Post by Fox on Oct 29, 2020 14:20:33 GMT -5
A quiet little hamlet sat nestled in the furthest reaches of the North Blue. This village was called Tikki Town. It was seldom bothered by pirates due to being the home of an active marine, but also due to the fact that it was part of the Kingdom of Lyneel. On a little plot of land just outside of Tikki Town was the home of the Hertz family.
Bursting out of the front door came the only daughter of the Hertz family, Wolfric. A smile stretched from ear to ear on her face as she bolted outside. She had short, wild silver hair and only one shoe on her feet. A woman’s tired voice followed after her.
“Wolfric, come back, sweetie!” A woman with long, straight silver hair called out. Her face was pale and gaunt. As if plagued with some illness. Wolfric whirled around and stuck out her tongue at her mother.
“Nyah! Gotta catch me first!”
“You…” Her mother clutched the child’s shoe in her hand tightly. “BRAT!”
Wolfric’s eyes widened in fear as she darted around all serpentine to avoid what she knew was coming. Her efforts were in vain, however, because her mother’s laser-like aim had already locked on to the back of her head. The shoe went flying, and Wolfric went down.
Dragging back into the house by the scruff of her neck, Wolfric pouted as her mother sat her back on her lap. Her mother issued a heavy sigh and slipped the other shoe onto Wolfric’s foot.
“What am I going to do with you?” She murmured softly.
“Hmph!” Wolfric sniffled and turned away.
“Why do you act like this? Your father loves you, sweetie. That’s why he’s coming home for your birthday.”
“Yeah? And where was he for the other days?!” Wolfric snapped, earning her a hard bonk on the head from her mother’s fist. “Ouch!”
“You know he’s busy, sweetie,” her mother petted her tenderly.
“Too busy for us…” Wolfric sniffled again, fighting back the tears that burned her eyes. She braced herself for coming blow from her mother. But, when it never came, Wolfric cautiously peeked up. Her mother gazed off somewhere with an absent sadness. Wolfric pouted angrily. That was all Dad’s fault!
It was a half second later when her mother noticed her expression. She put her hand on Wolfric’s face and managed a smile.
“Being a Marine makes him leave a lot, but he’s doing good-“
Wolfric pushed against her mother and jumped off of her lap, turning and standing defiantly. “I don’t care! I’m gonna be a pirate! Hehe, that’ll show him!”
Her mother’s face darkened. Wolfric squeaked with fear and bolted for the door. She flopped onto the floor when her mother caught her by her collar. Wolfric peeked up at her mother hesitantly. Her mother’s patented demon eyes bored holes into her soul and made her squirm.
“Nooooooooo!”
Stepping into the afternoon sunshine, Wolfric trudged out of her house, sniffling weakly. Her mother appeared behind her, petting her softly on her bruised head.
“Be back before dark, okay? There might be a surprise waiting!”
Wolfric peeked up a little and glanced back.
“Surprise? A good one?”
“Yes! So be good, sweetie,” She replied, kneeling down and grinning.
Wolfric’s face lit up as she nodded enthusiastically. Bouncing away and ignoring the pain in her booty, she happily dashed off toward town, picking up a stick along the way.
Her mother watched her before sucking back into their house and sitting down on the couch. She looked at a picture sitting on the table beside it. In it, there were three people. One was her with Wolfric when she was a baby in her arms. The other was a tall, tanned man with black hair in a Marine uniform.
“Oh Vaun...she’s growing up so fast…” she muttered softly, taking hold of the picture gently, “She’s just like you.”
Meanwhile, running down the Main Street of Tikki Town was Wolfric. Rushing by people, nearly knocking some of the citizens over. Angry shouts filled the air, only making Wolfric giggle to herself. Through the alleys and down to the harbor! She crawled through a hole in a fence, moving aside the piece of metal covering it. And there it was! The pirate ship!
“They’re still here! Yes!” Wolfric cheered as she swiftly ran down to the docks.
“Hey! Heeeey!”
A familiar face looked over the railing of the ship and smiled at her.
“Hey Captain! The kid’s back for more!”
“Oh yeah? Kid doesn’t know when to quit,” came a reply as laughter erupted from the deck. A figure dropped down to the docks, landing expertly. A woman with fiery red hair and dark skin looked down at Wolfric. She wore a captain’s jacket and had a blue feather braided into part of her hair.
“I challenge you, Ember! I’m eight years old now, so you gotta take me serious!” Wolfric said confidently as she pointed her stick at the woman.
Ember’s twisted up, trying to suppress a fit of laughter. “Goddammit, kid! You are too CUTE!” Ember’s fist came slamming into Wolfric’s cheek, sending her careening several feet and splashing down into the water.
“Oops…” Ember mumbled.
“Captain, are you crazy?! That’s the third time this week! Poor kid probably has a concussion by now…” Ember’s first mate Tygan called down.
“I can’t help it! She’s just too precious! Ugh, hold this.” Tossing her jacket up, Ember dove into the water. Wolfric sunk slowly, dazed from the punch. Strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her back up into the air.
Wolfric gasped as her head broke the surface of the water, dizzy.
“Ember...we didn’t even make the bet yet…” Wolfric whined weakly.
Chuckling, Ember pulled them both up back onto the docks and sat Wolfric down beside her.
“Okay, kiddo, what’s the bet?”
Wolfric sniffled and held up the stick she’d clung to. “If I win...I get to be captain!”
Ember looked at Wolfric’s dead serious face while a dead serious stare of her own. Before it started to deteriorate rapidly.
“Pffffffffffffffbbbbt!” Ember couldn’t help herself. She burst out laughing. “Oh my god! I can’t!” Another fist went flying...and so did Wolfric.
Splash!
Sopping wet and battered, Wolfric sat on a tree stump while Ember’s doctor looked over her. She winced a little as he dabbed at the scratches on her head from her rough landing and bandaged it. Wolfric sniffed and smiled at him.
“Thanks, Odie.”
He shook his head and ruffled her hair roughly, standing up and jabbing his thumb back at her while looking to Ember.
“All good, Captain. Try not to smash her cheeks in anymore, yeah?”
“No promises!” Ember chirped, pushing past him and plopping down beside Wolfric. Flinching, Wolfric covered her face, peeking out between the space in her arms, but Ember was looking out toward the horizon. Wolfric followed her gaze, slowly lowering her arms.
“Captain, huh? No way. That’s not something you wager, kiddo,” Ember said, patting Wolfric lightly on her head. “What’s up with that bet anyway?”
“Well, I wanna be king of the pirates! And I gotta have a crew!” Wolfric declared, bouncing to her feet.
“King of the Pirates? You? Pfffffft. Why do you wanna do that, pipsqueak?”
“It’ll piss off my old man!” Wolfric said with a devilish grin.
“You idiot,” Ember muttered with a sigh, punching Wolfric in the back of her head. Wolfric careened forward sliding through the dirt. Bouncing back up, she glared with a raised stick.
“What was that for?!”
Ember stood up and walked over to Wolfric, kneeling down so that they could talk at eye level more or less.
“Don’t do it for someone else,” Ember said, jabbing her finger lightly into Wolfric’s chest, “Do it for yourself.”
“Myself…?” Wolfric tilted her head at Ember, confused.
“Figure out your own reasons for setting sail. Once you do that...well, then maybe I’ll consider you a true pirate,” Ember replied with a grin, ruffling her hair. “Then you can tell me why you want to be the King of the Pirates and meet me on the Grand Line.”
Wolfric nodded and smiled, clutching her fists.
“Okay!”
Ember looked down at Wolfric, biting her bottom lip. Seeing that sparkle of determination in Wolfric’s eyes, it made Ember’s soul set on fire. She just couldn’t stand it anymore!
“So CUTE!”
“OW!”
Another new bruise on her cheek, Wolfric sniffled and rubbed it tenderly. Ember dusted the dirt off of her clothes, smiling.
“But hey, don’t get any big ideas. ‘Cuz it’s me who’ll be King of the Pirates,” Ember said as she booped Wolfric on the nose.
“Nuh-uh!” Wolfric spat back, darting away before Ember could sock her in the cheek again. “It’s me! Once I figure it out! So there!”
“So cute...c’mere!”
“Noooooo!”
Wolfric darted away as Ember gave chase. Odie sighed and shook his head. Tygan walked up and clapped his shoulder lightly, chuckling.
“Kid’s too cute for her own good.”
With added bumps and bruises, Wolfric marched through the evening light. Ember and the others had sent her away back home as it had been getting dark. She was big kid now! She could handle it! Wolfric rubber her cheek, wincing a bit from the pain.
“Ouchie…”
Suddenly, a loud crash erupted from the alley beside her. Peeking in cautiously, Wolfric scanned the alley. Two golden eyes stared back at her.
“Kitty!” Wolfric cheered, approaching it slowly. It mewed at her, backing away. Wolfric stopped and crouched down, extending a hand. She clicked her tongue at the cat.
It tentatively crept forward, sniffing at the air. It’s black coat shimmered in the evening light. Wolfric smiled and wiggled her fingers at it. Seemingly enticed, it crept another few steps forward. However, its ears flicked forward abruptly as its fur stood on end. It hissed and darted away into the darkness.
“Aww…”
Wolfric pouted but noticed that it had somehow gotten darker. She turned around to see two men, one holding a bag. Her eyes widened. A hand covered her mouth. She bit down as hard as she could, her arms and legs exploding into a frenzy. She shouted and growled into the man’s hand as the other came around and something was pressed to her nose.
The world swirled and went dark almost immediately after that. Her body wouldn’t move anymore. Everything just faded away. The last thing she heard were the voices of the two men.
“Damn! That hurt! Brat bit the snot out of me!”
“Stop yer bellyachin’ and let’s…”
Vaun Hertz stood at the bow of his ship, the white flag of the Marine Corps flying high above him. If he squinted hard enough, he could just make out the vague shape of Tikki Town on the horizon. He jumped for joy, clicking his heels together, as he rushed over to his first mate and helmsman.
“Kurt! Kurt look! It’s where my two precious girls live!” Vaun wiggled beside Kurt who sighed and rubbed his temples.
“I know, sir. Every man on this ship knows!”
“Looooook,” Vaun squealed, digging out the locket around his neck and popping it open. Inside was a picture of a silver haired woman and a baby.
Kurt looked. It would be fine. Cute even. If he hadn’t seen this damn picture a million times already on the way here. He sighed, dark circles forming under his eyes.
“Why are you like this…”
“Cuz I just can’t help myself when it comes to my girls! I bought Wolfie all sorts of dresses and dollies…! Such a good girl my baby is! She’s gonna be a fine marine one day!”
“Did she say she was going to?” Kurt asked with one eyebrow raised, “Last I heard she was spouting off about becoming a pirate.”
“Th-that’s just a phase! She doesn’t mean it! Selene told me so herself!”
“Well, if Selene said so…” Kurt nodded approvingly. Vaun squinted at him suspiciously. He jabbed him a few times with a finger.
“That makes it sound like you don’t trust me when I say something…”
“If I took everything you said at face value, Captain, I’d be broke with a thousand things I don’t need,” Kurt shook his head and jabbed back at Vaun, “And you’d be off in the casino, being swindled!”
Horrified, Vaun scuttled away from Kurt and curled into a little ball, pushing his fingers together. Gloom settled over him like a familiar blanket as he mumbled to himself incoherently. Kurt rolled his eyes.
“Hrm...what’s that…?” Kurt grunted as he looked to port.
Vaun dashed over to his side abruptly and pulled out a spyglass. It wasn’t the one that usually brought supplies. Looked like it was about to depart. He frowned, lowering the spyglass slowly.
“I don’t recognize that ship...it’s got a merchant flag flying...one from the Grand Line though...What’s it doing way out here…?”
“It’s not a pirate ship, so it’s really none of our business, Captain,” Kurt mumbled, trying to figure how he’d have to dock at the tiny harbor.
“Mm...I don’t like it. But...you’re right...it’s probably nothing…” Vaun scowled at the ship for a moment longer before putting the spyglass away. He had more important things to worry about right now. Such as…
“So Kurt! Lemme just show you my two darlings!”
“I’ve seen them already! Stop it!”
Having moved their ship to a hidden cove, Ember’s crew set about loading up the ship with barrels of liquor and food. Ember supervised on the beach as Tygan passed up the last of them. He turned to her.
“Sure you wanna set off like this? The kid’ll be pissed.”
“Yeah,” Ember said, looking in at the island, “If she’s mad, Wolfric can just tell me so herself. On the Grand Line.”
“Heh,” Tygan smiled and punched Ember’s tanned shoulder lightly. “Don’t blame me when you get an earful.”
“Pfft, that brat can kiss my-“
“Miss Ember!!”
A voice cut through into the relative quiet of the cove. Ember and Tygan both turned toward it. A woman stumbled onto the beach, falling flat on her face. Smiling wryly, Ember walked over and squatted down.
“Hey, Cocomi,” she said, patting the woman on the back a few times. “Where’s the fire?”
“It’s Wolfric! She’s…” Cocomi sputtered, sand in her mouth.
“That brat…” Ember shook her head and looked to Tygan who gave her an I-told-you-so look. “What did she do now?”
Ember helped Cocomi up as tears started to stream down her face. Ember and Tygan both frowned. Ember shook her lightly by the shoulders. Cocomi choked up a sob.
“She’s been taken!”
Ember and Tygan’s eyes both widened. They exchanged looks. Tygan nodded and ran back to the ship. Ember turned back to Cocomi, the fury plain on her face.
“Who did?!”
“Pirates…” Cocomi sniffled, pointing out to sea, “They came from the merchant ship…they’ve already set sail...”
“Tch!” Ember released Cocomi and rushed off to the ship, pausing mid-stride to look back at Cocomi. “We’ll get her back!”
Ember jumped up onto the ship as Tygan took the helm.
“Set sail! We have some rats to catch…”
Selene Hertz walked down the Main Street of Tikki Town slowly. A shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Under that, all she wore was a blue dress with white slippers. Wolfric hadn’t come home yet, and her worry had gotten the better of her. She shivered as the breeze passed by her, drawing her shawl closer to her as she looked around for her daughter.
“My love!”
Streaking through the evening crowd of people was a figure in white. Before she could utter a word of protest, she was swept up and spun around dramatically. Vaun gently placed her back down onto the ground. She looked up into his face, beaming with joy and love but also a hint of worry.
“Darling, you didn’t have to come out to see me. Your health is more important,” he said.
“It’s Wolfric, dear.”
“Ah! The birthday girl! Where is she? I bet she can’t wait to see her daddy! I brought presents too!”
Vaun gestured to the pile of boxes with legs behind him who grunted in response. Selene looked at it and grimaced, knowing exactly who was buried under all of that.
“Is that you, Kurt? I’m sure Wolfric will be thrilled to see Uncle Kurt,” she said, smiling apologetically. Selene yanked on Vaun’s ear and glared at him furiously. “Don’t tell me you made him carry those all of the way from the harbor…!”
“N-not all of the way…”
“Where is she anyway?” Kurt asked, setting down the crates for the time being. He glanced around. “She would have normally ambushed us by now.”
“Well...she’s not with me...she didn’t come home. So I came into town looking…” Selene murmured softly, the worry evident on her face. Abject horror appeared on Vaun’s face. At that, Selene smacked him in the face with the slipper.
“Stop panicking, Vaun! I’m sure she’s fine, but maybe she got lost.”
“Lost?!”
“Or hungry.”
“Hungry?!”
“Vaun, please.”
Selene rubbed her temples, leaning on Vaun lightly. She tried to think of all of the places where Wolfric usually frequented. She tended to play a lot in the wilderness outside of town. Maybe there? As she was thinking, an older man with grey hair rushed over to them.
“Vaun! Selene! It’s bad!”
“Norm? What is it?” Vaun asked, frowning. Norm paused for a moment to catch his breath.
“Pirates...pirates took Wolfric! Cocomi saw it!”
“What?” Vaun snapped harshly in an authoritarian tone. Selene went pale, covering her mouth. Vaun put a firm hand on Norm’s shoulder. It shook with barely restrained rage.
“Where are they?”
“The harbor!”
Turning on his heel, Vaun raced off at full speed. Kurt nodded to Selene before whirled around to catch up. Selene trembled, watching the back of her husband grow more and more distant. She held her hands to her mouth as a coughing fit suddenly struck her.
Norm moved over to support her as she fell to her knees. Selene drew her hands away and wiped the blood from her mouth.
“Mrs. Selene!”
Norm helped her back to her feet. She simply stared after her husband with one wish in mind. Bring her back.
“Are you alright?”
Ember stood on the bow of her ship, scanning the horizon with a telescope. Where? Where were those bastards?! Behind her, the crew shuffled around hastily to get them underway. They were just pulling out of the cove. It was fast, but not fast enough. Not for Ember’s tastes. Someone stomped up behind her and waited for a moment or two before speaking.
“Captain?” It was Tygan. “Do we have a heading?”
“I don’t see them,” Ember replied in a tone akin to a growl. Her fist clenched tightly, and she pressed her lips into a thin line. “Odie!”
She called up to the crow’s nest where Odie was trying to get the sails untangled. He came to attention and pulled out another scope, realizing what she wanted without even having to be told. Ember couldn’t see much, but she did see when he perked up and pointed at something in the distance.
“I see them! Off the port side! Heading southeast by east!”
“Alright, boys and girls, let’s set sail! We gotta go save that runt.”
“AYE, CAPTAIN!”
The whole crew chimed in unison. Ember let out a long slow sigh as she cooled the rage bubbling up inside of her. They weren’t going to get away with this. She’d teach them a lesson that they’d never forget. Her broiling rage cooled to an icy steel. Even the wind seemed to be on their side, filling up their sails and giving them a nice tailwind.
It wasn’t long before she could see them bobbing over the horizon. Ember climbed up on the rigging to get a better look. She could see some specks running across the deck in a panic. She grinned with a wicked delight. Like chickens with their heads cut off. Hah!
BOOM!
“Wuh?”
Ember almost fell off the rigging and flat onto the deck as a cannonball slammed into the water next to them, showering her in a spray of icy sea water. Who was firing on them? Glancing around, she saw a Marine ship of all things. What. Why now? They didn’t have time for this. The cruiser was just a bit smaller than their ship, so, of course, the Marines were gaining too. After having come out of nowhere!
More cannonballs came flying at them from the Marine ship, this time more on target than before. Ember growled and leaped from the rigging to intercept one, slashing it in half with her sabre.
“Ember!” called Tygan from down on the main deck.
“I know, I know! Let’s take care of this quick and get a move on! Fire the cannons!”
“Ready the harpoons! Prepare to board!” Vaun roared out over the din of cannon fire. The recruits under his command saluted before getting fussed at by Kurt to get a move on. The more experienced seamen already knew what to do. Rushing up the stairs to the aftcastle where Vaun was standing, Kurt leaned over the railing to look at the ship that they were chasing.
“You know who that is, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
Vaun’s tone was short. The man practically radiated anger, further evidenced by the literal storm cloud floating over his head. Kurt winced and rubbed the back of his neck. He’d never seen the Captain in a mood like this. Of course, he understood why. His kid was on the line here. Still, he had no idea why “Ruby Red” Ember would want Wolfric. What was she even doing in the North Blue? Something didn’t add up. But they also didn’t have a lot of time to think about it.
Kurt moved to the harpoon, pushing the nervous looking recruit off of it. He took aim at the rapidly approaching pirate ship, looking for somewhere the harpoon would really stick and latch on. Fortunately, he was a practiced hand at marksmanship, and it didn’t take long to find a good mark.
Bang!
“We’re latched on, Captain,” Kurt said as he turned to look at Vaun, but he was already off. Bouncing off of the clouds that he created using his Devil Fruit and over to the enemy ship. Kurt cursed under his breath. Why was he always like this? Hastily grabbing a rope, Kurt took a flying leap, swinging over the water and onto the enemy ship. He grabbed his rifle as he touched down, rolling to lessen the impact.
Good thing he did too because a blade was swinging down at his face when he looked up again. He thrust out his trusty rifle to block the blade and sprang back as more and more Marines landed beside him. They rushed forward, giving him a second to look for Vaun in the chaos. He wasn’t too difficult to spot.
Up on the bow were Captain Vaun and “Ruby Red” Ember. The crack of thunder echoed across the deck as the captain threw his storm cloud coated punches, electricity crackling over them. Somehow, Ember was managing to parry him. Kurt wasn’t sure how. Both of them were monsters.
Shaking his head, Kurt turned his attention back to the matter at hand, charging forward with the bayonet on his rifle for the nearest pirate.
With a soft groan, Wolfric opened her bright blue eyes to see the inside of a brown burlap sack. Huh? It was pretty dark, but she could see through the bag, so that must mean that it wasn’t pitch black. Wiggling around, she tried to find the opening to the bag, but she was all tangled up in herself. Giving up on finding the right way out, Wolfric opened her mouth wide and bit down on the bag, growling and tearing it open with her teeth.
She tumbled out and onto the wooden deck. Wait. Deck? She jolted to her feet and looked around. No doubt about it. She was on some dingy looking ship, trapped inside of a metal cage. The sound of lots of heavy boots rumbled overhead. She could hear some muffled shouting too, though she couldn’t make out any words. Something else was also rumbling, but in the distance. It sounded a bit like… thunder?
“Hey!”
Wolfric barked. No one seemed to hear her over the general commotion upstairs. So, she just tried again, but louder.
“HEEEEEY!”
Still nothing. Annoyed, Wolfric looked around for a way out. Oh! Hey! There was a porthole on the wall by the crate. Clambering up the bars like a little monkey, Wolfric craned her head around to get a look outside. The first thing that she saw was the crashing waves, but beyond that were two ships off on the horizon. It was easy to recognize one as a Marine ship. The other… Was that Ember’s ship?!
“Hah! Yes! You guys are in trouble now! Ember’s coming to save me!”
When her victorious cries provoked no response, she pouted and stuck out her tongue at the ceiling.
“Nyeh!”
Chuckling mischievously to herself, Wolfric turned her attention back to the porthole to see if Ember was getting any closer. She frowned. Wait. They… they were getting further away? Squinting and pressing her face up to the bars as hard as she could, she tried to make out just what they were doing. Wait… they were fighting that Marine ship!
Wait, was that her Dad’s ship? Why were they fighting?! These bozos were gonna get away with her! They couldn’t do that. What was going to happen to her? Wolfric felt a chill go down her spine as panic rose up in her chest.
“H-Hey! HEY! I’m here! Ember! Dad! S-Stop! LOOK! HEEEEEEEY! STOP FIGHTING! H-Help… Help me! HEEEEEELP!!!”
But they didn’t stop. In fact, they just got smaller and smaller until Wolfric couldn’t hardly see them anymore, and with them, her hopes. Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. Why were they fighting each other? She was over here! Right here. Sliding down the bars and onto the floor, Wolfric let out a soft, sad sigh.
“Well, now. Are you done?”
“Hrk!”
Wolfric sprang to her feet at the sudden noise, whirling around to face her captor. He was a tall grizzled man with skin tanned leather brown by long years under the sun. He had jet black hair and some very spiky looking stubble. Wolfric hastily wiped any tears from her eyes and bristled at the man.
“Let me out of here! I wanna go home!”
“Sorry, pipsqueak,” he said with a swift kick to the cage that made Wolfric topple to the ground, “That just ain’t in the cards for ya. Now sit tight and be quiet already!”
“NYEH!”
Wolfric stuck her tongue out at the man. He scowled coldly and drew his pistol. He pointed it right at her face between the eyes. Wolfric’s bravado melted away slowly as she stared at it, earning her a cruel smirk from the man.
“Not so brave now. Are you?”
The man rattled the barrel of his gun across the bars. Wolfric flinched away, which made him laugh. Shaking his head, he crouched down beside the cage, laying the gun across his knee.
“So. Here’s how this is gonna go. You’re gonna sit your ass down and keep quiet for the duration of this little voyage. Savvy?”
Wolfric swallowed hard. When she didn’t respond, he banged the gun against the bars again.
“I said… Savvy?”
She managed to nod, a short jerky motion, but it was enough for him.
“Good.”
He stood up and stretched, turning on his heel and walking away. Wolfric jolted back into action, slamming against the bars to the cage.
“W-Wait! Who are you?! What do you want?”
He stopped in his tracks, turning to her with a look of menace on his face that made her shrink away. He paused for a moment, probably thinking about whether or not he was gonna shoot her before he holstered his gun and grinned wickedly.
“Harlock. Captain Jack Harlock. Otherwise known as Jack the Ripper.”
From the way that he was puffing out his chest, Wolfric could tell that he thought that would get some kind of reaction. Or, at the very least, that he was proud to be called that. But.
“Never heard of you.”
She said, blinking up at him with a blank expression. Harlock deflated with a scowl and scratched his head, muttering something to himself. Looking more than a little irritated, he jabbed a finger at her.
“You’re merchandise. You’re gonna get bought, sold, and live in some dingy noble’s basement for the rest of yer insufferable life. So sit down, shut up, and get used to the idea.”
With that, Harlock pretty much stormed out of the room, stomping loudly up the stairs. Wolfric waited a few more seconds, then let out a long sigh and flopped onto her back. This… wasn’t happening, right? She was gonna wake up. Her mom would make breakfast. And… And everything would be okay. Right?
Wolfric’s stomach growled in response. She frowned unhappily and sniffled. She wanted food. Breakfast would be nice. It was probably almost time for dinner too. She wondered what Mom was making. Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes again. She was scared. Really, really scared.
Sitting up, she climbed up the bars again to look out the porthole. Surely, her Dad or Ember would be there, right? But. But… she couldn’t even see them anymore. It was getting dark too, the sea turning a dark purple from the red and dark blue of the setting sun. They’d look for her though, right? They’d find her eventually, right?
Right?
Bursting out of the front door came the only daughter of the Hertz family, Wolfric. A smile stretched from ear to ear on her face as she bolted outside. She had short, wild silver hair and only one shoe on her feet. A woman’s tired voice followed after her.
“Wolfric, come back, sweetie!” A woman with long, straight silver hair called out. Her face was pale and gaunt. As if plagued with some illness. Wolfric whirled around and stuck out her tongue at her mother.
“Nyah! Gotta catch me first!”
“You…” Her mother clutched the child’s shoe in her hand tightly. “BRAT!”
Wolfric’s eyes widened in fear as she darted around all serpentine to avoid what she knew was coming. Her efforts were in vain, however, because her mother’s laser-like aim had already locked on to the back of her head. The shoe went flying, and Wolfric went down.
Dragging back into the house by the scruff of her neck, Wolfric pouted as her mother sat her back on her lap. Her mother issued a heavy sigh and slipped the other shoe onto Wolfric’s foot.
“What am I going to do with you?” She murmured softly.
“Hmph!” Wolfric sniffled and turned away.
“Why do you act like this? Your father loves you, sweetie. That’s why he’s coming home for your birthday.”
“Yeah? And where was he for the other days?!” Wolfric snapped, earning her a hard bonk on the head from her mother’s fist. “Ouch!”
“You know he’s busy, sweetie,” her mother petted her tenderly.
“Too busy for us…” Wolfric sniffled again, fighting back the tears that burned her eyes. She braced herself for coming blow from her mother. But, when it never came, Wolfric cautiously peeked up. Her mother gazed off somewhere with an absent sadness. Wolfric pouted angrily. That was all Dad’s fault!
It was a half second later when her mother noticed her expression. She put her hand on Wolfric’s face and managed a smile.
“Being a Marine makes him leave a lot, but he’s doing good-“
Wolfric pushed against her mother and jumped off of her lap, turning and standing defiantly. “I don’t care! I’m gonna be a pirate! Hehe, that’ll show him!”
Her mother’s face darkened. Wolfric squeaked with fear and bolted for the door. She flopped onto the floor when her mother caught her by her collar. Wolfric peeked up at her mother hesitantly. Her mother’s patented demon eyes bored holes into her soul and made her squirm.
“Nooooooooo!”
~~~
Stepping into the afternoon sunshine, Wolfric trudged out of her house, sniffling weakly. Her mother appeared behind her, petting her softly on her bruised head.
“Be back before dark, okay? There might be a surprise waiting!”
Wolfric peeked up a little and glanced back.
“Surprise? A good one?”
“Yes! So be good, sweetie,” She replied, kneeling down and grinning.
Wolfric’s face lit up as she nodded enthusiastically. Bouncing away and ignoring the pain in her booty, she happily dashed off toward town, picking up a stick along the way.
Her mother watched her before sucking back into their house and sitting down on the couch. She looked at a picture sitting on the table beside it. In it, there were three people. One was her with Wolfric when she was a baby in her arms. The other was a tall, tanned man with black hair in a Marine uniform.
“Oh Vaun...she’s growing up so fast…” she muttered softly, taking hold of the picture gently, “She’s just like you.”
~~~
Meanwhile, running down the Main Street of Tikki Town was Wolfric. Rushing by people, nearly knocking some of the citizens over. Angry shouts filled the air, only making Wolfric giggle to herself. Through the alleys and down to the harbor! She crawled through a hole in a fence, moving aside the piece of metal covering it. And there it was! The pirate ship!
“They’re still here! Yes!” Wolfric cheered as she swiftly ran down to the docks.
“Hey! Heeeey!”
A familiar face looked over the railing of the ship and smiled at her.
“Hey Captain! The kid’s back for more!”
“Oh yeah? Kid doesn’t know when to quit,” came a reply as laughter erupted from the deck. A figure dropped down to the docks, landing expertly. A woman with fiery red hair and dark skin looked down at Wolfric. She wore a captain’s jacket and had a blue feather braided into part of her hair.
“I challenge you, Ember! I’m eight years old now, so you gotta take me serious!” Wolfric said confidently as she pointed her stick at the woman.
Ember’s twisted up, trying to suppress a fit of laughter. “Goddammit, kid! You are too CUTE!” Ember’s fist came slamming into Wolfric’s cheek, sending her careening several feet and splashing down into the water.
“Oops…” Ember mumbled.
“Captain, are you crazy?! That’s the third time this week! Poor kid probably has a concussion by now…” Ember’s first mate Tygan called down.
“I can’t help it! She’s just too precious! Ugh, hold this.” Tossing her jacket up, Ember dove into the water. Wolfric sunk slowly, dazed from the punch. Strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her back up into the air.
Wolfric gasped as her head broke the surface of the water, dizzy.
“Ember...we didn’t even make the bet yet…” Wolfric whined weakly.
Chuckling, Ember pulled them both up back onto the docks and sat Wolfric down beside her.
“Okay, kiddo, what’s the bet?”
Wolfric sniffled and held up the stick she’d clung to. “If I win...I get to be captain!”
Ember looked at Wolfric’s dead serious face while a dead serious stare of her own. Before it started to deteriorate rapidly.
“Pffffffffffffffbbbbt!” Ember couldn’t help herself. She burst out laughing. “Oh my god! I can’t!” Another fist went flying...and so did Wolfric.
Splash!
~~~
Sopping wet and battered, Wolfric sat on a tree stump while Ember’s doctor looked over her. She winced a little as he dabbed at the scratches on her head from her rough landing and bandaged it. Wolfric sniffed and smiled at him.
“Thanks, Odie.”
He shook his head and ruffled her hair roughly, standing up and jabbing his thumb back at her while looking to Ember.
“All good, Captain. Try not to smash her cheeks in anymore, yeah?”
“No promises!” Ember chirped, pushing past him and plopping down beside Wolfric. Flinching, Wolfric covered her face, peeking out between the space in her arms, but Ember was looking out toward the horizon. Wolfric followed her gaze, slowly lowering her arms.
“Captain, huh? No way. That’s not something you wager, kiddo,” Ember said, patting Wolfric lightly on her head. “What’s up with that bet anyway?”
“Well, I wanna be king of the pirates! And I gotta have a crew!” Wolfric declared, bouncing to her feet.
“King of the Pirates? You? Pfffffft. Why do you wanna do that, pipsqueak?”
“It’ll piss off my old man!” Wolfric said with a devilish grin.
“You idiot,” Ember muttered with a sigh, punching Wolfric in the back of her head. Wolfric careened forward sliding through the dirt. Bouncing back up, she glared with a raised stick.
“What was that for?!”
Ember stood up and walked over to Wolfric, kneeling down so that they could talk at eye level more or less.
“Don’t do it for someone else,” Ember said, jabbing her finger lightly into Wolfric’s chest, “Do it for yourself.”
“Myself…?” Wolfric tilted her head at Ember, confused.
“Figure out your own reasons for setting sail. Once you do that...well, then maybe I’ll consider you a true pirate,” Ember replied with a grin, ruffling her hair. “Then you can tell me why you want to be the King of the Pirates and meet me on the Grand Line.”
Wolfric nodded and smiled, clutching her fists.
“Okay!”
Ember looked down at Wolfric, biting her bottom lip. Seeing that sparkle of determination in Wolfric’s eyes, it made Ember’s soul set on fire. She just couldn’t stand it anymore!
“So CUTE!”
“OW!”
Another new bruise on her cheek, Wolfric sniffled and rubbed it tenderly. Ember dusted the dirt off of her clothes, smiling.
“But hey, don’t get any big ideas. ‘Cuz it’s me who’ll be King of the Pirates,” Ember said as she booped Wolfric on the nose.
“Nuh-uh!” Wolfric spat back, darting away before Ember could sock her in the cheek again. “It’s me! Once I figure it out! So there!”
“So cute...c’mere!”
“Noooooo!”
Wolfric darted away as Ember gave chase. Odie sighed and shook his head. Tygan walked up and clapped his shoulder lightly, chuckling.
“Kid’s too cute for her own good.”
~~~
With added bumps and bruises, Wolfric marched through the evening light. Ember and the others had sent her away back home as it had been getting dark. She was big kid now! She could handle it! Wolfric rubber her cheek, wincing a bit from the pain.
“Ouchie…”
Suddenly, a loud crash erupted from the alley beside her. Peeking in cautiously, Wolfric scanned the alley. Two golden eyes stared back at her.
“Kitty!” Wolfric cheered, approaching it slowly. It mewed at her, backing away. Wolfric stopped and crouched down, extending a hand. She clicked her tongue at the cat.
It tentatively crept forward, sniffing at the air. It’s black coat shimmered in the evening light. Wolfric smiled and wiggled her fingers at it. Seemingly enticed, it crept another few steps forward. However, its ears flicked forward abruptly as its fur stood on end. It hissed and darted away into the darkness.
“Aww…”
Wolfric pouted but noticed that it had somehow gotten darker. She turned around to see two men, one holding a bag. Her eyes widened. A hand covered her mouth. She bit down as hard as she could, her arms and legs exploding into a frenzy. She shouted and growled into the man’s hand as the other came around and something was pressed to her nose.
The world swirled and went dark almost immediately after that. Her body wouldn’t move anymore. Everything just faded away. The last thing she heard were the voices of the two men.
“Damn! That hurt! Brat bit the snot out of me!”
“Stop yer bellyachin’ and let’s…”
~~~
Vaun Hertz stood at the bow of his ship, the white flag of the Marine Corps flying high above him. If he squinted hard enough, he could just make out the vague shape of Tikki Town on the horizon. He jumped for joy, clicking his heels together, as he rushed over to his first mate and helmsman.
“Kurt! Kurt look! It’s where my two precious girls live!” Vaun wiggled beside Kurt who sighed and rubbed his temples.
“I know, sir. Every man on this ship knows!”
“Looooook,” Vaun squealed, digging out the locket around his neck and popping it open. Inside was a picture of a silver haired woman and a baby.
Kurt looked. It would be fine. Cute even. If he hadn’t seen this damn picture a million times already on the way here. He sighed, dark circles forming under his eyes.
“Why are you like this…”
“Cuz I just can’t help myself when it comes to my girls! I bought Wolfie all sorts of dresses and dollies…! Such a good girl my baby is! She’s gonna be a fine marine one day!”
“Did she say she was going to?” Kurt asked with one eyebrow raised, “Last I heard she was spouting off about becoming a pirate.”
“Th-that’s just a phase! She doesn’t mean it! Selene told me so herself!”
“Well, if Selene said so…” Kurt nodded approvingly. Vaun squinted at him suspiciously. He jabbed him a few times with a finger.
“That makes it sound like you don’t trust me when I say something…”
“If I took everything you said at face value, Captain, I’d be broke with a thousand things I don’t need,” Kurt shook his head and jabbed back at Vaun, “And you’d be off in the casino, being swindled!”
Horrified, Vaun scuttled away from Kurt and curled into a little ball, pushing his fingers together. Gloom settled over him like a familiar blanket as he mumbled to himself incoherently. Kurt rolled his eyes.
“Hrm...what’s that…?” Kurt grunted as he looked to port.
Vaun dashed over to his side abruptly and pulled out a spyglass. It wasn’t the one that usually brought supplies. Looked like it was about to depart. He frowned, lowering the spyglass slowly.
“I don’t recognize that ship...it’s got a merchant flag flying...one from the Grand Line though...What’s it doing way out here…?”
“It’s not a pirate ship, so it’s really none of our business, Captain,” Kurt mumbled, trying to figure how he’d have to dock at the tiny harbor.
“Mm...I don’t like it. But...you’re right...it’s probably nothing…” Vaun scowled at the ship for a moment longer before putting the spyglass away. He had more important things to worry about right now. Such as…
“So Kurt! Lemme just show you my two darlings!”
“I’ve seen them already! Stop it!”
~~~
Having moved their ship to a hidden cove, Ember’s crew set about loading up the ship with barrels of liquor and food. Ember supervised on the beach as Tygan passed up the last of them. He turned to her.
“Sure you wanna set off like this? The kid’ll be pissed.”
“Yeah,” Ember said, looking in at the island, “If she’s mad, Wolfric can just tell me so herself. On the Grand Line.”
“Heh,” Tygan smiled and punched Ember’s tanned shoulder lightly. “Don’t blame me when you get an earful.”
“Pfft, that brat can kiss my-“
“Miss Ember!!”
A voice cut through into the relative quiet of the cove. Ember and Tygan both turned toward it. A woman stumbled onto the beach, falling flat on her face. Smiling wryly, Ember walked over and squatted down.
“Hey, Cocomi,” she said, patting the woman on the back a few times. “Where’s the fire?”
“It’s Wolfric! She’s…” Cocomi sputtered, sand in her mouth.
“That brat…” Ember shook her head and looked to Tygan who gave her an I-told-you-so look. “What did she do now?”
Ember helped Cocomi up as tears started to stream down her face. Ember and Tygan both frowned. Ember shook her lightly by the shoulders. Cocomi choked up a sob.
“She’s been taken!”
Ember and Tygan’s eyes both widened. They exchanged looks. Tygan nodded and ran back to the ship. Ember turned back to Cocomi, the fury plain on her face.
“Who did?!”
“Pirates…” Cocomi sniffled, pointing out to sea, “They came from the merchant ship…they’ve already set sail...”
“Tch!” Ember released Cocomi and rushed off to the ship, pausing mid-stride to look back at Cocomi. “We’ll get her back!”
Ember jumped up onto the ship as Tygan took the helm.
“Set sail! We have some rats to catch…”
~~~
Selene Hertz walked down the Main Street of Tikki Town slowly. A shawl wrapped around her shoulders. Under that, all she wore was a blue dress with white slippers. Wolfric hadn’t come home yet, and her worry had gotten the better of her. She shivered as the breeze passed by her, drawing her shawl closer to her as she looked around for her daughter.
“My love!”
Streaking through the evening crowd of people was a figure in white. Before she could utter a word of protest, she was swept up and spun around dramatically. Vaun gently placed her back down onto the ground. She looked up into his face, beaming with joy and love but also a hint of worry.
“Darling, you didn’t have to come out to see me. Your health is more important,” he said.
“It’s Wolfric, dear.”
“Ah! The birthday girl! Where is she? I bet she can’t wait to see her daddy! I brought presents too!”
Vaun gestured to the pile of boxes with legs behind him who grunted in response. Selene looked at it and grimaced, knowing exactly who was buried under all of that.
“Is that you, Kurt? I’m sure Wolfric will be thrilled to see Uncle Kurt,” she said, smiling apologetically. Selene yanked on Vaun’s ear and glared at him furiously. “Don’t tell me you made him carry those all of the way from the harbor…!”
“N-not all of the way…”
“Where is she anyway?” Kurt asked, setting down the crates for the time being. He glanced around. “She would have normally ambushed us by now.”
“Well...she’s not with me...she didn’t come home. So I came into town looking…” Selene murmured softly, the worry evident on her face. Abject horror appeared on Vaun’s face. At that, Selene smacked him in the face with the slipper.
“Stop panicking, Vaun! I’m sure she’s fine, but maybe she got lost.”
“Lost?!”
“Or hungry.”
“Hungry?!”
“Vaun, please.”
Selene rubbed her temples, leaning on Vaun lightly. She tried to think of all of the places where Wolfric usually frequented. She tended to play a lot in the wilderness outside of town. Maybe there? As she was thinking, an older man with grey hair rushed over to them.
“Vaun! Selene! It’s bad!”
“Norm? What is it?” Vaun asked, frowning. Norm paused for a moment to catch his breath.
“Pirates...pirates took Wolfric! Cocomi saw it!”
“What?” Vaun snapped harshly in an authoritarian tone. Selene went pale, covering her mouth. Vaun put a firm hand on Norm’s shoulder. It shook with barely restrained rage.
“Where are they?”
“The harbor!”
Turning on his heel, Vaun raced off at full speed. Kurt nodded to Selene before whirled around to catch up. Selene trembled, watching the back of her husband grow more and more distant. She held her hands to her mouth as a coughing fit suddenly struck her.
Norm moved over to support her as she fell to her knees. Selene drew her hands away and wiped the blood from her mouth.
“Mrs. Selene!”
Norm helped her back to her feet. She simply stared after her husband with one wish in mind. Bring her back.
“Are you alright?”
~~~
Ember stood on the bow of her ship, scanning the horizon with a telescope. Where? Where were those bastards?! Behind her, the crew shuffled around hastily to get them underway. They were just pulling out of the cove. It was fast, but not fast enough. Not for Ember’s tastes. Someone stomped up behind her and waited for a moment or two before speaking.
“Captain?” It was Tygan. “Do we have a heading?”
“I don’t see them,” Ember replied in a tone akin to a growl. Her fist clenched tightly, and she pressed her lips into a thin line. “Odie!”
She called up to the crow’s nest where Odie was trying to get the sails untangled. He came to attention and pulled out another scope, realizing what she wanted without even having to be told. Ember couldn’t see much, but she did see when he perked up and pointed at something in the distance.
“I see them! Off the port side! Heading southeast by east!”
“Alright, boys and girls, let’s set sail! We gotta go save that runt.”
“AYE, CAPTAIN!”
The whole crew chimed in unison. Ember let out a long slow sigh as she cooled the rage bubbling up inside of her. They weren’t going to get away with this. She’d teach them a lesson that they’d never forget. Her broiling rage cooled to an icy steel. Even the wind seemed to be on their side, filling up their sails and giving them a nice tailwind.
It wasn’t long before she could see them bobbing over the horizon. Ember climbed up on the rigging to get a better look. She could see some specks running across the deck in a panic. She grinned with a wicked delight. Like chickens with their heads cut off. Hah!
BOOM!
“Wuh?”
Ember almost fell off the rigging and flat onto the deck as a cannonball slammed into the water next to them, showering her in a spray of icy sea water. Who was firing on them? Glancing around, she saw a Marine ship of all things. What. Why now? They didn’t have time for this. The cruiser was just a bit smaller than their ship, so, of course, the Marines were gaining too. After having come out of nowhere!
More cannonballs came flying at them from the Marine ship, this time more on target than before. Ember growled and leaped from the rigging to intercept one, slashing it in half with her sabre.
“Ember!” called Tygan from down on the main deck.
“I know, I know! Let’s take care of this quick and get a move on! Fire the cannons!”
~~~
“Ready the harpoons! Prepare to board!” Vaun roared out over the din of cannon fire. The recruits under his command saluted before getting fussed at by Kurt to get a move on. The more experienced seamen already knew what to do. Rushing up the stairs to the aftcastle where Vaun was standing, Kurt leaned over the railing to look at the ship that they were chasing.
“You know who that is, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
Vaun’s tone was short. The man practically radiated anger, further evidenced by the literal storm cloud floating over his head. Kurt winced and rubbed the back of his neck. He’d never seen the Captain in a mood like this. Of course, he understood why. His kid was on the line here. Still, he had no idea why “Ruby Red” Ember would want Wolfric. What was she even doing in the North Blue? Something didn’t add up. But they also didn’t have a lot of time to think about it.
Kurt moved to the harpoon, pushing the nervous looking recruit off of it. He took aim at the rapidly approaching pirate ship, looking for somewhere the harpoon would really stick and latch on. Fortunately, he was a practiced hand at marksmanship, and it didn’t take long to find a good mark.
Bang!
“We’re latched on, Captain,” Kurt said as he turned to look at Vaun, but he was already off. Bouncing off of the clouds that he created using his Devil Fruit and over to the enemy ship. Kurt cursed under his breath. Why was he always like this? Hastily grabbing a rope, Kurt took a flying leap, swinging over the water and onto the enemy ship. He grabbed his rifle as he touched down, rolling to lessen the impact.
Good thing he did too because a blade was swinging down at his face when he looked up again. He thrust out his trusty rifle to block the blade and sprang back as more and more Marines landed beside him. They rushed forward, giving him a second to look for Vaun in the chaos. He wasn’t too difficult to spot.
Up on the bow were Captain Vaun and “Ruby Red” Ember. The crack of thunder echoed across the deck as the captain threw his storm cloud coated punches, electricity crackling over them. Somehow, Ember was managing to parry him. Kurt wasn’t sure how. Both of them were monsters.
Shaking his head, Kurt turned his attention back to the matter at hand, charging forward with the bayonet on his rifle for the nearest pirate.
~~~
With a soft groan, Wolfric opened her bright blue eyes to see the inside of a brown burlap sack. Huh? It was pretty dark, but she could see through the bag, so that must mean that it wasn’t pitch black. Wiggling around, she tried to find the opening to the bag, but she was all tangled up in herself. Giving up on finding the right way out, Wolfric opened her mouth wide and bit down on the bag, growling and tearing it open with her teeth.
She tumbled out and onto the wooden deck. Wait. Deck? She jolted to her feet and looked around. No doubt about it. She was on some dingy looking ship, trapped inside of a metal cage. The sound of lots of heavy boots rumbled overhead. She could hear some muffled shouting too, though she couldn’t make out any words. Something else was also rumbling, but in the distance. It sounded a bit like… thunder?
“Hey!”
Wolfric barked. No one seemed to hear her over the general commotion upstairs. So, she just tried again, but louder.
“HEEEEEY!”
Still nothing. Annoyed, Wolfric looked around for a way out. Oh! Hey! There was a porthole on the wall by the crate. Clambering up the bars like a little monkey, Wolfric craned her head around to get a look outside. The first thing that she saw was the crashing waves, but beyond that were two ships off on the horizon. It was easy to recognize one as a Marine ship. The other… Was that Ember’s ship?!
“Hah! Yes! You guys are in trouble now! Ember’s coming to save me!”
When her victorious cries provoked no response, she pouted and stuck out her tongue at the ceiling.
“Nyeh!”
Chuckling mischievously to herself, Wolfric turned her attention back to the porthole to see if Ember was getting any closer. She frowned. Wait. They… they were getting further away? Squinting and pressing her face up to the bars as hard as she could, she tried to make out just what they were doing. Wait… they were fighting that Marine ship!
Wait, was that her Dad’s ship? Why were they fighting?! These bozos were gonna get away with her! They couldn’t do that. What was going to happen to her? Wolfric felt a chill go down her spine as panic rose up in her chest.
“H-Hey! HEY! I’m here! Ember! Dad! S-Stop! LOOK! HEEEEEEEY! STOP FIGHTING! H-Help… Help me! HEEEEEELP!!!”
But they didn’t stop. In fact, they just got smaller and smaller until Wolfric couldn’t hardly see them anymore, and with them, her hopes. Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. Why were they fighting each other? She was over here! Right here. Sliding down the bars and onto the floor, Wolfric let out a soft, sad sigh.
“Well, now. Are you done?”
“Hrk!”
Wolfric sprang to her feet at the sudden noise, whirling around to face her captor. He was a tall grizzled man with skin tanned leather brown by long years under the sun. He had jet black hair and some very spiky looking stubble. Wolfric hastily wiped any tears from her eyes and bristled at the man.
“Let me out of here! I wanna go home!”
“Sorry, pipsqueak,” he said with a swift kick to the cage that made Wolfric topple to the ground, “That just ain’t in the cards for ya. Now sit tight and be quiet already!”
“NYEH!”
Wolfric stuck her tongue out at the man. He scowled coldly and drew his pistol. He pointed it right at her face between the eyes. Wolfric’s bravado melted away slowly as she stared at it, earning her a cruel smirk from the man.
“Not so brave now. Are you?”
The man rattled the barrel of his gun across the bars. Wolfric flinched away, which made him laugh. Shaking his head, he crouched down beside the cage, laying the gun across his knee.
“So. Here’s how this is gonna go. You’re gonna sit your ass down and keep quiet for the duration of this little voyage. Savvy?”
Wolfric swallowed hard. When she didn’t respond, he banged the gun against the bars again.
“I said… Savvy?”
She managed to nod, a short jerky motion, but it was enough for him.
“Good.”
He stood up and stretched, turning on his heel and walking away. Wolfric jolted back into action, slamming against the bars to the cage.
“W-Wait! Who are you?! What do you want?”
He stopped in his tracks, turning to her with a look of menace on his face that made her shrink away. He paused for a moment, probably thinking about whether or not he was gonna shoot her before he holstered his gun and grinned wickedly.
“Harlock. Captain Jack Harlock. Otherwise known as Jack the Ripper.”
From the way that he was puffing out his chest, Wolfric could tell that he thought that would get some kind of reaction. Or, at the very least, that he was proud to be called that. But.
“Never heard of you.”
She said, blinking up at him with a blank expression. Harlock deflated with a scowl and scratched his head, muttering something to himself. Looking more than a little irritated, he jabbed a finger at her.
“You’re merchandise. You’re gonna get bought, sold, and live in some dingy noble’s basement for the rest of yer insufferable life. So sit down, shut up, and get used to the idea.”
With that, Harlock pretty much stormed out of the room, stomping loudly up the stairs. Wolfric waited a few more seconds, then let out a long sigh and flopped onto her back. This… wasn’t happening, right? She was gonna wake up. Her mom would make breakfast. And… And everything would be okay. Right?
Wolfric’s stomach growled in response. She frowned unhappily and sniffled. She wanted food. Breakfast would be nice. It was probably almost time for dinner too. She wondered what Mom was making. Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes again. She was scared. Really, really scared.
Sitting up, she climbed up the bars again to look out the porthole. Surely, her Dad or Ember would be there, right? But. But… she couldn’t even see them anymore. It was getting dark too, the sea turning a dark purple from the red and dark blue of the setting sun. They’d look for her though, right? They’d find her eventually, right?
Right?