She stalked her prey.
From the Captain's quarters to the main deck, she followed him, body low to the ground, and tail a twitch behind her, utterly silent.
The captain was going about his morning tasks, walking the decks and speaking to the crew.
The object of her attention, a yard of cloth strung round his waist and catching the air of his passage, would be hers.
The crew, watching her on her hunt, were gamely attempting to hide smiles.
The captain was oblivious to the predator stalking him.
She was too sneaky for him to see her.
A crewman stepped out of her way, his eyes twinkling with barley suppressed mirth. She glanced at him, dismissed him, and continued following her captain.
She coiled her body, ready to spring.
The captain paused to speak to his second.
Ah, perfect, the prey was completely unaware of her, and now helpless before her gaze, she stretched her claws, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and take him down.
Bootstrap carefully didn't look at his son's precursor, out of fear he wouldn't be able to keep a straight face.
She leapt, at the last moment deciding to forgo the belt, clamoring to her Captain's shoulders.
The crew was careful in adverting their eyes and muffling their laughter.
The Captain staggered, hit out of nowhere by eight pounds of flying beast.
Bootstrap coughed, mumbling something about one of the crew calling him, and did an about-face before the laughter could overtake him.
She settled on his shoulders, kneading the flesh beneath her paws and starting to purr.
The captain leaned forward, resting his hands on his chin and shifting a bit to make his position on the deck a bit more comfortable and sighed.
Her tail twitched in front of his face, brushing teasingly against his chin.
Will shook his head slowly, turning his head to the side to look at the creature that had been stalking him all over the Dutchman's decks. "Happy?"
The cat purred on.