Hello everybody, I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, life just got in the way, but its hear now and I promise chapter 5 is not far off. Please enjoy the next Chapter in PAW Patrol: The Wellermen.
Chapter 4
I woke up the next morning in the captain's cabin. I walked out onto the deck of the ship and looked out over the glimmering sea. I had always liked the ocean: the sound of the waves, the salty air, the sun making the water shine. I smiled and filled my lungs with the salty ocean air.
"Morning, Captain. How was your first night at sea?" Jack asked, walking up to me.
"It was different than I'm used to, I'll say that," I said.
"Aye, understandable. So, where to, Cap?" Jack said.
"Pardon?" I said.
"You're the captain. Where do you want to go?"
"Oh, well, if we're a whaling ship, then we should go where the whales are most abundant, right?" I said.
"Aye, Captain. Oy, Hunter—oh, where is that dog? HUNTER!" Jack yelled.
"Oy, I'm coming, Jack," the dog named Hunter said.
Hunter grabbed a rope in his mouth and swung down from the rigging.
"What do you need, Jack?"
"Where be the whales at this time of year?" Jack said.
"Well, let's see… Oh, where'd I put my charts?" Hunter said, searching for his whaling charts.
"Hunter's our whale tracker. He's been studying the whales' migration patterns for the past seven years," Jack said.
"Okay, let's see. At this time of year, the whales would be up north," Hunter said, looking at his map.
"North? Where exactly are you thinking of, Hunter?" I asked.
"Places like Iceland or the coast of Norway," Hunter said.
"Right then! Tops, gallants, royals—loose all! We sail for the northern waters!" I shouted to the crew.
"Aye, Captain," responded the crew.
I watched as the crew worked their magic. Never in a million years would I have dreamed of being a captain of a ship like this. And yet there I was, with the wind in my fur and the salty air in my lungs, sailing with my crew.
"Hey, Jack," I said.
"Yes, Captain," responded Jack.
"If I'm going to be a good captain, then I should get to know my crew. Savvy?" I said in my best sailor accent.
"Aye, Captain," Jack said.
"Would you introduce me to everyone?" I asked.
"Sure thing, Cap," Jack said.
We started to explore the ship. Eventually, we came upon an old white lab sharpening some whale harpoons.
"What be your name, sailor?" I asked.
The dog said nothing but instead made some sign language with his paws. I looked at Jack with confusion.
"Uh, he's a mute, sir. Been like that since birth. His name's, uh, Cottontail, sir," Jack said.
"Huh. What's your job on the ship, Mr. Cottontail?" I asked.
Cottontail made some more sign language. I looked at Jack for the interpretation.
"He's one of our main whale harpooners. He's silent, so he can sneak up on 'em, you see," Jack said.
"I see. Well, I look forward to working with you, Cottontail, sir," I said.
We kept on walking. Soon, we came upon a middle-aged golden lab looking at some astronomy equipment and a young cocker spaniel reading a map of the world's oceans.
"And here we have Max and Star," Jack said.
"Mr. Max, what is your job?" I asked.
"Oh, Captain, sir! Uh, my job is navigating the dog at the helm with my maps. In other words, I tell him where to go. My maps never fail," Max said proudly.
"No, no, no. You've got it all wrong, Max. The stars guide you," said the lab named Star.
"Aye, again, Star. The stars don't tell you where to go—they can't speak," Max said.
"Maps don't speak either, and they can be written wrong. The stars are a sailor's map," Star said.
"Are you saying that my maps are inaccurate?" Max growled.
"Maybe," Star taunted.
"Whoa, stop that, you two. Now, I don't know how my father handled your bickering, but I won't tolerate it. I don't care how you navigate the ship—just make it work, okay?" I said sternly.
"Yes, Captain," Star and Max said, lowering their heads.
"Oy, Reef, how's everything look up there?" Jack shouted.
"All calm waters, and no whales yet," the dog named Reef shouted from the crow's nest.
"Let me guess: Reef's job is to watch the weather and look for whales?" I said.
"Yup. Reef's got the keenest vision of us all," Jack said.
"I see. Is there anyone else on the crew?" I asked.
"Yeah. Up there on the rigging, we have Bay and Skipper. And over there on the bow is old Pete—he's the ship's shanty pup," Jack said.
"Shanty pup?" I said with confusion.
"Aye. He sings old sea shanties to keep the crew entertained."
"Interesting," I said.
"Yeah. Hey, Pete, sing The Wellerman for us," Jack said.
"Aye, that's a classic," Pete said in his deep Great Dane voice.
Old Pete started to tap a slow, steady rhythm on his drum.
"There once was a ship that put to sea
The name of that ship was the Billy O' Tea..."
By now, the whole crew was singing along.
I smiled at the song and tapped my paw along with the beat. I watched the crew as they worked and swayed to the song at the same time.
"No line was cut, no whale was freed
The captain's mind was not of greed
And he belonged to the whaleman's creed
She took that ship in tow (Huh)
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguing is done
We'll take our leave and go
Da-da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da-da
Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da
For forty days or even more
The line went slack, then tight once more
All boats were lost; there were only four
But still, that whale did go (Huh)
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguing is done
We'll take our leave and go
As far as I've heard, the fight's still on
The line's not cut, and the whale's not gone
The Wellerman makes his regular call
To encourage the captain, crew, and all (Huh)
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguing is done
We'll take our leave and go
Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguing is done
We'll take our leave and go," sang old Pete.
I smiled again and looked out over the ocean.
"Captain Zuma, sir," Jack said.
"Yeah, Jack," I said.
"Would you like to steer the ship for a while?" Jack said.
My smile faded, and my eyes grew wide. I stepped up to the helm with a look of wonder on my face. I put my paws on the ship's wheel. I smiled and looked out at my crew, who were all smiling at me.
"Captain at the helm," Jack said.
Jack handed me my father's captain's hat. I slowly put it on.
"Full sail, dogs! We sail for Norway," I shouted.
"Aye, Captain!" shouted the crew.
This was my new life, and I liked it. And that was just the beginning of my adventures to come.
Zuma's off, off to Norway to find his first whale. What will happen next? Come back next time to find out.