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Otten, Chapter 2

That night Eelan and his father swam back to town to look for any survivors, but all they found were bodies. In the pale light of the fire Eelan could make out the black and yellow flag flying over the imposing ship. The image of the flag was burned into his memory, A black scull with crossed cutlasses beneath it on a yellow flag. "Pirates" Eelan growled and looked at his father beside him. Ran-Dar grunted and motioned for his son to follow him back into the water and away from the dangerous human ship.

The next day found Eelan and his new family swimming south along the coast. Eelan carried Lanna while Ran-Dar carried Letta and her cub. Even Eelan have never been this far south before, but he wasn't surprised to see evidence of Otten living along the costs. Ran-Dar it seemed was part of a whole village of Ferals. They didn't seem at all surprised to see him returning with his new family. In fact they seemed both excited and happy for him. "Ran-Dar find old mate! Bring back Let-a!" an older Otten growled happily as soon as they had climbed up onto the ramshackle walkway.

"Let-a, you remember Gur-Dar, he father to me, met you long time ago" Ran-Dar explained as best he could.

"Let-a!" the huge gray furred Otten said and pulled the female into a hug, "And Let-a bring female cubs too! Sprits bring us great blessing today!" he said and turned to the group of males gathering around them. "Ran-Dar bring back three females and lost brother!" he said and gestured to Eelan. "Spirits be kind to us, and we be kind to new members of our clan!"

There was a chorus of hearty shouts and hoops. It seemed like the whole village descended upon the family hugging and sniffing them. Eelan was still a head taller than most of the other males, but they were more like him than the males in the other village had ever been. They played with him roughly, punching his meaty shoulders and playfully nipping at him when he didn't punch back.

The sound of Lanna giggling distracted Eelan from greeting the other males. A very large young male was playfully tickling her. Letta laughed as she fled from him and hid behind her brother. "Eelan look! He looks just like you!" she said and playfully hid from the large youth.

The young male looked a little frightened of Eelan, but it was Ran-Dar who grabbed him by his neck scruff in a playful bite. "Brother died on hunting trip many years back" Ran-Dar said and pulled the annoyed cub into his arms, "I raise cub to be strong warrior and hunter" he said as he wrestled the young male who growled as he fought for his freedom.

"What is his name?" Eelan asked.

"Call him Vandar after brother Van-Dar" Ran-Dar said and released the obstinate youth from his embrace.

Vandar cautiously approached Eelan and pushed his chest out proudly, "I be cousin to Eelan and Ran-Dar. I am proud warrior and hunter" he said, but Ran-Dar poked him from behind as he spoke. "Err, I not be warrior or hunter yet" he growled, "But one day I be best hunter in clan"

"Can we play Eelan?" Lanna asked and emerged from behind her brother. "He's probably only a little older than me"

"Will you promise to protect my little sister?" Eelan asked the young Feral Otten.

"I promise" he replied.

"Then you can play" Eelan said and turned to his mother who nodded.

Lanna squealed as she ran forward and tackled the young Feral Otten. He was knocked back by her unexpected attack and they tumbled in a ball of multicolored fur towards the water. Eelan laughed as he watched them play and splash in the water. A hand on his shoulder distracted him from watching the two youngsters. "E-lan, you grow up into strong hunter" Ran-Dar said and pulled his lost son into his arms. Eelan was surprised to feel the wetness of tears on his father's face as he hugged him. "Now E-lan learn to be warrior too" Ran-Dar said and pulled away to hold his son at arm's length.

...

Life in the Feral village was much different from life in his old home. The Ferals were fiercely independent, and oddly lacking in females. There were other female Otten, but they were like Eelan's mother, and they had come to the village with their feral mates. Unlike normal Otten women the females spent more time outside with the males. Each female had a whole pack of males attending her, but in the afternoon the women were left with only a few guards and most of the village left to hunt.

After hunting the males brought back food for their respective females. Next in the daily schedule was training. Every male was expected to be in peak physical shape, and regular training with weapons was how they maintained their strength and endurance. Eelan had always been a large male, but after living a year and a half with his father he was quickly growing into one of the strongest males in the entire village.

Eelan swore he had put on nearly six inches of height in the last half year. Maybe it was the steady diet of raw meat, or perhaps the fact that almost every waking hour of the day and night was spent hunting or training, but Eelan was starting to look a whole lot more like his father, and less and less like a civilized Otten. He wore no clothing except the straps of his weapon harness and his belt that held his few tools. In the year and a half spent with his father Eelan had earned his fair share of scars from mock fights and actual battles against the ever increasing number of pirates that frequented these shores.

He never saw the ship that had destroyed his old village, but Eelan swore that he would one day find the humans responsible for the destruction of his former home and make them pay for their crimes. By the time a two years had passed Eelan was ready to leave his new home. He had been training for this day since his village had been destroyed. Ran-Dar seemed to understand his son's need for closure and revenge, but Eelan's mother was beside herself with worry. "Why do you have to leave son? You finally know who you are, and yet you're still not happy with yourself?"

Eelan looked out at the sun setting across the water. "I don't think I will ever be able to live like a true Otten mother" he said sadly and turned to the tiny female, "I still love you... and father... and my sisters" he said and put a huge paw on his mother's belly, "and maybe my little brother too?"

"If he grows into half the Otten you've become he will be both a fierce warrior and a strong hunter" Letta said sadly.

"I have to do this mother" Eelan said before he turned away from his mom. "I will return one day... until then, stay strong for me" Letta nodded as her son leapt into the water and began to swim north along the cost. She didn't know what his future held, but she knew in her heart that he was doing what he had to do.

...

Shadow Cove was considered by most respected captains as a degenerative nest of vagabonds and knaves. In any normal port a young Otten would have stood out like a sore thumb, but in Shadow Cove they were just another oddity amongst the many disenfranchised races who trafficked with pirates and black market merchants. Coral had long ago learned to wear a cloak to hide his identity, but sometimes there were just some situations where the young Otten couldn't do anything to hide himself. This was one of those situations.

"I know you stole it you gutless yellow bellied sea toad!" Coral growled through gritted fangs, "Where is my damned staff!"

The pirate laughed at the cloaked figure standing before him. "Without that staff you're just another runty sea rat" the man said and roughly pushed Coral. The young Otten's hood fell away revealing his identity to the other patrons of the bar. A few humans laughed at him, but there were enough Mer-folk and Primians in the crowd for his beastly heritage to go mostly unnoticed. "I can still manage enough magic to put you in your place human!" Coral said as he put his hand out in front of him and conjured a ball of dazzling light.

The orb of spinning light launched itself towards the man's face, catching him off guard and distracting him from the smaller Otten. Coral took advantage of the opportunity and punched the man in his face. "By the nine hells!" the human said as he batted at the ball of light. "You're going to regret that!" he said and blindly swung at Coral who easily jumped back to avoid the man's fist.

By now the crowd had parted enough for the man to avoid hitting anyone else with his blind strikes at the furry Otten before him. Coral was forced to keep backing up to avoid the man's fists. Most everyone on the crowded tavern was avoiding their little scuffle, but after avoiding the man for more than a few feet Coral bumped into something sold and surprisingly furry. A low spine chilling growl came from whatever he had just backed into, and whatever it was it didn't seem happy to have been disturbed.

The angry pirate's eyes were just clearing up when he caught up to Corral. "G... gods above!" he said in shock as he looked at whoever was behind Coral. "I don't want any trouble" he said as he backed away and then turned to flee through the crowd.

Coral cringed as he reached over his shoulder and felt something muscular and covered in dense fur. The owner of all that muscle and fur was still growling, so he probably didn't appreciate Coral standing so close to him. "I'm so sorry!" Coral said as he spun around and looked up at his savior. "I didn't mean to bump into you..."

Coral would have said more, but the sight of the creature was so shocking that he forgot what he was about to say. He would have expected a Primian or maybe some other large furry humanoid, but what he saw was another Otten, and not just any Otten either. He was obviously a Feral Otten and maybe the biggest that had ever existed. His arms alone were larger than Coral's whole body and judging from how tall he stood he had to be nearly seven and a half feet tall! He was naked save the straps that held his few possessions and weapons to his body and judging from the scars that covered his body he was no stranger to fighting.

As soon as he saw Coral's face his growl faded and was replaced by a curious glare. "What is a young Otten doing in a place like this?" he asked in a voice that reminded Coral of thunder echoing across the ocean on a stormy night.

"Well... actually..." Corral said and began to tell the massive Feral Otten his story.

By the time he finished Coral was sitting at a table with the stranger. He had politely bought the other male a drink which he had finished more than an hour back. "So these humans took your staff huh?" the huge male said with a slight growl in his voice.

"Yes, and without it I can't use my magic" Coral said sadly. "I was going to board a ship out of Shadow Cove tomorrow morning, but without my staff I won't be able to do my job!"

The huge male seemed to think for a moment. "Maybe you can help me if I agree to help you?" he asked.

"Well, I guess I could pay you if you wanted" Coral said hesitantly, he wasn't exactly made out of gold, but he needed that staff back as soon as possible.

"I'm looking for a ship, it flies a yellow flag with a black skull and two cutlasses crossed below" he said bluntly.

Coral blanched at the description. "You don't mean the Maiden's Folly do you?" he asked.

The Feral Otten growled at the name. "I've heard that's what the ship is called, so yes I do"

"What do you want with that ship!?" Coral asked in shock.

"I want to destroy it!" the Feral growled and slammed his paw down on the table hard enough to send splinters of wood flying. Coral was briefly worried about the structural integrity of the wooden table, but he didn't have long to think before the beastly Otten continued. "Those pirate bastards killed half my family and slaughtered a whole village of our people!" he growled. "They deserve a fate worse than death, but I guess killing them will have to do for now"

"Otten villages are burned by pirates every day" Coral said sadly.

"I wouldn't expect a human loving runt like you to understand" the Feral said angrily as he stood and made to leave.

"Wait!" Corral said as he chased after the Otten. "I can still help you!" he said desperately.

The feral paused briefly to look back at Coral. "How's that?"

"That ship sailed east more than a month ago, but the ship I was going to board was going east as well! If you help me than I could get you a ride on the ship with me" Coral said in desperation.

The feral paused as he seemed to think. "Where's this staff of yours?"

...

Coral couldn't believe his luck. Not only was Eelan a monster in battle, but he was also surprisingly quiet for a Otten as large as he was. So far the barbaric Feral had slaughtered a half dozen pirates with nothing but his claws and fangs. Coral would have been scared, but Eelan was clearly not aggressive towards his own race. He even checked on Coral after the fight to make sure he hadn't gotten hurt.

As the two Otten stole through the darkened thieves den Eelan would occasionally pause and pull Coral back just in time to avoid a trip wire or some other trap. Without the feral's help half the town would already know Coral was there. At long last the door to the treasure room was within their sight. "It's in there" Coral said and pointed at the door, "I can feel it through that door"

Eelan nodded as he placed his hand on the door and in one swift motion pushed it hard enough to break the wood away from the latch that held it closed. It was a feat of raw strength that Coral couldn't have imagined anyone else doing. Coral hurried into the room and spotted his staff laying in a pile of gold coins in the back of the room. As soon as he touched the ordinary looking wooden staff he felt his magical powers returning.

The sound from the door must have alerted a guard or something, because Eelan growled and turned towards the door just as someone started shouting in the back of the hideout. "We're going to have to fight through a lot of men to get out this way" Eelan said gruffly.

"Than we'll make our own exit" Coral said and smiled as he pulled a seed out of the pouch on his hip.

"What are you doing?" Eelan asked.

"Just watch" Coral said as he placed the seed in the center of the room and concentrated through his staff. A wave of bright green energy flowed from the gnarled top of the staff and into the seed. In a few short seconds a root pushed out of the seed and into the wooden floor. Next a leaf burst from the top of the seed as the plant began to grow stronger and larger.

It only took a few moments for the plant to grow large enough to fill the room. The sound of the roof and floor cracking startled Eelan as he watched the plant grow rapidly and violently. Eventually the roof above them cracked and gave way to the leafy boughs of the tree. The smell of fresh air proved to the Feral Otten that there was indeed a massive hole in the roof where the growing three had burst through it. "Looks good enough for me!" he said as he scooped Coral up and began to climb the tree.

Coral was surprised at how easily Eelan carried him. The Feral grunted as he broke through the roof and into the cool night air. He carried Coral as he climbed back down the building and onto the boards of the wooden platform the hideout was built on. "We should return to my employer" Coral said and motioned for Eelan to follow him.

The Siren's Song was a beautiful ship and one of the first Eelan had ever been on. The captain was a pirate, but Eelan swallowed his anger and let the human inspect him. "Where in Shadow Cove did you find another Otten?" Mad-Hat Harry asked as he looked at the monster of an Otten standing in his cabin.

"We bumped into each other" Coral said shyly, "Is it ok if he stays with me for a while?"

"I can't say no to one of the best wind caller's on the ocean, now can I?" Captain Harry said and looked at Eelan, "What's your name?"

"Eelan" Eelan replied.

"Eelan... well then, welcome aboard Eelan! I expect all my crew members to pull their weight around here! You're going to be working while you're on my ship! I also expect you to hunt and fish for my crew whenever you are able" Harry instructed, "I know how handy you Otten can be on board a ship"

"I understand" Eelan said and nodded.

"Normally I would make you share quarters with the crew, but since you're helping my wind caller you can share quarters with him" Harry said. "I'll have extra bedding brought to your cabin Coral"

Coral nodded and smiled slightly at the thought of getting to spend more time with the huge Otten beside him. "I'll be sure to take care of him and show him around the Siren sir" Coral said enthusiastically.

"Good, then you two are dismissed. Get some rest before tomorrow! We make sail at dawn and I want a strong wind if the seas aren't favorable in the morning"

Coral led Eelan below deck and briefly showed him around. On each of the ship's five decks, except the top one, was a large open area shared by around ten to twenty crew members. The top floor was occupied by the cooking and dining area for the crew. There were also facilities to accommodate the more base needs of each crew member. The private cabins were situated below the captain's quarters in the back of the ship. There were only five cabins on the whole ship, so having one was a big deal.

Coral's cabin was filled with all sorts of dried plants and herbs. It smelled strongly of its owner's scent, but Eelan somehow didn't mind that. Someone had recently put a few extra furs down on the pile that Coral must usually sleep in. Coral proceeded to separate a few of the furs from the pile and make a smaller bed beside the first. "We should probably get some rest before tomorrow" he said and gestured to the cabin. "I know it's not much, but make yourself at home" he said warmly.

Coral fell asleep quite quickly, but Eelan was used to only half sleeping in the night. The smaller Otten was shivering in the tiny bed he had made for himself with only a few furs. Eelan growled at the lack of foresight on the young Otten's part. He should have asked for more furs, or at least taken more for himself. He probably didn't think about how thick Eelan's fur was or how he didn't get as cold as a normal Otten did.

Eelan reached out to the shivering fur ball and pulled him into his arms. Almost immediately the young Otten snuggled up against Eelan's chest and into his dense chest fur. It was almost cute. Sleep eventually came to Eelan despite how nervous he was about sailing on a ship. He would have to rely on this tiny Otten to help him in the coming days.