I got a very mixed number of reviews from other authors, and they're sort of getting into a dispute over whether or not Phoenix is using Hunter, or if he really does care about her. I'll be the bearer of bad news on this one and say, you'll find out in this chapter if he is or isn't. Private heard the conversation they had, and his past will be dipped into a little more, but Villas is still half and half on loyalty.

8523 Miles

Chapter 10

The Puppeteer

A decently sized wave crashed against the side of the boat and made it sway to one side. Some of the ocean spray crept its way through the porthole above the hammock where Private was sleeping and flew inside the room splashing Private's face and Phoenix's back. Private instantly woken as more sea mist came in through the now opened port hole and Phoenix shot up at the sudden chilling feeling on his back. Phoenix turned around and saw the port hole flying from side to side making loud thumping noises. Phoenix turned to Hunter next to him and saw she was rolling around again, he covered her ear holes as softly as he could and turned back around to Private without moving his flippers off of her.

"Private…! Get that thing closed! She'll wake up…!" Private jumped to his feet and nodded and got behind the porthole and kicked it hard, causing it to slam against the opening and wedging it shut. It caused another loud and unnecessary noise, but the room was quiet again, and Hunter was still asleep.

Phoenix gently took his flippers off of her and came down off his bed and came over to Private, to which Private hopped down and looked up at him. "Good job…"

"My pleasure to help…!" Private said. "Besides, you helped too! If you had been sleeping on the other side, she would've gotten wet and we all would've woken up." Phoenix smiled, Private was right, and then he looked out the window. He saw the ocean was very foggy around the ship this morning, signifying that it was still early in the morning.

"Hmm…waves like that never occur at this hour. I should go check it out." The seal announced and began to leave, but Private stopped him.

"May I come with you? I'd like to speak with you about…something…" This made Phoenix stop, but he just let it go.

"Alright…" He said to him, very confused about what Private would want to talk about.

They made their way up to the boat deck, and once they got out, the entire poop deck was empty, apparently no one was awake yet except for them; convenient for scheming, or for just talking. Phoenix couldn't see past the bow of the boat, and when he looked over the side, he could barely see the water below.

"Hmm…nothing." Phoenix said, in a bewilderment about the mysterious waves. "Anyway, what did you want to talk about Private?" He asked in a nice way.

"Oh…yes…well um…" He tried thinking of a way to put it without sounding crude. "I heard Hunter talking in her sleep last night when you came in. Did that make you…uncomfortable?" He started. Phoenix raised an eyebrow, and tried to hide his mischief on the matter.

"Uh…it was weird…" He started lying, "But…it's not something I wouldn't do…"

"Oh…okay…just making sure. I know that there's a lot of nasty pirates on this boat, but you seem to be much more…nice. Like you really care about Hunter, for that, you're a great friend." Private said with his lunacorn face.

This made Phoenix's blood boil hotter than the feathers of the bird he was named after, and his guilt reading shot through the sails above him. "Trust me Private, once you get to know me…I'm not that great. I might even be…" He tried thinking of a word, but Private got a frown on his face as his lunacorn face melted.

"A puppeteer…?" He whimpered putting his flippers to together and getting big eyes. "You're…you're not using her are you?" But Phoenix looked away in an ashamed face, but that did nothing but clinch it. "What…you are using her!" Private said getting his angry face on, and beginning to get louder. "You've been doing nothing but swaying her this whole time! I thought you cared about her!" But this made Phoenix go ablaze.

"I do care about her Private! More than you might think!"

"Really…?"

"Yes…"

"So much you'd fool her into thinking you loved her? That way she started hoping that when we got off this boat you'd come with us?" Private questioned, but Phoenix's eyebrows narrowed.

"Enough…" But he loosened up, the thought of hurting Hunter made him soft, "To not get attached to her." This made Private calm down a bit and get more interested. "If Elata found out about our plan, and she knew I fell in love with Hunter, she'd punish me by doing something to her, like feeding her to the sharks, or letting Lykaios and Bailan pick her clean of her meat." Private shuttered at the images. "Yes…I admit it Private, I was using her. But I can't love her…for her own sake."

Private walked up to Phoenix and patted his nose, "You say you can't love her…" And Phoenix nodded, "But it looks like you fell for her anyway. And now…everyone is going to get hurt, including you." Private said and walked off, he thought this was exactly like the porthole, one problem, and if one circumstance had been different, the outcome would've affected everyone. In this case, Phoenix and Hunter, instead of just Hunter.

The mist was still shrouded around the boat as it creaked along with the motion of the waves it rested on. Phoenix wandered the top deck, angry and in doubt of what had just happened between him and Private. He was so mad; he began to speak out loud just to see if he wasn't the one who was crazy.
"I didn't do anything wrong! Why is he being so egotistical about this? What she doesn't know won't hurt her." Yes, to him, it still sounded crazy. "I want Private to understand, but how will everyone else take this? Elata would use it, Villas would freak, and I don't even wanna think about how Hunter would react." A sudden splash brought his attention to the side of the boat and he looked over. A fin shaped tail broke the surface and retreated back down, "Hello...?" Phoenix said to the murky, Antarctic water beneath him. After a few moment of no response, he just sighed. "Strange…maybe a chantey will help." He loved to sing a tune once in a while, but all he could muster was a sad tune. (Me, the Masked Man-Joei "Age" Spyro)

Phoenix: Everyone that's been in my place knows

Just how hard it is to go through life

Without hurting the ones you love

Sometimes it's easier to just…

He paused, for the lyric hurt him, but he sang it anyway.

Put on a mask and hide from the world

Without a mask it's so easy to be hurt

So I guess that's just me

The masked man

He was wrong, the chantey only made him feel guiltier about using Hunter and lying to Private. They had trusted him, and he was falling in love with her, but he couldn't let that happen. If he developed an emotional attachment to her, it would only hurt her in the end. He knew this, so he decided to prove how much her cared about her, by making her think he didn't, this way, she'd be safe.

"That was beautiful…a little dark though…" A squeaky female voice said. Phoenix looked up from his profound thoughts about Hunter and looked around.

"Who's there…?" He asked into the fog around him. He heard his answer from over the side of the boat.

"Down here…" He went over to the side and looked over, and he saw a dolphin's head half way out of the water and smiling at him. "You have an amazing singing voice. I just wish you'd sing about some more positive stuff."

"Who are you?" Phoenix asked the mammal, suddenly confused about her presence.

"I'm Sweetie Bell; I've been following you and your ship since that leakage problem in the bottom floor. Now every night, I sleep in that hole in the side of the boat." She said.

"You know about that?" Phoenix asked her.

"Yep…I know how to get to Elephant Island from here too."

This made Phoenix grumble, but saw it as a chance. "Fine you can be our guide when the time comes, just be a fallow for now okay?" Sweetie Bell nodded and disappeared under the water.

What've I gotten myself into…? He thought.

Sweetie Bell is actually a combination inspiration name from Sweetie Belle (MLP) and Tinker Bell (TB), the name sounded cute for a dolphin. No, there will be no Dr. Blowhole in this story. And yes, I'm sorry, but Phoenix was using Hunter.

How will Hunter react when she finds out?

Is Phoenix really gonna go through with this?

What significance does Sweetie Bell play?

How does Elephant Island play a role in Phoenix's plan?

I'll be on a long car ride tomorrow, so an update might not be for a while. I'll keep writing as soon as possible. And for the record, 'fallow' wasn't a typo, the word means (to not use; inactive). Just so you know, thanks again and don't forget to vote on the poll.