Chapter Four: Savage Seas
Written by LapisLucius42
Edited by Cimar
The skies were clear and gave them a perfect environment to begin the hunt. As the boat drifted along with the tide, Judy, Nick, Kris, and Finnick all stood out on deck, ready to begin.
"Alright you two," Finnick said. "How do we go about shark hunting?"
A wide smirk grew on Nick's face as he brought out a bucket and pulled the lid off. A putrid smell emanated from it that caused everyone to wince and nearly gag. "Chumming." The fox strained.
Kris and Finnick peered into the bucket and saw a red mess of blood and meat.
"What Is That?!" The otter yelled through her covered muzzle.
"Fish parts, bone, and blood," Judy muffled. She was happy no one else saw her nose twitching through her covered muzzle.
Even being a predator did not prevent Finnick from gagging in disgust. "I forbid you from having me and Kris from chumming and I will turn this boat around if you try to argue."
"I have to agree with him," Kris said.
Nick quickly spoke up before Judy could respond. "No sense arguing Carrots. We're already asking a lot from them."
Judy sighed heavily and conceded. "Fine. Then they can decide between us who gets to chum."
"We're cool with that," Finnick said with perverse satisfaction.
"So…" Nick asked, hoping he would not be selected.
Nick and Judy watched as Finnick and Kris raised one finger and after a few seconds of anticipation, they made their decision. Judy became horrified at them pointing to her, more at Kris than Finnick.
"Why?! Finnick I can understand, but Kris!" The others heard a hint of betrayal in the bunny's voice. "I thought we were friends!"
"We are!"
"Come on, Fluff," Nick interjected. "Don't tell me you can't handle a little blood and guts? I mean you did pull out a tooth from the guts of a marlin."
Judy's foot thumped irritably on deck as she stared down her friends. Unfortunately for them, they were right and she stomped her foot one more time, finally relenting. "Ugh! Fine!"
The doe stormed inside the cabin and returned with a pair of gloves on. To her surprise, Judy saw that her friends had placed the bucket on the transom with the scoop and the chum markers, which were made out of a flag stuck in a piece of Styrofoam. The bunny was thankful for them in setting up the chumming process. She stepped on the transom and picked up the scoop. Her nose twitched madly from the smell.
Judy faced away to take a deep breath before digging into the bucket. She pulled up a scoop of the chum and quickly threw it into the water, being careful not to get blood on her. After a few scoops, she placed the chum marker into the water and repeated the process as the tide carried them away from the starting point.
Soon, the smell became more tolerable to where Judy could face forward with the bucket right under her nose. She felt so relieved at finally reaching the bottom of the bucket and was more than happy to toss the remains away. Judy placed the scoop inside the bucket and came down with the items, placing them to the side. She stormed inside the cabin to see Nick tending to their fishing equipment.
"There!" she shouted.
The fox looked up and saw spots of blood on her shirt and paws and couldn't resist a smirk. "Now was that so hard?" He patronized.
Judy huffed and stomped her foot. "Easy for you to say! You're not the one doing it!"
"Hey someone needs to make sure we're ready when the shark appears."
"Isn't that what Finnick and Kris are here for? I thought they were supposed to help us out?"
"Finnick's the captain of the boat so he does what he wants."
Judy threw her arms in the arm. "Ugh! If you need me, I'll be washing the stench off my paws and face."
Nick watched Judy enter the bathroom and could hear the water running. He felt slightly bad she had to be the one, but the bunny should know better of how sensitive fox's noses are.
Later that day, Nick stood in the crow's nest on a lookout for the shark. Judy sat down on deck reviewing the plans for capturing the shark and checking their equipment for the umpteenth time. Finnick and Kris were relaxing at the bow waiting for the shark to appear.
After finishing another scan, Nick looked down at Judy and saw her radiating impatience. He knew just the thing to alleviate the boredom knowing full well how much she despised the task. "Carrots, start another chum line!"
Judy looked up at Nick and did her best to glare at him despite the sun shining in her eyes. "I already did it, Nick. It's your turn!"
"The smell is too sensitive for my nose and you did so well the last time. Besides, I know you're bored out of your mind. You could use the work."
"And I'm sure this has nothing to do with getting back at me for you carrying the eaten side of the marlin."
"One hundred percent."
Judy gave up trying to argue back and grumbled as she stood. The bunny put on her gloves and brought out another chum bucket. She groaned in disgust from being exposed to the fumes again. Pushing through the smell, she started the chumming the waters. Judy kept her face turned away as much as possible until the smell became more tolerable.
"Too sensitive for my nose…making an herbivore like me do the chumming…" she grumbled before turning her attention to Nick. "Next time I'm dragging your tail and making you do this!"
Judy heard splashing and turned to investigate, only to let out a startled squeak when she got a full view of a shark going for the chum. The rows of teeth were nothing compared to the predators the bunny had seen before. From the head alone, Judy identified it as a great white. But the claw marks around the nose and one of its eye signaled that this shark was responsible for the attacks. The creature disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
Still shaken, Judy slowly backed away from the stern as if the shark would attack again.
Nick heard Judy's squeak and came out to see her frozen state. "Everything all right, Carrots?" He asked, concerned when seeing the bunny's panicked behavior.
"Nick…you were right. We're going to need a bigger boat." Her gaze remained focused at sea.
The fox looked in her direction and his expressions instantly changed to Judy's. Finnick and Kris joined them moments later.
"You two alright?" The otter asked.
"We heard Bunny girl's squeak," Finnick said.
The two saw their friends staring out in the distance and followed their gazes. Their jaws dropped at the dorsal and tail fins approaching them. The four were mesmerized by the shark's massive size as it approached the boat. They remained silent and moved closer to get a better look as the creature swam by and then away from the boat.
"That great white is humongous," Judy said in awe.
"Certainly bigger than the average size," Nick said.
The bunny and the fox hoped to find out its true weight and size when they captured the creature. The four realized the magnitude of the situation that the great white could easily swallow them whole.
"How do we even kill something that big?" Kris asked.
The otter's words snapped Nick and Judy from their trance.
"We got to get to work," Nick said before running inside the cabin.
"Hey, are you forgetting about us?!" Finnick exclaimed. "That creature is too big to take on with just the two of you!"
Judy closed the half-full chum bucket and placed it and the scoop to the side. "Keep an eye on the shark and let us know if it does anything."
The bunny also disappeared inside the cabin in a flash. Finnick and Kris looked at each other before the otter scurried to the bow with her boyfriend quickly following behind.
Inside, Nick and Judy were hard at work getting the equipment ready. The fox opened a case that contained several rods as the bunny opened another that contained electrical pieces.
At the bow, Finnick cautiously remained close to the wheel in case he was needed. But Kris excitingly stood on the pulpit and was taking photos of the shark with her phone as it swam around the boat.
"Come on, Fin!" The otter cried, motioning her boyfriend to come over. "I want to get a photo of us together with the shark!"
Finnick rapidly shook his head. "Are you crazy? I'm not going out there!"
"Please! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity!"
"No!"
"Please!"
"I said no!"
"At least take one of me with my phone!" The otter waved the device at him.
That last request finally got Finnick to move, knowing that this experience was the distraction Kris needed from her break up. "Fine!"
Finnick began moving towards Kris and stumbled a few times from the boat rocking on the ocean. When he reached the otter, the fennec felt Kris' arm around him and was pulled in close. He recovered from the surprise to see Kris preparing a selfie.
"Hey!" He protested.
Finnick saw the smirk on Kris' face from the camera view. "It's called a hustle sweetheart!"
"I'm going to throw those two overboard for telling you that…" He grumbled.
"Smile!"
Kris snapped the photo of her and a scowling Finnick just when the shark fin moved into view.
The otter released the fennec and moved back a bit. "Now one of you!"
"What? No!" Finnick yelled and started to retreat from the pulpit.
"Come on! Please!" She pleaded, not even trying to stop him.
"No! And that's final!"
Finnick hurried back as Kris rolled her eyes and decided to video the shark. The fennec reached the front windows at the same time Nick and Judy finally appeared. The fox held an assembled pole of his height and the bunny held a device with a pointed edge in one paw.
"About time!" the fennec exclaimed, taking note of the gear. "How are those things supposed to capture and kill the shark?"
"It's not," Judy said.
"Then what for?"
"We're attaching a tracking device to it," The doe continued. "I placed a monitor up at the wheel that will show its heartbeat and direction that gets stronger the closer we are to the tracker."
"There's a whole ocean out there for the shark and this will make it easier to locate and capture." Nick continued and extended the pole twice its length. "Finnick, we need you up on the boat and ready to move when we say so."
"You got it." He said, wasting no time going up to the wheel.
"Finish up Kris!" Judy said. "Nick needs the pulpit!"
Kris recorded a few more seconds of footage and snapped a few more pictures before returning to Nick and Judy. "Anything you need me to do?"
Judy pointed up to the wheel. "There's a monitor up there. Watch it and let us know if it makes any noise and shows an arrow."
"Got it." Kris proceeded to the wheel where she saw the device that currently displayed a flat green line.
Nick stood at the edge of the pulpit with a pole pointed outwards while Judy sat a few steps behind. Everyone else but her watched the shark approaching the vessel.
Nick brought his paw out to the bunny. "It's coming. Judy, is the tracker ready?" He looked down to see her making last minute adjustments. "Judy! You told me you were finished inside!"
"I just want to be sure. We only get one shot!" The bunny answered and continued working.
Nick glanced back and forth between the shark and her. "Judy, hurry up now."
The doe looked up to see the shark getting closer and increased her pace.
"Hurry up! It's coming towards us. Don't screw up now!"
"I'm almost done!"
The shark began to turn as it swam near the boat and the opportunity was slowly slipping away.
"Come on Judy! Hurry up!"
The shark passed right in front of the pulpit in its closest approach and Kris and Finnick felt Nick and Judy were going to fail.
"What are you waiting for?" Finnick cried. "Shoot it now!"
"You're going to miss your chance!" Kris shouted.
Judy finally finished and placed the device in Nick's paw. "Here!"
The fox quickly attached and secured the tracker to the pole. With little time to spare, he thrust downwards just when the shark started moving away. The pole hit its mark above the gills with the help of the extension and tracker stuck to the shark. At that moment, the monitor started beeping and displayed pulse waves and a directional arrow on the screen.
"It's going!" Kris shouted.
"Good, we did it," Judy said.
"Alright, Finnick! Start her up and follow it!" Nick ordered.
The fox remained at the pulpit while Judy joined Kris and Finnick.
"Where's he heading?" Finnick asked.
Judy looked down at the monitor. "Northeast,"
Finnick started the engine and turned the wheel in the shark's direction. The four watched the fin go under but the monitor continued to beat and give the direction as they chased the creature.
"What plans do you have on catching the thing?" Finnick asked.
"Carrots and I are going harpoon the shark and tie it to the stern cleats," Nick said. "The plan is to tow the creature with the boat so that it tires out and drowns."
Kris was slightly put off with the plan. "Sounds a little barbaric,"
"We don't have much choice if we want to prove it's the one when we cut it open," Judy said. "We need the shark in good condition or it will just be another one."
The boat continued to follow the shark as it picked up speed. Judy relieved Kris the duty of checking the monitor and reporting the readings. Finnick adjusted the speed and direction accordingly to the information. Seeing no sign of the shark slowing down impressed them as the wind and sea air blew in their faces.
"Fast fish," Kris said.
"Amazing isn't it?" Judy said.
Soon enough, the heartbeat began to slow down and the arrow turned, signaling that the shark had changed directions or was going deeper.
"Stay on course, Finnick!" Nick ordered, deciding they would not risk making the wrong decision and hope the shark was just descending.
The fennec maintained the current speed and direction but remained ready to make any changes. Kris, Judy, and Nick kept a lookout for the shark.
"Any sign of him?" Judy asked, looking between the sea and the machine.
"Nothing Carrots." He replied.
Finally, the heartbeat stopped and the line became flat on the monitor. The arrow also disappeared also.
"We lost him!" Kris yelled.
"Great! What do we do now?" Finnick asked as he slowed the boat down and killed the engine.
Nick started leaving the pulpit. "Carrots and I will go get the harpoon guns ready."
"In the meantime," Judy said as she climbed down the ladder. "You two keep an eye on the waters and the monitor. Let us know if it makes any noise."
The two were gone inside the cabin without waiting for a response from their friends. Finnick and Kris split the watch duties with the otter on the monitor and the fennec scanning the waters. Inside, Nick and Judy each retrieved another case that contained parts to a harpoon gun. Both were of the same size despite their own size difference. The fox and the bunny agreed this was necessary for the plan to work.
"Is the bait still fresh?" Judy asked as she assembled the weapon.
"Yep, Finnick and Kris will be helping us with that," Nick said after locking the harpoon in place.
The doe sighed heavily. "I hope this works because the alternatives require us to get close to the shark."
"I share your concerns, Fluff, but we need to have backup plans."
Back on the wheel, the monitor began transmitting the shark's heartbeat and the green line showed small pulse waves. Within seconds, the arrow appeared and the waves grew larger and more frequent with the sounds were more pronounced.
"Oh snap he's close," Finnick said.
Kris moved above the cabin entrance and shouted, "You two hear that?"
"Yeah!" Judy answered. "Where is he coming from?"
Kris and Finnick looked at the monitor and reported back.
"Southwest!" Finnick said.
With the shark in range, Finnick and Kris focused on their surroundings while Nick and Judy finished their preparation. Despite the close presence and given direction, no fin was spotted.
"How are you doing there, Carrots?" Nick asked.
"Nearly done." She said, tying the rope to the line. "You know it will put up a fight."
"We'll be ready for that."
Finnick looked around for any sign of the shark as Kris watched the monitor. Their biggest concern was that it was underneath them and could attack the hull. Nick and Judy finally exited the cabin with their assembled guns and a cooler.
"Do you two want to help bait the shark?" Judy asked.
"Sure," Finnick said. "What you need us to do?"
Nick tapped the cooler that also had a rope set on top. "Tie the rope to the piece of meat inside. While one of you does that, the other can chum the waters. We'll leave the decision to you."
Finnick and Kris nodded and got to work. The fennec first asked what task the otter wanted. Kris ended up leaving the first choice to him and so Finnick took it upon himself with the task of chumming which the otter accepted. While Finnick went to retrieve the half-full chum bucket, Kris opened the cooler and saw a piece of fish. She tied the rope to the meat through the sheepshank and let Nick and Judy know the bait was ready.
Meanwhile, the aforementioned mammals tied the ropes attached to their guns to the stern cleats. They made sure the ropes overlapped and were secured. After hearing about the bait, Judy ordered Kris to tie her rope to theirs and throw the fish into the chummed area. Kris promptly obeyed and watched as the meat splashed into the bloody water. Finnick stopped chumming when he saw that and came down from the transom with the bucket.
"Finnick," Nick said. "When we tell you to, don't hesitate,"
"Better not damage my boat from this." The fennec climbed up back the wheel.
With everything set, Nick and Judy picked up their weapons and all four waited anxiously for the shark to come for the fish. The only sounds coming from the waves and the monitor. In a flash, the shark appeared and swallowed the fish.
"Now!" Nick ordered.
He and Judy aimed and fired their harpoons. The objects hit their marks on each side of the dorsal fin. The shark tore the fish from the rope and disappeared below the surface. The four watched the ropes tied to the stern cleats stretch and tighten as the shark swam portside. The direction caused the boat to turn and lean heavily that way and the mammals to tumble down onto the deck. This lasted for a few moments before the vessel returned to its position.
"Finnick!" Judy ordered.
"On it!" The fennec got back on his feet and started the engine.
Nick, Judy, and Kris recovered from the fall and the four waited for the shark's next action. The vessel moved forward a few inches forward before stalling. Finnick gave more gas in hopes of gaining the advantage over the shark, but the boat barely moved an inch. They began hearing the noise of metal strain from the cleats and cluttered sounds from the engine as a result of the ongoing tug-of-war.
"Cut the engine!" Judy shrieked. "We're losing the cleats!"
As Finnick did so, she and Nick grabbed their right cleat and desperately tried to unite the ropes.
"Untie us, or we'll lose the transom!" Nick demanded.
Seeing the ropes move and feeling their boat being pulled, Kris and Finnick quickly joined in the effort on the other cleat.
"Hurry before it starts pulling us!" Nick yelled.
"It's no good!" Kris cried, pulling on the ropes. "The thing's making a run for it!"
"We gotta try!" Finnick exclaimed.
Despite their best efforts, the boat began to turn again and then was pulled in the direction the shark swam in. The speed was slow at first before increasing enough to where water began splashing over the stern and into their faces, increasing their difficulty in untying the ropes.
"Quit fooling around and pull!" Finnick yelled. "Break your back into it! Come on! Pull your freaking heart out! Tie them off!"
"Argh!" Nick cried, pulling on the ropes. "How can the shark be this strong?!"
Even with four arms working on each cleat, the shark kept pulling the vessel and the ropes continued to tighten. Water also spilled inside the boat from the crashing waves and slowly reached the engine room.
"It's impossible! It's impossible!" Kris cried. "The ropes are too strong!"
"He's towing us!" Judy yelled. "We need to cut the knots before it pulls the transom out."
"We can't tie them off! We have to cut the ropes!" Kris shouted.
"Yes, do it! Do it!" Judy exclaimed.
Finnick and Nick looked at each other and nodded. The boys ran inside as the girls continued their efforts and shouted at the foxes to hurry. The shaking vessel slowed the foxes in their search. Judy and Kris eventually gave up and pulled on the ropes instead to where they can be easily cut, but they start to feel the cleats slowly be pulled out from their spots and the ropes slipping from their grip.
"Watch your paws! Watch your paws!" Judy warned.
"Nick! Finnick! Hurry we can't hold it anymore!" Kris yelled.
The girls heard the ropes snap and suddenly fell backwards on the deck. Judy and Kris looked to see Nick and Finnick on their knees with blades in the paws. The girls let out a sigh of relief that they cut the ropes in time and the four were breathing heavily in the aftermath. The monitor continued to emit noise before it finally became silent, signaling that the shark was out of range.
"Well that went just about as I expected," Finnick said. "You got a Plan B?"
"Yeah," Nick said. "But I think Carrots and I need to do more planning."
"We better check the engine to make sure the saltwater didn't damaged it," Judy said.
"Nick and I will get to that," Finnick said. "Which of you girls wants to pump the water out?
"I'll do it," Kris said. "I have no clue how to fix a boat so I'll just be in the way."
Judy tried to object but the otter stopped her.
"I don't mind, Judy. It's alright."
After a moment of hesitation, the doe resigned to the otter's choice and decided to save her the search by finding the pump for her. Kris gratefully accepted the bunny's help and started pumping while Judy and the foxes entered the cabin. Their feet threaded through the small layer of water that built up from the towing.
"What do you need me to do?" Judy asked before seeing a walkie-talkie being thrown in her direction. She fumbled with the object for a second before securing it.
"Go up to the wheel and listen for our word," Nick said. "And also drop the anchor please."
Judy nodded and left while the foxes retrieved the tool boxes and went down to the boat's engine. At the room entry, Nick and Finnick could already see smoke leaking through.
"I really hope the salt water didn't cause too much damage," Finnick said.
"Would that be added to our tab?" Nick asked.
"You bet it will. You're lucky the transom didn't get pulled out."
"That one Judy and I would be more than willing to pay for the repairs."
The foxes opened the door and immediately stepped back from the plume of smoke that engulfed and sent them in coughing fit.
"I take it that's not a good sign?" Nick said.
"Shut your mouth before I bite your face off."
Nick and Finnick entered the engine room and assessed the damages before getting to work.
Back outside, Judy came out to see Kris pumping the water out. The otter heard the footsteps and looked up to see the bunny standing there. The two exchanged smiles and Judy climbed up to the wheel and released the anchor into the ocean before reporting in.
"I'm at the wheel and have released the anchor. How does it look down there?"
She heard Nick's voice come through. "Read you loud and clear. We got light flooding but most of the damage appears to have come from that tug of war with the shark before it pulled us."
"Think you can fix it up so we can get back home?"
"Can't tell right now. We'll let you know and don't forget to watch the monitor."
"I will." She released the button on the radio and began the long wait.
Kris finished pumping out the water from the deck before retrieving an empty bucket and proceeded to remove water from the partially flooded cabin.
"Are you sure you don't want my help?" Judy asked, still concerned about Kris having to do the workload while she got to wait and report.
"I understand how you feel. If anything Judy, I'm the one trying not to be useless. You and Nick fish for a living. Finnick owns the boat. I'm the only one here without any maritime experience."
Judy knew that Kris had a point and finally pushed the matter aside, slight assured with the otter's answer. "Alright, but don't hesitate to ask for assistance if needed."
Kris nodded and entered the cabin to clean up. The otter managed to remove most of the water that hadn't already been absorbed by anyfabric material. She eventually reached the engine room where the boys were more than happy to let her remove the water. When the otter finished, Kris hung out with Judy and monitored for the shark.
As the boys worked on the repairs, they reported their progress to the girls and asked them to either turn the wheel or start the engine. Judy and Kris then reported the results back. Unfortunately, most were not very promising. The girls passed the time switching between the monitor, talking to each other, or running errands for the boys when needed.
In the middle of a conversation, Judy and Kris saw Nick and Finnick appearing on deck, slightly dirty from their repair work.
"How bad is it?" Kris asked anxiously.
"Good news is the salt water did minimal damage just as we hoped," Nick said.
"But…" Judy said, knowing his tone of voice.
Nick sighed heavily. "We need to wait until engine dries before we can do anything else."
"The salt could mix with the condensation from the engine heating," Finnick said. "Possibly getting into the machine or fuel and scorching the whole thing."
"Should we call for help then?" Kris asked.
Nick shook his head. "Not yet. The boat could still be operational after the water dries."
"What are we going to do until then?" Judy asked, not wanting to spend any more time waiting.
Finnick looked between Nick and Judy. "You two said something about having a Plan B right?"
"Well," Nick said as he and Judy entered the boat cabin.
Confused, Finnick and Kris followed after.
"Well what?" The otter asked.
The two saw Nick and Judy rummaging through their gear until retrieving two rods and a bag.
Nick raised the objects. "We can use these,"
Judy opened the bag and revealed a bottle the size of her paw. "To inject poison into him."
Finnick raised an eyebrow after hearing their plan. "Uh, I know you two are experts, but may I remind you what shark skin is made of?"
"Oh we know," Nick said. "We'd have to get it in the mouth or the belly for success."
"And you two do know what that means right?"
"Yep, Carrots and I prepared for such an occasion."
"If you have any better suggestions, let's hear it," Judy said.
"I say we go for it," Kris said.
Despite the concerns for his friends, Finnick knew ultimately Nick and Judy would go ahead whether he and Kris assisted or not. He sighed deeply and slouched. "Better than nothing."
AN: Now before anyone cites Mythbusters about sharks being unable to pull fishing boats to where waves splash over the stern, keep in mind a few things.
One, I'm pegging this great white to be between 19-20 ft. The largest verified length according to Google searches. I'm also pegging the weight to be 4000 lb based off the news report Peter Benchley read for the inspiration to Jaws.
Two, Finnick's boat is built for small mammals so the size will be significantly different for a vessel made for a 4ft fox than the average ones meant for 5-6 ft humans. With that information, it's not beyond plausible that this great white could pull the boat to where waves splash over. Just wanted to clear up a few things.
Looks like our mammals have themselves a challenge. I wonder how that will go.