The Silver Girl carved through the dark swells, hours from Gard's burning docks, the lights of which could still be seen lighting up the patchy clouds, the sea a restless black mirror under a sky thick with stars and the faint glow of a retreating moon. Maggie's wind magic had faded from the sails, but its push lingered, letting the natural wind do the work, putting distance between them and the chaos of the seaport-yet the air aboard thrummed with unease, the Draco-Lich's sinking glare a fresh wound, its threat pulsing like a heartbeat. Hanna Calico gripped the helm, her tricorn hat askew, her tawny cat fur flecked with ash and salt, whiskers twitching against the night's chill. William's return, and as happy as she was to have him returned-though she would never admit it to anyone-gnawed at her, a riddle she couldn't sidestep.

  Hanna turned to a close-by reptile, "You," she ordered as the reptile stepped up to take the wheel while she stepped aside, "keep this heading till you're relieved."

  "Aye, Captain," the reptile nodded.

  She walked to the helm's banister and barked into the wind, her voice a whipcrack slicing through the crew's low murmurs-cats coiling ropes, dogs securing sails, reptiles slinking with gear, "Titus, Sslsistar, Cornell, Maggie-cabin, now! Haul William in too-we're sorting this before it bleeds us dry!"

  William trudged up from the brig where he'd been resting, his body scratched and bruised. He had changed his clothing due to them still being slightly damp from his swim, salt crusting his dark hair into a tangle. God, how he missed showers-maybe when he got time, he'd invent them in this world, make a mint on sanitary living, something this world desperately needed. His boots thudded on the ladder, map in hand, a mix of exhaustion and wariness in his gut-he'd torched a fleet, somehow, and the how was a blank slate. He got to the deck and made his way toward Hanna's cabin. How the crew now looked at him did not go unnoticed by him, but he was way too tired to care. He walked up to the captain's door and knocked.

  "Enter," Hanna yelled.

  He opened the door and saw a full house. The cabin was a cramped nook of wood and shadow, maps and logs strewn across a scarred table, a lantern swaying with the ship's roll, casting jagged flickers over the walls. Hanna sat at her desk looking at him, annoyance clearly on her face. Standing next to her was Titus, ever her protector. Sslsistar was off in a corner, already bored. Cornell was sitting at a side desk. Maggie was playing with a sextant, laughing at the way it swayed with the rocking of the boat. He leaned on the cabin doorframe, his urban drawl sharp with sarcasm, "I didn't know this was a party, Whiskers-I would have brought a karaoke machine or at least a pi?ata."

  "I swear to Order, William," Hanna said, annoyed, "half of what you say is straight gibberish."

  William let out a long sigh and rubbed his face, "Sorry, Hanna..."

  Titus let out a low growl, "Captain," he warned, to respect the title.

  William raised his hands in surrender, "Captain," he apologized, "sorry again."

  Hanna's tail flicked, her green eyes narrowing as she waved him in.

  William entered and closed the door behind him.

  Hanna's voice was dry and edged, "You're lucky I don't string you up for that stunt, pinky-now zip it 'til I say. We're plotting our next breath, and you're tangled in it, but before we start, you better be explaining yourself and that stunt you pulled on shore."

  William ran his hands through his hair-he could use a haircut, he thought briefly, now wishing he hadn't skipped his last appointment. He let out a sigh, "I know how this sounds, but I saw another human, a woman..."

  "Woman?" Cornell asked.

  "The female human," William explained. "Anyway, I saw her running through the crowd, and I know it was against better judgment..."

  "To say the least," Sslsistar hissed under her breath.

  William sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair, "Look, I said I'm sorry, but to see your kind in a world where you're alone, who here wouldn't do the same?"

  Hanna looked at William with a judging gaze. She finally reached her hand out, "Map," she ordered.

  William handed the map over.

  Hanna rolled the map open and placed some baubles on the corners to hold it open. Everyone gathered around to study it. It was clearly old, and some parts were faded or ripped, but outlines of land and course measurements were still very legible.

  Cornell was getting very excited by what he was looking at. He reached down and pointed, "YES!" he almost screamed but quickly collected himself, "Yes, here! This part is the edge of the Fang Kingdom!" He rushed to drawers full of maps and started rifling through them until he let out a "Yes!" and ran back, placing the other map on the desk next to the old one. He pointed out the coastline that matched, "SEE!" he said with excitement, "It's a perfect match!"

  Everyone studied the two maps quietly. "How far up the coast is that?" Hanna asked.

  Cornell stepped back and rubbed his beak, "Let me think," he started muttering to himself as he paced the cabin, "the distance is about roughly twenty-one nautical miles, we'll have to stop minimum three times for restocking, more if we keep getting into fights, with favorable winds... but if we hit storms... it is the season..." He stopped and tapped his beak a few times, thinking, "Yes, yes, that sounds about accurate, give and take a few hiccups along the way..."

  Hanna just watched Cornell work, used to his inner dialogue coming out, "Cornell?" she pushed gently.

  Cornell jumped as if he had forgotten there were others around. Maggie laughed.

  "Oh," he said, embarrassed, "Well, Captain, if my calculations are correct..."

  "Which they usually are," Hanna remarked.

  Cornell nodded, "and if I keep that streak, then we're looking at a timetable of twenty-five to thirty-five days, give or take."

  Hanna thought it over, "What else does this map tell us?"

  Cornell walked back to the old map and looked it over some more. He placed a finger on the map at the edge of the land that belonged to the Fang Kingdom and slid it toward a large island that wasn't too far off, "Well, it looks like if we start here, then about a hundred and twenty-two nautical miles offshore, we find what looks like Blackmore."

  Titus sniffed hard with measurable doubt.

  Sslsistar let out a laugh, "And I'm Decay, mother of the gods."

  Maggie just looked hard at the map, not knowing what to really say.

  William just didn't understand anything, "What's Blackmore?" he asked.

  Titus huffed, "A fairy tale."

  "Oh!" William said, sarcasm dripping enough to puddle at his feet, "Well, that explains everything. Thanks for clarifying, Smokey. I wish someone would have just said that sooner."

  "It's the home of the Gods," Cornell explained before Titus's growling turned to something more.

  "What?" William said, "Like Mount Olympus?"

  Cornell's eyes squinted, "That... means nothing to me."

  William threw his hands up, "Welcome to the club, Feathers," he said, exasperated. He rubbed his face, "Can someone please explain to the new guy everything? I have no idea about anything about this world, and I must say it's pretty fucking frustrating."

  Hanna, Titus, Cornell, Maggie, and Sslsistar all looked around at each other, slightly confused, then Cornell smacked the side of his head, "Of course," he got it, "you wouldn't know anything. How could you? I can be so stupid at times."

  Hanna sat back in her chair, letting her annoyance slip. William never meant harm-he was just clueless, and it was their fault for not informing him.

  Titus leaned back against the wall, letting his anger at the stupid little thing go, understanding he wasn't stupid, just ignorant.

  Sslsistar laughed, "We're all right there with you, Cornell. We're all to blame."

  Maggie clapped her hands, "Yay! Story time!" She sat down and crossed her legs, pulling her large fluffy tail around and holding it, stroking it like a stuffed animal.

  Cornell clapped his hands together, "Where to start?"

  William shrugged, "How about the beginning?"

  "Excellent choice, Mr. Dearborn," Cornell said. "Not much is known about the Before Times. We do know there was something here, possibly a very complex civilization, due to a few relics that have been discovered. I even believe our dear Captain has one of those said artifacts."

  "I do," she nodded, but didn't elaborate further.

  "I believe it was a time of war and strife and death. Then came the Father God, Chaos, who arose during that time and remade the world as he saw fit. This is what's known as the Chaotic Times. There were no rules-it was true survival of the fittest. Whole species of Athenians were wiped out, hunted for game and food. And while this entertained Chaos for a time, he grew bored, so he came to the world to find a mate. He searched all the lands and islands until he found what he was looking for-a female priestess reptile who'd given herself over to Chaos long ago. In her fervor of faith, she'd sacrificed many to him in incredibly cruel ways. Chaos loved her the moment he found her. He took her as his own and gave her his power, the power of a god."

  William smirked, "Sounds like good times."

  "It was far from it, my friend," Cornell explained.

  Sslsistar chuckled softly, "He was kidding, Corn."

  "Oh!" Cornell said, embarrassed, "Well," he continued, "she became the Mother of the Gods, Decay, for their coupling produced six offspring: Loyalty, Order, Strength, Intelligence, Nature, and Corruption. Now, being they were of gods, they chose their forms and their subjects. There wasn't much left to choose from, if we're being honest, due to how the Chaotic Times had nearly killed off every other race except the strongest or the smartest. Loyalty chose the Canines, Order chose the Felines, Strength chose the Ursids, Intelligence chose the Avians, Nature chose the Reptiles, and Corruption took the leftovers, the vermin."

  "So, you guys have eight gods?" William asked.

  "Not anymore," Cornell explained. "There are only six gods now-the God Children."

  "Let me guess," William said, "the children revolted against their parents, killing them or entrapping them for all time."

  Everyone looked at William, confused.

  "How did you..." Cornell started.

  William waved his question away, "We have similar stories on Earth-Roman gods, Greek Titans and things. Don't worry about it, it's not important. Go on."

  Cornell collected himself after being thrown off by William, "Well, yes, the God Children revolted against their parents to save their people, who they knew were being killed off by the chaos in our world. The war rocked this world, but once Chaos and Decay were gone, the God Children went among their followers and handpicked the strongest, the bravest, the smartest, and the wisest, and pronounced them Kings."

  The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  "And that's how you guys got your Kingdoms? But..." William counted on his fingers as he named off the kingdoms in his head, "there's only five that I know of. What happened to the vermin?"

  "Very good for noticing that," Cornell said. "Corruption didn't believe in isolating his Athenians to a landmass or a group of islands, so he declared that all of Athena was the vermin's kingdom. So, they're literally everywhere."

  "Do they have a king?"

  "Oh, yes. They even have a castle on their capital island, called Malfeasance."

  William raised an eyebrow, "Really? A bit on the nose, ain't it?"

  Sslsistar nodded, "I always thought so."

  "Alright, so now with all that explained, we can get back to the original question. What the hell is Blackmore?"

  Maggie raised her hand from where she was sitting, "Oh, oh, oh! I know this one!"

  William pointed at Maggie, "Maggie Peco!" he said in his best Price is Right impersonation, "Come on down!"

  Maggie grew even more excited, clapped her hands as she jumped up, and ran to William, where she started hopping from foot to foot. "Blackmore is the legendary home of the God Children. It was decreed by the God Children that it's forbidden to go there, and all those that attempt to will be destroyed."

  William reached up and patted Maggie's head, which she absolutely loved.

  "Oh, so that's why it's called the Forbidden Sea or the Forbidden Lands-'cause it's literally forbidden to go there."

  Maggie nodded her head, "Yes!"

  Cornell paused, his feathers ruffling slightly as he leaned over the table, voice dropping to a reverent hush, "There's more to it-tales whispered in the Avian archives, scraps of lore and rumors. They say Chaos didn't just remake the world, he drowned it first, flooding valleys and sinking mountains to watch the survivors claw their way up cliffs, laughing as their bones piled high. Decay was said to be even worse. Her altars smoked for moons, stacked with skulls of her own kin, and she'd dance in the ashes, singing his name in a tongue no mortal could speak. Some believe the God Children didn't just kill their parents, but they sank their bodies in Blackmore's depths, a tomb guarded by storms and beasts, so their wrath couldn't claw back from the abyss they were sent to. If any of the old beliefs are true, this map might lead us straight to their prison-or their graves.

  Everyone was quite from the weight of Cornell's observation.

  "Okay," Hanna said tired of the silence, "'Nough history lessons-pinky, your turn. What went down on that ship? You walked out, handed yourself over-then it's fire and ruin, and you're swimming back like it's nothing. Every detail, now-don't play me, or I'll claw it out of you."

  "YES!" Maggie cried out. "More story time!" William lifted his hand from Maggie's head to start his tale, but she quickly grabbed his wrist, placed it back on her head for a couple more pats, then ran off to sit next to Sslsistar, who looked at Maggie, rubbed her face, and shook her head.

  William watched Sslsistar and shook his head back at her with a smile, then turned to Hanna, "I'm honestly as confused by it as you are, Whiskers. I'll try to explain it as best I can." He took a breath and sighed, "Okay, I'm on the pier, thinking I'll trade myself to save Gard-dumbass move, I know, but noble's my middle name tonight. These undead freaks grab me and drag me up the gangplank, and the deck's a nightmare-rotting cats and dogs, the dead shuffling around, stinking like a dumpster fire. It was like Night of the Living Dead, but the Furry Edition. The Draco-thing, big bony bastard's at the helm, all glowy eyes and bad vibes. I tell it, 'You got me, leave the town alone as you promised.' It laughs, fucking cackles in my face, like I'm Dave Chappelle or something. It then tells me that as a human, I'm an infection and it must wipe me-and everyone who knows of me-off the face of Athena."

  "Wait," Titus stepped up, "it knew what you were? It knew you were a human?"

  William pointed at Titus, "Oh, it knew, and I'm a danger to this," William held up quote marks with his fingers, "'perfect world'."

  "That's very peculiar," Cornell said, thinking, "How did it know what you were? There's never been anything like you on Athena before."

  "Unless there has been," Sslsistar said, and everyone turned to look at her, "Maybe nobody knows about humans because this thing's really good at its job. Think about it. We have legends of the Draco-Lich, but none of humans? Why do you think that is?"

  No one said anything as they all thought about the implications.

  Hanna turned back to William, "Then what happened?"

  "Well," William picked back up the story, "their cannons blast Gard, and I saw all those innocent people start dying and screaming, and I saw some kids... and... well, I lose my shit. I tried to charge it, try to crack its grinning skull open, but I get pinned by its goons. It slaps me-hard, like I owe it money, and then..." William looked at Hanna, "it threatened you." Hanna blinked slowly at that, and a slight smile curled her lips. William suddenly got embarrassed and blushed, stuttering, "A... and... and everyone on board, said it must wipe out everyone because they knew me." William grew quiet at this point.

  "Then what happened?" Maggie asked with big eyes.

  William didn't say anything at first as he thought, then looked at Maggie, then to everyone else, then lastly Hanna, "I saw red," he said, "and then everything's blowing up like the Fourth of July. Decks, cannons, those creepy, rotting assholes-all up in flames, no warning, no nothing. I didn't do jack, at least not that I know of. I just glared at it, hating it, wanting it gone, and then it was. I jumped before I got roasted and swam back here-that's the story."

  Everyone was quiet, then Maggie stood up, "That was a good story!"

  William smiled, "I'm glad you liked it, Acorn."

  Hanna turned to Cornell, "What's your opinion, Cornell?"

  Cornell adjusted his spectacles, peering at William, his parakeet voice a scholarly hum, his beak clicking with each word, "Remarkable, truly remarkable! Explosions tied to rage, perhaps a latent force, the ancients' pulse reborn? The prophecy spoke of a stranger breaching the veil, heralding a new age-or its end. This fits, Captain-temple's spark, now this fire-a thread in the weave!"

  Maggie clapped, her squirrel tail bouncing, her voice a chirpy rush as she rocked on her heels, "Oh, oh, it's magic-big, explodey magic! Pinky's got the power inside! Did you feel it, pinky? Was it all tingly and wild under your skin?"

  William flexed his hands, staring at them as Maggie's question hung in the air, voice low, "Maybe, I don't really remember. It was fast, like a flash, but... there was something. A heat flared up, sharp, like a coal burning' in my chest, twisting', then it was gone, and the ship was on fire. I didn't do anything conscious. I just hated that bony bastard so hard it felt like my skull would split. Next thing, boom-fire everywhere. Dunno if it's magic or what, but it's freaky as hell thinking it might've come from me."

  Hanna just shook her head, "Prophecy or magic, I don't care-I just want answers, not fairy tales. William, what'd the rat say, every damn word? We're sailing blind, and I ain't losing my ship to riddles."

  William's voice was steady but edged with frustration, "Right, Whiskers, she called herself a seer, didn't give me a name. She spun this crazy shit about Athena being a lie wrapped in a riddle, chaos spins, decay whispers, gods watch with wrath and hunger. I couldn't make heads or tails of it. She said I'm the key, danger's stalking-I guess we all know what she meant by that."

  "What?" asked Maggie. Sslsistar smacked the back of her head, "OW!"

  "Well," William continued, "she said the truth's out there and pointed me north through Pride, into Canine lands, then west to the Forbidden Lands, then shoved the map at me, pushed me outside where I found you guys, and poof, went the tent. That's it-just a bunch of cryptic vibes and a map I couldn't read."

  Titus snorted, his grizzly snout curling, his claws tapping the table as he glared at the map, his voice a growl thick with doubt, "What's the play here, Captain? We chasing that old legend, or just dodging them dead hulks?"

  Cornell's feathers puffed, his beak clicking fast, his voice rising with scholarly zeal as he traced the map's path, "Titus, come now, the Forbidden Lands are a treasure trove of lore! North through Pride narrows, Canine seas, then west-perilous, yes, storms, beasts, tales of lost realms-but consider it! The ancients' pulse, the stranger's fire-this map could unlock secrets no Athenian dared dream!" He turned to Hanna, "We must pursue this, Captain-history, nay, destiny demands it!"

  Sslsistar smirked, her tongue flicking out, her voice sly and slow as she leaned on the wall, "History and destiny's cute and all-loot's better. Forbidden Lands got tales of gold, relics-stuff Pride and Canine'd kill for. Peril's profit waiting-I say we chase it. Pinky's earned a roll of the dice, torching them wrecks."

  Maggie bounced higher, her squirrel eyes wide, her voice a chirpy cheer as she clapped her paws, "Ooh, I love adventure! Storms and monsters and shiny stuff-I'm in, Captain! It's gonna be wild, right?"

  Hanna's ears flattened, her claws digging deeper into the table, her voice a low growl as she glared at the map, then flicked her eyes to each face, "You're all mad as a sack of vermin-Forbidden Lands are a grave, and we're half-crippled now. William's stunt might've delayed them, but them dead bastards ain't quitting-Gard's burning because of it, and they're after pinky's hide. We need a move-Pride waters north first. Maggie, you got that trick to reach Bloodfur?"

  Maggie's tail flicked, her voice a chirpy rush as she nodded fast, "Oh, sure do, Captain! I can send a little me, poof, right to her! Bloodfur's gonna love this-she's got them big swords and that scary laugh, don't she?"

  Hanna's whiskers twitched, her voice sharp and decisive, a flicker of amusement in her eyes, "Do it. Tell her meet us where the narrows split the Pride coast, soon as she can haul her furry ass there. We need her blades, her crew, and her ship. Them dead hulks'll come, and I ain't facing them solo-not anymore."

  Maggie's paws glowed faintly, her Castor magic humming as a translucent image of herself flickered to life-a perfect squirrel copy shimmering in the lantern light, her voice echoing as it darted out the porthole, "Bloodfur! Hey, it's Maggie-Captain says meet us at the narrows, Pride coast, quick-like! Bring your swords and your ship-dead things chasing us, pinky's in a jam-hurry, big bear!"

  Titus scratched his snout, a rough chuckle rumbling out as the squirrel image zipped off, "Bloodfur, last I saw, she cleaved a Pride frigate's mast clean in two with that axe o' hers-Widowmaker, she calls it-laughed like a storm as it sank, blood streakin' her fur. She's a berserker, seven foot o' grizzly fury, with a crew o' mad dogs who'd follow her into a maelstrom just fer the thrill. If she joins us at them narrows, them dead hulks'll wish they'd stayed sunk-though she might take a swing at pinky, just to see if he bleed pretty."

  "I'm sure ya can handle your mate, Titus," Sslsistar smirked.

  Titus let out a slight laugh, "Then ya don't know Bloodfur very well. No one 'handles' her."

  "Oh!" William said, now interested, "Does Papa Bear have a Mama Bear?"

  Titus stood straight to his full nine-foot tallness, or as best he could in the cabin, "You got something to say about Bloodfur, Pinky?"

  William looked almost straight up into Titus's eyes and said with conviction, "I'm sure she's a lovely female."

  Titus growled, "Uh-huh."

  Hanna raised a paw, her voice a whipcrack, her tail stiff as she stepped between them, green eyes flashing, "Are you two done marking your territory?" She pointed at William, "Pinky, you're a thorn in my side since I found you, but you're mine-crew, not cargo. Map's our lead-north through Pride, Canine waters, then west to the Forbidden Lands. That's the call-swallow your gripes or choke quiet."

  Titus grunted, his snout curling, but he backed off, his voice a low mutter, his eyes glinting with a flicker of heat, "Aye, Captain-your call. Bloodfur'll like this mess-always did thrive on chaos."

  Cornell nodded, his spectacles glinting, his voice eager, "Splendid, Mr. Dearborn-we'll decode this chart together. Precision will be the key to this!"

  Sslsistar smirked as she finally stood up off the wall and started heading out, her voice dry, "Loot and a fight-suits me fine."

  Maggie clapped, her paws sparking faintly as she followed Sslsistar, her voice chirpy, "Yay-shiny stuff ahead! We're gonna rock it!"

  The crew started to disperse, "William," said Hanna, "I still need to talk to you."

  "Sure, Captain."

  Titus grumbled with a smirk, Cornell muttered, Sslsistar sneered, Maggie hummed as they all left the cabin. As the last one left, Hanna shut the door with a thud, her tail slowly swishing, her green eyes piercing William as she stepped close, her voice dropping low and raw, claws flexing like she might grab him, "Listen hard, William." She poked a finger into his chest-not hard, just hard enough, "Don't you ever pull that stunt again, hear me? Surrendering to them dead bastards-damn near got yourself burned to cinders, and Gard's ashes are heavy because of it. I'd," she placed her palm on William's chest, feeling his strong heartbeat under his shirt, "I'd regret it, deep, something I don't carry, if you got snuffed out, and I ain't one for regrets. You're mine to keep breathing. Don't make me bury you, because I won't forgive you for it."

  William froze, her words hitting like a gut punch, his voice quieter, raw honesty cutting through as he saw tears forming in the corners of her eyes, "Hanna," he placed his hand on top of the one on his chest and reached out, taking the side of her face into his other hand. She slightly leaned into his hand, "I'm sorry. Truly, I am. I wasn't trying to die-just couldn't let another town, more innocents, be destroyed because of me. There's too much blood on my hands already; I didn't want to pile on more." He leaned down until Hanna looked up into his eyes, smiling softly, "I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere if I can help it. I promise you."

  Hanna looked into William's gentle eyes-eyes like she'd never seen before. She reached up with her free hand and covered William's hand on her face, closed her eyes, sighed heavily, and opened them, "Do you know what I was before I was a Captain?"

  "No," William answered with a slight shake of his head, "I never really thought about it. I figured you were always a sailor of some type."

  William could see deep sadness in her eyes, pain she felt long ago, but it still marked her-not on her skin, but deep within her soul. There was something on the tip of her tongue, but her pain and... fear, maybe, held it there.

  Her ears twitched, her gaze holding his longer, a flicker of something soft-vulnerability-slipping through her steel before she buried it. She closed her eyes as the mantle of captain came back to her, stepping back away from William's touch, "For another time. Keep that promise, or I'll chain you to the mast and let Titus use you for target practice. Out-go breathe your damn air, but stay sharp."

  He nodded, slipping out, his boots thudding as the door clicked shut, leaving her staring at the map, her claws tracing the northbound line through Pride, her mind a tangle of him and his touch. She reached up and wiped away the tears that had formed at the edges of her green eyes.

  That night, as The Silver Girl sailed under stars away from the destruction, Gard's shore, lit by still-burning fires, stirred-the Draco-Lich clawed onto the rocky beach, its skeletal form dripping rot and seawater, eyeless sockets glowing cold fire. Its remaining undead crew-cats with peeling flesh, dogs with broken jaws, grizzlies with cracked skulls-shuffled ashore, groaning a low dirge over the waves. The town, trying to recover from the onslaught, was caught unaware as the dead spread. Claws slashed, a scream cut short, blood pooling as he rose, eyes blank. Dogs barked, rushing out-jaws snapped, bones broke, yelps silenced as they staggered up, undead. Reptiles hissed, tails whipping-skeletons pinned them, tearing scales, bodies lurching to march. Bird scholars fled, scrolls scattering-wings snapped, rising to shamble. Vermin thieves scampered-knives flashed, caught by claws, cackles turning to groans.

  The Draco-Lich slashed a cat elder's throat-her body rose, fur matted, swelling the ranks. Houses blazed, screams faded-Gard's living fell, their dead swelling the tide, a silent army under the Lich's will, its sockets fixed on the sea where The Silver Girl sailed north.

  Now, the Lich thought, we just wait for a boat.