Once the job was done, both Zak and Zebedee parted ways to their other respected jobs. Zebedee relaxed as a wave of relief washed over him, grateful Zak hadn't picked up that Wildmask was hiding under his hat. He checked the time to see if he could take a break to let Wildmask stretch her legs. Unfortunately, it wasn't near his break time yet. However, he had another job to do and out of all the tugs he was least expecting to work with, he was working with the Star Tugs. The two fleets had agreed to share the duties regarding this certain contract with a company upriver. Sometimes it was needed to set aside differences for the better benefit of each other. The Stars couldn't handle this on their own by any means. The company was a major company from that area, and there was plenty of work to go around for both of the fleets.
At least he could feel more relaxed with the Stars knowing Wildmask would be safe with them if something happened, or if she was discovered by the Stars. He chuffed softly before making his way to the Star Dock. Sunshine, and Big Mac were already waiting for him.
"Nice to see you again, Zebedee. Captain Zero seems to be going rather easy on you today isn't he? I haven't heard him yell at anyone today." Sunshine chuffed as a greeting as his towline twitched a little bit. Zebedee was quick to return the greeting, chuffing softly. He hinted a slight smile and chuckled softly at the switcher. He had grown to have an admiration for the Star Fleet since the two fleets agreed to share the duties of this contract. He was grateful that the two fleets wouldn't have to fight over the contract this time.
"And to you too, pipsqueak." Zebedee snickered softly. "Zero's in a good mood today. That's for sure. I'm savoring it while it lasts." He felt Wildmask stir under his hat a little bit. She was likely getting restless or had just woken from a nap. Either way, he had to let her out from under his hat soon. He couldn't keep her under his hat all day. She needed to stretch her legs a bit. He knew he could trust these two, but could he trust the others?
"Very funny, Zebedee, very funny." Sunshine rolled his eyes at the Zed-Stack. He was used to Zebedee's sense of humor by this point. He knew the Zed-Stack well, and Zebedee knew the small switcher well in return. It was mutual understanding between the two of them. Big Mac cleared his throat to interrupt their conversation. The two tugs looked over at Big Mac. As usual, Big Mac was stone-faced. It was rare to see a smile on Big Mac's face, but it was always a pleasant surprise.
"Alright, enough joking about. We have work to do." Big Mac began to head for the river. Sunshine and Zebedee followed behind. Zebedee kept a close eye on the two Star Tugs, deep in thought. He'd rather not let Wildmask out from under his hat out here, not out in the port. Yet, he knew the two Star Tugs would see her, and who knows what would happen if they saw her. However, he knew they were trustworthy. Either way, he had to let Wildmask out to let her stretch her legs.
Wildmask was growing restless beneath Zebedee's hat. She could hardly see anything, and she wanted to walk around and stretch a bit. There was only so much she could do here. She stretched her arms and back a bit, which helped a little bit. She could hear him talking to a couple of other tugs. She wasn't exactly sure who they were. However, it seemed Zebedee knew them for quite some time, as at least he and another tug were joking with each other along the way to wherever they were going. She settled down with a huff, rolling from one side to the other, giggling softly as Zebedee's hair tickled her nose a little bit. She sneezed and sniffled a little.
Sunshine almost immediately perked up at the sound of what he thought was a squeak. He looked back at Zebedee.
"You alright, Zeb? You're not harboring any mice are you?" Sunshine chuckled softly. Zebedee nearly froze. Sunshine had heard her sneeze, a dead giveaway that he was hiding her in plain sight. He had to come up with something fast. They were close to where they needed to be and were surrounded by trees. There was a slight breeze blowing and the branches of the trees squeaked and groaned. That was when it hit him.
"Eh, no, must have been the trees squeaking when the branches rub together in the breeze. I don't care much for mice that much, barely even a snack to me." Zebedee replied, hoping Sunshine would buy it. Sunshine looked up at the trees. The branches squeaked as they collided with one another and between the trees. Zebedee did have a point. It did sound awfully similar to the branches blowing in the wind.
"That is true. Well, must've been the wind like you said." Sunshine hinted a grin. Zebedee relaxed, relieved Sunshine had bought it. Zebedee knew he couldn't hide her for long. It wouldn't be long before he would start smelling like her, and the other tugs would become suspicious of him. He couldn't just leave her out in the cold like that. He was probably the only one who had shown her kindness. He had to keep her safe for the time being.
The three tugs did eventually reach their destination. It was a small area rather secluded from the small town close to the river, making it a perfect resting spot for the tugs. The whole river was teeming with life, trees line the banks as squirrels barked away at the presence of the tugs, knowing the tugs were predators and alerting the other animals nearby. Zebedee rolled his eyes at one of the squirrels sitting on a branch as it's tail twitched. It's eyes never leaving him. He rarely ever returned to upriver after he had lost Shadowpelt, unless he had to return here of course.
The memories began to run through his mind as he worked with the two Star Tugs. Every scent, sound, and touch was a memory to him. The feeling of Shadowpelt's presence, the cool of the night, and the sound of the crickets chirping under the full moon… He remembered it all, all the way down to the first time he had met Shadowpelt. He quickly brought his focus back to his work and shook it off. It was time to work, not reminisce on the shadows of the past. However, it was clear he was in pain. He wanted to get this job over with so he could mourn in peace. He never wanted to come back here. It was nearly too much to bear.
He knew he had to focus on work and keeping Wildmask safe and sound. He needed to stay strong for her. He couldn't let himself wallow in his grief. He had to keep moving. He needed to do it for her. Once it was around breaktime, the three tugs stopped their work, and talked with each other for a bit. Zebedee knew he had to feed Wildmask on his break, which meant the Stars would find out regardless of rumor or discovering her. He nervously fiddled with his claws. He needed to let them know of the current situation.
"Eh.. I may need to show you something. I can trust you both with a secret can't I? You trust me with your secrets, so can I trust you with mine?" Zebedee's towline twitched a little bit as he looked at the two tugs. The two tugs looked at each other before looking at Zebedee.
"What kind of scheme are you planning this time, Zebedee?" Big Mac narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Even after the meeting between Hercules and Zorran, Big Mac harbored some bitter resentment towards the Zed-Stacks. Zebedee couldn't blame him. They didn't exactly didn't have a good history with one another, but hopefully, Big Mac would be willing to set those differences aside for the sake of the safety of Wildmask. Zebedee sighed.
"It's not a scheme, Big Mac, I promise. I just found something and I need to know if I can trust you two with it." Zebedee had to be very careful with how to approach the subject. He didn't want to outright tell them he had found a young girl and had taken her under his wing for the time being. This seemed to only make Big Mac more suspicious as his tow line lashed back and forth like an agitated cat's tail. Zebedee held back a growl. He didn't want to escalate the situation.
"I want no part of it, Zebedee.." Big Mac growled softly. Zebedee rolled his eyes. So much for that. He might as well show him instead. He reached under his hat before gently grabbing Wildmask and gently placing her on his deck. Big Mac's expression went from agitation to realization within seconds. Big Mac looked down at Wildmask, absolutely stunned. The young girl immediately backed up against Zebedee, practically clinging to him out of fear as she looked up at the Star Tug.
"I found her last night out in the cold. She doesn't have any family to run to." Zebedee paused for a moment. "I think by the way she told me that her adoptive parents were.. forcibly removed from the face of the Earth." He had to be careful with explaining what had happened to the girl's parents. He didn't want her to know what had happened to them. Although, he could only imagine what she had seen during that time. If she was lucky, she would have just returned home and saw the aftermath and not the actual murder.
Big Mac's expression grew soft at the sight of the frightened child. His voice went from his loud and gruff voice to a soft and gentle tone. "Hey.. it's alright. We aren't going to hurt you, we promise. We're the nice guys, okay?"
He watched as Wildmask slowly relaxed, still hanging onto Zebedee. She slowly let go of Zebedee and gradually, if not cautiously, made her way towards Big Mac. It was clear she was still hesitant, but she knew she could trust Zebedee. She knew he wouldn't let anything or anyone hurt her. Big Mac gently reached for her with his anchor-like claws. It took everything Zebedee had in him to not snatch Wildmask and snarl at Big Mac. He wasn't sure why he felt so protective towards her. All he knew was that she needed to be looked after for the time being. Yet, he was reluctant to let her go. He was becoming attached to her. Something he didn't want exactly, but it wasn't much of a surprise. It didn't take much for him to become attached to her. Unless, there was something about her that he could sense. He couldn't quite put his claw on it.
"It's alright, lass. I've got you." Big Mac crooned softly before holding her close. He quickly checked her over for wounds. It seemed Zebedee was doing a good job at keeping her safe in the meantime. He looked at Zebedee, who didn't seem exactly happy that he was holding Wildmask. Big Mac was quick to take the hint and placed her back on Zebedee's bow. At least Zebedee was protective of her. Perhaps a little too protective.
Wildmask peered over Zebedee's bow and looked down at the switcher. Sunshine looked up and chuffed before giving her a freindly smile, showing only one front fang. Wildmask couldn't help but giggle at the sight. Sunshine purred softly, happy that Wildmask was becoming comfortable with them.
"You have any plans to give her to the authorities? Or are you planning on choosing her as your Rider, Zebedee?" Big Mac's gaze never left Wildmask. Her scent was so familiar . He couldn't quite figure out why. She almost smelled like a mix between Captain Zero and a Rider he once knew. That could be the reason why Zebedee took to her so quickly. Zebedee shook his head.
"Not sure yet.. I'd hate to part with her. I've already grown attached." Zebedee looked down at her, watching her closely as she explored around his deck. If she ever left his sight, he was quick to gently wrap his tow line around her before placing her back into his sight. Big Mac sighed. He had figured Zebedee had grown too attached to her by this point, and to be fair, it wouldn't be fair to Wildmask to be sepereated from the one tug she considered family.
"We'll keep her a secret, but if anyone finds out, we'll answer any questions the captains ask us, alright?" Big Mac glanced down at Sunshine, making sure he had heard him in their agreement. This child had nowhere else to go. Zebedee was the only home she had left.
"No point in hiding it if the captains find out, but we'll keep quiet about it. She needs to rest up a bit. She still looks a bit weak, Zebedee. Make sure she's fed and everything. If you need anyone to watch over her, don't hesitate to ask. I'll gladly watch over her if you ever need to answer any distress calls out on the sea." Sunshine grinned. He watched Wildmask as she climbed up Zebedee's wheelhouse and slipped under his hat, retreating back to her hiding place. At least she was strong enough to lift her own body weight while climbing, yet she wasn't exactly at full strength yet. Big Mac broke the silence when he cleared his throat, a rough rumbling within his chest.
"I suggest we get back to work. The captains aren't patient men." Big Mac shifted his gaze to Zebedee. Zebedee grunted in acknowledgement and together, the three of them returned to work.
