Ryon and the two young ones sat in the shade of a tree, taking a break before they went back to the longboat. Finally, Ryon stood up. "I'll take the water back to the longboat. You two wait here until I get back." At the pair's nod, he picked the gourds up on a long stick and began walking back to the boat.

Lucar and Birchleaf sat with their backs against the tree, drinking in the quiet. It was a few minutes before Ryon returned, and as they stood up, a whirring sound filled the air. Birchleaf jerked her head sideways in surprise as a single-bladed axe thudded into the tree. The three looked upward to see forty vermin crashing through the bushes, yelling and waving weapons as they charged. The three drew their blades, and Ryon yelled "Run!" The three took off with the vermin hot on their heels.

Fleapaw urged his creatures on, and took heart as the squirrel and his companions took flight. The sea vermin charged after them, and Fleapaw ran after them, shouting "Take the male squirrel alive! Lord Blacktail wants him alive!"

Ryon, Birchleaf, and Lucar came to a thick curtain of vines. Ryon scowled. "This isn't the way back to the beach."

"Well, it's no use slicing through it," Lucar said. "They're coming on fast."

Ryon whirled and charged at the vermin, parrying a cutlass slash as the two young ones joined the fray.

Sharpear and Blackreed stood at the longboat, leaning on its side and talking to one another. Sharpear looked at the sun impatiently. "They should have been back by now."

Blackreed snorted. "Cap'n Ryon likes to take 'is time. Give 'im a bit longer."

Ryon, Birchleaf and Lucar were still fighting, though they were now retreating south to where the longboat was. They ran backwards and fought off sea vermin as they made their way towards the shore. Ryon picked up a fallen boarding axe. Crossing it and his saber in front of him, he parried a pair of blows from two rats. He then threw the blades off and sliced both across the chest. He then hitched his arm back and threw the axe, hitting a stoat between the eyes. Slicing a weasel across the stomach, Ryon motioned with his paw. The three once again, turned and ran.

Sharpear did not get his name for nothing. Looking into the woods, he listened intently. Blackreed remained silent, knowing that when his friend was like this, he did not like to be bothered. Sharpear suddenly drew his sword. It was curved slightly and had a basket hilt. "They're coming. And they're bringing friends."

Blackreed's paw flew to his sling. Wild war yells filled the air as Ryon, Birchleaf, and Lucar appeared, still fighting as they continued backing up. Blackreed fitted a stone and launched it, hitting a rat between the eyes. It dropped into the shallows, motionless. The three had reduced the ambush party by ten, but were still being driven relentlessly back. Sharpear charged into the battle, wielding his blade with long born practice. Ryon ducked a sideways cut and stabbed his assailant in the throat. Birchleaf blocked a downward slice and kicked her opponent in the stomach, doubling him over. She brought her blade down on his skull. Lucar swept Martin the Warrior's sword left then right, accounting for two vermin. Another rock from Blackreed took out a weasel.

Over the clangor of battle, Ryon shouted "To the boat!" The four backed up, still fighting. Sharpear was hit with a slingstone and fell stunned. Ryon took up his blade, and spun both it and his own, accounting for three other vermin. Birchleaf picked the mouse up, and backed towards the boat, leaving Lucar and Ryon to deal with the vermin.

Ryon pulled Sharpear's sword from the throat of a fox, and then appropriated his dagger. He then hurled it randomly. By pure coincidence, it hit Fleapaw. Hearing their leader's scream of death stopped the vermin for a moment, and that was when the Javelin crew members chose to make good their escape. They piled into the boat, and rowed back to the ship as fast as they could.

The longboat bumped gently against the Javelin's port side. Willing paws helped them aboard, and Sharpear was taken to the ship's sickbay by two healers. Ryon watched the crew unload the water and then hoist the boat into position. He jumped though, when a fountain of water, caused by a hurled rock from Blacktail's ship, the Pikeshaft, jetted into the air, soaking the squirrel and all on deck.

Blacktail stood by the tiller of his ship. The Javelin and Pikeshaft were about the same size, so both captains were able to gaze clearly at each other.

Ryon pushed Birchleaf back. "I'll handle this, missy." He leaned on the rail and called in a mocking tone. "Hoi, squidface!"

Blacktail stiffened. Ryon continued. "Come to negotiate, eh, you slimy backstabbing excuse for a stoat? Probably not in the mood for another whipping, eh, eh?"

Blacktail turned to the ship's drummer. "Enough of this."

The drummer nodded, and beat out a rapid boom, boom, boom on the drum. The ballistae began to roll out. Ryon gave a small smile. He then leaned over to Birchleaf, and whispered in her ear. "Hard to starboard."

Both squirrels dashed to bow and stern, shouting orders.

"Hard to starboard!"

"Brace up the foreyard!"

The Javelin yawed to the right, and caught the wind. It then shot forward, south.

Blacktail watched it go for a moment, then turned to the steersrat. "Hard to starboard!" He then turned to his first mate. "Take no prisoners. To the depths with them all!"

The mate nodded, then roared "Fire!"

Rocks flew from the port side of the Pikeshaft, whizzing around the Javelin. One rock struck a lantern on the ship, shattering it. It then crashed into the bow, sending two overboard. Ryon shoved the steerbeast out of the way, and began deftly moving the tiller. The Pikeshaft had caught the wind as well, and Ryon shouted orders as rocks and ballista bolts crashed into the water around them. "Pile on every scrap of canvas we have! Run out the oars and row on a double beat! Move!"

The crew jumped to their duties, knowing that they were in a race for their lives.

Birchleaf ran to the rail, watching the Pikeshaft gain on them. Lucar pulled her out of the way of a ballista bolt that would have impaled the squirrelmaid had he not moved her. The squirrelmaid turned to Ryon and shouted at him. "She's gaining!"

Ryon shouted back down to her. "I'm aware of that!"

Lucar came up in front of the squirrel captain, accosting his view of the ocean in front. "You said this was the fastest ship in the Western Sea."

Ryon pushed him out of the way. "You can tell them that after they've caught us."

Blackreed ran up with ten archers. Their arrowheads had been dipped in pitch and wrapped in cloth soaked in lantern oil. Blackreed himself was holding a torch. As the archers set shaft to string, he walked along them, lighting their arrows. When he reached the end of the line, he shouted "Fire!"

Ten flaming shafts flew at the Pikeshaft, and while two ripped through the sails, others thudded into the deck or went belowdecks.

Ryon turned the Javelin to starboard. Lucar grabbed the rail to steady himself. "What are you doing?"

"I'm maneuvering us into the current."

"What current?"

The Javelin suddenly picked up speed. Coupled with the billowed sails and the oars, the ship fairly flew forward. They were soon out of range of the Pikeshaft's missiles.

Blacktail made note of this.

"We're out o' range, Cap'n!" the first mate shouted.

Blacktail breathed deeply. "Break off pursuit, run 'er light and douse canvas!"

The steersrat looked puzzled. "We're giving up, Cap'n?"

Blacktail leered. "We'll get them eventually. Put out the fires on the sails." The stoat clenched a paw. The squirrel had once again escaped him. And there were also crew members now spreading the rumor that the Raven's Beak, Solan the pine marten's former ship, was cursed. First Solan, then Fleapaw had met their end in their roles as ship masters. The rumors would be dealt with, but not now.

This chapter was taken from near the end of POTC 2. R and R!