The Journey Around The World, In Order To Save Spring

Out of The Frying Pan, into The Fire

Amaruq regretted their decision. Big time. Raiding the pantry of a well-armed merchant ship was not the best idea. He could see that now, especially at gunpoint.

Earlier this morning,
The two had listened to Solar's reasonably well-constructed plan. He would lead them out of this room and they would sneak to the pantry, next to the mess hall on this floor. Piece of cake. Honestly, it was easy. They had managed to manoeuvre through the hallways and reach the pantry with no trouble. Inside, they were able to pilfer the meagre foods available. Mostly beef jerky. It was to be expected on a ship which sailed for durations no one ever knows. Now, the problem was, someone entered the room and none of the trio were able to hide in time. One thing led to another, and now they were held at gunpoint by the officer in chief.

"What are you wee lads doing on my captain's ship?" The chief mate asked. "We- we were just hoping for a ride to the East!" Amaruq blurted out. Honesty is the best policy, as his dad always said. "Oh? So you're deliberate stowaways then?" He asked. "We didn't have much choice with what little we have. It was either this or hijacking a ship," Amaruq explained. "Doesn't mean it's any better," the man growled. He looked to the big wolf in charge. "Captain, what do you want us to do with these crooks?" He asked the captain. The captain seemed to think for a bit. "Well, we don't throw men overboard; We're not rogues. And we won't have much use for them if they were in cells," the imposing man said as he advanced on the trio.

He took a long look at each of their faces carefully. He vaguely raised his eyebrow at seeing Amaruq's bare face but did not mention it. "What do you boys say to a bit of labour? I'm sure you three'd love to earn your keep, hmm?" He asked, his hard features lightening up. The trio were stupefied. They could stay? The other sailors looked baffled too. "Captain?" The chief mate asked. Maybe his captain was making decisions too fast, maybe he wasn't thinking this through. "They're good men. I can tell," he turned to look at them, "So what do you say? Up for it?" He asked them. "Uhh... yeah!" "Definitely," Amaruq and Atsuguk answered while Taggak grunted.

And so, they did. The three were put to work on the ship, doing a chore a day to earn their fair share. Swabbing the decks, sweeping the quarters and changing the beds. The first mate kept a keen eye on them, but his fears were unfounded. They hadn't had a lick of mischief the whole week. Amaruq was even close to getting a promotion one time.

The captain was in his quarters, dozing contently on his hammock when something caught his nose. A scent so tantalising it woke the captain up in an instant. He slammed his door open. "What is that smell?" He asked aloud. It was coming from below the decks. So he trudged down the stairs and followed his nose to the door from whence the aroma came from. He creaked it open and the eyes of the three inhabitants were on him. "Oh, hey captain! We were just about to have dinner," Amaruq greeted him. The trio were in a circle and in the middle was grilled white meat with red sauce all over it. "Since we get to eat with you guys during breakfast and lunch and prefer not to be drinking at night," he explained as he served the meat in three different platters to his friends, "I figured we'd eat my home-cooked meals."

The captain nodded as the trio said their prayers. "You're welcome to join us if you'd like," Atsuguk spoke up after they finished. The captain looked surprised but he accepted the plate and fork offered to him nonetheless. He gingerly speared a piece of the fish, and placed it in his mouth. It tasted amazing. The flaky and juicy fish meat was accentuated by the tangy and sweet sauce. He finished the dish in two bites, chomping it down like a proper captain. "Oh, excuse me. I must have been really hungry," he said embarrassedly. "Eh, it's fine. These two were the same the first few times too," Amaruq said referring to his teammates. Atsuguk rubbed the back of his head while Taggak looked away.

"Might I ask what is this, though?" The curious captain asked the young man. "Oh, it's a grilled mahimahi with tomato sauce on top. My dad used to make it for me, except he would use cod and berries, which I had to substitute here," he explained. The tropical fish did nicely in place of the arctic one. It might have even tasted better! "Maybe I should reconsider your position. Have you ever considered becoming a cook for the galley?" The captain proffered. Amaruq thought about it. On one hand, he wouldn't have to get his hands dirty. On the other hand, it would take more effort to cook two meals for the whole crew. At night it was fine, since they only drank rum and maybe ate some bread.

"I'll have to think about it more. Not everyday I get decisions like this," he finally gave his answer. The captain smiled at him. "Not everyday you get chances like this, either. But I understand," he said, standing up and adjusting his belt. "Good night, lads," he said before closing the door behind him. The trio stared at the door, not really knowing to expect something or not. "I think he liked it," Atsuguk broke the silence, to which Amaruq chuckled and Taggak shook his head.

——————————————

Their working days continued normally. Mostly just cleaning work. Everything was sailing smoothly until one day. Thunderstorm was busy scrubbing the deck. He considered working hard as a form of training, building up endurance and also learning how to be quick and efficient. He looked up to Solar in the crow's nest, against the glare of the Sun. What was he doing up there? Solar was studying a book about maritime laws in the 19th Century. He found it interesting as back in Canada, they never had any rules regarding their kayaks. It was just swim or be eaten. The changes wolfkind had gone through via modernisation was fascinating to the bespectacled alien.

He wondered what advances the people of this planet would accomplish in 200 years. Personal vehicles, computing machines, maybe even a mobile digital system? He wished he could see the future, but alas. Even he lacked access to the resources needed to build a time machine. The soft rolling sound of the waves was broken by a Boom! Which was quickly followed by a round shot zipping past Solar's head into the ocean. He whirled around and saw a dreaded thing. He rang the alarm bell. "Emergency! Emergency!" Came his voice. Many of the ship's crew came out onto the decks. "What is it?" The chief mate asked him from down below.

"Pirates."