The temple's collapse thundered like a god's wrath, a deafening roar that shook the mountain to its jagged core. Captain Hanna Calico sprinted across the rocky shore, her torch snuffed by the wind's howl, her tawny cat fur matted with sweat and dust, claws digging into stone as she ran, "Move, ye louts. It's the ship or ye death!"

  Her crew pounded behind her, boots slipping on wet shale and seaweed, a ragged band of survivors, cats, grizzlies, reptiles, and vermin, clutching their loot. Titus Claw charged ahead, the strange, bare creature slung over his grizzly shoulder, his massive paws kicking up grit as he growled, "Keep up, ya slow curs!"

  Maggie scampered beside him, her squirrel tail bushy with panic, clutching a splintered chair and glass shards, her chirpy voice trembling, "Oh no, oh no, I'm so sorry, Captain, it just went boom!"

  Sslsistar dragged a battered desk, its drawers full of papers and odd metal tools, her reptile scales flashing as she hissed, "Shut yer yap, damned Castor squirrel, yer fault we're runnin'!"

  Gunnie lumbered along, the capybara's pipe smoldering, hefting a weird case and a bag of bottles, his powder monkeys snatching black binders and bandages, their loot a chaotic trove from the temple's last gasp. Cornell Plume trailed, his parakeet feathers ruffled, arms clutching a bunch of books, muttering scholarly curses.

  They scrambled aboard, claws and paws scarring the slick deck, the wind whipping their fur and scales. The crew piled their haul, desk, chair, case, papers, vials, in a haphazard heap. Hanna seized the helm, her cat tail lashing like a whip, her voice cutting through the gale. "Titus, lock that thing in the brig. I don't want it loose 'til we sort this mess!"

  Titus nodded, "Aye, Captain. Down it goes."

  He stomped below, the unconscious thing bouncing against his back, his fur bristling with unease, no fur, no claws, just a soft, pinkish lump that didn't fit any Athenian mold. Hanna turned to Cornell, who fluttered up, spectacles misty with spray, his feathers twitching as he adjusted them.

  "Plume, where do we unload this junk?" she asked, nodding at the crew's spoils strewn across the deck, the desk, the chair with one leg snapped, the weird, shaped case, papers fluttering like wounded birds, the books and a large bag full of weird items. "And what in Chaos's name do we do with that thing down below?"

  Cornell smoothed his feathers with a claw, peering over his lenses with a scholar's calm, his voice a high-class drawl, "Leago, Captain," He said, "week's sail west, a pirate den rough as barnacles and twice as greedy. They'll buy this rubbish without a blink. Call it 'temple relics' and jack the price to the stars. As for that... anomaly below? Everyone would pay gold to simply gawk at it," He thought for a moment, "The Avians might even want carve it up and study its innards, I'd wager."

  Hanna's lip curled, her voice dropping low and cold, her claws flexing as memories clawed at her—bordellos, chains, leers, "Sell it? "she hissed, "Put it on a block like some slave? I didn't break free o' that hell to chain somethin' else, Cornell, not even a freak like that."

  Cornell tilted his head, unruffled, his beak clicking softly, "Just a practical suggestion, Captain, not a moral stance, profit over puzzles. Leago thrives on the strange, but as always, it's your call."

  She snorted, turning to the crew, her voice a whipcrack, "Set sail for Leago! Full speed, I want this disaster of a hunt at our backs!" quiet, and to herself, "May it not be the waste of our resources as I fear!"

  Sslsistar slithered to the foredeck, her scales flashing as she barked, "Haul the anchor, ye lazy bilge rats! Rig the sails! Mainsail up, jibs out, tight and fast! Move, or I'll flay yer hides and stitch 'em into the canvas!"

  The crew leapt, cats hauling ropes, dogs trimming sails, reptiles coiling lines. Maggie scurried up the rigging, her squirrel paws quick, humming as she tied knots, while Gunnie grunted, nodding his monkeys to secure the cannons. The anchor chain clanked, dripping seawater, and the sails snapped taut, billowing with the wind's fury. The Silver Girl surged forward, its timbers groaning as it sliced through the waves.

  Hanna lingered at the helm, her cat ears twitching as she watched her crew, a motley mix of the Five Kingdoms, bound by salt, grit and history. She jerked her head at Sslsistar, "Come, take the helm, Sslsistar" She ordered, "I need to check our prize."

  * * *

  The brig was a dank, shadowed hole belowdecks, its iron bars rusted from years of salt and neglect, the air thick with mildew and the creak of the ship. The creature lay sprawled on the damp planks, still unconscious, its bare, pinkish hide streaked with grime and blood from a gash on its brow, its chest rising shallowly. Hanna crouched outside the cell, her cat ears flicking as the ship rocked, her torch casting flickering shadows across its alien form. Titus loomed behind, arms crossed over his large, grizzly chest, his snout wrinkling as he stared.

  "What in the nine hells is it, Captain?" he growled, his voice a low rumble that vibrated the bars. "No fangs, no scales, no fur worth a damn, looks like somethin' Corruption spat out and forgot to finish. Ain't no cat, dog, bear, reptile, hell, even them bird scholars'd scratch their beaks at this."

  Hanna tilted her head, green eyes narrowing as she studied it, her tail swaying slow and thoughtful.

  "Beats me, Titus," she mumbled, "ain't like any Athenian I've crossed blades with. Too soft, too... bare. Cornell's prattlin' 'bout that prophecy, 'stranger' this, 'new age' that, but I ain't buyin' it yet. Could be a trick, could be a curse."

  Titus snorted, his claws flexing, his grizzly bulk shifting as he leaned closer, "Prophecy or not, it's a curse waitin' to happen. Look at it, floppin' there like a gutted fish. We should slit its throat and toss it to the sharks, clean and done. Or sell it, let some fool cat parade it, some dog chew it, or some Avian study it."

  Her gaze snapped to him, hard as steel, her voice a sharp hiss that cut through the damp.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  "You as well, Titus?" she said annoyed, "Cornell suggested the same damned thing. You'd put a price on it? After what we crawled outta chains, whips, bordellos? I clawed for my freedom, bled for it, ain't lockin' no one else in that pit, freak or not."

  He shifted, his grizzly bulk creaking the floorboards, meeting her stare with a low growl, though his ears dipped slightly, "Ain't sayin' it's pretty, Captain, just sayin' it's sense. Don't even know if it's worth keepin' alive. I mean look at that hide, soft as a kit's belly. Ain't no fighter, no use to us."

  Hanna's claws tapped her cutlass hilt, her eyes flicking back to the creature, her voice firm, "Alive's alive, "she said, "might be a freak, but it's got a pulse, and that's somethin'. Wake it up, I wanna hear what it's got to say for itself. Might be more than it looks."

  Titus shrugged, lumbering to a barrel of rainwater lashed to the wall, his grizzly paws prying the lid with a creak. He scooped a bucketful, the water sloshing, and flung it over the creature, soaking its strange, loose hide, the splash pooling on the planks. For a heartbeat, nothing—then it twitched, coughed, sputtered, and jolted upright, choking and flailing like a fish on a hook.

  "Where—what—" William rasped, eyes wild as he scrambled back against the bars, slipping on the wet floor, His bare hands clawing at nothing.

  He looked up and froze, staring up at Titus's towering grizzly form, standing holding a bucket with an annoyed look over his grizzly face wearing pants and a vest, and he lets out a scream. High, raw, ragged with terror, echoing off the brig's walls. His gaze darted to Hanna, he looked her over for a split second, tall as he was, female, wearing what William could only call a pirate outfit, she looked as if she was a mix between a woman and a calico cat with neither trait being dominate and he screamed again, scrambling to his feet only to stumble and crash back down losing his footing on the rocking boat. He looked back at Hanna, trembling, "What the hell is this," he said with deep confusion, "What the Fuck are you! Where the fuck am I?"

  Hanna's ears flattened, her patience thinning, her tail swinging with annoyance as she crouched closer, torchlight glinting off her cutlass.

  "What in Chaos's name are you, ye yowlin' fool?," she demanded.

  "FUCK!?! You can talk!" William yelped with surprised!

  "Of course I can talk, ya, damned cur," she said more pissed then before, "now give me my answers before I run ya through on my steel, what are ya? Who are ya?"

  Willaim ran a shaky hand through its dripping hair, coughing up water as he steadied himself against the bars, his voice hoarse, still in shock, "I'm William, William Dearborn, doctor. From LA, Los Angeles, ya know? I don't know what happened. One minute I'm in my office, doing some paperwork, next thing everything's shakin', lights goin' nuts, and I'm here with," he motions towards the duo, "whatever the hell you freaks are! What's with the getup? You escape from Pirates of the Carribean, or is this some furry convention that's gone off the damn rails?"

  Hanna bristled, her claws flexing, her voice a low growl, "This is The Silver Girl, my ship, and we ain't in costumes, pinky. That temple ya fell outta, some old relic my crew poked, spat ya here with all yer junk. Desk, chair, that weird, shaped box thing, it's ours now. So, answer me straight, what are ya, really?"

  William, leaning against the bars despite the water dripping down his face, his tone sharpening with defiance, "I'm Human, with a side of sarcasm and a damn good reason to be pissed. What are you, Puss in Boots and Gentle Ben? Where the hell am I? Narnia? Oz? Some kinda messed-up zoo with swords?" William started to pace the floor, "No. No. I must have had some sort of brain aneurysm, and this is my Jacob's Ladder scenario. Who would have thought my dying brain would send me to a pirate, furry convention." William lets out a laugh, "I've must have had more issues them I realized."

  Titus growled, stepping closer, his grizzly shadow swallowing the cell, his voice a rumbling threat.

  "Keep flappin' that mouth, pinky, and I'll carve ya a new one, right below the neck."

  William smirked, unfazed, waved his hand dismissably at Titus, "Yeah, yeah, Pooh Bear, what are you gonna go? cuddle me to death? Too late, cause I'm already dead apparently. My brain just hasn't caught up yet."

  Hanna held up a paw, cutting Titus off before he could threaten William again, her voice steady but sharp, "Human? Never heard o' it. Not cat, not dog, not grizzly, reptile, bird, or vermin. Ya ain't from Athena, that's damn sure. What's this 'LA' ya yammerin' 'bout?"

  William threw his hands up, his sarcasm thick, "Why the fuck not? I'll play along till my heart stops. Los Angeles, California," Hanna stares at William without any recognition, "Earth! You know, The real world? Not this talking-zoo bullshit that's in my head. Big city, bigger assholes—none of which had cats with swords or grizzlies with anger issues. Just smog, traffic, and patients who'd rather die than pay."

  Titus snorted, his claws flexing, his grizzly snout curling, "He's done cracked, Captain, spoutin' nonsense like a bird scholar gone mad. Let me snap his neck, save us the babble."

  William shot him a sidelong grin, leaning forward, his voice taunting, "Try it, Smokey, you'd probably be doing me a favor!"

  Hanna's ears twitched, her mind racing, her tail swaying as she studied him, "He's a smartass, not mad, confused though, got steel under that yap. Ya said yer office; that's the junk we hauled out? How'd ya end up in that temple, pinky?"

  William's faltered, his voice edging with frustration as he wiped water from his brow and sighed, "I...I don't know? Everything started vibrating, then lights went crazy, some bubble of light thing swallowed me, and boom, I'm here with you Zootopia rejects, wherever the hell this is.

  Hanna straightened, her voice hard as iron, her green eyes piercing, "Yer on my ship, in my brig. I'm Hanna Calico, captain o' The Silver Girl. This is Titus, my first mate. We're Athenians, not whatever yer used to, pinky. That temple's all we've got o' ya, so start makin' sense or ya stay here 'til ya rot."

  William chuckled, a dry, bitter sound, leaning back against the bars, "Athenians, huh? That's a cute name for a furry pirate gang," he sighs and waves his hand, "That 'junk', my office, by the way, had my whole damn life in it. My guitar, desk, medical kit, the works. Hope you're enjoying my stuff, Captain Whiskers."

  Titus bared his teeth, his growl vibrating the bars, his grizzly paws flexing, "Show some respect, ye furless runt, or I'll run ya through and toss the scraps to the fish, let the crabs sort ya out."

  William threw a mock salute, dripping sarcasm, his grin widening, "Aye, aye, Yogi," he said mockingly, "didn't mean to ruffle your fur, or your ego."

  Hanna smirked despite herself, her tail flicking, but before Titus could retort, a shout cut through from above.

  "Captain!"

  Everyone turns to the new face as a scruffy vermin from Gunnie's crew, poked his rat-like head down the hatch, whiskers twitching nervously, "Ship on the horizon, comin' fast!"

  Hanna frowned, straightening, her ears pinning back, "That doesn't make sense? We're way off the trade currents, shouldn't be any traffic out here. What kinda ship?"

  The rat shrugged, his paws fidgeting, "Too far to tell, Captain—movin' faster'n it should, though."

  She exchanged a glance with Titus, then jabbed a claw at William, her voice sharp, "This ain't over, pinky—yer explainin' more when I'm back."

  William looked at his hands in mocked horror, "I'm not pink," he said, "I tan regularly. I'm more of a toasty brown."

  Titus snarled as they climbed the ladder, his claws gouging the wood, his grizzly growl low, "I hate that bastard, mouthy little shit. I'd gut him for sport if ya'd let me, Captain."

  Hanna's tail flicked, her mind turning, her voice thoughtful, "He's a thorn, alright," she said, "but there's steel under that yap, ain't scared enough to be useless. I wanna know what he's worth, Titus, somethin' 'bout him don't sit right."

  Titus growled, "Everthin' about him don't sit right."

  Hanna lets out a short laugh, "Aye, Titus. Aye."

  They reached the quarterdeck, where Sslsistar waited, her reptile scales glinting in the torchlight as rain lashed the deck, her whip swaying as she thrust a monocular telescope into Hanna's paws.

  "Take a gander, Captain, somethin's off 'bout it. Gives me the creeps."

  Hanna raised the glass, squinting through the storm's haze, her cat ears flattening as she focused. A shape loomed, too distant for detail, but its silhouette twisted her gut, black sails hung ragged, dripping like wet rot, the hull low and dark, as if dredged from the abyss. A shiver crawled up her spine, colder than the wind, she'd seen wrecks, raiders, war cutters, but this was death afloat, a ghost from tavern tales swapped over rum.

  "Full sail!" she barked, dropping the scope with a clatter, her voice a roar over the storm. "That's no trader and we're not lettin' it catch us!"

  Sslsistar sprang into action, her voice a whip across the deck, "All hands, full sail! Haul the sheets, ye louts, move or we're bones! Every scrap o' canvas, now!" The crew scrambled, cats hauling ropes, dogs trimming sails, reptiles coiling lines. Gunnie grunted, nodding his crew to the cannons. Sslsistar turned to Maggie, "Do your thing, Castor!"

  Maggie nodded and scurried up the rigging, her squirrel tail bouncing as she went. Maggie reached and hopped up into the crow's nest, she placed her fingertips together as if in prayer, she closes her eyes and mutters a few words, the wind around her started to pick up. She raised her hands up over her head, the air whipped everything about her, then she thrusted her hand out in front of her. The wind followed her movement, and The Silver Girl surged forward, its bow slicing the swells, timbers groaning as the magical wind howled.

  Hanna gripped the rail, claws digging into wood, staring back at the distant ship, too far to fight, too close to dismiss, a myth turned flesh hunting them. The stranger in her brig, the temple's collapse, now this, something older was closing in, and she'd be damned if it sank her ship.