Disclaimer: I do not own anything relating to Pirates of the Caribbean,
though I do dearly wish I owned Jack Sparrow. Heehee. ^_^ Er, yesh,
anyway, this is my first upload ever, so please be kind. Please?
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Wind howled through the trees, an eerie accompaniment to the raging storm. Palm fronds were whipped to and fro, slapping together wetly as water streamed off their waxy surfaces. A group of haggard men forced their way through the gale-ravaged jungle, their bodies bent by the wind at their backs. Lightning split the dusky sky, forking like a fiery branch. A small, portly man jumped as thunder crashed overhead.
Scratching at the dark stubble on his face, he spoke nervously. "Er. Capitan Puerile? Perhaps we should take shelter. until the storm has passed."
"Shut up, Luis! We're almost there," answered the imposing man leading the group.
The portly man mumbled irritably to himself, but obediently followed his captain.
All day they had been trekking through the jungle, and all day the mountain had loomed immense in the distance. As they neared it, the colossal spire seemed to slowly grow, and now it towered dauntingly over them. To Luis, the mountain seemed alive, staring down at them, wondering why mere mortals dared enter its presence. Luis craned his neck, gazing at the cloud-ringed peak. He crossed himself and muttered a hasty prayer.
A lanky man next to Luis grumbled, "How are we supposed to climb ithat/i? The sides look nearly sheer."
"There is a path," said Luis.
"Is there now?" snorted the man. "An' I suppose you saw it on the map Capitan keeps talking about, eh? The map no one's seen! The map to this fantastic treasure."
"Just because you haven't seen it, Tadeo, doesn't mean it does not exist," countered Luis.
"You've seen the map, then?"
A pause. "Yes."
"Bah!" spat Tadeo. "You lie. We're on some half-cocked goose chase."
Captain Miguel Puerile whirled around and grabbed Tadeo by the collar. "There iis/i a path," he growled. "It wraps around the mountain, just like I'll wrap your saber around your damned neck if you keep up that mutinous talk!"
Puerile let the man go with a shove, and pulled ahead of the group, slashing at the thick foliage with his sword. Tadeo straightened his shirt, glaring at the Captain's back. "I'll believe it when I see it," he muttered. "That goes for the path. and the treasure."
"The treasure is there, my friend," said Luis, "and it's guarded."
"I ain't your friend, pudgy. You're a sneak, you're never averse to rattin' out your crewmates, an' you'll never get my respect, be you first mate or no," said Tadeo contemptuously. But his curiosity soon overcame his dislike of Luis. "Guarded by what?"
Luis wiped rainwater from his eyes, blinking as he stared up at the mountain. "The ancient gods of this land."
"Oh, of course. What better to guard a fanciful treasure than fanciful gods?" replied Tadeo, the sarcasm dripping from his voice more heavily than the rain fell from the sky.
"Scorn the legends if you will," said Luis, "but I for one see nothing wrong with being overly cautious."
As he finished speaking, the Captain slid past them, sheathing his blade. "Listen to him, for once," said Puerile, a touch of slyness in his voice. "Perhaps he is right."
Puerile situated himself in the center of the group of bedraggled men, halting their daylong march. "Listen up, and listen good. We're going to have to start climbing, and it ain't going to be easy," he announced, pointing to a rock face that was partially hidden by vines and trees. "If I hear any one of you complaining. you'll be wishing you could fly once I push you off the side of the mountain!"
Leaving his threat hanging in the humid air, Puerile moved toward the rock face. Brushing aside the vines, he began running his hands over the cold, wet stone.
"Er, Capitan?"
Puerile didn't answer, and continued to caress the weathered rock, searching. The forest was unusually quiet, save for the slowing rain pattering on the jungle canopy above. Even the howling wind had died to little more than a mournful moan.
"Capitan, how do we climb the mountain?"
Finally, Puerile turned and grinned roguishly. "Like this!"
He stepped to the left and suddenly vanished. The men shouted in alarm until their captain reappeared as abruptly as he'd gone. Puerile stuck out his arm, and it disappeared behind a wall that protruded from the rock face; the coloration of the wall was perfectly continuous with the rock around it, making it nearly invisible unless inspected closely.
"Enough gawking, you dogs," said Puerile. "Follow me!"
The Captain once again vanished behind the wall. The men glanced at one another; after a moment's deliberation, they hesitantly followed. As they passed round the camouflaged wall, one man touched the rock, saying, "Surely such a thing couldn't have been made by the hands of men."
"Well, it sure as hell wasn't made by the hands of any gods," muttered Tadeo.
The wall had been concealing a path. the path that Luis and Captain Puerile had known existed. As Luis shuffled by Tadeo, he smirked, but the taller man pretended not to notice.
The trail had a sharp slope which only increased as it wound steadily around the mountain, leading the men ever higher. After only a quarter of an hour, Luis found himself panting and gasping for breath. His stubby legs were not made for climbing. Now it was Tadeo's turn to smirk as he strode easily by the chubby man. Luis could only shoot a venomous look at him, though his eyes were stinging from sweat that rolled down his face.
With much effort, he trundled to the head of the procession, where Puerile kept a brisk pace. "Capitan." he puffed. "Perhaps. I should have remained. aboard iThe Mar Escarlata/i."
Puerile looked down his nose at the shorter man, his lip curled in mild contempt. "You give up so easily, Luis?" he asked. "Aboard the iEscarlata/i, you seemed eager to be present when I claimed the treasure."
"That was before I was faced with climbing this mountain, Capitan," he answered, breathing laboriously.
"Stop your complaining! It will all be worth it in the end." Puerile purposefully quickened his stride, leaving Luis trailing far behind him. The chubby little man wheezed painfully, wiping a sleeve across his forehead.
"I can only hope so, Capitan."
Wind howled through the trees, an eerie accompaniment to the raging storm. Palm fronds were whipped to and fro, slapping together wetly as water streamed off their waxy surfaces. A group of haggard men forced their way through the gale-ravaged jungle, their bodies bent by the wind at their backs. Lightning split the dusky sky, forking like a fiery branch. A small, portly man jumped as thunder crashed overhead.
Scratching at the dark stubble on his face, he spoke nervously. "Er. Capitan Puerile? Perhaps we should take shelter. until the storm has passed."
"Shut up, Luis! We're almost there," answered the imposing man leading the group.
The portly man mumbled irritably to himself, but obediently followed his captain.
All day they had been trekking through the jungle, and all day the mountain had loomed immense in the distance. As they neared it, the colossal spire seemed to slowly grow, and now it towered dauntingly over them. To Luis, the mountain seemed alive, staring down at them, wondering why mere mortals dared enter its presence. Luis craned his neck, gazing at the cloud-ringed peak. He crossed himself and muttered a hasty prayer.
A lanky man next to Luis grumbled, "How are we supposed to climb ithat/i? The sides look nearly sheer."
"There is a path," said Luis.
"Is there now?" snorted the man. "An' I suppose you saw it on the map Capitan keeps talking about, eh? The map no one's seen! The map to this fantastic treasure."
"Just because you haven't seen it, Tadeo, doesn't mean it does not exist," countered Luis.
"You've seen the map, then?"
A pause. "Yes."
"Bah!" spat Tadeo. "You lie. We're on some half-cocked goose chase."
Captain Miguel Puerile whirled around and grabbed Tadeo by the collar. "There iis/i a path," he growled. "It wraps around the mountain, just like I'll wrap your saber around your damned neck if you keep up that mutinous talk!"
Puerile let the man go with a shove, and pulled ahead of the group, slashing at the thick foliage with his sword. Tadeo straightened his shirt, glaring at the Captain's back. "I'll believe it when I see it," he muttered. "That goes for the path. and the treasure."
"The treasure is there, my friend," said Luis, "and it's guarded."
"I ain't your friend, pudgy. You're a sneak, you're never averse to rattin' out your crewmates, an' you'll never get my respect, be you first mate or no," said Tadeo contemptuously. But his curiosity soon overcame his dislike of Luis. "Guarded by what?"
Luis wiped rainwater from his eyes, blinking as he stared up at the mountain. "The ancient gods of this land."
"Oh, of course. What better to guard a fanciful treasure than fanciful gods?" replied Tadeo, the sarcasm dripping from his voice more heavily than the rain fell from the sky.
"Scorn the legends if you will," said Luis, "but I for one see nothing wrong with being overly cautious."
As he finished speaking, the Captain slid past them, sheathing his blade. "Listen to him, for once," said Puerile, a touch of slyness in his voice. "Perhaps he is right."
Puerile situated himself in the center of the group of bedraggled men, halting their daylong march. "Listen up, and listen good. We're going to have to start climbing, and it ain't going to be easy," he announced, pointing to a rock face that was partially hidden by vines and trees. "If I hear any one of you complaining. you'll be wishing you could fly once I push you off the side of the mountain!"
Leaving his threat hanging in the humid air, Puerile moved toward the rock face. Brushing aside the vines, he began running his hands over the cold, wet stone.
"Er, Capitan?"
Puerile didn't answer, and continued to caress the weathered rock, searching. The forest was unusually quiet, save for the slowing rain pattering on the jungle canopy above. Even the howling wind had died to little more than a mournful moan.
"Capitan, how do we climb the mountain?"
Finally, Puerile turned and grinned roguishly. "Like this!"
He stepped to the left and suddenly vanished. The men shouted in alarm until their captain reappeared as abruptly as he'd gone. Puerile stuck out his arm, and it disappeared behind a wall that protruded from the rock face; the coloration of the wall was perfectly continuous with the rock around it, making it nearly invisible unless inspected closely.
"Enough gawking, you dogs," said Puerile. "Follow me!"
The Captain once again vanished behind the wall. The men glanced at one another; after a moment's deliberation, they hesitantly followed. As they passed round the camouflaged wall, one man touched the rock, saying, "Surely such a thing couldn't have been made by the hands of men."
"Well, it sure as hell wasn't made by the hands of any gods," muttered Tadeo.
The wall had been concealing a path. the path that Luis and Captain Puerile had known existed. As Luis shuffled by Tadeo, he smirked, but the taller man pretended not to notice.
The trail had a sharp slope which only increased as it wound steadily around the mountain, leading the men ever higher. After only a quarter of an hour, Luis found himself panting and gasping for breath. His stubby legs were not made for climbing. Now it was Tadeo's turn to smirk as he strode easily by the chubby man. Luis could only shoot a venomous look at him, though his eyes were stinging from sweat that rolled down his face.
With much effort, he trundled to the head of the procession, where Puerile kept a brisk pace. "Capitan." he puffed. "Perhaps. I should have remained. aboard iThe Mar Escarlata/i."
Puerile looked down his nose at the shorter man, his lip curled in mild contempt. "You give up so easily, Luis?" he asked. "Aboard the iEscarlata/i, you seemed eager to be present when I claimed the treasure."
"That was before I was faced with climbing this mountain, Capitan," he answered, breathing laboriously.
"Stop your complaining! It will all be worth it in the end." Puerile purposefully quickened his stride, leaving Luis trailing far behind him. The chubby little man wheezed painfully, wiping a sleeve across his forehead.
"I can only hope so, Capitan."