FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

P** art One: "The Wolfess"**

++++++

The snide, aged ferret called "Snider Hu'lark" - pirate captain of the massive, iron clad slave ship entitled "Mercury" for its greyish-black colored sails - had worked cruelly, mercilessly as well as feverishly to establish his current as well as feared reputation as a criminal lord amongst lords; a reputation that was now, during even this July day, known and not questioned throughout the northern expanses of salt waters that made up the Waiting Sea of Felldew.

Indeed, for the last twenty-five years where his crew had grown from being common, dull witted, bothersome vermin into experienced, ruthless, cold blooded killers, Snide was no longer the simple nobody he'd formerly been when much younger. No, on this day at noon that would mark the end of his twenty-fifth year of pirating, he was now the night black furred, golden eyed, battle scarred, most cunning ferret corsair king of the north who had raided collections of unwary settlements, plundered plenty of ripe ships, gutted various rivals, enslaved so many innocent slaves as well as led his ship's way through the fiercest of rainstorms.

Most of all, mind, he was known across the sea for another cruel, more fabled fact. He was respected by his evil kin for doing things that were rumored to be impossible for anime; he had escaped, slain along with humiliated humans in the past. Humans - Norlinthians, as they were also called - who supposedly were the messengers of the goddess herself, who were firm keepers of the world's peace, who were the best of warriors and most brilliant of sailors of this age.

Well, heh, five times during his campaign of destruction, humans had sailed across the ferocious body of the Waiting Sea to find Snide. And with their wisdom, with their gift for sailing, find him they had... before he had sunk them, their ships, their powerful weapons that spat fire and metal, their hopes to end his enslaving, down to the depths of the ocean where they undoubtedly met their all loving goddess in the murkiness.

Well, that was if the bloodthirsty sharken - the shark peoples that called the Waiting Sea their home - hadn't ripped those poor sunken humans to shreds on their way down, anyway.

Either way, with breath in his lungs, with a bold twinkle showing in his cold eyes at the thoughts of how he'd grown from a simpleton into someone so powerful if not untouchable, with not only his ship's deck filled to the brim with experienced cutthroats but with his holds below deck nearly overflowing with chained up slaves, the ebony ferret corsair lord was a finer than fine example of what evil sailed the northern seas during what was a clear, beautiful summer day.

As said for him before, with noon just about at hand, today was to be proud Snider's twenty-fifth anniversary of pillaging, raiding as well as succeeding at the business of, well, being a pirate captain. Not only as a pirate captain, of course, but as a living legend too.

Thus, with his brilliant silver forged rapier sheathed in its scabbard on his belted waist, leaning lazily on the rail of the upper deck of his ship to the right side of the wheel, dressed in a rather gallant uniform that consisted of a blue velvet jacket trimmed with gold, white cotton pants, black boots all topped off with a prime, black hat adorned with a solitary white feather, the black ferret looked his part for the celebrations that were to come his way.

And as for what would begin the party in honor of Snide's twenty-five years of becoming a veteran murderer of the high seas, there was to be a great show of him displaying his power to his gathered crew. Oh yes, his planned display of power was to bring forward a number of slaves, any slaves, from the holds below deck. When that was done, the slaves in question would be the servants of the celebration. They would, willing or not, serve the drinks, tend to the food, attend to the Mercury's crew's needs, fancies as well as wants.

For slaves were slaves. There were not Felldewans. They had lost their freedom the moment Snide had come into their lives, razed their homes to the ground along with clapped them in irons. Put simply, he was their goddess now, not Gaia.

No, actually, he wasn't their goddess. He was their GOD! He was the GOD of the Waiting Sea and nothing, not even the humans of Norlinth, could do anything about it!

So today, to honor his rank as such a godly figure among mortals, the slaves would be today's entertainment for Snide and his evil followers aboard Mercury. Yes... Yes, as he stood maliciously waiting on the upper deck with the rest of his excited pirates for the fun to arrive, that sounded most excellent to Snide. He, as a god, would be doted on by servants while also enjoying the awed looks form his crew. And perhaps by tonight's end he would even treat himself to a certain pretty maid from below.

Indeed, that was a most interesting thought for Snide; to take the prettiest of the slaves - a certain otter maiden of his - for himself during the course of the partying to come and do with her as he pleased.

In the end, though, such an interesting as well as wicked thought of dirty desire immediately died in the mind of the supposedly god-like ferret captain when he noticed with the rest of his crew that only one slave was finally brought up from the holds.

Instantly, Mercury's leader's head filled with a quiet anger. His mind filled with questions rapidly as he watched the events unfold before him. What was the meaning of this? Why was there only one servant being brought up onto his deck when the order had been to bring up many more?!

As for this one slave in question who, snarling along with struggling fiercely, was roughly dragged forward towards Snide was instantly recognized by the Mercury's corsairs. Truth be told, the captured servant being tugged along by the chains on her wrist/ankle shackles at the moment could have been mistaken for Snide's younger sister. If she weren't a very mature, attractive golden eyed, tribal tattooed, tall, ebony-black furred wolfess called "Jenna", that was.

Long ago, maybe about four years back, this bound she-wolf, Jenna, had been traded between Mercury and another slaver ship, "Doomwyte", for supposedly a good offer. "Supposedly", mind. Jenna, a beautiful face at the time, had caught Snide's dirty attention. In turn, having wanted her to himself, Mercury's captain had offered ten slaves for her life to become his. Almost too easily, the bargain had been struck. And in turn, during the next night where he had attempted to lull her into a false sense of favoritism at his dinner table in the captain's quarters... Snide had almost gotten a kitchen knife through his eye rather than a kiss on the lips from his desired she-wolf.

For what the captain of the Doomwyte hadn't explained during that transaction four years ago had been that Jenna was a bold, brave, resistant soul who hadn't ever been close to breaking into the command of any pirate lord that had ever owned her life; her life that'd been enslaved for the last ten years. Thus, for the last four years where she'd been starved, beaten, dehydrated, shown up along with nearly killed on the Mercury, she was still as steadfast as ever.

Her warrior ways, her unwillingness to comply to the orders of an evil being like Snide Hu'lark, were more than likely due to her genes. For where the ursine were known for the strength, where humans were brilliant tacticians, the wolves of Tundran were known just as well for their fighting spirit.

In turn to seeing that it was Jenna who was causing all of the trouble as well as holding up the celebration at the moment, the pirates assembled on deck excitedly looked up in unison to see what kind of reaction their lord would present here and now. It was always different each time the wolfess got out of hand like this with Snide. Never was she punished the same way. Thus, almost as if he were bored with the practice being presented to him, having already had a troublesome past with she who was being drug along his vessel's deck - even punched for good measure from time to time - by her holders, the black ferret lord observed the fighting slave show her boldness below.

"Cap'n Snide, sir!" One of the pirates, a plump if not smelly sea rat by the name of "Brum", called up to his superior in a fierce voice while holding onto the fighting wolfess, "Guess who wen' and kill'd good ol' Vixter when m'self and me mates went down to fetch ye' some of yer slaves fer today's anniversary in yer honor, sir?"

"Oh, come now, Brum, ye' thick'ead. Ye' know I'm no good at guessin' games." Was Snide's cold reply, exasperatedly stepping away from the rail he was leaning against to begin walking patiently down the steps towards Jenna onto the lower deck. Truly, he had a voice like metal scraping metal. It was malicious, sharp and devoid of emotion even though he tried to appear to be irritated. "Out wit' it, ratty! Who went an' killed me good ol' pal of the seas, Vixter, eh?"

"Yer lookin' at 'er, cap'n." Was Brum's bitter reply, wickedly tugging on Jenna's ears to make her look up at the ferret lord swaggering up to her so casually like a cat approaching a cornered mouse, "Dis' bitch went and took me best skinnin' knife from me chest sheath, see, an' stuck it up Vixter's throat!"

"Hm, ye' don't say." Mercury's captain mused, chucking to himself rather than sounding remotely hurt over the death of one of his crew, "She got only Vixter?"

"Aye, cap'n. Well, she was about to do the same to the rest of us blokes that she did to Vixter if we hadn't wrestled 'er down first!"

"Vixter", an aged he-fox who had been well known as one of Snide's confidants and would not be missed, was now deader than dead thanks to Jenna having stabbed him through the throat moments ago? Ho ho, ouch. That sounded painful if not life threatening. Well, actually, it had been life threatening. To Vixter, anyway.

Either way, when hearing the news that Vixter was gone from the world and off to the next, there was no show of anger or disbelief nor hatred towards the forced down she-wolf slave. Instead, with ominous chuckles being shared on deck amid the actually humored corsairs of Mercury, the anticipation in the air seemed to increase.

Why did the anticipation increase, one would ask? Over what did it increase? It was over what Mercury's simple faced ferret pirate captain possibly had to say much less would do about this whole situation. For this was honestly not the first time that Jenna of the Lokien Clan had claimed the life of one of the valued pirates aboard Mercury. During her years of forced servitude, she'd killed many of her abusers when they'd let their guard down around her.

Truly, she was known to be a quick killer if not watched closely. A fact that poor Vixter had forgotten for only a second. A second too late, anyhow. What was a real wonder was that the wolfess - being the constant troublemaker - wasn't dead by the captain's hand yet. Why she still breathed was because it'd become something of a familiarity for the pirates every time the she-wolf killed one of their own.

Indeed, every time Jenna killed a pirate, she presented the crew - no - she presented Snide with an opportunity to show his deviousness. Every time she killed a corsair, she had to be punished. And now, undoubtedly, her punishment for having killed Vixter - poor ol' empty headed Vixter, a known favorite of the cap'n - was going to be the start to Mercury's Captain's twenty-fifth anniversary.

The only question at the moment was... how was she going to be punished?

Was she going to be stretched across the deck by ropes like last time? Was she going to have the hairs of her fine tail be plucked out one by one? Was she going to be tied to the main mast high up by the crow's nest where the sun would cook her good?

Oh what, oh what, oh what was going through Captain Snide Hu'lark's evil mind as he gazed down upon the defiant slave before him. Even though he did not smile at her, Jenna could tell that the ferret lord was smiling all too widely on the inside. After four years of dealing with him, she could easily read him like an open, rotten and no good book.

No matter what her supposed master would do to her next, the she-wolf didn't care. She had known what she'd been getting into down below decks when she'd fought off the pirates who had looked to take her friend, "Coralpaw the She-Otter". She had felt like nothing but justice had been done when she'd plunged Brum's little excuse of a knife into the flesh of startled Vixter.

By goddess Gaia's teachings, by having cause a ruckus now, if only for a few minutes longer, Jenna had clearly protected her fellow slaves from the desires of this damned pirate crew... before they would begin to celebrate their evil, good for nothing captain all day through.

As for Mercury's evil, good for nothing captain, he actually pulled out his brilliant rapier at hand with a light sound that rang through salty air. The sound of the blade being brought out made all other noise cease at once. Not even the wind or the lapse of the waves seem to sound out as Snide patiently sighed, pointing his sword's tip to brave Jenna's upraised throat.

"Jenna, Jenna, Jenna, me' girl, me wolfess, me beautiful lovely of the north." The ferret mused, enjoying his position of power over her, "Why oh why do ye' have to make such a fuss on this day of all days, eh? Don't ye' know what today is?"

"I do know what day it is, wretch. It's a day that you're still breathing, still living, still hurting other people! Every day that you're alive is no different. Today is as damned as the one yesterday and the day before that!" Jenna immediately snarled back, somehow finding renewed strength in her struggles and not fearing her tormentor at all, "Every day you breathe is one that is condemned, Snide. And I've prayed every night since I was pulled onto this tub of yours that such condemned days, your days, will come to an end soon!"

At the wolfess's savage outburst, there was no praise or admiration shown by the watching pirate crew. Instead, they expectedly watched their leader. Most of them expected the rapier to flash downwards, cutting off the rest of Jenna's bold life in the process. Instead, though, the rapier flicked upwards to stand straight upright before the green eyes of its holder who seemed to deeply think over some things to himself. Finally, the ferret lord asked a question that made Jenna freeze.

"Tell me, Brum, me ratty mate, what made this she-wolf of mine behave so rudely? What was it that made 'er stick Vixter, the poor soul, in the bloomin' neck?"

"Er, uh, well, cap'n, she got mighty fierce when me and me mates here were about to take that she-otter, Coralpaw." Was the sea rat's reply, thinking with a dumb expression, "You know, that pretty she-otter lassy ye've taken an interest in since we swiped 'er up from Coral Bay last month."

"Ah, yes, I know the otter maiden ye' speak of, Brum. Hm, what does that she-otter matter to you, Jenna, me dear?" Snide wondered innocently but not at all innocent, leaning down to look curiously into the she-wolf's blazing eyes, "Eh? Do you not want me to pay little Coralpaw a visit? Is that it? Are the two of ye' close? Do ye' hold each other at night? Do ye' have special places in each other's hearts, yarr?"

For an answer, growling coldly, the wolfess lunged forward. Her open jaws clamped down on open air rather than the pirate captain's face, however, when he quickly as well as smugly jumped back. Snide had been expecting Jenna to try to bite him. She'd taken the bait easily. Now, amid the humored laughter of his crew, feeling prouder than before, Snide gestured for several of his mess mates to take the she-wolf off of Brum's hands. When the transaction had been complete, with Jenna held tightly if not aggressively by hungry looking sea scum, the ferret lord roared boldly to his audience.

"Mateys, I have to say that I've grown tired of this 'ere she-wolf's bad manners. Is it not time fer us to let 'er go see the goddess of Felldew? The same goddess she claims has helped her survive to this very day?"

There were hoots, hollers along with woops of excitement at hearing that Snide was mentioning taking Jenna's life to begin the partying. Not showing any fear, having been ready to die long before now, the she-wolf kept her yellow eyes fierce and her fangs bared as her supposed master strutted majestically before his riled up crowd of followers.

"Har har, yes, yes, how should we send her to Gaia almighty, eh, chaps? Should we tie her to a rock and throw her overboard for the sharken to have? Should I let all of ye' have yer way with her until she cries out for mercy, huh? How about if we hang her upside down during a storm and let all of her hopes be washed away from her heart with the rainy winds?"

Next, turning back to her with a sneer, Snide seized Jenna by her mane of black hair and pulled her head back. With her throat exposed to him, Mercury's excited captain hollered aloud, holding his rapier up once more to the wolfess's windpipe.

"Ha ha! So many ways to do it! There are so many ways to take a life. Yet, by the goddess's decree, we can only choose one. Har har, I could cut 'er right 'ere before yer eyes, boys, and let 'er show us the color of her warrior blood.

So many horrid things were spoken that day over how to send Jenna to goddess Gaia's gates. Clearly was the evil mind of Snide revealed as he riled up his followers with talk of death, torture along with despair on the Mercury's deck. Yet, not once did Jenna fall to her knees and beg for mercy. Not once did she let a tear fall from her golden eyes. Before having become a slave, during a time back when she'd had a clan to call her own in Tundran, she'd been raised better than that.

She'd been taught by her mother and father to grow proud, strong and faithful. She'd remained a steadfast icon of strength, hope and loyalty even when she'd been torn from the grasp of her weeping little sister on board Doomwyte four years ago.

If Jenna was to die today... she would do so without fear. She would do so with only bravery in heart. Most of all, mind, be it through one way or another, she wouldn't die alone. Oh no, she would take Snide with her. She wouldn't go to see Gaia without first having sent him to Helnoth where the most wicked of souls ruled.

Yet, as it turned out, the she-wolf was not fated to die during that July day. She was not doomed to perish during Snide's anniversary at pirating. Not when, with a sweeping gesture, the ferret ordered for his crew to tie the wolfess face forward to the main mast. With great gusto, seizing what parts they could, ripping the tunic that was her clothes from her body in the process, the whole crew shoved the bold wolfess to the main mast, roped her tightly to the wood, then hurriedly back away as their captain approached.

Next, with a wave of his claw, Snide's ship went silent. Then, as his crew wickedly chuckled, the ferret captain produced his personal whip from his outfit pocket. Hungrily, he eyed Jenna's plain back, enjoyed the sight of her nudity, felt powerful like he always did when at the center of attention amid his followers. This was why he kept her around. She was his pawn to showing off his superiority. For the last four years, she had had her uses on his vessel. Oh yes... she most certainly had had her uses.

With a sneer, Snide looked around at those watching him before proclaiming, "Here's a new idea, lads. Who all wants to take a whip to this dog, eh?"

There were roars of approval at this. So many clamored forward to try to gain their captain's whip that he had to actually snap it at everyone's feet before they were back in control of themselves!

Finally, when having control of the situation again, the pirate lord mused, "Oh but what kind of ingrates try to go first when they know their dear ol' cap'n's twenty-fifth anniversary at being a legendary pirate is today, eh?"

Wisely, there were no replies to this dangerous inquiry. If anyone spoke, they would surely receive a lashing or two from their captain who looked about for any possibility of a foolish answer.

When he got no replies from his followers, Snide chuckled, "Alas, I get to go first, me hearties. And where I know all of you want to have a go at this beautiful wolf before you, well, sorry, that won't be today. She may be strong but she's not that strong to take all fifty lashings from us. Instead, fer killin' me honest mate, Vixter, for holding us up with her heroics, I say she deserves a good ten lashes across that nice back of 'ers! Am I right or am I right?"

Ten lashes? The captain was going soft it seemed. Jenna had been expecting more. Regardless, she wordlessly braced herself as she heard the familiar, sinister, slashing noise of the captain's whip flicking through the air. Yet, just as it seemed that the whipping was about to begin, everything came to a screeching halt. All eyes focused onto Snide who, feeling his whip moodily rather than twirling t around his head, said something on his wicked mind.

"But hold on. Somethin' doesn't feel right about all of tis', mateys. No... There's someone else 'ere with us who is just as guilty over Vixter's death as dear Jenna is."

No one spoke. No breathed. This was a most evil turn of events. Who was as guilty as Jenna over Vixter's death? Who was going to, uh, receive ten lashing alongside her?

For what felt like eternity, the crew of the Mercury didn't move, speak much less breathe for fear that they'd draw the attention of their malicious captain. Then, almost simply, Snide lifted a curved claw up to smugly point at a stupefied Brum who went as pale as the sheets of the sails above in no time.

"Brum, me grimy messmate." The ebony furred ferret lord purred, smiling a cool yet wicked smile with his fangs showing, "It was ye' that let our little slave 'ere kill one of me best pals, wasn't it? It was yer dagger that she used, no?"

"Cap'n... I didn't mean fer... I..." Brum began to blubber, looking quite fearful for what was plainly coming his way and what made his shipmates sneer, "Cap'n, ye' know I wasn't... Mercy, please..."

A simple gesture, a snap of Snide's fingers, is all that it took for yelping, screaming Brum to be dragged by his messmates forward like Jenna, lashed to the main mast opposite of her and left to the mercy of Snide who, twirling his whip around his head was in his element.

Yes, truly, the ebony furred ferret captain of Mercury was GOD of the Waiting Sea! There was no goddess holding him back here as he, one by one, moving from one to the other after each whip "crack", slashed his whip across the backs of his victims.

Every time she was dealt her blow, having grown used to the treatment for the last ten years of her enslavement, determined Jenna simply flinched a bit. She shed no tears, gave no screams and showed no pain. Rather, like they'd done since having become a slave, her glowing eyes went on burning with hatred.

Plump Brum, however, squealed, flailed along with sobbed after each of his lashings which made his crew roar with merciless mirth every time.

Such was the life aboard the Mercury. Under the command of Snide Hu'lark, with each mistake made, there was no mercy to be remotely found there. Still, what no one could have guessed at the moment was that that sort of code was going to be changed in the near future. Perhaps it'd taken ten years for her prayers to be answered but goddess Gaia had not abandoned brave Jenna. For by the end of the day, due to a reason that would sail forth from the southern portion of the Waiting Sea, Captain Snide would live no more.

His twenty-fifth year of pirating was to be his last year. It was to be the year when all of his evildoing would at long last catch up with him. And although he hadn't known it then, Snide's downfall had begun the moment he'd enslaved the pretty sea otter maid called Coralpaw thirty days ago.