The Journey Around The World, In Order To Save Spring

In Dreams

So far, Captain Blackfur had lavished his cousin with attention and materials, but he barely paid any attention to his two other guests. The best he did was order his crew not to bother them and to not give them chores. Amaruq admitted, that that was actually quite thoughtful of the pirate captain. But that didn't stop his suspicions of him. Call it intuition, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that the old pirate was up to no good. Also, that was another thing. The man was at least fifty years old, but he didn't have a single grey hair on him? What was he? A sorcerer? Could he do magic?

... Then again, he could've just painted or dyed his whiskers black or use soy sauce or something. He heard some old people did that. He sighed. How was he going to make sure his friends didn't get killed due to his incompetence or ignorance. He didn't think he could handle the weight of their deaths on his shoulders. It reminded him of his own role in the deaths of his mom and her ex. His mom because she wanted to protect him from her ex, and her ex because he deliberately killed the creep with his own hands. His dog was the same thing. Trying to protect him and ending up costing his life. Such fragile lives. Lost in the blink of an eye.

No. He would not let his friends die again. There must be a way some other way. Maybe he shouldn't just wait for the villain to commit a crime. Maybe he should make him talk. And he had ways of making people talk. But it would have to be after midnight. So he spent his time on the ship, waiting for nightfall. He spied on the captain and he played card games with Atsuguk. Unlike how the pirates played the games, the two did not bet. They thought gambling was an extreme waste of money and only fools would do it. Amaruq won a few times more than Atsuguk in the end. He didn't know if it was skill or luck. Maybe a little bit of both.

During supper, the pirates had rum as always. Whereas the trio ate the food Amaruq had prepared. Taggak was going to join his cousin at first, especially when Blackfur asked for him, but he knew that he wouldn't drink with them anyway, so it would be better for him to dine with his friends instead. This time it was just a few simple egg salad sandwiches. The pirates didn't have much in the form of variety on their ship, so it would have to do. They washed the bread down with a glass of orange juice each. Amaruq thought it was important for them to get their daily dose of essential vitamins, especially vitamin C. So Thorn conjured up fruits for them every night.

It was soon time for Amaruq to act. His plan would be a breeze, but he would need to complete it in less than 10 minutes. He could do this. Of course he could. So, he waited outside the door of the captain's quarters until he heard loud snoring. Then, he turned the door knob. Except it was locked. Nothing unexpected. Can't have anyone bothering the most important person on ship, can we? He became SS and teleported inside using his Instant Transmission ability. Then he turned back to normal. Now it was time for the star of the plan.

He pressed the specific button on his watch to bring the faceplate up, turned the dial to a winged silhouette and pressed it down. In a flash of light he was Pesky Dust. He was now a short fairy with blue skin, purple fairy-like wings and blue hair that sticks straight up. He was wearing a green dress-like outfit with black zigzags. "Rrrr... let's see what he's dreaming off," he spoke with a light thrill. He flew up to the sleeping wolf's head and proceeded to phase into his mind. He looked around the inside of the man's head until he found the dreamscape.

Entering it, he found that he was in a cabaret. Or maybe a nightclub? Anyway, he looked around until he found his quarry. There, in a round corner booth was Captain Blackfur in all his glory. His eyepatch looked especially menacing in the club lighting. He was surrounded by working girls, which was normal for an established man such as him, Pesky Dust guessed. "Shake that booty, wench!" Blackfur called out to the performer on stage. Hmm... Pesky won't be able to find any information here. Hence, he sprinkled some dust on the scene just as the pirate downed his bottle of beer. Everything grew distorted as the scenery changed from a neon club to a grand castle. And not just any castle. It was the very recently completed Buckingham Palace!

"Shiver me timbers!" The captain exclaimed. He was so excited to finally be here. "And now for the award of 'best pirate of the year', it goes to..." Queen Victoria dragged on as everyone was waiting for the culmination of the ceremony. "Captain Blackfur!" She announced as everyone present gave a huge round of applause. "Come up here and take your prize," the monarch said as she held a trophy filled with gold doubloons. The pirate climbed up the steps and was presented with his reward. He bowed and bowed to the crowd who clapped even louder. "Thank ye. Thank ye all. I couldn't have done it without the help of me crew, especially me first mate, even if he do be objecting a lot," he mentioned.

"There's more where that came from," the Queen said. "All you have to do, is tell us: What are you planning to do with your cousin and his friends," she said, her warm expression unwavering. The captain grinned even wider. This was going to be so easy. He could feel his heart bump even harder from how giddy he was. "Ah, that be easy. I love me cousin, but thar can only be one Captain Blackfur. So I be planning to maroon him and his mates on an island. Nothing too cruel," he confessed. "That's all that I needed," the sovereign said with an air of satisfaction. Pesky Dust purred as he disintegrated the dreamscape and exited his victim's mind.

He giggled just as he timed out besides the large bed. He knew he was right. He smelled something fishy from the first day and now he had proof. Just as he was congratulating himself, he saw the black pirate stir in his sleep, so he quickly used Thunderstorm to zap out of the room. He could do that by becoming pure electricity and passing through the conductive metal doorknob. With what information he had, he snuck back into his shared room. Atsuguk was still asleep. Good. He couldn't wait to tell him the good news tomorrow. He tucked into his furs, fell asleep happy and spicily dreamt of royalty and piracy.