* * *
“This is either the stupidest thing you have ever done or the bravest.” Xavier mumbled to himself as the wind whipped past his ears.
He could see the pirate ships bow coming in fast and he knew he would be a few feet short. He was past the crest of his leap and had been descending rapidly with every passing second. It would seem that he wouldn’t make the deck and if he descended any faster he wouldn’t even be able to hit the side.
As Xavier was sailing toward the pirate ship, he caught a quick glimmer of gold to his left and turned his head thinking a weapon had been fired at him even at this distance. Instead he saw something that nearly made him shriek. There was a young woman floating next to him. She seemed to be traveling just as fast as he was yet she wasn’t falling. Her blue eyes pierced his soul as she looked into his eyes and he could feel her search his thoughts. He didn’t know how he knew, having never met a Goddess, that this was the legendary Goddess of the wind. Her name was Siren if he remembered correctly.
As Xavier was going over in his mind what he would do on the very long fall to the water below, he felt himself become suddenly lighter. He didn’t know how but he assumed it had something to do with the Goddess. When he turned back to see he was rising again he heard a soft giggle. He would make the deck after all and he had Siren to thank for it. He turned back to thank the beautiful Goddess, but when he looked to where she was the Goddess was gone.
Xavier silently asked Luna to thank her sister for him and turned his sights back to the ship; which was closing extremely quickly.
It was almost too quickly for Xavier’s own comfort. He closed his eyes and extended his hands to try and brace his fall. He knew the impact was coming and he only hoped it wasn’t so hard that it made him incapable of defending himself. Most pirates took being boarded with out permission unkindly. Xavier dared to open his eyes just as the wood deck smashed into his face. He slid half way across the wooden planks before he slowed to a stop. He winced as he pushed himself up and slowly pulled a splinter from his cheek.
As he looked around he saw all of the crew of the pirate ship in a stunned silence. He had just performed a feat that inspired awe and respect in more ways than one. Xavier took that opportunity to push the envelope.
“I’ve been asked by Captain Dust to come over here in advance to ask for your complete and utter surrender.” Xavier stated as seriously as he could.
The sheer audacity of the request, coupled with the amazing leap that the young wolf had taken, caused more than a few of the thirty or so crew members to honestly consider a surrender. Unfortunately with pirates, mob rule always won out over single thought. All it took was a few of the crewmen to cry out in anger for the rest to join in and surround the young werewolf.
“I’ll take that as a no then?” Xavier asked with a devilish smile pulled over his muzzle.
The werewolf had never been comfortable being completely human but had not acquired the ability to transform into the werewolf beasts of legend. It was the form of the warriors he had heard of since he was a pup and even now when he could use the true power and strength of that form, he still could not change. Instead, the young bounty hunter took a hybrid form. A mix between wolf and human that made him appear more humorous than he had ever wanted. His snout was elongated and his human-like nose came to a point. He had pointed wolf ears that stuck out from his mangy brown hair. Along with those two obvious focal points, Xavier had four more. His hands were partially covered in fur with his fingers ending in sharp claw like nails. He was never able to wear gloves but the skin of his palms had taken on the roughness of those of a normal wolf. He had never worn shoes when he was younger, but when it came time for him to dawn the leather boots, he always had trouble. Just like his hands, he had claws at the end of his toes that always seemed to stick out or tear the worked leather of any style boot.
All of these things had not been lost on the pirate crew as they surrounded the brazen bounty hunter.
“Keep yer distance boys. This’uns got himself some weapons even if it don’ look like it.” one particularly rough looking pirate announced.
Xavier didn’t care really, he wasn’t here to collect a bounty on these crewmen and would dispatch of them only for the sheer thrill of doing so. If anything would impress his new captain it would be taking out the whole crew, including the ships wizard. With thoughts of gold and silver running through his mind, the werewolf flexed his fingers and smiled. Two fangs showed where his canine teeth were and the vision of the hybrid human was complete.
“We can take im! It’s jus the one!” a larger and burly pirate said holding a heavy axe.
Xavier sniffed the air softly and wished he hadn’t. He hadn’t gotten used to the fact that most pirates cared very little for hygiene. He had hoped to smell some sort of fear from the crew, he had sensed it when he stood after his jump, but now the over whelming stench of body odor assaulted his most sensitive of senses. As he shook his head and rubbed his nose to try and get the smell out, Xavier heard the wooden deck creak and looked up in time to see the large man wade through the other crew to stand right in front of Xavier. It was obvious he was unafraid.
“This little pup couldn’t even claw his way out of a paper bag!” he said with a huge belly laugh. “I have been to the island of Lunaticia, took on a wolf in full form. He gave me this scar before I cut off his head.” he pointed to a scar that lead from just under his right eye across his neck and down over his chest.
Xavier growled. He didn’t know the Grand Wolf that had been slain by this brute, but his kind was particular about their kin. When one was killed, a hunt was called to find the killer, and then they were brought to justice in the way of the wolves.
“Then I guess I won’t be too hard to deal with huh?” Xavier said coolly. He reached up and pulled off his dark blue jacket to expose a well muscled but fur covered torso.
The brute laughed again.
He was still laughing after Xavier had moved. The group of pirates stood in stunned silence again as a line of red slowly crept up the larger pirates stomach and up over his chest. The brute was still laughing to the last second when his body split open and hung grotesquely at his waist.
The pirates looked at the wolf then to their now dead and silent crewmate. Xavier only wiped the blood off of his claws onto his pants. The sound of the larger pirate’s body finally hitting the ground seemed to echo on the deck. Even Captain Sweed had seen the attack and had to admit he was more than a little impressed.
“What are you scabrous dogs standing around for!? Kill the boy!”
That sent a rousing cheer up through the group of pirates and all of the men closed in around Xavier, all wanting to get revenge for the death of their friend.
* * *
“Tell Spirit to get this boat moving!” Captain Dust exclaimed as he looked through his telescope. “Our young friend has gotten himself in deep.”
Three crew members saluted the Captain and scrambled to get below deck. Spirit was the name of their wizard on this vessel. They used cannons only because they were cheaper than the supplies that Spirit usually asked for. Captain Dust only used one to get along faster than normal and only used him when he was desperate.
* * *
A sweeping axe nearly took of Xavier’s head, but the young werewolf had enough sense to duck with the sharpened blade passing harmlessly high. He saw them coming, the entire crew of pirates and each one wanted blood. He dove forward with his claws leading and slashed his way through the first few; leaving four deep gashes in their abdomens. In what seemed to be an act of desperation, Xavier stood up straight and looked a pirate in the face. The pirate looked back as a sneer creased his lips. The sneer quickly vanished as Xavier ducked once again, this time a sword came in quickly splitting the hairs on the top of the wolfs head. The pirate wasn’t so fortunate. The rapier had been forced right through his skull. As soon as the blade was pulled free the pirate fell to the hard wood very much dead.
“Get him! Get him already!” Xavier heard Captain Sweed yell from his high position.
The young hunter looked up for a split second only to take a fist to his jaw that sent him sprawling backward. Xavier growled again as he wiped his lip and once again moved forward. He was a blur of fur and claws as he worked his way through the ranks of pirates. His wolf-like instincts guiding him through and around every sword swipe, axe chop, and gun blast.
In a manner of a few minutes Xavier stood amidst carnage. His claws were dripping ruby red drops of pirates, his fur was dyed red and matted to his chest and his dark blue pants had numerous cuts and gashes showing many close calls and quick nicks. The young wolf stood in the middle of the deck with a frown etched into his bloodied features surveying his deeds.
“I’ll ask again Captain Sweed. The good Captain Dust of the Morning Sun asks for your complete surrender.”
There was a loud yell from Xavier’s right and the werewolf turned to see a pirate he thought was dead rushing toward him in a frenzy. He could see the large broad sword held high above the pirate’s crazed features. Xavier crouched and then lunged forward, his sharpened claws digging deep into the mans gut. With little effort, Xavier forced his claws upward while placing his foot on the mans now lifeless chest and pushing upward. In a show of effortless flare the young wolf flipped backward to land exactly where he was standing before. He was once again facing the Pirate Captain.
The pirate on the other hand; stumbled backward and fell over the side to fall thousands of feet to his doom.
“You….” the Pirate Captain was furious. His nails were digging hard into the railing as he looked down at the solitary figure that had effectively eliminated his entire crew with out even breaking so much as a sweat. “You have a lot of gall boy! Do you even know who I am!?”
Xavier shrugged as if it didn’t matter. This only seemed to enrage the pirate more.
“I am Captain Sweed! The scourge of the Sunlight coast! I have killed thousands, plundered port towns from here to the Elemental Isle! You have the brass to demand my surrender?” Captain Sweed had stepped back holding his sword high as he spoke.
“So you are a thief and a murderer.” Xavier stated boldly. “That makes the reward on you even more if you’re dead. I don’t really want to kill you ok. These men of yours died because they listened to you. Doesn’t that bother you?”
“They knew what they were when they boarded this boat.”
The young wolf shook his head and sighed. This one was definitely looking for the hard way.
“Durango! Make this pup heel for his new master!” Captain Sweed hollered down at the deck.
A smell of power instantly filled Xavier’s nose, he knew that smell and knew it well. He hung around with Spirit enough to smell magic. His head moved left and right trying to find the wizard that he knew had just been summoned to destroy him.
“You wish to keep him?” a booming voice echoed off the deck.
“Yes, I want him to understand he can’t do things like this and get away with it.”
Xavier sniffed the air again trying to hone in on the smell of magic but the only thing he could see were small rocks that looked like wood marble fall around him they landed in a perfect circle around the young wolf and Xavier could smell the magic now surrounding him. He didn’t know what the small objects were going to do since he had only met one wizard to date and that had been Spirit.
As if the tiny wooden marbles had heard his unasked question, the tiny items flattened out and seemed to blend into the wood of the deck, going so far as to take on a reddish hue for the ones near the bloodshed. Without warning the wood of the deck seemed to spring to life! Plank of the deck sprang free and launched at Xavier at lightning speeds.
He was able to smack away a few but when the wood behind him sprang forth they were in the shapes of spikes. The wooden spikes lunged for the werewolf’s flesh. Puncturing his thick fur and biting deep into his body. One plank digging in between his ribs to pierce his lung, others diving into his back and shoulder. As soon as the wood had stopped moving Xavier started to move forward; by sheer strength of his will, then howled in pain. The wooden spiked had sprouted barbs that dug in deeper, latching on to his ribs within his chest, tearing at muscles in his lower back and even hooking on his spine.
Luckily for the young werewolf, he had the regenerative properties of his ancestors and the wooden barbs would be superficial as soon as he got free. He held his ground though for the pain, even though the wounds would heal, was tremendous. He closed his eyes trying to focus on something else when he caught a whiff of magic again. Xavier’s eyes snapped open and he saw the lanky wizard standing over him.
“My, my, my. What do we have here?” Durango said as he licked his lips from under his cloak hood. “You are very far away from home aren’t you?”
It was true; Xavier had caught a trade ship off of Lunaticia to explore the world. What better way to cure his wanderlust than to sail with a pirate hunting ship? He looked at Durango and could only growl as he stared at the tan skinned wizard.
“No answer? Are you lost maybe?”
Xavier sniffed, this time it was to loosen the phlegm that was in his throat. He spit as much as he could into the face of the wizard. He wouldn’t give him any other response.
Durango frowned and wiped the spittle from his face and sneered. “I see, such a proud warrior. I have ways to break you.”
Xavier slowly closed his fists, he didn’t care how much it would hurt he was going to rip this wizards head off if it was the last thing he did.
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