Yamiokami Densetsu

[KaptainKelly]

Just keeps getting better and better  :sparkle:

[IamTheS]

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.

[IamTheS]

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.

[IamTheS]

CHAPTER TWELVE - SKIN
----------------------

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.

[IamTheS]

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.

[Timpani]

Well, I have alot to read since I just got back from Cali  

[KaptainKelly]

yeah you do hehe
*snuggleluffs*

[IamTheS]

CHAPTER FOURTEEN - BIRDS OF A FEATHER
-------------------------------------
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.

[KaptainKelly]

mrawr? ??? *pokes S and snuggleluffs him* I think you forgot about your story, love.  :snicker:

[IamTheS]

In actuality, it's writer's block. After chapter thirteen, I was drained. No pun intended, but I was winging it in chapter fourteen!  

[KaptainKelly]

Seemed like it  :snicker:

[IamTheS]

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 PMCHAPTER 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.

[IamTheS]

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.

[Dr. Strange]

me like lots. It's very good. i hope they make it into a movie sometime...

[Locke Wolf]

Magnificent. That word covers all I could say about this. :upupdi3: