Dropping into a four-paw stance, Tassel gained the extra advantage of speed. She propelled herself towards the deck of the warship. As she cleared the top of the ramp, Tassel again roared her daughter's name.
There were a number of beasts on the ship fighting. The ones not in Lord Tinsaur's uniform had their backs to the gangplank and remained unaware of Tassel's approach. At least until her battle cry sounded. Before anyone could react, she exploded into the melee. With tooth and claw she attacked any creature standing before her, regardless of their uniform. For the first time, Tassel experienced the bloodwrath of her species. She continued fighting anything before her until several beasts tackled Tassel and she went down, still screaming her defiance.
"Put them all under restraints. We'll deal with them once we clear the port."
Standing against the railing was a tall male weasel, his broadsword stained with the gore of his opponents. As the sailors chained the defeated warriors, the weasel shifted his focus. Now he watched the battle down on the dock until a fox boarded his ship. Yelling at the top of his voice, the weasel issued his orders. Those on deck ran about in a frenzied manner quick to carry them out. The ship gathered momentum as it departed the harbor.
Once past the pier, the stoat at the wheel steered for open waters. As the ship left the invaders on the dock, an unknown crew beast shouted out a warning. Just passing the western edge of the island another warship approached. It did not carry the markings of Lord Tinsaur's fleet, and it was on an intercept course. Before the weasel could issue any command, an otter rushed forward.
"Turn command of this ship over to me if you want to get out of here. I'm the harbor pilot and I can do that better than you, Captain."
The fox intervened. "Best do as he suggests, Captain. In open waters, our enemy will have the advantage. If the pilot can defeat them in the harbor, we can make good our escape."
With a simple nod, the weasel stepped aside. "I release the ship to your command."
The otter took his place next to the sailor manning the wheel. "Hard to port, come east and make for the first channel, the one between the main island and the smaller island, ahead slow."
The weasel gripped the railing, his calm voice strained. "You do know my ship will not clear the bridge at the far end of the first channel? If memory serves me correctly, low tide will not happen for another hour."
"But the warship's Captain doesn't know that." The otter kept checking on his adversary's progress. "Good, our enemy has increased speed. All oars, increase speed to half. Strike the sail; we don't want him to catch us too soon. Let's give him the target he wants; show him our broadside."
Near the first channel, the otter turned the ship onto a southerly course, increasing their speed, but not to full. The pilot could not hide his pleasure as the other warship altered course and raised its sail. Everyone heard the other vessel's sail popping as they caught the stiff wind. The foaming bow wave marked where the enemy warship's ram would be. It closed at full speed and would soon approach longbow range.
"If we don't do something, that ship's going to ram us." Both the weasel Captain and the fox shouted the same words in near unison.
The otter pilot ignored them. He waited until the enemy warship halved the distance. "Hard to port; helmsman, make for the second channel, the one between the first and second island. Maintain speed, but ready the sail for hoisting."
The tortured sound of wood splintering echoed over the water. Aft of them, the pursuing warship tilted forty-five degrees to starboard, its ram jutting above the water. The mast had snapped in two leaving the sail draped across the bow, hindering anyone with a longbow. In the water, crewmembers who were pitched overboard by the sudden collision, tried outracing the converging sharks.
With their ship entering the channel, the otter continued issuing directions until he ordered the sail raised. "Captain, the bridge is yours. I relinquish command of this ship. We're now in open waters."
It was the fox who asked the obvious question. The otter pilot gave the two a knowing look. "There's a long spur of rocks running in a roughly north to south line. At high tide, any vessel can cross safely, but as the tide recedes, the spur earns its nickname of Keelcracker. I kept those rocks between us and the warship. The outgoing tide and the Captain's lust for battle did the rest."
With the danger from the enemy warship averted, the fox slid down the four steps separating the bridge from the main deck. He faced the fighters his crew had manacled. As he inspected the defeated warriors, he moved before Tassel.
"I remember you. You're the one who gave us a chance at escape." Barking out his orders, the crew freed Tassel and pushed her before him. "Have you a name, slave?"
"My name is Tassel, Lord Tinsaur. I live to serve you." She kept her muzzle down as she stood before the fox she knew commanded all who lived on the islands receding behind them.
"For saving my life, and that of this crew, I grant you your freedom. As of this moment, you're a minnow. Captain, you saw how sharp this minnow's teeth can be, so train her well."
"Will that be my new name, Lord Tinsaur, Minnow?"
Every crewmember broke out laughing at Tassel's remark. Those further away joined in once their friends relayed the conversation. The weasel Captain addressed her from the wheel deck.
"A minnow is what we call anyone new to the sea. Once you prove yourself, you'll become a sailor. With hard work, you might even become an officer in Lord Tinsaur's fleet. Until then, you will obey my orders or those of my officers. On this ship, I command, not even our Lord may issue orders without my permission."
The Captain now turned his attention to the other captives standing with their wrists bound in chains. "We have a more pressing issue, what to do with these prisoners. Tell me, will any of you row my ship?"
One long-eared male at the far end shouted out a defiant no, which the others echoed. Before the Captain could say anything, Tassel spoke. "Captain, as my first duty aboard your ship, let me convince our enemy the folly of defying you."
The Captain nod his head. Tassel marched before the line of creatures. She ignored those captives from species she recognized and stood before one of the female long-eared beasts that killed her daughter. "What manner of creature are you?"
"I'm a hare and a better beast than you if you serve these slavers."
Tassel ignored the gob of spittle the female launched in her face. The image of Chaff's body cancelled whatever mercy she possessed. Giving no warning of her intentions, she punched the hare in her stomach, doubling her over. She then grabbed the hare by her cotton-balled tail and furry neck, lifted her high, and slammed her onto the deck. Holding onto the chain between her wrists, she flung the doe over the side.
With a deft move, Tassel looped the links onto a deck cleat, leaving the hare scrambling unsuccessfully for a foothold. She strolled over to a sailor who still held a battleaxe and grabbed it. She thought of each arm as a piece of kindling as she hefted the axe and brought it down with all her might. The hare's scream delighted her. The axe cleaved the other arm, which allowed the unknown doe's body to fall into the sea.
Taking the chain off the cleat, Tassel tossed the cuffs with the severed paws before the others. She handed the axe to another sailor, bidding him to hold it for her. After inspecting the remaining prisoners, she stopped before a male hare. Again Tassel asked if he would serve the ship and his refusal resulted in a brutal beating before he too went partway over the side. The hare saw her lift the axe; he screamed as his body dropped into the sea behind the ship.
For the third time, Tassel inspected the line of prisoners, stopping before a tall, male squirrel with black fur. "Perhaps you'll be more reasonable than these hares. Would you prefer having your paws row this ship or would you rather swim without them?"
The heavy silence grew. Then she unleashed her fury and the black squirrel soon found himself over the side. When he saw her grab the axe, he begged for mercy, pleading for a chance to row. His pleas did not stop the blade severing first one and then the other arm. Again Tassel tossed the cuffs containing the severed paws at the remaining prisoners.
"When you are asked a question, I expect an immediate answer. That one hesitated. It cost him his life." Tassel stopped before yet another doe hare quivering in fear. Before she could voice more than the first word of her question, the doe shouted.
"I'll row." When the hare officer ordered her to stand firm, she screamed back at him. "Better a chance at life than becoming shark bait."
The surrender of the first hare had the other prisoners joining her. Even the two remaining hares accepted duty on an oar over death. One by one the prisoners went below deck. She left the hare officer for last.
"Go ahead and chop my paws off, I'll not serve you."
Tassel laughed at the hare before addressing the weasel who watched everything that happened without a comment. "Captain, put this hare on the oar pulled by the female hare. Punish her if he doesn't obey. Each time it's his shift on the oars, team him with another prisoner, and let that rower know he will suffer if this one remains defiant."
Two crewmembers grabbed the hare officer, but Tassel stopped them. "You will learn obedience or your fellow slaves will teach it to you. Continue your obstinate behavior and you'll beg for the feel of the whip."
A voice called out. "Three coppers has him rowing like the others before the end of his third shift."
Another replied. "Two silvers has him dead within three days."
In seconds the crew established a betting pool as to how long the hare officer would last. Ignoring the lighthearted banter of the crew, Tassel addressed her Captain. "What are your orders, sir?"
"Throw those severed paws overboard, but keep the chains. We can use those. Grab a pail and scrub brush, clean my decks of blood."
Over the next seven days, Tassel worked with the crew. Some expressed hard feelings as she had injured many of them during the initial battle, but they relented over time. Others sought her out and made her welcomed. One even offered to share his winnings when the hare officer died mysteriously on his fifth night.
The cry of land 'ho had every crewmember staring off the bow. Like the rest of the crew, Tassel leaned over the side and watched as a dark smudge on the horizon drew nearer. She rejoined her fellow sailors scrubbing the deck, but kept her ears open as the Captain and Lord Tinsaur discussed their plans.
"We can provision the ship here and then set course for our fortress stronghold. Once we have recovered our strength, we can reclaim our home," said Lord Tinsaur.
The Captain stared at the collection of huts set off a road leading from the one pier. "Strange, nobody has come down to meet us. Some guard must be assigned lookout duty."
"This is harvest time, Captain. No doubt everyone is in the mountains working. I'll take an armed party inland to the orchards and we'll withdraw our soldiers. We can leave the slaves here since the island is so isolated. After the woodlanders are driven from our home, we just reclaim what is ours."
As Lord Tinsaur made his way to the longboat davits, the Captain selected the landing party. Tassel joined the others at the armory. She selected a pike and a short sword before boarding one of the boats. All paws rowed towards the sandy beach, grunting in unison.
The crew followed Lord Tinsaur ashore. They strolled down the path running through the center of the slave village. Nothing disturbed the quiet. Like the other sailors, Tassel's eyes swept the area looking for any signs of the inhabitants. None expected trouble, but Tassel voiced her concerns to the nearest officer.
"This is obviously the slave's living quarters. There should be at least one slave here, either a dibbun or a sick elder. Something's not right."
Before anyone could contradict her, the doors burst open revealing the well planned ambush. A squad of uniformed hares left a nearby building and charged into them, killing one and scattering the other sailors. Their enemy pressed them from three sides, driving them towards the sea.
One of the ship's officers ordered a retreat. Sailors fell back. Tassel continued her advance as she attacked the hares gathered before her. She felt her anger rise and a madness settled over her. Once more the need for vengeance overrode her senses.
She took a step beyond the building she used to guard her back. Tassel sensed movement. As she turned, a female otter launch herself from the roof. Dodging to the side, Tassel kept her spear pointed up and the otter skewered herself on the shaft. Yet she did not die without inflicting punishment. A war gauntlet smashed into her face, racking her muzzle's right side. Tassel never recovered from the attack. A blow from the rear to her head had her stagger a step. Darkness descended.
Her agony brought her back to the present. She couldn't see out of her right eye as blood caked her lids, keeping it closed. Rubbing her paw over the eye cleared her vision, but renewed the pain. Tassel tried breathing through her nose and tasted blood. Then she spied several hares standing over her.
"What a bloody fiasco. Instead of capturing Lord Tinsaur, he dies in battle. Even their warship outran our vessels."
"Yeah, and headquarters wanted a high ranking pirate officer for court martial. Nobody will be interested in simple sailors. All HQ will do is send them to prison."
The third hare snapped his fingers. "I got it. We make the mouse there a corporal and the weasel a lieutenant. It makes them officers, but so low ranking nobody from Intelligence will question them. And their denials will just sound like they're trying to avoid execution."
"And what rank will you give the badger?"
"You ever hear of a badger serving vermin slavers? That should be special enough for whatever showcase trial HQ wants. Don't think she'll need any rank."
The three hares assisted their prisoners to their paws and marched them to the water's edge. Each prisoner was loaded into a different longboat under heavy guard. The last thing Tassel remembered was the vessel's name, The Jade Coral.