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c: Part 3 of the continuing series.
This one features one \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWinterWolfy\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t		\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWinterWolfy\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
, eyes always open for any booty. <3

You can find part 2 here! https://inkbunny.net/s/1828366 and part 1 here~ https://inkbunny.net/s/1806503","writing":"\t“Oy. Wake yer arse up. Time to work.”\n\n\tA large paw pressed against the groaning lump of teenager in the crew’s cabin, blankets wrapped over the boy’s head. Pointed, blue ears poked out from the covers, followed by a white paw with blue dots wrapped around the wrist as the covers slid off, showing the blue-furred, white-bellied look of a teenaged wolf as he stretched and tried to wake himself, growling slightly. “Th’ sun’s up already? Ugh…” Just a bit of a groan as he pulled himself out of bed, disheveled uniform clinging to his body.\n\n\t“Yer the last one up, Winter. Even those two boys managed t’ recover from their morning fuckin’ before ye got up.” The fox’s arms were crossed as he glared at the small wolf, letting out a sigh and shaking his head. “I know yer usually th’ lookout, but since yer up so late, you’ll be swabbin’ the decks again.” That glare sent shivers down the teen’s spine as he gave a slight nod of understanding, then the fox shrugged his shoulders and left the room to resume his duties.\n\n\tIt couldn’t be helped. That’s what the wolf thought to himself as he brushed at his hair and tail to make himself at least presentable to the crew. Only a few hours of sleep between shifts and an extra few while the Captain manned the ship in the morning. He was on the second shift, so he got to see the first cracks of dawn arching through the sky before he could rest, so of course he’d wake up a little late, right? A grumble under his breath as he stepped out of the cabin, shielding his eyes from the sun hanging in the sky and taking a look around the deck of the Tigris.\n\n\tThe deck was a bustle of activity, the rest of the crew completely active as they shot through the open seas, sails catching every bit of wind possible. The fox that had woken Winter was back at the helm of the ship, keeping the vessel on course for wherever it was that they had chosen to go since leaving port four days ago, and he could see the little squirrel boy with the big ears, the new bunny that had just stowed away on their ship, the rabbit Captain with those strange tiger stripes… The two biggest of their crewmates must have been below deck, managing the stores of cargo that the ship would sell in the next port.\n\n\tWhich only left two others… One of which was now taking Winter’s place in the crow’s nest.\n\n\t“Aye, there he is.” The voice of the Captain snapped the wolf from his thoughts as he looked over to the striped rabbit, padding himself over to Robby’s side. “Awake, ya dainty li’l shite? Th’ boys already got the mop ready for ye, sleepin’ in like that. This deck better sparkle like th’ water does.” Winter nodded, saluting his Captain, not daring to attempt to speak back. He was the youngest of the crew, not counting the two Cabin Boys who would be considered Apprentice sailors at this point, and he was still trying to gain his own standing among the others.\n\n\t“Aye aye!” The wolf began his duties, heading for that little squirrel boy and finding the mop that the two had readied. ‘Swabbie’ was the term he could hear them snickering a little bit behind his back, though at least one of them began to clean the deck alongside him… It made the process thankfully much shorter, though still leaving him worn out by the end, leaning over the mop with beads of sweat dripping off his brow.\n\n\tHis eyes drifted back up to the nest, and he groaned a little bit. He still hadn’t seen hide nor hair of another person coming down… Rather odd, given the number of hours they had been working today. Maybe he should at least go up and check o- “FWEEEEE!” The sound of a loud whistle cut through Winter’s thoughts as he snapped his attention back to the deck. The sun was already starting to set, meaning it was time for the crew to eat, and the second shifters like him to ready themselves for sleep.\n\n\tDown into the galley he went, along with the rest of the crew, so caught up in the prospect of food that he completely forgot about his previous agenda. He scarfed down the meal that the cook had prepared for them, taking the time to enjoy the antics and stories of the Captain, all eyes on the striped rabbit for a moment. The galley itself was small… Just enough room to fit each member of the crew inside, with the two cabin boys huddled in a corner at their own little table in case they were needed to run extra errands.\n\n\tAfter dinner finished, Winter took a quick moment to check in with the Captain. They had been sailing for long enough, and he hoped that a destination would be in sight soon. “Mmmmm… we got three days yet to port if we have good winds. Ye better make sure to keep a good eye out tonight an’ make sure t’ keep us on course… Hate t’ see a repeat o’ this mornin’, swabbie.” The last word was spoken with a clear hint of sarcasm, and he could see the rabbit snickering. His lips pulled back in a slight sneer, ready to growl… If only the rabbit didn’t tower an entire foot over the teen’s head, maybe.\n\n\tAs the sun began to sink beyond the horizon, the crew readied itself for the first signs of stars they would use to guide the way with only half their usual manpower. Winter found himself working to lash the sails tight, in case of emergency when there would only be a handful of able-bodied men to handle the sails soon. He took a peek ahead, spotting the little blue-furred squirrel boy eagerly helping out. “Zeke… over here. Knot it like this.” Wrapping the cord around a handle, he smiled… The bushy tailed boy soon followed suit, eager to keep learning until he could be an official crew member. “Perfect! Only one more.”\n\n\tThe young boy brought his paw up for a salute. “Aye aye!” …And then he stopped and froze. Winter took a step forward, curious what was wrong… There was a loud SNAP as he heard the boy’s surprised gasp. Something snagged the wolf for just a split second, and he threw his paws forward to try to catch himself as he stumbled ahead, feeling a cool breeze blowing between his legs. A breeze that tickled the wolf’s now-exposed loins before he yelped out loud, paws going to cover himself, looking down and seeing his shorts in a collapsed heap beneath him.\n\n\tWinter’s head snapped back… He bared his teeth for a moment, hoping to catch sight of at least one person playing a prank on him… Instead, what the wolf saw was a hook and a belt caught on it, left dangling in such a way that it was a rather impressive feat to have caught him how it did. His ears fell back as he remembered his curse, spoken about in hush whispers as if some sea witch had spoken ill about the teen.\n\n\tWinter’s luck, something that a normal person wouldn’t even think about, had always been exceptionally below others. He tripped, slipped, stumbled, and found himself in the most precarious of situations, so often that he had, multiple times, immediately run for the nearest shaman in port when they had docked. As he watched his belt billow in the open air, the wolf couldn’t keep himself from whining. The heat in his cheeks began to slowly rise, along with another little bit of him.\n\n\tAs he felt that heat rising, he yelped a second time. Eyes went to the wolf as the white fur of his cheeks burned crimson. If someone were just unlucky, that would be one thing… yet as he stood in place, burning with his embarrassment, a steady dribble began to fall on the deck of the Tigris. Winter’s loins were heavily on the rise, and he took a step to run for the cabin as quickly as he could… Only to completely forget about the shorts around his ankles before he completely fell head over heels.\n\n\t“Ack!” The only cry he had time to give before his face was on the deck of the ship… And as he heard the confused voices approaching, he brought his paws back up. Not to cover his dignity, but this time to cover his eyes. His bits twitched and throbbed, building up and up just as fast as his humility did, and when he hit his peak and couldn’t hold it back anymore, the wolf felt his body tense. A shot spurted from the tip, pointed straight to the dock, releasing the curse’s grip on the poor teen just enough that he could finally scramble to his feet and flee the scene.\n\n\t“W-wait! Winter! … Oh, I guess I have to clean this up then…”\n\n\t*****\n\n\t“Hey.”\n\n\tWinter could feel a paw shaking at his shoulder. He carefully opened his eyes, seeing that the cabin was still dark. Orange eyes of a young bunny stared at him, hair pulled back by a bandana, and it took the teen a few moments to recognize the second cabin boy. “Mmmmm? Wh-what is it?” The wolf started to sit up before he froze, remembering how he’d darted straight to bed… He was still naked from the waist down, and he didn’t dare expose himself in front of this one. Enough moonlight was coming in through the ship’s window that he knew he’d be caught if he did.\n\n\t“It’s yer shift now. They be waitin’ for ya to git outta bed an’ git to work.”\n\n\t“R-right… I’ll… be just a moment.” He shooed the younger boy out of the room and let out a sigh. Even the bunny spoke like a seasoned sailor compared to him. Just weeks ago, he’d finally managed to graduate from his own cabin boy to a full-fledged member, three years of grueling tasks and trials and wake up calls… But at this rate, he didn’t know if he’d get much farther.\n\n\tWaiting for the bunny to leave the room, the wolf tossed aside his covers. He found a free pair of shorts and belt to wear, something that he had learned over the years to keep a good stock of given how often his curse kicked in, and soon began to make his way out to the Tigris’s deck. The silver moonlight cast a glow across the wood, the ship shining as it sailed along, and he fought a strong urge to throw his head back and howl.\n\n\tHe could see the bunny scampering off somewhere, back towards the Captain’s cabin… The two boys were on call for the official crew to wake up at any time extra hands were needed. He could hear the steady thump of the large canine that made up the last part of their night shift stomping through the decks, trying to keep an eye on the deck, and the sound of the wheel turning as the fox guided the ship through the night breezes. It would just be the three of them, as always. Time to take his position where he felt most at ease.\n\n\tWinter needed no help to find the ladder leading up to the top of the nest. He climbed, paw over paw, scaling the roped rungs until he could reach the top, hopping right over the edge and staring over the side. The breeze billowed through his fur, no sound, no people. It was the quiet and solace that he most sought during these voyages, where he could see the endless expanse of sea all around and spend the time away, no curse, no nerves, no awkwardness. He could close his eyes for a moment and just soak in the night life.\n\n\t“Winter?”\n\n\t“Ack!” So absorbed in soaking it in, for a moment he thought the cabin boy had snuck up on him… Though even as he thought about it, he realized that he’d heard not a single sound. It was the squirrel again, Zeke… He had a smile on his face, and a bag in his hand, almost silk-like material with the drawstring opened. “Wh-why are you up here already? I just got here!” The demand was made as he watched the boy reach into the bag, pulling out a wrapped… thing and placing it in his paws.\n\n\t“Sorry… I bought these in port… A li’l gift fer everyone.”\n\n\tAs the wolf looked at the thing, his blue eyes almost started to glow. He recognized the object almost from its scent alone, the sweet smell of sugar clear even through the salty sea air. It’d been ages since he’d been able to have any kind of sweet candy aboard the ship, spending most of his spare funds searching for a way to get rid of this witch’s curse, and his claws quickly dug straight into the paper, shoving the candy into his maw without a moment’s hesitation.\n\n\t“Mmmmm?!” It was even sweeter than he’d been ready for, the cabin boy had good taste when picking out these treats. Teeth gnashed and bit through a goopy mess of orange and vanilla, swallowing the bits he could separate until he realized it was all gone. “W-wait, just one?” He didn’t even realize he’d spoken this aloud until he heard the giggle from the younger boy, snapping his head over at the squirrel and pulling his ears back as a whine sounded from his throat. “Ummm… D-do ya… have… a-anymore?”\n\n\t“Knew it!” The reply from the small rodent caught that wolf by surprise as he reached into the bag to fetch another piece of candy. “I thought you’d like these the most out of everyone! Me and Kai already had plenty of ‘em, but I bought enough that I could share with the whole ship a few times over… Everyone else is too old to really enjoy candy like we do, though, right? But you’re so small, you can’t be too much older than we are.” The words cut a little deep, but Winter took the piece of candy with grace regardless.\n\n\tHe was fifteen. These boys were only ten. If he had been back home, he could’ve succeeded as an adult by now, but standing at just a paltry height of four feet, only the children on the boat were any comparable size to him. Only given the tasks of keeping lookout and cleaning the ship, he took what little peace he could get amidst the others. Up here, he could do an amazing job, eyes always darting from one side to the other, not letting even the slightest thing escape his gaze.\n\n\tWinter’s body slumped down below the wall of the crow’s nest. He started to idly chew on the second piece of candy as he saw Zeke’s gaze staring off. “Mmmm… I’m a lot older than you are, ya know.” He didn’t know why, but he needed to be able to confide in someone. He saw the squirrel child bristle up, those large, round mouse’s ears seeming to perk up like the boy was on edge, and kept speaking. “Hells, ya even got the bunny now, he’s way younger too but ya think he’d been sailing since he was born with how good he does around here!”\n\n\tThe wolf sighed a little bit. His legs pulled up to his chest as he wrapped his arms around, hearing a few squeaks. “But that’s… okay. I’m the lookout, ya know? I keep us safe! I should be… a li’l more confident in what’s goin’ on each day. Right?” The words fell on deaf ears… As Winter looked up, the cabin boy was gone. He stood immediately and looked over the edge of the nest, fearful that, somehow, Zeke had fallen over the edge.\n\n\tHis eyes widened. Below him, he could see the deck of the Tigris, yet it was different. It shimmered with a strange light that seemed to pulse in an out, something that was so large it surrounded the entirety of the ship. Paws took action before reason could as he descended from the nest to the deck, anxiously surveying the area. The wolf could hear voices all over, cries and grunts, feet stomping back and forth. The air around the ship grew colder by the second.\n\n\tThe light began to pulse again, and he saw the figures. Wolves, dogs, foxes, all of the canine, translucent and ghastly as they towered over him. They didn’t pay attention to the teen as the marched to the back of the ship, then back to the front. The light was much clearer now that he wasn’t so high up, taking on the shape of a ship, one that was just big enough to be a shell for the Tigris. He saw a small, ghostly child run by, and the lithe figure of an adult stretching at the wheel.\n\n\t“Ghosts…?” There was just a hint of disbelief in his voice. While most sailors knew of ghost ships that sailed the waters, this was his first time seeing one up close. He took a few steps towards the Captain’s cabin, eyeing those figures any time they became visible. If this was an invasion, then… His attention snapped right to the small child that had run by. Even as the light faded away and left only the Tigris visible, that child stayed in view. The figure at the stern did as well, and he could hear the stomping beneath him that must have been yet another ghost.\n\n\tA hostile takeover… They had found the bodies to possess and claim for their own. Only a few books talked about the process, but now it was happening right in front of Winter. If he couldn’t save them by the time sun came up, well… But it was strange. Zeke had been taken, as had the other two. As the wolf sprinted away from the Captain’s cabin, to the other end of the ship, he darted straight into the sleeping crew’s cabins. Three more ghosts left the room, ready to join their phantom crew, and he fell to his knees.\n\n\t“B-bet… the Captain, too. So why?” He’d been left alone. He was awake, so he should have been possessed as well. That’s how this was supposed to go, right? As he thought to himself, the light returned. He saw the shape of the ship that was taking over, and the host of bodies waiting for suitable vessels to take over. Suitable… “Oh!” Of course. The wolf rose on his feet, taking the few moments that the crew would be active to try and inspect. Five, six… five… All of them.\n\n\tSimply too big to fit into his body. The one boy must have been the only smaller one. It was only as this realization came through that a noise rang out from the Captain’s quarters. A loud bang, echoing through the entire ship as the wolf stood straight up. He ran out of the crew’s cabins and darted across the ship as the pulsing light faded once again, recognizing the sound immediately. If he didn’t make it in time, everything would be far worse. The only thought in his mind as he charged his body into the Captain’s door was…\n\n\t“Stop! Don’t shoot him! You might hurt the Cap’n!”\n\n\t“Tch… What d’ye mean?” The bunny stood in the doorway leading to the cabin boy’s tiny quarters that they now shared. Smoke billowing from the end of his flintlock and the heavy bullet embedded in the wall across the room made the situation obvious, but he grimaced as he heard the wolf calling. His eyes were wide, and his shorts in a crumpled heap on the floor. “Woke me up cuz he needs t’ be worn out, then th’ bastard just growls n’ gets beefier! Damn near ripped me with his claws! Th’ hells did Stripes go, anyway?!”\n\n\tSo that was it, then. As Winter’s gaze moved from Kai over to the beastly figure in the middle of his Captain’s room, he froze in place. What usually would have been the rabbit’s body had been completely replaced, the powerful form of an adult wolf, hunched over and still larger than both the bunny and the teen now in the room, claws held out and ready as it glared at the child who had dared to fire at it. The wolf glowed with the same ghastly white light, but its eyes held a certain ferociousness that Winter had yet to see in any of the other invading apparitions.\n\n\t“Behind me.” The teen spoke with a certain tone, ordering the younger bunny as he started to carefully pace inside. The cabin boy didn’t move an inch, however, with his eyes locked ahead and a slight scoff. Still, he bared his teeth and stepped directly between this wolf and the bunny, an arm out to keep the boy from making any more sudden moves as a growl sounded from both him and the adult. “You don’t belong here. You can’t stay. As the only crew member present… I request a parley.” His feet stood firm as he glared in return, even though the other wolf towered over his frame despite being hunched over.\n\n\tAs the beast reared itself back to stand at its full height, its eyes glowed a faint red in the silver light cast by the moon. “Hrrrmmmm…” A deep, masculine voice came through as the wolf started to speak, “You ask for a negotiation… Yet you have nothing you could possibly offer.” The pulse of the ghost ship returned, and showed the two boys that the room had now begun to fill with several dozen others. “I’ve claimed everything that could be yours aboard this vessel.” Even as an apparition, the snide look on the wolf’s face was so easy to see.\n\n\tWinter gulped for just a moment, but forced out another growl and took a menacing step forward. “I have two things… Information… and a body.” Another step was taken, and he kept his paw up to make sure Kai wouldn’t move forward. “Even if you take over our crew, your ship is too large. You can’t man it… It would be better to go back. This, I offer to you for free.” He steeled himself. It wasn’t a lie, but even a moment of weakness and the teen may not be believed.\n\n\t“Oh? And what was the body?”\n\n\t“M-mine.” …No, not like that. Winter stomped his foot down to give himself a little more force. “My own! To use as you see fit at night until we have come ashore and you become free to roam.” He could hear some murmuring. The other ghosts were becoming more sentient by the moment… Time was running out. “If the sun rises, you may still be in that body… but you’ll have only a handful of your crew. All these men will disappear until the next full moon. Instead, leave that body so my Captain can get us to land, and you can use my body every night.”\n\n\tThe wolf threw his head back, laughing aloud. “HAH! Every night? Ye just said only full moon nights, boy. No fuckin’ deal.”\n\n\tJust a hint of a smile started to show on the teen’s face after that statement, and he waved to the bunny still behind him. Kai’s expression had softened just a bit. He caught the signal, turning all of his attention to Winter. “Kai… you know which cot is mine. Get the box I keep under it.” He didn’t need to see the nod… The light was fading and the ghosts were disappearing again, and the pitter patter of bunny feet was clear as Kai escaped the tense situation.\n\n\tWith the young boy clear, Winter could continue. “You can touch me all you want at night. I…” He slowed for a moment, then continued. “I have a curse, from a witch. And being touched like that, you can touch me at night. I’m… to small for you to possess. And this deal is only on the table for you, the Captain of this crew. You leave his body, you have mine.” A deep breath. This was a gamble, but it was all he had that could possibly work. The blue wolf’s eyes squeezed shut, trying to seal the deal. “You can… even leave his body now, to be sure.”\n\n\tIt was sound. It made sense. It was the only way he could protect the crew from what was happening. Winter kept himself calm as he waited for the wolf’s reply, but he saw that sneer appearing on the adult’s face. “Heh heh… Well, we’ll just see if yer true to your word, boy.” A force snagged at Winter’s wrists, right along the dots that encircled them, and yanked upwards, holding his arms above his head. He couldn’t see the rest of the ghost ship’s crew right now, and the realization had the teen’s eyes going wide with terror as he struggled.\n\n\tThe wolf took a step forward. The ghost ship began to pulse once again, and Winter could see the entire, ghastly crew watching him, one of the larger men holding his arms up. A sudden whumpf came from behind the adult wolf as he approached, bringing one of those clawed hands up to the teen’s chin and holding it. “Mmmm… So that ain’t a bluff, then. Heh heh… Now… why shouldn’t we jus’ keep you and the bodies until we get to shore, hmmm?” The look in the teen’s eyes was fierce as he stared at this wolf.\n\n\tThe ship began to fade… Winter stared forward as he kept struggling against the hands holding him, and he spotted the slumped over body of his Captain. “C-cap’n?!” Calling out for just a moment, the teen’s ears drooped down. If that body was there, then… “You accept, then?” He couldn’t see the wolf anymore, though he could see the first lights of the sun on the horizon. Just a few more moments. If he could keep them busy for a few more moments.\n\n\tWinter’s thoughts were interrupted. His eyes went wide and he let out a surprised yelp. He could feel a clawed hand on his waist, gripping tight, and a thickness that shot straight through his shorts and into his rear. The familiar voice of the wolf leaned, cold breath brushing along the teen’s ear as the adult spoke to him. “Every night… Anything I want, hmmm?” That thickness pushed in more, and the boy couldn’t suppress his moan. Another claw on his other side held him tight, though he could still feel the powerful hand holding him up… Tugging harder and harder, lifting him from the ground.\n\n\tJust as Winter’s cursed luck would predict, the door to the Captain’s cabin flew back open. Kai, holding an ornate box with a clear frown on his face, threw the door wide, only to see the teen wolf floating in the air with his arms up as if he were being held. He couldn’t hear the grunts that Winter was hearing as that wolf pushed in and out of the teen’s rear, hips squeezed so tightly that even the claws dug into the boy’s furred legs. “Wh-what in th’ hells?” Peering in, seeing the slumped over body of the Captain, the bunny quickly through the box aside and ran to the rabbit’s side. “Shit shit… Stripes, wake up!”\n\n\tThe barrage to his tailhole continued as Winter caught sight of the two rabbits. He gasped out as he felt something driving all the way into him, organs be damned and clothes not existing. It pushed and pulsed, arching up towards his stomach, thicker than most things he felt, though it did earn another twitch from his own loins. Again and again, the unseen member thrust, to the point that the teen couldn’t help letting out moans as his body shook and shivered. He could hear the hurried breaths of the ghost, his ears twitching at the continued sounds.\n\n\tAnd then, with a large throb, the teen heard the beginnings of a howl. He tensed up for a moment, fighting back his own urges, but as the voice washed over him, he threw his own head back and began to howl as well. The ghost wolf’s member gave an even larger throb, and Winter could feel something thick bulging inside him for a moment before gusts of cold air seemed to shoot their way through his innards, growls and moans mixing with the howls of both him and the invisible being. His own loins twitched for a moment more before he began to drip his juices out… Only a few droplets, unlike the earlier bursts from his incident in the afternoon.\n\n\tHe finally brought himself down from the howl, and the teen started to pant softly. He could still feel all the clawed hands holding him, only for a moment more. They faded away as the light of the sun hit the cabin’s windows, and before he could save himself, Winter let out a yelp of surprise, landing on the ground in a heap of fur, right on top of Kai and Robby. “Ack… the box!” He wasted no time scrambling to his feet, looking frantically at the bunny and spotting the ornate box, quickly snatching it and throwing it open.\n\n\tA string, a small doll, a piece of cloth… and now a cold tuft of fur. His eyes darted over each of the items before he let out a sigh. “Just another one, I guess.” Closing the lid, he caught the inquisitive look of the bunny nearby, and shook his head silently. His curses may be growing, but he needn’t burden the others with his problem. “I thought I had something to exorcise them, but… I don’t. Sorry you had to run off like that.” Lying through his teeth, the wolf’s vision began to dim. He was fading from consciousness quickly, and his body slumped onto the floor of the cabin just as he saw a striped leg standing in front of him.\n\n\t*****\n\n\tWhen Winter had next awoken, he found himself crumpled up in the Captain’s bed, clutching that box as if his life had depended on it, though with the contents, it very well may have. Kai had done what he could to give the teen the credit for saving the crew that night, yet… the others could not remember. Even Zeke, who would usually listen to all the stories he was told, and who had seen Winter that very night, simply couldn’t remember how he’d ended up in bed and felt that the teen wolf had just carried him away.\n\n\tTwo nights later, in the middle of second shift, Winter let out a sigh as he sat in the crow’s nest. The night was peaceful, and the sailing was smooth, the Tigris perfectly on course for their next destination… The crew had been told that they would reach port in one more day’s time. He slumped over the edge of the nest, and his tail wagged lazily from left to right as he watched the other two perform their duties aboard the ship.\n\n\tIt was as he watched that the wolf felt the icy grip of a click on his hips. His ears laid back and he bared his teeth, letting out a growl. “Again?” Mumbling the word as he felt the breath of that ghastly wolf on his ear again. “I know I said every night, but are you that desperate?” He groaned as that claw kept petting along his leg… then the breath retreated, and he let out a sigh. “Good… Lords, I can’t wait to try and exorcise yet another curse.”\n\n\t“Why are you talking to yourself?”\n\n\t“Eh?!” Winter perked up as he heard a child’s voice, and turned to see both Zeke and Kai joining him in the nest, so caught up with the ghost that he hadn’t heard either child climbing. “Wh-wh-what do you mean talking to myself? I haven’t been talking to anyone except the…” He trailed off. It wouldn’t do any good to tell either of these two, so why bother? With a groan and a roll of his eyes, the wolf slumped onto the ground with his arms crossed and a pout on his face. “Never mind.”\n\n\t“See? Told ya he heard ‘em.” Kai nodded his head, knowing what Winter meant without needing help.\n\n\t“Mmmm… but ghosts only come out on full moons. They can’t exist without ‘em.” Zeke’s doubt was clear on his face, but he gave a shrug of his shoulder. His paw slipped into the satchel at his side, the same satchel from two nights ago, and he tossed the wolf a piece of candy before handing one to the bunny and chewing on his own. “Plus, we’d all be ghosts then! They’d jus’ replace us with their bodies.”\n\n\t“I’m tellin’ ya, he saved us.”\n\n\t“It’s okay, Kai. Zeke.” The teen munched away at his piece of candy and smiled, shaking his head. “What matters is we get to town, and I get to a shaman. I’ll have enough pay from Cap’n to let ‘em try and get rid of things again. Don’t gotta worry ‘bout no nothing.” He waved off any further thoughts about ghosts from the boys, and let them sit with him through the night. As the sun began to crest across the horizon once again, he took a glance over the edge of the nest, seeing the rise of ground off in the distance. “Oh!”\n\n\t“Land ‘ho!”\n\n\tWinter’s call sounded throughout the entire ship, strong enough to gather the crews attention. He leaned forward, excited to see where they would be stopping next, and the two cabin boys watched him… He thought he heard a squeak of surprise, but he couldn’t pay it any mind as he leaned more, paws losing the grip of the nest and his body slipping right over the side, hurtling straight towards the deck. He crashed straight into the large bodied canine that patrolled during their night shaft, enough force to knock the poor teen out, curse still in full swing even after his heroic deeds.\n\n\tPerhaps he could get his recognition another day.","writing_bbcode_parsed":"\t“Oy. Wake yer arse up. Time to work.”

\tA large paw pressed against the groaning lump of teenager in the crew’s cabin, blankets wrapped over the boy’s head. Pointed, blue ears poked out from the covers, followed by a white paw with blue dots wrapped around the wrist as the covers slid off, showing the blue-furred, white-bellied look of a teenaged wolf as he stretched and tried to wake himself, growling slightly. “Th’ sun’s up already? Ugh…” Just a bit of a groan as he pulled himself out of bed, disheveled uniform clinging to his body.

\t“Yer the last one up, Winter. Even those two boys managed t’ recover from their morning fuckin’ before ye got up.” The fox’s arms were crossed as he glared at the small wolf, letting out a sigh and shaking his head. “I know yer usually th’ lookout, but since yer up so late, you’ll be swabbin’ the decks again.” That glare sent shivers down the teen’s spine as he gave a slight nod of understanding, then the fox shrugged his shoulders and left the room to resume his duties.

\tIt couldn’t be helped. That’s what the wolf thought to himself as he brushed at his hair and tail to make himself at least presentable to the crew. Only a few hours of sleep between shifts and an extra few while the Captain manned the ship in the morning. He was on the second shift, so he got to see the first cracks of dawn arching through the sky before he could rest, so of course he’d wake up a little late, right? A grumble under his breath as he stepped out of the cabin, shielding his eyes from the sun hanging in the sky and taking a look around the deck of the Tigris.

\tThe deck was a bustle of activity, the rest of the crew completely active as they shot through the open seas, sails catching every bit of wind possible. The fox that had woken Winter was back at the helm of the ship, keeping the vessel on course for wherever it was that they had chosen to go since leaving port four days ago, and he could see the little squirrel boy with the big ears, the new bunny that had just stowed away on their ship, the rabbit Captain with those strange tiger stripes… The two biggest of their crewmates must have been below deck, managing the stores of cargo that the ship would sell in the next port.

\tWhich only left two others… One of which was now taking Winter’s place in the crow’s nest.

\t“Aye, there he is.” The voice of the Captain snapped the wolf from his thoughts as he looked over to the striped rabbit, padding himself over to Robby’s side. “Awake, ya dainty li’l shite? Th’ boys already got the mop ready for ye, sleepin’ in like that. This deck better sparkle like th’ water does.” Winter nodded, saluting his Captain, not daring to attempt to speak back. He was the youngest of the crew, not counting the two Cabin Boys who would be considered Apprentice sailors at this point, and he was still trying to gain his own standing among the others.

\t“Aye aye!” The wolf began his duties, heading for that little squirrel boy and finding the mop that the two had readied. ‘Swabbie’ was the term he could hear them snickering a little bit behind his back, though at least one of them began to clean the deck alongside him… It made the process thankfully much shorter, though still leaving him worn out by the end, leaning over the mop with beads of sweat dripping off his brow.

\tHis eyes drifted back up to the nest, and he groaned a little bit. He still hadn’t seen hide nor hair of another person coming down… Rather odd, given the number of hours they had been working today. Maybe he should at least go up and check o- “FWEEEEE!” The sound of a loud whistle cut through Winter’s thoughts as he snapped his attention back to the deck. The sun was already starting to set, meaning it was time for the crew to eat, and the second shifters like him to ready themselves for sleep.

\tDown into the galley he went, along with the rest of the crew, so caught up in the prospect of food that he completely forgot about his previous agenda. He scarfed down the meal that the cook had prepared for them, taking the time to enjoy the antics and stories of the Captain, all eyes on the striped rabbit for a moment. The galley itself was small… Just enough room to fit each member of the crew inside, with the two cabin boys huddled in a corner at their own little table in case they were needed to run extra errands.

\tAfter dinner finished, Winter took a quick moment to check in with the Captain. They had been sailing for long enough, and he hoped that a destination would be in sight soon. “Mmmmm… we got three days yet to port if we have good winds. Ye better make sure to keep a good eye out tonight an’ make sure t’ keep us on course… Hate t’ see a repeat o’ this mornin’, swabbie.” The last word was spoken with a clear hint of sarcasm, and he could see the rabbit snickering. His lips pulled back in a slight sneer, ready to growl… If only the rabbit didn’t tower an entire foot over the teen’s head, maybe.

\tAs the sun began to sink beyond the horizon, the crew readied itself for the first signs of stars they would use to guide the way with only half their usual manpower. Winter found himself working to lash the sails tight, in case of emergency when there would only be a handful of able-bodied men to handle the sails soon. He took a peek ahead, spotting the little blue-furred squirrel boy eagerly helping out. “Zeke… over here. Knot it like this.” Wrapping the cord around a handle, he smiled… The bushy tailed boy soon followed suit, eager to keep learning until he could be an official crew member. “Perfect! Only one more.”

\tThe young boy brought his paw up for a salute. “Aye aye!” …And then he stopped and froze. Winter took a step forward, curious what was wrong… There was a loud SNAP as he heard the boy’s surprised gasp. Something snagged the wolf for just a split second, and he threw his paws forward to try to catch himself as he stumbled ahead, feeling a cool breeze blowing between his legs. A breeze that tickled the wolf’s now-exposed loins before he yelped out loud, paws going to cover himself, looking down and seeing his shorts in a collapsed heap beneath him.

\tWinter’s head snapped back… He bared his teeth for a moment, hoping to catch sight of at least one person playing a prank on him… Instead, what the wolf saw was a hook and a belt caught on it, left dangling in such a way that it was a rather impressive feat to have caught him how it did. His ears fell back as he remembered his curse, spoken about in hush whispers as if some sea witch had spoken ill about the teen.

\tWinter’s luck, something that a normal person wouldn’t even think about, had always been exceptionally below others. He tripped, slipped, stumbled, and found himself in the most precarious of situations, so often that he had, multiple times, immediately run for the nearest shaman in port when they had docked. As he watched his belt billow in the open air, the wolf couldn’t keep himself from whining. The heat in his cheeks began to slowly rise, along with another little bit of him.

\tAs he felt that heat rising, he yelped a second time. Eyes went to the wolf as the white fur of his cheeks burned crimson. If someone were just unlucky, that would be one thing… yet as he stood in place, burning with his embarrassment, a steady dribble began to fall on the deck of the Tigris. Winter’s loins were heavily on the rise, and he took a step to run for the cabin as quickly as he could… Only to completely forget about the shorts around his ankles before he completely fell head over heels.

\t“Ack!” The only cry he had time to give before his face was on the deck of the ship… And as he heard the confused voices approaching, he brought his paws back up. Not to cover his dignity, but this time to cover his eyes. His bits twitched and throbbed, building up and up just as fast as his humility did, and when he hit his peak and couldn’t hold it back anymore, the wolf felt his body tense. A shot spurted from the tip, pointed straight to the dock, releasing the curse’s grip on the poor teen just enough that he could finally scramble to his feet and flee the scene.

\t“W-wait! Winter! … Oh, I guess I have to clean this up then…”

\t*****

\t“Hey.”

\tWinter could feel a paw shaking at his shoulder. He carefully opened his eyes, seeing that the cabin was still dark. Orange eyes of a young bunny stared at him, hair pulled back by a bandana, and it took the teen a few moments to recognize the second cabin boy. “Mmmmm? Wh-what is it?” The wolf started to sit up before he froze, remembering how he’d darted straight to bed… He was still naked from the waist down, and he didn’t dare expose himself in front of this one. Enough moonlight was coming in through the ship’s window that he knew he’d be caught if he did.

\t“It’s yer shift now. They be waitin’ for ya to git outta bed an’ git to work.”

\t“R-right… I’ll… be just a moment.” He shooed the younger boy out of the room and let out a sigh. Even the bunny spoke like a seasoned sailor compared to him. Just weeks ago, he’d finally managed to graduate from his own cabin boy to a full-fledged member, three years of grueling tasks and trials and wake up calls… But at this rate, he didn’t know if he’d get much farther.

\tWaiting for the bunny to leave the room, the wolf tossed aside his covers. He found a free pair of shorts and belt to wear, something that he had learned over the years to keep a good stock of given how often his curse kicked in, and soon began to make his way out to the Tigris’s deck. The silver moonlight cast a glow across the wood, the ship shining as it sailed along, and he fought a strong urge to throw his head back and howl.

\tHe could see the bunny scampering off somewhere, back towards the Captain’s cabin… The two boys were on call for the official crew to wake up at any time extra hands were needed. He could hear the steady thump of the large canine that made up the last part of their night shift stomping through the decks, trying to keep an eye on the deck, and the sound of the wheel turning as the fox guided the ship through the night breezes. It would just be the three of them, as always. Time to take his position where he felt most at ease.

\tWinter needed no help to find the ladder leading up to the top of the nest. He climbed, paw over paw, scaling the roped rungs until he could reach the top, hopping right over the edge and staring over the side. The breeze billowed through his fur, no sound, no people. It was the quiet and solace that he most sought during these voyages, where he could see the endless expanse of sea all around and spend the time away, no curse, no nerves, no awkwardness. He could close his eyes for a moment and just soak in the night life.

\t“Winter?”

\t“Ack!” So absorbed in soaking it in, for a moment he thought the cabin boy had snuck up on him… Though even as he thought about it, he realized that he’d heard not a single sound. It was the squirrel again, Zeke… He had a smile on his face, and a bag in his hand, almost silk-like material with the drawstring opened. “Wh-why are you up here already? I just got here!” The demand was made as he watched the boy reach into the bag, pulling out a wrapped… thing and placing it in his paws.

\t“Sorry… I bought these in port… A li’l gift fer everyone.”

\tAs the wolf looked at the thing, his blue eyes almost started to glow. He recognized the object almost from its scent alone, the sweet smell of sugar clear even through the salty sea air. It’d been ages since he’d been able to have any kind of sweet candy aboard the ship, spending most of his spare funds searching for a way to get rid of this witch’s curse, and his claws quickly dug straight into the paper, shoving the candy into his maw without a moment’s hesitation.

\t“Mmmmm?!” It was even sweeter than he’d been ready for, the cabin boy had good taste when picking out these treats. Teeth gnashed and bit through a goopy mess of orange and vanilla, swallowing the bits he could separate until he realized it was all gone. “W-wait, just one?” He didn’t even realize he’d spoken this aloud until he heard the giggle from the younger boy, snapping his head over at the squirrel and pulling his ears back as a whine sounded from his throat. “Ummm… D-do ya… have… a-anymore?”

\t“Knew it!” The reply from the small rodent caught that wolf by surprise as he reached into the bag to fetch another piece of candy. “I thought you’d like these the most out of everyone! Me and Kai already had plenty of ‘em, but I bought enough that I could share with the whole ship a few times over… Everyone else is too old to really enjoy candy like we do, though, right? But you’re so small, you can’t be too much older than we are.” The words cut a little deep, but Winter took the piece of candy with grace regardless.

\tHe was fifteen. These boys were only ten. If he had been back home, he could’ve succeeded as an adult by now, but standing at just a paltry height of four feet, only the children on the boat were any comparable size to him. Only given the tasks of keeping lookout and cleaning the ship, he took what little peace he could get amidst the others. Up here, he could do an amazing job, eyes always darting from one side to the other, not letting even the slightest thing escape his gaze.

\tWinter’s body slumped down below the wall of the crow’s nest. He started to idly chew on the second piece of candy as he saw Zeke’s gaze staring off. “Mmmm… I’m a lot older than you are, ya know.” He didn’t know why, but he needed to be able to confide in someone. He saw the squirrel child bristle up, those large, round mouse’s ears seeming to perk up like the boy was on edge, and kept speaking. “Hells, ya even got the bunny now, he’s way younger too but ya think he’d been sailing since he was born with how good he does around here!”

\tThe wolf sighed a little bit. His legs pulled up to his chest as he wrapped his arms around, hearing a few squeaks. “But that’s… okay. I’m the lookout, ya know? I keep us safe! I should be… a li’l more confident in what’s goin’ on each day. Right?” The words fell on deaf ears… As Winter looked up, the cabin boy was gone. He stood immediately and looked over the edge of the nest, fearful that, somehow, Zeke had fallen over the edge.

\tHis eyes widened. Below him, he could see the deck of the Tigris, yet it was different. It shimmered with a strange light that seemed to pulse in an out, something that was so large it surrounded the entirety of the ship. Paws took action before reason could as he descended from the nest to the deck, anxiously surveying the area. The wolf could hear voices all over, cries and grunts, feet stomping back and forth. The air around the ship grew colder by the second.

\tThe light began to pulse again, and he saw the figures. Wolves, dogs, foxes, all of the canine, translucent and ghastly as they towered over him. They didn’t pay attention to the teen as the marched to the back of the ship, then back to the front. The light was much clearer now that he wasn’t so high up, taking on the shape of a ship, one that was just big enough to be a shell for the Tigris. He saw a small, ghostly child run by, and the lithe figure of an adult stretching at the wheel.

\t“Ghosts…?” There was just a hint of disbelief in his voice. While most sailors knew of ghost ships that sailed the waters, this was his first time seeing one up close. He took a few steps towards the Captain’s cabin, eyeing those figures any time they became visible. If this was an invasion, then… His attention snapped right to the small child that had run by. Even as the light faded away and left only the Tigris visible, that child stayed in view. The figure at the stern did as well, and he could hear the stomping beneath him that must have been yet another ghost.

\tA hostile takeover… They had found the bodies to possess and claim for their own. Only a few books talked about the process, but now it was happening right in front of Winter. If he couldn’t save them by the time sun came up, well… But it was strange. Zeke had been taken, as had the other two. As the wolf sprinted away from the Captain’s cabin, to the other end of the ship, he darted straight into the sleeping crew’s cabins. Three more ghosts left the room, ready to join their phantom crew, and he fell to his knees.

\t“B-bet… the Captain, too. So why?” He’d been left alone. He was awake, so he should have been possessed as well. That’s how this was supposed to go, right? As he thought to himself, the light returned. He saw the shape of the ship that was taking over, and the host of bodies waiting for suitable vessels to take over. Suitable… “Oh!” Of course. The wolf rose on his feet, taking the few moments that the crew would be active to try and inspect. Five, six… five… All of them.

\tSimply too big to fit into his body. The one boy must have been the only smaller one. It was only as this realization came through that a noise rang out from the Captain’s quarters. A loud bang, echoing through the entire ship as the wolf stood straight up. He ran out of the crew’s cabins and darted across the ship as the pulsing light faded once again, recognizing the sound immediately. If he didn’t make it in time, everything would be far worse. The only thought in his mind as he charged his body into the Captain’s door was…

\t“Stop! Don’t shoot him! You might hurt the Cap’n!”

\t“Tch… What d’ye mean?” The bunny stood in the doorway leading to the cabin boy’s tiny quarters that they now shared. Smoke billowing from the end of his flintlock and the heavy bullet embedded in the wall across the room made the situation obvious, but he grimaced as he heard the wolf calling. His eyes were wide, and his shorts in a crumpled heap on the floor. “Woke me up cuz he needs t’ be worn out, then th’ bastard just growls n’ gets beefier! Damn near ripped me with his claws! Th’ hells did Stripes go, anyway?!”

\tSo that was it, then. As Winter’s gaze moved from Kai over to the beastly figure in the middle of his Captain’s room, he froze in place. What usually would have been the rabbit’s body had been completely replaced, the powerful form of an adult wolf, hunched over and still larger than both the bunny and the teen now in the room, claws held out and ready as it glared at the child who had dared to fire at it. The wolf glowed with the same ghastly white light, but its eyes held a certain ferociousness that Winter had yet to see in any of the other invading apparitions.

\t“Behind me.” The teen spoke with a certain tone, ordering the younger bunny as he started to carefully pace inside. The cabin boy didn’t move an inch, however, with his eyes locked ahead and a slight scoff. Still, he bared his teeth and stepped directly between this wolf and the bunny, an arm out to keep the boy from making any more sudden moves as a growl sounded from both him and the adult. “You don’t belong here. You can’t stay. As the only crew member present… I request a parley.” His feet stood firm as he glared in return, even though the other wolf towered over his frame despite being hunched over.

\tAs the beast reared itself back to stand at its full height, its eyes glowed a faint red in the silver light cast by the moon. “Hrrrmmmm…” A deep, masculine voice came through as the wolf started to speak, “You ask for a negotiation… Yet you have nothing you could possibly offer.” The pulse of the ghost ship returned, and showed the two boys that the room had now begun to fill with several dozen others. “I’ve claimed everything that could be yours aboard this vessel.” Even as an apparition, the snide look on the wolf’s face was so easy to see.

\tWinter gulped for just a moment, but forced out another growl and took a menacing step forward. “I have two things… Information… and a body.” Another step was taken, and he kept his paw up to make sure Kai wouldn’t move forward. “Even if you take over our crew, your ship is too large. You can’t man it… It would be better to go back. This, I offer to you for free.” He steeled himself. It wasn’t a lie, but even a moment of weakness and the teen may not be believed.

\t“Oh? And what was the body?”

\t“M-mine.” …No, not like that. Winter stomped his foot down to give himself a little more force. “My own! To use as you see fit at night until we have come ashore and you become free to roam.” He could hear some murmuring. The other ghosts were becoming more sentient by the moment… Time was running out. “If the sun rises, you may still be in that body… but you’ll have only a handful of your crew. All these men will disappear until the next full moon. Instead, leave that body so my Captain can get us to land, and you can use my body every night.”

\tThe wolf threw his head back, laughing aloud. “HAH! Every night? Ye just said only full moon nights, boy. No fuckin’ deal.”

\tJust a hint of a smile started to show on the teen’s face after that statement, and he waved to the bunny still behind him. Kai’s expression had softened just a bit. He caught the signal, turning all of his attention to Winter. “Kai… you know which cot is mine. Get the box I keep under it.” He didn’t need to see the nod… The light was fading and the ghosts were disappearing again, and the pitter patter of bunny feet was clear as Kai escaped the tense situation.

\tWith the young boy clear, Winter could continue. “You can touch me all you want at night. I…” He slowed for a moment, then continued. “I have a curse, from a witch. And being touched like that, you can touch me at night. I’m… to small for you to possess. And this deal is only on the table for you, the Captain of this crew. You leave his body, you have mine.” A deep breath. This was a gamble, but it was all he had that could possibly work. The blue wolf’s eyes squeezed shut, trying to seal the deal. “You can… even leave his body now, to be sure.”

\tIt was sound. It made sense. It was the only way he could protect the crew from what was happening. Winter kept himself calm as he waited for the wolf’s reply, but he saw that sneer appearing on the adult’s face. “Heh heh… Well, we’ll just see if yer true to your word, boy.” A force snagged at Winter’s wrists, right along the dots that encircled them, and yanked upwards, holding his arms above his head. He couldn’t see the rest of the ghost ship’s crew right now, and the realization had the teen’s eyes going wide with terror as he struggled.

\tThe wolf took a step forward. The ghost ship began to pulse once again, and Winter could see the entire, ghastly crew watching him, one of the larger men holding his arms up. A sudden whumpf came from behind the adult wolf as he approached, bringing one of those clawed hands up to the teen’s chin and holding it. “Mmmm… So that ain’t a bluff, then. Heh heh… Now… why shouldn’t we jus’ keep you and the bodies until we get to shore, hmmm?” The look in the teen’s eyes was fierce as he stared at this wolf.

\tThe ship began to fade… Winter stared forward as he kept struggling against the hands holding him, and he spotted the slumped over body of his Captain. “C-cap’n?!” Calling out for just a moment, the teen’s ears drooped down. If that body was there, then… “You accept, then?” He couldn’t see the wolf anymore, though he could see the first lights of the sun on the horizon. Just a few more moments. If he could keep them busy for a few more moments.

\tWinter’s thoughts were interrupted. His eyes went wide and he let out a surprised yelp. He could feel a clawed hand on his waist, gripping tight, and a thickness that shot straight through his shorts and into his rear. The familiar voice of the wolf leaned, cold breath brushing along the teen’s ear as the adult spoke to him. “Every night… Anything I want, hmmm?” That thickness pushed in more, and the boy couldn’t suppress his moan. Another claw on his other side held him tight, though he could still feel the powerful hand holding him up… Tugging harder and harder, lifting him from the ground.

\tJust as Winter’s cursed luck would predict, the door to the Captain’s cabin flew back open. Kai, holding an ornate box with a clear frown on his face, threw the door wide, only to see the teen wolf floating in the air with his arms up as if he were being held. He couldn’t hear the grunts that Winter was hearing as that wolf pushed in and out of the teen’s rear, hips squeezed so tightly that even the claws dug into the boy’s furred legs. “Wh-what in th’ hells?” Peering in, seeing the slumped over body of the Captain, the bunny quickly through the box aside and ran to the rabbit’s side. “Shit shit… Stripes, wake up!”

\tThe barrage to his tailhole continued as Winter caught sight of the two rabbits. He gasped out as he felt something driving all the way into him, organs be damned and clothes not existing. It pushed and pulsed, arching up towards his stomach, thicker than most things he felt, though it did earn another twitch from his own loins. Again and again, the unseen member thrust, to the point that the teen couldn’t help letting out moans as his body shook and shivered. He could hear the hurried breaths of the ghost, his ears twitching at the continued sounds.

\tAnd then, with a large throb, the teen heard the beginnings of a howl. He tensed up for a moment, fighting back his own urges, but as the voice washed over him, he threw his own head back and began to howl as well. The ghost wolf’s member gave an even larger throb, and Winter could feel something thick bulging inside him for a moment before gusts of cold air seemed to shoot their way through his innards, growls and moans mixing with the howls of both him and the invisible being. His own loins twitched for a moment more before he began to drip his juices out… Only a few droplets, unlike the earlier bursts from his incident in the afternoon.

\tHe finally brought himself down from the howl, and the teen started to pant softly. He could still feel all the clawed hands holding him, only for a moment more. They faded away as the light of the sun hit the cabin’s windows, and before he could save himself, Winter let out a yelp of surprise, landing on the ground in a heap of fur, right on top of Kai and Robby. “Ack… the box!” He wasted no time scrambling to his feet, looking frantically at the bunny and spotting the ornate box, quickly snatching it and throwing it open.

\tA string, a small doll, a piece of cloth… and now a cold tuft of fur. His eyes darted over each of the items before he let out a sigh. “Just another one, I guess.” Closing the lid, he caught the inquisitive look of the bunny nearby, and shook his head silently. His curses may be growing, but he needn’t burden the others with his problem. “I thought I had something to exorcise them, but… I don’t. Sorry you had to run off like that.” Lying through his teeth, the wolf’s vision began to dim. He was fading from consciousness quickly, and his body slumped onto the floor of the cabin just as he saw a striped leg standing in front of him.

\t*****

\tWhen Winter had next awoken, he found himself crumpled up in the Captain’s bed, clutching that box as if his life had depended on it, though with the contents, it very well may have. Kai had done what he could to give the teen the credit for saving the crew that night, yet… the others could not remember. Even Zeke, who would usually listen to all the stories he was told, and who had seen Winter that very night, simply couldn’t remember how he’d ended up in bed and felt that the teen wolf had just carried him away.

\tTwo nights later, in the middle of second shift, Winter let out a sigh as he sat in the crow’s nest. The night was peaceful, and the sailing was smooth, the Tigris perfectly on course for their next destination… The crew had been told that they would reach port in one more day’s time. He slumped over the edge of the nest, and his tail wagged lazily from left to right as he watched the other two perform their duties aboard the ship.

\tIt was as he watched that the wolf felt the icy grip of a click on his hips. His ears laid back and he bared his teeth, letting out a growl. “Again?” Mumbling the word as he felt the breath of that ghastly wolf on his ear again. “I know I said every night, but are you that desperate?” He groaned as that claw kept petting along his leg… then the breath retreated, and he let out a sigh. “Good… Lords, I can’t wait to try and exorcise yet another curse.”

\t“Why are you talking to yourself?”

\t“Eh?!” Winter perked up as he heard a child’s voice, and turned to see both Zeke and Kai joining him in the nest, so caught up with the ghost that he hadn’t heard either child climbing. “Wh-wh-what do you mean talking to myself? I haven’t been talking to anyone except the…” He trailed off. It wouldn’t do any good to tell either of these two, so why bother? With a groan and a roll of his eyes, the wolf slumped onto the ground with his arms crossed and a pout on his face. “Never mind.”

\t“See? Told ya he heard ‘em.” Kai nodded his head, knowing what Winter meant without needing help.

\t“Mmmm… but ghosts only come out on full moons. They can’t exist without ‘em.” Zeke’s doubt was clear on his face, but he gave a shrug of his shoulder. His paw slipped into the satchel at his side, the same satchel from two nights ago, and he tossed the wolf a piece of candy before handing one to the bunny and chewing on his own. “Plus, we’d all be ghosts then! They’d jus’ replace us with their bodies.”

\t“I’m tellin’ ya, he saved us.”

\t“It’s okay, Kai. Zeke.” The teen munched away at his piece of candy and smiled, shaking his head. “What matters is we get to town, and I get to a shaman. I’ll have enough pay from Cap’n to let ‘em try and get rid of things again. Don’t gotta worry ‘bout no nothing.” He waved off any further thoughts about ghosts from the boys, and let them sit with him through the night. As the sun began to crest across the horizon once again, he took a glance over the edge of the nest, seeing the rise of ground off in the distance. “Oh!”

\t“Land ‘ho!”

\tWinter’s call sounded throughout the entire ship, strong enough to gather the crews attention. He leaned forward, excited to see where they would be stopping next, and the two cabin boys watched him… He thought he heard a squeak of surprise, but he couldn’t pay it any mind as he leaned more, paws losing the grip of the nest and his body slipping right over the side, hurtling straight towards the deck. He crashed straight into the large bodied canine that patrolled during their night shaft, enough force to knock the poor teen out, curse still in full swing even after his heroic deeds.

\tPerhaps he could get his recognition another day.","pools_count":0,"title":"Misfit Crews: Lookout","deleted":"f","public":"t","mimetype":"text/rtf","pagecount":"1","rating_id":"2","rating_name":"Adult","ratings":[{"content_tag_id":"4","name":"Sexual Themes","description":"Erotic imagery, sexual activity or arousal","rating_id":"2"}],"submission_type_id":"12","type_name":"Writing - Document","guest_block":"t","friends_only":"f","comments_count":"0","views":"4","sales_description":null,"forsale":"f","digitalsales":"f","printsales":"f","digital_price":""}