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P** art Two: "The Dream"**

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During his twenty-five years of pirating the vast northern sea, Snide had taken many fantastic treasures for his own. Mind, with him being a feared pirate lord and all of that, most of the treasures he fancied nowadays on his vessel had been, well, mostly taken with or without permission from their former owners. And on this day, as his cronies partied in his honor for his anniversary, the ferret lord had some of the said, fancy treasures on his person for all eyes to bear witness.

For instance, there was the whip that Captain Snide had used on defenseless Jenna who, having fallen asleep from weariness an hour ago, was still tied to the main mast as the ill celebrations carried on around her. Yes, the whip that the night black ferret lord had slashed her with had a rather twisted history to it. Before Snide had come to own it, it'd belonged to the previously most feared slaver in all of the Waiting Sea; the white-black colored fox, "Lupane Grollad", who had been the sly captain of the "Undying".

To be honest, when she'd engaged Mercury fifteen years back, Undying hadn't really lived up to her name. Not when Snide had boarded her, stolen all of her slaves for himself, slain her master along with sank her. She, her legacy, had died then. Well, actually, not all of her legacy had sunk with her. Not when Snide occasionally looked down at the whip that had been Lupane's personal own.

Each time he would do so, the ferret would sneer to himself, flick the whip weapon... and remember just how pathetic Undying had been before his might. That was how her legacy was remembered; as pathetic by Snide.

Next, Snide's current outfit was a literal record of all of the many rivals he'd disposed of during his campaign. The formal hat adorned with the white feather he wore had belonged to another fox, "Merrick Lookalong", a supposedly uncatchable raider who had had the fastest ship ever known. Alas, that ship had been brought to a sinking halt when it'd run across Mercury.

Then there'd been the fancy coat that Snide wore which had belonged to a wicked corsair rat, "Flecken Squired", who had had a certain taste for the arts. A taste that had forever been put to an end when he'd met Snide who had given him a "taste" of his sword.

And as for the white pants along with black leather boots that Mercury's captain wore on his person, they'd been owned by his oldest rival; "Krulem Heretin", another ferret who had actually been a pure white color with blazing red eyes. For the longest time, it'd been rumored across the sea that Krulem had been the twin, opposite brother of Snide. The only thing was that Krulem had had too big a mouth. A mouth that Snide had at long last hunted down last year, stuffed with rocks until it could be stuffed no more... and then hurled it along with its "dead as a stone" owner into the sea for the sharken to enjoy in the depths.

Oh but hold a moment? What was the point of Snide wearing the trousers along with boots of his oldest rival then?

As it went, just before Mercury's captain had lost his patience with the loud mouth, Krulem had claimed that Snide wasn't half of the ferret he was. Supposedly, he wouldn't be able to live in the snow white ferret's shoes for even a day. Well, a year later, Snide was still living high and mightier than ever literally in good ol' dead Krelum's shoes, wasn't he?

Yes. Yes, he was.

There was one thing that stood out most from Captain Snide Hu'lark's apparel. It was the stylish, thin bladed, brilliantly forged, black handled, cup-hilted, silver rapier he lazily held in his paw at the moment. The described, fantastic weapon had previously belonged to the last human captain that'd had the nerve to challenge the ferret lord only three months ago. Naturally, heh, that daring human leader - "Mordecai Langwin" or something like that - along with all aboard his ship, the "Raven", had met the same grim, sinking fate as the four others that had come before him.

Indeed, even with all of his supposed blessings from almighty Gaia, Captain Mordecai Langwin of the Raven had been sent to the bottom of the sea where, no doubt, his corpse was still there being picked at by the fishes. Yet, before he'd been sent there, before his hopes had been sunk with the whole of his ship, his rapier had been taken from him in a one on one duel.

Of course, the human had nearly won the said duel against Snide... until Mercury's crew had broken their vows of honor, slayed him along with overtook his anchored ship by sheer numbers.

Hmf, humans were the stupidest of all Felldewans. All they believed in was honor, peace, justice. What they couldn't seem to grasp was that the Waiting Sea was not a place for such rot. And Mordecai had learned that the hard way just before his end.

"We had a deal!" He'd shouted as Snide had stood over him, victorious, "You and I were to settle this one on one. We were to fight each other. Our crews were not to."

Fool. If the human captain had had any brains about him, he would have known from the start that there was no such thing as "keeping promises" or "striking deals" between cutthroats. There was only kill or be killed. There was only power and who was willing to do the most to take it. And Snide had overpowered Captain Mordecai that day three months ago. He'd stabbed the oh so honorable human man through the heart before having taken his defeated foe's rapier.

The majestic rapier that, reflecting the brilliant summer sunlight, he now examined with mild interest while his twenty-fifth anniversary was being celebrated.

Yet, at this very moment aboard his ship, there was something else that was far more grand of a prize in the ferret lord's eyes than the silver sword in his grasp. That prize in question was one he'd taken while venturing south through the realm of Coral Bay looking for chances to nab appropriate sea otter slaves which he would sell to the slavers of the northlands.

Snide's greatest prize among prizes was the sea otter maiden, Coralpaw, who was presently attending his every need with much hustling as well as bustling as he sat upon his makeshift thrown beside the ship's wheel. Indeed, if ferret lord requested food, the pretty sea otter lass quickly fed him what he wanted. If he desired a drink, she poured it into his mouth. If he wanted her to massage his sore limbs, she did so with forced gusto.

Alas, if there ever came an urge for him to want to see it done, if he ever wanted her to be tied up to a boulder along with be thrown into the Waiting Sea for good sport... she would have no choice but to comply. For she wasn't a Felldewan anymore. She was his property now. She had been his property for the last thirty days since he'd managed to scoop her as well as that stubborn fellow of hers, "Kelpstripe", up from the brine of the south seas.

And where Snide knew he had complete control over her life, Coralpaw had learned too. Mind, though, even when prettier than most she-otters alive, Coralpaw was not at all brainless. She was devious to a fault, especially against evildoers like in her company now.

Truly, where she was indeed drop dead beautiful - a mature, desirable otter maiden in her mid-twenties with a muddy brown coat of fur, a creamy white underbelly, wild black hair, a generous face along with amber eyes - Coralpaw didn't have emptiness in her skull but a brilliant mind. During the entirety of her forced stay aboard the Mercury, she had come to actually learn that her presence had some sick yet beneficial effect for the slaves. For if she bottled her pride - which she did more often than desired by her worried fellow slaves - she sometimes could get her way with Mercury's captain by pleading, begging along with overall acting weak before his supposed might.

As a pirate lord, Snide Hu'lark didn't have many weaknesses to speak of. The few that he had were locked away out of sight. However, there was only one visible weakness he was developing; his attraction to beautiful Coralpaw who, in her own hidden way of pretending to be so very attracted to his power, had made him treat his slaves slightly more civil like, give them more food along with keep them better hydrated since her arrival.

Even at this moment, working her cards the right way, massaging the shoulders of her supposed ferret master, the she-otter of Coral Bay was doing her best to work her charms.

"I cannot ever believe how these muscles of yours get to be ever so stiff, cap'n." She cooed, pretending to be ever so small minded in the presence of Snide as she rubbed his shoulders expertly, "How ever do you not become as rigid as a plank by every day's end, eh? You must tell me your secret."

"Ye' are my secret to me' firm muscles, little sea dog." Was Snide's quiet hiss back, cracking his neck as his maiden moved on to massaging his collar bone, "Don't go tellin' anyone that aboard me' ship though. It'd be a shame fer me' to have to pull out dat' nice tongue of yers. I like the sound of yer voice... and how you know how to work those paws of yours."

"Then you are enjoying yourself? Ha ha, how foolish of me to ask. Of course you are." Coralpaw replied softly, feeling completely disgusted with herself on the inside at what she was doing by bending knee to this wretch of a captain, "For if I were not doing so good right now, why, you would have me strapped to the main mast like that troublesome she-wolf over there, wouldn't you?"

"Aw, now, lassy, I wouldn't do that to ye'. Yer far too pretty for the whip." Snide chuckled, enjoying the conversation, "And where those souls tied to the main mast are meant to entertain me' crew, you, my dear... are meant only to entertain me."

Coralpaw managed to nimbly lean back just as Snide, with a hungry twinkle in his eyes, took a swipe at her rag of a tunic. When he missed grabbing a hold of his prize of prizes, the ferret lord did not show any impatience. Instead, he chuckled slyly while allowing the reluctant she-otter to go back to easing his weariness who tut-tutted like she was speaking to a naughty child when really... she very much wanted to snap his neck.

"Tut-tut, I can't ease the aches in your bones, cap'n, if you keep waving your arms all around like that. Please, hold still. I believe I can feel a strain in your neck... right... here." The she-otter said, doing her best to restrain herself from throttling her patient, "Ah ha, there. How does that feel to you?"

"It feels like yer' makin' this old' ferret lord sink into the sea, missy. I feel like I can fly through that sunny sky above." Was Snide's content answer, closing his golden eyes along with leaning back into the massaging hands behind him, "Har har, how do ye' do it, lass? Do all of ye' otters know how to make an old soul like me'self feel at peace? If so, heh, I should go otter hunting more often, eh?"

At the mention of him going otter hunting, Coralpaw's mind took a turn into her warrior genes. She was a sea otter of Coral Bay, after all. She could sling a stone out of sight, throw a javelin straight and true and throw a dagger all too well. Truly, she was not just some pretty maiden in distress. If she wanted to, she could at this very moment snatch the silver rapier from Snide's loose grip as well as plunge it into his wickedly beating heart.

Yet, she couldn't do that. Not when the slaves needed her around. Not when she would have no means of escaping with the iron ball and chains locking her feet together. Not when she, goddess willing, wanted to see her clan, her ma and pa, again someday in the future.

Coralpaw did her best not to break into tears at thinking of her family. Undoubtedly, with much worrying in their hearts, they were out there in the world somewhere looking for her. And hopefully they would find her soon. Not only that but they would sink this blasted ship's ilk along with free everyone aboard who deserved to be freed.

Holding back the snarl she wanted to spit at him for wanting to go hunting her kin, getting a hold of her emotions, Coralpaw instead coolly if not wisely argued for her fellow otters' sakes, "Nay, cap'n, not all of us otters have the gift of working with our hands. I'm simply... lucky."

"Ah, that ye' are, miss. That ye' are." Snide chuckled, grinning toothily, "Alas, maybe it's not ye' who is so lucky at the moment but me, har har! Indeed, believe it or not, you were a lucky catch fer this old ferret!"

Coralpaw did her best to laugh along like she was just as humored by the captain's stupid joke. Then, needing to get away from him before she sank her fangs into his face, the she-otter drew attention back to the unconscious form of Jenna roped to the main mast with sniveling Brum.

"I say, cap'n, why is that she-wolf strapped to that mast of yours? Is it because she tried to keep me from being brought to you earlier?"

Of course that was why Jenna was tied up. Coralpaw knew this as well as felt grateful towards the wolfess for having tried to protect her earlier in the day from the pirates. Truth be told, during her short time aboard Mercury, the she-otter had come to be best friends with the ailing she-wolf and she wanted to help Jenna more than anything at the moment. That was why she was egging the ferret lord into the conversation who opened his eyes, smiled a smug smile along with discussed it with coolness.

"Aye, that she-wolf there is Jenna. She's a wild beast, mind, but she has 'er uses. She 'elped me begin this party. Shame that it cost Vixter his life in the process but, hah, he would'a been proud of what his death brought about on this 'ere ship."

Next, eyeing her closely, Snide asked, "Tell me, otter, are ye'... friends with Jenna?"

"No." Was the lie that Coralpaw immediately said back with false distain, protecting herself as well as Jenna in the process from the evil thoughts of Snide, "If anything, she's trouble to me, cap'n. I know where I belong. I don't need her getting me into a fix like she's in."

"Har har, well said, m'girl. Well said." The captain of Mercury laughed out, not noticing the rolling of Coralpaw's eyes in turn, "Still, I do like having that Jenna around. She has a knack for brightenin' up my day, ye' know. Listen', I want to thank her for having given my anniversary a great start today. Take some water and food down to that she-wolf, won't ye?"

"Do I have to?" Coralpaw groaned in mock annoyance, already willingly grabbing the nearest water bowl along with fruit and making for the stairs to the lower deck, "Hmf, of course I have to. You're the cap'n, cap'n."

"Indeed I am, me' little tyke. Indeed I am." Snide snickered back, "Be sure not to get too close to that wolfess. She tends to bite. Oi! Oilsnout! Move yerself out o' the way of that there otter maiden o' mine!"

When "Oilsnout", a somewhat small fox colored greyish-white with a black snout, didn't obey his captain in time, Snide lashed out with his whip which caught the unfortunate he-vulpine right on the left ear. In turn, howling with pain, falling backwards out of the way of Coralpaw who kept her brown eyes forward and head lowered, suffering Oilsnout momentarily became the most amusing thing for the rest of the corsairs on board.

After what'd happened to Oilsnout, no one dared get in Coralpaw's way. Therefore, unopposed, she hurriedly moved across the Mercury's deck to suffering Jenna's side. At once, when seeing the dried blood on the ebony wolfess's back from where Snide had delivered the ten lashes, it took all of the she-otter's might not to cave into tears.

How did the she-wolf continue to endure these kinds of tortures? After ten years of this abuse, how had she not lost her mind nor will by this point?

Truly, for a wolf, Jenna was a brave Felldewan. Compared to her one month on board the Mercury, Coralpaw knew she hadn't even begun to have a taste of what the she-wolf had gone through; the she-wolf who had been traded from one slaver ship to the next as little more than a piece of meat. Maybe less than a piece of meat.

Nevertheless, even if she was a loyal friend to the she-otter, Jenna was still an idiot in her own right. Coralpaw had told the wolfess numerous times in the past that she could look after herself. She needed no help. Not the kind that got her friends whipped like this as the final result, anyway.

Mind, though, even if she was stupidly heroic at certain moments, Jenna was still Coralpaw's comrade. And knowing she had only a few moments to do what needed doing before Snide would grow suspicious of her activities, the she-otter was quick in trying to get the she-wolf ally awake enough to drink some water as well as gulp down some food.

For some reason, although a strong spirit, Jenna didn't seem to want to wake and partake in the refreshing gift that Coralpaw had to offer. Instead, the black furred wolfess remained mostly asleep where she murmured things under her breath as well as shook her while dreaming of things only familiar to her. Things that reluctant Coralpaw could only imagine as she sadly set down the remainder of the food before Jenna, turned away along with returned to grinning Snide seated in his throne amid the chaotic partying all around.

For Jenna's sake, the she-otter couldn't show favorites or friendship to anyone at this time lets she wanted to place them in danger. Thus, only after a minute or two of trying to help, Coralpaw had to leave the she-wolf tied to the mast... unless she wanted Snide to figure out they were closer than strangers. For if he did figure such a thing out, then the days aboard the Mercury would become that much more terrible.

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Truth be told, what was going through Jenna's sleeping mind that Coralpaw could only try to fathom was a number of things. At the moment, even though sorely strapped to the main mast of the Mercury, the she-wolf was fully lost in a series of memorable dreams. Dreams that'd visited her ever since the very evening that her warrior clan of the northlands had been enslaved by corsairs from the sea... and her mother as well as father had been killed during the resulting battle for freedom.

What even the black furred wolfess couldn't realize, however, was that today on Snide's twenty-fifth anniversary, her dreams were about to change from memorable into inspiring. She was about to not only dream about her past but about her future also. And it all began like this:

Aboard a simple crafted boat with one sail to its name, Jenna drifted aimlessly upon the surface of the calmest waters through the foggy realm that was her dream world. Then, as suddenly as a heartbeat, the calmness all around her shifted for the worse. From nowhere, howling winds raged forth, lightning cut through the dark heavens, thunder roared and the most massive of waves rose up as if to swallow all of the world.

One by one, just like she'd dreamed of them for the last ten years since she had become a slave, Jenna saw the familiar faces of fellows she'd known - even befriended - back in her past; strong friends of hers who had been sold, broken as well as ruined by slavers during her enslavement.

As she remembered each face of her friends, despair, distress, fear along with anger coursed through Jenna's being as she did her best to keep her tiny, one sailed vessel afloat against the odds. As if the weather were not bad enough, many a menacing ship - ghostly, shrouded in shadow, crewed by many ill figures with blood red eyes that shined from the darkness like embers - passed her by, trailed her as well as harassed her with taunts.

Amongst the evil vessels that haunted Jenna most was the narrow, gaunt, ominous Doomwyte. With its black sails filled with the wind, manned by the wicked, the gruesome ship mockingly circled around Jenna, allowing her to hear not only the wind of the storm but also... the desperate cries of her little sister.

"Jenna!" The she-wolf heard from the Doomwyte, the thunder bellowing above, "Jenna, don't let them take me! Help me!"

"Selene!" Jenna always yelled back over the storm, trying to steer her boat after the Doomwyte which sped away into the storm with its crew laughing evilly, "Little sister, I'm coming! Hold on, I'm coming for you!"

Yet, no matter how hard she ever tried, Jenna could never chase down the Doomwyte as it carried her squealing little sister, Selene, off into the void of the rainstorm. Even this time, as she valiantly fought against the intense weather hindering her, with the Doomwyte fading out of her sight, Jenna could not help her little sister. Not when, like always, the Mercury came into the fray. Not when Snide, grinning wickedly, sailed his ship straight towards the brave wolfess cackling crazily.

"Where are ye' goin', lass?" The ferret captain hooted, his craft easily tailing along with running down Jenna's own through the storm, "Come on aboard 'afore ye' sink! There's plenty of room up here, yar har har!"

Alas, despite his words, never did the shadowy personage that was Snide let Jenna come onto his ship. He always chased her down with his mightier craft, smashed her own boat into splinters until the waves washed up into her face. Then, the water drowned out all sound and she was sent tumbling through watery darkness into the abyss below where voices of her past echoed through her mind.

"Someday, Jenna, you will be big and strong. You will be prettier than your mother and stronger than me." She heard her father, "Lokien", speak from a long distant memory, "You will make the north proud, my little pup."

"You must remember that wisdom is just as important as strength, daughter." Her mother, "Luna", said next, "A patient warrior is a strong warrior. Wait for your chance to strike before you do anything you may regret later. Rushing anything has never benefitted a warrior of this world."

"Jenna! Hey, Jenna!" Selene laughed, not having been a slave but a happy child when she'd said such, "I want to be just like you, Jenna. Yeah, I'm going to grow up and be pretty and smart and brave just like you!"

There were so many things that passed through sleeping Jenna's mind. There were painful memories, awful thoughts, sad topics as well as happy times that made her shake in her sleep as the Mercury's crew partied around her. Despite the pain of her dreams, mind, they were what had kept the she-wolf alive these past ten years. And it was what she dreamed next, after having sunk to the ocean floor of her nightmare, that she was filled with a renewed valor that could not and would not be toppled.

Suddenly through the murky darkness of the storming waters around her, Jenna saw a light glimmering strongly in the distance. Yes. It was there. A small yet gleaming trickle of the brightest light.

In turn, it was hard at first for her to do so but she managed to swim through the depths of her dream world's ocean towards the shining light. When she got close enough, she found she was no longer swimming towards the shining illumination but was walking. Suddenly, there was no water hindering the wolfess's movements. Rather, on foot now, she was easily making her way along a beach shrouded in the shadows of nighttime.

No longer was she in the midst of a storm. She was walking along the calmest of shores towards... the most brilliant of dawn light to the east?

No. There was someone shining on the beach to the east. There was someone waiting for Jenna who, uncertainly, approached with no idea what to think of what was going on. At once, when seeing who was glimmering with light so beautifully, the she-wolf couldn't help but feel a pang of shock in her stomach. For it turned out to be a most graceful, angelic, human maiden shining with such splendor.

Of course, this shining someone that Jenna now looked upon - this woman like figure clothed in a simple white dress with the longest if not lightest blonde hair known, who was as palely gorgeous as the full moon above, whose smile could chase away all evil, whose grey eyes shined like the steel of any blade - was no stranger.

Truly, during her years as a slave, Jenna had met this goddess like stranger in her dreams many times before. And without question, this celestial woman before Jenna was a goddess. She was the goddess of all of creation. She was the all mother of Felldew. She was Gaia, the teacher of teachers, the mother of mothers, the savior of saviors. And as the she-wolf approached her, the goddess spoke a most prophetic thing in a voice that was as soft as a breeze but also as brilliant as a thousand bell towers tolling out for all of the world to hear.

"You have been stronger than anyone these last seven years, Jenna of the Lokien Tribe. You have suffered greatly. You have endured most that no one else could." She proclaimed, smiling a proud smile that radiated with tenderness, "Fear not, however. You are not doomed to suffer for much longer. Soon enough, you will find happiness. You will become a warrior again. All that you must do is wait a little while longer... You must wait for the Valiant to find you."

And with that said, pointing purposefully to the east where the first light of dawn was actually peeking over the misty horizon of the dream realm, goddess Gaia directed Jenna's entranced attention to a curious object sailing across the calm waters towards the shore. In due time, the wolfess realized with a thrill that the object approaching her across the waves was a most magnificent frigate.

Very much so, it was a sturdy craft painted white and blue, adorned with the whitest of sails. It was unquestionably crewed by heroes and no less.

Majestically, with its bold sailors who were anima as well as humans alike - humans, the messengers of the goddess herself - calling out to one another to get a move on, the blue-white frigate pulled up alongside the beach. In turn, bowing slightly, Gaia gestured purposefully to the now anchored ship. Her simple gesture could not have been made anymore plain; "Go."

With her heart pounding with the thought of what was at hand, Jenna splashed through the shallows to the frigate's side. Written clearly on a copper plaque upon the railing of the ship was a name, the "Valiant". Then, as she was lowered a rope ladder to climb aboard, the wolfess looked up... into the face of a clean shaved, black haired, confident, impressively dressed human man of about her age.

A human man who had to be the captain of the Valiant. He just had to be.

At once, at seeing the gentle faced, amber eyed, smiling human looking down upon her who radiated promise, Jenna lost her train of thought. As she did, as she stood dumbly in place rather than climbing the rope ladder to him, the human captain of the Valiant laughed a charming laugh.

Next he stated boldly as well as kindly to her from above, holding out an inviting hand to her, "Come, Jenna. Enough standing around has been done already, hasn't it? Board this ship with me and my friends. It's about time that we found your destiny. It's about time that you found your sister."