Hello there, readers! I can't believe that I got bit by the motivation bug so soon after last time! I hope my house isn't infested! Hehehehe. Anyways, this chapter was proofread by the wonderful Trismegistus Shandy! I hope that you enjoy it!

 

 

Found (Chapter 17)

 

 

by

 

 

Elite Shade

 

 

 

Lightning streaked across the sky, followed almost immediately by the crack of thunder. The sea was angry, with massive waves smashing into the ship to and fro. I stumbled out of the cabin I had been given, finishing buttoning my white shirt. I looked around, dazed and squinting in the near-horizontal rain and sea spray that stung my eyes. I saw members of the crew, their footsteps thudding across the metal deck. They were shouting to be heard over the sound of the storm, and I knew that I was completely out of place. I started to walk, gripping the rail to keep my balance on the slippery deck as the boat rocked, like some great beast. Twice I had nearly been bowled over by crew members as they rushed past me to their various stations. I only stopped when I saw a figure I recognized.

 

Captain Blackthorne, in his blue coat, was striding across the deck, his steps sure and confident, bellowing out orders to his crew, directing them like a well-oiled machine. He saw me, and I shrank back a little, his eyes always looked hard to me. Steel grey, just like the sea that day, as the Aurora Hammer sliced her way through the waves that seemed to be intentionally trying to overwhelm us. His tanned weatherbeaten skin and shorn dark hair added to his imposing appearance. His mouth curved up in a slightly crooked smile; I'm pretty sure his jaw had been broken on one occasion.

 

"How're you liking our voyage, young Marcus?" he asked as he towered over me, his voice a deep rumble to rival even the thunder of the storm.

 

"I-it's... uhm... quite t-terrifying, s-sir," I said. I could see him opening his mouth to speak before there was a shout, and we looked up towards the bridge that was just above us, the first mate leaning over the rail.

 

"Incoming vessel off the portside! It's a dreadnought!" she called, her dreadlocks whipping in the breeze. We both turned and looked. I could see a black shape nearing us, briefly lit up by a flash of lightning. I started to feel any hope of escape fade, when I heard Captain Blackthorne's booming laugh.

 

"Don't you fret, boyo," he said, slipping back into his native brogue, "that may be a dreadnought coming at us, but don't forget, the Aurora Hammer is one as well. And I and my crew have been sailing her long before whatever whelps they've decided to throw at us combined. You just go back and wait in yer cabin', while we deal with these pests."

 

I wanted to argue, to offer to help in any way, and to apologize for all of this happening. But I knew that he would wave me off, especially since he was already walking away, barking new orders while his crew set about getting ready for the inevitable battle ahead. I started to head back to my cabin, and saw one of the crew jogging past my cabin... just as we were hit. I... I never learned his name. I remembered him telling stories of his two daughters that he doted on...

 

One second, he was there, and the next, there was just a spray of red, followed by a slamming sensation that rocked the boat, and then the fire. There were several more shots around us, the sea itself exploding as they thankfully missed. And then, the Aurora Hammer returned fire. Not one of our shots missed. The exchange itself went on for what felt like an eternity, but I think really was less than five minutes. In that time, I think we hit the enemy's fuel tanks, or something, because there was a great big explosion in the dead center that ripped the entire ship in half. It wasn't neat like a slice, but the ship was in two.

 

Both halves quickly sank, and I heard someone call them idiots for storing their fuel in the center like that, making an easy target. That voice was soon drowned out by some moans and cries of pain, and I think... someone screaming... while burning alive. We continued along, but we had suffered serious damage as well. An hour must have passed before I heard Captain Blackthorne boom out "ABANDON SHIP!" I looked back at where my cabin was, and saw a huge gaping hole in the side, twisted metal and flames that were quickly being extinguished... and some that seemed to continue burning on the very water itself. I felt a large hand clap onto my shoulder, and jumped, looking up into the face of the captain himself. He gave a pained wince of a smile, and started to direct me to a lifeboat. I turned and looked behind me to see other crew members boarding other lifeboats, some having to be dragged on with grievous wounds.

 

"Up ya go, boyo," he said, picking me up and setting me inside the metal boat that seemed so small compared to the huge roiling seas. I stopped when I recognized some of my luggage, and looked back at the captain. "I had some of yer possessions stowed here just in case. Now, you remember the plan? The compass right there will help ya to navigate. Just follow the others, and you should get to the city just fine."

 

"Y-you're not coming?" I asked, even while the wind snatched my very words away as soon as they left my mouth.

 

"Sorry, boyo, but it looks like this is as far as I go on yer journey. But hey, the captain is supposed to go down with the ship," he said, once more his smile looked pained, and he was looking a little pale. He then removed his coat, detaching his officer's sword from it, and passed it to me. It was then that I noticed the red on his undershirt, leaking down the side of his pants down to his boots, some of it starting to pool at his right ankle. I opened my mouth to speak and beg him to please get in the boat with me, and let me help with stopping the bleeding, but I never got the chance. He slammed his open palm on a button in front of the lifeboat, and immediately it dropped into the choppy surf. After I sat back up, I looked up to see Captain Ian Blackthorne, former Naval Admiral, as he stood proudly on the deck of his sinking ship, and gave a wave, before he drew his sword, and held it aloft, high and proud. Lightning flashed and thunder cracked, and that moment, that sight, will forever remain burned into my mind. The Aurora Hammer was listing to her port side, and soon, was swallowed by the dark sea.

 

Through tear-stained eyes, I started the engine and started to follow the other lifeboats. The Captain had made sure to teach me how to use it just for this very occurrence... but... soon I lost sight of them. Waves smashed some of them against each other, and I could hear snatches of screams and cries for help, before I suddenly found myself alone. I tried to right my directions, following a south-westerly direction, but I didn't know if I was still on course. I don't know how much longer the storm lasted, but it passed eventually, and I could see the late afternoon sky.

 

The sun was just touching the horizon in front of me when I realized that I could see land. I was terrified, and headed straight for it. The land mass grew bigger and bigger until I realized I was off course. I thought about changing directions and following the coast. But... I was afraid of being discovered, and when I checked how much fuel was left in the tank, it was below a quarter of the tank. There were two more cans of gas, but I was also worried about wasting fuel, if I was too far off course. I came to a beach, with black gravel, just as the tank ran dry, and I beached my boat. I... with a lot of effort and time, pulled it far up on shore, and hid it in a small cave I found, obscured by bushes. It didn't look like anyone had been there in a long time. I stripped off my wet clothes and unrolled my bed mat, and collapsed onto it. I woke up hungry in the middle of the night, and ate a little of the dried rations that were included in the boat, and drank a little of the fresh water.
The next day, I tried to get my bearings, but I couldn't find a map anywhere. It's possible a bag or satchel may have fallen overboard at some point, so I was scared. I spent a few more days in the cave, making a firepit and drying my clothes, before I gathered up my luggage and supplies, and started to trek inland.

 

 

Zach and Vanna sat on the couch opposite of the armchair their foster pup was currently sitting in, listening to his tale with rapt attention.
"And... then I... I kinda got lost, and I couldn't find the beach, so I just followed rivers, until I got close to areas where there were farms... then I saw... other mammals, and I kept my distance... for safety... and I kinda just stayed like that for a few months, u-until I w-was f-found..."

 

"... That's quite the story, Marcus," Zach said, rubbing the back of his head.

 

"I swear it's the t-truth!" Marcus said, looking Zach in the eye. While his intuition wasn't as legendary as his father's, Zach could tell that the boy before him was not lying.

 

"I believe ya, son, I promise," he said, holding up his paws.

 

"Why didn't you want to be found, sweetie?" Vanna asked, gently.

 

"... B-because... I w-was afraid th-that I'd be k-killed... or eaten... or enslaved," Marcus said, looking down at his feet. His shoes he had lost in some deep mud, gotten sucked right off his feet. He had been barefoot ever since, a callus having formed.

 

"... Is that a common belief fer yer species?" Zach asked, his ears drooping when Marcus nodded. He thought back to Marcus asking about ostriches and their horns.

 

"I think y'all may have some misconceptions about the outside world," Zach joked, noticing that Marcus only nodded.

 

"I think that I remember that storm," Vanna added, sounding thoughtful, "hurricane Abraham... but that was six months ago. You've been in the woods for that long?"

 

Marcus looked uncomfortable and shrugged. "I th-think so... but after a while, the days k-kinda blended together..."

 

Zach and Vanna shared a worried look, the wolf and tigress holding paws. Zach leaned in close to his mate to whisper, "There's only one beach with black gravel I know of nearby, and it has a cave that me and my brothers used to play in when we were pups."

 

 

In Tundratown...

 

 

"Uncle Wade, Aunty Giselle!" Lily cried in excitement. Dawn and Vern had decided to take the pups to visit Wade and Giselle in Tundratown. Dawn had been a bit concerned about the temperature, especially for little furless Lily, and so had insisted on all of them wearing the sweaters her mother had made them. Not that there was any resistance to that. Although Vernon did have to reel Dawn back in when she also started planning on dressing Lily in a coat as well as a parka. She had been more than a little worried about Lily being especially susceptible to the cold weather. So instead, she had settled on an extra scarf that she snugly wrapped around her giggling little daughter's neck. Trevor and Alice were dressed similarly.

 

All bundled up, however, the little human girl didn't seem to mind the cold one bit as she darted towards the wolf and giraffe mates, followed by her brother, standing before the open-air ice rink. They both smiled and Giselle quickly reached down with her arms wide open and scooped Lily and Trevor up.

 

"Well, lookie here, it seems I caught m'self a couple'a giggle-mites!" Giselle said, looking down at her niece and nephew while Wade looked up, his tail starting to wag. He saw Alice hanging back a little, standing near Dawn, and smiled, waving the rest of them over. Vernon chuckled as both Trevor and his sister kept trying to scale Giselle's neck.

 

"Heya, Vern, heya, Dawn!" Wade said to his brother and his brother's mate.

 

"Hey there, Allie," Wade said, reaching forward and ruffling Alice's headfur. The pup tried to frown around a giggle as she fixed her now mussed-up headfur.

 

"H-hi... Uncle Wade..." Alice said, still holding Dawn's hoof. She had tried to play it off as not wanting Dawn to hold her paw as they got on the train to head to the park to meet up with Wade and Giselle, but she didn't say no when the diminutive ewe did so. Dawn even noticed a slight upward curl to her oldest's muzzle, but chose to say nothing. All around were all sorts of mammals of various species, including children, having fun as they skated.

 

"Oi! I'm notta ladder or some kinda jungle gym," Giselle said with a giggle as she set Lily and Trevor down.

 

"Alright, now who's ready to learn how to skate?" Wade asked, with a clap of his paws.

 

"ME!" Lily and Trevor shouted in gleeful unison. The adults shared a chuckle at the enthusiasm on the pups, and all started to head towards the ice rink. There was a facility for renting ice skates and other equipment. The reindeer behind the counter was helpful in locating a pair of skates for everyone, although he looked grateful when Giselle declined a set of skates for herself.

 

"Aren't you gunna skate with us, Auntie Giselle?" Lily asked as she sat on a nearby bench while Vernon busied himself with tying her laces for her.

 

"Aww, I'm afraid that I'm a little too much on the clumsy side, Sweet Pea," the Giraffe said, a blush coloring her cheeks. "The last thing anyone needs is me with blades strapped to the bottoms of my feet."

 

"Really? You looked purdy graceful to me at my birthday party. The way y'all were spinnin' and dancin' around the cake and presents, y'all looked like a ballerina!" Lily said. Dawn and Vernon had both begun to notice that Lily had started picking up Vernon's drawl.

 

"Oooooh, you are such a wee little sweetheart!" Giselle said, leaning over to pat Lily on her headfur. The truth was that at the party, Giselle had been a little on edge, worried that she would trip over or bump into something and cause destruction to the cake or the presents, or even to the children themselves. Her spinning around was actually due to her losing her footing a few times as she tried to maintain 360 degree awareness of her surroundings, and dodging out of the way. However, Lily's words had touched the cockney giraffe. She had dreamed of becoming a ballerina when she was Lily's age.

 

"And there ya go, Sugar Plum," Vernon said once both of Lily's ice skates, which were pink and glittery, were fastened. He picked her up in his arms just as Wade was helping Trevor with his skates, and Dawn and Alice were whispering and giggling about something. "All ready to start ice-dancin'."

 

"Thanks, Daddy!" Lily said, hugging him close. "These're the purdiest skates I've ever seen!"

 

"Hehe, well, I'm glad that they make ya happy," he said, hugging back.

 

"Alright pups," Wade said, carrying Trevor while Alice carefully picked her way to the ice itself, with Dawn holding her paw while doing the same. Vernon set Lily down, but kept his paw on her shoulder to steady her, reaching over and doing the same for his son.

 

"Now, have any of you ever skated or used roller skates before?" Wade smiled as he saw all three shake their heads no, and continued. "It can seem hard for a first-timer, but it's lots of fun and real easy to do once you get the hang of it. First, I want you all to keep your knees slightly bent, like so."

 

The wolf nodded in approval as his nieces and nephew bent their knees forward a little like he was. "Good! Now, when skating, just gently push forward from one foot to the other, like so," and very slowly, Wade started skating, making sure that the pups all saw how he was doing it. "After that, it becomes easier the more you practice." That was more or less Vernon and Dawn's cue to let go of their children so that they could start skating on their own, yet they both hesitated. Eventually, they let go, and an excited Trevor was the first to start going. Followed by Lily, with Alice having waited to take up the rear, keeping her younger siblings in her line of sight at all times.

 

"They seem to all be naturals, especially Trevor," Wade said as he skated up to his brother as they watched the children. Lily and Alice both seemed wobbly, whereas the little black sheep boy was already going in circles. "He'd probably do very well on a hockey team." Vernon rolled his eyes, having known that his brother was going to push for the pups to get into his sport of choice. Wade had loved playing on his pee-wee hockey team growing up.

 

"Maybe when he's a little older," Vernon said.

 

"And it seems like Lily's really picking up on yer drawl, Vern, I wonder why that is," Wade said with a smirk. Dawn giggled at that.

 

"I think it's because she looks up to her daddy so much that she wants to emulate him," she offered.

 

"I think that it's just her fugurin' out her identity, and she's giving the accent a try," he said.

 

"Ya don't sound too excited fer that, Vern," Wade said, "I mean, I'd have thought you'd find that endearing that yer little girl there wants ta copy ya."

 

"I think it's downright adorable!" Dawn said, her stomach fluttering. She was briefly worried that she was going to be hit with another bout of nausea like when she first woke up this morning. She and Vern had both noticed how that had been happening the last few weeks. But once more, she pushed the thought away.

 

"It's cute, yeah," Vernon said, uncomfortably rubbing the back of his neck as he watched Lily almost fall, only for Alice to catch her and steady her, "but... I'm just worried that she'll not drop it. Ya know how lots of mammals view us fer our drawl."

 

"... True. Lotsa mammals already have a low opinion of wolves already, but throw in a southern accent, and suddenly yer an idjit," Wade concurred.

 

"Right... so the other day, I took Lily aside and explained that to her, about how hard that was to deal with growin' up, and even ta still be dealin' with it."

 

"I take it that it didn't work," Wade mused, while Dawn covered her mouth with her paw, holding back a snort while Vernon frowned.
"It backfired," Dawn said, still holding back laughter, while her mate rolled his eyes.

 

"Yeah... what I had intended ta be a cautionary tale, Lily took as a story of how brave I was fer continuin' ta talk how I want, despite what some mean mammals might think. And then she said she was gunna talk just like me from now on." Vernon crossed his arms as his mate, his brother, and his sister in law all cracked up at that.

 

"Oh, Vern," Giselle said, wiping away a tear from her eye, "you may be surprised to hear that I m'self have a wee bit of an accent. And I know how ya feel. And I can tell ya that those who would judge her based on how she speaks just aren't worth her time."

 

"Well said, Giselle!" Dawn said up to her sister, the two sharing a high hoof. It was actually more of a low-hoof for Giselle, but neither one was going to get caught up in the semantics of it. Just then, Lily and Trevor accidentally collided, and Dawn let out a gasp, relaxing only a little when their laughter reached her ears. She still couldn't wait any longer, and started to skate over to her lambs. Vernon chuckled and was about to skate over to join them, when he felt his phone buzzing. He fished it out of his coat pocket and saw he had gotten a text from his brother Zach.

 

Just had a major breakthrough with Marcus! Might be able to introduce him to his cousins soon! Followed by a series of smirking wolf izoojis.

 

 

 

 

 

And there you have it! Please feel free to leave me a review!