Hello, all. Sorry about my lack of updating these past few months. I've been trying to get passed some writer's block that has been plaguing me. I'm going to do my best to make the updates more regular but please be patient with me. (Bows)

Now that that is out of the way, on with the story!


Getting into the forest wasn't difficult. The islanders were so terrified of it that none of them approached, which meant there weren't any guards to keep people out. The only problems were the sentries. At any given moment there were people watching to see if the beast would make another appearance. Bishop might have been able to lure those people away with his hiding powers, but without him they weren't sure on a safe way to proceed.

Another problem was Maya. She couldn't move very fast with her bubble ring. And since speed was of the essence on this one, it was down to Rook to carry her piggyback style through the forest. He fashioned a sling for her to sit on out of cloth which he attached to the ends of his sheathed sword and put across his chest as a brace. He still used his hands to support her though so his prized weapon didn't have too much pressure on it.

"You better not grab anything or I'll beat the piss out of you." Maya grumbled as she took her seat on the makeshift support. Her tail made things a bit awkward at first, but she managed to sit at an angle where her fin wouldn't get tangled with Rook's feet.

Alec scoffed off handedly. "Not like you have an ass to grab to begin with, fish woman."

Maya went to lunge at him, but Rook held her tightly. "Hey! This ain't the time to be goofing off. Are we doing this or what?" The two crewmates glowered at each other before nodding begrudgingly. "Then let's get moving. I don't want some showboating asswipe getting their first."

"Yeah I'm with Rook on this one." Isaac piped in. "I've met my share of guards, so I know the type. Something about that Brisk guy rubs me the wrong way." He stretched his legs and prepared for the sprint. "He might bring back Doc, but I'm betting that even if he's still alive it'll be in chains."

"The king might have said he would help us, but we're still pirates. And Doc's bounty is enough to fill up any coffers he might have emptied hosting this festival." Maya agreed. "Hunting down a monster plus getting a nice hefty bounty on top of it? He must feel like it's his birthday."

Rook stood up from his squatting position. Maya had to grab his shoulders to keep herself steady. "Ready?" Alec and Isaac nodded and got into place on either side of him. "Let's move!"

They ran forward at a dead sprint. Behind them, were shouts as they were undoubtedly seen. But whether they were just far enough to where no one could catch them or if nobody was willing to get so close, they weren't stopped as they broke through the tree line.


Brisk moved with the speed of the wind itself. Which wasn't helping Bishop. As watchful as he was, he couldn't keep up with how fast they were going. He clenched his eye. It was at times like these that he truly cursed his condition.

He half considered leaving Brisk's shadow and continuing his search on his own. But this truly was the quickest way to get to Doc. Brisk could move much faster than he could. The real problem would be getting Doc to safety. If Brisk decided that Doc's life was a cheap price to pay for taking the monster's, he wanted to be ready to evacuate his captain as soon as possible.

His planning was put to a halt as Brisk stopped to scour the area. He was frowning. "I could have sworn I heard something." He said to himself. They waited in silence, each listening for the telltale signs of movement. But all was quiet in the forest. Any animals that might have been nearby were silent, alerted to their presence by Brisk's trampling through their domain. Quick he was, stealthy no so much.

Brisk shook his head. "Probably nothing. The forest is large and I've barely been here an hour. It wouldn't make its den so close to the tree line." He turned in a circle cautiously, nonetheless. A tree branch snapped and Brisk jumped through the air, whirled around, and brought his foot down on the legs of a small white rabbit. It screeched as the impact broke its hind legs.

The knight looked down on the creature passively for a long moment. When he finally reached down, he grabbed the writhing animal by the nape and lifted it to eye level. It hung limply in his grasp, only its whiskers twitching about.

Brisk shivered. "It's been so long since I've seen a rabbit like this." He said lowly. "You simply don't come around the castle anymore." He gently pet it on the head off handedly. "I used to have such…fun with you as a child." He looked down at its broken legs and started shaking. He smiled haphazardly. "I guess I have some time to kill before I reach the big game. I'm sure the beast is sitting at home having it's its own fun with that pathetic pirate." He licked his lips and grabbed the rabbit forcefully. "I won't lose anything by a little…distraction."

From inside the shadow Bishop saw everything, heard everything. The poor animal's cries and screeches under Brisk's machinations. He could have shot it to put it out of its misery, but that would have betrayed his position. So he held his peace. He didn't act. He didn't look away. And when Brisk finally finished, he tossed it aside with a contented sigh. He marched leisurely further into the forest, relaxed and taking his time for once. Bishop emerged from the shadow just enough to offer a silent prayer to the mangled corpse they were leaving behind. It wasn't even being eaten as food. Used for malicious glee and then tossed aside. Pure waste. There were few things sadder. In a moment of solemnity, he vowed some form of justice for the small rabbit.


"Anyone else starting the think this was a bad idea?" Alec asked. He had swatted his fiftieth bug and was already sweating from traipsing through the woods. The trees were sparse in the beginning, but the further in they went, the thicker everything became. There have been several times where they've had to go around to avoid thorn bushes or other foliage.

Rook and Maya braced themselves as Rook jumped over a large fallen tree. "Shut your damn mouth, Alec." Rook growled at him. "Keep talking and we'll leave you behind."

The thief scowled. "Look, all I'm saying is how are we going to find Doc? You saw how fast that guy was moving. He'll have this place covered days before we even get halfway."

"How many fucking times do we have to go over this? We leave this to the king and his lacky, and we'll lose our captain." Isaac snapped. Alec rolled his eyes at the redhead as he followed Rook and Maya's lead and vaulted over the tree. Isaac was different. Instead of jumping, he kicked it and broke it open. Splinters scattered, but not enough to be dangerous. He walked through the opening but his shirt ended up getting snagged on a broken fragment. With a frustrated grunt, he yanked himself free. Lifting it, he noticed blood seeping from a cut on his side. "Tch." Pulling off his shirt, he used it as a bandage to wrap around his side.

Maya cringed at him. "That's disgusting. We're buying you a new shirt when we get back."

Isaac shrugged. "Whatever. Nothing fancy though. I don't dig all that fashion bullshit."

"How were you guys scolding me and then turn around and start talking about clothes!" Alec demanded angrily.

Maya rolled her eyes. "Fine. If you want to know, his speed is going to work against him. He'll scan the entire area expecting to find a giant, obvious rabbit to kill. He won't take his time to really get down a search. Rabbits are tricky. Their dens are usually hidden. So while he's running hinder and yon, we will go more in depth until we find something he missed." She stared ahead, fire filling her entire being. "We will find him. We WILL find him!"


Again, I hope you all will be patient with me, even when it comes to this chapter. It isn't anything more than something to build up the story/suspense, but I also had so much trouble even writing this. Hopefully by next week I'll have everything sorted out and the block will be gone.

Till next time!