Stars
A coyote and a raccoon talk about what they're going to do in the future.
The sea was still that night, and all the stars were out. Jack looked around, from the sails down to the crew below, and chuckled to himself. Before he joined, he heard stories of how the seas did not take kindly to pirates. They said storms, heavy rains, and deep sea monsters would attack them, and how crews of a hundred would return half that number or less. They said the seas would be harsh to him and it wouldn't stop. Jack looked around again. He shouldn't have believed those people so easily. After all, they've never even seen the sea like he did. He didn't blame them for trying, though.
The coyote sighed, leaning against the railings of the crow's nest. Even the crew was quiet. He also heard stories growing up about pirates being loud, uncontrolled, and lead by impulse. That was partly true. Sure, they were rowdier than others, but they were no less disciplined. They got things done quickly and efficiently. They deserve whatever rest they were having at the moment. And at those times, Jack took the advantage of the silence, which he did at the moment.
The north wind blew, and it was cold. Jack crossed his arms, holding his shirt tighter against him. He knew they were going up north, but he didn't expect the winds to turn ice cold so soon. But as much as it was freezing, it was fully welcome after the heat down south. Here was hoping that the north would be a good experience.
Jack sighed. He really was exploring the world. It had been a year since he boarded the ship, but it felt like it was only yesterday. There weren't much stories to tell on his part. But that wasn't his problem. His problem was that he wasn't exactly working the noblest of jobs. He couldn't really tell his stories to just anyone. Jack took the flute lying beside him and raised it up in the air, and then the ring on his finger. At least he was exploring the world. He wondered if his mother was proud of him.
A sound reverberated through the silence, loud enough to break the silence. It snapped him out of his thoughts, and his ears perked up. Someone was climbing up the crow's nest. Jack stood straight, adjusting his clothes. He waited, then a raccoon's head poked from the entrance, and he relaxed at that.
"Sure is lonely in here, huh? Pretty cold too."
He chuckled. "What are you doing here, Billy?"
It was the raccoon he met back when he joined the crew. He was there, all smiles and eyes wide. He had a sparkle in his eyes that never went away, the one that spoke of innocence and naivete. It dimmed, but he never lost it. It was a feat, after all that had happened for the past year.
Billy climbed up into the crow's nest and walked over to Jack. His shirt was wrapped around his waist, and his chest was damp with sweat.
"Turns out you can get warm secondhand if you stay around people who're drinking," Billy said. "They were all around me."
"Were they making you drink?"
"No. They're surprisingly sober enough to not keep asking."
"Sounds like a great time. What are you doing here, then?"
"Well, you can only have coherent conversations with drunks for so long before they get indecipherable." Billy leaned on the railings. "They understood each other pretty well, though... for some strange reason."
"How'd that work?"
"I'm still wrapping my head around it. Guess getting drunk comes with its own language."
Jack laughed softly. "Maybe it's magic we haven't seen yet?"
"Magic doesn't work that way."
"And how would you know?"
Billy smiled at him. "There's a lot I haven't told you yet."
"Yeah, so does everyone here."
"Oh, sod off. I'm not trying to be special here."
"I wasn't saying you were."
"Sure, but I'll let it slide this time."
"Thank you."
Billy leaned back, closing his eyes. Jack couldn't help but look at him. The raccoon was rather slim, but he had some muscle going. He was the smallest member of the crew, so he wasn't able to lift heavy cargo or any of the other tasks the others usually do, but he made himself useful in other areas, and Jack admired that about him.
"So, you got watchman duty?" Billy asked. "I noticed you're up here more often."
Jack shrugged. "I may have volunteered more often."
"You barely sleep. I wonder how you're still walking at this point."
"I realized I didn't need much sleep. Besides, there are perks to being up here."
Jack pointed at the sky, and Billy looked up. He nodded. "I see. I was never one for looking at the stars, though."
"Oh?"
"Until now, at least. I grew up in a pretty well-off household. People who grew up there didn't really bother to look up at the stars."
Jack elbowed him. "Was that a revelation from your childhood that you weren't supposed to tell me?"
"I'm not planning to keep it forever."
"No, but you weren't planning to tell me now."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Jack elbowed him again, and the raccoon gave him a light shove. They both laughed after that. Jack was in high spirits, and it was strange. The day he had wasn't nice to him. but he figured it was that Billy had that effect on people. There was one time where the raccoon got the crew to dance. Jack had no idea if it was because Billy was just that type of person or if they did it, so he wouldn't look like an idiot, but Jack either way it was a fun night.
"Any other things you don't want to tell me?" Jack asked.
"Well," Billy started. "Not much, other than today was tiring."
"Yeah. My arms are still sore."
"Speak for yourself. I had to do the jobs you guys do and I feel horrible."
"I can imagine. At least you're bigger than before."
Billy grinned, showing his body to the coyote. "Oh? You got your eyes on me now?"
Jack gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder. "Don't get cocky."
"If you say so," Billy said. "But, going back, I must say, the harder the day is, the harder people celebrate."
As if on cue, the crew down below cheered. Jack and Billy looked down to see the crew raising their mugs and then drinking.
"Point proven," Billy said.
"Well, it is more rewarding if we put more work into it." Jack said.
"But not too much."
"Of course."
"You have a point, though. I feel pretty good right now."
"I'll bet."
The coyote's eyes caught a lion and a parrot by the side on their lonesome. The lion gave the parrot a few gold pieces, in turn the parrot puts something on the lion's finger. Jack looked at the ring on his finger. One of the few riches he got and has kept on his person ever since. He turned to Billy from the corner of his eyes and fought the urge to sigh.
Billy elbowed Jack in the ribs. "What's with the answers? Put some more energy into it."
Jack chuckled. "I'm more of the type to sit down and enjoy a good night's rest."
"That sounds like a bummer."
"Maybe I am one."
"A bummer?"
Jack nodded. "Yes."
Billy shook his head. "Sure thing, mate."
"Sorry, I'm not the liveliest person in this ship."
"Hey, I know what I'm getting into. If I went up here, then it's because I want to enjoy your company."
"And are you enjoying my company?"
Billy looked around, then nodded. "Yes."
Jack smiled. "That's good to know."
"And since you said you're one for enjoying the peace and quiet..." Billy spread his arms and fell backward theatrically. He placed his hands behind his head. Jack laughed at that and sat beside him. He looked up at the stars again, enjoying the silence when Billy spoke up again. "If I knew that looking at stars was pretty nice, then I would've been a stargazer when I was younger."
"Would you care to elaborate further?"
Billy looked at Jack, smiled sheepishly, and scratched the back of his head. "I wasn't planning on telling you any of this... but I was born into a noble household. We were one of the richer ones where I grew up. There were parties and entertainers--the best ones out there--and us noble kids used the magic we learned to entertain ourselves."
That certainly explained Billy's astonishing naivete and his build. Jack shifted in his seat.
"So you were born into money?"
Billy nodded. "There's enough of it to last me more than a lifetime."
"So why did you become a pirate, then?"
Billy sighed, then looked up at the stars again. "I always wanted to explore, I guess. Being cooped up in the house will do that to you. I kept hearing stories of people who travel far across the land and seas. How these travelers saw different cultures, different food, magic, all that stuff. I knew growing up that I was going to inherit the wealth of my family, and that meant I was going to stay there for gods know how long. I didn't want that, so I ran away."
The raccoon shook his head. "Growing up in a rich household and not going out much, you can see how I ended up becoming a pirate. It's not the best, but I'm still exploring the world. Even if it's mostly the ocean."
Jack let it all sink in, then nodded. "If you told anyone here this, they'd probably tell you that you were stupid for doing what you did."
"I know," Billy said. "That's why I never told anyone."
"Would you go back when you have the chance?"
The raccoon shook his head. "No. And before you ask, nobles don't welcome runaways back. They treat them like they never existed. Besides, I knew what I was getting into. After this whole thing, I'll just figure out what I want to do."
As much as Billy tried to lighten the mood, it still went down. Jack looked away, thought for a moment before he cleared his throat.
"So, you said you knew a bit of magic," the coyote said. "Can I see?"
That caught Billy's attention. He turned around to face Jack and knelt down. "Sure. I was also going to keep this from all of you since I'm trying to avoid any more jobs, but you could keep a secret, right?"
Jack nodded. "I can keep a secret."
"All right then." Billy then took a deep breath. He then closed his eyes and opened his hand, palm facing the sky. Jack waited, and that was when he noticed it. Billy's fur rustled, but it wasn't following the wind. It took Jack a second to realize he it was going in a certain direction, from his waist to his chest, to his arm, then to his hand. Specks of orange light materialized on the edges of his palm, then all made its way down the middle. The light then jumped up, leaving the confines of Billy's hand than curled up on itself. It was a small ball of flame floating on Billy's hand.
"Wow," was all Jack said.
"It's basic self-defense magic, really," Billy said sheepishly. "Extracting heat from something and turning it into something to defend yourself with. I used my body heat now since there's nothing else here, so it's not anything fancy."
"Still. Not many people here know that kind of magic. It's amazing."
"Thanks." Billy closed his palm, and the fire disappeared. His fur ruffled the opposite way it did earlier.
"Have you ever used it before? Before you got here?"
"No, and thank the gods for that. I'm not really the kind to get into trouble, so I never used it outside of training dummies." Billy shifted in his seat. "But enough about me. Let's ask you this time. Why did you become a pirate?"
Jack looked at Billy before his gaze fell to the floor. He asked, so it was fair that Billy ask the same thing, too.
"All right. It's fair that I do." Jack mirrored Billy's position. He took a deep breath and started.
"So, unlike you, I wasn't born into a wealthy household, but I wasn't really born in a small village or anything like that. I was born into a group of traveling musicians. They were from all over the world, and they met and decided to entertain as a group. I get to see them perform in taverns, ships, castles. You name it, they've probably been there. They've been known to use the magic their respective cultures have and incorporate it into the show. It made them popular, and I got to explore the world in the process.
"But even if they were a mix of different cultures, they still kept their practices. And from where my mother grew up, people at the age of eighteen had to leave home and start a new life, so I left." Jack sighed. "I... didn't know how to handle my money, so I went broke. One thing led to another and there was a job offer here, so here I am."
Billy faced the distance, then nodded. "I think I've heard of them before. So, I guess I'm in front of someone popular, then."
Jack chuckled. "Not really. I was part of the audience every time."
Billy laughed too. "Hey, not many people could say they were the son of a famous traveling musician."
"Yeah, you have a point."
"Oh! You said they use magic too, right? Do you know some of them?"
Jack smiled at the enthusiasm. It had been a while since he was someone this lively and cheerful. It was a nice breath of fresh air. He then leaned back and reached for his flute.
"Hey, could you make that fire thing again? I want to show you something."
"Oh, sure."
Billy opened his palm again, and a fire ignited. Jack took a deep breath and played the song he knew from his childhood. A cheerful, bouncy melody that they used to play. As he got into the song, the flame danced in the air, bobbing up and down, molding itself into various shapes. The raccoon watched in amazement as the flame dashed around him, then spun around Jack, then spun the crow's nest before landing back at his palm once he stopped playing. The look on the raccoon's face reminded him of when he first saw them making spectacles with the surrounding torches. It made him nostalgic.
"Oh wow, you could do that?"
Jack nodded, a smile on his face. "Yes. It's not much, but it's something my mother taught me to so I could start learning magic."
"So why didn't you become a bard or something like that? Why become a pirate?"
"Are you just mirroring my questions now?"
"Just humor me."
"All right." Jack sighed. "I was a slow learner. It took me a while to learn just that one trick, and I discovered it was harder for me to create songs. By the time I was finishing my first song, I was losing money. I had to find a job so I could eat and survive, so I ended up here. I'm getting better at writing songs now and I could support myself with it. I'm saving money now, and it won't be long before I'd be able to quit and survive."
"Wow, you got your life planned out." Billy sighed. "How much money do you need left?"
"A few more gold pieces."
Billy's ears perked up at that. "But that's going to take you a while."
"It's all right; I can wait a little longer."
The silence dragged on. Jack could practically feel the raccoon's concern radiating around him in waves. But it felt nice. It had been a while since he told someone about what his life used to be like and how he got there. He would never admit it, but he missed traveling on land and all the performances he was in, even if he wasn't even performing. He wanted that again. He really missed it.
Billy had his eyes fixated on the ground, his ears twitching wildly. Jack reached out to touch him when the raccoon lifted his head up, looking like he had all the answers there were.
"I make about the same money you do," Billy said. "And at the same pace, too. So if we were to combine them, you'd be able to do that faster."
"Combine?" Jack's brow furrowed. "Are you talking about..."
Billy nodded. "Yes."
The way he said that so casually and out of the blue took Jack by surprise. These offers took at least months of planning out and thinking things through. He didn't have to see them to know that. Either Billy wasn't serious or he really needed to learn how to think things through.
"Are you sure?" Jack asked. "You know there's much more to it than sharing gold, right?"
"I know. I've thought it through."
"For weeks, or in the fifteen seconds you spent thinking?"
"Enough for me to change my mind."
"Billy..."
The raccoon sighed. "I know you're thinking I'm too naive for my own good, but I've been thinking about things for a while now. For the longest time, I didn't know what to do with my life, and I still don't. I keep asking myself every night what I'll do when I can't do this anymore. Then there's you. You have plans, but you don't have what you need to get to that. It reminded me too much of the kids I came across growing up. I don't want that happening to you."
Jack took it all in. "So you'd share your gold with me just so I could be a bard?"
"You're giving me too much credit here. I want to explore the world like you too, and with me sharing my gold with you, you have no choice but to bring me along with you. See? Both our problems solved."
The coyote wanted to cry. He never knew what it was like for someone to give him something without expecting anything in return. Was he even deserving of it? Was he really worth having sharing someone's riches and time with?
The thing he did know, though, was that if Billy was willing to do it, then that meant he was worth all of that.
Jack scratched the back of his neck. "You know this union won't be valid once we're not pirates anymore, right?"
"You're concerned about that? Of course, it's not going to end there. What are you talking about?"
"Yeah. Sorry about that."
Silence followed, and Jack cleared his throat.
"So... is that it? Are we official now?"
Billy shrugged. "I don't know. Is there something you do to make it official?"
"Well... nothing, really."
"That's a bummer. A ceremony would be nice."
Jack looked at him, then looked down at his hands. The ring glinted under the moonlight. He placed his thumb over it, sliding against the cold metal. He stared at it for a few seconds more, sighed, and pulled the ring out.
"It's not much, but here's something."
He showed the ring in front of Billy. The raccoon's eyes widen a bit, then he looked at him.
"I want you to have it," Jack said.
The raccoon looked at him, dumbfounded. "Really? But you always had it with you."
"It's nothing special. Just one of the first things I got here. Think of it as something to let people know."
"Are you really sure about this?"
"Yes. But I want to ask something first."
"What is it?"
"Why me? Why'd you choose me?"
Billy's eyes widened, and he looked away. He wasn't going to answer, but Jack still waited for one. His heart began pounding in his chest. The ship somehow felt too small for him, and the wind was suffocating. When he knew he wasn't going to get an answer, he placed a hand on Billy's. The raccoon was surprised, but eventually relaxed.
"Billy," Jack said. "Why'd you choose me?"
Billy slowly looked him in the eye, and he anxiously waited for Billy to answer. Then, before he knew it, Billy leaned forward and pressed his lips against his. Billy's kiss was gentle, like he didn't know how to kiss yet. Jack pressed forward, felt everything, then the both of them pulled back. The raccoon looked like he got out of a daze, and Jack felt the same.
The raccoon chuckled, scratching his chest. "So... yeah."
There was silence, and Jack let it sink in. All this time, Jack was worried that what always happened to him happened again with Billy. But no, the raccoon felt the same way. Jack smiled, then he leaned forward, and he pulled him in for another kiss. This time it was passionate, hungry. Jack felt hands on the hem of his shirt and he let the raccoon take it off. He then touched Billy's chest, pressing him down to the ground, his arm a cushion for his head. Billy's hands were all around him, touching him. It was needy, like he always wanted it. The hands made his way down to his pants, and once again, he let Billy do the work.
Before he knew it, Jack was lying down with Billy fast asleep on his chest. The whole thing was a blur, and it all went by so fast, but so much happened in that small window of time. He remembered doing that before, and wondering what it would be like if he did this with someone he deeply cared about. Sure, Billy was still a little inexperienced, but there was nothing to worry about. It felt amazing, and he was still reveling in the afterglow.
Jack stroked the back of Billy's head. He looked at him, then at the ring on his finger. He really was doing this. They were really going through with this, and all of that was thought out just a few minutes ago. It scared him how quickly that happened and how fast they thought it through. But Billy was there, and he was involved in it too. Billy was invested and would be with him now. It didn't make the worries go away, but knowing he was there made him feel better. And that was what he needed.
With that, Jack pulled Billy closer, kissed his forehead, and fell asleep under the stars.