Pirate Dreams [Nako][Fin]

[Vyn]

Here he was again. Back home again, but feeling none of that welcome which one usually felt during such occasions. By the sea...that's where he wanted to be, but not in the clutches of another Jack's Warren.

Time and time again that proved fruitless.

They were all the same and they all wanted the same thing from him that he simply couldn't give. Nana had been convinced but his first Jack had made his point far too well.

No! No more bad memories and no more futile attempts! He was done with all this Leveret business! He was going to become something more, forge his own destiny, become his own person! He'd show them all! He'd become a great pirate and then his name would be known and feared far and wide! He'd be a legend, just like all those fishwife tales his Nana had told him

But first he'd have to find a boat.

Every great pirate had to have a boat...

The only problem was finding one that was unoccupied or unguarded. Drats! Too late did he realize he should have waited until dusk to attempt this first great act of piracy. At very least he'd have the element of surprise on his paws? He sure hoped so...

And then, quiet abruptly, he was leaving the more occupied parts of town and drawing closer to the outskirts and...well, to his great surprise and wonder, he stumbled upon a little canoe and not a soul in sight. Many years later he would look back on this day and wonder what in all the seven seas encouraged him to leap heedlessly into the canoe but then and there he saw only what he wanted: his only means of escape into the great sea beyond the little cove he'd stumbled upon.

If all else failed, he'd probably blame the Midori Herb.

For now, though, his thoughts were full of pirate dreams and he was finally out on the water, rowing with all the enthusiasm his little paws could muster.

[Nako]

Ah, it was a gorgeous day! Then again, almost every day in Midori was such a day! In the most cheerful of moods, Zuberi all but skipped along as she headed to her secret cove. Well, maybe not secret, but it was certainly special to her. With a characteristic swagger to her walk, she looked about dreamily, taking in the scenery while her blind eye played back childhood memories in her head, as distinct and clear as if it were happening before her eyes. How much her little cove had changed since then. There were more flowers... and the great rock mountain she played on had worn away in come places with the various storms that had come through in the past few years. Yes, and her boat was now gone... wait.. what?!?! Her good eye glared at the spot where her boat once sat. Had it come loose off the rock she'd tethered it to and drifted away?? In a panic, she looked to the expanse of the cove, then onward into the sea.

There.

She could barely make out the silhoette of a canoe and boater in the horizon, and her eyes narrowed. A boat thief, eh? Well, they wouldn't get away that easily! With as close to a growl as a squirrel could make, she swivelled around on one foot and stormed back in the direction of the village, her flask swaying viciously at her side. She'd hunt the bastard down who stole her boat, and she'd make them -pay-.

"What do you mean someone stole your boat??" Obviously Zuberi's mother couldn't fathom such deception in this part of Midori. The younger squirrel merely frowned, throwing down her fishing supplies as she stormed toward the shed. Obviously she'd need a boat, and the only one she knew of that was available was the one she'd used when she was younger before she could make her own. It was one of her mother's old boats, worn and weathered from many years at sea. She'd actually retired the old thing believing it was no longer seaworthy. That might be true, but it was all Zuberi had. Pulling it out of the dust though, Zuberi realized why her mother had decided to put it up for good. "I don't remember it being this bad.." The boat was actually falling apart, and certain parts of the bottom looked thin enough to spring a leak if too much weight was put in the boat. For a moment, Zuberi almost considered abandoning the chase. But no.. this would be her only chance to get her boat back. She wouldn't let her pride and joy be stolen from her without a fight!

Testing to make sure the canoe would take her weight, Zuberi settled herself in cautiously before giving it a few good rocks. It seemed stable enough. At the very least the boat would be fast; even in its later years the canoe had been one of the fastest in the village. Well, no more pussy footin' around! It was time to chase that boat napper! So she rowed.. and rowed... and rowed. Eventually the shore dissapeared from sight, and there was nothing but sea ahead of her. Luckily, Zuberi knew her way around the waters, and kept her course straight for where she'd last seen the canoe. It took a full hour to catch up, but eventually the boat was visible once again. Though her arms ached, she pressed on, desperate to close the distance. She'd tear them apart, she would!

[Vyn]

Blissful ignorance. That was the perfect word for Enzili at the moment. His head had only enough room for his fantasies of grandure, of becoming the legendary pirate he knew he was meant to be! Of course, it might have helped his cause a little to notice the dark clouds on the horizon.

...Or the furious squirrel paddling after him at full-tilt.

Especially since he'd long stopped paddling and instead sat at the bow of the ship breathing in the salty sea air and day dreaming of where he was going to go from here. He had a ship, albeit a small one, but it wouldn't take too much work to find a little skiff or something of the sort.

And then, in the most epic of ways, two very startling things happened: a loud clap of thunder shocked Enzili out of his reverie and he was, quite suddenly, aware of furious movement behind him. He was effectively trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea, a storm brewing on one side and a scorned woman at the other.

He'd risk the storm any day.

Without a second thought he grabbed up the oars once more and began to paddle like...well, like a man being chased by a terribly angry woman.

[Nako]

It seemed the creature had stopped rowing, because Zuberi was able to close quite a bit of distance between the two. As she got close enough to see the creature, it was obvious that he was Midori; there was no mistaking the slivers of pink and green where he wasn't covered in... what the hell was he wearing? He seemed to be in the most shabby of clothing... dusty and torn, with a hat that was too big for his tiny frame. Goodness, he was a tiny thing! Well, he... she... whichever. Whoever it was, it was obvious that the boat they were in was hers, and they were in it. That's all she needed to know.

Maybe she had been burning a hole in the back of its head with her glare, because something caused the creature to glance behind him. What -was- he? He obviously was some odd mix that ended up a rather ambiguous mammal thing. His eyes grew round as saucers though; he must have noticed that she wasn't too happy. The little bastard didn't waste time grabbing the oars up once again and resuming his toil. He was trying to run? Where the hell was he going to go?? "Hey! Get back here!!" Her tone wasn't really one that would make a person -want- to be near her, but she screamed it out nonetheless. An abnormally cool wind hit her, giving her a second wind in her rowing. The squirrels arms would be sore in the morning, but that was of little consequence at that moment. There was no way that little twerp could outrow her! How ironic it was, that a loud thunder clap sounded out. It seemed to punctuate her mood, and she glanced up to the sky to see the bright streak of lightning strike not far off. This would become dangerous soon.

Midori storms always came quick, hard, and with a vengance. Being on the seas in anything less than a sturdy, large boat was dangerous to say the least. In the boat she was currently in... it was a deathwish. She considered turning back, but she'd never make it. She'd end up tossed around by a squall and left to drown hours away from the shore. No, her only hope would be to get her boat back. Even then, her hijacked, more superior fishing canoe would stand only a sliver of a chance in Midori's more aggressive storms. To her dismay, that little git kept paddling blindly into that storm. Stupid little.... grrrr..

The storm was already causing the sea to toss and roll with the wind, and Zuberi found her boat rising atop a swell. It was... terrifying to say the least. She'd never been caught out in a storm like this. She gave a little shriek as her boat tumbled down the swell like a flims surfboard, hitting the next with a force that sent seaspray up in her face. Was she going to die out here? Already the sea had tried to take her once. Would it succeed this time?

[Vyn]

Oh by the great and wild sea... what was he doing?

Each passing moment brought the storm down harder upon him. The wind was picking up, the thunder was growing more and more intense, and -- worst of all -- the sea was beginning to toss and turn so violently that he couldn't imagine how he'd keep his little canoe afloat. The Card's shrieks from somewhere behind him was no good either. Something told him that she should've been a little more adept at this seafaring business.

When his canoe was first ripped up into the first of those massive swells, Enzili knew exactly why she was screaming. He let out his own terrified rabbit-shriek and gripped his oars as if they alone might save his life.

He didn't want to die yet!

And then, from the crest of his terrifying roller-coaster wave, Zili saw the most reassuring sight he could've possibly imagined seeing: an island. Instantly he attempted to switch directions, paddling for his life but for a whole new reason. Let the Card be wise and go back to the shore, the wind was in their favor after all! For the time being, all that mattered was surviving long enough to at least get within swimming distance of that little island.

[Nako]

Zuberi choked on a mouthful of saltwater as she held onto the canoe for her life. She didn't have much time to recover from her last swell for she was soon swept up onto another one. The great welling of energy did not stay so innocent. The roiling ocean crested, arching menacingly as it held her boat on the white, foaming edge of its fist before driving her straight into the water.

Hitting water like that was almost as bad as hitting land, and Zuberi's breath was nearly knocked out of her. Rolling about in the water, she could only allow herself to float till she broke the surface again. She didn't find the surface though. No... but rather her head struck hard wood. The boat! Scrambling, she desperately clung to the side of the canoe.. only to be struck in the head by and oar.

"Ow!!" she could barely hear her own voice over the storm and the angry sea, but actions spoke louder than words; she reached out and grabbed the end of the oar and began to pull herself into the boat.

[Vyn]

Stupid. Stupid! This was, undeniably, one of the most stupid things he'd ever done! He was going to drown on this increasingly angry sea, pulled under into ole Davey Jone's Locker. This was not good, definitely not good! He could no longer hear the angry card behind him and he wasn't about to look back now.

The next thing he knew he was being swept up by a new wave and jostled down into the valley created by the ever swifting waves. He managed to stay within the boat but an oar went flying free of the canoe, knocking his head and stealing his hat as he went. Coughing up sea water with every breath, Enzili attempted to steer is one-oared boat.

No luck, of course. Neither the sea nor the storm had any intention of relenting to him.

The next wave he hit stole him from the boat, dropping him in the churning waves some feet away. Floundering briefly, he finally managed to regain his bearings ever so slightly and broke into a desperate swim: it was reach some sort of land or drown, and he had no intention of drowning!

[Nako]

Just as Zuberi felt she was gaining some height as she pulled herself into the boat, the oar was set loose and she fell back again. To top it off, another wave upturned her last hope. Well, at least she'd be able to drag the boat thief to the grave with her...

But even as these morbid thoughts went through her head, she was able to stay atop the water long enough to see the blur of Midori colors swimming for his life. Swimming where? In the haze of the storm she too finally caught sight of land. An island! Which one it was eluded her thoughts given the circumstances, but then again such trivial things didn't matter. The boat thief had a good idea, and soon she too was swimming... swimming for her life to reach that island!

It felt like an eternity, but even as she swam the storm was easing, and the crashing waves that threatened to drown her every time they crested were easing to the more gentle swells of the sea. The thunder was sounding off further and further in the distance when her feet finally gained purchase on the sandy shore. She didn't remember dragging herself to the shore, but soon she was free of the roaring sea and she collapsed from exhaustion... and everything went black....



She finally came to some time later. The sky was once again clear, and a seagull was picking at her toes. "Augh, go away!" She shrieked, swinging her heavy arms to and fro to scare the thing off. A whole flock of them took wing, for she'd been surrounded by the little scavengers who were looking for an easy meal. The squirrel winced and rubbed her arms. Her entire body was sore, and she was thirsty and hot from baking in the sun. Blinking sand out of her eyes, she stood on shaky feet and looked at her surroundings...

[Vyn]

Enzili reached the island in a flurry of flailing limbs as a final wave managed to scoop him up and jetison across the shallows and face-first into the sand of the shore. The rabbit coughed and sputtered, spitting out sea water and sand with half-dazed misery. He was alive, but to what end?

Then, of course, Zili made the terrible mistake of looking over his shoulder. The sight he was met with was terrifying and relieving. The squirrel was still alive, and she was swimming...straight toward him. "Oh merciless sea, why!" Why couldn't she have turned back? He didn't want her drowning or anything, but he didn't want her catching him either!

Driven by adrenaline and sure fear of discovering, Zili hopped to his feet and made a few anxious sprints toward the cover of the palm trees when his exhaustion caught up with him. His paws faltered and he hit a tree, crumbling into a heap.


He didn't know how long he was out, but when he awoke he was aware of two very startling things: first and foremost was that his hat was very much gone and his large lapine ears were very much exposed and, secondly, the thing which had awoken him happened to be the very comfortable weight of a large crab.

Being rather familiar with such tropical terrains, Enzili was familiar with the massive coconut crab. What he wasn't familiar with, however, was having one on top of him. The rabbit let out a high-pitched rabbit squeal and went flying backward into the burning sun and the wet sand of the beach; only a few yards away from the disoriented squirrel.

[Nako]

Still disoriented, Zuberi swivelled about two or three times to find the direction the squeal came from. It was like a sound she'd never heard before.. a most disturbing sound indeed. Flicking the last of sand and grit out of her bloodshot eyes, she was finally able to focus on a green and pink Midori blur. She focused, and was surprised at what she saw. It was like a card she'd never seen before, with an almost squirrel-like face but with crazy long ears and ridiculously long feet.

"H-hey.... you're... you're not a card are you?" It was an accusatory statement than a question. Then something more pressing came into mind. "More importantly, you stole my boat! You bastard!" But she didn't chase after him. Instead she just turned toward the sea, looked around and laughed. "You stole my boat... and now we're stranded on this godforsaken island.. You know the kicker? I -know- which island this is! I've visited this before? Of course.. I had a boat, and I sure as hell had been able to get back..."

She put her hands on her hips, shaking her head and turning back around to face the thief. "What the hell were you thinking?"