Xian swings aboard her ship and lands deftly on her toes on the opposite vessel. Yeah, no. I am not doing that. Not with a sprained ankle, bruised ribs and a sore...well, everything. I walk across the plank they throw down, my small group following me. Several more planks are laid down and members of Xian's crew begin dragging Tomrius and Finn's crew onto Xian's ship.

"So how did they find us?" I ask Xian, weaving through the bustling crew members.

"I used the whistle to call a friend," she says with a smile. Across the deck I hear a series of rapid thuds, steadily growing closer and louder. Behind the wall of crew members sounds out a lot arooo! I hit the deck as a huge furry creature leaps over me, nearly tackling Xian.

"What is that?" I shout standing up, only to see the beast licking Xian with a prickly tongue.

"Markus!" the little pirate shouts gleefully, tangling her hands in his golden fur. The furry quadruped is nearly double her height. His large flat beaver tail slaps the deck so hard I worry it might break. "It's so good to see you, boy," she says rubbing her cheek against his. His prickly tongue lolls out while he pants as his long claws scratch the wood, the webs between his toes glistening.

"This is your...pet?" I ask. Esilea nearly knocks me over as she runs past.

"He's so cute!" The tall warrior shouts with glee. If an eight foot tall furry abomination is cute to you, sure. She turns excitedly to Xian. "May I?" Xian nods.

Esilea nearly leaps onto his furry body, tangling her hands in the soft fur. The large spines on his back prick up and he growls low, thumping his tale again.

"He likes you," Xian says with a smirk.

"Where did you get him?" Esilea asks while scratching deep under his fur; the thumping gets louder.

"I found him in the islands of Ismar Minor. They have creatures you wouldn't believe. He's a pirate's best friend. He can hold his breath forever, swim for eons, and he has this floating bladder that makes him a perfect raft. Plus, he likes fish, but loves the taste of humans." Xian scampers up to Markus. "Don't you boy? Don't you?"

"Who's a good maneater?" Esilea coos alongside Xian. For his part, Markus looks like he's in heaven.

"Speaking of which," Xian turns to me and eyes one of the crew members from Tomrius and Finn's ship. "Would you mind?"

"What? No," I say firmly. Sometimes, you have to put your foot down. Especially if a little psycho pirate wants to feed living sailors to a giant chimera. First it was burning alive, and now this? I like 'em crazy, but this might be a little much. Even for me.

"Fine," Xian says with a sigh. "You just ruin all the fun." I sigh and shake my head. Who would've thought it, huh? Me, the responsible one.

||||||||||

"You're not coming with us?" Esilea asks. Xian turns to Markus, scratching his forelegs absently. C'mon lovebirds, kiss and say goodbye already.

"I have some more work to do. But don't worry, I'll be back for you." Xian says with a wink. This time, it's Esilea's turn to blush. The pirate pulls one of the pins from her hair and hands it to Esilea. "If you ever need to get in touch with me, this will let me know. I had it enchanted by a rogue mage fleeing to Temprara." Icarus scowls, wheeling away. Xian leans in close to the warrior and whispers something, giving her a peck on the cheek. I can't tell if Esilea is waving goodbye to the departing forms of Xian, or Markus. Maybe both. Probably both.