~x~
Chapter 2
~x~
Several days had passed and they knew they had docked after being repetitively checked upon, hearing the rushed sounds on the deck above and the subtle change of movement in the ship's rocking. The two cats below deck connected eyes, a silent message being passed.
Their time to escape would be soon. Jemima crawled towards the door of the room, ear pressed against the door, attentively listening to the noises around them. After a few moments she glanced at Victoria, nodding. Victoria smiled back, slipping her wrists out of the once tight ropes, hand reaching for the pale pink choker around her neck, sticking a nimble finger behind the fabric and pulling out a well-loved pin. Pulling away she passed it to Jemima through the bars; who slipped the delicate bit of metal into the cage lock, fiddling around before a satisfying click could be heard. The door swung open and Victoria stood up, relishing the feel of stretching. She leaned towards her right boot, checking her well hidden knife from within and repositioning it for easier access. The two queens made their way over to the door, Victoria taking back the pin from Jemima and slipping it into the lock, easily opening it. Tucking the tiny tool back into her choker she slowly cracked the door open, leaning out to glance around. Seeing the coast clear, she motioned Jemima to follow and the two left, navigating their way through the simple ships system.
Victoria smirked.
This was just too easy. She had escaped off much bigger and heavily guarded ships without being caught plenty of times. The fact they thought they could capture her without any resistance made her shake her head.
Never trust a queen, especially if they looked harmless because she was about to show them just how 'harmless' she could get. Peeking around another corner she met her first road-block. An open door connected to the hallway they needed to follow and the sounds of laughter and cussing could be heard within. She jerked her head to the door and Jemima nodded in understanding. They leant back into their current corridor, thinking about their options.
Jemima would most likely get past without being noticed. Her on the other hand . . . well she stuck out sorer than a sunflower among weeds. They needed either a distraction, or a disguise. Jemima held a hand up to Victoria, signalling her to wait before creeping around the corner and towards the open door. She peered around the corner, taking only a glance before retreating and holding up four fingers.
Four cats, piece of cake. She swung her head around, checking the previous rooms they had past. Her eyes came upon the perfect solution. She ran back, motioning for Jemima to follow her.
"Ah, you son of'a pollical!" One of the toms shouted, slamming down his inferior hand to his mate next to him, glaring at the rusty cat who had just won the round. Said cat grinned, scooping up the bounty from the middle greedily, and smirking at the rest of his mates.
"Up fo' another game?" Before any of them could answer him however, a large crash, not far away, startled the group of toms. The pirates looked at each other with raised eyebrows before all looking to the skinny pale grey tom who had produced the worst hand amongst them. He sighed in resignation, lazily standing up, grabbing his two daggers from the table and fitting them into his belt.
"Bloody hell, if'a find tha' its butta'-fingers Biscuit again, I'm gonna skin 'im alive" The other toms snickered as the pirate left, turning back to their cards as the winner dealt them out. They managed to play 3 more rounds before glancing at each other in vague suspicion.
"Taking his sweet time int'he?"
"Maybe he got lost"
"On the ship he lives on?"
"Fine, I'll go check on 'im" The tom that spoke was much rounder than the other three, his fur pale yellow and orange under his dirty rags of clothing. Grabbing his own weapon he sauntered off to find their missing crew-mate. Seconds ticked by before the rustic coloured cat spoke up.
"Hey, didn't butta' Biscuit go with the Capt'n?" The two looked at each other before rushing out of the room, grabbing whatever metal tools they could and following the corridor. They stopped in front of one of their smaller cellars, the door open and their crew-mates unconscious inside.
"He-" Two resounding cracks sounded and the two remaining pirates slumped to the floor, unconscious. Victoria and Jemima lowered the bottles in their hand, smiling triumphantly at each other. They dragged them into the room, locking the door as they left.
"What a bunch of idiots"
They rushed, Victoria pausing only once to grab the abandoned gun from one of their victim's hands and following Jemima. Their plan had taken much more time than planned and finally found the steps up to the deck. They stopped, Victoria shoving the gun into her waist band, hidden under her over shirt.
They peeked out onto the deck, counting the number of toms left.
Eight. Harder to deal with, especially out in the open. The two queens only just started whispering tactics when the sound of footsteps behind them made them stop and gasp. The glanced each at each other, trying hard not to panic.
'Think, think, think, think …oh what the heck" She grabbed Jemima, searching the other felines pockets and pulled out a handful of smoke-bombs. Jemima always kept a small supply on her, saying they always came in handy. And that they did. Victoria jumped up, throwing the bombs at the pirates before they could even get a glance at her and ran, grabbing her best friends hand as they sprinted off the boat, onto the docks and away from their kidnappers.
Once far enough away from the docks and into the bustling streets, they turned into a dark alleyway and stopped, breathing hard with relieved hearts. Victoria couldn't help the small giggle emerge onto her lips. Before she knew it the two of them were giggling non-stop, wiping tears from their eyes.
"Talk about an easy escape"
"So easy it was almost painful!"
"It's practically insulting getting caught by such pirates" They grinned at each other but the mirth didn't last as their smiles dropped and their mind's began to think.
"We need somewhere to stay" Victoria sighed.
"And money" Jemima jiggled their collection of coins together, the light bag expressing just how poor they were. They weren't the type of girls to swoon over riches, in fact Victoria despised men, or any feline, who thought they could win people over with money, good looks, fame, smooth words, or anything else superficial for that matter. But money meant food and a warm bed, so it was important enough for her but only when hard earned.
"First" she murmured. She peered out of the dark alley, eyes stopping on a pre-owned clothing store. "We need something more covering"
Twenty minutes later and the two queens were strolling down the streets, much more inconspicuously now. Victoria now had a pair of brown leggings under her skirt, along with long, fingerless gloves and a cropped, hooded jacket, its sleeves ending at her elbows. The hood was drawn up, preventing nothing of her face being clearly seen. Now only her fingers, tail and a small strip of her stomach, between her skirt and shirt showed. It was enough fur hidden so no-one would recognise her but enough seen so no-one would suspect.
Jemima had sold her own dress, taking up a pair of cropped shorts, a long sleeved white top and a shawl around her head and neck, showing only her face. Unlike Victoria, her own fur blended into the crowds much easier.
They shifted into the hum of the crowds, moving perfectly amongst it as they searched for some sign of where they were. A loud, rowdy tavern solved their mystery.
'The Flying Fish of Seaspoker' Victoria felt her heart quicken while her breath released a sigh of relief.
A well-loved pirate port too close to Tortuga for her liking and yet the fact that they were here and NOT in Tortuga made her sigh relief. Jemima, understanding her mixed reaction, squeezed her hand in comfort. Victoria smiled at the cat before turning away from the tavern and walking the streets again.
While it most certainly wasn't as horrifying as Tortuga, Seaspoker was still quite popular amongst pirates and too dangerous for her to stay in. She had to admire the town itself though and how they managed to create a treaty with all known pirates. Don't rob, murder, or rape any citizens and what-not, and we'll open our businesses to you.
Smart… very smart.
"So what now? Food, bed…?" Victoria looked at herself and grimaced at the dirt and grime that decorated her.
"Actually, a bath would be nice" Jemima laughed, nodding in agreement.
"You're right, you stink!" Victoria swatted her friend, glaring at her with amused eyes.
"I do not!" The two continued to banter, their laughter joining into the crowd's orchestra as they made their way to a moderate looking hotel.
"-They're tearing the town apart, whatever they lost it must be important" Victoria perked her ears up, eyes travelling to the group of gossiping sailors. It was about mid-afternoon, and Victoria and Jemima had rented themselves an inn and meal for two, their stomachs hungry from only dry bread and water.
"Yeah, they've even got a reward out, it's massive!"
"What're they looking for?"
"I heard it was an escapee slave"
"Really?"
"And how do they expect to find a simple slave in this town?"
"Well, I heard she has really distinguishable fur, like really noticeable"
"I heard it was the Diamond of the Night" The sailors gasped at their friend.
"It can't be!"
"But it'd make sense right?
"Well, yeah but… THE Diamond of the Night?"
"THE Diamond of the Night!"
"No wonder they're destroying the place"
"Their Captain's furious"
"Isn't it Growltiger of the Last Stand?"
Victoria tuned out, face worried as she glanced around the dining room of their hotel.
They were looking for her already. She had hoped it had taken them a tad longer to realise but it was too late now. Jemima glanced at her, placing a comforting hand upon her friends. Victoria sighed, rubbing away the tiredness in her eyes.
She was sick of the running, sick of the kidnapping, and sick of the stories altogether. But she had no choice. This was now the life she led, and she had survived this far only due to her pure stubbornness, determination and a simple set of rules.
Never stay in one place for long.
Never trust anyone.
Never get attached.
Never sell her body.
And never sell her heart.
She stood, murmuring a goodnight to her friend before calling over a waitress to ask for a bath to be prepared in their rented room and headed off to clean herself of the sweat and muck of her body. By the time she arrived, there was a steaming bath drawn and the waitress nowhere to be seen. Locking the room door behind her, she made her way over to the bathroom, taking off her. Just as she was about to remove her underbust and skirt she froze, the sound of a door opening. Wide eyes darted to the waitress as she entered, carrying a set of fluffy towels with her.
The young queen stopped, gasping at Victoria, her fur open for the entire world to see.
"Y-you're, you're the one they're looking for!" She stammered out, taking a step back. Victoria hissed into the back of her throat, stepping forward to calm the feline.
"Please if you just-" The girl bolted, towels forgotten on the floor. Victoria cursed, something she rarely submitted too.
Having Growltiger and his crew know where she was hiding was one thing, having the entire town know was an entirely different matter altogether. She grabbed her clothes, pulling on only the boots and hood-jacket, grabbing the her gun and sticking it into the top of her underbust, letting it fit in the centre of her chest and ran, pulling her hood up as she did so. She was only two steps out of the door when her body collided with another.
"Vicky? What's wrong are you oka-" Victoria grabbed the queens hand and dragged her along, rushing down the stairs to the first level and bolting through the kitchen, using the backdoor that led her into a bin filled alley.
"The maid recognised me" She explained to her friend, stopping at the alley entrance and peering out, recognising Growltiger's pelt quickly and watching as he and his crew entered the inn, his murky eyes glinting with anger. The moment they disappeared she ran, ignoring the looks of passer-by's as she expertly weaved her body through the mass.
They had to get out of here fast.
Just as she was turning a corner, she felt her feet tangle with another, her body unable to stop as she felt herself fall, colliding with the cobbled road as her hood flew off her face. The world shifted slightly as she sat in slight shock before her urgency caught up to her. She shook her head, removing all dizziness and rose to her knees. She glanced at the body in front of her, eyes meeting a pair of molten gold orbs and velvet black fur of a tuxedo patterned tom. She opened her mouth to apologize when Jemima's voice caused her to turn.
"Vicky, they're coming!" She peered through the body's to see a mass of pirate-clothing and weapons heading straight towards them. She hissed and scrambled to her feet,throwing a 'sorry' over her shoulder as she followed Jemima through the crowd.
Her fallen companion watched her retreating back in wonder, a smile slowly making a way onto his face.
"Found you"
~x~