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A Pirate's Life: Story of Blackjack

As the sun beat down on the large wooden ship known as Blackjack, the shouts of war, and violence could be heard, piercing the sky like an arrow pierces the heart. A man on top of the crow's nest looked down upon his friends, acquaintances, and rivals to see every species shape and size throwing angry glances at one another as they dodged cannon balls, and each other.

The enemy ship came out from nowhere, wanting to steal the supplies Blackjack had, and take the ship for themselves. Animals of every species were frantically running everywhere, or shouting orders. Some jumped overboard in an insane attempt to save themselves.

As another cannonball crashed into the hull of the ship, a scream of panic could be heard as small wooden boats paddled closer and closer towards the ship, the occupants on the small wooden boats wanting to board.

The crude boats floated up to the sides of the ship, and threw hooks with rope tied to the bottom. With a clank, the hook attached itself to the side of the ship, and the leader of each raft started to yell for the raiders to climb.

Watching in horror, the crew of the defending ship started to hurryingly sever the soft line of the ropes, hearing a splash if they were successful of the attacking force falling into the warm waters of the ocean.

But it was to no avail.

A first wave of the raiders made it on board, and unsheathed their cutlasses with scowls formed in anger, and hatred. Soon the hooks were forgotten, and a battle raged on board the Blackjack, each person locked in a heated duel of death with an enemy.

And I was fighting with a griffin about half my size. It was my lucky day.

The behemoth of an avian barred down on me like hail upon a small hut, intimidating me with his overall stature, and the fact he held a sharp, silvery object used for stabbing people like sch-kabobs just made my anxiety worsen.

"Come here you little husky so we can get this over quick. You're no match for me." He said in a deep voice as he stepped closer, sword in one hand as he beckoned me with the other.

I stood up as straight as I could, puffing my chest out like a puffer fish would to scare away predators, but I could not hold back my stuttering. "N-never you vile beast!"

Chuckling in amusement, he used his other hand, and grabbed the collar on my shirt firmly, lifting me up into the air like I was nothing more than a ragdoll. His other hand twisted my wrist, and pain shot through my arm. I shouted painfully, and dropped my sword to the ground.

His yellow beak was inches away from my muzzle, and I could tell he clearly enjoyed having dominance over another fur as a smirk branched across his face.

The cutlass pointed at my throat, the sharp tip poking at my skin, ready to slice. The griffin knew he had won. He knew he had beaten the small husky that crossed his path, and was readying himself to deliver the final blow.

"Kiss your life goodbye pup." The griffin taunted gleefully.

But he didn't know huskies could kick hard in places that shouldn't be kicked.

"Kiss your nuts goodbye!"

With one quick swipe of my right leg, and some precise mathematics, I hit the griffin right in the treasure of every man...his jewels.

Howling in pain, the griffon dropped me to the wooden deck, clutching his man parts with one hand while taking two stabs at me with the other that was latched around the cutlass. Luckily, I dodged the jabs, and picked up my sword, and running away laughing like a small child at the griffin's misfortune even though the ship was being plundered.

As I rounded a corner to head to the captain's quarters to see if my leader was still alive, the griffon that I had encountered just a few seconds ago put his body in front of me, his weapon shining in the sun as he gave me a look of pure hatred and disgust.

"NO MORE TRICKS!" He shouted as he lunged toward me, "WE FIGHT LIKE MEN!"

Moving out of the way from the avian as he dived towards me, I thought I had the edge on him.

I was wrong.

He simply used it as a fake maneuver, knowing I would dive out of the way. He then turned himself around quickly by doing a roll, and facing my back while kneeling down.

"HA!" The griffin shouted as his blade slashed through the bottom of my ankle like a knife through butter. A white hot fire burned inside my ankle as the blade made it's across my skin, barely even penetrating the flesh.

Tears started to form in my eyes from the sudden surprise of being attacked, but I held them back from falling to the ground. I turned around, and faced the griffon with a new found hatred and anger in my heart, wanting to tear him apart.

"You will regret that!" I yelled in anger as the griffin gave a snicker of delight at the comment.

"Come at me then!"

I moved my cutlass in ways I thought I would never think as each assault on the griffin mixed in grace, and almost a beastly and powerful volcanic rage. Each thrash at the griffin exclaimed my emotions, and each hit sent the large animal towards the rails of the ship.

With one final move, I disarmed the griffin which sent a wave of shock and surprise that was displayed on the massive male's face.

"Now it is my turn to come at you, swine!" I shouted in rage, and kicked forward. He stumbled backwards, and fell over the guard rail with a yell, and a splash was heard as he hit the water.

"Happy trails!" I said while laughing gleefully as the griffin thrashed in the water, trying to figure out which way was up, and which way was down.

The enemy crew decided they had enough fighting for one day, and started to load cannon balls the size of watermelons into the cannon, and lit the fuse. A burly voice yelled, "Take cover!" On top of the crow's nest, but it was too late.

With a huge bang that rumbled the enemy ship, the huge weapon recoiled backward, and sent a large black blur of an object hurtling in the crow's nest direction. Slicing the wood, the cannonball ripped through the pine that made up the bottom of the tower, and with a loud creak it started to lean in my direction.

The wood cracked like Chinese fireworks as it started to fall, large splinters snapping off the deck, and hitting the deck with such force that they stuck inside of it like it was made of butter. I was too busy gloating over my defeat of my previous opponent to even notice the massive cascade of death.

In one quick motion, I looked to my right to see the crow's nest that was once there be replaced by shards of wood, and debris that were rapidly falling down to me, and if I didn't react they would crush me under their weight.

But before I could yell like a small girl, I felt two hands push me away from the huge mass, and I collided with large barrels. As I heard the sound of a huge crash that reminded me of lightning during a heavy storm, and felt wood fall onto me, and cover me.

The air smelled of wet pine, and I groaned as I pushed the large pile of the preexisting crow's nest off of my back, and got up. I stumbled, and had to catch myself on the ripped sail that was shredded by another cannon ball that flew by in breathtaking speed, and eventually made a splash when it ended its adventure inside the belly of the ocean.

Digging through the rubble to see if anyone was still alive, I nearly jumped back when I found the body of a crew member. His fur was tattered, and the vest that he wore was cut in places. I lightly nudged him with my foot, and an overwhelming sadness moved over me.

He was dead.

I never saw a dead body before until that moment, and it turned my world upside down. I never thought that a pirate life would be full of death, and emotional dysfunction. I thought I would be swimming in booze, money, and be able to provide for my parents.

That was totally false when I looked into the lifeless eyes of the fur that laid before me.

I started to tell myself things like, "He didn't do anything wrong." And, "How come he died, but I survived?"

My mind was being barraged with questions of "if" and asking a lot of "whys". I stumbled again, this time falling over, and laid down, wondering if this moment would be the last time I would lay eyes on the earth again. Then two hulky males started to make their way toward me, kicking bodies to see if they would move to signal that the fur was still alive.

I couldn't recognize the two large furs as they wobbled toward me, and didn't recognize their voice when they spoke in hushed tones.

"Is this one still alive?" One would ask.

"Nope." The other would say simply until they got to me, and the fur kneeled down, looking into my eyes, and holding two fingers.

"Stop it 'ou dope! Obviously, if he is alive he probably doesn't have enough sense."

I recognized the species as a Rhino that held his fingers up to my face, and he dropped his ears in embarrassment. He then walked away quietly without even saying a word. The next one that came to get a look at me was a rat. His nose was twisted slightly, and two buck teeth popped out of his head that were sharp at the tip. He then leaned in close so I could hear his voice. The rat's breath smelled of alcohol, and sea water.

"You have to ignore my friend there. Not two brain cells to rub together. The boss wants to see live ones. Gonna give you fools a choice." The rat said as he grabbed my collar, and pulled me forward.

"Hey, you listening? Oh damn, he is slippen away. Brick get ovar 'ere!" The pirate said as he beckoned for his Rhino companion to come back over.

"Lift this poor bastard up." The rat said crudely. "We were given orders not to create unneeded bloodshed."

Next thing I knew, two giant arms were wrapped around my torso, and I was flipped over the guys shoulder like a small pebble being flung around in the wind. The Rhino gave a grunt in return to his rat companion, and off I went being hauled around like a bag of flour.

Many shots of pain accompanied the rough bumping as I bounced around on the Rhino's shoulders as he carried me towards the back of the ship, and towards the small living quarters were the Rhino stopped, and waited patiently, starring at the door with a look of content.

Feeling my eyes weigh down on me as I started to slip into the veil of unconsciousness, I felt a hand nudge me back to reality. "We need you to stay awake. Can't have you passing away yet, boy." The rat hissed.

Obviously unaware of the situation, and in his own little world, the rhino gave a yawn, and dropped me lightly on the ground like I was the most fragile equipment he ever encountered. Then he sat behind me, put two hands on my shoulders, and sat me upright.

My body could not hold its own weight I was so fatigued, and I leaned my back against his chest, using it as almost a pillow. The rhino gave a smile at me like I was a child, but I heard a whack against the back of his head, and cocked my head over in time to see the aftermath of the rat hitting the rhino on the back of the head.

The rhino didn't even notice the hit, not because he was too dunce, but because it felt like the lightest brush against his head due to his rough skin that acted like a extra layer of body armor.

"You are such a dope. Anyway, while you two have your little bonding time, I'll be doin' things that are more important like rounding up other survivors." The rat said while waving a finger at me. You keep this husky under guard."

I could barely hold my consciousness, and my eyesight started to go foggy outside the edges. My body felt ravaged, like it had been tossed into the ocean, torn into shreds by sharks, and then put back together again. Every breath felt painful, and I guessed one of my ribs was broken.

But before I could pinpoint any other injuries, the moment we were waiting on happened. The door of the captain's quarters rushed open to show the quirkiest looking pirate I have ever seen.

A Germen Shepherd walked out wearing ridiculous attire. His eyes, a bright green flashed to me that laid before him, and his mouth formed into a smirk. A beret with a bright pink feather was slipped into the hat, and the huge feather swayed as he walked arrogantly towards me.

The Sheppard wore a black pirate hat that belonged to my previous captain, and he wore a purple vest that had a long tail end. His white leggings were ripped in places, indicating a struggle must have taken place, and small red dots lined the material.

Taking the pirate hat out from behind his back, the fighting immediately stopped to see what was going on. Many gathered around me, not caring if I was ok, but concentrating solely on the hat that the Germen Sheppard held up with a sense of glee and pride. It was as if a giant, imaginary white flag held up as a truce sign was waving inside people's minds.

But I knew what the attackers and our crew was wondering.

They were wondering if the captain was still alive.

If the captain is dead, all moral would be shattered like a glass pot being dropped, and crumbling into a thousand tiny pieces, unable to be put back together once more in the right place. And that could be seen on mostly all of the Blackjack's crew's faces.

Instead of focusing his attention on everyone though, he focused his attention on me personally, almost like he was challenging me and me only.

"Your captain...Jack Russel..."

There was a slight pause as his mouth formed the words he wanted to produce.

"Is dead."

There were yells of congratulations, cheering, and celebration from one half of the boat.

The other knew what was coming as dismay was easily noticeable on their faces.

Including mine.

"And you, my enemies, will have two choices. You can either one..."

He held up a claw that was as sharp as his words that entered our eardrums like needles.

"Pledge undying loyalty to me...or..."

The flamboyant dog gave a beam of delight that was half mad, and half sinister, but had its own twisted sense of morality. I could hear the rhino behind me breathing rapidly, and could feel his chest inhale and exhale air out of his lungs. He was defiantly calm, but I could tell he was not the fighting type by the way he clutched my wrists. It was like he almost wanted me to escape, and run away from his captain forcing his will upon us.

The crew of Blackjack held their breath and me as well. We waited for the accusation that was about to fall upon us, and the enemy captain was enjoying his time in the spotlight as he punished us for the defiance.

"Walk the plank. Your choice...chose wisely."

The crowd departed, joining ranks with the remaining crew of the defending ship, or joining the Shepherd to celebrate a victory. I still sat with the rhino, not wanting to move from my spot. I could overhear two hushed voices talking in distance almost right behind us. I identified them as part of the Blackjack crew.

"Why don't we just join their crew? We will probably be treated better there then we were ever here." One whispered to the other.

"Wouldn't that be betrayal? Besides, we probably have a good chance of surviving if we walked the plank anyway. We could start a new life, one that doesn't involve this..."

The arguing man waved his hand around the atmosphere to show the carnage that happened. "We could start a business, and do something rather than just pledging our loyalty to some "Captain" that doesn't know 'is ass from 'is brain."

With a chuckle of amusement from the Shepherd, he leaned over to the man, and whispered, "I heard that." From behind which nearly made the male run away in terror, and he jumped. "Might want to watch your tongue unless you want it chopped off hmm?"

With that, the Shepherd went back to patrolling the ship. I was shaking violently as I realized my fate, and the rhino must have sensed my fear because he was gripping my wrists harder. Then I felt the rhino's breath tingle against my ear to hear him whisper, "Brick let you escape. Brick wants husky to leave."

I stopped shaking, and looked back to see him nonchalantly starring into the distance like we never talked. I realized that Brick must be his name, and that he was poorly educated on the subject of speaking. But then I realized that Brick could be tricking me.

"Why do you want me to leave?" I asked, and I felt a shot of pain once more jet through my body due to my injuries.

"Brick don't know. Brick think your special in some way. Brick think you don't belong here."

Well, he is somewhat right. I joined the pirate crew of Blackjack crew to help my family back at home by sending any treasure I acquired back to the homeland. Brick was right. I wasn't a heartless pirate that just wanted money for himself like his captain. I belonged somewhere else. But first I needed to get out.

"Brick has idea."

"What do you want from me? Money?" I asked as I coughed which only made the pain worsen.

The rhino shook his head, and said, "Only husky's friendship. Brick never had friend before. Brick only been treated horribly."

It felt like a knife stabbed me in the chest at that moment as pity for Brick swept over me. I couldn't believe I felt sorry for someone on the enemy crew, but it worked. I agreed with the plan in exchange that I would be friends with Brick. The rhino smiled at the idea. It was like playtime for him even with the calamity that was happening. It was like Brick was used to it.

But before Brick could tell me his idea, the rat from before was being scolded harshly by the Germen Shepherd. One of the Shepherd's claws was jabbing the rat in chest as he accused him of stepping on his shoes.

Right by the plank.

"You RAT! I knew you were a filthy animal when I first laid eyes on you. YOU stepped on my imported beauties! They are made from the finest silk, and YOU stepped on them!" The over-emotional captain said as he kept moving closer to the rat, as he kept moving closer to the edge of the plank.

"I-I apologize, sir-"The rat stammered, but was interrupted quickly by a hand.

"Apologize? HA! There is not a time for apologizes when it involves my imports. It is time for a lesson."

"Wait, what are you doing!?"

"I cannot have you filth on board. Goodbye!"

With a swift kick, the new captain pushed the rat off the plank with his foot. The rat hit the water with a splash, but luckily knew how to swim, and started to paddle as quickly as possible away from the ship mumbling, "I knew I should have never joined with that freak."

The crew of the Blackjack was speechless at the rage the Shepherd unleashed, and the captain's crew was equally speechless as well. I was too delirious to concentrate on what just happened.

"Anybody else wish to confront me today?" The captain said as his eyes jumped from one to the next. "No? Good. Get back to deciding your fate."

At that moment, I then felt Brick's words tickle the outside of my ear once more, "Bones may be crazy, but Bones is gracious for letting husky's crew live. Most pirates would kill husky's crew instead of letting husky's crew join Bones."

I nodded in response, and finally got the name of the captain. Bones was one of the most gracious of the famous seven pirates, but he was also the craziest. He sailed the seas with some of the greatest men around, plundering ships, and letting the crew choose their own fate. I remembered hearing stories about him during my childhood. Now the living legend was standing in front of me. It was a scary thought.

I shook away the stories of Bones, and asked Brick what his plan was for escaping. He replied with, "Brick thinks husky should use the lifeboats in the back. Brick thinks that it will be quiet."

I agreed with the plan, and felt my body being lifted up like it was made of nothing. The rhino then whispered in my ear, "Husky must play dead."

I was confused at the comment at first, but abided to Brick's wishes. I laid my body on his arms sideways as he carried me towards the captain. I opened my eyes a tiny bit, small enough to not be noticed by the crew that was walking around. It seemed most of the crew of the Blackjack decided to stay, and the ones that wanted to leave either died during the fighting, or jumped overboard when it was happening. Most shifted to Bone's side, not complaining about the new leadership.

When Brick walked me over, I heard the mumbling of the new captain as he talked about what the new name of the ship should be.

"I would vote something sinister, sir. Something that would shake the bones, and chill the blood." The captain's assistant said. He had an eye patch on his right eye, and some of the jackal's teeth were missing.

"Yes. Yes that would be absolutely lovely. How about the Black Widow? Does that sound forewarning?"

"Yessss. Perfect my master."

"Good. The name is settled then. Ahhh, and what do we have here?" The Shepherd said as he walked over to become face to face with Brick.

"Captain, I found husky dead. May Brick dispose body?"

"Yes, get him out of my face." Bones said as he waved a hand away, "I do not want that decomposing body rotting on my ship."

Brick gave a nod at the answer, and walked to the back of the ship where the life boats were, hidden by large barrels that blocked the deck.

"Husky go. Brick stay here."

"Ok. Thank you Brick." I said in a raspy voice, and started to cough once more.

Brick nodded silently, and started to lower the lifeboat into the water. My vision started to fade, and I looked at my chest to see what was causing my fatigue. A large splinter of wood was jetting out of my chest, probably from the crow's nest exploding earlier.

When the lifeboat hit the water, I watched with remorse as I saw the ship fade away into the distance, and eventually fade away in the distance, only a tiny spec remaining. My body could take no more as I laid on the lifeboat, starring up into the bright blue sky. A small cloud passed by, and then another.

And another.

Soon they bunched together, and blocked out the warm heat of the sun. Rain started to fall down in droplets, soaking the once dry wood with rain water, and hitting my body. The cold feeling of the rain and the pitter patter of it hitting the ocean around me sent me into a daze. I started to find myself losing grip on reality, slipping away into another realm.

If this is death, it doesn't feel so bad.

I closed my eyes, not knowing that my life was about to take a completely different direction.