Fountain of Youth
Chapter 10
They were almost all the way across the clearing when James turned around and caught a glimpse of some creature he couldn't even begin to describe loping off into the undergrowth. He looked at the spot the woman had been sitting in and she was gone. He started to turn around and say something to Jack and almost tripped over him. As he caught his balance he looked down and saw Jack crouched down and examining something on the ground at the edge of the jungle.
"What are you doing down there Sparrow?" James said with a bit of irritation in his tone. The man was always throwing him off balance, physically and mentally, and it never failed to irritate him.
Jack ignored him for a few moments, which did nothing to dispel his irritation with the man. "I'm thinkin ya might want ta be takin a look at this Commodore." Jack said as he looked up at James.
James huffed and rolled his eyes before stepping around and kneeling beside Jack, "Bloody Hell, is that what it appears to be?"
With a flutter of fingers directed at James, "Depends on what you'd be thinkin it apparently appears to be Commodore. If you are thinkin it appears to be the same thing that I am thinkin it apparently appears to be to me then I would have to say yes, but if you are thinking it apparently appears to be something totally different or even somewhat different for that matter than what it apparently appears to be appearing as to me then I would have to first figure out what it apparently appears to be to you and since you've chosen to be a bit vague in yer terms of what it apparently appears to be appearing as to you I have no way of knowing that what it apparently appears to be to me is the same as it apparently appears to be to you, therefore I can't very well be answering yer question in the manner and meaning you've posed it now can I Commodore."
"Captain Sparrow," James said as he glared at Jack, his tone as Commodore-ly as he could make it, "Must I reissue my statement on the addition to your legend I am in fact coming closer and closer to following through with?"
Jack gave him a pouty look and said, "Looks like one bloody hell of a big footprint to me Commodore."
James allowed just a wisp of a smile to cross his face as he stood up and looked down the path the footprint was heading, "As it does to me Captain." He pointed down the path, "It would seem there are more." His curiosity piqued, he headed off down the path.
"Oye Commodore, do you think that a wise thing to be doing? I'm havin a thought here, what say you we pick a different path, I'm not sure what ever manner of being what made them tracks would hold kindly to someone else using this path so to speak, they look a bit unfriendly ta me if ya get my meaning here. Commodore? Did you hear me? Commodore?" With a grimace and a quick glance around the clearing and then a 'Bugger' at the retreating Commodore's back, and realizing that his Guardian Commodore was not paying any attention to him, was still walking away and rudely leaving him behind he wasted no time in following breaking out into his floppy arm waving half run.
When he caught up with James the man had positioned himself at the tip of one of the footprints and was pacing off the distance to the heel of the next one. Then came back and did it again, a look of disbelief on his face as he did.
He turned to Jack who had walked up to the Commodore's side, the disbelief still on his face, "Sparrow, do you realize how big this creature must be to have made these?"
Jack grimaced as he waved his arms about, "No, nor am I thinkin it would be to our advantage to actually meet up with 'em and have all doubts erased. I'm of the opinion we should be embracing that oldest and most noble of pirate traditions right now….. makin all haste to go the other way Commodore."
James snorted and said, "These are not fresh tracks Captain, I hardly think the creature is still in the area, and there is no sign this is a regular path taken by what ever manner of creature this may be, ergo it should be safe to follow it."
Jack answered a bit snippily, "So now besides bein the Great Pirate Hunter and Great Guardian Commodore, yer the Great Tracker of Inhuman Creatures that you have no idea what they even are? Is that what yer tryin ta tell me Commodore?"
"Oh please, are you telling me the legendary Captain Jack Sparrow is scared?" James said sarcastically.
"Better scared and alive than brave and dead Commodore." Jack replied.
"Do you really think a creature the size of what this one would have to be would be capable of just sneaking up on us? Just appear out of nowhere? It would be impossible for a creature of that size to move without announcing its approach long before it came into range of us." James retorted with a smirk.
"Not impossible Commodore." Jack said as he pointed off behind the Commodore.
James turned around and looked in the direction Jack was pointing to see the creature standing not ten feet away looking back. It took James a few moments to make any sense of the creature's appearance. It was humanoid in shape although its arms hung down well past its knees. It was stocky in build, standing on legs that appeared to have the girth of a ships beam. It had a large and mostly bald misshapen head, one wild shock of muddy brown hair sprouting from the top of its head. Its eyes were close set and the nearest analogy James could come up with as to color was to a dead carp he had come across under a pier when he was eight. The smell the creature was giving off was not far from that carp either. James couldn't tell if the creature was dressed in some type of fur or if it was body hair covering it. The nose was flat against its face, the nostrils flared widely. The mouth was a jagged slash showing upper and lower canines that looked as if they were meant to rip flesh from bone.
Jack leaned over and with a flutter of fingers at James said, "I'm thinkin the opportune time for ya to have been workin on those Guardian-ish Commodore-ly skills you're supposedly supposed to be in possession of would have been sometime before now."
"So it would seem." James said as he looked up at the creature that towered a good five feet over his head.
"Maybe he's of the friendly persuasion Commodore." Jack said, then as a low rumbling growl came from the creature he stepped behind James, peeked around him, and added, "But I highly doubt it."
James was anything but a coward, and it took him only an instant to assume his most no nonsense Commodore-ly posture, expression, and tone of voice, "You would be advised to remove yourself from our path."
Even though James, through his years of Royal Naval service, had honed his reactions to be swift he was unable to react in time as the creature suddenly charged and with an arm the size of a tree trunk knocked him a dozen feet into the underbrush and grabbed at Jack. James shook his head, rapidly regained his feet, drew his sword and charged back into the fray.
Jack, with an almost constant stream of 'Bugger bugger buggers' was doing his best to outmaneuver the creature and stay out of its grasp. As he saw James come running up he shouted, "Commodore! I'd appreciate a little help here if you don't mind."
As James came within a few feet of the creature and had raised his sword to strike the creature reached out and again knocked him off into the underbrush.
As Jack continued to dodge the creatures hands and arms that seemed to be everywhere at once he called out in a high pitched peeved tone, "I don't see this as anywhere near bein in fulfillment of yer duties as a Guardian Commodore..Commodore."
James once again gained his feet, muttered an 'Indeed!' at Jack, retrieved his sword from where it had been knocked from his grasp, and headed back towards the creature.
To Be Continued
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