Prologue:
"Come on Finn! It´s not over yet!" Screamed Jake with an exhausted tone, spitting saliva while saying it.
"Will it be over soon?!" I screamed in reply, in a not less tired tone but without the spitting.
"That´s the point!" He said, looking away from me into what was in front of him. It was for the best, he almost ran into one of the endless tree´s inside this forest.
"How far are we now?!" I asked.
"Ask them!" He screamed while jumping over a giant root, property of the "Father" tree of this forest.
I look behind me, seeing the path we were leaving, along those who we were running from. I don't know what they were exactly. They had a why-wolf like type of body, but they were running of their 4 legs. They were fast, probably because of their long, powerful legs. Their eyes were like Marceline´s, red and could probably see through my soul. To seal the deal, a tiger head.
"Are we there yet?!" I asked, well, screamed. Looking those creatures in the eyes scared me. Not because of them getting to us, but what Marceline would do to us if we were unable to deliver the package.
"Jump Finn! Just don't look down!" Jake jumped from the end of the cliff, the end of the forest, of the race.
I look behind one last time into their eyes. Man, thank Glob Marceline is not the one we´re running from. I look back to the front, seeing the trees finally ending, and light entering the dark forest, which for some reason, made the creatures stop chasing us. Cowards.
"¡See you in the Nightosphere, beasts!" One last scream before jumping that cliff.
I jumped off without thinking about it.
I don't know why, but time became slower during the fall. It was beautiful. I jumped with my arms extended, like one those animals who came before. An Eagle. Birds flying around, islands under me, a beautiful blue sky over. It was a tall and long fall. I look in front of me, and close my eyes.
I let go.
"¡Wake up everybody, it´s time to fish!" Someone screams, waking me up. I open my eyes.
Why did I just dream about that?
Light came between the cracks of wood. Seagulls screaming. Footsteps coming from the floor above me. I hear the waves crashing against the walls of the boat; some drops of water get through the spaces, wetting the rotting wood.
"¡Captain, we need you in the main deck!" Another sailor screams, this time for the captain.
I decide to get up from the hammock, and stretch my body. I give some cracking sounds because of it. After scratching my head, putting on my ragged-slave like pants, I walk through the room to the table to the right of the bed. ¿Why didn´t I slept there in the first place? There's a map on top of it, we took it probably from one of those many raids we did last year.
"3 years. We´ll go back to the port" I say to myself, almost whispering.
I take the jar full of drinkable water in front of the map, serve a glass, and drink it. I enjoy it. Taste sugary, probably because of the permanent salt taste we privateers have in our mouths.
"¡It´s a monster!" Says another random sailor. ¿Why are they screaming?
I go to the front door, not much of a walk, it´s directly on front of the table. 12 steps and I´m already out. The Sun is blinding me. My skin is rough, my hair is terrible, and I´m full of scratches and scars, but I still can´t endure this sun. I look around the ship full of men, the crew I belong to. To the right, men fixing the cannons. To the left, men sharpening the hooks. Behind and in front of me, were either the engineers fixing the mortars, or men practicing shooting with the guns.
"¡Captain, the Boat is ready to go harpoonin´!" One of the pirates, dead-eye Malik, screams while pointing to the cock boat being dropped into the sea by the side of the hook-sharpeners.
¿Where is the Captain? I think to myself, seeing the captain nowhere. I´m just guessin´, but I´m sure I´ll have to go to the cock boat and harpoon instead of ´im.
"Blondie, go to the cock boat" I don't know who, but someone is telling me what to do.
I´ll look for him after the harpooning, and then I´ll break his fingers. Maybe a couple of teeth, so he learns to not talk to me like that,
"Chill mates, we have enough time today. ¿Don't we? We should enjoy harpooning season, lads. They pay well for the wolf-whale meat in the market" I say to the men on the deck.
"¡Aye, aye!" They reply happily. I know they are excited; this season pays its weight in gold.
I go down the stairs into the deck where all the lads are, most of them greet me, others, for reasons I forgot, look away when I salute them.
I finally get to the left side of the ships, and, by the cannons, I see the lad who always goes hunting with me. In the end, we have a new harpooning-canoe and Ragnar is hungry for some Whale.
"¿What are we hooking today, Arbaaz?" I ask the Chief Officer, Arbaaz Rus.
Rus is quite a mate; I met him first when I joined the crew. He comes from a settlement close to the Mountain Kingdom, but his brother took him to the shores of the west. He grew there and became a true sailor. Is quite a pleasure we became mates, as he could have killed me with those weird sharp knife-like fingers he has in his hands. But I could kill him now.
"We are found a Lion-Whale roaming close to this shores last night. There´s possibly a pack of ´em close. This one, he´s quite the big basterd. He could bite the arse of this barque and would still be hungry." He doesn´t quite hides his excitement in his tone. ¿Does he?
"Why is he bleeding?" I ask, seeing that a pond of blood lies 9 meters ahead of us.
"Ummm, I, well, we…Ahum….we were" Rus answers, with ebarrasment in his tone.
He probably fucked up.
"You were really excited because this one is a male, and males are fighters, and you like hard catches" I ask calmly.
"Aye, sir" He replies.
"So I guess that you and the boys were for the spear guns, and blindly tried to sink him. That wasn´t very bright, was it?"
"Sire, before we continue…" Fear appears in his tone, with just a drip of distress.
"Tell me our hunting motto" I say to him with a strong tone.
"Never let the animal suffer, and we must give it peace, as it´s death its only part of the natural course. We are the hunters, the rest are the pray." He finally came back to his senses.
I may have to beat him some manners.
"Rus…" I turn to him, and put my hands in his shoulders.
"Yes, Finn?" He says with a much relaxed tone.
"Don´t ever do this again" I head-butt him right in the nose after I finish my sentence.
He trips over with his broken nose, bleeding a lot. I give him a hand and raise him up once more.
"Get ready"
"Aye. Lads, drop the harpooning canoe. Time to go fishing!"
Finally, the cock boat or canoe drops into the water. I look at Rus and get a glance at what he´s wearing. Nothing but his pants, a cloth belt, and his black head kerchief. I´m ready too, as my white ragged-slave pants are the only thing I´m wearing.
And my precious necklace.
"Get in captain!" Two lads scream at us from the canoe in the water. They are the harpoon sharpeners who go with us in every hunt.
"Let's go Rus" Rus and I jump off from Ragnar.
We both landed perfectly. One of the lads, which I see that is Dead-Eye, gives me the rope-harpoon. Well, chain-harpoon, because a rope won't be able to endure a 60 ton animal dragging us around like a ragged doll.
"Get in position" He slaps me in the neck. Rus´s right, I´m not in proper position.
I go to the front end of the boat, and see around 9 to 12 harpoons, waiting to be thrown, by my right hand. The position is quite simple: Go to the front, arc your back just a bit, put your left leg in front of your right, and hold the harpoon at an ear height.
"Lads, get ready. I see foam mixed with blood coming from deep within. The king is going to rise really soon" I tell to the lads, so they get mentally ready to be dragged.
They are ready, we´ve been in this boat at least 3 years now. And, if they are not ready after spending almost countless hours and days in a boat, which touches land only 1 time a month, I´ll throw them myself into the sea. If they drown, they were useless. If not, they stay.
"We better go back to the boat. I have heard the stories. They say that Julian Braman ship was sunk down when he tried to harpoon one Lion-Whale" The other lad, who isn´t Malik or Rus, warned us.
"What the hell are you talking about? Get your head out of your arse right now." Malik said to the guy.
"What a pisspot. You don't know what a huge piece of shite just left your mouth. Those are only rumours, no one are truly sure Julian is dead. And the last time I checked, Dead men tell no tells" Rus told to the coward.
"Dead men collect no booty either" I said in response.
"Aye, now you´re talking like a real pirate. Took you a while."
"Three long years, Rus. Three long years away from home" I responded, but my eyes were still glued to the sea.
The foam was now becoming waves, and the blood was really showing now. I saw a white shadow under us.
"Sorry" I whisper for myself.
I saw him coming toward us, full speed. He opened his mouth, full of rage and pain, which we caused. With speed and vengeance he came closer, so close I was able to look him into his eyes. He had the same eyes as every beautiful creature has. I felt pitiful.
"Captain! Let´s go back, please, I´m afraid" The pisspot screamed once more. So Rus did what we do with cowards, throw them into the jaws of deadly animals.
But, Why did he called for the Captain? He´s not here. Is he calling Rus Captain? Or me?...
"Captaaaaaaaaaaaaain!" He screamed one last time.
The beast opened his mouth, showed us the quality of his set of daggers. I saw that coward fly off, and when he was about to get eaten, I remembered something. Something that filled me with pain, anguish, rage and pride. The reason my most weak men look away when I salute, and the reason why the most beautiful women fall for me with just a word. The one reason I came here, and the thing that has put my name in the history and wanted posters.
I´m Finn the Human, Captain of the Ragnar.
"Die by my hand Beast!" I screamed with all the power buried inside my soul.
I sent that harpoon with all the force that I had, and it went right through that beats head. The blade penetrated its head, and caused a bigger leak of blood come out. The pisspot survive, I sent the harpoon before he had become lunch.
"We did it!" Screamed Rus.
"Aye, aye my Captain!" Rus comments was quickly followed by the crew´s.
"Prepare the tow, we are boarding this monster" I was proud of my achievement.
Our crew is pretty fast and smart, in less than 15 minutes they were towing him. I took a glance at him. It was beautiful, magnificent creature. Glob must have been tired after making it.
While I was concentrated, admiring my Second best catch, Rus came close to me and touched my shoulder. Probably to get my attention. I turned back, and saw true concern in his face. I know what he will say.
"It´s time, Captain. Time to go back" In a melancholic tone, Rus spoke to me.
I took a deep breath.
"Yeah…it´s time to go back" I turned my back to Rus and looked to the fron of the Canoe. I saw once more the virtually endless ocean we have sail for the past 3 years of my life.
"Are you alright?" He asks.
He knows that I´m scared of coming back home. But I was scared with the Sea once, and I dominated my fear. I have become one of its many ruler, and now, I don't fear the sea, but the Sea must fear Me.
"Don´t worry." I told Rus while I escalated to our ship.
I saw everybody greet me, they were cheering for the catch. Since I last remember, the other ships that belong to our fleet, Rok, Ferruginous, Thors, Carrie and Bonnie, to name a few, are loaded with whales at least half the side of today´s.
"Get ready Lads, we´re coming back home. Get everything clean and organized, including yourselves. Disorder is a great offense to our Queen" I told the crew to get ready.
"Fuck your Queen. You talk as if you had shagged her." The person who said this, the one who called me Blondie.
I turned back and saw and old men. He looked weak and sick, and his size was short. Big words for a short men. I walked towards him, and looked him in the eyes. 1 minute passed.
"What´s yo´problem Captain? Did ya get offended because of whatai said of yar Queen?" This dude had the balls to reply.
I smiled at him calmly, the turned back to Rus with the same smile. He laughed.
"Hahaha! Oh, old men, you´re fucked" Rus told the old men his fate.
"What will this goat-shagger could do to me? He´s basicly a wom-" He was talking until I interrupted him by sendind a knee kick to his jaw.
I saw many teeth fly away, and some blood.
He fell to the ground, moaning because of pain. I got close, kneeled down, took his hand, and snapped his wrist bones.
"Aaaaaaaah!" Screamed the basterd.
I continued with my deeds by snapping all his fingers, and breaking his elbow. I remember him lying down, like a sick, dying dog. Pathetic.
"Send him to the Ringed Sharks, Rus, he´s fucking useless" When I said him, I heared him trying to protest, but pain only let him give a muted moan.
The boys got his body/corpse from the ground, and in an 1,2,3 they threw him to the blue ringed shark. If the bites didn´t kill him, the poison from the rings will. If they don´t, I´ll go into the water myself and break his neck.
I felt tired, and went back to my room without saying anything. The lads are going to get ready anyway; they are not babies who need that things must be said twice for them. When the door opened, calm covered me.
We´re going home…
Joy was my biggest feeling.
I wonder how Princess Bubblegum is doing, or as they call her now, Queen Bonnibel. Marceline´s wellbeing also concerns me; I have had many dreams with her, and how is she doing is a question that bugs me a lot. Jake and Lady…maybe not, yeah, is better not to. What about, what was her name, Fire Princess? Heat Duchess? Flame Queen? I don´t remember the girl Jake wanted to introduced me to. I´ll look for her, and ask her out, just to see what was Jake thinking.
It has been 3 years since I left. I walk up to my mirror in the left corner, and take a glance at myself from head to toes.
My hair, shaggy and dirty. I know I´m older now, because of the black roots that are appearing. My left eyebrow is divided in half by a small scar. Nose, mouth and ears? Okay. My teeth are clean; I put a lot of effort in cleaning them. My neck is thicker, and my shoulders are broader. My whole body is more muscular, muscles can now be seen really easily. My biggest scar is the one that goes from my right, lowest ab, to the bottom of my left bicep. Legs are longer and stronger too. Hands and feet full of scars. You could say that I own a true sailors hands.
In the end, my biggest change is that I´m not Candy Kingdom champion anymore. I´m the captain of a pirate fleet, a warrior of the sea. A salt wolf.
Have they changed too?