Chapter 5:
The next few days went smoothly, which was all Tala could ask for. Hook was busy, for the most part, only ever coming into the cabin to sleep. One day, when he was feeling particularly generous, he brought her some hide and paints he'd acquired from the island.
"In case you grow bored," he told her as he dropped them off. Tala was, in fact, quite bored being locked up in his cabin. Having something to do was better than nothing. Besides, painting on dried animal skins was something her tribe did often. Tala finally felt like she had a little piece of home with her again.
After a few days passed, however, not even painting was enough to entertain her anymore. The captain never locked his cabin doors, since they were at sea and there was nowhere to run. He left the option of venturing out to her, though she really didn't like the idea after losing her treasured braid to a brute of a man.
On a warm day, when the sun was high and the sky was clear, Tala heard lpud laughter and thudding from the main deck. Curiosity and boredom got the better of her. She slid into one of Hook's baggy white shirts, then ventured out of the cabin for the first time in nearly six days.
The cause of the ruckus was obvious from the moment she stepped out. In the center of the deck was a large circle of pirates. They were surrounding something, cheering and yelling obscenities at whatever it was. Tala bravely pushed through them, fighting her way to the center so she could see what was so exciting.
Tala was surprised to see Hook, shirtless, with beads of sweat rolling down his shockingly toned chest and abdomen. This image of Hook was much different than the one she had growing up. He was supposed to be an old man, grey and wrinkled skin age, but this man, standing in front of her, was young and beautiful.
Aand violent.
Hook threw a punch into his crewmates jaw, sending the man staggering back into the crowd of enthusiastic pirates. He shook his bloodied knuckles, then bounced back on his heels to wait for his opponent to retaliate.
"Come on, then, lad," the sweaty captain jeered. "Surely you can do better than that."
The dizzy man Hook struck rebounded after a minute, shaking his head in an attempt to clear his vision. His face was bloody, sporting an obvious gash under his eye that must have come from Hook. With his best effort, the man lunged at Hook, but the captain was too quick. All that the man caught in his attempt was Hook's knee to his gut. This time, the bloody man hit the deck.
Tala was surprised by the speed and skill that Hook fought with. He truly seemed to be a worthy opponent, a warrior even her tribe would celebrate for his abilities and strength. Her cheeks flushed against her will as she watched him put his muscular arms into the air and cheer for his victory with his crew.
"Good show, lad," Hook smiled, bending down to scoop up his injured opponent by the arm. "Have Smee tend to your wounds before the salty wind catches them, aye?"
"Aye," the middle aged gentleman nodded before making his way through the crowd. Smee waddled along behind so he could treat that gash on his face like the captain insisted.
"Ah, our little pup came up to play," Hook grinned at her when his eyes finally caught hers. "Good morning, Tala. Did you come to join the fun?"
"I do not fight for fun," Tala shook her head, her now wild raven curls bouncing back and forth. Hook clicked his tongue and folded those intimidating arms over his firm chest.
"Come now, Tala," he smirked. "Show me why the savage warriors are the most feared in Neverland. You've practiced and trained your whole life. Surely you can take on an old man like me." Tala scoffed at that. Hook was no longer old and fraile, and he knew it.
"If you want, I can show you," she finally gave in. Tala pulled the strings loose on the tee shirt, then dragged it over her head. The ship fell silent as she revealed her slender arms and flat stomach. The only thing that kept her from being half naked was the thin furs that wrapped around her breasts and were strung together at her back.
Even Hook's expression changed. His eyes darkened, and his cocky smirk faded a little bit. She was acutely aware of the way his eyes raked over her, from head to toe, spending extra time at what cleavage was exposed and her stomach, which was now bare.
Tala stepped into the circle, her limbs relaxed and loose at her sides. She didn't need any pompous stance to fight, nor did she need to keep her hands up to defend herself. No, that wasn't the way she was trained, nor was it the way she wanted to fight.
"Alright," Hook cleared his throat. "I won't hold back, little wolf."
"I would be offended if you did," she eyed him.
Hook circled a bit, and Tala's bare feet moved to match him. When Hook finally leaned in to throw a punch, she easily dodged to the left to avoid it. The crew began to mutter among themselves. They were all surprised by her speed, especially since pirates didn't let their women fight very often. They had no idea what a woman was capable of when she was trained properly.
The captain threw his fist again, and this time, she brought up her arm to block it. Using his shock to her advantage, she ducked low and swept her leg around to knock his out from under him. As Tala stood back up, Hook hit the deck. The crew jeered loudly.
"Impressive," Hook chuckled, pushing himself back up to his feet. "You're quicker than I expected." He ran a hand back through his shaggy black hair that stopped just above his ears. That was another thing she was surprised by. Hook was said to have long grey hair, like a woman's. This Hook had shorter, messy hair.
"And you're slower than I expected," she grinned mischievously, in a sort of cat-like way. Hook smiled at that. A smile rather suited her pretty little face, much more than the serious look she usually wore.
He swung again, and as expected, she brought up her arm to block it. Only, this time, he was ready for it. Hook caught her arm with his other hand, then twisted it behind her back. He yanked her back into his chest, then whispered huskily in her ear.
"You're so predictable, love."
Tala stomped on his foot, then threw her head back into his. Hook released her, staggering back, and she quickly pounced on him. They both hit the deck, Hook with his back to the wooden floor, and Tala with her legs straddling his hips.
She planted a hand against his sweaty chest to hold him down, then shifted so that she was sitting comfortably on his waist. Hook stared up at her, ridiculously, painfully aware of how thin the fabric between them was, and how warm she felt between her legs.
"If I had a knife, you would be dead, Captain," she huffed, feeling rather victorious. He had underestimated her from the start, and she proved her skill.
Hook, on the other hand, wasn't even slightly concerned with who won or lost. No, all he could think of was the way she straddled him, and the skin of her hips and sides her little fur top left exposed. He hummed his delight.
"Sure, little wolf. You beat me." His large hands lifted to grab her hips, and she flinched at the gentle touch. Tala looked down at them, at the way his pale skin stood out so starkly against her tanned flesh. "Maybe we should try this again in my cabin." Those hands travelled up her sides, slowly, tenderly, stopped just below where her furs began.
Her cheeks turned bright pink and burned. Tala jerked away from him, climbing up to her feet and scurrying off without looking anyone in the eyes. She had never been touched like that before, and she hardly wanted to be touched by a filthy pirate.
But he wasn't filthy. His hands, she noticed as they travelled over her bare skin, were clean unlike his crews' hands. Nothing about him was filthy or disgusting like she expected. He was a man, a large, brute of a man, but Tala couldn't deny that he was attractive. He put even the most handsome member of her tribe to shame.
She slammed his cabin door shut and plopped down on her pallet of blankets on the floor. Tala wrapped her arms around herself, then huffed her disapproval at herself and Hook.
A/N: Whoa it's been a long time. I hit a bit of a rough patch lol, which honestly I'm still in. Sometimes the universe just likes to make people suffer. But it's getting better, slowly. I started college again, which sucks, but hey summer is coming up soon, and I can write a lot more :)
Also, sorry for any typos! I'm still writing on my phone :(
I did miss this story, though, and I intend to keep writing it for awhile, so if you enjoy it let me know :) leave a little review so I know whether to continue or not. Thanks for reading!