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Part II - Captives

Nathan awoke to the soft sound of waves gently rolling ashore. Seabirds were silent, reminding the waking human that he wasn't close to a dock or seaside otter village. The stars had since disappeared and retreated from view in the early morning sky. The sun was just beginning to peek above the horizon behind him along the forest. The morning air was cool, and half of his skin was a little chilled from only wearing a shirt. Naked from the waist down, his right side and arm still felt warm.

The human lazily reached up and rubbed his shoulder. However, there was no one beside him, or on top of him anymore. Peeking an eye open and looking to his right, Nathan found the space beside him empty.

'She must've gone to relieve herself.' He thought and rolled over to where Tosca had been sleeping. The spot was still warm and he wondered what the brash raccoon would say when she returned. The thought of her lying down and roughly bumping into him made a little grin creep onto his lip. One eye lingered open to look across the sandy beach. Their clothes were still hanging on sticks close to the long extinguished fire.

'We'll smell like smoke for the next day or two.' He wrinkled his nose at the funny thought, but knew she wouldn't care. If anything, it would be something to laugh about. The sunlight was growing in strength and brightening the calm sea as he lounged around for a few more minutes. Nathan started to wonder if she had gone somewhere else.

'I doubt she would've gone back to the abandoned ship by herself this early.' He thought and sat up. A few stretches later, he looked up and down the beach until a figure caught his eye.

'Why is she-' He stopped and blinked. Two figures were approaching him; one from each side of the beach.

“What are they-?" Nathan nearly mistook them for river otters, but the males approaching him were noticeably different. Their bodies were less visibly sleek, and instead fluffier with subtly heavier builds.

“Uh oh." He realized something was wrong. Nathan quickly reached for his pants and dressed before they reached him. Sea otters were not like their friendly counterparts, the river otters. Semi-nomadic, they lived along the coastline, inhabiting small islands offshore for the most part. River otters and sea otters were often antagonistic towards each other, and usually avoided crossing paths, rarely meeting to trade.

Both figures approaching him were males and completely nude save for knives sheathed around their lower legs with the aid of a leather strap. Living an aquatic life meant that unnecessary clothing would only get in the way. Otherwise, he could see they only wore thin necklaces snugly around their necks, barely visible through the dense fur.

A brief natural instinct crossed his mind to run, but he wasn't going to leave Tosca all alone; and the odds he could outrun two natives was naive at best.

“Uh hello." Nathan spoke as they reached him. “Why are you here?"

“You're coming with us." One spoke with a flat serious voice. Nathan hesitated and didn't know what to say. The other untied a thin rope around his naked waist and used it to tie Nathan's hands behind his back. He knew better than to struggle or fight back in this situation. However, it didn't make it any easier to watch the other rummage through their belongings. Most everything was gathered up and taken before he was led down the beach in short order.

“Where are you taking me?" He asked but neither responded.

'Where is Tosca?' He glanced up at the tree line and low cliffs, imagining that she may have seen them approaching beforehand and remained hidden. Nathan hoped that she would organize help to find and rescue him. They walked him along the sand as the waves gently rolled onto the beach close by until they arrived at a large boulder by the rocky cliff face. Going around, Nathan found Tosca sitting naked in the sand, and tied up in a similar manner with a third male holding her securely by the arms. The raccoon and human locked eyes.

“Why didn't you shout?" Nathan blurted out.

“Because I knew you would look for me rather than run away." She angrily spoke. The sea otters didn't interrupt them as they led the bickering pair to a pair of canoes in the wet sand.

“You're on friendly terms with the natives. Do something!" Tosca growled through clenched teeth.

“They're not river otters." He muttered back at her. “They're Waira sea otters."

“So?"

“I can't do anything."

“Ugh." She groaned angrily as they were directed into the wooden vessels. In moments, everything of theirs was thrown in the two boats and they were pushed off into the water. The two otters in their boat paddled synchronized while the third followed from behind.

Nathan looked at the abandoned ship and couldn't help but feel as though the ship was cursed or had given them bad luck. Images of a wild shaman performing a chant crossed his mind followed by a bad storm. Either way, whatever had attracted Tosca to explore the ship had ended poorly for them both.

A few seagulls looked down at them from their perches but remained silent at the scene below. Tosca and Nathan were paddled out of the cove and into the open ocean and up the coast. Riding over the ocean with surprising delicacy, the small canoe glided across the calm water with ease. However, Nathan didn't like being in the small wooden vessel in the open water, but it wasn't like he was in a position to complain about it. The human focused on staying dry and Tosca in front of him, but also glanced at the cliff shoreline to his right.

'We're going farther away.' He realized that the shore was gradually shrinking. The sea otters didn't appear concerned in the slightest and paddled along with determination. The shore gradually faded away until it was more than a mile away. Nathan wondered how far out to sea they'd be taken until an island appeared along the horizon up ahead.

“You see it ahead?" Nathan leaned forward and whispered into Tosca's ear.

“Yeah…" She muttered unhappily as they were paddled towards the inhabited island. They passed by a canoe only a few yards away. Two male sea otters were standing up and a female was sitting. All three were plainly naked and wet from fishing, indicated by the fishing spears in hand and knives sheathed securely on their lower legs. They stared at them with a mixture of expressions before one male dove under the water.

Up ahead, canoes of various sizes were lined along the shore. Sea otters were swimming and diving off canoes in the surrounding water, some for sport, and others to fish. Nets were in use as well. The smell of seaweed, smoke, and salt all mingled in the air as they neared the tiny island. Two shell middens were plainly visible near a rocky section of beach. A few shouts and curious calls were given as the canoe drifted over tiny waves to shore. Both otters in their canoe jumped out with swiftness that caused the canoe to rock side to side.

“Get out!" One sea otter commanded as a pair of hands nearly pulled hem both out of the wooden vessel. Nathan was wide eyed and quickly stepped onto the rocky beach as splashes were heard around him. He stumbled forward as two otters took ahold of his shoulders.

“Easy! Please!" He exclaimed, but the human and Tosca were immediately separated as a small crowd of natives eagerly watched them. Numerous huts crowded the small formation of land, but he could see the top half of a totem pole standing tall in the center of the island with a little clearing around it.

'Crap. Just stay calm.' Nathan's heart pounded as he lost sight of Tosca and glimpsed one of the scary carved faces on the top of the totem pole. His eyes darted around as they navigated him through the village. The human was brought to a particular hut with many shell decorations over its entrance. He stood there and waited as someone went inside.

Looking around, several villagers had gathered to watch what was happening. It wasn't much of a surprise to see how intertwined the sea otters' lives were with the ocean. No one wore any clothes, not even the elders. Necklaces and bracelets were fashioned tightly around thickly furred necks or wrists, and decorated with carved bone and wood. Knives were carried with sheaths fashioned to their lower legs just like the river otters practiced. After all, they likely spent a good portion of their waking lives in the water.

“Shibiki." Someone said as an older male otter emerged from the primitive dwelling. Like the other sea otters, his neck and head were covered in a light cream, almost white fur whereas the rest of his body was a dark brown. He wore a single necklace adorned with what appeared to be a very large shark tooth.

“This is the one with the naked raccoon."

“They were together at the beach in the cove." Information was relayed quickly to the elder. His eyes squinted at the human either out of disgust or to concentrate.

“What were you doing human?" He asked once everyone else quieted down.

“Eh-what?" Nathan didn't know how to answer amidst all the intense stares.

“You were seen onboard that ship." The male wasn't pleased at the fact. “Were you one of the sailors?"

“No, and I never took anything from the abandoned ship!" He pled his innocence. “The raccoon and I were traveling back to the trading post further down the coast. We stayed on the beach for the night."

“This raccoon woman." The sea otter methodically spoke. “She is an outlaw to your people."

“Well… yes but she hasn't stolen anything when she was with me." Nathan's answer seemed to confuse the otters who exchanged glances.

“Here is the human's bag." One otter spoke up. His bag and belongings were revealed before being unceremoniously rummaged through.

“You've been trading with river otters." He looked displeased at some of the items he found that were from the rendezvous.

“I work for a lumber company and I am contacting the local tribes to set up agreements to extract timber from the region." Some of the villagers around him murmured at that, and the elder was displeased.

“I'm not here to steal anything. I just want to return to the trading post where I live." Nathan didn't know what to say to make them happy or understand that he held no malice towards them.

“Keep him bound at the pole." The elder otter commanded. Nathan had a bad feeling that he wouldn't see his belongings again as he was taken away. He felt nervous as he was brought to the totem pole in the center of the tiny island. Odd otherworldly faces scarily looked out in their permanent stares. The human was ordered to sit as one male sea otter revealed a lengthy amount of rope. He had to resign himself as they securely tied rope around him

'A wooden cage may have been better.' Nathan thought to himself.

“Let go of me!" Nathan perked up as he heard Tosca's raised voice from somewhere behind him. A few villagers moved away as the raccoon was brought to the opposite side of the pole.

“I said get off!" She growled only to fall silent. The feisty raccoon was forced to sit down on the other side of the totem pole. Otters tied the rope restraining her around the pole and behind Nathan's back. The whole situation felt oddly familiar to him.

“You there, Tosca?" He asked once things had quieted down, and they were left alone.

“Yeah. Where else would I be?" She sarcastically huffed.

“At least you're in good spirits. What did they do to you?"

“They asked me several questions, but then they kept asking me if I was part of some bandit or pirate group. I don't really know. They're acting crazy." She explained.

“They told me you're an outlaw. Do they know you're a bandit?"

“I don't know. I have never met sea otters before." She admitted.

“Then how could they know?"

“No idea." She stated. “They kept asking why I was naked too. I thought that was stupid since every single one of them are butt naked!" Tosca fretted. “When I told them I wear pants but nothing up top, they immediately became angry. I don't understand." She grumbled. Nathan had no idea if this meant they'd be punished or held captive for an unknown length of time. The typical kind of regrets flooded his thoughts: they could've camped in the forest overnight, woken up and left early, stayed on the abandoned ship, or even passed by it altogether. A tightness developed in his stomach as his muscles tensed.

'There's no point in regretting anything now.' He told himself, and breathed steadily, although it wasn't easy to shelve those worries while he was tied to a totem pole in the middle of a sea otter island village.

*** Part III - Under the Black Flag ***

Their first hours of captivity slowly ticked by until the sun was at its highest point in the sky. The sun felt hot, but the ocean breeze helped keep them cool enough. They were fed sparingly, a modest meal of fish by hand. They weren't even allowed to leave the totem pole to relieve themselves without permission. On more than one occasion, a few otter pups had thrown small rocks at them for fun before being chased away by an elder. Nathan started dozing off when Tosca started talking to him.

“You don't think they will eat us, do you?" She asked from behind the pole.

“What?" Nathan blinked in surprise.

“I've heard stories about things like this."

“Don't worry. I doubt anyone will be eating us."

“Is it because we don't smell like fish?" She half sarcastically guessed.

“Sure." He found her sense of humor odd given their situation, but appreciated it. “But seriously, I haven't heard of any stories about native villages eating people." Although, her odd concerns made him wonder what the Waira sea otters would do with them.

“I guess you're right." She sighed. “I'm sorry for getting us into this mess."

“What?"

“If I hadn't wanted to explore that ship then we wouldn't be here." She explained.

“Why are you saying this all of a sudden?"

“Don't get used to me saying that I'm sorry." She snapped back.

“Don't worry about it. I've already thought about everything we could've done to avoid getting captured, but it's already happened. We just need to stay calm for now."

“Okay." She mumbled.

'I'm glad that I have her company.' Nathan was happy that they weren't separated at the moment. It was odd considering she was only supposed to stay with him for a short period of time, but now it seemed strange to not think of her being by his side. He started to doze off once again, but a sudden and loud explosion jolted the human awake.

'What the heck was that?' His heart started to race. Tosca coughed from her side of the totem pole.

“Tosca, are you okay?"

“Y-yeah." Her voice sounded choked. “Just surprised!"

“What was that?"

“I have no idea!"

“Can you see what's going on?" He called out to Tosca. A flurry of activity suddenly descended upon the island village. A few sea otters were seen scattering about, hastily abandoning their huts and leaving the village.

“Yeah, everyone is running around like ants." She answered. “Oh! It looks like a ship is-."

“A ship?"

“I can barely see it, but yeah I think it's a ship."

“Wow, we're saved." Nathan blew a relieved sigh and felt his body go limp. He didn't know if it was the navy or a simple merchantman, but if that was a cannon firing, then it was likely a warning to the sea otters on the island. Nathan blinked as he spotted a different figure far away from the corner of his eye.

'That's not an otter.' He couldn't get a good look at whoever the person was, but their identity remained unknown.

“Can you tell me what's going on from your side?" Nathan watched as an otter closed up the entrance to his hut. Another hurried by with a baby in her arms.

“Tosca?" He asked after receiving silence from her.

“I've never seen anything like this before." She admitted.

“Huh?" Nathan's face screwed into confusion from her words. “Just tell me already!"

“Would you believe me?" She sounded as confused as him.

“Look who we have here, ladies." A female voice spoke up as paw steps approached them. “Seems like the natives are capturing and ransoming people without our permission."

“She's a raccoon lady…" Another spoke with pleasant surprise.

“There's a man too." The voice spoke in a low tone giving Nathan chills. Movement caught his attention from the corner of his eye. Turning his head, he found a solid white furred husky lady looming over them. However, the voices and shadows told him there were more. He was surprised to see her breasts freely hanging as she leaned forward. She wore a sleeveless vest that was left wide open, but the confident look in her icy blue and brown eye told that this wasn't an accident. A pistol on her hip concerned him. He blinked and turned to look ahead as she disappeared behind him.

'Who in the hell is that?!' He started sweating as if he had seen a shark up close.

“You look like you could use some help." One female voice stated.

“You're not covering anything up top like us." Another observed the naked raccoon.

“You look like a long lost crew mate of ours." A third added.

“What's your name, lass?" The first asked.

“Tosca." The raccoon answered after a pause. “Who are y'all, and what do you want?"

“We're-“ One of the mysterious ladies began, but a sudden shout from somewhere else distracted Nathan from hearing everything.

“Really? That sounds made up." Tosca challenged.

“I can assure you miss that everything you see is very real." Nathan felt movement along his back from the totem pole. Some of the rope slackened as Tosca was freed behind him.

“Come along so we can ask you to join our crew." Another female voice asked.

'Join our crew?' Nathan struggled to twist and turn around to see what was going on, but the ropes still held him in place like before. The human grumbled at the ropes refused to slacken.

“Tosca?" He called out only to not receive a response. “Crap! What are those people going to do to her?" He worried whoever the new group was, they'd fare worse off with them.

'Are they bandits like the people Tosca used to work with in the swamp?' He didn't know what to make of the white husky who was topless just like Tosca. It wouldn't surprise the human if her past came back to bite them both again.

'Something is not right…' Nathan worried as he saw another otter quickly walking away.

“Hey there human." A female voice interrupted his thoughts. Nathan looked up and found a female approaching him from around the totem pole. However, he wasn't greeted by a white furred husky this time. Instead, a female genet wearing little more than a pair of tattered shorts, belt, and leather straps loomed above him. Her breasts were bared openly like the white husky's and she appeared oblivious to the fact. Her ears were pierced with a ring apiece, and her forehead was covered by a bandana. The pair of curved daggers and pistol along her belt caught his attention more than anything else. She almost made Tosca appear tame by comparison.

“What?" She paused to smile and place her hands on her hips. “Too quiet to say hello?"

“Where's Tosca?" He managed to blurt out.

“Ah, the nice lady you were tied up with. You don't need to worry. We're taking care of her right now." The genet mentioned with a pleasant attitude. Nathan wanted to believe she meant that in a good way, but he couldn't imagine anyone referring to Tosca as kind on a first impression.

“My name's Niki." She winked at him and pulled out one of her daggers. Nathan's eyes widened at the sharp metallic edge. A sea otter came running up to them before she could do anything.

“Hey! He's our prisoner!"

“We'll pay you for him." She calmly spoke. The sea otter was taken aback, but didn't complain.

“How much for him?" Niki asked.

'Where did they take her to?' Nathan glanced around hoping to find Tosca while he was haggled over like a sack of grain.

“Deal." He heard Niki say and hand over a sum to the sea otter.

“Fine! But the woman-!" The otter pointed at the vacant side of the totem pole.

“She's coming with us for free." She frowned at him. The otter looked angry but held his tongue. “I'd suggest you find their belongings and return them to us before we start looking for them ourselves." Niki threatened. The otter had nothing more to say and quickly ran off.

'She has the natives afraid.' Nathan wasn't too surprised. After all, she possessed a pistol, and firearms weren't known in the new world.

“Sorry about that." The genet used her knife to cut the rope and free Nathan. The human hastily stood up only to nearly fall over. His stiff legs wobbled from not standing over a day.

“Take your time, but you're coming aboard with us too," the white husky tossed the cut rope aside, “unless you prefer staying here with the locals." She added with a toothy grin.

“Very funny." He huffed.

“What's your name?" She asked and offered her hand.

“Nathan." He looked up at the half naked genet lady and hesitantly accepted her help. The human was pulled to his feet and regained his balance after a moment.

“Thank you."

“Sure thing. Let's get going." She told him and started walking. Nathan had little choice and followed her through the island village. Few otters were seen as the once vibrant island community had all but disappeared or shuttered away.

“What exactly is going on and why are you here?" He didn't know what to ask during the confusion.

“We were coming by to make sure we weren't being double crossed." She told him.

“We? How many of you are there?" He asked only for a ship to come into full view as they passed several huts. It was impressive in size and armed with plenty of cannons. It was easy to see why the sea otters were terrified of the pirates, or at the very least refused to fight back. Near the edge of the water, however, several bold sea otters were trading with a group of armed women, but one feature surprised him the most.

'They're all topless like Tosca.' He couldn't believe it. It wasn't like bare breasts were shocking to him after meeting several tribal groups and Tosca herself. However, an entire group of armed women dressing that way was something he had never heard of.

'They must be part of a gang or-.' Looking up, he saw a black flag flying atop the mast of the wooden vessel. Nathan shuddered at the sight.

“All of you are pirates!" He realized and looked at the genet beside him with wide eyes.

“Yeah, I'm surprised you didn't figure that out sooner." Niki found it amusing. “We're a group of female pirates called the Topless Pirates."

“Female… Topless pirates?!" He was baffled but it made sense.

“Surprised?" She smiled at him and enjoyed the shocked look on his face. Nathan couldn't muster a word for a moment.

“Don't feel embarrassed about overreacting." She reassured him. “We get that kind of reaction all the time." Nathan didn't know what to say as she took him to the edge of the shore. A trio of small skiff boats were ready to transport them over to the ship just a dozen or so yards from the rocky shore. Two had supplies and goods to trade with inside them.

“I didn't know a human man would be here." A very strong female badger standing in the water spoke up. She was built like a sailor with powerful arms, legs, and a slim torso. She wore long pants with a belt carrying a pistol and cutlass, but nothing above the waist save for armbands and suspenders on her shoulders. Her black furred breasts sagged a little, but baring them was hardly a concern of hers.

“Yep." Niki replied. “He was tied to the totem pole with Tosca the raccoon."

“I see." She gave a nod as they stepped forward. “I'll help row you two over."

“Thank you Wilma." The genet helped her push the boat back onto the water.

“Cmon in!" The badger ushered the human into the vessel. Nathan nearly fell in as Wilma bumped into him.

“Where's Tosca?" Nathan asked as Niki sat ahead of him.

“I rowed her over with several other ladies a little bit ago." Wilma answered with a smile behind him. “We weren't expecting to find someone like her trapped on this island. You're not part of the Stag's crew, are you?" Wilma looked closely at him. “You don't look like a sailor at all." She picked up both oars and began rowing.

“N-no, I am not a sailor." He found the question odd. The human wasn't sure how to react to that, however, something else suddenly struck him.

“So your group is responsible for that ship being abandoned, isn't it?" He figured it out.

“Ah, so you were exploring that ship weren't you?" Niki guessed with a knowing smile. “No wonder the natives took you captive. With that topless girlfriend of yours, they must've mistaken you two as working for us."

“What did all of you do?"

“You might say we are the reason it's run aground in that cove." She smiled. “It's like a game of hide and seek that we won."

“Where did all of the crew go?"

“We caught quite a few of them after a brief fight. Most surrendered peacefully though. We ransomed them away the other day." Wilma told him. The small boat bumped up against the pirate ship where a net made of thick rope was hanging securely.

“Thanks for the ride Wilma." Niki grinned and stood up to grab onto the rope.

“Of course." She mentioned and patted Nathan roughly as he tried to stand up in the rocking boat.

“Hey! Careful!" He balked and quickly grasped the rope to not fall overboard.

“Hehe. Don't worry if you fall." The badger teased. “You'll just land in the water and have to climb up again."

“Crazy lady…" He muttered under his breath and quickly clamored onto the side of the ship. The badger began rowing away and the ropes began shaking. Glancing over, Niki was already climbing up with ease.

“You better not look up at my butt." She gave him a brief scowl before laughing as she climbed higher.

'I can't tell if she's crazy or just messing with me.' He kept his eyes averted anyway as they climbed the ropes above. Nathan paused once she reached the top and her long tail disappeared. The human glanced over his shoulder at the village and surrounding waters. Plenty of otters were in canoes or simply in the water itself, away from the pirate ship and island. Down below at the edge of the island, several of the pirate ladies were returning to the small boats where Wilma waited.

'Six, seven, eight.' He counted them. 'There can't be many women on this pirate crew.' Nathan couldn't imagine many women joining a pirate crew, even if it was entirely female. He started climbing once again and just before he reached the top, a head peeked over and nearly startled him.

“There you are. I was starting to think you had fallen." Niki offered a hand.

“I almost did." He huffed as he was helped onto the deck of the ship. At first, what he found was typical of any sailing vessel he had boarded with the exception of positioned cannons.

'They must've fired one when they arrived.' Nathan guessed.

“If you're ready, I'm going to take you over here." The genet grabbed him by the arm and led him to a bulky white furred Altai dog who was standing by the door. Nathan immediately felt uneasy approaching the white furred pirate. Unlike the others he had seen, she was completely nude with her small yet full white furred breasts in plain view. Her white furred body had several scars on her torso and leg. She had no weapon that he could see, but her huskily built figure was intimidating enough.

“H-huh?" His legs froze in place.

“Nathan is ready to talk, Agatha." Niki mentioned. He looked at the genet with concern, but the Altai dog merely nodded and opened the door. Nathan glanced up at the intimidating canine, but she didn't scowl at him. A strong yet surprisingly gentle hand on his back helped guide him into the room. Sunlight filtered in through two open windows, illuminating the modest space very well. A lantern was still hanging in a darker corner to provide extra light. The sea breeze felt pleasant in what would've otherwise been a stuffy room. Shelves lined the back wall and a nicely sized desk took up the center of the modest room.

Four other pirate ladies were already waiting for him. A confident German shepherd sat across from him. She wore what appeared to be a captain's coat, but it was left wide open for her front to remain naked. More than one pistol was visible on the strap running from her shoulder to hip. Beside her was a stoic jaguar wearing an open vest revealing her sagging breasts. She had a fresh cigar on the table before her. A buxom lynx sitting at the side of the table wore little more than an undergarment, and had paper and ink to write with. Lastly, a petite gray vixen was sitting in a corner who wore a modest bandana and trousers.

'They're going to start interrogating me.' He feared as Agatha remained silently standing at the door behind him.

“Please have a seat, Nathan." The German shepherd smiled kindly and gestured to the chair. Anne nudged him forward to the empty chair. Seeing no other options, the human obliged them.

“I'm Holly, and this is Augusta." She introduced herself and the jaguar beside her.

“Pleasure to meet you." August said in a deep rumble voice as she lit the cigar. Nathan watched as she blew out a long puff of smoke. The smell of tobacco smoke filled the room.

“Uh hi." He didn't know what to say, and started to sweat. The petite gray vixen in the corner grinned in amusement.

“Don't feel too nervous." Holly reassured him. “We're not going to harm you."

“Heh." Augusta found it funny. Nathan couldn't look at the jaguar in the eyes and found his gaze lowering to her bare spotted chest.

“Ahem." Augusta caught his wandering stare and cleared her throat.

“Sorry." His gaze moved to the German shepherd instead.

“You're fine. Most men wouldn't find themselves in your position, Nathan." Holly continued. “We've dealt with ruffians and smugglers, negotiated with other pirates, and have strong armed stubborn officials. I'm sure you can imagine that we don't take very kindly to people who have treated others poorly. Some women aboard this ship have been mistreated and abused." She acknowledged.

“I understand." He managed to say.

“But it seems you're an honest person, and we take a woman's word earnestly." She said, surprising him.

“W-What?" He blinked.

“Your friend Tosca has told us a little bit about you."

“Where is she?" He quickly asked. “What are you doing to her?"

“You're concerned about her." She noted. “But you don't need to be. Everything is fine. Like I said, she's told us a little bit about you, but I want to ask you for myself. Tell us about yourself and what you know about her." He was taken aback somewhat as the topless canine and other pirates stared intently at him. Nathan didn't know what to say or keep secret.

'If they already talked to Tosca then maybe they're just verifying information.' He thought.

“Well, uh." The human took a deep breath despite the smoke from the cigar. “I came to these lands for work several weeks ago. I met with native villages and set up relations for logging. I met Tosca on unusual terms." He scratched his chin and recalled their fateful meeting. “She tried handing me over to bandits that she worked with only to be imprisoned herself."

“Hehe. I like that." Holly grinned. Even Augusta found it funny.

“We escaped together, and I ended up providing hospitality to her." Nathan felt a blush creeping onto his face despite the situation he was in. “Eh-mm. We traveled together to a large gathering of tribes inland before we reached the cove. That's where the sea otters found us the following morning and took us both." Nathan spoke and noticed the lynx was writing down something.

“I see." Holly nodded. “You were working for this lumber company as an indentured servant, is that correct?" She inquired.

“Yes."

“How long was your contract, and how much of it did you serve?"

'How much did Tosca tell them?' He wondered. “It was one year and I barely served a month, I suppose."

“I see." Holly gave a slow nod and glanced briefly at the lynx who wrote that down. “Did you make many contacts with the natives in that short period of time?"

“Some." He hesitated to divulge too much. “But I was only able to properly establish communication with one village. I haven't returned to the trading post since then."

“Okay, and why did you take Tosca with you?" She asked. “She is an outlaw like us, isn't she?"

“Well…" Nathan paused and thought for a moment. He gave a slow shake of his head and pursed his lips before answering. “In all honesty, I don't know."

“You don't know?" Augusta gave him a questioning look.

“She wanted to stay for the time being and I had a difficult time refusing." He bashfully answered.

“A man can't refuse a lady's advances, can he?" Holly grinned and she changed smiles with the rest of the crew in the room.

“There's more than just that." He spoke up. “I'm not using her."

“Mmhm. I'd say that you're an honest man." She concluded. “The world could use more people like you, especially when you help a lady out, but I'm afraid nature isn't so gracious to us all. I suppose I should tell you why we are here in the first place."

“Yes, I'd like to know."

“We don't like it when the Waira sea otters do any kidnapping. Ransoming is part of our business. We've had a brief scuffle with them when we first encountered them, but cannons are a great negotiating tool." She pointed with a finger. “We don't want to fight of course, but we will if necessary."

“How did you know we were on this island?"

“Just a hunch." The shepherd shrugged. “We were sailing by that cove the other day and happened to notice signs of people exploring the ship. Turns out it was Tosca and you."

'I knew I saw something out that porthole!' Nathan recalled the moment aboard the abandoned ship.

“Yes. We were there." He admitted. “Niki the genet told me that all of you are responsible for that ship being stranded on the cove. She explained that it was this pirate group who chased them down."

“The story sounds accurate so far." Augusta grinned and blew out another puff of smoke.

“You managed to catch them after so much, but why leave coins on board? Tosca found plenty of money scattered around one cabin."

“Money is always nice to find, even the cheapest of coin, but we were looking for something much more valuable."

“What might that be?"

“I already told you that we are also in the business of ransoming people." She plainly told him and it suddenly made sense. The pirates had taken the sailors as hostages.

“There's only so much one can do when there's little valuables on a merchant ship." Holly calmly explained to him.

“So why did you pay for me?" He didn't understand.

“We can be charitable too." She told him. “After all, we like to help ladies like Tosca when they're in danger. You're no harm to us anyway."

'They're planning something.' Nathan had a bad feeling that they weren't simply being charitable to him and Tosca.

“What the-." He noticed a small rolled up piece of paper being slipped through a tiny trap hole in the wall where the gray vixen was seated.

“Holly…" The petite female hopped up and stepped up to the German shepherd.

“Yes?"

“It looks like…" The gray vixen whispered something into her ear before revealing the paper. Nathan couldn't hear anything above the soft whispers despite the room being near silent.

“Mmhm. That's good to hear." The shepherd canine grinned happily and shared the paper with Augusta. The jaguar gave a satisfied nod. Nathan nervously pursed his lips while he watched their reactions, unsure what had been relayed to them.

“For now," Holly spoke once again, “you're our prisoner or guest, depending on how you look at it." She made an open gesture with her hands. “Given how well you've treated and helped Tosca, you won't be treated poorly by any of the ladies on board this ship." Nathan had no clue if she was telling him the truth or not, but it was difficult to doubt her given they had freed him. She also seemed to have some authority on the vessel of pirate women, but he didn't know if she was a captain or not.

“Do you have any other questions?"

“Can you tell me where Tosca is?"

“She's on board the ship." Holly grinned. “You may leave if you like." She gestured to the door. Nathan didn't hesitate to stand up and face the scarred white furred canine behind him. The naked Altai canine opened the door for him without a word.

“Thank you." Stepping back outside and onto the deck, he found Niki the genet standing there watching something unfold.

“Hey." She glanced over and noticed the human. “I see you're done talking."

“What's going on?" The human's voice drifted as something caught his attention. Nathan paused and blinked as he found a raccoon on the deck of the pirate ship surrounded by topless pirates of various appearances. Many species wore plenty or nothing at all, but each left their breasts bared to any eye regardless.

“Tosca?" Nathan didn't understand what was going on, but everyone's expressions were happy or joyful. The pudgy buxom raccoon he had been with for weeks was wearing her khaki shorts once again, and her alligator toothed necklace.

“Aye." He heard her say.

“Cheers for our newest crew member, Tosca!" A naked jackal wearing bracelets and necklaces cheered triumphantly.

“Hooray!"

“Hooray!" A second round of cheers erupted before Tosca received a few congratulatory pats to her back and shoulders.

“Welcome to the Topless Pirates."

'That bitch!' Nathan gritted his teeth angrily and couldn't believe that she had double crossed him again.

'What an opportunistic-ugh!' He felt frustrated. 'Just like in the swamp.' However, he doubted that the topless female pirates would double cross Tosca as her bandit cohorts did weeks ago.

“Typically when women join, they take their tops off, but she already goes topless." Niki mentioned. “She's a bold lady." The genet happily watched alongside the simmering Nathan as Tosca was taken away below deck with several ladies.

“Although, we like bold women on board our vessel." She added.

“So what else did she tell you about me?" He angrily snapped at the genet.

“Take it easy." She held up a hand. “She had nothing bad to say about you." Nathan looked away, not sure who to trust at the moment.

“You can wait towards the bow of the ship." She told him. “It seems like we are about to set sail." She noticed that the remaining crew were filling up the small boats and rowing back to the ship.

“Draw up the anchor!" Another pirate called out from nearby as the crew prepared to leave.

***

Nathan ended up sitting at the stern of the ship, staring up at the partly cloudy sky. His anger had simmered away for the most part, but he didn't know what to do in his situation. He barely noticed that the ship was setting sail as the afternoon lingered on. Two pirates were chatting nearby, but he was only half listening to their conversation.

“Cannons are perfect for diplomacy with the natives." A dingo admitted.

“Yeah, but the two softer ones work very well for everyone else." The Doberman with torpedo shaped breasts giggled.

“What did Lily come back with after trading with them?"

“I don't know. She was talking to Wilma after they hauled up the boats." The Doberman shrugged before glancing over at the quietly sulking human.

“Are you falling asleep?" One of the voices stirred Nathan from his prolonged gaze at the fluffy clouds. Nathan blinked and looked over at the Doberman and dingo ladies standing nearby. The torpedo breasted Doberman wore two earrings, a pair of bracelets, and shorts with a belt. Her small flat breasted dingo counterpart had a noticeable scar on her ear and arm where she wore an armband. A belt was tied around her naked waist holding a knife, but otherwise, she was completely naked.

“If I were in your position, I'd be a little happier." The Doberman told him. “I've heard those sea otters have eaten people before."

“You have no idea if that's true, Theodora." The dingo grinned.

“Well, I'd feel grateful even if it wasn't true." She admitted. “I can't imagine what they'd do to me if I was stranded on that island."

“Move aside ladies, I'm coming through!" A mature pudgy bellied husky approached them with her icy blue and brown sights set on Nathan. She wore an open sleeveless white shirt with a torn hem. Her modestly sized white furred breasts carried a little natural sag that subtly bounced with her steps. Baggy torn shorts were held up with the aid of a belt that carried a cutlass on her hip.

“Hey Kristine."

“I was sent to check up on you." She pointed at Nathan with a friendly grin.

“Me?" Nathan was surprised.

“If you were cut or feeling ill." She clarified.

“He's been pretty quiet." The dingo mentioned.

“I'm fine." He quietly admitted and looked back out to the sea.

“Heh. You aren't the first tough guy I've met." Kristine took another step closer. Nathan felt the claws from a paw nudge his back.

“We can strip you down and look you over if that makes you feel any better." She threatened. The human felt a chill run up his back. He knew that the three women wouldn't have any issue roughly handling and stripping him. Nathan held his tongue, reluctantly stood up, and allowed her to check him over without needing to disrobe.

“I don't mind being mean if it helps people understand things better." She grinned and instructed him to hold his arms out.

“Any soreness?" The husky asked as she pressed her hand on his joints, one at a time.

“No."

“Do you feel nauseous, or sick?"

“No." He answered.

“I would've asked if you were uneasy, but most people are on a pirate ship." Kristine giggled and checked over his back.

“He should feel lucky given the company he is with." The Doberman whispered to the dingo. Nathan didn't pay them any attention though.

“Not even a cut nor a bruise." She noticed with a hum. “I'd say you're in good health. Carry on." She bid him farewell and left. Theodora and the dingo resumed talking once again between themselves. Nathan sat down once again and watched the sea as the ship sailed leisurely across the calm dark blue waters. The Waira sea otter island was already growing smaller and smaller towards the horizon. Their journey back to the trading post from the rendezvous had turned into another adventure entirely.

“Nathan!" A familiar voice broke his concentration. “Hey!" She called out again.

“Tosca…" He grumbled and frowned as she approached him from behind.

“I finally get to catch up with you." She breathed contently. “I was shown a large portion of the ship, and I had to tell my backstory to several people. It was so much!" The raccoon blew a sigh. “What's wrong?" She noticed that he hadn't turned around to even look at her.

“Thanks for becoming a pirate and leaving me to be a prisoner." He angrily answered. “I really appreciate being double crossed a second time, Tosca!" Nathan fumed only for a hand to roughly pulled his shoulder. The seated human was turned around onto to find the raccoon looming over him like a dark gray cloud. Nathan got a good look at her frowning scowl before a hand swiftly slapped him across his face.

Nathan blinked, completely stunned as his stinging cheek throbbed. Tosca knelt down and roughly grabbed the human by his shirt.

“Look, idiot." She growled at him in a hushed voice. “It's either one of us is free, or both of us are prisoners on this ship. “At the very least I can make sure you're not treated poorly. Now stop acting like a fool!" Her words stung him almost as much as her palm. Tosca released him and briefly closed her eyes to take a testy deep breath. Nathan stared at her and finally closed his mouth.

“I was going to tell you… I think I can get you to sleep below deck with me."

“Tosca, now is not the time to think about-!" His voice cut off as a pointy claw touched his throat.

“It's either you sleep down there with me or up here overnight. Which do you prefer?" She warned him.

“O-okay." He relented as she finally backed off.

“I'll come back at nightfall to get you." Tosca told him before leaving. Nathan felt empty as she left his sights.

“Heh. Not the romantic type, are you?" One of the ladies nearby half chuckled at his plight. Nathan glanced at the two canine pirates but ignored them. He felt confused and overwhelmed from everything that had happened since sunrise.

The evening came to a close and darkness began to settle. The anchor was dropped and most of the crew retired below deck for the night. Nathan had been given a modest meal for dinner and wasn't bothered much at all since then. The seagulls had been scarce. Even seabirds didn't wish to bother the pirates while they ate.

'I guess even pirates must sleep.' He noticed how few ladies were above deck now. Facing the horizon, a few lingering clouds had faint marks of fading sunshine, orange, yellow, and even hints of purple hues. The air was cooler and the sea breeze felt nice as it ruffled his clothes and hair.

The soft scuffing of footsteps approaching caught his attention. Turning around, Nathan could see the raccoon's dark furred figure in the faint light, although he could barely see how much the wind made it furl and unfurl. She stood before him and paused for a moment. Neither said a word as the wind gently blew.

“Hey." She quietly spoke.

“Hi."

“Has your temper cooled down?" Tosca asked.

“Yeah. Sorry for that." He felt ashamed for snapping at her, even if he had plenty of questions to ask.

“Cmon with me." She calmly spoke and waved a hand. Nathan followed her down to the main deck. They passed by two pirates lingering in the darkness. Both were pressed together, and Nathan couldn't hear their whispers as they walked by. He couldn't tell if it was gossip or they were kissing one another.

“We're going down a set of stairs." Tosca led him across the deck and to an opening that led down into the ship. Nathan had to feel his way down into the darkness as Tosca nearly disappeared in front of him. Once they reached the bottom, a sudden flash of light startled him.

“Ah, it's you Tosca." A canine figure illuminated in lantern light smiled at the topless raccoon. “And your friend." It was Holly the German shepherd, but Nathan barely recognized her without the open coat she normally wore as the lantern light spookily illuminated her figure.

“Heading to bed?" She guessed.

“Yes."

“Take this then." She handed over the dimly glowing lantern. “I'll be calling lights out in just a moment." The half naked canine passed by them.

“Follow me." Tosca whispered to Nathan. The raccoon led him through narrow passages into the belly of the ship as it gently rocked from the gentle sea. A few turns would've left the human utterly lost, but Tosca took him into a small room. A bunk bed and a small regular bed were positioned. Plenty of personal items were faintly visible in the area, from weapons to maps and clothes, but no one else was present.

“Is this your room?" He asked as she hung the lantern up on a nail in the wall. The room was cloaked in a faint golden glow and extended dark shadows.

“No, this is where Kristine and two others sleep. She was the husky who checked you over earlier."

“Yeah, I remember her." He nodded.

“Oh. I have your bag and hopefully everything inside of it still." She mentioned.

“Wow, so the pirates found our belongings?"

“Yeah. They probably used a few threats to get them returned, but I have it under the bunk where we'll be sleeping."

“Thanks. Can you explain to me what's going on?"

“Yeah, but only if you listen to me." She frowned at him.

“Please talk." He sat down on the side of the bed.

“Okay… I have plenty to say so listen to all of it." Tosca told him and sat down at the adjacent corner of the bed, facing away. “After I was untied from the pole, I was taken aboard the ship. I talked to the captain at length, a tigress named Chita. She was warm and welcoming to me, and very interested in my background. She gave me details about the group, what they did, and I was quickly offered to join the crew. Like I told you earlier, it's better than both of us being captive here." She reminded him.

“Yeah, thanks." He sarcastically replied only to wince as she cut her eyes at him through the darkness.

“They asked me about you and said they'd free you from the otters. I was very happy about that. I told her about you and the trading post, because I don't see any point in lying to a whole crew of pirates."

“That's fair."

“You're basically a guest on board this ship, thanks to me, but don't take that as a free pass at any of the ladies." She warned him.

“You're joking, right?"

“Mostly." She stated. “If it wasn't for me, you'd be locked up in the ship's hull somewhere." Nathan felt uneasy at the prospect of being kept somewhere within the ship as it rocked constantly.

“Lights out!" They faintly heard a voice call out from somewhere below deck.

“Blow that out please." Tosca requested. Nathan moved and sent the entire room into pitch black darkness. He blinked and turned around only to nearly bump into the bed.

“I'm right here." Her voice helped guide him back to the bedside. The wooden frame of the bed squeaked but the silence lingered between them for a moment.

“So did they force you to join, or just offer you to join?"

“They offered it and of course I accepted. Are you crazy?"

“You like being a pirate?" He was mildly surprised.

“This is the greatest thing that could happen to me." She told him. “I'm no longer a petty thief."

“You're still a wanted criminal. If anything, you're more wanted now."

“Yeah but I'm not all alone and vulnerable anymore."

“You weren't alone or vulnerable with me." He pointed out. “We were traveling to a large village gathering and nothing bad happened."

“I'm safer here than I have been the past few years." She explained. “We're not close to the swamp anymore, and I don't have to look over my shoulder."

“What happens to you if they dump me off somewhere?"

“I don know." She admitted with a sober shrug. “I'll be sailing around the seas I guess."

“That's reassuring." He sarcastically remarked. “But what about me?"

“The captain did mention something…" Tosca slowly admitted.

“Yeah?" Nathan eagerly listened.

“She probably wants to ransom you off at the trading post soon."

“Wait. Ransom me off?" He couldn't believe it.

“Yeah."

“Wh-how?" Nathan didn't know how to respond to the idea.

“They'll be able to ransom you back at the trading post. I believe that's where they ransomed the sailing crew from the ship we explored."

“What if they can't ransom me. They're not going to let me stay onboard for long." Nathan pointed out.

“I'm sure they will." Tosca stated even though she wasn't certain about that either. “And even if they don't, they can just drop you off at the trading post instead. You'll be free to go at that point. I can make sure nothing horrible happens to you." She insisted.

“I don't know Tosca." Nathan had a difficult time trusting a random group of female pirates even though his life was in their hands.

“Even though they're rough around the edges like me, they're not heartless."

“If you say so."

“Speaking of heartless… It really hurt when you accused me like that." She quietly spoke. Nathan felt the sadness in her voice and guilt formed inside him.

“Sorry for accusing you. I thought you had double crossed and abandoned me with these pirates, just like you had done in the swamp with the bandits." He blew an uneasy sigh and stared into the darkness. “I felt angry and scared when I saw you had joined. I didn't know what to do either."

“I can't be angry at you or blame you for that." She solemnly admitted. “You've helped a petty thief like me a lot these past few weeks, even when you didn't need to."

“I'm glad you're not tying my wrist to the bed again while I sleep." He sat down beside Tosca and held her hand.

“Heh. Don't be too surprised if I change my mind in the early morning." She half grinned and winked at him. Nathan rolled his eyes but didn't say anything as she held his hand close. They shared a much needed moment of silence together as the ship gently rocked on the sea. At least he wasn't completely alone anymore.

“You didn't even abandon me at the cove."

“You know I never would've done that."

“We had a pretty good night though." She remembered with a little grin.

“Yeah, you just couldn't let me fall asleep early." He found it funny.

“Just touch again me so I feel better." She threw an arm around his shoulder and parted a leg to hang over his own. Even though neither were really in the mood, and tired from another long day, Nathan indulged the mischievous raccoon for both their sakes. Nathan leaned onto Tosca and nuzzled her shoulder. The warmth of her fur comforted him once more.

“You're a needy bandit." He placed a hand around her waist while his other hand slowly rubbed her tummy in slow circles.

“A needy topless pirate right now." She corrected him with a whisper.

“You're always topless." Nathan felt the furry bottoms of both breasts

“Yeah, but this pirate would like a kiss too." Tosca turned her head. He gladly obliged her and their lips met. The coolness of her damp black nose pressed against his own nose, and her breath tasted wild against his mouth. He rubbed her back, and gave her breast a soft squeeze until their lips parted. However, both were interrupted by a pair of prolonged yawns.

“Tired?" Nathan barely managed to say as he yawned.

“Yeah, I'm exhausted." She admitted. “It's been a day."

“It has." He agreed.

“Cmon." She slipped off him and the bed. “I'll take you to where I'm going to sleep."

“Alright." Nathan stood up and kept a hand on her hip so she could guide him through the darkness. They exited the room and went down a short hall before entering the main sleeping quarters. It was pitch black and a little stuffy despite a subtle breeze passing through.

“Sh." Tosca paused and tapped him to stay quiet. He patted her side in response.

'As if I wanted to wake everyone up!' He thought to himself. Tosca carefully led him past a few bunk beds and even a hammock where someone was softly snoring. The raccoon's bed was small, the bottom of a bunk, and given the close proximity to the rest of the sleeping crew, Nathan didn't feel much safer than being left alone above deck.

“Duck first." She laid down onto her side and gave him just enough room to join her. Nathan scooted in behind her but feared he would fall out.

“There's not much room." He whispered.

“Just hold me close." She pulled his arm around her. Nathan pressed against her backside so they'd both fit together. Nuzzled into her shoulder, he could smell her above the faint scents of tobacco and others sleeping in the small quarters. If anything, it reassured him that everything would be alright along with the warmth of her body.

“Don't roll over too much." He whispered causing her ear to flick.

“You wish." She whispered back. Nathan closed his eyes with a faint grin across his mouth. His body quickly relaxed despite being in a room full of potentially dangerous pirate women. The human wished he was sleeping with her back in his bed at the trading post. At least she'd be the only person he'd have to worry about when he fell asleep.