Writer's block. Just...just writer's block. Anyway, it's here now. I hope you enjoy!
Judy's heart sank even lower. Bogo. Bogo. Ben's superior. The one who had given him the map to protect. He had found them.
"They're signalling us!" called out Bobby. "They're ordering us to surrender!"
Nick faltered for only a moment. "We can't do that. We have to try and make a break for it. Honey!" He looked wildly around for the badger.
"I'm here, Cap'n!" she answered as she burst through the door with Yax, both of them holding bundles. Judy blinked as she recognised them as the mammal dummies she had found in the cargo a few weeks ago. She looked up at Nick with questioning eyes.
"We place them around the ship to make it look like there are more of us," he explained. "We use it as a deterrent."
"That's not going to be enough to stop Bogo," said Ben, as he watched Honey drag a fake wolf up the rigging and secure it.
"Well, what would be enough to stop him?!" snapped Nick.
Ben smiled sheepishly. "Surrendering?"
Nick slapped a paw to his head and was about to make a retort when the ship rocked furiously.
"They're firing, Captain!"
"Are they?!" Nick shouted back to Bobby. "I hadn't noticed!"
Another hit nearly knocked Judy over, and Nick grabbed her arm to steady her and Ben's shirt to steady himself.
"There must be something you know about him that can help us!" he asked desperately when he let them go. "Do you want to get caught by him?!"
Ben's terrified face stared down at Nick as his mouth tried to function. "I don't want to get caught by him, but he's never lost! He'll keep going until...until..."
Nick growled angrily. "Get below deck and tell everyone to start firing back. Flash, you need to get us out of here!"
Another round of cannon blasts fired from Bogo's ship, only this time instead of the hull they tore holes through the Black Paw's sails.
"They're trying to intercept," shouted Bobby.
Judy ran to the side of the ship with Nick close behind. The naval vessel was heading to block the Black Paw's path, and Judy couldn't help but gaze in awe at its efficient and precise movements, its sheer power and majesty as it hurtled towards them.
"Wow," she breathed.
"Well, I'm glad someone's happy," said Nick.
"Sorry," replied Judy, apologetically. "Ever since I was a kitten I dreamt of working on a ship like that."
"And now you're going to be blown up by one. Isn't life fantastic?"
"I thought this ship was undead."
"The sails are new," said Nick, gesturing to the heavily damaged black trappings, "and they're kind of important when you want to escape from the Navy."
"NICK!" yelled Finnick from across the deck. "IDEAS?!"
Nick gaped at him and at everyone else on deck. He rushed up to the helm.
"Flash, please tell me you can get us out of here," he asked when he reached the sloth.
"I'm...doing...the best...I can..."
"That's great - "
"...given...the...circumstances."
At that moment a cannonball whistled over their heads and landed in the sea beyond. In the time it took Flash to react to this and move his head to follow the cannonball's trajectory, Bogo's ship got dangerously close.
"No no no no no!" Nick wrestled with the wheel to make up for the distraction, but it was of no use. Flash's claws were locked on tight. He looked up to the see the other ship coming up alongside them and the crew aboard it readying themselves for a takeover.
Nick jumped back down to the deck where his own crew were grabbing their swords. His eyes landed on Judy. "Carrots! Get below deck!"
"What?!" she shouted back incredulously.
"Get below deck, find Spots, and hide until this is all over!"
Her eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in anger. "I am not going to hide!"
"That is an order!"
She glared at him for a moment, then turned and marched through the door.
Mercifully the cannons had stopped firing, though this was likely due to the proximity of the naval ship alongside them. Pistols were now the weapon of choice, and Nick's crew dropped to the deck to avoid the bullets, while above them the dummies were torn to shreds. Nathan managed to draw his own pistol and raised himself just enough to start firing back.
"Nick," said the badger lying next to Nick with her hands over her ears. "I don't think we're going to win this one."
"We can try," responded Nathan gruffly as he fired another shot.
A couple of thumps caused Nick to raise his head. A lion and tiger wearing the blue uniforms of the Royal Navy had leaped across and landed on the deck of the Black Paw. They drew their swords.
Before Nick and the others could react, several other mammals had swung on to the ship and quickly surrounded Nick's crew. Everyone leapt to their feet as the boarders edged closer.
"Honey," Nick muttered out of the side of his mouth, "any gadgets on you?"
"Nothing useful," she replied.
A loud growl sounded from Nathan as he swung his sword threateningly at an encroaching grizzly bear who responded in kind. While Nick knew that Nathan could easily dispatch a few naval officers, even on a bad day, he also knew that they were grossly outnumbered. Honey was right. They couldn't win this one. He had been too careless, thinking the Bearmuda Triangle would protect them from patrolling naval ships. He should have remembered the warning Judy gave him about the Navy searching for her and the map. He had gotten too cocky, and now his crew were going to pay for it. With a heavy heart, he dropped his sword and raised his hands.
One by one his crew noticed his action and followed suit. Nathan was the last to comply, throwing his sword down with a snarl and keeping his teeth bared. Once the naval crew were satisfied with their surrender, one of the wolves signalled to his ship and a gangplank was lowered to create a bridge.
As they were escorted across the gangplank, Nick watched a rhino walk up to the helm to get Flash and a handful of wolves go through the door, presumably to search the lower decks for any remaining crew. Other than Judy and Ben, the only mammals below deck were Bucky and Pronk, who had been tending to the cannons, and Yax. Nick managed a wry smile as he imagined the surprise the wolves would receive when they reached the galley.
The smile soon vanished when he was stood in front of Captain Bogo. The enormous buffalo towered over the pirates, a solid unmoveable pillar wearing a pristine captain's uniform, his arms folded over his chest and his small eyes set in a calm fury. Nick had to fight the urge to gulp.
"Which one of you is the captain?" Bogo's voice was deep and measured.
The pirates shifted uncomfortably. They didn't say anything but inevitably each one of them glanced towards Nick. Bogo's gaze zoned in on the fox and his eyes narrowed. Nick sheepishly smiled back.
"How many more are below deck?" asked Bogo.
Nick swallowed. "Uhh..."
"You shut up!"
"No, you shut up!"
Everyone looked back to the Black Paw to see the two antelopes being brought up and led to the navy ship, predictably arguing over whose fault this was. Behind them was Yax escorted by two wolves, who seemed to have found a sheet to cover the Yak's modesty. Next to emerge was Ben, his body completely hunched over and his face full of shame. Finally the last wolf came up with a furious Judy struggling in his arms.
"Is this everyone?" asked Bogo when everyone had boarded.
"All except our pet Kraken," answered Nick, instantly regretting his quip when he heard a deep rumble from the buffalo.
The pirates were herded to a corner of the deck, with Judy being unceremoniously deposited in front of them.
"I can walk, you know!" she shouted at the wolf who had carried her. She stepped back when Bogo placed himself in front of the group.
"Welcome aboard the HMS Stampede," he said, his voice far from welcoming. "I'm happy to say you made the right choice in surrendering - "
"Judy?"
Bogo's head snapped to the voice that interrupted him. It belonged to a slightly portly rabbit wearing a scarlet jacket, and his wide brown eyes were fixed on Judy.
"Father?" Judy's mouth dropped open in shock and her ears rose slowly.
"Judy!" Governor Hopps raced forward and engulfed his daughter in a tight embrace, his eyes welling up with tears. "I'm so glad you're alive!"
Separated from her family for so long, Judy eagerly returned the hug with the same vigour.
"You're on a ship?!" she exclaimed when she pulled back.
"Don't remind me," Governor Hopps told her, suddenly looking ill. "I've been seasick ever since I stepped aboard this wretched thing!"
"What are you doing out here?"
"We came to find you of course."
Judy looked past her father to see James Buckington walking towards them, his face full of relief.
"When we heard the Cloverleaf had been attacked, we feared the worst!" Stuart gripped Judy's shoulders firmly but tenderly. "James and I set sail for Zootopia to get help and we bumped into Captain Bogo on the way. Seemed he was already trying to find you. Apparently Mister Clawhauser had some special document or something."
"A very special document," said Bogo, now glaring furiously at Ben.
The cheetah's ears lowered submissively. "I-I did my best, Captain - "
"Your best clearly wasn't enough!" snarled Bogo. "You, a representative of His Majesty's Navy, were entrusted with an item of great significance, and you let it fall into the hands of pirates!"
"I'm-I'm sorry - "
"Not to mention letting my daughter get kidnapped," added Stuart.
"Father!"
"He was supposed to be protecting you, Judy!"
"I'm fine!" Judy gestured at herself. "Look at me. I'm not hurt. Captain Bogo, he only gave up the map because he thought I was in danger. He never wanted to disobey your orders, I promise!"
Bogo stared at Judy for a moment then turned back to Ben. "We'll have a proper de-briefing later."
Ben nodded and lowered his head dolefully.
"How did you manage to find us out here?" asked Judy.
"The lemmings from the Cloverleaf gave us a description of the pirate ship," answered James. "We then sailed to Tortiger where Captain Bogo had a couple of informants. They said they saw a rabbit fitting your description with the captain of the Black Paw." James' eyes wavered disdainfully towards Nick before returning to Judy. "It also helped that two of his crew members had bragged about their destination whilst drunk off their horns."
Every pirate turned to glare at the two antelopes who had grown incredibly pale.
"This is all your fault!" Bucky snapped at Pronk.
"My fault?!" Pronk shouted back. "You were the one who blabbed!"
"You were the one who blabbed."
"You're the one who doesn't know when to shut up!"
"No, you shut up!"
"No, you shut up!"
"BOTH OF YOU, SHUT UP!" roared Bogo.
The antelopes' mouths clicked shut and they shrunk back in fear.
Bogo gave a huge snort then addressed the pirates. "You are now prisoners of His Majesty's Navy and your ship and cargo are in our possession. You will be transported to the city of Zootopia where you will be put on trial for piracy and any other crimes the Court seems fit to charge you with. During the voyage you will remain in the brig. If you are asked a question by myself or my senior officers, you will answer without hesitation or complaint. Failure to comply will result in immediate flogging. Do I make myself clear?"
Resigning themselves to their fate, the pirates turned the gaze towards the floor.
Judy was distraught. If she hadn't visited Tortiger, they may have had a better chance of not being found. And poor Ben. He had been terrified something like this would happen, he had kept warning her, and all she did was reassure him she wouldn't let anything bad happen. Now he was in serious trouble. He may lose his place in the Navy, or worse. The treasure would be confiscated by the Crown so she could no longer use it to pay off her family's debt. And the pirates. They didn't deserve this! Well, they were pirates, but after weeks of living and working with them, Judy knew they weren't evil. They had looked after her, fed her, treated her as one of their own, and given her the experience of a lifetime. They'd never hurt anyone if they could help it. They only wanted to make their way in the world, whether it was seeking fortune or adventure. They were good mammals, and now they were going to be put on trial and punished to the full extent of the law.
She looked at Nick, who stared blankly at the floor, devoid of hope. He only became a pirate because foxes were supposed to be villains.
Her eyes flicked towards James, and an idea struck her.
"James. I need to ask you something."
The young buck smiled brightly at her. "Anything, Judy."
She led them a short distance away from Bogo and the pirates. Her father, curious, followed them.
"I need your help," Judy stated.
James' brow furrowed in concern and he nodded.
"Those pirates, it's true they took me aboard their ship against my will, but they never hurt me. They gave me food and a bed, and we became good friends." She smiled softly at James. "I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. I can't let them be punished after all they've done for me. It wouldn't be right."
James made a confused but sympathetic face. "Judy, they're pirates..."
"And good mammals!" Judy said in earnest, clasping at his hands. "Please. I can't let them be locked up or...or..."
Growing more uncomfortable by the second, the buck's gaze flickered between Judy and the pirates, who were now being put in shackles.
"It would be the most wonderful wedding gift you could give me."
With an almost audible spring, James' ears flew up to full height. His eyes were wide, his nose twitched and his whole body was rigid.
"Judy?" said Stuart, just as astonished. "You're accepting James Buckington's proposal?"
She swallowed and continued staring at James with pleading eyes. "Yes."
James was frozen for several seconds as his ears burned redder than Judy had ever seen them. Eventually he brought himself back to the present and after giving Judy a firm nod, he marched towards Bogo.
"Ahem!" he said loudly in order to gain the buffalo's attention. He jumped back when said buffalo suddenly whipped his head towards him. "Uh - uh - I want these pirates released immediately!"
Everyone, even Bogo, blinked in confusion.
"Keep your nose out of my business, bunny," growled Bogo, turning away.
James, embarrassed and at a loss, looked around for help. His eyes landed on Judy.
"You can do it!" she mouthed at him.
James found his resolve once more and raised his voice. "I, Sir James Buckington, son of Lord Henry Buckington, esteemed member of the Royal Court, hereby order that these mammals are released and allowed back on their ship. I have it on good authority that they are of strong moral character and are undeserving of this arrest."
Bogo looked at James with a bored expression on his face. "I don't care."
"You'll care when my father hears about this!"
"Did he really just say that?" a disbelieving Honey muttered to her fellow crewmates.
"My father is on very good terms with the king," continued James. "Once I tell him of this travesty, he can make life very difficult for you. You'll be demoted so fast...your horns will fall off!"
This last remark caused everyone watching to make a face, all in various states of confusion. Nick locked eyes with Judy and jerked his head towards James as if he was trying to say 'That's your fiancé?' Judy could only shrug helplessly in reply.
Bogo shook his head to compose himself before speaking. "They are criminals - "
"And Lady Judy is alive and well because of them," James interrupted. "I owe them a debt of gratitude. I will talk to my father and the king so you suffer no repercussions, and any treasure they have found - yes, I know the document was a treasure map - you can present to His Majesty yourself."
"Hey! We stole that map fair and square!" shouted Bucky before grunting in pain as Bobby elbowed him in the stomach.
The buffalo and rabbit stared at each other, the latter hiding his hands behind his back so Bogo couldn't see them shaking. Though to James' credit, his eyes remained firm and his ears erect.
Everyone gathered waited with bated breath. Judy found her father's hands and gripped them tightly. He squeezed back reassuringly.
After an eternity, Bogo finally sighed. "The pirate ship and cargo are the Navy's property and will be taken to Zootopia. We will release the pirates off the shore of Tortiger along the way. Until then, they will remain in the brig. The threat of flogging in retaliation for lack of cooperation still stands. That is my final offer." He looked about the ship, daring anyone to challenge him.
"Works for me, Cap," piped up Nick, his usual smirk back on his face. "I trust someone will be along shortly to take our dinner orders?"
"Get them out of my sight," snapped Bogo.
The pirates were immediately escorted below deck. Judy managed to share a sad smile with Nick before he disappeared from view.
Once the pirates had gone, James made his way to Judy and her father, looking very pleased with himself.
"Thank you so much, James," said Judy when he reached them.
"You're very welcome," he replied, graciously. "Why don't you go to my cabin and freshen up a bit? It's been a trying day."
"She can use my cabin," said Stuart. "I'll have an extra bed made up for her. This way, Judy." He began leading Judy away. She didn't complain.
"Of course, Sir," James called after them.
Just as they were about to go below, Judy waved at Ben who was standing to the side not sure what to do with himself. He waved back, trying to smile encouragingly.
When they reached the cabin, Stuart left Judy to her own devices and went back up to the main deck. Judy collapsed face first on the bed and curled herself up into a ball, her eyes closed and her heart aching.
A few hours later there was a knock at the door which caused Judy to open her eyes.
"Judy, it's me," came her father's voice.
"Come in," she replied, sitting up.
Stuart entered holding a tray of food and wearing a warm smile. Behind him was a rhino in Navy garb carrying two suitcases Judy recognised as her own.
"I've brought dinner," Stuart said, placing the tray on a nearby table. "They found your belongings on the other ship. They would have brought them on sooner if they weren't so distracted by the treasure." He shot the rhino a annoyed glance. The rhino simply snorted in response and left the room, closing the door behind him.
The mention of treasure caused Judy's stomach to twist uncomfortably and she looked at her meal. Both the cutlery and platter were silver, and sitting in the bowl was some hot soup. It smelt absolutely divine, especially considering her diet for the last few weeks.
"You go ahead and eat up," Stuart told her, sitting next to her on the bed. He had a kind, parental look on his face which gave Judy an immense sense of security as well as guilt.
She brought the tray closer to her and slowly began eating. Though she was hungry and the soup was, as she had guessed, delicious, she could not bring herself to guzzle it down.
"Do you want to tell me what happened?" her father asked gently. "You don't have to if you don't want to. Knowing you're alive and safe is enough."
Judy swallowed her mouthful and laid the spoon down. "The pirates attacked the Cloverleaf. They were after the map. Ben said that it led to treasure and I offered to translate it for a share. I thought I could pay off the debt."
Stuart took a deep breath. "That was...very risky, Judy - "
"I know."
There was a moment of silence. "You must have had quite the adventure," said Stuart.
"Yes, I did," replied Judy, a ghost of a smile gracing her face.
"And the pirates treated you well?"
"Yes."
Stuart nodded a couple of times before silence settled again. Suddenly, Judy gave out a shuddering sob.
"Judy!" Stuart placed a paw on her shoulder.
"I'm so sorry!" she cried, wiping her eyes. "It's all my fault. If-if I hadn't - "
"Now, now," he consoled, pulling her into a hug. "You did what you had to do. Clawhauser told me about the deal. If you hadn't done anything, they may have killed both of you."
"But they wouldn't have! They're-they're not killers. If I had just - "
"You didn't know at the time, and you wanted to help your family - "
"I wanted to get out of the wedding! I never thought about the consequences; what would happen to Ben, or you, or the others. I was enjoying myself too much! And now Nick's lost his ship, and Ben's in trouble, and you and mother must have been so worried - !"
"Oh, Judy..."
"If I wasn't such a selfish rabbit!"
Stuart pulled back just enough to look at his daughter. "There's nothing wrong with wanting freedom. And I know it's been hard for you not being able to pursue your dreams as you should. You've done so much in the last few weeks and I couldn't be prouder. Since the moment you were born I knew you were something extra special, and to this day I have trouble believing how two boring rabbits can have such an amazing daughter."
Judy sniffed and stared at him with wide eyes. "Really?"
"Worthy of the Owsla of El-ahrairah himself."
Judy sobbed again and fell back into her father's embrace. She chuckled a little when she felt her father join in her weeping.
Night fell upon the two ships sitting on the still waters. Bogo ordered the anchor dropped shortly after the battle ended since the wind was not in their favour, and the rest of the day had consisted of exploring the Black Paw and cataloguing its contents. Those not on night duty began to settle in for bed, and those that were quietly paced the Stampede's decks, though expectations of anything untoward happening were considered low, even if there were a gang of pirates aboard.
The pirates in question were currently held in the brig, a handful of cells along a dark passageway which were in much better condition than the one on the Black Paw, though was still a fairly dreary place. The crew had two cells between them, one for larger mammals and the other for medium-sized mammals, and all sat despondently on the benches or on the floor.
Honey, wanting to finally end the silence, cleared her throat. "Well, things could be worse. At least we won't be executed."
Finnick snorted. "We got no ship, we got no treasure, and we're gonna be dropped off at Tortiger by a freakin' Navy vessel. What 're the other pirates gonna think? What're they gonna do? What if that boar's waitin' for us?"
"Nick'll think of something," replied Honey, turning to the fox with his head in his paw. "He always does."
"Yeah, like how he thought having that bunny aboard our ship was a good idea," sneered Bucky.
"We wouldn't have found the treasure without her!" countered Pronk.
"And now we won't be able to keep any of it!"
"We know where the rest is. We can just go get some more!"
"The map's still on the Black Paw! The Navy will find it and claim the island before we can get another ship!"
"The map's in code. They won't be able to read it!"
"All they need is a rabbit who speaks lapine, you idiot!"
"Don't call be an idiot, idiot!"
"Shut up, you moron!"
"No, you shut up!"
Nick quickly tuned out their riveting conversation. He felt he should be grateful they had come out of their ordeal as well as they did, and in truth he was grateful, but he couldn't help feeling dejected. His ship, his pride and joy, had been wrenched away from him as well as the treasure they had found. And if the Navy did manage to find the island there would be no hope for him claiming any more of the gold.
He and his crew had been so excited about the treasure, and he had let them all down. He used to be so careful, only performing small acts of piracy to avoid unwanted attention, but Captain Maul's treasure had been too great to resist, and getting his hands on it was all that mattered. Of course the Navy would be hunting them. Of course they would want to get their map back at any cost. Of course Judy had mammals who would brave the Bearmuda triangle just to find her.
Nick let out a silent sigh. He had really grown fond of that rabbit. A few weeks ago he never would have believed he would actually like having her on his ship. A small smile formed as he thought of her. Feisty, determined, a natural talent for seafaring, and he couldn't deny that a friendship had been growing between them. He wondered if he would ever see her again after this. Probably married to that James Bucksworth, or whatever his name was, maybe with a litter or two in tow. The visual image he conjured up didn't suit her, but there wasn't much he could do about it.
All he could do right now was see where the tide took them.
The jaguar standing guard on deck searched the horizon, silently cursing the sudden mist for hindering his night vision. Abrupt weather changes were to be expected in this part of the ocean, but it didn't mean he had to like it. He had just about resigned himself to staring at nothing until dawn, when he felt something flutter past his head. He turned sharply to seek out the source of the disturbance, however could see nothing out of the ordinary. The ship was quiet, and he was all alone save for a handful of guards stationed around the deck.
After a few moments of searching, he shook his head and resumed his post. Probably a confused seagull, he thought.
Once the jaguar turned his face back to the sea, a small dark shape flew from its hiding place and continued its inspection of the ship. It completed several circles, counting the guards and sneaking glances through the portholes. When it was satisfied, it flew away from the ship, beating its wings as fast it could, wanting to limit its time over the open water. At long last its destination was within reach, and it headed straight for the helm where its captain was waiting.
"Well?"
"It's been taken over by the Navy," answered the bat. "Most of the crew are sleeping, only a few guards stationed on both ships. They're not expecting anything. Nick and his mammals are in the brig."
"And the map?"
"The captain was reading it in his quarters. It's in some sort of code."
The boar nodded. "Inform the crew, and prepare yourself for the next step. Tonight we take what is rightfully ours."
The bat took off whilst the boar looked back towards where he knew the two ships were sitting. It was only a matter of moments before blood, revenge and good old-fashioned plundering. He smiled as he thumbed his sword. Yes, this night would be a fruitful one.
El-ahrairah is a legendary rabbit in the novel Watership Down, and owsla are the top fighters and thinkers of a warren.
