{"sf1_id":928267,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Aspire Arcadia: Chapter 5: Farewell","author":"Koda_The_Wolf","words":6816,"posted_at":"2015-10-31T02:41:00.000Z","tags":["Adventure","Canine","Epic","Story Series","Wolf"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/928267-aspire-arcadia-chapter-5-farewell","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/928267","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=928267\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"","content":"Juniper and Patch were welcomed back with bursts of cheers\nand applause. All of the pirates had gathered there, drinks and all, to\ncelebrate the completion of their final exam and their graduation from\ntraining. Captain Keira waited on the upper deck of the ship along with\nLieutenant Reka and their trainers.\n\"Well done,\" Captain Keira announced as they returned, \"I\nmade the scenario as difficult as possible, however, I never anticipated that\nyou'd use the capsize exit to escape. I was hoping that you'd take the main\nexit, because I was there, personally waiting for you. Anyway, you completed\nthe final exam without being captured, demonstrating that you two are capable\nof putting your heads together and thinking outside of the box.\"\nShe glanced at Juniper.\n\"As promised, I will allow you two to leave here together.\nThere's not a single doubt in my mind that the two of you together will be able\nto handle any challenges you run into on your travels,\" she said with a kind\nsmiled, \"at the same time, the rest of us will be returning to sea tomorrow. So\nI suppose we'll be headed off into adventure together. Before then, I'd like to\nhave a word with you two. Especially you, Juniper.\" \nThe rest of the pirates cheered and drank to her words,\ncelebrating Patch and Juniper's future departure and their own return to sea\nthe next day.\nPatch followed Juniper up to the main deck, receiving\nencouraging and enthusiastic congratulations from the pirates on the way.\n\"You've come a long way kid,\" one of them remarked, \"You'd better\nnot stop now.\"\n\"You take good care of her, you hear?!\" another one added. \nThe two reached the upper deck where Captain Keira and\nLieutenant Reka were. \n\"It's only been several months, but you two have seriously\ncome a long way,\" Captain Keira said in a calmer tone than usual, \"at first I\nhad some doubts in my mind. But the two of you proved yourselves.\nCongratulations.\"\n\"Thanks,\" they both replied, quietly glancing at each other\nwith confident smiles. \n\"Anyway, I was just curious as to what your next move was,\"\nshe continued, \"now that you're free to go where ever you want. Where will you go?\"\n\"Our next destination is the Incarnadian Capital,\" Patch\nreplied confidently, \"we're hoping to start there and then circle over to\nCaniridia and the other western territories.\"\n\"Incarnadia? That sounds like a start,\" Captain Keira\nreplied, \"We're actually headed that way tomorrow. It'll be a hell of a long\nwalk for you two, so you may as well sail with us.\" \nPatch glanced over at Juniper, who nodded with a smile.\n\"That'd be great,\" Patch replied.\n\"Then it's settled,\" Captain Keira replied, \"you can sail\nwith us up to the Incarnadian capital. Once there, however, you'll be on your\nown. No more holding your hands.\" \n\"Fair enough,\" Juniper replied.\n\"We're leaving pretty early tomorrow, so you might want to\ntake this time to say goodbye to your family or get some supplies,\" she said,\nglancing at Patch, \"other than that, be on this ship at the usual time, or your\nasses are walking.\" \n\"Aye Captain!\" Juniper replied happily as her mother headed\nbelow deck.\n\"Listen, I know I was rough on you two,\" Reka said, glancing\nat them, \"but there was a reason for that, I'm sure you understand. This is a\nhuge mission you guys are about to go on. There are going to be tough times\nthat will test your limits and push you harder than you could ever imagine.\nCaptain Keira and I wanted to be sure that you two could handle that. Now that\nyou've proven yourselves, she and I have nothing more to worry about.\"\nShe stood up and followed Captain Keira downstairs.\n\"Do not disappoint me, Patch,\" she replied, glaring back at\nhim, \"You'd better take good care of her.\"\n\"I-I won't,\" he replied, as she disappeared downstairs, \"and\nI will.\"    \n\"So, what now?\" Juniper asked, glancing down at the\ncelebration.\n\"I think I might go home,\" Patch replied quietly, \"maybe\nspend some time with my family before we set off...\" \n\"Having second thoughts?\" Juniper asked with a grin, \"you\ngoing to miss your mommy?\"\nPatch chuckled.\n\"I won't lie, I'll miss them,\" he replied, heading below\ndeck toward his sleeping area, \"there's no way I'm turning this opportunity\ndown though.\" \n\"Don't worry, I'll miss my family too,\" Juniper replied\nquietly, \"I never really realized how much I would until just now...\"\nShe glanced at him.\n\"Do you want to go alone?\" She asked.\n\"You can come along,\" Patch replied with a small smile, \"I'm\nsure they'd love to see you one last time before we leave.\"  \n\"Are you sure?\" She asked nervously, \"I don't want to\nintrude or anything...\" \n\"Don't worry about it,\" he replied, \"I think they'd be more\nupset if you didn't come.\"\nThe two headed below deck and back outside where the\npirates' celebration was being held. Heavy kegs of ale were being passed around\nwhile others played hearty music and roughed around with each other.\n\"Leaving already?!\" One of them cried as the two navigated\nthrough the crowd, \"you're going to miss your own party?!\"\n\"More ale for us,\" another replied.\n\"We'll be back,\" Juniper replied, glancing back at them,\n\"Sorry... thanks for the party though!\" \n\"Yeah, yeah,\" another replied jokingly, \"just go on and get\nout of here.\" \nThey crossed through the usual dense forest and, on their\nway, relived the numerous memories they had of training there. They remembered\nusing mud and rancid-smelling plants to mask their scents during the escape and\nevasion training. They passed by a makeshift den they both constructed during\nthe survival training. Memories of running back and forth through deep patches\nof mud and puddles for their morning exercise returned as they cut through the\npath one last time.\n\"Ah the memories,\" Juniper said as they walked, \"If I never\nsaw this place again, it'd be too soon.\"\n\"I don't know, I feel like I'll kind of miss it,\" Patch\nreplied, glancing around.\n\"Are you insane?\" she replied with a puzzled look, \"that\ntraining really has driven you mad.\" \n\"Maybe,\" Patch replied with a small smile. \nThey made their way through the dense forest and onto the\nmain road, where they were greeted by gentle breezes and cool weather. A few\nanimals populated the main road, on their way to Veridian City, as they headed\ntowards Patch's den.\n\"I wish we had more time to prepare,\" Juniper thought out\nloud, \"maybe we would have gotten a chance to visit Veridian City.\"\n\"The opportunity will always be there,\" Patch replied, \"I'm\nsure we'll find ourselves there eventually. \nThey reached the den and the door creaked open as Patch\nslowly peeked in. The den was quiet, as expected, since all of his family went\nout and about during the day. \n\"There's no one here,\" he said, heading in, \"Everyone's\nprobably off doing whatever.\"\nJuniper followed Patch inside as he glanced reminiscently\naround. The reality hadn't hit him until he came inside. His entire life, his\nworld up until now, was centered here. He was used to the confusion of nineteen\nother pups running around. The annoyance of sharing things between all of them.\nHe long yearned for the day that he would depart to make a name for himself. It\nwas a lot sooner than he imagined.\n\"You okay?\" Juniper whispered, snapping him back from his\nmemories, \"something wrong?\"\n\"N-no,\" he quickly replied, shaking his head, \"I was just...\nthinking...\"\nIt was going to be strange. Not being around so much of his\nfamily and having to rely on just the two of them for survival. Not a lot of\nanimals were brave enough to do that. It was a difficult task that often ended\nin abrupt failure for most animals that attempted it. A small part of him was\nterrified at the idea. The rest of him was thrilled. \n\"We should catch a quick nap,\" Patch suggested, glancing at\nJuniper, \"we'll need all of the energy we can get.\"\n\"Assuming I can get to sleep,\" she replied, \"I'm so excited,\nI can barely sit still.\"\n\"Really? You don't feel exhausted from all of the training?\"\nHe replied jokingly, \"I think I could pass out at any minute...\"\nHe sank to the floor, dramatically exaggerating his\nexhaustion. \n\"I don't think I'm going to make it...\" he breathed, dragging\nhimself towards his room.\n\"Just imagine,\" Juniper said, following him, \"Incarnadian\nCapital. We could see the Carnadine Mountains...\"\nPatch squeezed into his room and climbed into his bed,\nlaying on his back with his paws tucked in against his chest.\n\"I can't,\" he replied dramatically, shutting his eyes, \"I\ndon't want to do this anymore...\" \nJuniper hopped in the bed with him.\n\"We could see the Incarnadian Palace, maybe even some huge\nNavy ships at the Navy Yard,\" she explained, climbing on top of him and\nsticking her muzzle in his face, \"watch the sunset, participate in melee\ntournaments, visit some old dojos...\"\n\"See the Jagged Pass, go to all kinds of festivals... Don't\nforget the food,\" Patch pointed out with a smile. \n\"I hear they've got some pretty good bakery goods up there,\"\nshe replied, enticing him, \"they've got moose steaks up there too. Have you\never had any?\"\n\"No... but it sounds so good right now...\" Patch replied,\nremembering that they hadn't eaten in a while.\n\"I bet there are tons of small villages we could visit,\namazing landscapes to see...\" she continued, rolling off of him, \"there would\nprobably be so many opportunities to help the animals there too.\"\n\"And that's only in Incarnadia,\" Patch replied, rolling over\nto face her, \"we've got hundreds of other places to see right after that.\"\n\"Yeah, I'm so excited!\" Juniper replied with a big smile,\nher tail wagging happily.\nThey sighed and laid together in silence, thinking about the\nadventure ahead of them. Juniper rolled on her side and scooted closer to him,\nresting her head on his chest. \n\"I'm glad we ran into each other that day,\" she said with a\nrelieved smile, \"at first I thought you were out of your mind. But my whole\nlife has changed in a matter of weeks... thanks to you.\" \n\"It was nothing,\" Patch replied, rolling on his side to face\nher, \"it was both of us that made the choice and survived the training anyway.\nI can't take all of the credit... plus,\nI really might be out of my mind.\"\nShe nestled in closer to him, tucking per paws against her\nchest and causing his face to turn red. \n\"I know,\" she replied, quietly, \"but still... thanks, Patch.\nYou might be out of your mind... but I like that about you.\"\n\"R-really?\" he replied, his face turning even redder, \"th-thanks.\"\nHe didn't notice how close they had gotten between this\nmoment and the day they first met. That is, until just now. As if the allure of\nadventure hadn't brought them together strong enough, their rigorous training\ntogether further tightened the bond between them in a way that Patch had never\nfelt before. She quietly buried her muzzle into the fur on his chest, her ears\ntickling his chin and causing his heart to race. He had never been so close to\na girl before (not including the training, of course), especially one that\nshared his love for adventure and confidence. It was like he found his other\nhalf (More like saved his other half from rival pirates). Patch slid one arm\nunder Juniper's body, and pulled her closer. He then rested his other paw behind\nher head, pulling it closer to his chest and resting his chin on her forehead.\nAlthough he couldn't shake the nervous feeling of leaving his family for the\nfirst time, he knew he'd be fine as long as he was with her. He sighed and\nsmiled, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep. \nJuniper tried to sleep, but she could hardly contain her\nexcitement. Like Patch, she had never been close to another male wolf before.\nEver since their first conversation in Eidous, Juniper felt an immediate\nconnection to him. A strange, random wolf offering to accompany her on a trip\nworldwide... it was literally something she had been dreaming of ever since she\nwas a pup. His overconfident sense of bravery and impulsive behavior was\nextremely attractive to her... though she would NEVER admit that to him directly. Patch suddenly embrace and pulled\nher closer, causing her to shiver in excitement. A small smile spread across\nher face and her tail twitching happily as she felt his tight embrace. She had\nalways been afraid of admitting her true feelings to him... as things might\nhave gotten awkward between them... but now it was as though they both felt the\nsame way. Just... maybe afraid to admit it to each other. They were just pups after all. She wrapped\nher tail around his and closed her eyes. With both of her biggest dreams having\ncome true, she was finally, truly happy.  \n\n \n------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n \nThe steady creaking of the door woke Patch up sometime\nlater. He was too comfortable to be worried about it, so he laid back down and\nshut his eyes. Once again, the door to his room creaked, causing his ears to\ntwitch.\n\"Shh...\" someone whispered.\n\"Stop moving!\" someone else hissed.\nCurious, he glanced behind him to see most of his siblings\nquietly poking their heads in the door. As soon as they noticed him noticing\nthem, they all scrambled in a loud mass of confusion and giggles, shutting the\ndoor behind them. Patch sighed and shook his head. They were back. Seeing him\nand Juniper snuggled together probably drove them insane. He and Juniper had been\nasleep for a while now, since it was a bit late in the day now. He sat up,\nstretched, yawned, and slid out of bed, careful not to disturb Juniper as she\nslept. He peeked out the door to see all of his siblings with their ears\nagainst the wall of his room.\n\"What the heck are you guys doing?\" Patch muttered.\nAs soon as they heard his voice, they took off into the\nliving room, climbing over each other in another bout of confusion.\n\"Patch is here,\" he heard one of his siblings whisper,\n\"should we wake him up?!\"\n\"He's already awake,\" another one pointed out.\n\"Go stall him then!\" A third commanded. \nSomething was up, though he didn't want to spoil it by\ncoming over too soon. \n\"Everything alright?\" Juniper asked, sitting up but still\nonly half awake.\n\"Yeah,\" Patch replied, closing the door, \"everyone's back\nnow I think.\"\n\"Well that's good,\" she replied, climbing out of bed. She\nimmediately noticed a hesitant look on his face.\n\"What's the matter?\" she asked nervously.\n\"Nothing...\" Patch replied, \"I'm just... well... I don't know what\nto say to them...\"\nHe had been planning his goodbye for years. At an early age,\nhe already had a farewell speech ready for his family whenever he was ready to\nset out on his own. Now that the chance finally presented itself, he was at a\nloss for words. \n\"I mean... what can I say...\" Patch thought to himself out loud,\n\"I've been with around them for as long as I can remember... now I'm leaving\nthem, probably for good this time... there's got to be something meaningful to\nsay but...\"\nHis eyes became clouded with tears. He wiped his eyes and\nsmiled.\n\"And now I'm getting teary eyed...\" he laughed to himself,\n\"this wasn't going quite as I planned for it to...\"\n\"Hey Patch,\" Puzzle said, knocking on the door, \"you should\ncome to the living room. We've got a surpr-\"\nA sudden smack on her head interrupted her.\n\"F-for no particular reason, I mean,\" she continued,\ncorrecting herself.\nShe ran off down the hall as Patch stood, staring at the\ndoor.\n\"It'll be okay,\" Juniper whispered, gently nuzzling him, \"go\non.\" \nThe two slowly made the walk from Patch's room and through\nthe hallway towards the living room. Patch glanced around, a sudden rush of\nmemories returning to him as he passed by pictures of his family. He remembered\ngetting himself and two of his other siblings lost in the woods for hours. He\nremembered all of the brother versus sister fights that would spark up, all\nbecause of a disagreement between Pepper and Titanium. He remembered all of the\ngames they would play, his parents included, almost every night before dinner.\nThe memories only choked him up even more.\n\"Surprise!\" an earsplitting cheer rang out as Juniper and\nPatch rounded the corner leading into the living room. A large banner hung in\nthe center of the room and read \"Farewell and Good Luck, Patch!\" and had\nseveral paw prints surrounding the words. Among his family were other members\nof their pack that had come to see him off.\nPatch froze in place, surprised at the gathering.\n\"H-how did...\" Patch began to say.\n\"On my way out, I saw you and Juniper headed home,\" Cinder\npointed out, \"that could've only meant one thing.\" \n\"Well come here, don't be shy!\" Copper said with a big\nsmile, \"you are about to set out on\nyour adventure aren't you? You didn't expect for us to send you off on the\nright foot?\"\nJuniper nudged Patch, who was lost in thought.\n\"Oh, r-right,\" he replied, joining everyone else.\n\"As you all know, our adventurous, unable-to-sit-still pup,\nPatch, has decided to set off in search of adventure, experiences, and to do\nwhatever he can to make this world a better place,\" Kodiak announced, \"We all\nknew this would happen eventually, though never so soon. One day he came home\nwith the idea in mind, and that's when we knew.\"\nHe glanced at Patch.\n\"As per tradition, all members of the pack have gathered\nhere to see you off on your journey,\" he explained with a smile, \"each and\nevery one of them has had a hand in raising you. They wouldn't miss this for\nthe world.\" \n\"Plus we got you presents!\" Puzzle said happily.\n\"This is our way of expressing how proud we are of you,\"\nCopper said with a loving smile, \"even though we knew this time would come,\nwe're still overjoyed at the progress you made to prepare for this moment. I\nremember cuddling you when you had nightmares, or cleaning all of the cuts\nyou'd get from running through the woods... now look at you.\" \nShe reached down and produced a small box. \n\"When I left Inaria on my own to return here, my mother gave\nme a compass,\" Copper explained. \" 'That way you can always find your way back\nhome' she said.\"\nShe opened the box, revealing a brand new, shiny, silver\ncompass. \n\"Somehow, I doubt her words would work for you,\" Copper\nreplied with a tearful smile, \"use it to find your direction in life. Let it\npoint you to your next big adventure. When it's all said and done, then you could use it to find your way\nhome. We'll be here waiting.\" \nShe hugged him, resting her cheek against his with a steady\nstream of tears running down her face.\n\"It doesn't matter how much you get into,\" she whispered to\nhim, \"you'll always be my little puppy.\"\n\"Th-thanks mom...\" Patch whispered quietly, almost in tears\nhimself.\n\"We got you something too!\" Puzzle cried, waving her arms.\n\"Who wants to show him?\" Titanium asked, glancing at the\nothers.\n\"I'll do it,\" Pepper replied, standing up.\n\"We didn't really want to get you something you wouldn't\nuse, so we put our heads together and came up with this.\" \nShe presented a leather bag designed to hang off of his side\nas we walked. It appeared rather durable, and had multiple pockets for things. \n\"It's for... you know... carrying stuff,\" Pepper said with\na  small smile, \"It's waterproof, so you\ncan store your maps and pictures in her, and it came with some pretty useful\nsurvival stuff too. We figured you'd find this useful on your travels.\"\n\"It was my idea,\" Titanium said.\n\"Liar,\" Decibell muttered.\n\"We scratched our names on the strap too, so you can't\nforget about us,\" Cinder pointed out, \"You'd better not cross them out or\nanything.\" \nThe others laughed as Pepper placed the bag around his neck.\n\"Told you it'd fit,\" Trixie whispered to bolt.\n\"Perfect,\" Pepper said quietly with a tearful smile, before\nhugging him too.\n\"Good luck out there, little bro,\" she whispered, \"I know you\nwon't need it though...\"\nThe others joined in too, pushing each other inwards to get\na hug out of him.\n\"Bring me back something,\" Cobalt said, patting his back.\n\"Are you going to miss me?\" Decibell asked with a quiet\nsmile.\n\"Are you crying? What a loser,\" Draga muttered, secretly\nwiping a tear from her eye.\n\"Go wild out there!\" Titanium said confidently, \"Just like\nwe used to do!\" \n\"Just like old times, hell yeah,\" Cobalt said, nodding.\n\"B-bye patch...\" Alex whispered.\nPuzzle started sobbing while the others gave their tearful\nfarewells.\n\"And last but not least,\" Kodiak said, opening another box\nand pulling out a dagger and sheath that matched his sword.\n\"Never know when you might need it, may as well complete\nyour set,\" Kodiak said, handing it to him before giving him a hug as well. \n\"I'm proud of you, son,\" he said, strongly, \"I know you will\nmake a difference out there someday. I'll be looking forward to hearing about\nyour travels when you visit.\"\nThey all stood back, waiting for his response.\nIn his head, Patch was at a loss for words. Everyone in the\nroom had some sort of influence on his life. His parents, who supported him at\nevery turn, raised him and nurtured his adventurous spirit. His brothers and\nsisters, who provided all sorts of life experiences (both good and bad) as well\nas funny, unforgettable stories, watched his back and helped him train early\non. The other members of his pack helped along the way. Now they were all here,\nwaiting to see him off on his adventure.\n\"I uh...\" Patch began to say, clearing tears from his eyes, \"Th-thanks\nfor all of the gifts... it really means a lot to me that... everyone cares enough\nto support me on this... I never expected it to come true, honestly...\"\nHe wiped his eyes again.\n\"Thanks for all of the experiences... for tolerating me during\nmy 'adventure-filled' childhood and supporting me every step of the way. M-most\nof all, thanks for the good times and great memories...\"\nHe glanced down at the floor, where a puddle of tears\ncollected. He couldn't think of anything else to say. It was just too much for\nhim. His brothers and sisters, family and friends were all there. Everyone who\nmattered the most to him. He couldn't easily say goodbye to them.\n\"Come here, you big baby,\" Copper said, hugging him tightly.\nSoon, everyone else joined in too.\n\"You'd better not be having second thoughts,\" Cinder warned\nhim, \"not after we went through all this trouble getting you this stuff.\"\n\"Speaking of stuff, now's a good time to decide who gets\nyour bed right?\" Titanium pointed out, \"we never did settle that.\" \nThey all quickly returned to normal. Pepper teased Titanium\nwhile Cobalt and Silver starting arguing again. Alex quietly handed Patch a\npicture she drew of him and Juniper while Arianna and Decibell struggled to\ncompose background music. \n\"I made this for you,\" Trixie said, handing him a small\ndevice, \"you can use it to make a campfire. I bet that'd be useful to you too,\nhuh?\" \nFrom dusk until late at night, they all sat around sharing\nstories about Patch's puppy years. When it got late, they eventually broke off\nand headed home, after wishing Patch and Juniper good luck one last time. \n\"We'll be headed out tonight,\" Patch said to Kodiak and\nCopper, \"the ship leaves early tomorrow.\"\n\"Well alright then,\" Copper whispered, still in tears,\n\"remember everything we taught you, and you two be careful out there.\"\n\"We will,\" Juniper said quietly. \nAll of Patch's brothers and sisters wished him one last\nfarewell as he and Juniper headed out. Somehow, he no longer felt anchored\nthere. Instead, he felt free... like the rest of the world was his home. The tiny\naching in his heart from before that tried to stop him from leaving was gone\nnow, as though the farewell party was the final confirmation of his decision.\nEven though the celebration was tearful and heartwarming, it encouraged him a lot\nmore than before.\n\"You ready Patch?\" Juniper whispered.\n\"Let's do it,\" he replied with a confident smile.\nTheir night was going to be restless. In the morning, their\nadventure would finally begin, starting with a short trip by sea to the\nIncarnadian Capital. It was unreal. But ready or not, it was coming.\nThey made their way to the hidden bay where the pirates\nloaded the last of the cargo and supplies needed for their trip at sea. Most of\nthe others had gone to sleep already, while others worked late to get the cargo\non board before tomorrow.\n\"Watch your step,\" one of them warned as Juniper and Patch\nheaded on board the ship, \"there's a lot of crap everywhere.\"\n\"We will, thanks,\" Juniper replied kindly as they headed on\nboard. Once in the cargo bay, the two sat alone, thinking about the trip that\nlied ahead.\n\"Check this out,\" Patch said, as they excitedly glanced over\nmaps, scanning over places to visit in anticipation for their first\ndestination.\n\"This looks like an interesting place to see,\" he said, staring\ncloser at the map.\n\"If we hadn't slept so much today, I'd go to bed to make the\nnight go by faster,\" Juniper admitted, curling up beside Patch in his hammock,\n\"the excitement is making my stomach turn.\"\n\"I know right?\" Patch replied with a big smile, \"It's\ndriving me insane!\" \nHe folded up the map and stashed it under his pillow.\nHonestly, they were getting tired of thinking about the trip. They were tired\nof anticipating and were ready to get going already. Patch laid back beside\nher, both sitting together in silence within the dim lantern's light. They\nremained this way for hours, both mentally preparing for the road ahead.     \n \n------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n \n\"Wake up you lazy brats!\" A voice roared, jerking them\nawake. Since they spent most of the previous day asleep, they were up rather\nlate. They sat up to see Lieutenant Reka standing in front of them. She was\ndressed in her usual uniform, the same one Patch saw her in the first time they\nmet.\n\"You think you can catch a free ride and sleep through it?! Like this is a luxury cruise?!\" She\ncommanded, \"Get your puppy-asses on deck!\" \nThey quickly hopped out of bed and rushed to the deck where\nall of the other pirates were working on their final preparations for\ndeparture. The two were met by the cool, morning weather they had become\naccustomed to during their training. It was the same, fog covered scene with\nbarely any sunlight poking through the dense canopy. Today was different\nthough. Today was the day that made it all worth it.\n\"Good morning,\" Captain Keira said, as they approached,\n\"hope you had a good night's rest.\"\nShe glanced at Patch.\n\"I take it you spoke with your family?\" She asked, \"Because\nyou won't get another chance after this.\"\n\"I did,\" Patch replied nodding.   \n\"Good,\" she replied. \n\"Listen up everybody!\" She commanded, turning to face all of\nthe other pirates, \"We need to be out of here in thirty minutes! Perform the\nfinal checks and make sure all of cargo is secured!\"\n\"Aye, Captain!\" They all replied, rushing around to finish\nthe checks. \n\"If we catch the wind and ride the currents, we won't even\nhave to use the engines,\" she thought out loud to herself before glancing back\nat them.\n\"The trip should last a little under a week,\" she explained,\n\"we obviously can't dock at the city's harbor for too long, since were all\nwanted criminals, so we'll drop you off and set sail right after.\"\n\"Sounds good,\" Juniper said excitedly.\n\"For now, just sit tight and don't get in the way. Also,\nkeep in mind that we can get attacked at any moment. By the navy or other\npirates. So if that happens...\" \n\"Take cover below deck,\" Juniper said, as thought she had\nexperienced it multiple times already.\n\"Good girl,\" Captain Keira replied before joining others in\nperforming the final checks.\n\"Looks like this is it,\" Patch said, glancing overboard at\nthe fog-covered river.\n\"Yup,\" Juniper replied sitting against the railing beside him.\n\"Excited?\" Patch asked, glancing at her.\nShe nodded happily.\n\"Yup!\" she replied, glancing up at him, \"can't wait!\" \nOnce again, the two sat in silence for a while as the\npirates rushed around them. \n\"Out of all of the place, which one are you looking forward\nto seeing?\" Patch asked, glancing at Juniper, \"I think I recognized some of\nthem from the pictures in your cabin.\"\nShe thought for a moment.\n\"I'm not sure,\" she replied, \"I always wanted to see\ndifferent places in Inaria... maybe visit Antarceos... there's too many places to\ndecide.\" \nShe glanced at the water below.\n\"I guess that's what makes things more exciting,\" she added.\n\"True,\" he replied, sitting beside her, \"I always wanted to\nsee Inaria too. My mom's from there. She's told me so many stories about it, so\nI'm interested in seeing it for myself.\"\n\"This is our chance then,\" Juniper replied, smiling. \nThe checks only took a few minutes longer before they were\nfinally ready to set sail. A group of pirates raised the massive anchor of the\nship while the engine technicians readied the engines for operation at sea. The\nentire wooden ship vibrated as the massive, voltrinite fueled, electric turbine\nengines warmed up. Vector, the fox that gave them their escape and evasion\ntraining, climbed aboard the lookout nest on the highest point of the ship as\nall of the other pirates took up their positions. On the dock, a few pirates who\nwere tasked with watching over the hidden bay untied the ship from the pier and\nhelped raise the ramp.\n\"Good luck!\" One of them cried as the ship slowly began to\nmove away from the pier with the flow of the river.\n\"I wonder if we can watch them navigate,\" Patch, wondered,\nglancing towards the main navigation cabin (commonly referred to as the\nbridge), which overlooked the entire ship.\n\"Of course we can!\" Juniper replied, standing up, \"follow\nme.\"\nShe led Patch across the deck and up the stairs towards the\nbridge, which made up the rearmost part of the ship. They passed by a few\nmembers of the bridge crew before they reached the main command center. The\nbridge sat at the highest point of the ship and offered a panoramic, 360 degree\nview around their entire surroundings. The Southern Veridian Pirate flag hung\nover the front windshield of the ship and had the same wolf-skull surrounded\nwith three stars as was commonly seen on the cargo crates and worn by the\npirates. On the bottom of the flag, the name of the ship \"P.V. Siren Song\" was\nsewn on. Though the ship appeared old fashioned (carved from wood and still\nused sails as a backup in case of engine failure), the interior was rather\nadvanced. A few screens displayed different bits of information, including\nweather and ocean current patterns, as well as engine diagnostics and onboard\ncabin temperatures. Several pirates occupied seats at these screens, each being\ntasked with keeping an eye on different things. In the corner of the bridge, a\ncommunications relay had been set up to broadcast and receive radio signals. On\nthe other side, heat sensors and high frequency, above-sea sonar channels\nprovided a forewarning for any enemies nearby. Captain Keira's seat sat in the\ncenter of the bridge, surrounded by her own monitoring panels. Instead of ship\ndiagnostics, her panels were in direct communications to the ship's weapons and\ncountermeasure systems. A diagram of the ship sat on one panel and displayed\nall of the weapons that were available for use, in case of contact with\nenemies. Captain Keira herself sat in the seat, her legs crossed and rested up\non the panels as she read some reports given to her by other pirates.\n\"Wow,\" Patch gasped, glancing around at all of the complex\ninstruments.\n\"Cool right?\" Juniper whispered.\n\"I take it you've never been on a ship before?\" Captain\nKeira asked, glancing back at him, \"certainly not on one this complex. We got\nthe technology from our friends in the west. We certainly have them to thank.\"\nShe glanced back at the reports.\n\"Just don't touch anything.\"\nPatch rushed up to the front of the bridge and stared out of\nthe forward-facing windows, his tail wagging happily.\n\"Wow!\" he said again with a big smile, his tongue hanging\nout the side of his mouth. This really was his first time on a ship. He could\nhardly contain his excitement.  \nSince the pirates sailed into the bay facing forward, they\nhad to sail out going backwards. The main pirate in charge of navigating the\nship itself concentrated on steering through the river backwards, while Captain\nKeira casually watched.\n\"Don't scratch it up,\" she warned, sitting back in her\nchair.\n\"Have I ever?\" the pilot muttered, staring intently at a\nscreen which displayed the direction they were going through a camera. His paws\ngripped the navigation wheel of the ship.\n\"It's still pretty dark outside,\" he added, searching for\nthe switch to turn on the exterior lights, \"I hope there aren't any surprises\nin the river.... Because I sure as hell won't be able to see them.\" \nOutside, the hidden bay disappeared from view as they started\ndown the river. When they caught the current and the river began to get\nnarrower, the ship began to move quicker. They sailed past acres of dense\nforests that concealed the river and nearly hid the still-dark sky. The ship\nsuddenly, but briefly, vibrated as though they scrapped against a large rock on\ntheir way around a slight curve. Captain Keira glared at the pilot.\n\"My bad,\" he said with a smirk, \"the current's a little\nfaster than usual.\" \n\"You're going to fix that,\" she muttered before glancing back\nat Patch.\n\"I'm sure you'll be pleased to know, Patch, that we won't be\nrunning into any problems on the way north,\" Captain Keira said, sitting back,\n\"well, we aren't expecting to anyway.\nI know how much of a good boy you are.\"\n\"That's good,\" he replied, still staring out the window,\n\"speaking of which...\"\nHe glanced back at her.\n\"Our trip isn't only for seeing the sights,\" he said\nseriously, \"in any way we can, we're also looking to create a better world for\neveryone we come into contact with. That could mean helping them get access to\nfood, shelter... or helping them expel criminals that threaten their safety.\"\n\"Oh?\" Keira replied with a smirk, sitting back, \"What\nexactly are you saying, Patch?\"\n\"Isn't it obvious? One day, we might return here to deal\nwith you,\" he replied, \"to stop you and the others from terrorizing the navy\nand other innocent sea farers.\"\nA big smile spread across Captain Keira's face.\n\"I thought so,\" she replied, \"well, whenever you think\nyou're ready, I'm sure you know where to find us. I'd suggest you get a lot\nmore practice though, kid. Skill-wise, you're lightyears away from even being\nable to talk to me like that.\"\nShe sat back, kicking her legs out and resting them on the\npanel in front of her.\n\"I'll forgive you for now,\" she replied with a grin, \"since\nyou're taking my daughter with you. Maybe I won't be so forgiving next time\nthough.\"\nPatch chuckled, \"Fair enough.\"\nIt wasn't very long until the river began to widen and slow\ndown as they approached the coast. The dense forest around them opened up into\nwide open, sandy beach. \n\"Passing through the estuary,\" the pilot announced, \"once we\nget out to sea, we'll turn around and start up the engines.\"\n\"Yes we know, Kilo,\" the pirate at the communications panel\nmuttered, glancing at him. She was a wolf with light gray fur, black hair, and\nbright, silver eyes.\n\"We've done this hundreds of times already.\"\n\"That was more for the kid. You know, the one who has never\nbeen on a ship before,\" Kilo replied, still watching the direction of the ship,\n\"besides, you know that thinking out loud helps me concentrate.\"\nEventually, the massive ship sailed out of the estuary and\ninto the wide open ocean. A dense cover of early-morning fog blanketed the\nocean, making it a bit difficult to see. On the horizon, the sun was beginning\nto rise steadily into the sky.\n\"Here we go,\" Kilo said, flipping a few switches before\nslowly pressing a lever forward. As he did, Patch could feel the ship vibrating\nas the engines began to kick on. \n\"Forty percent,\" Kilo whispered to himself, \"once we hit the\ndeep side, we'll go full speed.\"\nHe switched on the deck-illuminating lights and directed the\nship parallel to the shore line. \n\"Current is steady, weather looks good,\" a pirate at the\nradar station reported, \"that fog should clear up when the sun rises. There's a\ntropical storm headed this way, but we'll be long gone before it gets here.\" \n\"All engines are green,\" the technician monitoring the\nengines reported, \"try not to burn them out so soon, Kilo. You know how expensive\nthose parts are.\"\n\"Plus there's not going to be a lot of wind in our favor,\"\nthe radar tech added, \"We'll be stranded.\"\n\"Have I ever let you down before?\" Kilo asked, glancing at\nall of them. He shook his head and glanced at Patch. \n\"Don't listen to them,\" he muttered, \"I've been piloting\nthis sea-pig since before you and Juniper were born. I'm an expert.\" \n\"He's right you know,\" Juniper pointed out, \"remember the\nhurricane?\"\nKilo chuckled and nodded. \n\"Oh... the hurricane,\" the radar tech sighed, rubbing her\nforehead.\n\"That's a good story,\" the engine tech added, nodding his\nhead.\n\"The hurricane?\" Patch asked, glancing back at her.\nJuniper nodded.\n\"One time, when I was still a puppy, we got caught in a\ntropical storm,\" she explained, sitting in a chair beside him, \"it had just\ngotten enough momentum to be classified as a hurricane.\" \n\"The winds were throwing us all over the place and the\ncurrent was pulling us in,\" Kilo added dramatically, getting animate and lost\nin the memory, \"those waves, they had to have been 75 to 100 feet tall. We lost\nall communications and engine number two was burnt.\"\nHe flared his arms up, as though he was trying to describe\nhow large the waves were.\n\"You got him started,\" the engine tech laughed.\nJuniper sighed and shook her head.\n\"Long story short, Kilo guided us out with one engine and four,\ntattered sails,\" Juniper said, \"it was ridiculously terrifying.\" \n\"You've got to hear the whole thing to really enjoy it,\"\nCaptain Keira pointed out, \"kids these days. So impatient, won't even tell a\ngood sea-tale properly. I thought I raised you better.\"\n\"A real hurricane?\"\nPatch asked, glancing up at Kilo. His family resided near the coast, so he saw\na couple of hurricanes in his life. Though he never imagined anyone getting so\nclose and surviving through one. \n\"True story kid,\" he said with a grin, \"I swear, those winds\nwere so rough it pulled pieces of the ship right off of the side. As much as I\nlove this fat girl, she'll probably be the death of me one day.\"\n\"All of us,\" Keira\npointed out.\n\"Good ol' Siren Song,\" the engine tech said, nodding, \"most\nresilient ship I've ever taken care of. You know she was going to be yours someday, Juniper.\"\n\"Oh... I don't know...\" Juniper replied, her face reddening, \"I\ndon't do well under too much pressure... like the armada of Veridian navy ships\nor that hurricane. I'll stick with sightseeing and helping others.\" \n\"You never know how much pressure you'll find yourself in on\nyour travels,\" Captain Keira pointed out, \"You'll never know unless you\nexperience it.\"\nAfter a while, they reached the predetermined depth and Kilo\nfired up the engines. The engine tech kept watch while the radar tech scanned\nfor any disturbances. \n\"All clear,\" she said, glancing at Captain Keira.\n\"Engines all green,\" the engine tech added.\n\"Alright then, full speed ahead,\" Captain Keira said,\ngetting comfortable in her seat, \"set sail for Incarnadia.\"","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/928257-aspire-arcadia-chapter-4-training.json"}