Enslaved (War of the Divides #1)

1 Clockwork Puzzle

The skies rained dark with clouds all around thicker than oil, lightning split the sky into bursts of light constantly through the sea of clouds, each flash brighter than the last. In this small port town of Al'dul air ships came to dock and rest. Unfortunately for the residents, one person in particular had docked that night, the alleged captain of a pirate ship named Arlao Jones. Said to be a ruthless commander of his forces. He promised that in return for hospitality and shelter, he wouldn't ground the air-town. Instead of the captain, in walked one of his lackeys to the local tavern, shambling in before resting his rear on one of the stools in front of the bar. His bright white furred ears now a silver color because of the rain soaking it down. Everybody in the bar was glaring at him, the wolf simply sitting there, not doing anything other than glaring at the wall behind the bar. A black figure in the back was melding in with the shadows away from prying eyes, sat in a long soot covered trench coat and top hat observing quietly like a fly on the wall and keeping to himself. He noticed the silver wolf walk in but looked back down at the sweating glass of watered down rum he had set on a coaster.

"Strangers... Nothing new." He curled his toes in his well used leather boots as he stretched then stood to leave, silently setting down some bronze coins on the table before he pulled his collar up around his face and stepped out into the heavy rain that made the night seem hostile.

Watching the other wolf walk out the door, Centure's eyes slowly followed the dark figure before he himself slid off the stool and kept close behind, his fur once again becoming soaked by the rain. While walking, his bare paws were completely silent on the boardwalk, the sound of the heavy town engines under the city subtly drowned out their steps either way. His captain had told him to follow the one that looked like another captain himself.

The black figure hunched his shoulders and kept his head low, steam flooding out his nostrils with each breath curling into the cool night air and quickly dispersing in the cold drops that fell. He couldn't keep his mind from wandering down to his tail that was bothering him beneath his trench coat. The bottom of his boots scraped silently on the soft fleshy rain soaked wood of the docks as he headed back to his ship but stopped right before he got to it and swiftly turned around looking for anything out of place, maybe even sensing it. His hot glittering green eyes scanned everything cautiously. Once the captain had turned, Centure, whom was silently following, nowhere to be seen, having simply vanished from sight all together. Where the wolf was once standing there was a soft ripple of water across the boardwalk as if something had just  left that spot. The green eyed man snorted in response to seeing nothing but knowing,  then turned to face forward and kept walking, not to his ship but instead to the alley behind the tavern before disappearing behind a stack of rain drenched crates. Seconds later, the silver wolf would run after the figure though once moving in to face a blank wall and nothing else, he punched it and turned around to see the dark shaft of a long barreled revolver aimed directly at his face with two burning green eyes ablaze like hellfire, the owner's face was hidden in the shadows of the trench coat collar and top hat. Hot breath seeped out from his lips that were partially pulled into a snarl but there was no distinct features that could be made out from his all black soaking clothes and when he spoke his sensual voice came oozing out with venom but curling slightly with every word, a strange accent for his deep tone.

"You had best explain yourself, stranger. I've been itching to pull this trigger for a long time... Speak!"

Centure's eyes widened at the sudden barrel to his face to which he stared down for a few seconds before looking at the captain wielding it. His paws raised up cautiously and he held them in sign that he meant no harm.

"Nothing, sir...." The silver wolf said, just as soft with a very mild western divide accent. Not posh to say the least, but from the ground of all areas. "Nothing at all, I was simply told to follow you..." Upon inspection he carried no visible devices or guns or any kind of weapon. Not at all akin to a true pirate of the skies or by any nature. Usually they would be heavily decked in weapons of some sort from head to toe. With his rain soaked clothing easily showing through to bare chest, it was obvious he was defenseless. The gun was uncocked then placed away beneath his heavy trench coat, the captain pulled the coat closed over his chest with movement fluent and graceful as if every twitch was well calculated.