Tugger was licking at his paw where he lay in the crows nest, taking short breaks to nuzzle contently at Mistofflees' neck as he snoozed beside him. They were mated now. The mouthy, dignified, cute little tux was his. Tugger couldn't help the short, possessive lick he gave Misto's neck as he reveled in the thought; all his. His mate. Mistofflees rested peacefully against Tugger's side, purring in his sleep and rolling around a bit. It was adorable to watch really, and when he shifted onto his back, belly up, paws tucked into his chin, Tugger tried to stifle a little chuckle.
The ship wasn't very busy below them. They'd been held up in the crows nest for a good majority of the morning, and Tugger had absolutely no regrets towards it. He listened to the bustling of the men on deck, scrambling to get their duties done. It was a normal time, accept, Tugger found himself feeling more at home than usual. His side was warm where Misto layed, and the sea breeze swam through his fur, the taste of salt in the air. It was blissful.
At the wheel, he recognized the captain and Mistofflees' mistress, Alice. Alice was watching diligently as his captain expertly shouted orders to his crew, steering the ship and managing to make small talk with the girl all at once. Tugger felt a small surge of pride, he really did have the best captain. She was touching the wheel with diligent fingers as she inspected him. When he noticed, he took a step to the side, offering to show her how to steer. It made Tugger huff. Alice annoyed him somehow, and the thought of her and his captain just managed to make him a bit upset. Why, he wasn't sure. He just wasn't having it.
Mistofflees shifted beside him, yawning lazily as he woke noisily from his nap. Domestic moment over, it was time to return to duties. "Morning." he mumbled, nudging his mate's cheek with a grin.
Misto offered him a drowsy smile, nuzzling right back into him, "The sun feels warm." he stated, making himself comfortable once more and scooting just a little closer to Tugger as he did so, "I don't want to wake up yet."
"You can sleep. I've got to go."
The little pouty-frown the tux sent him was adorable, and he just couldn't take it seriously, "Where?"
"Hunting for stray mice and rats in the supplies. There's always at least one that sneaks its way on board when we dock."
"Is that your only job aboard ship?" Mistofflees inquired, rolling onto his stomach as he slowly became more awake.
Tugger shook his head, getting up to stretch, "No." he replied, cracking his neck, "I chase away birds as well. I keep the captain company mostly."
He made his way over to the edge of the crows nest, just a few inches from where they'd been lying, and peered directly down, as if trying to gage the height. It always amazed him just how small the crew looked from up there, but he enjoyed seeing the tops of their heads rather than the bottoms of their boots. IT was a refreshing new angle. He tried to contain a chuckle when Mistofflees squeaked, "You're not going to jump are you?!"
He debated teasing the kit, but Tugger decided against it when he noticed the genuine concern on his mate's face. He shook his head with a smile, "Nope. Just looking." He leaned back to gently press his nose against Mistofflees' cheek, getting a good whiff of him before he'd have to go do his job, "You want to come with me? Or would you prefer to go back to sleep?"
"I'll go with you!" Mistofflees answered a bit too quickly, shifting uncomfortable when Tugger raised his eyebrow, "I don't know how to climb down on my own."
Tugger snorted, "You're adorable."
"And you're incorrigible."
"I'm also your ticket to a safe climb down." he snickered, teetering around the edge of the wood, as if threatening to leave him up there alone.
Mistofflees scoffed and was about to make a witty retort when the ship shifted suddenly, rolling a bit too far for it to just be waves. Misto squeaked in surprise and Tugger almost lost his balance, hopping back from the ledge cautiously and keeping Misto from sliding around. He dug his claws into the woodwork and instructed Misto to do the same, placing himself protectively over his mate, caging him to the crows nest with his limbs around the whimpering kit. "Just hang on, it shouldn't-"
"Ready the cannons!"
Tugger's ears perked up at the sounds of his captain's orders. They were going into battle. They were going into a bloody battle and he and Misto were in one of the most dangerous places on the ship. The wave must have been enemy fire, close to the ship, or barely grazing it. The impact hadn't been rough enough to be a direct hit. Mistofflees was shaking underneath him, claws tightly stuck into the wood, and shaking even as Tugger kept him steady. They needed to get down from the crows nest. If there was cannon fire and the nest went down...
"Misto listen to me, we need to climb down now."
"Are you crazy?!" The tom retorted, yelling up at him as the sounds of cannons blasted through their ears.
"We can't stay up here!" Tugger barked, the whiz of fire invading his senses. He couldn't see out from his position over Misto, he didn't know who was attacking. His captain continued to rage with demands, cannons, guns, another ship must be close. How had someone snuck up on them? He nudged reassuringly at his mate, "I'll be right beside you, but we need to climb down now."
Misto continued to protest, whining and whimpering as Tugger carefully removed himself and tried to urge his mate to do the same. Another loud boom of a cannon made him jolt violently, and he finally agreed.
A quick glance over the edge let Tugger assess the situation. Everyone was running everywhere, scattered around in a panic lite ants. The captain was shouting and cursing, Alice nowhere to be seen, while the men were unloading and reloading, shooting and exchanging fresh weapons with old ones. He watched a few of the crew fall to the deck, blood staining the wood. They were dying. He growled, returning to his mate. He didn't need to see it. "Come on." he ordered.
He took the first steps down the rope, his paws lightly clawing into it, enough to keep him secure, but not enough to cut it. He gestured for Mistofflees to do the same, shouting for him to step down. The cat trembled at the edge of the crows nest, shaking his head, "Tugger- I can't!"
"Damn it Misto!" he shouted.
A violent crash shook them, throwing Tugger and the rope around, and nearly tossing Misto right off the edge. The tux barely managed to claw into the edge of the next, "You need to come now!" Tugger demanded. If he stayed there another minute, there was a good chance he'd go toppling right over. "Climb now!"
Another cannon ball hit, catching the edge of the mast keeping the nest up. The wood splintered and the rumble tore through the air, ripping part of the mast away. The sheer force of the blow brought the boat to a rock, and forced Mistofflees off his toes. He stumbled forward, front paws sliding right off the edge as he began to fall. Tugger didn't think about it, he just launched, hurling himself back to catch the stupid tux, and bracing himself for impact as they were dragged down by gravity. He reached out for anything he could, barely snagging a bit of the rope, but not managing to keep a hold.
They feel meters in seconds, and Tugger thought it might be the end. He held tightly onto his mate, letting out a loud roar. He decided he believed in miracles when they fell right into the arms of his captain. "Rum! What the hell are you doing?!"
He meowed back at him, protesting and scrambling until the cats were released. Another cannonball hit the ship, and Tugger finally had the chance to see who exactly had been firing at them. Shock, rage and fear coursed through him after setting eyes on the enemy's flag. It was Captain Terrible's ship, a long time foe to his own captain, who now looked to be in a dreadful state himself.
Tugger whined sorrowfully for the man as he wrung hands in his hair, "He must be after the Alice. She's the governor's daughter aftera-"
Another blow to the side of the ship knocked them all around. He regained his composure quickly enough, returning to his men and shouting a new attack. Tugger had faith, his captain was the best captain. He grabbed Misto, leading him back to the captain's cabin, where he had no doubt sent Alice once the attacks started.
They needed to make it in there before the ship was boarded. Certainly this pirate was bad news for his captain and Alice, but there was another foe aboard that ship, one who walked on all fours, and was known for his trickery. He would be bad news for Tugger and Misto.
They reached the cabin, scratching at the door and meowing as loud as possible. Tugger hoped they wouldn't be drowned out by the noise around them. Alice wouldn't leave Mistofflees out in this wreck. Mistofflees needed to be safe. He scratched harder, and with more determination, instantly relieved when it finally opened, and they hurridly leapt inside.
"Oh thank god, Mr. Mistofflees!" Alice wept, sinking to her knees and hugging the cat, "I was so worried!"
Tugger tried to catch his breath as Mistofflees comforted his mistress. With the captain busy ordering the men, it was up to him to keep these two safe. Terrible would be after the governor's daughter, and Macavity...
Macavity, the mystery cat, the hidden paw, the evilest of evil. He could only imagine what that beast would do to Misto, or to himself. The cat was a menace, and Terrible's very own right hand, so to speak. He growled with feral warning when there was a thud at the door. He would not let these two be harmed. He hissed and scratched at the floor as someone jimmied the knob, pounding harder as Alice tried to make herself as small as possible, clinging onto Mistofflees tightly.
Tugger made a point to keep himself planted firmly between the two of them and the door, recognizing the voice of his captain on the other side, shouting at someone, "There's nothing in there!" he'd lied, trying to deter the attention of whoever was trying to enter.
Another loud bang, and the door came off of its hinges, revealing a very smug looking Pirate, and a very menacing, mangled cat at his heels.
