Chapter 12

'Alright, there we go.' Tweak announced as she finished the partition in the Captain's room to separate it for the filly. 'All done.'

'Thanks Tweak.'

'No worries Cap.' She smiled, picking up her tools. 'Anything else while I'm at it?'

'That's all for now.' Barnacles looked down at the filly as Tweak headed out, gently resting a paw on her shoulder. 'It's only temporary.'

'I know.' Ashima sighed. 'You guys should just build me a cage and lock me in it instead, I wouldn't be dangerous then.'

'That's not the answer Ashima and you know it.' He replied firmly but softly. 'You have to allow yourself time to heal, it's going to take time but you will get there.'

She looked away, a long pause before she replied. 'I really should apologize again to Dashi. I know I scared her, I really didn't mean to.'

'We'll go see her once we finish sorting things our for you.' They headed out towards Dashi's room to get her things. 'How would you like another Octonaut lesson later?'

'Hmm, number twenty-four? How to not attack your crew-mates?' The Captain chuckled, shaking his head at her. 'You know I'm not being like this on purpose. If I had a choice on what I got to be, it wouldn't be this.'

'I know Ashima, I'm not punishing you by moving you from Dashi's room. I'm trying to keep her safe and you safe while you get things sorted out.' He could still see plain as day the filly bashing her head against the glass. 'Do you understand that?'

She nodded but her voice was low as she replied. 'I do.'

'It'll only be temporary, you'll be able to move back in with Dashi as soon as you're able.' He picked up the fillies bed as she got the rest of her things. 'That's a promise.'

'I know.' She picked up her hairbrush and a couple of her remaining items then followed the Captain back to his room. 'But what if I don't get better? What if I really attack someone? I-I-'

He stopped, turning back to her. 'Ashima? What is it?'

'Nothing.' Out of the corner of her eye she saw the pup running then turned back to the wolf. She'd winded him, winded him good as he tried to reach the sword. She stomped her hoof down hard on his paw, the wolf crying out in agony. 'That's a mear taste-' She snarled then reared, crushing him under her hooves. She could see wolves running towards her. Oh horsefeathers, just how many of them were there?

'She's got Fang!-'

She didn't hear the rest of the sentence as the wolf stopped moving beneath her hooves and she looked up towards the pirates running towards her, the deck littered with the bodies of the crew, workers and orphans. 'I'll make you pay for this!'

'Ashima?'

The Captain's gentle voice dragged her from her memories, the filly looking at him with dazed eyes as she tried to come back to reality.

Barnacles placed the things he was carrying down, slowly approaching her. 'Ashima, it's alright. What's wrong?'

'I-I've killed before-' She replied, the words catching in her throat. 'W-what if I l-lose control again a-and really hurt someone, or worse? I d-don't want to hurt a-anyone b-but I can't control myself. I'm a m-monster-'

'Ashima-' He interrupted. 'You can get through this, you can do it. You are not a monster, you've been through hell. You will get better.'

The filly looked up at him, her eyes watering. 'Can't you see that I'm scared of hurting you? Your the only one who's ever really given me the time of day, I've never had anyone really looking out for me before. I don't want to hurt you.'

'I know your scared, I know your worried but it'll be alright. You have to trust me.' Barnacles patted her neck softly. 'Come on, lets finish moving you.'


'Stay back!' Ashima snaked her neck, arching it as she pawed the ground. 'Get away from us! Leave us alone!'

'Well, there doesn't seem to be anyone left to save you-' He chuckled, the light illuminating the blood on his sword. 'They were no match for us.'

'Ashima-'

The fillies eyes blazed. Who did these pirates think they were? 'I'm warning you for the last time-' She took a step forward, sqealing and stamping the ground with her hooves. 'Leave us be.'

'And what's a punny little thing like you going to do?'

The filly looked down at the young animals around her ankles. She had to get them out of this situation. She was the oldest orphan and with no one else left, it was up to her. 'When I say run, run and don't look back.' The young animals nodded, their eyes wide with fear. She looked back up as the pirates walked closer and she reared, roaring. 'Run!'

Her hooves came down hard on the closest wolf, the young animals making a run for it in the chaos. Something sharp slashed her leg and she spun around, her back hooves connecting with a wolves chest.

The wolf wiped the blood from his nose as the filly fought with his crew members. The filly was putting up a fight, a jolly good fight too. He snarled, picking up his sword again and ran forward-

Ashima reared and bucked at the same time, puffing and bellowing like an angry stallion as she bravely fought against the four pirates. Her golden coat was now streaked with blood, her usually white mane dripping crimson as a sword was slashed over her neck. Suddenly she found herself thrown to the ground, kicking and struggling to get up but to no avail. The black wolf was standing over her, raising his sword-

'No!' The filly screamed as she woke from the nightmare, gasping for air in her panic. Her body was soaked in sweat, her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

'Ashima-' Barnacles walked in, kneeling down beside her. The filly was in a full blown panic attack, so panicked so was almost unable to catch her breath. 'Ashima, Ashima, it's alright-'

The filly made out the shape of a paw coming towards her, panicking further as she pulled away then lunged, her teeth sinking into his arm. The creature made a surprise sound of pain and as it dawned on her that it wasn't the wolf in her dreams, it was the Captain, an unexplainable feeling of horror and remorse washed over her. She spat his arm out, the polar bear rubbing it as blood began to appear on his pyjamas. Her eyes widened as the Captain held his paw over the bite. Oh no, no, I did not just do that, did I?

Barnacles didn't allow himself to show he was in pain, forcing his voice to be even and calm as he looked up at the terrified filly. 'It's not you fault.'

She could only stare at him, frozen in shocked and horrified amazement. How isn't it my fault? I attacked him!

'It's not your fault.' He repeated as he stood up, glancing back at the filly before going to the intercom. She was absolutely terrified, the filly was actually quaking as she stared into the distance where he'd been, her eyes glazed as she sat there. He pressed the intercom button to call Peso, holding his paw over the wound again.

'Captain?' Peso asked sleepily as his face came onto the sceen. 'What is it?'

'Ashima had a nightmare-' He replied softly, glancing back at the filly through the opened partition. 'She bit me out of fright, could you come fix me up? I really don't want to leave her.'

He nodded. 'I'm on my way Captain.'

Barnacles headed back towards the filly, Ashima still staring into space as she hummed something softly, rocking back and forth. He sighed inwardly, the poor thing was so anxious and on edge, he could see it in her body language. Feeling the blood trickling down his arm he was reminded that she'd bitten him. It was on accident, he knew she didn't do it deliberately but it didn't take away from the fact his arm was throbbing terribly. Kwazii was right. She did have a set of nippers on her.

'I'm here Captain-'

He put a finger to his lips, motioning towards the filly then started across the other side of the room, the medic following. 'Can you give her something to help her calm down?'

'I can, yes-' He could see the blood on the polar bears paw as he held his arm. 'But let me look at you first Captain.'

'Alright.' He nodded after a moment, taking off his cooling pajyama shirt to allow the medic to start tending to the wound. He glanced at Peso for a moment then looked away to watch the filly through the partition. She was crying now, still in a panicked state as she rocked back and forth. She was terrified, so terrified she attacked without realizing it. He winced as Peso cleaned the wound, the wound stinging something dreadful.

'Sorry Captain.' Peso replied softly, noticing the look on his face.

'It's alright Peso, just do what you need to. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine.'

The penguin finished cleaning the wound, dressing the wound then bandaging it. 'How's that now Captain?'

'Much better. Thank you Peso.'

He looked over at the filly, gulping down his apprehension. The filly had taken a good bite of the Captain, not to mention Kwazii earlier too. 'I-I'll go grab a sedative for her.'

Barnacles nodded, getting up from his bed as the penguin made his way out. Grabbing another shirt from his wardrobe he put it on then headed back to the filly's side of the room. Cautiously he knelt down beside her, speaking softly to her. 'Ashima, it's the Captain. Your alright, there's nothing to be frightened of.'

The filly sobbed, half choking as she gasped for air.

'Ashima-' He placed his paw on her, this time the filly didn't try to bite him. Gently he took her onto his lap, holding her firmly in his arms. 'It's alright. You're alright.'

Peso returned, coming into the filly's side of the room. 'C-can you hold her Captain?'

'It's alright Peso, she won't try to bite you.' The filly had her head buried in his chest, her body shaking in his arms. The medic filled up a needle from the bottle, looking up at him and Barnacles nodded. 'I've got her.'

The filly whimpered as she felt a sting in her neck, not even bothering to try and make out the soft words being spoken to her. She shivered, her body convulsing from her sobs, whimpering again as she felt another sting.

'All done.' Peso placed the needle into the case to be disposed off then gently patted her shoulder as the Captain held her. 'She'll calm down shortly.'

'Thanks Peso.'

'No problem. I'll let you take over from here.'

Barnacles nodded again, rubbing the fillies neck as the penguin gathered his things and left. Slowly the fillies breathing started to become more regular, the fillies head drooping as she rested against him, the sedative taking effect. 'You're alright. It's alright.'

Tears ran down her cheeks, her mind and her body feeling dazed and hazy. She felt weak, so so weak- A vision of the nightmare that had woken her flashed through her mind but she was powerless to do anything about it. All she could do was lie there, whimpering weakly. 'H-hold m-me.'

'I'm right here.' He assured her again softly. 'It's alright, you're safe.'

Ashima's words were slurred, the filly struggling to reply as the sedative reached its full effect, the young filly almost unable to hold her eyes open any longer. 'I-I-I'm sc-scared.'

'I know but I'm right here and nothing is going to happen to you.' He could see she was loosing the fight against the urge to sleep, softly running his paw down the bridge of her face. 'Sleep Ashima, I'm right here. Everything will be alright.'

The filly closed her eyes, her body relaxing in the polar bears arms as she fell into a deep, drugged sleep.

Barnacles rubbed his cheek gently against the fillies head as she fell asleep. He looked down at her, the filly so fragile and peaceful in her induced sleep but he knew it was far from over for her. The dull throbbing of his arm reminded him too of her capabilities when she was scared, it wasn't her fault she had bitten him but maybe she was becoming too dangerous. Maybe, for the sake of everyone, it was best if she was kept muzzled or better yet, taken to an institution. No. He corrected himself, looking down at her in his arms. She needs time and patience, just as I did.