Chapter 3: Count Yer Losses

Henriette grinned wickedly and pulled her trench coat around her body for warmth in the evergrowing, cold night. The silky material smelled of smoke and whiskey. More than likely a bar-visiter wore this coat.

That captain sat patiently at the broken railing of his ship, awaiting it to fix itself. Henriette watched for a minute, and joined him. "Aiy, is the damage werth fixin', Captain?" she asked, taking a seat next to him.

At first it seemed as if he didn't hear her, but he glanced her way, "I don't think there is anything this ship can't take," he stroked the wood railing until he found the splintered edge, "We'll have her good 'n fixed by the week's end. Once we stop, My baby will have no issue thar."

Henriette didn't ask why he called his ship "baby"so she cleared her throat, "Be that, Are we to stop soon then, sir?" she asked instead.

The captain turned to her, letting the sea spray for a while, keeping the silence filled with watery sounds. "Lass, We-," The captain stopped as a few crewmates started yelling from the other end of the ship. "We need to stop a drunkard from getting' himself killed."

The captain stood up and Henriette followed closely. As they got closer to the fight, they found out how ridiculous it was. And how little sense it made;

"Oiy, Grandy! We neva wanted yer slick coat here on thee," the first fighter hiccupped, "Thee ship!" he finished triumphantly.

The second was shaking his fist angrily, "My coat? You be talking heavy on my coat?"

"Aiy, That I have been!"

The second man didn't speak his response, instead, he pulled out a knife and walked around his disoriented opponent. Henriette saw how drunk they both were, and wanted to take the knife away immedietly, she slowly stepped forward, but the captain stopped her as the two kept talking. By now the whole crew had come to watch.

"I bet the lasses fall for you when they be pumped fulla' whiskeys!" the first hissed in his drunken cat-like way.

"The lasses love meh!" the second defended, holding the knife up to aim.

"Aiy, when they be drunker then," another hiccup, "drunker then a," three more, "You." He finished

That must a pushed him over the top, because in his disoriented way, the second threw his knife way off course. The captain tapped Henriette's shoulder in warning, so she turned to see what he wanted. His concerned face made her turn back.

Everything slowed just enough for Henriette to see it coming, but not enough to give her time to move. The knife, reflecting the silver moonlight, flew across the deck and smashed it's blade in Henriette's right eye.

Henriette dropped to her knees, trying to scream in pain, but her voice was silent as she cried out. She heard angered voices growl at each other for a moment before she collapsed in her own pool of blood, with two hands cupped over her eye.

Henriette woke enough to hear everything around her, to feel the bright sun glinting through the window, but she was still stuck between sleep and a full awake state. In and out of it for a few days, never opening her eyes. When she finally came to long enough to make a noise, A badger was beside her in a split second, "You're lucky lass, only a small loss for what coulda happened."

Henriette didn't understand. She opened one eye and tried to focus on the ceiling abover her, when she tried to open the other, pain shot through her face and her hands flew to her head. She couldn't see the badger as she felt across her eye, a leather patch was there instead of soft fur. As her hands pulled down slowly, she felt dried blood in her fur just below her eye.

The badger tried to calm her in such a panicked motive, "Aiy, It looks good lass! It really does…" he tried so hard.

Soon the captain stumbled in and pinned Henriette's shoulders to her side, "Lassy! Don't be a crazy 'coon on me! Calm yourself missy!" he was yelling at first, but his voice got softer when Henriette started to calm down. "Cooper?" he asked after she fell silent.

She didn't make a peep, in fear of being shaken again, but she could only see half of the captain unless she turned her head, so she nodded, closing the other eye. "Lass? Do you understand your preh-dicka-mint?" he asked. When Henriette didn't answer, the Captain explained further, "Cooper, you've lost your eye."