This is a long one! Compared to the last 2, anyway. Enjoy!

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Chapter 3

No view in the world could beat that of a treetop, in Pocahontas' opinion. That's exactly where she was now. Like she'd decided the night before, this morning was set aside for checking Meekos' hoards. The four she'd checked already turned nothing up. However, the day was new, and there were plenty more to go. A good nights' sleep had refreshed Pocahontas and brought her old optimism back. She threw her head back and smiled at the sun. Her hair fanned out behind her in the breeze. There was no room to be sad on a beautiful day like today.

After enjoying the sun for a few minutes, Pocahontas opened her eyes. Time for the next one. She started to climb down the tree. It was easy for the agile Native American, who had been roaming the forest climbing trees her whole life.

A noise sounded deep in the forest that made Pocahontas nearly lose her grip on the branch. The drums? The rhythm spelled "emergency." What could have happened? She scrambled the rest of the way down the tree, jumping down from a place higher than she probably should have. Luckily, she landed on all fours like a cat. As soon as she hit the ground, she started running, her heart in her throat.

Pocahontas got to the village so fast that it hurt to breathe when she stopped. She bent double, hands on her knees, to catch her breath. When she recovered, she looked up. Her heart, which had been pounding wildly a moment ago, stopped.

The entire village stood at the edge of the ocean. Pocahontas' big eyes followed their pointing fingers out to sea. A ship was anchored a short way from the shore. The young woman took a step forward. Hope blazed in her chest, but something in the back of her mind just didn't add up...

Somehow she made her way through the crowd to stand at the front next to her father. He was a tall man, with strong arms and a bare chest. The cape that fell from his shoulders signified his status as chief, as did the headdress resting on his black hair. They stood for a time in silence, watching a rowboat being lowered from the side of the ship.

"This ship is not like the one that visited before," Father said quietly, "It is the wrong color."

Yes it was, Pocahontas noted. The ship John had arrived in from England had been brightly colored, with white... what was the word?... sails. This one was completely black. It gave her a small prickle of foreboding. Her growing hope quickly brushed it aside. Just because it wasn't the same ship didn't mean he wasn't aboard. The possibility of seeing John again swelled in her chest, restricting her ability to breathe. She willed the rowboat to go faster. The anticipation was strangling.

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Antsy murmurs from the men in the rowboat bothered Jack, but he made no move to silence them. The Captain stood at the front of the little craft. One boot rested on the prow in a conquerors' pose. The Indians gathered the shore worried him slightly too. But from the way they were staring, it didn't seem like they were hostile. They merely looked curious.

The boat hit the shore with a bump. Jack sprang out of it, the sand crunching beneath his boots. The three Indians he landed in front of seemed to be the most important in the tribe. They stood in the front, the rest of the tribe at a respectful distance behind, with varying expressions. The stooped old man on the left peered at Jack suspiciously. In the middle, a younger man wore a headdress and a more welcoming expression. Next to him was a beautiful young woman. Jack wondered at the blatant disappointment in her eyes. I'm not that bad-looking, am I? She reluctantly took a step towards him, then another. As she moved, her right hand moved in an arc, palm flat forward, in a kind of greeting.

"My name is Pocahontas." Her voice was sweet, curiously accented, but a little sad. "Welcome to my tribe. I shall speak for you while you visit."

"I thank you, my dear," said Jack, wondering how she learned English, "But you see, that's not entirely necessary. We've just come to dig up some gold, claim it all for ourselves, and scurry on back to the Caribbean. Savvy?"

The girls' eyes widened and then narrowed. "There is no gold here. There is a whole village of men like you there-" She pointed south a ways to a distant wall of timber, an English settlement, "Who will be able to tell you the same." Hostility colored her voice.

Now, Jack was a man used to hiding things. He recognized that she was trying to do the same, and it amused him. A plan formed in his mind. He inclined his head towards her. "I understand. Terribly sorry to have bothered you. We'll just run over to that settlement there," Jack gestured with his arms, "Pick up a couple of supplies so my crew doesn't revolt on the way home, jump back on the boat and -"

"Wait." The man in the headdress interrupted, again in the strange accent, "Do not leave so quickly. Spend a night with us. Our warriors have returned from a great hunt. We shall feast in their honor as well as yours."

Even better, Jack thought. The grin he'd been holding back broke across his face. He bowed his head again. "Thank you." Being invited into the heart of the village would make it easier to discover where they kept their gold.

"Let us proceed then!" Headdress man declared. He turned to orate to the rest of the Indians, who cheered and hurried off to prepare for the feast. The girl who had first spoken - Pocahontas, was it? - gave Jack an unreadable look before turning and walking away. Jack, unperturbed by this, turned to Gibbs and the rest in the boat and said, "We'll be dining good tonight, boys! Get the rest of the crew, this is what we'll do..."

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I'm gonna be busy for the next couple of days, so you'll have to wait for Chapter 4. It's worth it, I promise! Thanks for reading, please review!