up and roared.
"Why, Laoban... why...?" Bartholomew's breathing was abnormal. He may have been a large bearman, but he was still young, and by no means a warrior. His body was frozen in place. "What... what would your brother think?"
"You idiot! That pathetic beast you called your leader was NOT my brother! I came across that weakling during my travels and skinned him alive!"
"You fiend!" Bartholomew bellowed. Bartholomew hardly was able to finish speaking when Siguma batted the younger bearman off of his feet with a gigantic paw. Before Bartholomew could hit the floor, however, Sigma had leapt into the air and driven his left foot into Siguma's gut. The traitorous leader winced for a moment, then grabbed Sigma, pulled his attack from his torso, and through him against the wall. Sigma flipped before hitting it and perched against the wall on all fours.
Monk let out a noise that was a cross between a gurgle and a growl, and rushed at Siguma with his dagger in hand. His amazingly quick reflexes allowed him to land approximately one dozen slashes before Siguma could raise his paw and slash his claws across the ape's chest. Monk spun in the air before hitting the floor, and then was immobilized by great pain and was only able to clutch his chest.
Sigma rebounded from the wall, and delivered a kick to Siguma's neck. The bearman stumbled, and immediately Kaizoku rushed up and slashed at Siguma's face with her cutlass. Subsequently, Kaizoku noticed someone behind her and flipped out of the way just in time for Siguma to be pelted with wooden projectiles.
The three guards from outside had entered, and they appeared to be training their fire on Siguma. No doubt they had heard the usurping Laoban's rambling and had come to protect their people.
As the guards reloaded their rifles, Sigma and Kaizoku continued their assault on Siguma. Not giving him a chance to react, Sigma rapidly pummeled him with physical attacks, while Kaizoku slashed at him repeatedly. After another pelting of gunfire from the guards, Kaizoku slashed Siguma vertically from the top of his head down to his groin. Sigma then crouched down and performed a handspring kick that knocked the giant bearman through a window and outside, which was on the opposite side of the secret forest barrier.
Sigma leapt out of the hole in the wall left by Siguma's massive body, and landed in a crouch. Kaizoku followed, and then Monk stumbled out weakly, still clutching his chest. The wounds appeared to be very deep, and Kaizoku and Sigma were surpised he was still conscious. Bartholomew and the guards merely stood at the hole, peering out.
Siguma began scrambling on the ground, blood pouring out of his wounds he backed up against the secret forest barrier - and tried to go through, but could not.
"What the Hell...?" Kaizoku gasped.
Sigma approached the weakened, wounded Siguma. He grabbed the two folds of skin on either side of the final cut Kaizoku had made, and tore the skin right off of Siguma... revealing a bald, elderly human man underneath. He wore a white linen loincloth that was stained with the blood of the incisions made in the bearskin's blood, and appeared to be either of Middle Eastern descent, or was a very tanned Caucasian.
"A human? How... what?" Kaizoku was perplexed beyond her understanding. "I have met many kinds of creatures, but this has me baffled!"
Sigma growled. "I've read about these kinds of humans. They're called skinwalkers. They can take the flesh of any other living being, wear it on themselves, and they can magically become that creature. This must have been what this monster did with the skin of Fell that he referenced. In fact..." Sigma brought the skin to his nose and sniffed it. "The blood on our ship is the same blood that is within the walls of this skin!"
Kaizoku furrowed her brow. "All right, human, spill it! What's your game?"
The human understandably had a look of pure terror over his face. As such, he began to tell his story. "My name is Hotma. I am a powerful sorcerer, but I am physically weak. I learned the art of skinwalking to become larger, more ferocious beasts and to conquer cities of hybrid freaks such as yourself. One day, in the skin of an arctic fox hybrid, I came across the leader of the Homoursae. Seeing this as a chance to 'upgrade', I tricked him into befriending me, then I split him open with a machete. Seeing as how skinwalking does not give one the magical properties to pass through the secret forest barrier, I constructed this cabin after convincing the Homoursae I was their leader. I was able to enchant the wood much the way you Homoursae are able to enchant the fur of the clothing of the human who lives among you. Thus, the cabin was my conduit between my world and yours!"
"I've heard enough of this bile!" Kaizoku unholstered her pistol and stood over Hotma. Before he could even protest, she shot him squarely in the forehead, effectively killing the human.
Bartholomew had then stepped out of the cabin. "What... what are we going to do? We have no leader, now. The previous Laoban have always been a relative of the one who proceeded them, or hand-picked by them."
"That may be something you have to discuss with your own people, Bartholomew," said Kaizoku. "For now, we need to get Monk to Douglas. That slash Siguma... or Hotma... or whatever the devil his name is, made is pretty bad."
Sigma and Kaizoku helped Monk to his feet. Sigma had torn off a piece of his pants at the shin and made a makeshift tourniquet of sorts to help regulate Monk's bleeding until they could get him to the shaman. Then, the three of them, accompanied by Bartholomew and the guards, made their way back into Ursatopia.
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN - DESTINY
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Deciding they had spent too much of their time off-schedule, Kaizoku determined that despite the hierarchy of the Homoursae was in shambles, she and her crew had to be on their way. Surprisingly, before they left, Tatianna approached the three of them, requesting to join.
"Sorry, kid, you've got way much to do here," Kaizoku explained to the human. "Besides, you have to be here for your brother."
"But you need a trained medic on your ship!" Tatianna protested, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "Look how many hours you wasted here waiting for Sigma and Monk to heal!"
"Douglas is training you to take his place when he's gone. He's not going to be around much longer..." said Kaizoku.
"He can train others!" Tatianna was shouting through tears now. "There are plenty of Homoursae who would be willing to take my place! Besides, I will only be going with you until Sigma's quest is complete!"
Sigma did a double-take. How did she know about Sigma's quest? Did Kaizoku tell her? Or was it something, as a shaman-in-training, that she learned through some sort of clairvoyance? He decided to keep his muzzle shut, as saying anything would not help current matters.
"Does Douglas know you want to come with us?" Kaizoku cocked an eyebrow and gazed hard into Tatianna's eyes.
"Yes! He approves! He's already looking for a temporarily replacement for me as we speak!"
Kaizoku remained skeptical. "Maybe I should go talk to him myself...."
"You have no time!" Tatianna's throat was obviously beginning to get hoarse, and her voice was an almost eardrum-shattering shriek. "I'm telling you, time is being wasted!"
Monk, Sigma, and Kaizoku were all taken aback. Monk and Kaizoku were familiar with the human, and surprised she was acting this way. She may have still been a child, but she was very mature. These actions were very unlike her. There musth have been some dire reason that she was insisting on going with them.
Kaizoku shut her eye and sighed. It was almost as if she didn't have a choice. She had to let Tatianna come with them.
As she boarded the ship, Tatianna wiped her eyes, mumbled her thanks to the captain, and headed toward the cabins with her gear. She immediately entered Sal's old quarters and began cleaning the grotesque gore splattered within. Sigma felt downhearted, as he had assumed that those would be his quarters, after having to sleep chained to the deck for several nights in a row. He shuttered at the thought of being forced to spend his nights braving the sea's elements once more.
Nighttime soon fell, and nobody had made any reference to sleeping quarters. Tatianna, Monk, and Kaizoku had all retreated to their bunks for the night, and Sigma was left alone on the deck. Sitting on the crate that he had sat on the day that Kaizoku had explained to him why he had his freedom returned to him, Sigma closed his eye and felt the salty wind blow through his hair, fur, and clothes. Of all the nights to spend on the deck, this was not a bad one. He resigned himself to not worrying about future nights, and simply enjoyed himself.
Approximately three hours after the crew had gone below decks, Sigma smelled a familiar odor; the smell of the dracopyre pirate captain gently lingered through the air. Sigma opened his eye and turned his head to the left, to see her standing five feet away.
"Nice night," Kaizoku said.
"Indeed. Couldn't sleep?" said Sigma.
Kaizoku shook her head. "No. I was thinking about... things."
"Ah." Sigma did not know what else to say.
The two of them were silent for a while. Then, Kaizoku walked over, and sat down on the space of crate between Sigma's legs. Sigma was understandably shocked. "Hey! Um...."
Sigma turned her head back and upward, looking at Sigma with a puppy-dog eye. "You don't mind, do you?"
"Well... I don't object, no. I just wish that..."
"Good!" Kaizoku interrupted. She had just left it at that, not saying another word for a length of time. Eventually, the wind began to pick up a little, and Kaizoku shivered. Sigma noticed, but did nothing. She shivered again a minute later and Sigma stared at the back of her head for a moment, before shrugging and removing his scarf, draping it across her shoulders. He then realized that would not do very well in keeping her warm, so he wrapped his arms around her. She sighed happily and grabbed his right paw, snuggling it to her muzzle. Sigma's eye widened, and he realized what her objective was; she had designs to seduce him.
Sigma, more confused than he had ever been in his entire life, said and did nothing. He simply allowed the pirate captain to hold his paw close to her. After the wind eventually became so violent that it began rocking the ship, Kaizoku released Sigma's paw, wiggled free of his arms, and stood up, remarking that it was getting too cold for her tastes. Sigma didn't budge even slightly. Kaizoku stopped in her tracks and turned around.
"Are you coming?" she asked.
Sigma slowly shook his head. "I... I have nowhere to go. I had thought that Sal's old quarters would be designated as mine, but Tatianna took it..."
"Come on, silly," Kaizoku said with a smile. She walked over and grabbed Sigma's left paw, lifting him onto his feet and leading him down into the cabins... directly into her own quarters.
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Well, I have alot to read since I just got back from Cali :P
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yeah you do :P hehe
*snuggleluffs*
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN - BIRDS OF A FEATHER
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The following morning, Monk stepped outside to see Kaizoku and Sigma sitting on one of the crates on the deck, cuddling each other and staring off into the horizon. He smiled and nodded, knowing what had occurred, then let the two of them be so he could raise the anchor and they could begin sailing again.
Sigma had noticed Monk's arrival but neither acknowledged it nor paid it any mind. He was in a world of bliss at the moment, holding his newly designated lover in total romantic silence. He was glad that the captain had convinced him to forgo his reluctance, because he had now deemed her the greatest thing to ever happen to him in his life. Over the past several thousand years, he had never even considered the love of a female. Now he couldn't see himself without her.
Sigma and Kaizoku were startled out of their shared daydreaming by a sudden sharp noise. The both of them looked to the left, to see a large seagull standing on the deck, staring at them and letting out its piercing cry. Sigma rolled his eye and shook his head, looking away from the irritating bird. However, the creature just continued squawking, annoying Kaizoku to a level where she quickly drew her gun and leveled it at the seagull. The bird flew away immediately thereafter.
Tatianna appeared from belowdecks shortly thereafter, and seemed to ignore the canoodling pirate and her ninja, as well as the apeman steering the ship. Instead, she chose to sit on the railing and close her eyes, as if attempting to sunbathe. The seagull reappeared, along with another one, and they landed right next to the human.
"Shoo, birdbrain. Go away."
The first bird fluttered closer to her and squawked. She kicked at the bird, but it reached out and bit her little toe.
"Ow!" Tatianna screamed as she stood up and backed away, cursing like a sailor. "That thing bit me!"
Kaizoku and Sigma were near her in a heartbeat. Both had weapons drawn; having had his swords confiscated days ago by Kaizoku and not yet returned, he borrowed Kaizoku's; Kaizoku had once again drawn her pistol. The two of them were prepared to defend against the birds if need be, when suddenly a voice interrupted them.
"I wouldn't do that, if I were you."
The voice came from above them. The captain and her three crewmates looked up to the skies to see the silhoutte of a man with wings flying above them. He circled the ship a couple of times before landing.
His body was largely that of a man's, with tanned, glossed skin. However, his head, neck, and wings were those of some sort of bird's, with red feathers. He wore some strange sort of white robe, and carried a golden staff.
"Hey, you!" Kaizoku yelled, turning the gun on him. "Who the Hell do you think you are, and why are you on my ship?"
The birdman swung his staff and knocked Kaizoku's pistol out of her hand before she could pull the trigger. "Foolish dracopyre. I am Vineeta, the God of the birds. You dare threaten my children in your presence?"
"Listen bub," Kaizoku growled. "This is my ship. Your little kids landed on the ship. Not only that, they attacked my crew, unprovoked. Therefore, I have every right to do as I wish."
"Everywhere the birds perch, is my kingdom. Ergo, this is now my kingdom, and my word is law here."
"That's bull!" Kaizoku snatched her cutlass from Sigma, and pointed it at the seven-foot birdman. "I don't care who you are, where you're from, great you think you are. My ship is my sanctuary, and I rule here!"
Vineeta swung his staff again. This time Kaizoku had expected it, but he still was too quick for her, and disarmed her of her sword. Sigma, enraged more now than he had been in centuries, leapt at the birdman with his claws and fangs bared, but he, too was struck by the golden staff.
Seconds later, Monk leapt onto Vineeta's back, constricting both of his arms as well as one of his wings, from behind. Despite his strength and speed, Vineeta was unable to shake the apeman. Kaizoku saw this as her chance to strike the intruder unhindered. She pulled a knife from a sheath on her boot, and rushed at her foe. Unfortunately, she did not anticipate the birdman to deliver a powerful, speedy kick, which struck her in the stomach. The kick was so strong that it knocked her sailing over the edge of the ship and into the deep ocean below.
"CAPTAIN!" Sigma shouted. He rushed to the railing at the edge of the ship and looked over, seeing nothing but water below. He turned back to Vineeta and growled, "You foul beast. You shall pay for what you've done!" Then, without a moment of hesitation, leapt overboard in an attempt to save his captain, his friend... his lover.
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mrawr? ??? *pokes S and snuggleluffs him* I think you forgot about your story, love. :snicker:
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In actuality, it's writer's block. After chapter thirteen, I was drained. No pun intended, but I was winging it in chapter fourteen! :P
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Seemed like it :snicker:
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Aye, I'm sorry :'( I'll try to get into fighting (or is that "writing") shape soon!
Posted on: July 21, 2007, 11:25:13 PM
CHAPTER FIFTEEN - SUBMERGED
---------------------------
Sigma plunged into the deep, cold water, instantly scanning around for Kaizoku. The water in this area was very murky, as if an octopus had jettisoned some ink not too long ago. Still, Sigma searched desperately for the ship's captain, swimming in the direction he thought she would have drifted. As luck what have it, he found her not to far away, but unfortunately, it looked as if she had smashed her head on a large rock when she landed. Some blood was floating in the water near her. Sigma carefully cradled her, taking special caution not to injure her any more, as well as to not attract any sea predators that might smell her blood. With one arm holding her securely, Sigma began kicking his way towards the surface, using his free arm to assist in the swim. The process was long, hard, and tested the Garouotoko's endurance, but Sigma was determined beyond anything to save Kaizoku.
When they finally broke the surface, Sigma's lungs were burning and sore. However, his attention was spent on Kaizoku. He could feel her pulse, but she wasn't breathing. Worry sunk in, and he began swimming toward the ship.
"Don't die on me, dammit!" Sigma whispered.
Sigma started scaling the side of the ship, which would have been hard enough had he not been carrying the captain. Slowly but steadily, he made his way up the side, and cautiously placed Kaizoku on the deck. Struggling to catch his breath, he was only able to croak out a few words inaudible to anybody but himself:
"Help... need... help..."
Tatianna happened to look over and saw the soaking wet duo across the deck. She dodged the battling Monk and Vineeta narrowly, and rushed over to Sigma and Kaizoku.
"Here... let me get you belowdecks," she said. "I can heal you both... but there will have to be a large wait period in between so I can rest. I'm still a novice at this compared to Douglas."
"Her..." Sigma wheezed. "Her... first...."
"Are you sure?" asked Tatianna. "You look pretty beat...."
"She's... She's not..." Sigma took a deep breath. "She's not... BREATHING!"
"Oh Jesus Christ!" Tatianna exclaimed and took one of Kaizoku's arms. "Let's get her to the cabins right away!"
Sigma and Tatianna carried Kaizoku belowdecks, unfortunately leaving Monk to fend for himself. They lay the pirate down on her bed gently, and Tatianna ran back to Sal's old room to rummage through the items she had brought aboard, to find what she needed to heal Kaizoku. Sigma pulled a chair over from across the room and sat down directly next to the bed, and gripped Kaizoku's paw tightly. He kissed her paw gently and gazed intensely at her body.
"Kaizoku... don't leave me... not after we finally have made peace... after I realized that I love you."
Tatianna re-entered with a bag full of magical objects. She pulled out a couple of them - a metal disc of some sort, and what looked to be a ratchet.
"Flip her onto her belly," Tatianna instructed. Sigma nodded and did so, and Tatianna walked over and lifted Kaizoku's shirt up over her head. She placed the disc on the exact center of her back, and stuck the ratchet-looking object on a small divot on the top of the disc.
"She's inhaled a lot of water. Before I can mend her head injury, I need to drain her lungs. There is a great chance that if I do not get the water out in time, she could die."
Sigma grimaced and nodded. Even though he knew all along that she could be at death's door, hearing it from a medical professional had a different kind of impact. Tatianna began cranking the handle of the ratchet clockwise at a slow pace.
"Here..." said Sigma. "Let me do it."
Tatianna shook her head. "You've got to be precise when using the Luftscope. It took me a year to learn how to use it. No offense, but if you used it, you most likely would bruise her lungs."
Sigma said nothing but instead hung his head low. He sat back down in the chair and kept his eyes trained on Kaizoku's face. He took her paw again and squeezed it once. As he held her paw, he only focused on her, and was barely able to hear the metallic clank the Luftscope made after each full rotation. Only two minutes had passed since Tatianna had begun turning the contraption, but already it had seemed like a lifetime to Sigma. He leaned over and whispered into Kaizoku's ear:
"I love you."
He then kissed her on the cheek, and sat back down, resigning himself to waiting for her recovery.
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CHAPTER SIXTEEN - ENRAGED!
--------------------------
Sigma clutched Kaizoku's paw tightly and concentrated on her, as if he could assist in the healing by sheer will. Tatianna turned the crank on the Luftscope slowly and deliberately, taking special care not to harm Kaizoku in the process. Had the circumstances been any different, Sigma would have probably inquired how the tool worked. But his focus was solely on the captain, the woman he loved. He could not even hear the sounds of battle between Monk and his feathered foe directly outside the cabins.
Suddenly Tatianna dropped the medical instrument and her face went pure white. She reached out and placed two fingers on Kaizoku's neck, presumably the jugular vein. Her voice was low and raspy as she spoke. "No..."
Sigma's jaw dropped open, and he felt shaky. He dropped to his knees and gently stroked the fur on Kaizoku's cheek. He could tell what had happened - the most horrific thing that could have occurred. Sigma felt a tear stream down from his eye. It was as if his heart had collapsed on itself.
"I'm... I'm so sorry..." Tatianna whispered. But her words had fallen on deaf ears. Sigma could not hear anything, could not see anything, could not feel anything... he was completely numb.
Outside, Monk and Vineeta fought a tough and bloody battle. Vineeta was no doubt the faster and stronger of the two, but Monk was a strategic warrior. For every time that the bird God struck a powerful blow against the apeman, Monk would recovery quick enough to find some opening that Vineeta had left. The battle had gone back and forth like this nearly the entire time, resulting in a nearly even brawl - Vineeta still had a slight upper hand.
Vineeta had just landed a particularly devastating kick to Monk's chest, which knocked him backward and forced him to drop his knives. Monk sat up shortly after hitting the deck, and shook his head to clear it. At that moment, a black flash flew across the deck of the ship and plowed into Vineeta, knocking him backward. It was Sigma, a heaving, growling creature very unlike himself.
"YOU..." he exclaimed in a throaty growl. "YOU MONSTER! YOU KILLLLED HERRR!"
Monk let out a gasp of surprise, and simultaneously, Sigma grabbed Monk's knives. As Vineeta began standing up, Sigma launched himself at at the bird again, piercing each of his sides with the knives, and sending the both of them toppling overboard. As the two of them sank like a rock, Vineeta struggled to flap his wings, but could not. It was then, that Sigma realized that water must be his weakness. Slashing him over and over, Sigma growled out bubbles as he took in the delight of seeing Vineeta's blood slowly floating through the water. When the blood became so thick in the area that it overshadowed the clear water, Sigma kicked Vineeta in the head and sent him careening toward the ocean floor. He was convinced that if his actions had not slain the bird God, then the locals would.
After Sigma had broken the surface and returned to the deck of the ship, he kneeled down and pounded the deck with his right fist in a hammer motion. The hatred and adrenaline had worn off, and now he not only felt the stress and pain of the battle, but also the sorrow of having lost his beloved. Monk walked over to him and crouched down beside him, tears streaming down his face as well. He had respected the captain more than anyone in his entire life and now she was gone.
Tatianna soon appeared from belowdecks, a mournful look on her face. She carried with her a black bag. "I'm sorry for your loss guys, I really am. However... there just may be a way... to bring her back...."
Monk glanced up with a cocked eyebrow, and wiped his tears with the back of his hand. Sigma stood straight up and grabbed Tatianna by the shoulders, glaring hard into her eyes. "Tell me... I'll do anything."
"Well, I wasn't certain I had all of the proper paraphernalia to cast this spell, but I took a second glance, and I do. I can send one of you to the afterlife to make a barter with the King of the Dead to bring her back. But there are consequences...."
Sigma released her and growled. "I will go. I can make the King give her back even if I have to threaten him."
"No, no, no, that's not it at all," Tatianna explained. "He will most likely agree to your terms... the problem is... utilizing the spell, there is a seventy-five percent chance that you will not just leave this mortal coil temporarily... but forever - and not be able to return."
Sigma nodded. "I'm willing to take that chance."
"Then come with me..." Tatianna instructed, as she turned back for the cabins.
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me like lots. It's very good. i hope they make it into a movie sometime...
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Magnificent. That word covers all I could say about this. :upupdi3:
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Really? Wow, I never thought of it being turned into a movie....
Thanks.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - CROSSING OVER
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Liz Sherman: In the dark I heard your voice. What did you say?
Hellboy: I said, "Hey, you, on the other side. Let her go. Because for her I will cross over, and then you'll be sorry."
-Hellboy, 2004
Tatianna led Sigma into the captain's quarters. Sigma hesitated before walking inside, as he wasn't sure he was ready to see her still body like that again. Eventually, he took a deep breath and entered. Almost at once he saw Kaizoku, and he fought the urge to burst out into either tears or a fit of rage.
Tatianna crouched down in the middle of the floor and pulled a piece of white chalk out of a bag. She immediately began drawing cryptic symbols around her, while Sigma stood and watched in confusion. A chill went down his spine for unknown reasons as she drew a large circle around herself, outside of the symbols. Tatianna then clapped her hands and slammed them palm-down into the wood floor of the cabin, sending a small spark of bluish-white energy up. She nodded, stood up, and stepped over the markings on the floor.
"All right. Step directly into the center of the mandala. Take care not to touch any of the chalk."
Sigma cocked an eyebrow. "You want me to walk into that?"
"You want to go to Hell, don't you?"
Sigma had no time for inquiring her choice of words. Instead, he did as instructed, and with equal parts nervousness and confidence, stood in the exact center of the circle. Tatianna handed Sigma a wad of green paper.
"What are these?" inquired Sigma, accepting the bills.
"They are Hell Bank Notes," Tatianna explained. "There's a couple hundred thousand there. They are the monetary units of the afterlife. You will need them to help you bring back Kaizoku."
Sigma tucked the bills into his pocket, and stared at Tatianna. He wanted to get this started, and could not figure why she did not do anything further. She did nothing for some time, but then Tatianna kneeled down and erased one of the symbols, then drew a new one in its place. Suddenly, the chalk glowed the same color as the spark she had created earlier. The glow grew higher and higher until it had enveloped Sigma. Then, Sigma felt as if his body were on fire, but like a cool, calming fire. It felt like fire, but the pain of a burning sensation was not there. Within moments, Sigma saw everything go dark.
When he saw light again, he was in a gigantic cavern. A huge building was in the center; it was several stories, but only had windows on the bottom floor. It was similar to a modern day office building. Sigma looked around and saw strange, monstrous creatures that were approximately the size of Bartholomew, with varied skin colors of blue and red. They sported manes of wild black hair, horns, and wore what appeared to be tiger's fur clothing. Sigma knew of these creatures from local myths; they were the demonic souls of the afterlife - the Oni.
The Oni walking to and fro carried briefcases, stacks of paperwork, and other business related items. There were standing on either side of the building's door, and held shields and large iron clubs known as Kanabo. Sigma was largely unnoticed by any of these creatures. Sigma decided it was time for him to proceed with his rescue mission.
Only as he approached the door, did the Oni take any attention to him. Those that he took to be the building's guards took a look at them; one was blue and had a shield with a horse's head on it - the other, red with a shield with a bull's head.
The blue one waved his Kanabo at Sigma. "Halt! What is your business here?"
Sigma cleared his throat. "I have come here to retrieve someone who I feel has passed before their time."
The blue Oni laughed a deep, throaty laugh. "Do you hear that, Gozu? This dog boy wants to revive somebody."
Gozu laughed, his voice exactly the same as the blue Oni's. "That's a riot, Mezu." He turned towards Sigma. "What makes you think you are worthy enough to enter Lord Enma's office?"
Sigma swallowed hard. "What can I do to convince you?"
Mezu grinned. "You must defeat both of us in combat. However, you will be unarmed... we shall use our clubs and shields."
Sigma knew this challenge to be unfair, but did not care. He needed to bring Kaizoku back to him. He would stop at nothing to do so.
"I accept your challenge," said Sigma.
"Wow," Gozu said to Mezu. "It's been a few hundred years since someone's actually accepted. Think we should let him in on that principle?"
Mezu cocked an eyebrow. "Are you kidding? Lord Enma would have both of our heads on a pike if we didn't follow his law to a T."
"You're right, Mezu." Gozu moaned in irritation. "All right, mortal, prepare to fight the toughest brawl of your life!"
-
so awesome!!!
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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN - DUELING WITH DEMONS
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Gozu swung his massive metal club downwards toward Sigma. Sigma leapt, but the Kanabo hit his tail. Sigma let out a loud cry of pain; he could feel every bone his tail shatter as if a train had run it over. He knew that this fight was going to be a major chore, but he didn't expect to be so gravely injured within the first three seconds of the bout.
"Aw, did I hurt the puppy's tail?" Gozu laughed and leaned his Kanabo on his shoulder. Throwing his head back in laughter, the demon's voice echoed off of the cavern walls and caused a small vibration in the air. Despite being in intense pain, Sigma would not be so easily felled when he had such a mission to complete. The woman he loved was dead and he had one shot to bring her back; this was an opportunity he would not waste. As Gozu laughed, Sigma used the Oni's oblivious status as an opening. Sigma leapt into the air and delivered a hard, deep jump kick to his stomach. However, not only was the attack ineffective, but Sigma was sure that kicking Gozu's body created a hairline fracture in the sole of his foot.
Now Mezu had joined in on the laughter. A combination of failure and the Onis' booming laughter was beginning to give Sigma a headache; he rubbed his temples to attempt to soothe his pain. Sigma had predicted that this battle was to take all he had and it appeared as if even then, he had underestimated his foes. This fight was going to take more of a tactical approach if it were to go anywhere.Sigma crouched down and gathered a handful of small stones from the cavern floor with his left paw, then stood and placed one of them with his right paw, and heaved back his arm, following through with a massive whip of the arm. The pebble sliced the air as fast as any shuriken, and popped Mezu right between the eyes. Mezu dropped his shield and rubbed the point of impact.
"Ow, you little bugger! That STUNG!" The Oni turned his sights on Sigma and began stomping towards him, his weapon-wielding arm high above his head. Sigma took a couple of steps back, and threw a second pebble, this time hitting the unassuming Gozu in the left eye.
"By Lord Enma's beard!" Gozu shouted. "Who threw that?"
"Who do you think, you knucklehead! It was the dog!" Mezu yelled. Both Oni turned towards Sigma and raised their Kanabo. Sigma took a leap backwards as Mezu swung his weapon. Then, as Gozu swung his, Sigma leapt up, landing on top of the club. Gozu kept his arm and weapon outstretched and stared at Sigma, letting out a dumbfounded "Huh?"
Sigma narrowed his eye and threw a pebble at the demon's other eye, effectively blinding him. Sigma hopped backwards off of the Kanabo, and ducked as Gozu swung his weapon, which effectively caused him to bash his partner.
"Hey! Watch where you're swinging that thing!" Mezu screamed.
"Sorry man... It's just... I can't see! I thought you were him!"
"Yeah, right! You've just been achin' to hit me all these years... you were just looking for an excuse!"
"Nu-uh!" Gozu protested. However, Mezu had chosen to smash the handle of his Kanabo into the top of Gozu's head. This infuriated the blind Oni, who then swung his Kanabo, this time purposely clocking Mezu in the side of the head.
Sigma simply stood back and watched as the two demons brawled. Several other Oni had gathered around to watch the fight with looks of confusion and admiration peppered throughout the crowd. Despite not being able to see, Gozu seemed to have an advantage over Mezu. Eventually, with one hard swing of his Kanabo, Gozu crushed Mezu's skull, effectively knocking him to the ground. However, Gozu was unaware that his opponent had fallen, and admist a string of taunts, he spun around with his Kanabo and conked himself in the head, knocking him backwards to the ground as well.
A blue-skinned Oni in a business suit spoke up after it was apparent that both guards were unconcious. "Wh...what exactly happened here?"
Another blue-skinned Oni, this one wearing a tiger-stripe loincloth, said "I think this canine guy was fighting them to get into see Lord Enma, and he tricked them into fighting."
A red-skinned Oni with a tiger-stripe loincloth and with a large scar down his cheek let out a low whistle. "Man... not only have I not seen these two in a fight in a long time, I've not ever seen anyone beat them. Lord Enma is sure to fulfill his request!"
Sigma's ears perked up. This was a best thing he'd heard since he'd gone to Hell. Sigma pocketed the rest of the pebbles and continued to the doors of the building, leaping over the enormous body of Mezu as he came across it. There was a couple of woops and yells from the crowd of Oni, but Sigma ignored them. He pushed open the doors and was greeted by a humanlike female wearing a tattered robe and with wild, red hair. She looked - and smelled - as if she had not bathed in all of eternity.
The woman's voice was raspy and had a hint of a growl in it. "So, you made it past Gozu and Mezu, huh? You must be a tough one. I'm Sandora the shikome. You must be here to see Lord Enma."
Sigma nodded slowly, keeping his eye trained on the grotesquely flithy woman - he was not entirely sure he trusted her. Nevertheless, when she gestured for him to follow her into an elevator, he did - albeit he kept his hand in his pocket just in case he needed to throw a stone at her.
The elevator ride was short but ungodly horrible. Sigma knew that the shikome were patrons of death known as the "foul women", but he has assumed that it was solely because of their disposition and not their lack of hygeine. In a world where death was commonplace, Sigma was certain that Sandora's smell was by far worse than the stench of rotting flesh.
The elevator doors opened and a rush of air filled the small chamber. Sigma took a deep breath, relieved to obtain some air that was not contaminated by the shikome. As Sigma and Sandora exited the elevator, they came upon a vast hallway where various death entities, including Oni and shikome, busily worked. Sandora led him to a large office at the end of the hallway. There, seated at an enormous desk, was an Oni-like entity who was at least twenty feet tall. He wore ornate robes and a skull cap with the Japanese symbol for King printed on it. He absent-mindedly scratched his large, bushy beard as he looked at a piece of paper.
"Sir!" Sandora called out to him, which caused him to turn toward her. "This individual has bested both Gozu and Mezu, and has come to ask you for a favor."
Enma scratched his beard again. "State your name and your purpose of visit," he said. His voice was gruff and deep, but not booming and loud like Sigma had expected.
Sigma bowed. "My name is Inukawa Sousuke, the Daishishou of the Yamiokami ninja clan. I have come to ask for the resurrection of someone who died not too long ago."
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CHAPTER NINETEEN - HELL'S CHALLENGE
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"Inukawa, eh?" Enma repeated. "Let me check my records." The monstrous Oni licked his thumb and flipped through a huge book on his desk. Near the middle of the book, he stabbed a gigantic finger in the center of the massive tome and began reading the page, his eyes darting left and right, and his lips moving in silence.
"Inukawa Sousuke, alias Sigma.... Hmm... it says here that it's still supposed to be a while before you make it down here. Did you use some sort ritual to get here?"
Sigma nodded and scratched the left side of his muzzle absent-mindedly. "A shaman produced some sort of spell to send me."
Enma stroked his beard, then slammed the book shut. "So tell me, who is this individual you have worked so hard to bring back with you?"
Sigma's eyes waivered from Enma's briefly. "I... I don't know her full name. I just know her as Kaizoku."
Enma laughed. "And you went to Hell for this woman? And you don't know her name? That's uproarous!"
Sigma thought about telling him that she didn't know his true name, either, but thought the better of it. Instead, he pleaded to Enma. "Please... my people are being slaughtered mercilessly. Kaizoku was my greatest ally... and... I love her. I implore you, Lord Enma... I must bring her back to the land of the living."
Enma nodded. "You did beat Gozu and Mezu in combat in which the odds were against you... and your effort seems to be noble. I shall grant her return, but I'm afraid that you must accomplish a few tasks in order to do so."
Sigma was crestfallen. He had already gone through so much trouble... but he was willing to do anything it took to bring Kaizoku back to life. "I will do anything you tell me to," said he. "I just need to bring her back...."
Enma nodded. "Well, then, first things first, we need to find out her real name. Hmmm... probably the clue that would help the most is... what species was she? A wolf like you?"
"Actually..." Sigma scratched his head. "She's part wolf... as well as part dragon... and I believe, part vampire. She called her species Dracopyre."
Enma stroked his beard again. "That is an odd combination... I'll have to check the log." Enma snapped his fingers, and a blue-skinned Oni wearing a white short-sleeved t-shirt and a striped tie entered the room with a large stack of papers that looked like it was printed off of computer from the early 1980's.
The Oni set the stack on the Lord's desk, bowed, then left through the same door he had entered. Enma picked up the paper from the stack, which was still held together with perforation. When he reached the fifth page, Enma's eyes lit up as if he had just made the discovery of the century. "Aha! I believe this may be who you are looking for! Noritou Einjeru.... Dracopyre, and murderous pirate!? Is this the kind of person you want to bring back to the world?"
Sigma stared coldly into Enma's eyes. "I am sure, sir."
Enma sighed. "Well, I am a God of my word. I suppose I must honor the deal. I assume you have Hell Money?"
Sigma did nothing more than nod.
"Okay then. What you do, is exit this building, and head west. You should come across a small store called Xenliao Xangdian. Purchase something that you feel symbolizes something important to her, as well as a wooden grave marker. Have her true name carved into the marker by the shopkeeper, then take the items and head north. Follow the sign to the Chamber of Wind and Thunder. There, stand outside of the chamber door, and stick the marker into the ground. Adorn the marker with the other item you purchased, and then set them both aflame. She shall exit the chamber, and you may leave through the cave south of this building."
Sigma slowly nodded, trying to take all of this in.
"Go with peace, young wolf." Enma said. Sigma bowed, then exited the building.
***
At the Xenliao Xangdian, Sigma purchased the marker and as much rum as he could afford. He had $5 left in Hell Money, which would not allow him to purchase anything of importance, so he just kept it. The Chamber of Wind and Lightning was not far; as a matter of fact, it was a much shorter walk from the store to the chamber than from Enma's office to the store.
Sigma impaled the soft dirt with the grave marker, and poured the rum on and around the marker. Then, using the match provided to him by the merchant of the Xenliao Xangdian, he lit them on fire. Sigma expected an explosion, or at least an enormous flare, to leap upon ignition due to the alcohol, but it burned as if it were just wood. Sigma noted that perhaps certain laws of science from the living world did not apply the same in Hell.
When at last the fire had petered itself out, the door to the chamber opened, and fog billowed out. Sigma heard a couple of cracks of thunder, and then saw a shadow amidst the fog. As it continued out of the fog, Sigma was able to recognize the shape of the stranger exiting the chamber. He ran up and threw his arms around her, drawing her into a slow, tender kiss.
At the kiss's break, Kaizoku smirked at her savior. "Wow, you must've really missed me."
"You don't know how much I have," said Sigma as he wagged his tail. "No pun intended, but I've been through Hell to find you."
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CHAPTER TWENTY - ...AND BACK
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The instant Kaizoku and Sigma had left the cave, they found themselves back in their earthly bodies. Tatianna sat meditating on the floor in front of Sigma, seemingly unaware of their return. Sigma looked over to Kaizoku and saw her unmoving form. Though he knew she was back, he worried still.
"Honey?"
Kaizoku slowly sat up. "Sorry... I've been dead for a while... I feel stiff."
"It's all right. I understand."
"I would've been better, if you had let me drink some of that rum.
Sigma chuckled. "I just went through the underworld to pull you back to life and what were you so concerned about? That I burned the rum to save you. "Why's all the rum gone?", you said...."
"Well, it would have been a good 'welcome back present'. I haven't had as much as a snifter in so long..."
"Bah. Ye have rum here on the ship."
Kaizoku stuck her tongue out and threw a pillow at Sigma. It hit him squarely in the face, and after it dropped to the floor, he seethed with mock anger and leapt at Kaizoku. As he landed on the bed, he began to crawl closer to her, and then he affectionately nuzzled her.
"So... keeping secrets, are we... 'Einjeru'?"
Kaizoku blushed. "I hate that name. It's so... sappy. I haven't had anybody call me that name since I was still a pup."
Sigma laughed. "I am not one to talk, actually... I've gone by Sigma ever since I founded the Yamiokami... but before that my name was Sousuke."
It was Kaizoku's turn to laugh. "I think I like the names we go by now, better."
Sigma nodded in agreement. "There is something that puzzles me. With a name like Noritou Einjeru... and now you are called Kaizoku... are you from Japan?"
Kaizoku smirked. "Yeah... actually I'm from a small village outside of Urawa. But I haven't been back to Japan in centuries. There was a lot of... unpleasantness."
Sigma frowned. "I'm sorry. But... you said you're coming back with me. Why would you do that if you suffer bad memories?"
Kaizoku kissed Sigma softly on the mouth. "Because I love you, silly!"
Sigma's ears perked up. "Aww, you're so sweet." He then stood on the floor and popped his neck. "After spending all of that time in Hell, I think I need some air. Are you coming with me, my sensuous swashbuckler?"
Kaizoku yawned and stretched. "Gladly."
The two of them passed the unmoving Tatianna and headed outside holding one another's paws. When they arrived above decks, Kaizoku took a deep breath, smiled, and exhaled. "Hell is so musty smelling... it's good to have open air again."
"Aye," Sigma agreed. He turned back to see Monk steering the ship. He smiled and waved at them, and Sigma waved back.
"I'm so glad I have you back, my treasure," said Sigma, cuddling the captain. "I honestly have no idea what I would do without you."
Kaizoku giggled. "And just a few days ago you were afraid of me."
"Aye... I've seen the light, though. And besides that, it was not long before that, that you were willing to kill me without a moment's notice."
A huge grin stretched across Kaizoku's face. "And who says I still wouldn't?"
Sigma's eye widened and he blinked in confusion. Kaizoku laughed and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I'm only kidding, m'love. I would never do anything to hurt you. You have my promise."
Sigma nuzzled Kaizoku and stared at the rising sun. He felt it symbolic of the destination of their journey, as well as an indicator that he was not sure how long he had been in Hell. Sigma then brushed the hair out of the captain's face and kissed her, and subsequently fixed his gaze on the horizon once more.
Kaizoku pumped a fist into the air. "To Japan! Where our destiny shall lead us!"
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CHAPTER TWENTYONE - REVENGE OF THE BIRD?
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The crew of Kaizoku's ship had dropped anchor for the night, and the four of them sat on the deck eating a meal of franks & beans. Kaizoku herself was disappointed that the dinner did not contain more meat than just hot dogs, but she knew better than to challenge Monk's culinary choice; he was by far the best on the ship in food preparation, which was a major deciding factor in Kaizoku's mind when she requested he join the crew.
The crew sat in absolute silence save for the scraping of their spoons against their bowls, and their barely audible chewing. Monk and Tatianna sat on separate crates, whereas Kaizoku and Sigma sat back-to-back on the same one. The sun was starting to set now; its place on the horizon parallel to where Sigma and Kaizoku had first seen it that morning after returning from Hell. A cool breeze was beginning to whip across the ship; not a strong one, but enough to make its presence known on the fur and flesh of its occupants. The day had been rather warm and Monk had now resigned to donning his shirt that he had discarded while steering in the hot sun.
All at once, a shadow was cast over them. They all recognized the shape of the shadow; that of an anthropomorphic bird! Sigma, who had recently had his swords returned to his possession by Kaizoku, drew the weapons and stood at ready. Kaizoku had a slightly larger pistol packed than she had used previously, and she too, drew it. Monk gripped the handles of his daggers tight as they sat in their sheaths. Tatianna had taken to learning offensive spells during Kaizoku and Sigma's adventures in the underworld, and readied some sort of attack magic.
The birdman circled the ship several times, and Kaizoku wanted to fire off a pre-emptive shot, but Sigma stopped her, reasoning that he was entirely sure that Vineeta had been slain. The four of them stood prepared; the birdman eventually swooped down and landed on the deck. This birdman was noticeably different than Kaizoku's murderer; he was maybe a whole foot shorter, and his feathers were brown. This one's muscles were also not as pronounced, and his humanlike skin was much paler. He wore a robe identical to Vineeta's but he also wore a thin brown belt that strapped a sword and sheath to him.
"Wait!" he called, holding out a palm. His voice was smoother than Vineeta's. "I come not to fight!"
Kaizoku growled and lowered her pistol slightly. "You have two minutes to explain why we shouldn't kill you."
The birdman cleared his throat. "Are you the ones who killed Vineeta?"
Sigma sneered. "Yes. I killed him. What of it?"
"My name is Bennu. Vineeta was my father."
Sigma let out an uncharacteristic curse, then whispered to Kaizoku, "I think we're screwed!"
Kaizoku raised her gun again. "No, wait!" Bennu exclaimed. "You don't understand... I'm here to thank you. You saved me the trouble of killing him myself. You see, as god of the birds, my father was a tyrant, I may not be the epitome of purity myself, but I've always thought that I could do a better job in his stead. Unfortunately, he was so greedy and ruthless, that he would never step down as god. The only way he'd give up his throne is upon death. I've been calculating a plot to kill him for many years but had thus far not come up with a plan that I knew would succeed."
Sigma was taken aback. He planned to slay his own father? From what he knew of Vineeta, though, he did not entirely wonder why this was true. "In actuality, I killed him only out of necessity. He had killed..." Sigma paused. "He killed a very close friend of mine." Sigma chose not to disclose that Vineeta's victim stood before him.
"Either way, you've made an ally for life. Tell me your name, warrior."
Sigma bowed slightly. "I am Sigma, of the Yamiokami ninja clan, Garoujin tribe."
Bennu nodded. "Yes, I am familiar with the Garoujin..." Sigma thought he saw would could pass for a grin on Bennu's beak. "Well, I must apologize, but I need to be off. When next we meet, we shall share the same side of the battlefield. May peace find you."
Before Sigma could say sayonara, the newly crowned god of the birds had taken flight once more. When he had gone completely from sight, Kaizoku said. "Well, that was weird."
"Completely unexpected. But I suppose it is always good to make more allies... especially since that is what I had originally set sail to accomplish."
Monk suddenly looked depressed. Sigma gently elbowed Kaizoku in the ribs. "What's with him?"
Kaizoku sniffed the air. "We're nearing Panama, Monk's homeland. We need to pass through here as fast as we can without stopping. Let's just say our silent partner has issues with this place...."