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Anchors Aweigh

He had puzzled over it for months. Agonized over it. Ever since Bristol, the Captain had wondered, puzzled, and wondered some more. By the second month at sea, it became painfully obvious to him. There was something amiss about the cabin boy.

He was as much aware as any man who had been out to sea for months, that, in absence of womenfolk, men would sometimes take other men, but he had always prided himself that he was not one of those men (also because that sort of activity was punishable by hanging where he came from). He had kept his ship well, his men respected him, and he would do nothing to lose that respect.

Somewhere out in the mid-Atlantic - he didn't know where, exactly, as he had begun to daydream as he checked the ship's charts and coordinates - he began thinking of the cabin boy again. The boy was a clear newcomer to the ways of seamen; the story the boy gave was that he was the youngest son of a youngest son, and figured he had a better chance for a better life if he left land. It was a fair idea; that was how the Captain had made his fortune.

The leonine ship captain had also been the youngest son - of landed gentry. When the entail passed to his eldest brother on their father's death, the Captain's options had been the Church or Military Service. Serving the King's Navy and seeing exotic places that he had only previously read about appealed to him. That, and there was something about the sea that called to him.

Perhaps that was what drew him to his new cabin boy: the lad had said much the same when he boarded.

The Captain shook out his mane to focus and stared back down at the map in front of him. He dipped his pen in the inkwell and jotted down their current coordinates in the ship's log. They were a good two weeks from Port Royal, their first destination, then up the coast to Charlestown in the Colonies. In Jamaica, they would unload various dry goods for the colonists, then pick up sugar and molasses for the trip to the Carolinas; provided they avoided whatever pirates and Spanish privateers were in the area, they would make excellent time, and hopefully be on the return trip to England long before hurricane season began. Perhaps, if trade in the Carolinas proved fruitful, a trip further north to Virginia and Mary-Land would be a welcome respite for the men. The lion liked the sound of a short holiday, and he imagined the men would, too.

A knock came to his door. His quarters were cramped, but spacious compared to what the men had belowdecks. "Enter," he called. He held his breath as the door opened to reveal the object of his more recent thoughts.

The cabin boy was a slight if somewhat scrawny otter, and no amount of hard labor on-deck would add to the boy's physique. His arms still remained as thin as a woman's, and the lad's short stature belied that he would always most certainly be below average for height. Subject to ridicule on land, his height would make him a great sailor one day; the way he scaled the rigging and shimmied up the masts had been most impressive. The boy already proved he knew what he was doing, as if he had been to sea before, or at the very least, grown up amid sailors.

"Ye wanted t' see me, cap'n?" the boy asked, mid-salute.

"Yes, John, close the door behind you."

The otter obeyed and cautiously approached the lion behind the desk. "Am...am I in trouble for somethin', cap'n?"

Puzzled, the lion asked, "What gave you that idea? Have you done something wrong?"

"Tha's the thing, sir, I ain't got a clue if I done somethin' wrong. I got all me chores 'n' duties done, like ye ordered. An' only reason you arsk any other man in 'ere is t'yell at 'im, I reckon is why ye called me in."

Bless his heart, he certainly looked scared about something. The Captain waved his hand dismissively. "No, no, you've done nothing wrong, Johnny, I just wanted to ask you something."

The otter still seemed uncomfortable. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, hands clasped behind his back, and though he was in the "at-ease" position, he was most certainly not at ease.

The Captain leaned forward against his desk, resting his elbows on the charts. "Tell me, do you know where to go from here? Have you any thoughts for your future?"

"Cap'n?"

"Your career, have you given any thought to it?"

The otter shrugged. "No' much thought, sir. Why d'you arsk?"

"Because as soon as we reach the Carolinas, Bates has informed me that he is disembarking. Apparently he's answered an advertisement for a piece of property in the Colonies, and would like to end his career as a seafarer and serve His Majesty on land. This means the position of First Mate is up for grabs. Are you interested?"

The otter's eyes widened and he drew in a sharp breath. "Me? Me, are you sure?"

The lion smiled at the otter's modesty. "Quite sure. You've performed exceptionally well these last two months, and I am rather impressed. If I hadn't known better, I'd say you've been to sea before."

The otter blushed beneath his fur. "Well, t'be honest about it, m'lud, me family's a long line o' seafarers. Knew 'ow t' tie knots since I was a babe, and me ole dad took me out in a skiff - 'e was a fisherman, mind, but 'e never took me out t' sea proper. Said 'twas too dangerous."

"I see. Was he angry when you told him you signed on with this ship?"

"I, eh...never quite told 'im, sir. Not a bloke ye c'n easily talk to, ole dad."

"I imagine he must be worried sick about you. Why not send him a letter once we reach port, send it back on a ship bound for England?"

"I would, but 'e can't read. S'pose 'e could arsk the Vicar t' read it t' 'im...I doubt 'e'd wanna 'ear from me, anyhow." The otter paused, reading his captain's face. This gave the Captain time to admire his cabin boy.

He had delicate features, the otter did, so far unmarred by the harsh weather and harsher life, and long lashes that seemed quite out of place on a young man, but, appropriately, those lashes framed eyes that were as blue as the Caribbean Sea. The boy always wore clothes that were much too big for him (he would need to visit a tailor if he intended to look the part as First Mate), that hung off his slight frame. The Captain knew there was a slim body under those clothes, no doubt from the near starvation rations they were now eating. The lion stood and walked around his desk, noticing the otter straightening his back, his shoulders stiff.

The Captain knew he could be imposing if he needed to be, but seeing just how unnerved the otter was made him feel just awful. Then suddenly, without even thinking why he was doing it, the lion opened his arms and wrapped them around the otter, who stiffened immediately.

That was when the lion felt it. His thoughts ground to a halt, and he stepped back, staring at the otter in astonishment. The otter's blue eyes were wide with fear, because now the Captain knew the secret.

"John" was a woman.

"Mother of God," the lion gasped.

"John" pressed her arms over her chest, knowing her breasts - though bound tightly - had given her away. "Don't, Cap'n," she pleaded. "Don't tell 'em. I know what they'll do to me if they knew."

"Who are you?!" he demanded. "And how dare you stowaway on my ship--"

"I ain't a stowaway, and if that's what ye think, ye can drop me at Port Royale and be on yer merry way," she snapped, her feminine features much more apparent now that she was no longer making an effort to hide it. "I have me reasons for leavin', boardin' as I did, I wanted a new life, one that didn't involve whorin' or marryin' a man for 'is money. You can accuse me of many things, but--"

"Oh yes, many things, such as cross-dressing, taking a job under false pretenses, and God only knows what else!"

"Will ye keep yer damn voice down?!" she hissed. The Captain stood back in shock, largely because she had spoken so forcefully at him, and actually dared to talk back to him in such a way. She continued, "Me name is Jane, if'n ye please, a fisherman's daughter. Aye, that all was true, 'cept me saying I was a son and not a daughter. I left because Dad's landlord took a fancy to me, but I would 'ave none 'o 'im. So you send me back, fine, but I tell ye, ye'd be better off just throwin' me t' the sharks, because I'll be dead afore we reach shore. I ain't goin' back there, in chains or otherwise."

The Captain stepped back and leaned back against his desk. She wasn't budging. Otters weren't known for ferocity, as far as he knew, but this one had a lot of spirit. He had to admire that, even if it came from a woman. "So," he said, "You won't go back to England."

"Over me dead body."

"But you cannot stay aboard this ship."

"Cos it's bad luck, ye reckon?" she challenged. "I've been on this boat for nigh on a year, and what's the worst tha's 'appened? A little storm 'ere or there? Is your opinion o' me so changed, when you would've given me the First Mate rank just five minutes ago, when you still thought me a man? Haven't I proved myself, or d'ye want me to go out there and show ye again?"

Damn, she had a point, even if he didn't want to admit it. Man or woman, she knew her trade. But he was in a tight spot. He knew the penalty for harboring a fugitive (for she couldn't be anything else, according to the law), and he also knew what would happen to her if the men found out her secret. What to do?

She crossed her arms and stared at the floor. She seemed to be thinking as hard as he was. They were at a stalemate, and it seemed neither the Captain nor this woman had any idea how to proceed. Then Jane cleared her throat.

"How far are we from the Colonies?"

"At least another week, if the winds remain fair. Why?"

"If'n ye know someone who could use a maid, I could pass. I ain't a lady, an' I don't pretend t'be. Cap'n, all I want is honest work. No whorin', no way I could be a victim of some dirty ole lout."

"I hate to ruin a dream," he said sourly, "but you'll have a hard time with that as a maid."

"Then an apprentice somewhere! I can fish, but like hell they'll let me on a boat with men. I can fix nets, I can...well, ye know what I can do!" she huffed.

"You'll have to try a lot harder to convince me," the lion said. "I have no intention of keeping you on this ship a moment longer than necessary. At the same time, however, I am too much of a gentleman to reveal you to the crew."

Jane blinked and stared at him in astonishment. "What?"

"I said I won't reveal you."

"What's the catch?" the otter asked, narrowing her eyes with suspicion. "What sort of payment d'ye want?"

"I want no payment."

"Ye big liar! Nobody gives somethin' for nothin'." Then she fell silent, a blush falling across her cheeks. "Right, I have a proposition. I ain't got enough money to pay ye off..."

"And I wouldn't even consider taking it," he said. Frankly, he was a little insulted that she thought he was so corrupt that he could be bought off for his silence.

"The only thing I can offer ye..." she said, then paused, swallowed hard and hugged her arms. "The only thing I can offer ye...is my body."

He hadn't heard that right. He couldn't have. The lion blinked several times before he found his voice again. "I beg your pardon?"

"Me. I give meself to ye, for one night, ye can do anything ye want with me. I won't protest, hell, you'll be doin' me a favor, ye will."

"How is that?"

"Get it outta me system, if'n ye catch me drift." She smiled somewhat coyly. "T'be honest, Cap'n, I've 'ad me eye on ye since I came aboard. I couldn't say anythin', a-course, but yer a fair man, fair in manner an' fair in looks. I wouldn't offer meself to another man, y'know?"

"Is that a fact?"

"Oh bloody 'ell, sir - Ye 'aven't 'ad a woman since we left Plymouth months ago. I serve meself up on a silver platter and yer not already inside me?"

"A gentleman would never presume to treat any woman like that, lady or no."

Jane sighed and stepped closer to him, drawing her hand over his chest. "Please, ye will be doin' me a favor."

Now he could see her, see the curves beneath her clothes, the slope of her long slender neck, the gentle angle of her collarbones, the fullness of her lips, and before he knew what he was doing, his hands had already rested on her hips. Jane drew closer, closing the gap between them and offered him her lips, which he accepted gladly.

The otter was right, this was what he needed. He hungrily returned her kiss, and somewhere in the back of his mind, the gentleman in him protested that what he was doing was wrong, but he didn't care. He wanted this woman, and he wanted her so badly his whole body ached.

Jane pressed her body tightly against his, feeling his muscles beneath his clothes. One hand moved down to cup the growing bulge inside his trousers and she gasped when he did. God Almighty, he was huge! If she had known how well-endowed he was, she probably would not have made the offer in the first place. But the otter had already started, she couldn't stop now.

The Captain's hands reached up and tore her shirt away, revealing the bound breasts beneath it. Taking a claw, he ripped at the binding until it fell away in a clump on the floor. Jane blushed to see the intense stare on his face as his hands reached up to cup her small, pert breasts. His thumbs grazed over her nipples, and she bit her lip to stop a moan.

The otter stepped away a moment, only to sink down to her knees in front of him. She reached up to begin unbuttoning his trousers to reach the prize within. The lion leaned back against his desk, his breathing hitched as she opened the fly and coaxed his cock out.

Jane stopped and swallowed hard again. He was half erect, but still large, and it was only going to get bigger. In for a penny, in for a pound, she thought, and stuck out her tongue to give the barbed head a quick lick. He hissed and moaned a little, spurring her on. The otter took the head into her mouth and sucked gently, rubbing her hand up and down his length as he thickened and grew harder. Soon she could feel the veins throbbing on her tongue and, taking the chance, tried to see just how much leonine cock she could fit without gagging. The barbs at the end weren't sharp as she feared, they actually tickled the top of her mouth and her tongue. She made it about halfway before she realized she couldn't fit any more, but decided to suck slowly, get used to his taste, while her hand caressed his heavy balls.

The Captain shivered and shook above her, bringing down a hand to rest on her head, urging her forward. "God, that's good," he whispered, and gritted his teeth against the moan when he felt her lips curl up in a smile around his member. Precum leaked from his slit and onto her tongue, which she lapped up willingly. She pulled back to give her jaw a break - she wasn't used to having something so large in her mouth - and proceeded to lick up and down his shaft instead.

More to Jane's surprise than the lion's...she was really enjoying this. Feeling this great man tremble with pleasure above her, biting back on moans whenever one threatened to give them away...she was the one who had power over him like this. He was putty in her hands (and mouth) and she loved it. She put her mouth around his cock again and took it as deep as she could, now deeper than before. Jane blushed, feeling wetness between her legs. Curious, she reached down, under her waistband and felt there. The otter could feel her natural lubricant soaking her fingers, and she moaned around his member, sticking a finger up her slit and shuddering with pleasure.

The lion couldn't hold back and thrust into her mouth, eliciting a surprised groan from her throat. He rubbed behind her ears as an apology, which only made her suck harder on him. He was in ecstasy, and would have given anything to hump and fuck this woman. He got his wish sooner than he expected, when she took her mouth off him and stood up only long enough to untie the sash around her waist and letting her trousers fall to the floor. She wrapped her hand around his cock and kissed him again before moving his charts and papers off the desk top. Climbing onto his desk, she leaned back on her elbows and spread her legs for him. "Take me," she whispered. "Make a woman out of me."

He needed nothing further. He grabbed one of her ankles in each hand and positioned himself before he entered her as swiftly as he dared. Jane bit back on a moan, but the soft gasp followed by throwing her head back with pleasure was enough to tell him she wanted this, that she was enjoying this. He began to move inside her, keeping the thrusts long and slow at first to allow both of them to get used to the sensation. She was so tight! Her inner walls massaged his arousal with every thrust. Every time their hips met, she clenched down around him, and eased up when he pulled partway out. Her breaths left her in short gasps with each thrust, and though he was taking it slow, she wanted more.

How many nights had she dreamed of this? How often had she thought about being taken by this very man, how good it would feel? The barbed member rubbing up against her walls, drawing out whimpers and soft moans... Her hands clenched and flexed, unsure what to do; there were no sheets to grab hold of, and his grip on her ankles keeping her legs wide open prevented her from reaching up to wrap her arms around him. But oh, the angle of his thrusts hit just the right spots. She leaned back on his desk, feeling him pick up the pace, and she responded in kind, bucking her hips back to meet his whenever she could.

"Oh God, Cap'n," she whispered, "That feels good. Don't stop, please..."

He was only too happy to oblige, releasing her ankles and grabbing onto her hips and leaning back for better leverage. He pumped harder into her as she dug her fingernails into the desk's edge to keep from being shoved right off the furniture. He pulled her hips even closer until they were hanging off the edge, forcing his member deeper inside her. Jane's eyes fluttered closed and she bit back on a loud moan. If any of the crew overheard them, she'd be in for it and she knew it.

The lion lowered himself over her, pressing his body to hers. Jane finally wrapped her arms around his powerful shoulders, taking fistfuls of his coat in her fingers. His thrusts became shorter, but firmer, as he rocked against her, triggering fits of delighted shivers throughout her body. The otter felt his body heat seeping into her core, and his musk drove her wild. She ran her hands through his mane, kissing his face before accepting a sloppy kiss from him.

Their tongues danced as their combined moans became more desperate, keening...the lion sped up his thrusts, feeling his release coming. The otter in turn rocked her hips against his, grasping one of her breasts and closing her eyes in bliss. She lay down completely on his desk and he stood straighter, angling his thrusts deeper and harder until he felt her shudder violently beneath him. Jane bit down onto her fingers to keep the delighted shout of ecstasy from alerting anyone, and her inner walls clamped down tightly around the Captain's cock. Within a few more desperate thrusts he slammed his hips one last time into the waiting otter and emptied himself into her.

Jane lay back, breathless, looking up at him with half-lidded, bedroom eyes. She sighed contentedly as he smiled. "Was that good?" she asked.

"It was brilliant. How did you...?"

"I enjoyed meself quite well, Cap'n," she smiled back. "I've dreamed o' this fer a long time, I have. 'Twas better than anythin' I ever imagined."

They lay there a moment, basking in the glow of their coupling before the Captain finally pulled his softening member out of her. Jane allowed herself to sit up on the edge of his desk; her legs were shaking, and she didn't trust her ability to stand. As the lion did his best to clean himself and adjust his clothing, both fell into the same thought:

"What d'we do now?" she asked.

He sighed. "I don't know. What I just did to you was hardly proper."

"What did I say? I'm not a lady, an' I don't pretend t'be," she argued. "One roll in th' hay hardly makes me a whore. But I s'pose if'n it bothers ye, I can disembark at the next port."

"So you do intend to leave," he said. It wasn't a question, he was merely stating a fact, one that he was trying to deny.

"There's no place fer me on this boat anymore," she said. "Now that ye know, the men will figure it out, sooner or later. Sooner I get off, the better for everyone."

"And what will you do? There aren't a lot of honest professions for a single woman of your background."

Jane eased herself off his desk and started grabbing her clothes, gingerly pulling her pants up over her still-shaking legs. "Like I said, I reckon I could get a job as a maid in some house, maybe work at a tavern. I've no intention o' becomin' a harlot."

"Nor would I want you to be."

Jane gave him a searching look as she stared to wind the cloth around her breasts. "Why d'ye care? S'not like ye've got good reason t' care about me. I ain't some high'n'mighty rank like yers."

"You don't need to have a rank for someone to care about you."

"Not in me experience."

The Captain mulled this over. Then he spoke. "What just transpired between us, I will keep secret. If you wish to disembark at the next port of call, I won't stop you. But I happen to know of a man in the colonies who could use someone more than just a house servant."

"Where in the colonies?"

"Mary-Land. I've been to the port of Baltimore once and found it a fair place, but Annapolis is by far one of the loveliest cities in the New World. My contact lives there. If you are willing to stay aboard until we can reach the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay..."

"Why d'ye want t' 'old onto me?" she asked suspiciously, tucking her shirt into her belt.

"Because," he said, gently taking her hand in his, "If you will permit me, it will give me more time to show you what it feels like to be cherished, to feel love."

She ripped her hand away. "Ye don't love me, an' don't try to convince me ye do. Ye just want me body for a while longer, admit it. Now that I've given meself once, ye want t' treat me like a common whore."

"You are not a common whore," he hissed angrily. "When I look at you, I don't see a loose woman; I see a desperate one. I see a woman who is not afraid to do whatever it takes to survive, and I admire that. I admire that strength, the will to do whatever needs to be done. You were right, earlier. You may not be 'John', but you're still the same person I would have appointed First Mate. You are more than just a mere woman. All I'm saying is that I intend to prove it to you. Stop," he ordered, holding up a hand to stop her from protesting. "Hear me out. It is obvious to me that you have known very little kindness and even less pleasure in your life. Am I right?"

She suddenly wouldn't meet his eye. He took that as proof.

"And did you feel any kindness and pleasure in this room, just now?"

There was a long pause before she finally admitted, "Aye, I did."

"I can safely confirm the same for myself," he confessed. "If we are both in agreement, I propose we spend these next few weeks taking pleasure together. We will have to be discreet of course. We will hide it from the men, one way or another."

"What if they suspect yer buggerin' th' cabin boy?" she smirked.

"I think forty lashes for slander ought to do it," he cheekily answered. He allowed silence to fall on the room before he ventured, "What do you think of my proposal?"

Jane visibly thought it over. She had enjoyed their tryst, and was eager for an encore. She worried about being discovered, but if she was guaranteed a place of relative freedom in the Colonies for a couple weeks of being the Captain's love slave, she was willing to accept that.

"All right," she finally said. "But as soon as we reach Annapolis..."

"Don't worry, I'm formulating a plan as we speak."

---

Several weeks later, the midday sun shone brightly on the cobble-stoned streets and red-brick paved sidewalks of downtown Annapolis. Storefronts lined the narrow paved streets, which sloped down from a hill where a church sat perched on top. The City Dock was a hive of activity, brimming with ships from all over the Colonies and from England, France, Portugal...It wasn't quite London, but then, no place in the world was quite like London.

Jane adjusted her skirt and petticoat as she fidgeted. The Captain gently laid a hand on her shoulder; he had purchased her some clothes in the Carolinas so that she could better blend in. "There is nothing to fear. I know this man through family connections, he will be a good master."

"What'd ye tell 'im about me?"

"Don't worry, I gave you a respectable background: that you are the young widow of a sailor on my ship, in need of good honest work. I added the necessary niceties, how your late husband was a good man, a good hard worker, and that his widow - that is, you - are of the same vein."

The otter nodded. "I s'pose that'll do. What if'n 'e asks about me accent?"

"He won't. He understands discretion."

Both of them sighed and looked down the streets of Annapolis, Maryland. Seagulls called overhead, sometimes drowning out the cries of sailors scurrying around City Dock. The Captain chanced a look at Jane. She looked every inch a woman. He hadn't realized until she was completely dressed in women's garb that she really was quite a beauty, once the sea salt and dirt and grime were washed away; she looked nearly presentable. Seeing her for the first time freshly bathed, scrubbed clean, and dressed in commoner's clothes, the lion began to suspect that she was far too lovely for menial work. Right now, though, she was surveying the red brick buildings and refuse-strewn streets.

"I know, being a colony," the lion offered by way of apology, "that Mary-Land may not be as...clean as London."

Jane smirked up at him. "Ye've never been t' the East End, I reckon?"

He shushed her and waved to a well-dressed gentleman who was descending down from Main Street. The Captain had watched this man leave the Maryland Inn at the top of the hill, right at the corner of Church Circle and Main Street, and walk down the gently sloping hill to the docks. It was a male sea otter who was just past his prime, but by no means old, though his scruffy appearance made him look older than he was. As he got closer, the Captain noticed his paws were stained black. The male otter tipped his black tri-corner hat to the lion.

"Beg your pardon, Captain, if I don't shake your hand. I highly doubt you'd want ink on your sharp uniform."

"Not at all, Mr. Briggs. Jane," he introduced. "This man is James Briggs, the most successful printer in the entire city."

"Oh go on," he replied jovially. "Flattery will get you nowhere. Is this the girl? Pretty little thing, isn't she? How'd a little thing like you survive the voyage?"

"I'm made o' harder stuff than I look," Jane said with a knowing smile.

"Good to hear; the shop needs someone who's not afraid of hard work. You can read?"

"My Bible, every night before sleep."

"Papist?"

"Church of England, sir."

"We'll get along just fine, then," Mr. Briggs said with a wink. He turned and tipped his hat again to the lion captain. "Many thanks for bringing her here."

The Captain shook his head. "Not at all. I should be thanking you, for giving her a place in such time of need."

"What? Ah, right, right..." Briggs turned to Jane, "My condolences for your husband. Been long?"

Jane followed the script perfectly. "Only two months since his passing. We were married in London over a year ago, and intended to settle in the colonies."

"God rest his soul," the other otter said with bowed head. "I lost my Bess not a year ago, myself. Misery loves company, doesn't it?"

Jane only gave him a small smile.

Briggs quickly recovered himself. "Well, we'd best be going, then. I'll give you two a minute to say your good byes."

Jane and the Captain looked at each other and a hundred different emotions crossed their faces. It was Jane who composed herself first and offered her hand. "Thank ye for the safe passage, Captain, and fer all ye kindness."

The Captain accepted her hand and shook it, squeezing hard. "Thank you for your company. I only wish I could have been of greater help to you."

"Believe me," she said with a solemn smile, "Ye've gone above an' beyond what anyone could expect of ye. Good bye, Captain. May the winds be fair, and the seas kind on all your journeys."

With that, Jane clutched her bag with her meager possessions and followed Mr. Briggs up Main Street towards Church Circle, and on to his print shop where, the Captain hoped, she would flourish. Perhaps, he hoped, she could even become Mrs. Briggs someday.

As for the Captain, there would be many more voyages in his future, but this one, the one that had just ended on such a bittersweet note, would always remain clear in his memories, even to his dying day.