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Chapter 6:
Tala stirred from her little spot on Hook's floor as the cabin door creaked open and heavy boots thudded against the wooden floor by her head. She sat up, the quilt that had been covering her slipping down her shoulder.
Hook pushed the door to his cabin closed, then shrugged off his jacket. She could smell, faintly, the pale man's poison wafting from him. Alcohol was something her people bought from the pirates before, but after it poisoned and made her tribe sick, it was banned. Hook seemed immune to the poison, though. It only slowed him.
He paused when he turned and noticed she was awake. A hand ran back through his shaggy raven hair, pushing the gentle curls back from his face so he could see her more clearly.
"Little wolf. Did I wake you?"
"Yes," she answered honestly, "but it is alright." Tala rubbed at her tired eyes, then turned them up to meet his. "Does the rum not make you ill, Captain?"
"Captain," he hummed. "Why does that word sound so marvelous coming from your lips?" Hook walked a little unsteadily to the edge of his bed, then sat down on the mattress. "Come remove my boots, little wolf."
"I thought I was a prisoner, not a slave," she muttered, then climbed to her feet. They padded against the floor, bare and soft, as she made her way to where he sat. Tala knelt down carefully, then began to unlace his heavy leather boots. She wondere where he got such shoes, as no one on the island made any as fancy as his. Not that she knew of anyways.
"I wouldn't call you a slave, but I find that I quite like this position," he grinned devilishly. Tala tilted her head back to look up at him, and Hook found himself battling with the strongest urge to run a hand through her pretty black hair. "You're quite alluring from this angle."
"I'm afraid I do not understand," she dropped her gaze in hopes of hiding the color blooming in her cheeks. Tala knew what alluring meant, and she knew very well the kind of hunger rum could spark in a man. In that moment, she didn't feel like a wolf at all; she felt more like a sheep under the heavy gaze of a starving wolf.
"I aim to make you understand, darling Tala," he sighed, lifting his feet from the ground so she could slip his boots off. She set them to the side, right next to one another, so they would be easy to put on in the morning. "One day, I want you on your knees before me as neither a prisoner or slave, but as a woman."
Tala stood indignantly, her blush only burning against her skin as she stared down at him, into those dark, hungry eyes. Her brow furrowed, and her lips parted in a sort of half-hearted offense. She shook her head at him.
"My people do not bow," she reminded him sternly. "Rest well, Hook." She turned to leave, but before she could step away from him, Hook caught her wrist in his large hand to stop her.
"Then shall I bow to you?" He blurted out, a surprising hint of desperation in his tone. "Shall I kneel before you instead? I can find just as much pleasure in between your knees as I could find having you between mine."
"Rest," she insisted again, pulling her arm from his grasp. "In the morning, the rum will be gone from your body. We can discuss whatever you want then." Tala reached around him to peel back his blankets. Hook stared at her for a moment longer, then laid back and brought his legs up onto the bed with the rest of him.
"I've determined that you haven't known a man's touch yet, Tala," he slurred slightly. "As I do with all treasure I find, I will take you, Tala. I will rob every other man of the honor of being the first to touch you. You will be my treasure."
Tala ignored him entirely. She was not a thing to be acquired or owned. Like all of her people, she was free, a part of the very island that gave life to her. Her body and spirit belonged to the herself alone while she lived, and once she perished, they belonged to the earth under her feet.
"Sleep, Hook." She pulled the blanket over him, then walked to the cabin door. He murmured something she didn't quite hear, then drifted off to sleep. She glanced back at him before leaving. He looked much more innocent as he slept, much more at peace. Hook was quite handsome, too, if she was being honest with herself.
Tala stepped out onto the deck, smiling as a crisp breeze caressed her skin. It was a lovely night. She ventured to the edge of the ship, leaning against the railing to admire the stars above her. The ocean was much prettier at night, with the moon and stars shining against its surface. It helped, too, that there were no sweaty pirates shouting around her as well.
Hook sat up with a soft groan. He had admittedly had a little too much to drink the night before, and his memories after his last glass of rum were a little hazier than he would have liked. Vaguely, he remembered returning to his cabin. He remembered looking down at Tala as she removed his boots. That was about it.
He threw back the blanket that covered him, then slowly lifted himself to his feet. Leaving his boots behind entirely, he stepped around the bed expecting to see Tala curled up on her pallet at the end of the bed. However, she wasn't there at all.
"Where'd you run off to, pup?" With a heavy sigh, Hook walked out onto the deck.
It was early, and most of his crew was still asleep below. He walked out a little farther, the light of the sun causing a dull ache in his skull, likely a result of his enthusiastic consumption of rum the night before.
He finally found her, at the front of the ship. She was dressed in her native clothing once again. Her hips were adorned with the little fur skirt she had tied around it. Her back and stomach were left exposed, though her breasts were covered by a similar fur. To complete the look, she used the paints he gave her to smear two straight lines of blue under each of her eyes.
She looked like a proper little savage, though such a word seemed too harsh for the stunning creature that stood before him, stretching her arms over her head as she looked out at the sea. He was unsure, at first, what she was looking at, but he quickly realized that, on the horizon, sat the island of Neverland.
After a moment or two, Tala turned and realized Hook was standing there behind her. She tilted her head as she examined his expression.
"You seem unhappy."
"Oh, love, I am deeply unsatisfied," he tsked, taking a few steps closer to her. "It seems our time is close to an end. The island beckons us back to its shore. You're already dressed to leave the Jolly Roger behind."
"I am afraid my people will consider me corrupt if they see me dressed like a pirate," she told him honestly. "I was not sure if I was allowed to return home yet. You said I could, when it was time. Is it time, then?"
"We will begin negotiations with your tribe once we arrive at the island," Hook shrugged his shoulders. "Could be another day or so, as the winds are not strong this morning."
"Thank you," she smiled softly. "Thank you for keeping your word, Captain." He was weak for that word when it was coming from her. It melted the ice that surrounded his heart little by little, until it was able to beat again.
"My first name is James," he said without thinking.
"Would you like me to call you James?" She asked, stepping a little closer to him. Tala seemed to be in a pleasant mood, and he found himself enjoying it more than he ever intended to.
"My name never sounded so sweet," he chuckled, inching closer to her. There was only about a foot of space between them now. Tala stepped forward once more, getting so close that she had to look up at him.
"I am still not fond of pirates, James, but I do not mind you so much," she said softly. "You are gentle, even if you pretend not to be. There is a beast inside every man, and you have tamed yours well. Thank you for being kind to me while I have been your prisoner."
He couldn't stop himself even if he wanted to. Hook reached up to cup her small face in his hands. She didn't pull away or shout at him. Tala's eyes just widened a little, and her plump lips parted with a silent question. Wasting no more time, Hook leaned down to meet her mouth with his.
His lips pressed into hers, holding them hostage for a few moments before he leaned away from her. Hook brushed his thumbs over her cheeks, then dropped his hands to his sides. Tala's gaze never left him for even a second.
"Apologies, little wolf," he smirked down at her. "I couldn't let you leave my ship without having a little taste. I have been so patient after all."
"What do I taste like?" She questioned, bringing her fingertips up to graze her freshly kissed lips. His mouth was so soft, yet rough at the same time. It was confusing, but it stirred something within her that she had never known before.
"Like the sun and the ocean," he hummed his delight. "Both of which are my home. So, dear pup, you taste like home."
She smiled at that, seemingly satisfied with his answer. Tala spun on her heels and skipped over to the edge of the ship. Her stomach pressed into the railing as she leaned out over the water daringly. Tala breathed it in, the ocean, the fresh air, the warmth of the burning sun above her. She wanted to experience, to understand Hook's home.
It wasn't much different from her own idea of home. Tala figured there wasn't as much of a different between pirates and her people as they all believed. Neverland was everyone's home, and they all fought for survival. Her tribe claimed the land, while the pirates owned the sea.
The sea was vast, endless, and beautiful. Tala had explored every inch of their island, but she knew little of the ocean. It made her wonder if she wasn't more of a prisoner in her camp than she was on the Jolly Roger.