HELLO AGAIN, READERS, FAMS AND FOLLOWERS OF TREASURE TROPOLIS.
it is time to continue where we left off
Because TRASURE TROPOLIS eleventh chapter is now out!
Enjoy.
Because of Judy's injury, which seemed to slowly getting worse, the job of rowing the boat back to the shore was left to Ben's task.
At first, the yak wasn't pleased of this, because it was he to who Judy left the most of the rowing duty after they stole the boat from the pirates camp and rowed through the river and the laggoon to the ship. Judy had explained to Ben the reason why he had to do the most of the job, was that because she was the smartest one of their duo – actually trio, counting Captain Flint in – and that she had to stand in the bow of the boat and check that was their way to the ship clear or not. She was also the head of their sucesseful mission, so Ben had to do excatly what she said.
However, the yak agreed to do the rowing job due to his full understanding of Judy's near-unability to even mover her left arm because of her critical wound.
The trio, after the long way back to the island and the river, returned slowly and silently to the pirates camp, where Judy was almost waiting to see the light of the campfire and hear the loudly snoring pirates around of the it.
Morning began to dawn, which would know for them the difficulties to get a pass of the little by little waking pirates
But when they arrived to the camp, they found out that it was to their surprise demolished, the campfire was extinguishedand and the whole area abandoned... even the remaining boats were missing - and there was no sign about the pirates. They were probably waked by one of their own after noticing one of the longboats missing and the pirates were probably searching them from the beach and the jungle.
But why the camp was demolished, that was the big question which bothered Judith's mind.
However, Judith knew that probably most of the remaining pirates were surely still watching the entrance of Ben's cave.
Judy a bit considered their best possibilities to row the rest of the river back to the waterfall's pool and sneak back to the cave through of the underwater tunnel behind of the waterfall, but because of the ancient sluice gate, of which Ben mentioned back in the cave before she, he and Flint took off to this mission, was still open, the strong underground flows would make attempt a life-threatening due to the high risk to be drown. Besides, if that woodchuck pirate was still in his watching post and the guards were doubled, there was no way they could sneak into the pool and the underwater cave without being undetected.
And because of the pirates, trying to go the shortcut through the jungle to the hill and Ben's cave was still as dangerous.
However, Judy decided to take the risk and take a shortcut through of the jungle back to the cave, no matter about the pirates in the jungle or their guards near of the cave.
They just needed to get back to the cave and take the doctor's bag to Otterton, so he would be able to help badly wounded Susan, the other members of the crew badly wounded in the battle and her own wound.
The return trip through the jungle to the cave wasn't so easy that Judy thought.
She could barely even walk because of the bad wound in her leg caused by Israel Grey's ax, which bothered her walking with the burning waves of pain. And yet she was weakening in every passing minute due to still bleeding wound in her shoulder.
Judy even felt herself sick. She was dizzy and she had difficulty to stay upright, and such of feeling sick nearly caused her to throw up.
Seeing this, Ben offered to carry her in his arms the rest of the way to the cave, but Judy stubbornly refused for his help and forbade Ben from helping her, with the very cheap excuse that she was fine and she's able to make it back to the cave.
However, after several steps ahead, she eventually winced in pain which took over her wounded leg, causing it to gave up and Judy collapsed to the ground.
Bne quickly rushed to hera id.
"Old Ben carries you the rest of the way and Old Ben does not listen anymore Juicy's "buts." Ben declared and wrapped his arms around of Judy's waist and lifted her to his left shoulder.
Captain Flint grabbed from Otterton's bag and started to carry it for Judy.
After carrying Judy for while, until they had to make the quick stop next to the river, where Ben dropped him gently on her back lying on the ground, after which Ben visited on the river, where he took some fresh and drinkable river water to the wooden cup he always carried with him and came back to Judy, offering the cub and the water to her, which Judy accepted and drank without objection.
Ben had in fact filled two wooden cubs with the water. As Judith drank the another one, Ben ripped her shirt from the area of her wound in her shoulder – and after having the one look at it, Ben twisted his nose in disgust after realizing that the wound was really nasty looking.
Although Ben was not a doctor, he knew that he had to do something so that the wound does not get any worse – as it seemingly was in the beginning of suppuration – and that Judy would take the pain until they get back to the cave and to Otterton, so that he can help her and her wounds. Then, Ben poured the water from the cub on the wound in order to wash it to clean and to prevent any possible inflammation.
The cold water flowed over of her wound, painfully poignant wave of pain took over of her shoulder, which caused Judy to wince and grit her teeth in pain.
After washing it, Ben wrapped the tore part of Judy's shirt around of the wound.
It was all what he was able to do for her and the rest were doctor's territory.
Ben eventually helped Judy up on her feets, with a reminder that they had to get back to the cave before the pirates would find them, or that before her wounds get worse. To that, half-weakened and sweaty Judy nodded weakly but refused to be carried in the shoulder like the such helpless lady to be rescued.
After walking over an hour, Judy and Ben finally reached to the border of the jungle and to the feets of the hill in top of which Ben's cave was standing.
Their mission had successed. Risking their own lives, they had managed to retake the ship back, well at least most of it, received both a doctor's bag for Otterton and the wounded ones and especially the map.
The luck was totally on their side.
Judy, Ben and Flint rushed up the hill towards the cave as fast as they were able to move due to Judy's wounds but the triumphant expressions on their faces.
Until another confusion filled their faces after they were about to step inside of the cave and they noticed that anyone of their crew neither none of Leodore's remaining guards weren't in the watch in the entrance of the cave. Otherwise they would have noticed them from outside of the cave in the brigh light of the full moon.
They were also a bit confused by the fact that there was no any sight of pirates standing in their guard in the border of the jungle guarding Ben's cave...
But they, especially Judy, didn't even care now when the map was in their paws.
Once they were in the night dark cave, which was certainly due to the fact that their people had extinguished their campfire and went to sleep, Ben helped Judy next to the place where they left Susan and Otterton, and they were probably sleeping because the spot where the otters were left was under the darkness of the cave.
"Doc! Captain! Doc, wake up! We're back and I got the map." Judy said, weakly but her tired eyes full of the joy and restored hope and the smile on her face.
Suddenly, much to her surprise, the loaded pistol unexpectedly appeared out of the shadows, aiming at both of er and surprised Ben. And after the pistol, out of the shadowss appeared the blackened and clawed paw which was holding from the pistol's handled and the finger next to its trigger. And after the pistol and black paw, the very familiar face of the one-eyed fox appeared appeared from the shadows as well, the sly teeth-baring grin on his face.
Judy's eyes widened as she recognized the fox.
"Wilder?!" Judy exclaimed in shock and confusion.
"Surprise, Carrots. Did you have a nice trip out there?" Wilder tountingly asked from Judith.
"Nice that you have returned, Fluff. We've been waiting for you."
They heard the taunting laugh from everywhere in the darkness, as the several torches right behind of them were lit to illuminate the entire cave.
"SURPRISE!" Someone or some suddenly loudly shouted from unison all around of them.
Judy, Flint and Ben looked behind of them and spotted that Otterton, Susan, Fabienne, Peter, Jack and White Fang were herd to the corner near of the cave's entrance. They were all tightly tied from their legs, their wirsts and around of their upper bodies and their mouths were gagged and they were surrounded and under of the guard of six Wilder's pirates.
Now-one-eyed leopard pirate and the badger pirate were holding the torches in their paws while the spotted hyena pirate, female cheetah pirate, cape-dog pirate and woodchuck pirate were helding their prisoners with the gunpoint aiming at the side of the each prisoners heads or pressing the tops of the daggers in their paws to their throats or under of their chins.
Around each prisoner's neck had also tied the noose, which were pulled to tight around of each prisoners necks and the ropes of the nooses around of the prisoners necks went over the large wooden timber above of the prisoners and the rope was attached to something in the cave's wall. The nooses were probably tied and pulled tight around of their friends necks as the certainly effective warning for them to not do any sudden and foolish moves or else…"
And then, Judy, Flint and Ben looked from side to side in the panic-like confusion and much to their horror, they soon found themselves to be surrounded by the rest of the still living pirates, who unexpectedly appeared out of the shadows and threateningly approached towards them from everywhere. Some of them were aiming them with the pistols and muskets and some of them were holding the daggers in their paws and the rest of them were ready to crab to them with the bare hands.
The trio realized to their horror that they were blindly and foolishly walked straight into an ambush and trap set by Wilder and his pirates for them to inside of Ben's cave, inside of their best and the very last defensive position, which was now somehow taken over by all what was left from Wilder's pirates from the previous conflicts while they were gone .
The pirates were all of time hiding in the cave's darkness, waiting for them to step into their trap and the right opportunity to set their trap into action, so that they could unexpectedly cut off all escape routes out of the cave from the trio.
"Thanks for showing us the way in, girl." One of the pirates tauntingly thanked Judy.
Despite her serious injuries, the map was still in her possession, and she would gladly die than let them have it into their filthy fingers, so Judy tried to run away from the pirates circle.
Taking example of Judy's sudden move, Ben rushed to another direction to distract some pirates.
"Get them!" Wilder ordered his men.
From the pirates, Vincent and Redfur rushed after Judy and both of them grabbed to her roughly with their clawed paws and they didn't cared about Judy's wounds and her cries of pain if their roughly pulled from Judy's badly wounded shoulder's arm or squeezed with the brute force and painfully their harsh grasps around of Judy's wounds to make her scream louder in pain.
Angered by this, Captain Flint tried to defend Judy and lunged his teeth ahead towards Vincent, bitting fiercely from the grizzly bear's butt.
Vincent roared loudly in pain, letting briefly go from Judy's right arm. After he released his grip from Judy's arm, Captain Flint attacked to Vincent's faces, bravely and fiercely beating the grizzly bear's faces to bruised with his tiny fists. But Vincent, however, eventually managed to grab to the monkey from his flaccid neck and violently tossed the monkey asside and grabbed again from Judy's right arm with the Redfur.
Judy tried her best to struggle herself free but the predatory pirates harsh grib and the burning waves of pain in the area of her wounds were too strong for her.
"Leave her alone! Don't you see that she's…" Otterton tried to say to stop them from hurting Judith, until the female cheetah suddenly pulled once and hard from his noose, tightening it around of Otterton's neck and painfully silencing him.
Meanwhile, the rest of the pirates were seizing Ben, who's escape was cutt off as Mbaya, the rhino and boar pirates and Croco were all together roughly jumped over him, pinning the yak under of their weight.
And after they get up, Finnick had rushed to Ben as the others held him with the gunpoint,
"Hey! What's this pathetic and stinking yak?!" Finnick tauntingly asked as he pinned Ben down to the ground with the raccoons.
"Not to Old Ben's face!" Ben yelled in panic after getting growling Finnick's dagger to his left cheek as the raccoons started to tie him up.
After the pirates had gained the upper paw over the entire crew, who was now held as the prisoners, Wilder then walked towards Judy.
"You're just like me, Carrots. Both of us hates to lose," Wilder stated with a chuckle and smugly smirking at Judy as she struggled in the pirates grip.
Judy weakly looked around after the pirates forced her painfully on her knees before Wilder.
There was not all of them. Leodore and his soldiers were gone.
"How did you get here without being seen? And where's Leodore and his remaining soldiers?" Judy asked from Wilder, although she absolutely didn't care about rude Leodore being missing.
"My men caught the coward lion trying to sneak away from the cave with his men. We were about to kill him until he revealed to us the secret underwater tunnel hidden under the nearby waterfall's pool, which led underneath of the solid rock 'till to this cave. And in order to get here, he also voluntarily revealed to us how to control the underwater tunnel's underground flows and itself water level with the ancient sluice gate in the cliff above of us. So, after the tunnel was nearly completely empty of water, we were able to march through of it into the cave undetected. And after the cave was taken over and all of you – well, except you and your dumb yak friend until now, were captured, we were able to move our camp from the riverbank to here." Wilder explained.
"And all thanks for the cowardly lion, the governor Leodore, who kindly and kind of (brief silence) sold all of you to me in exchange for his own freedom. It's called a good business, sweetie." Wilder said mockingly front of Judy's faces.
Judy could not believe her ears. Leodore and his remaining men had just abandoned them all – and even worst as Wilder just said, sold them - to the certain death in the hands of these bloodthirsty pirates in exchange for his own life.
"And I do not bother to ask, where you were and why you weren't here when we came. Because I know already everything. First, I noticed that one of our longboats was missing back in our camp in the riverbank. Wasn't that you who stole the longboat, Carrots? If you were, then SHEESH! And I though that the rabbits never steal anything from anyone because they're "too honest" for that." Wilder taunted, which caused several of his pirates to laugh tautingly.
"Anyway, after we get here, with the help of Mr. Scaredy Cat, and captured everybody, Dr. Otterton already tried to tell me that the map was not even in your possession. At first, I didn't believe any words he was saying to me until we had gone through the whole cave and we didn't found the map from here. And then, I believed at first that you had sneaked away from the cave in the darkness of night with the map because you weren't here when we arrived. I was like "Did the bunny get cold feet?" until Otterton added that you were obviously looking for medical needs, what he needes so badly for his wounded otter girlfriend."
"It one thing yet. I have to grant you that, it was… quite… sly trick from you, Carrots, trying to use my belief, that the map was in your possession, as an advantage to get upper paw over of me and my men by trying to buy some more time for your group by threatening to burn the map into the dust if anyone of us "bilge rats" dares to attack you and your group yet again like yesterday. Tricking me like that and taking an advantage from my false belief was really a goot bet from you Carrots, for the Bunny, but I also happened to learn from Otterton that you had accidentally left the map back in the ship because Captain Flint tricked you to believe that you still had the map in your possession when you narrowly escaped from the mutiny in Zoopaniola."
"But to be honest, after I noticed one of our longboats missing, my first guess was you trying to sneak to the ship and leave us here to rot into skeletons and my reaction was go back to ship to take it back from you But after we took the cave in our possess and learned that neither you nor the map were not here but me knowing that you will come back with the map, I decided to stay here to wait and while waiting for you I arranged a welcome party for you alone. And here you are... you came to me just like on a tray."
You see, Carrots? You played well, but unfortunately, in the spoof-game, such like this one, the sly Fox is always a winner slyness. So to speak, It's called a sweet hustle, sweetheart." Wilder said.
Judy scowled at Wilder in anger that she almost ignored her pains. But knowing that everything is lost, Judy closed her eyes and lowered her head down in defeat, until Redfur grabbed with his huge paws from Judy's jaws into the squeezing grasp and grabbed with his another free paw from her ears, pulling her head roughly backwards, making her in process to yelp and grit her teeth in pain, so that her eyes were on Wilder, as he kneeled down in front of Judy.
"Even though I'm now fully aware of this, you were in the ship searching the map for me, didn't you? Judging by your appearance, it was not a nice reunion with Israel Grey who I left to watch over Zoopaniola, huh? But my congratulations, you still made it back... and probably yet with the map. My congratulations doubly for that. And now..." Wilder said as he extended his paw towardas Judy asking for the map.
"My map, if you please?" Wilder demanded and nodded to Vincent and Redfur as an silent order to release Judy.
Judy slowely raised her head and just scowled at Wilder the hatred in her eyes as Wilder's own gentle expression on the fox's face slowly hardened and he scowled back at her impatiently.
Wilder then extended his righgt paw towards Redfur, who handed to him loaded pistol and by his nod, the pirates removed the nooses from around of the prisoners neck and moved all of them as hostages in the line next to them.
Then Wilder turned back to Judy.
"My map, or which one of them?" Wilder demanded again, pointing with the pistol each one of the prisoners, aiming them to the heads.
Judy's eyes widened in shock. The sudden hostage-situation made her completely speechless and unaware of what to do next.
Wilder then impatiently slapped her hard across the face with his free paw, completely turning her head to the left side. And by his nod, Redfur grabbed from Judy's ears and lifted her a little bit up from the ground, causing Judy to grit her teeth in pain yet again. Redfur then grabbed roughly from her cheeks like Vincent had just done to her and turned her head harshly to the prisoners.
"As I told you, Carrots. I'm always trying to avoid the needless bloodshed as possible. But you're seemingly leaving me with no choice." Wilder said, taking the pistol's safety off and aiming with it at Susan, much to Otterton's horror.
"I'd get busy," Wilder warned.
"So for the very last time. My map or the doctor's girlfriend or the doctor himself?"
Judy's attention then turned from Wilder to Otterton's and the rest of the crew. She was shocked about of Wilder thratening her by killing one of her friends, if not all one by one, if she does not surrender the map to him. She also felt herself dressed with the right moves and the decisions which could either save her friends' lives or sentence them to death in Wilder's paws.
Judy watched helplessy at each one crew members for their lives pleading eyes and Susan's and Otterton's about Susan's life worried look in his faces, even though he knew that it would be pointless after the pirates have received what they wanted, leaving their lives worthless for the pirates, who could quite easily release them from their misery with a bullet to their heads.
Susan, however, didn't showed any sign of fear for her life – not even a single tear running down on her cheeck – even though she was so close of her death in Wilder's paws.
Judy guessed that perhaps Susan wasn't afraid for her own life... but more likely for Otterton's life, as her head was slightly turned to Otterton every time as Wilder pointed at him with his pistol. Judy could swear that she saw a glimpse of the weakly in the torches light shining tear resting in the gap between of Susan's the eyelids.
Her friends pleading eyes left Judy with no alternate choice.
As Wilder was about to pull the trigger and fire with his pistol Susan's brains out...
"Wait! Fine, fine, fine, Wilder! You won! As you said yourself you do not like bloodshed, so then don't then anybody's blood because of your obsession over of some stupid map." Judy yelled as sign of giving up to save her friends lives and Redfur released his grip from Judy's ears and cheeks.
Wilder stopped aiming at Susan with the pistol which he lowered down and handed to another pirate and once again extended his paw towards Judy. Judy then put her owwn paw inside to her pocket and dag out a wrapped map, handing it over to Wilder's paw.
"That's the stuff, Carrots! Wasn't it so difficult, wasn't it?" Wilder asked tauntingly from Judy and then turned his back to her to check the map more closer.
"Tied her up and leave her with the others and under the guard while we…" Wilder said to his men opening the map, only finding out it to be just the blank piece of paper...
...Except that in the center of the paper was wrote the taunting word "GOTCHA!"
Wilder was dumbfounded after reading this taunting word in middle of the paper.
"What is this?! This isn't the map I asked for! Where's the REAL map!" Wilder blow out in confusion and rage, angrily turning back to Judy.
Suddenly, Captain Flint jumped on Judy's good shoulder, handing over to her the another wrapped paper.
"It's right here." Judy said, smug and sly smile on her face.
Wilder angrily threw the blank paper aside and tried to reach to the real map with his clawed map and barking angrily at Judy nearly with the feral expression on his face...
...suddenly, with the sly grin on her face, Judith opened the map before Wilder managed to get his claws on her.
And what happened to next, badly surprised Wilder, all his pirates, Ben, Captain Flint and Susan's crew... except Judy, Otterton, because they're both already both experienced and witnessed this amazing event back in home long ago before this entire voyage.
Also, much to Judy's surprise, Susan did not seemed to be surprised as well as she and Otterton, probably due to the fact that Susan is obviously in her private premises – only Otterton and Mr. Bogo as her only companions on that moment – revealed to herself the map's secret and experienced the same process in order to make a note of the ship route from the home port to this island with the help of this mysterious map.
It all began from the green and blue lights, which shot out from the paper immediately once the map was completely opened, turning immediately the cave in the green-black darkness. With the lights, there was also some unnatural blow of the wind, which blowed the pirates torches off.
In shock and surprise, the pirates immediately backed off, murmuring with each others that it was eitheer the map which was accursed with the some black magic or then the bunny has somehow became the witch and was using the witchcraft against them.
"Ladies and gentlemen, look at and be amazed!" Judy humorously exclaimed as she watched this with the wide grin this whole thing, which did not seemed any more odd in her eyes and didn't freaked her out like it did the last time.
The green and blue lights fluttered out from the paper into the airspace of the entire cave and then poured across the cave, forming to the floor the same cloud-like a holographic map like back in Leodore's country house. But this time, It formed into the form of the island covered by the green palm tree jungle and surrounded by the bright Caribbean Sea, and yet with the couple mountains in middle of the island and with the several clouds above of the island.
After the island was formed, and it's glowing lights in the colors of green, blue and the white filled the entire cave, Wilder was completely amazed as he recognized the island as the TREASURE TROPOLIS, the iskland on where they were right at the moment.
"Oh, the powers that be. Would you look?" Wilder exclaimed.
The pirates gathered a bit courage into themselves to dare to come closer to see this.
They were really amazed as they realized that everything in the holographic map seemed to be somehow alive, as one of them spotted the flock of seagulls flying over the island and some of them felt the weak blow of the wind even. One of them spotted the same laggoon to where they had anchored the ship and the same river, which led their eyes to their old camp place in the riverbank and to the same rock, where the waterfall's pool and this cave were.
"I've experienced this once before. It formed back then into the some kind of cloud-like holographic map of the entire Caribbean Sea and it somehow showed us the ship route from our home port to this island, which was marked on the map with as an empty hole, and empty hole happened to be in fact the this map and the whole area around of it." Judy explained.
Ben also moved a bit closer, as amazed as the pirates.
Judy also spotted that out of nowhere above of the holographic map's island formed some kind of holographic writings in the ancient language of the zooztecs, which started to slowly circle around of the island's holographic mountains. Their glowing lights suddenly bounced off from the writings to different spots of the holographic map like the beams of the sunlight. They formed secretly to the pirates, while the floating writings were distracting them, the route, which led from the cave further to the island through of the same river's side river, Then a small distance across the jungle to the feet of the mountain and suddenly stopped on its feets.
Probably the place where was Flint's trove... although Judy was a bit confused that why the treasure hunt was made so boringly easy for them, after all... and yet she was expecting some challenges.
But yet, there was one, no, two challenges ahead of her, these writings in the ancient language she wasn't able to translate and yet these pirates.
"Hey, Old Ben thinks that Old Ben knows something and even the meanings of these writings." Ben said with the whispering tone.
He finally obeyed Judy's first direct command to be silent and talk in whispering ever since they first met back in the jungle, even though they were on the situation where the whispering would not much help them anymore.
However, Judy's sensitive sense of hearing managed to catch everything what the yak just said.
So, that half-brained yak really knows something about these writings, even their meanings in our language? Judy asked from herself in heer mind as Ben noticed her starring at him with the wondering expression on her face.
Obeying Judy's direct order, Ben was able to only shrug his shoulders as the question "What?"
However, the sly grin appeared on Judy's lips.
Ben, you're genius! Judy congratulated him in her mind, even though she couldn't believe that she never would have said something like that about Ben.
But there it was. Despite being captured by the pirates and being soon forced to surrender the real map into Wilder's paws, Judy had found the solution to get two birds with one stone. Ben was her a new advantage to gain the upper paw over the pirates or then just out of nowhere appeared opportunity to buy some extra lives for her and her friends in the paws of the pirates.
And, Judy also got an idea how she was gonna use Wilder's own slyness against him.
Wilder turned from the map to Judy.
"You said that this map led us to this island, right? If so, then is there any chance that it would lead us also unto the treasure?" Wilder asked with the impatient tone.
However, he failed to see the smug expression and grin on Judy's face.
"Yes, Wilder. There is a chance tha tthe map can lead us unto the treasure." Judy answered.
"But..." She suddenly said ans quickly wrapped the map into the scroll.
And when she did so, there was another unnatural and strong hurricane-like flurry inside of the cave, which kind of sucked the whole holographic map back into the paper, which started to glow the green-white light during of the map's disappearing, just like back in Leodore's house.
Just like Judy, Otterton and her mother reacted during of their first experienced with this mysterious and highly unnatural thing, the pirates quickly backed off in fear as they realized that the unnatural hurricane-like flurry was surprisingly pulling everything bulk material, from the small to big ones, from lying on the floor, from the corners of the cave and from leaning against the walls towards the glowing paper with the holographic map, including themselves. This caused every pirate to rush quickly far away from the paper in panic and they grabbed quickly from something to hold on, holding with the another paw from their hats, to prevent themselves from getting sucked into the paper by the unnatural flurry, which seemed to strengthen in every moment.
Eventually, the holographic map has completely vanished, including the unnatural flurry, into the paper and the glowing in the paper's surface faded away and their torches lit up again on fire, illuminating the cave again.
As the pirates sighed in relief and climbed back on their feet, Wilder turned back to Judy and so did his men, who were angered by the fact that Judy's reckless act nearly got them killed and they were about to attack all at the same time to bunny...
...until much to their horror, he saw that Judy had grabbed to the dropped torch and that she was holding the map above of its fire, forcing the greed-filled pirates and Wilder to back of or else she carries out her earlier false threat to burn the map into to dust by burning the map into the dust for real in this time.
"WHATTA DEVIL YOU'RE DOING, CARROTS?!" Wilder esclaimed in shick and anger.
"If you want the map, Wilder, then you have to listen MY terms." Judy answered.
Wilder looked at bunny a bit in confusion, noticing now ther sly grin on her face.
"Did you really think that the empty, demolished and abandoned camp base in the riverbank didn't arouse my doubts about the possible ambush in the cave, and you and your "pilge-rats" ironically happened to prove my doubts right. Anyway, I did give the real parts of the map to Captain Flint and switched the real one with Captain Flint's earlier COTCHA-paper to replace it to trick you, Wilder."
"As you said, Wilder. We still have the possibility of cooperation between of the groups. So, before I switched the map with Flint's fake map, I showed the map's writings, which I had noted down just in case, to my yak friend Ben, "the one who has the memory of the elephant" or at least he said so. He also revealed surprisingly to me that he was long time ago one of the zooztecs, civilized one at least, who eventually turned to pirate under the famous Captain Flint's command. However, Ben also let me a moment ago to know that he knows well the writings on the map which are written in the zooztec language and that he can translate their meanings to us in zoonglish. Besides, Ben has lived as marooned on this island for so long that he knows every corner, every river, every spot of this island."
Judy's speech drove the pirates into confusion
"So, if we, not only you and your bilge-rats but all of us, me and my friends including, are going to find this treasure together with the help of this mysterious map, you're gonna need Ben to guide you even close of the famous trove and I'm going to come with him too and you have to take all of us with you unharmed and…"
Judy suddenly realized that she had forgot her wounds and the pain waves, which she had until now completely ignored due to being the prisoner of the pirates. This caused her briefly give up to the the pain on her wounded leg and hon her badly wounded and sore arm, in which she was holding the map above of the torch's fire. Groaning in pain, Judy almost dropped the map to the torch's flames, much to Wilder's pirates horror.
Unexpectedly, Ben got loose from his bounds with the help of Captain Flint, who had stole the knife to free yak's hands. Once freed, Ben quickly rushed to Judy's aid, grabbing gently of her and preventing her to fall over to the ground because of her injuries in her leg and her still bleeding wound on her left shoulder and preventing her almost accidentally burn the map, their only hope to avoid the certain death, to dust.
Ben helped Judy back to her feets and served as her support as Judy turned back to Wilder.
"But… as you see, I am not fit to travel right now… because of my wounds. If… if I do not get medical treatment, I'll die either to loss of blood or… or blood poisoning… if there... was very... slowly woking... poison in Israe Grey's... dagger before he… before he stabbed me... with it… and my death... will mean that I'll... carry out my earlier threat… to burn the map to dust... for real in this time." Judy said, with the weakening tone of voice.
"And if Juicy dies to loss of blood…" Ben started, before he grabbed the pistol from one of the pirates nearby of him and held himself at gunpoint, aiming to his own head.
"… Old Ben dies with Juicy." Ben declared, much to the prisoner's shock and pirates confusion.
"You know... y-you have no another... ch-choice, Wilder. With the map... in dust... and with Ben dead, you... y-you'll lose all of your... best chances... e-even this close... to find the treasure and yet even... e-even your chances to f-find your way back... back home, which means... th-that all of us either... either remain to rot on th-this... this island... or get lost in the sea, with no... n-no chances to f-find... b-back home... So, it is-is best for you to... t-to make the wise choice... and quickly before... before I-I'll die and I'll burn this... th-this map... in the p-process. Then Ben dies af-after me and... and you will remain h-here... without the map... w-without a guide... without interpreter and... w-with no hope to... find the tr-treasure or... or find the way... b-back home from these waters."
"And if... if you make a wise d-decision, if you agree n-not to... threaten or harm... my friends... in any way, if you... agree to h-help us find the treasure... as much as we'll help you... and if... if you agree to... to let us to keep... that part we... we have de-decided to keep... from the treasure as our reward... for our help, y-you can feel free... to keep everything else... yourself, and we... may even a-allow you... and your b-bilge-rats... to walk away freely... without we reporting about... about you and your crimes... to-to the royal navy... and we... we all shall just forget... forget that this e-ever even happened."
After Judy had listed her terms to Wilder, she then took the weak but sly and sweet smile on her face.
"As you said, It's called a sweet hustle… and a good business, sweetheart."
Wilder was standing in her place, completely amazed and dumbfounded that the bunny he had a moment ago hustled had just used his own slyness against him with the such of terms that he never would have thought of himself.
From all the pirates, Finnick was the only one who was about to burst into laught, knowing that the bunny had hustled their "sly" fox captain in front of his nose.
"She hustled you, cap'n!" Finnick chuckled, until he was unable to hold himself anf the small fennec pirate burst into hearty, yet mocking, laugh.
"SHE HUSTLED YOU, SHE HUSTLED YOU GOOD! No longer the most cunning pirate on the Caribbean Sea after he got cunningly outsmarted by bunny he just called dumb!" Finnick laughed mockingly.
When Finnick's laugh threatened to spread to the rest of the crew, they barely managed to hold themselves and keep their laugh under control after the dark savage-like scowl appeared on Wilder's face and he took out the loaded pistol, threatening to shoot one of them, starting from the one who was unable to restrain his laugh.
Wilder then considered of Judy's tems for a moment. He had an angry expression on his face after being unexpectedly outsmarted and hustled by the bunny, but his expression turned soon to the proud smile about Judy's courage to hustle the bloodthirsty pirates and then make a deal with them to form the truce and cooperation between of them.
Wilder heartily chuckled to it.
Wilder then turned to the prisoners.
"Release the doctor and give to him his medical needs!" Wilder shouted to female cheetah, who released Otterton from his bounds and removed the gag from his mouth, giving him his medical needs and brought him next to Judy.
"Make sure that she does not die to loss of blood or blood infection, Doctor. That sly little bunny and his yak friend are far too precious to be killed than I thought." Wilder said pointing at Otterton with the clawed finger.
"You have time until sunrise." He added.
Otterton got speechless after hearing this and turned immediately from Judy back to Wilder with the shocked, disgusted, angered and protesting-ready expression on his face.
"Until sunrise? Are you serious? Don't you see yourself that in what kind of condition she is at the moment. She has a leg injury, she has bad and still bleeding wound in her left shoulder and she can barely even move her left arm, and she is anyway in poor condition that she can hardly even stand up and less to travel any meters today. Besides, it's two hours to sunrise and there's no way she can fully recover from her injuries within such of limited time. I need more time to tend her wounds as well as I can and after it she needs more time to recover from her injuries that she would be able to walk. I need at least forty-eight hours." Otterton protested.
Wilder nearly angered about the fact that he had to delay the treasure hunt for two-three days for bunny to recover, but immediately kept his temper in cool.
"Alright, then. Then I'll grant you six hours." Wilder calmly suggested.
Otterton, however, snorted in disgust and disagree.
"Not enough. Absolutely not enough! Two days." Otterton demanded seriously.
Wilder took a pause to consider his chances for a while.
"What about eight hours?"
"Still not enough. two days."
What about ten?"
"Two days"
"Twelve?"
"Two days!"
"Fourteen?"
"Two days!"
"EIGHTEEN?!"
"TWO DAYS!"
"ONE DAYS?!"
"TWO DAYS!"
"ONE AND HALF?!" Wilder barked impatiently.
"FOR ONE LAST TIME WITH TWO WORDS... TWO. DAYS!" Otterton angrily and loudly snarled.
"Two days." said the weak voice from next to Wilder and Otterton, who break off from their argument to see that Judy, nearly hanging in Ben's arms, was once again holding the map over the torch's fire.
"One day to tend my injuries and one day for me to recover. It's my and Otterton's final offer to you or else... you know already that what will happen to me and Ben ans what are the consequences if you don't agree with us right now. And to make you to agree with two days for my recovering from my injures, the map stays in our possession for two days at the mercy of my torch. Remember, finding the treasure depends alone on your right choices, you dumb fox." Judy said with the weak but sly grin.
Wilder's angered expression turned into the gentle smile and hearty chuckle, as he slightly shoock his head at Judy.
Then, he lowered down at Judy's head's level.
"So, the little sly bunny wants to play this little game with the pirate rules, huh? By holding the map as an lifeless hostage and hustling the pirates in front of their noses, huh?" Wilder asked with the humorous tone.
And then, he straightened up.
"Alright, Carrots. We have a deal. Sparing yours and through of you your yak friend's, doctor's, otter captain's and her crew's lives and leaving them unharmed in exchange for the map, truce, cooperation and that yak's guidance and knowledge about the meanings of these writings in the search for the treasure. And I accept your terms by allowing you to take your own part from the treasure as your reward and we keep the rest. That's the very good busines… from the bunny." Wilder said, as he extended his paw towards her for the map.
But Judy only extended her own paw towards Wilder's paw as the sign of agreement instead of the map.
"Two days for my recovery from my injuries is part of the deal. And besides, The map is in your possess, if it remains in our possession. In the possess of your guides. You better to accept the deal by granting us two days before the day of the treasure hunt." Judy slyly reminded.
"Do we have an agreement?"
With the snort and growl in annoyance. He he clearly did not liked to be controlled by the bunny through of the map, which made the bunny smile with the knowledge that she had the upper paw over him. But also knowing that he had no another choice and absolutely unwilling to sacrifice both of the map and the lives of his upcoming guides, who were his only hope to finally fill his a lifelong dream.
"Fine." He impatiently growled.
Albeit reluctantly, Wilder eventually grabbed from Judy's paw and shook it to strengthen their agreement, before he pulled his paw back, turned to them his back and left Judy under of Otterton's care.
Wilder then turned to his men.
"We have a deal, boys! Put the prisoners back against the wall and keep them both unharmed and under the watch! Then Pack the all completed and prepare for departure within two days, because in the third-dawn… the treasure hunt shall begin!" Wilder declared to his out of excitement and enthusiasm cheering pirate crew.
Judy eventually gave up completely to her pains and collapsed to the ground, dropping the torch and the map from her paws. Ben and Otterton rushed quickly to her side and carried her weak and blood covered body to the corner of the cave far away from the pirates, where Otterton could in peace and quiet check the status of Judy's wounds and see what he can do to treat them, while Captain Flint picked the real map from the floor in case that none of Wilder's pirates could notice it and try to steal it because then they would lose their advantage and their agreement with them would be a former agreement.
However, they still were able to hear some murmuring about Judy coming out of the nearby pirates, Finnick's and Duke's mouths.
"That cabin bunny hustled the captain… our sly fox captain! It is something what doesn't happen every day." Laughed Finnick from the another side of the cave.
"She's bunny, but with the mind of the fox, I'll say." Duke said with the humorously giggling tone back to Finnick.
Otterton ignored copletely the pirates speakings about Judy and gently lowered her down with Ben against the same stone, against which Susan had lain.
"Well, that... that went well. I did... I did not only... found a map and... and your medical supplies, doc... but I also... I also managed to retake the... the ship and... at the same... at the same time managed to... to get rid of Israel Grey for good... back in the ship. And now... now I've managed... managed to make a deal... deal with the pirates to... to find the treasure together." Panting Judy congratulated herself with the weak and proud smile.
"Let us say... I got five birds with one stone." She added.
However, Otterton didn't smiled.
"You dumb bunny! Your mother would have freaked out if she would have known that you almost got yourself killed! I mean, look at yourself! It's the miracle that you're still alive after facing that savage fox! Besides, how to know that you didn't just doomed us all with that deal, young Hopps?!" Otterton scolded Judy as he wiped her sweaty head to dry, before he began to untie the sleeve Ben had tied around of her wound.
"At least… I was able to buy us... some more time." Judy answered weakly.
After untying Judy's shoulder, Otterton took the look to Judy's wound. It was really bad and nasty-look stabbing wound, yet even deep like the entire blade of the dagger had sunk into Judy's shoulder and the wound just kept bleeding. And the look of it nearly caused Ben to turn his head away and throw up.
"She has lost quite much of blood and the wound is slowly starting to suppurate." Otterton said with the worry tone and concerned expression on his face.
"Old Ben told her the whole way to back here that we had to check her wound, even though Old Ben isn't the doctor, but she didn't listen to me. Is Juicy gonna make it?" Ben asked in half-panic, and worrying for Judy's and his own life, because he was worried about the upcoming after promising to make a commit suicide if Judy doesn't make it.
"If you want to be useful, Ben, then go to get some trees, make fire and heat up something piece of metal in it. We have to burn her wound to close. I'm trying in the meantime to reduce bleeding and prevent it from inflammation any further." Otterton said.
Because no one of the prisoners wasn't allowed to leave the cave despite the deal, Ben had to find some wood from his own stuff in the cave. It took from him ten minutes to gather some good wood, which was not much, and half-rusted sword. Then Ben made quickly the fire near of Judy and started to heat up sword's blade in it.
"You're lucky, Judy. If the knife had been so rusty that it can easily break, the situation would have required nearly surgery-operation to remove the rusty piece of blade off from your flesh. But the situation would have been even worse if that accursed fox pirate had come to think to poison such of blade. Fortunately, I have antitoxin with me for a such of situations, but because I do not have a clue that what kind of poison it a pirate would have used against you - either venomous snake's or toxic toad's - and this is a long distance between the ship and the cave, I think that at this point it would have been too late to use the antitoxin." Otterton said with the concerned tode while he was still treating Judy's wound.
"You were definitely lucky bunny, Judy." Otterton added.
"Then thank goodness... th-that he was such... such of du-dumb fox. And it's not... a wonder if... some are chasing the... the ra-rabbit's foot in... in s-such of belief th-that... that they brings... the luck to th-their owners. Lucky that... that I-I got... still my... my own lucky paws." Judy weakly but humorously giggled.
After Otterton had purified Judy's wound and done everything else he was able to do for Judy, he extended his paw towards Ben asking for the sword.
However, it took for a while, nearly half an hour or forty minutes, and three or four times from Ben to heat the sword's blade and check out that was the sword's blade hot enough... and when it was, Ben took the sword from the fire and handed the sword to Otterton, who took the sword quickly from his hand.
Weak and sweaty Judy took the fearsome look at the sword's hot blade, which a metal tip glowed as a yellow and and hissed of heat.
"Help me to hold her down! Trust me, this isn't a piece of cake. When a piece of burning hot metal touches the area of the wound, especially the wound itself, the patient immediately struggles and squirms like a almost uncontrollable snake. You'll soon see what I mean. That's why I need you to hold her in place." Otterton said and both Ben and Flint both prepared to keep Judy down during of operation.
Otterton then turned to Judy.
"Not gonna lie, Judy. This is going to REALLY hurt. I know that it's difficult but I need you to stay still or this will not work." Otterton sternly warned and lovered the blade onto Judy's wound.
Judy at first gasped in pain and then she began to scream loudly in pain as soon as the burning hot blade of the sword touched her sore flesh around of her stabbing wound in her left shoulder. Among of Judy's cries of pain, there was the hissing sound and the strong scent of the burning flesh as Otterton kept pressing the hot blade against Judy's flesh around of her wound.
Ben soon realized that what Otterton meant about "the patient struggles and squirms like a almost uncontrollable snake as soon as the hot piece of metal touches the flesh around of the wound" as Judy started uncontrollably struggled and squirmed in pain on her shoulder. While Otterton held her left arm down, both Ben and Flint tried their best to keep the struggling. squirming and screaming bunny on the ground.
Out of the scene in the entrance of the cave, while looking out into the night which was slowly turning into the morning, hearing Judy's loud screams in pain in his ears caused Wilder to feel inside of him his own worry for Judy – Not only because of she and her yak friend being the precious keys of finally finding Flint's treasure, but also for the bunny's own safety and well-being. The concerned look visited on his face and he considered the idea to peek over of his left shoulder to the corner where Otterton, Ben and Flint were taking care of Judy's injuries.
He was almost ashamed of his own pirate-like treatment towards that spunky bunny, who was lying in the corner in pain after all what she had have gone through to get a map back. But Wilder knew that despite of his feeling of guilt for Judy's physical and emotional sufferings, despite he being even ashamed of his own acts of piracy and even his own and despite even his own nearly compelling desire to make up for his bad words and piracy actions to Judy, she will never forgive him easily for everything what has already happened and what could no longer be undone since what happened back in the ship's galley.
Wilder, however, started silently to ask from himself that what he was even thinking about and why he had such of feelings, concern and remorse within himself which are not common for a such of greed and bloodthirsty pirate.
However, Wilder eventually falsely hardened his expression and carefully hid his feelings and worry over the bunny's well-being because of the presence of his, still believing that there was some among of them who were still thinking that their captain had gone soft.
Otterton had to press the burning hot blade two more times against the area of Judy's wound to make sure that every spot from the edges of the wound was completely and carefully burnt together before the job was completely done.
None of these times was not an easy task due to Judy's rapid and nearly uncontrollable struggling and squirming in pain.
Eventually, the job was finally over and done.
Feeling still the burning pain from the hot blade on her burned shoulder, Judy breathed rapidly in panic-like state and her head fur was soaking wet from the sweat. She felt uncomfortable in her stomach and she was rapidly shivered in pain.
"Calm down, Judy, calm down! Deep breath! It's over now!" Otterton said to Judy in order to get the sweaty, rapidly panting and shivered bunny to calm down. in pain.
It took for a while from Judy before she finally took the deep and peaceful breath and calmed down as the pain slowly faded away from her shoulder and entire body.
However, she was so weak that she was unable to even move her paw, but there was no hurry for that because she had two full days time to rest recover from her injuries.
Otterton did his best to make Judy to feel more comfortable, by wrapping his jacked into pillow, which he carefully and gently placed behind of Judy's head and yet she covered her with his own deputy jacket, which had ironically happened to come with him to the island during of their escape from the ship and the mutiny, to keep bunny warm. And finally, he took a full bottle of water, opened its cap and carefully moved Judy's head forward and carefully placed the mouth of the bottle on Judy's lips and allowed her to have a drink or two.
After several sip of water, Otterton placed Judy's head back to lean against the pillow put the bottle of water back to its place and remained with Ben and Flint beside her to watch over her.
Eventually, the exhaustion from this night's events – from swimming in the underwater tunnels, through of fighting with Israel Grey over the ship and the map until getting her stabbing wound burnt closed – finally took Judy over that she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
"Good girl! Good girl!" Otterton whispered, rubbing sleeping Judy's forehead with his paw.
Otterton then finished his work by bandaging Judy's wounded shoulder and placed her left arm to hang in the arm sling. Because now when her arm was weak and sore as the after-effects of treatment, she had to carry it in a sling until the arm would be fully recovered.
I hope that you enjoyed the chapter.
Well, I really enjoyed of making this chapter and make the peg-legged and one-eyed fox pirate and you spunky bunny to hustle each others in the same place in the same time to
come to an arrangement with each others.
twelfth chapter is on its way and is out soon.