Before the first foot hit the pnk, a fire erupted in the below deck. These beasts were given strange magic by foreign gods, most notably a mastery over fmes. Regretfully, the order had to be given lest they died from the heavy smoke. The fires perfumed out a deep gray, slowly billowing out from the entrance. They had been smoked out, boots drumming against the deck as they prepared a defense.

  They were not greeted by spear tips or arrow heads, but rather, by bzing fme erupting beneath them once again. Men made shots they knew they would miss as they tried to keep their feet off the fire. They broke away from each other as the fire grew like sprouting tendrils all across the ship, separating the men from each other.

  Then as all visibility was lost by the walls of fme, and only then, did the foxes board the ship. From the port side, they worked with calcuting precision. Sparks of fire grew into existence and faded away like fireflies over the pockets where men were. Preceding an attack with diversionary fme, they went through their own fire to beat and bash the men into submission, a follower coming around to bind those who weren’t killed.

  From starboard, it was a different story. The tactics were simir, however, there was one major difference. They had another race alongside them, their ship not completely made up of Verenolians. They looked like something akin to bear-dogs, hyenas surely. They had their own vixen keeping up the pace, fmes and sparks rising and burning.

  Little by little, the crew whittled down until they were all in nothing but ropes and binds. They were thrown around the main mast, banged up and a few unconscious from their wounds. They did not choose to surrender, but they were forced to heel, the ones still willingly squirming and wriggling against their binds.

  One razor-sharp, bck cw raised up to the lookout, polished and manicured until it gleamed white in the sunlight. Its finger was triple jointed and bony despite the plush, fluffy fur yered over it. These foxes were colored orange and white with bck marking the tips of their ears and tails. Down below, the beasts who weren’t putting down all resistance in the crew followed that finger’s direction, all gazes eventually falling onto me.

  Uncadia lifted her head high, making a high-pitch crow as she spoke to the boarding foxes. The one with triple jointed hands responded, crossing her arms over her chest just below a fake, silken, white flower. (All fox soldiers were female. Studied back on the continent, men could only use their hands instead of magic for combat). Despite having such a different facial structure, the fox’s sharp tone and dipped-head said she was anything but pleased at Uncadia’s words. I heard ‘Cortico’ thrown around by Uncadia a few times.

  Then the two captains flew back to the lookout. Not for trouble this time, but to seemingly add to Uncadia’s case. They helped me only in proxy, but I suspected their reasons were only to further Uncadia’s cause than my own. However, if it helped me, than it was beyond good enough.

  That fox hand rose up again, cking those paw pads that most canines I knew had but not forgoing the fur. A single finger released from its fist, so jagged from the bone it was like there was nothing but a skeleton beneath all that fur. Her sleeve rode down low to her elbow, the dress made of satin so delicate and glossy a single speck of dust could’ve ruined it, appearing more like flowing metal than fabric. Colored blue like the turquoise shores of a beach, yellow and red thread created detailed patterns all around. Three bows, two red, the middle shimmering gold, and each smoother than my own skin, sat at the back of her head. Each one begged to come undone with every salty breeze. Her voice creaked like a floorboard as she made a demand.

  The Foltians nodded, brokering a final deal most favorable to them. With a st exchange of words, all was settled upon. Uncadia turned around, her wings unusually spry behind her. Her hushed voice could not hide her excitement. “You will be free!”

  Varanksey brokered what Uncadia did not have the heart to say. “On one condition.” Her feathered finger mimicked the fox’s, yet with so much more meat on her bones. “They’ll be the ones to dump you with the other humans.”

  Avkrenmy spoke next, ensuring the monumental occasion that just happened was not lost on me. “Remember, human, they dictate all rules on the seas. Even simple disgust is rare, let alone freedom.”

  “What about the rest of my crew?” I asked, two members of the pure fox ship climbing up the ropes to fetch me.

  They all spoke at once, giving their own answer, yet they were all the same in substance. “They’ll be put to work.”

  The two reached the top, barking orders at me in a nguage I did not speak. Varanksey was the one to transte, giving me a push on the back. “Go on, darlin’, destiny’s awaiting.” Leaning down to whisper (assuming these foxes even knew Ensisilian), she added, “They’ll try to kill you out of sight, throwing you into the ocean I wager. Your actions brought you this far, but only luck will save you here.”

  My fate id in front of me in the shape of two impatient Verenolians, both ready to show who was superior at a moment’s notice. Obeying, I stepped over the lookout and onto the ropes, following them back down. These ones had normal, double jointed fingers. In fact, the one to my right even fumbled a bit, having something more like paws than hands. She murmured and made foreign curses for each mishap.

  At the bottom, I was then hauled onto their ship, the rest of the crew following. The docking board thudded with each footstep on it, particurly heavy ones coming as they looted the trunk of treasure bestowed on us.

  However, when it came down to it, only the crew was forced into chains. Reluctantly, their fingers twitching for a weapon or magic every time I neared, they let me roam around. A close follower to that so vishly dressed fox was the first to willingly come within two tabrins of me. She had a simir flower, pink this time with only two red bows at her back. Her robes were still silk, but less queenly. In a growl, she spat out, “You’ll sleep on the deck and eat what we give you.” Her rumbling voice grew too much to continue speaking, having to silence it before she continued. “You may visit your crew. Unless we y our hands on you to push and prod, don’t even dare to touch our shed fur, let alone anything else. Understood?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I bobbed my head up and down, surprised at how much freedom she was willing to give. She swished around at my agreement, twin tails coming out from her backside. They came from a hole just beneath the silk belt cinching her waist, leaving them free to sway against the wind and brush against the ground like a broom.

  First things first, I strode along towards where they took the rest of the crew, keeping a great deal of distance away from others and letting them pass first as they used the entrance below deck. My hands idly slid along the wood, feeling its sturdiness and roughness against my skin. By the time I arrived, the only illumination coming from minute cracks in the boards or a chance torch, a few foxes were in the process of leaving after locking them up.

  There was an entire jail cell built in, only sving ships having those back home. Either most Verenolian ships had them, or these cells had carried many before. A shiver went from the top of my spine down to my toes at the thought. They flocked around at my coming, seeing freedom in front of them.

  “Cortico!” Eitecus whisper-yelled, pressing his forehead against the cool bars running up-down and left-right like thatch. His feet scraped against the wood as he crawled towards me, huddling up. Instead of what I expected, he told me, “Do not free us.”

  The rest of the crew roused, their voices growing in anger and almost to an audible range to the Verenolians. It was possibly already within earshot given their fox ears. They cried out, their tones dangerously far from hushed. “Take off these bars!” “Whip them, boy!” “Get us out of here!” Fingers wrapped around the bars, the iron not even rattling.

  Eitecus quickly pced his finger over his lips as he shushed them, craning his neck and turning his back. “You didn’t even let me finish!” His voice too got precariously high. Turning back around, he continued on. “Do not free us yet. I was able to hear that Foltian with you say something about humans down south. If you can prove our value, you may be able to find help amongst those who know the nd.”

  His eyes had been scanning the edges of his visions, watching for approaching foxes, only occasionally gncing over to meet mine. However, his gaze locked onto mine, his bck-eyes staring into mine. “You’ll have to make your own decisions now. Use what Mizdkas has given us, that fme of struggle, and we’ll try to use ours. You’ll want to see your brother again, right? Remember him and us if you ever consider giving up. Be cunning. Be strong. Be brave. Survive.”

  I gave a curt nod, far faster than it should’ve been for the moment. “I swear upon my family name I will not let a single one of you stay ensved. May the oath-keeper bind it!” My fist hit my chest while my other raised to the air in an oath.

  My time was interrupted with the sound of a fox coming down, likely to check if I was in the process of attempting to free them. Her hackles raised and she growled at me just from my sight, yet she did not kill me. Her finger snapped out, pointing back from whence I came. There was no other choice than to accept her command.

  The best example for the freedom afforded to me was that of a house pet. It could walk around the house and keep to itself, but the second a rule was broken, it was time for punishment. The difference was what that punishment was going to be.

  However, the worst was yet to unfold.

  Existence was not as miserable as my crewmates. Walking around a ship was better than walking around a jail cell. There was better bedding than what they got, making my lungs less prone to inhaling dust. Water came out cleaner and the food had taste to it that wasn’t stale and moldy.

  That small spark rested solely on the shoulders of those lingering Foltian ships, Varanksey’s and Avkrenmy’s ships staying just over the horizon as the fox vessel sailed straight south. They had been left in possession of our boat, the mission of the foxes far too nimble to haul a ship alongside them. If my eyes had noticed it, then the Verenolians most definitely witnessed their ships towing south just a tad bit faster than necessary.

  On the third day, only the masts and sails were visible over the horizon, but a storm had been brewing long before. Rain slowly came in like a wave, the pitter-patter of water hitting water nearing. Soon it passed over us, enshrouding the nd in darkness as anyone above deck instantly became drenched. I had to put my hand over my eyes just to keep heavy droplets from blinding me.

  Then, unceremoniously, multiple hands grabbed onto my body. Many had fur over their hands, a few paws, and others rough, pale palms like a monkey. Their strength and callousness surprised me just as much as their prodding. They were still sailors, even if only women.

  My lungs drew in and refused to release, the sinking realization that Varanksey’s prediction was actively coming true ringing through every part of my mind. They only let out air when my head tipped over the railing, the ocean waves wild and crashing against the boat. In one moment nothing but the open wind blew against me, and in the next, everything plunged deep into the dark bck of the water.

  Hands thrashed, feet kicked, and the waves did everything they could to drag me back down. My limbs spshed the water more than the currents and winds, doing anything to get a grasp on the situation. My lungs yearned for a gulp of air, half full of water and death. Water gave salt to my eyes, and my eyes gave back until they were rimmed with red.

  The cackling of the foxes cleared when my ears went over the water, then dulled as they clogged. Soon they became only faint until they vanished, the boat moving faster than I could struggle above water.

  In a single second of crity, I stopped thrashing around and did my best to hack up water. The ocean waves kept me afloat, not too violent to flip me under. Yet… With nothing more than hope and luck, I turned head-first to the sky. The rain felt heavy against my face, forcing my eyes closed. My life id with the currents.