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Skies","description":"","count":"5","submission_right_submission_id":"526476","submission_right_file_name":"687619_kemosabe_687072_azirik_xiao_meifen_001.jpg","submission_right_thumbnail_url_huge_noncustom":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/687/687619_kemosabe_687072_azirik_xiao_meifen_001.jpg","submission_right_thumbnail_url_large_noncustom":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/687/687619_kemosabe_687072_azirik_xiao_meifen_001_noncustom.jpg","submission_right_thumbnail_url_medium_noncustom":"https://nl.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/687/687619_kemosabe_687072_azirik_xiao_meifen_001_noncustom.jpg","submission_right_thumb_medium_noncustom_x":"91","submission_right_thumb_medium_noncustom_y":"120","submission_right_thumb_large_noncustom_x":"152","submission_right_thumb_large_noncustom_y":"200","submission_right_thumb_huge_noncustom_x":"227","submission_right_thumb_huge_noncustom_y":"300"}],"description":" WIP ICON by @Rumble\n\n\nMia belongs to @RisingDragon\n\n\nSorry this took so long guys, hopefully 4 won't take so long to complete.  \n\nBTW this is the monkey that tried to eat Mia:  http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_8MANQ2PiGk/T4ZQyRcEehI/AAAAAAAAAsU/5RFErYFwkqo/s1600/Golden+Snub+Nose+Monkey+-+In+Cherl+Kim.jpg\n","description_bbcode_parsed":"<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'> WIP ICON by \r\n\t\t\t\t\t<table style='display: inline-block; vertical-align:bottom;'>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<tr>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<td style='vertical-align: middle; border: none;'>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style='width: 37px; height: 50px; position: relative; margin: 0px auto;'>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a style='position: relative; border: 0px;' href='https://inkbunny.net/Rumble'><img class='shadowedimage' style='border: 0px;' src='https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/141/141705_Rumble_scan0058.jpg' width='37' height='50' alt='Rumble' title='Rumble' /></a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t</div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t</td>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<td style='vertical-align: bottom; font-size: 10pt;'>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span style='position: relative; top: 2px;'><a href='https://inkbunny.net/Rumble' class='widget_userNameSmall'>Rumble</a></span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t</td>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t</tr>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t</table><br /><br /><br />Mia belongs to \r\n\t\t\t\t\t<table style='display: inline-block; vertical-align:bottom;'>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<tr>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<td style='vertical-align: middle; border: none;'>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div style='width: 50px; height: 50px; position: relative; margin: 0px auto;'>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a style='position: relative; border: 0px;' href='https://inkbunny.net/RisingDragon'><img class='shadowedimage' style='border: 0px;' src='https://nl.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/60/60181_RisingDragon_estridblinkicon.gif' width='50' height='50' alt='RisingDragon' title='RisingDragon' /></a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t</div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t</td>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<td style='vertical-align: bottom; font-size: 10pt;'>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span style='position: relative; top: 2px;'><a href='https://inkbunny.net/RisingDragon' class='widget_userNameSmall'>RisingDragon</a></span>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t</td>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t</tr>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t</table><br /><br /><br />Sorry this took so long guys, hopefully 4 won&#039;t take so long to complete.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />BTW this is the monkey that tried to eat Mia:&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_8MANQ2PiGk/T4ZQyRcEehI/AAAAAAAAAsU/5RFErYFwkqo/s1600/Golden+Snub+Nose+Monkey+-+In+Cherl+Kim.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow\">http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_8MANQ2PiGk/T4ZQyRcEehI/AAAA...</a><br /></span>","writing":"Chapter 3\n\n    It had taken the maintenance on the ship a couple of days to repair the broken vent in the second-class passenger bay,  but it was worth the wait.  Now that Mia was able to make it all the way to the other side of the hanger she could get to the long vertical pipes that sent hydrogen from the balloon to the refrigeration and air conditioning units all about the ship.  She could wrap her arms around the insulated pipes and shimmy down with her back to the wall, safely and quietly dropping to the ground almost right on top of Jiao’s tent, and far away from that tiger... and that goat.... In the week since they met, Mia had gone to visit Jiao every day.  Jiao appreciated the company greatly, and did her best to teach the little jerboa Chinese to reward her for her kindness.  Mia dropped to the floor and looked around, being sure no one was looking before diving headfirst under the side of Jiao’s tent.  She knew enough to listen, and stay hidden for a little while before popping out, in case she was with a customer again.  She heard nothing, so she popped one eye out and looked around.  She couldn’t see Jiao anywhere, which was very unusual.  Suddenly Mia felt a heavy weight on her back, and a white tail dangled in front of her face.  \n\n    “Nín hǎo Mia, nǐ jīntiān hǎo ma?”  Jiao greeted her little friend and asked how she was today.  \n\n    “Nín hǎo jiāo, wǒ shì... De gǎnjué...... Fēicháng hǎo... Zhídào yī zhī māo zuò zài tā de dà pìgu zài wǒ de tóushàng!”  Mia giggled and tried to stand up her arms flailing out at her sides trying to grip and push herself up.  \n\n    “Ó, wǒ de pìgu shì zhīfáng, shì ma? Yěxǔ wǒ bù huì gěi nǐ yī zhǒng xiǎngshòu!” Jiao teased the little girl as she pressed her weight down slightly.  \n\n    “NUUU!”  Mia stopped struggling and looked up as best she could.  “I’m sorry, your butt isn’t fat, it’s shapely and sexy now please get it off of me and give me my surprise!”  \n\n    “Hmmm....”  Jiao thought for a moment tapping her chin with her claw.  “Count to 10 in Chinese and you can have it.”  \n\n    “But Jiao!!  RRRR!” She growled exasperated and settled down.  “yi, er, san, si, wu, liu, qi, ba... ba... JIU!!! NOW LEMME GO!”  She started kicking and thrashing again, and she felt the cat turn over and lay on her back, hugging her tightly and rolling over in the sheets.  \n\n    “A, wǒ de yīngyǔ shǔbiāo dì nǚhái!  You’re such a silly little girl Mia!”  She smiled and pawed at Mia’s face as she nibbled her long ears.  \n\n    Mia grabbed Jiao’s hand and nommed on it playfully with her rodent teeth. “Arrr-RRrrr-ARR!  I want my surpriiiiiiise!”  She wiggled and giggled rolling over to face Jiao, and sat up on her belly.  “Whatisit, whatisit, whatisit, whatisit, whatisit, whatisit, whatisit!!!!?”   She leant down and grabbed the cat’s shoulders shaking them playfully like she was begging for dear life.  \n\n    “Hahaha calm down little english you’d think you were starved to death!”  Jiao laughed and petted the girl’s arm as she straightened up her hair.  “Tell me what I gave you last time?”\n\n    “Swiss Crosses?” Mia answered quickly.  \n\n    “Yes!  And the day before?”  Jiao rested her hands on Mia’s waist.\n\n    “Fruit Fizzies!”  Mia giggled remembering the tickle on her tongue when the hard candy fizzled in her mouth.  \n\n    “And the day before?”  Jiao squeezed and released Mia’s thighs idly as she waited.\n\n    “A candy box!”  She smiled beeming, remembering the fun they had eating their way through the box while Jiao taught her the words for things, trading right answers for candies.  \n\n    “What was in the candy box?”  Jiao asked, stalling obviously.\n\n    “Chocolate coins, candied lotus seeds, melon seeds, candied pineapple and coconut, candied ginger, and.... OOH!  OOH!  Those tasty water chestnut thingies!”  She bounced on Jiao’s belly excitedly, jarring the cat and making her breasts bounce and jiggle.  \n\n    Jiao grabbed Mia’s head and pulled it into her breasts, holding her in the fluffy fur a she struggled.  “Silly silly excitable girl!  Hahaha you’re so adorable!”  Mia thrashed and kicked, smothering in the fleshy, fluffy tomb.  “Calm down Mia!”  Jiao let her go and Mia leaned back, dramatically taking deep gasping breaths like someone that’s been drowned.  Jiao smiled and grabbed her cheeks, pulled her down and kissed her on the lips deeply, pushing her tongue inside the younger girl’s mouth and wrestling it around.  Mia  blushed brightly, surprised by the sudden kiss, and pulled back.  \n\n    “H-how many times have I asked you to not sneak those on me with that!?”  Mia blurted out in embarrassment.  \n\n    “You like it, silly girl.”  Jiao said as she sat up.  “Now, if you’ll get off of me I’ll get your surprise...”  Jiao cut her eyes suggestively and Mia jumped up, not needing any more of an incentive.  Jiao got up on her knees and turned around, crawling away from mia.  Her tail waved behind her, occasionally giving Mia a teasing glimpse of her tight lips and clean pale pink tailhole.  Mia blushed and tried to look away, but Jiao did have a very shapely rump...  \n\n    “S-so, Jiao, ummm...”  Mia spoke with eyes transfixed on the cat’s white, fluffy rear, her tail swinging back and forth like a pendulum as she rummaged through her things.  “What’s my\n\nsurprise?”\n\n    The cat giggled and turned around, a small box in her hands, wrapped in an expensive-looking red paper.  “What do you think it is, Mia?”  She walked on her knees toward Mia with the box in hand.  \n\n    “Ummmmm....  We’ve had sweets twice... Hmmm...”  Mia put her little claw to her chin as she thought about what they’d had already.  “We’ve had sweets two days in a row, so probably not again.  So...  a salty snack?  Pretzels?”\n\n    “Nope!”  Jiao sat the box down and pushed it towards Mia, who grabbed it up and felt it, shaking it a little.  The box rattled heavily like there were different little things inside, but they sounded soft.  “Be careful with it, Mia!  Haha just open it!”\n\n    Mia sat down the box and unfolded it slowly, peaking at the folds trying to find its secrets.  Finally she finished unwrapping the box and looked it over.  It was pretty brass, with a pretty picture of what looked like a high-class family buying candy from a street vendor stamped onto the lid.  She “ooo-ed” at it and clawed its latch open, her little eye shining as she gripped the lid and lifted slowly, before letting it fall open and staring down at it, mouth agape.  \n\n    Dozens of diamond-shaped chocolates shone up at Mia, glimmering up from their paper cups as if they were made this morning.  They smelled fresh and loud, almost instantly finding their way into her delicate nose.  She shut the box and set it aside, looking down at the floor as she put her hands on her knees.\n\n    “Don’t they look delicious, Mia?”  Jiao smiled at Mia, but tilted her head curiously as she stared at the floor hiding her little face.  “You don’t like chocolates?  I’m sorry... I can get somethi-OOF!”  Jiao was cut short by a sharp little shoulder digging into her belly as Mia tackled her and hugged her tightly, squeezing her waist so tight she could barely breath.  \n\n    “ILOVEITILOVEITILOVEITILOVEITTHANKYOUSOMUCHJIAO!”  Mia squeezed her friend tightly as her tail whipped excitedly, and she nuzzled all up and down Jiao’s sides.  Jiao stroked Mia’s head gently and stroked her hair, playing with her long velvety ears.  \n\n    “I’m glad you like it, Mia, but do you know what makes them special?”  She ran her hands up and down the little girl’s back massaging and petting her tenderly.\n\n    “Nuh-uh.”  Mia looked up at her, still hugging her waist tightly.  “They’re not just solid chocolates?  Are they truffles?!”  Her eyes lit up imagining what they could be.  \n\n    Jiao petted Mia’s cheeks and combed her fingers through her soft cheekfur gently, smiling wide.  “Try one.”  \n\n“Okay!”  Mia jumped up and turned back to the box, lifting the lid and picking one of them up.  She picked one up and looked a Jiao curiously.  “Are they all the same?”  Jiao nodded, and Mia nodded back, then popped the chocolate into her mouth, chewing on it making her eyes open wide.  She chewed on it munching and moaning her bright amethyst eyes rolling back into her head as she swallowed it down.  \n\n    “How does it taste, Mia?  Do you like it?”  Jiao laid to her side, propping her head in her hand watching Mia gulp down the delectable candy.\n\n    “I love it!”  Mia jumped at Jiao again, tackling her and kissing all over her face before pulling back and sitting up on her belly.  “What’s in them?  It tastes yummy and sweet and nutty!”  \n\n    “It’s a liquor called amaretto, Mia.  Have you ever had alcohol before?”  Jiao rubbed the little girl’s sides while she sat on her belly.  \n\n    “No, this was my first time.  I thought ladies weren’t supposed to drink?”  Mia said, her hands resting on Jiao’s chest holding herself up.  \n\n    “Ladies aren’t supposed to drink, but this isn’t drinking.  This is eating.”  Jiao smiled.  “This is how respectable ladies can take alcohol, instead of opium or laudanum or hashish.  Does your belly feel warm yet?”  \n\n    Mia nodded and smiled rubbing her stomach through her thin yellow sun dress.  “It feels warm and all tingly, and my head feels light, like when I have a fever, but... not.  It’s nice.”  She reached over for the box and sat it on Jiao’s breasts leaving the lid open.  “Share?”  \n\n    Jiao smiled and reached in, pulling one out and popping it into her mouth, wadding up the paper with a smile and tossing it towards her own little cast-iron fireplace.  “They ARE delicious, aren’t they?”  Jiao said with a wide smile as they both reached for another.  They locked eyes, nodded, and popped them both at once.  “MMM!  NOW!”  Jiao reached under the pillows and tossed a book at her little friend, written in Chinese.  “Recite the first chapter to me, be slow and clear, so i can hear your accent.”  \n\n    Mia picked up the book and looked at it crossly, beginning somewhat shakily.  “Tā de jiǎo-... jiaohuái zuò zài tā kuānkuò de ji-.. jiānbǎng, tā jiāo...xiǎo de jiǎo bǎidòng hé chàn-chandǒuzhe tā de cháng, tiàodòng de nánzǐ qìgài duì tā de děngdài, rè, zhězhòu màn man xiǎofú...”  She continued reading the risque novel, occassionally popping the tasty liquor chocolates along with Jiao.  She felt her penties get somewhat wet, and remembering the lesson from last time with her wet panties, she leant back without giving it a second thought and slipped the white, frilly-cotton garment down her long slender legs and tossed it over in the corner to pick up later.  \n\nJiao watched her amused at how nonchalant Mia was now, and began stroking her thighs underneath her dainty yellow dress while she read.  She could feel her heat rising, the warmth in her belly spreading slowly down to her nethers, and she could feel the same from Mia, her moist slit rubbing against Jiao’s belly, the heat pressing against her, and she could see the blush rising in Mia’s ears.  Jiao reached her hands behind Mia and gripped her tight bum, gently teasing her clean, pink tailhole with a dull claw.  Mia jumped and slammed the book shut, looking down with wide eyes.\n\n“J-JIAO!  W-what are you doing?”  They had been experimenting a lot lately, the older feline teaching her about different things she could do with herself, and with a partner.  She was surprised by the sudden attention to that mostly ignored part of her body, but trusted Jiao enough to stay still and not pull away so soon.  \n\n“Just playing with you, darling.  Scoot up a little, please.”  Jiao pulled at Mia’s hips, lifting her gently, guiding her up towards her face.  \n\n“J-Jiao? What are y-OOOoh~!”  Mia’s speech turned to a drawn out moan as Jiao’s long, rough, skilled feline tongue slid it’s way across her tight lips, from the very bottom all the way up, curling at the very end to tease her clit and tug gently at her hood before finally slipping out with a quiet slurp.  Mia’s hands gripped at Jiao’s ears, pawing and tugging at them as over and over the rough, wet, hot muscle was drug across her lips, each slow lick making her tense and shiver, every touch to her delicate pearl sending shivers up her spine.  Mia arched her back and gasped loudly as Jiao’s lips wrapped around her clit and suckled gently, purring deeply making her shake and shiver to the very bone in ecstasy.  \n\n    Gently Jiao teased Mia’s tailhole with her claw, slowly pressing more and more until her fingertip popped in, Mia’s virgin ring squeezing down on Jiao’s finger tightly as she gently stirred it inside, not pushing any deeper.  Mia barely noticed the intrusion, the liquor and her nearing orgasm making the sensation melt away into a loudly rushing river of pleasure, sweeping through her demure body.  Jiao felt Mia’s insides spasming and convulsing around her tongue and finger, and began pumping with both, thrusting her finger and tongue into the tight folds, pressing one in as the other withdrew, quickening and quickening her pace until she felt a splash of sweet nectar all over her tongue, dripping from the corners of her mouth as Mia arched back, her head almost touching Jiao’s belly.  \n\n    Mia went limp, laying her back down on Jiao’s chest, her ears falling between her legs as she relaxed, her legs twitching and spasming still as she rode out the intense orgasm.  Jiao licked Mia’s wetted lips clean, not leaving a mess for her to have to clean up later.  With every touch Mia moaned again, whining quietly.  “D-don’t... not again so soo-OOH!-ooon...”  Jiao only giggled and continued to clean her little friend eagerly, letting her tongue sneak down between her skinny cheeks to tease her pale pink pucker.  JI-JIAO!  T-that’s so di-iiiiiiirty...” Mia wiggled her butt and tried to pull away, but her weak legs pushed at the sheets ineffectually.  \n\n    Jiao pulled away and stroked the mouse’s slender thighs affectionately, stroking up and down with her claws.  “No, you’re absolutely, perfectly, deliciously clean, Mia.”  Jiao purred.  “Doesn’t it feel good?”  She lifted her head up and pressed her lips to the girl’s rump again, giving it a teasing lick.  \n\n    Mia whimpered and nodded, her hips shifting and moving on their own.  “Y-yes...”\n\n    As Jiao pressed her tongue against the smaller girl’s rump, barely tickling it before three bells rung out loudly.  Jiao pulled back and looked up at the smaller girl urgently.  “You need to hide.  I have to work.”  \n\n    Mia was somewhat used to this, every once in awhile during her chinese lesson a bell would ring and she would have to hide, but this was the first time it had rung twice.  She jumped up, and immediately fell on her face because of her noodle-legs.  “Eep!”  She crawled into the pile of clothes, burying herself being sure to get into a position where she could see the goings-on.  It had been odd and embarrassing at first, but she was curious ever since they first met about what Jiao was doing with these men.  She couldn’t imagine sometimes how Jiao could take some of their things, they seemed so big, but others were so tiny she couldn’t help but giggle in her little nest of sheets.  Jiao told her not to laugh at them though.  She said that “little” men are just as good as bigger ones, especially if they know what they’re doing, but Mia was sure that Jiao was only being nice. Then again, the really big ones seemed like they hurt her, at least at first, but Jiao always SEEMED to enjoy it, for whatever that was worth.  \n\n    Jiao hurriedly put her robes back on, assuming the pose she always took when she was waiting on clients.  She tied her sash around her waist holding her robes closed, with the hems barely covering her breasts.  It only went down to her knees, barely, but bunched up so it covered her pussy.  Her tight rump, however, was almost completely exposed, and her tail snaked and writhed through the air fluidly as she perfumed herself and kneaded the floor under her with her toes.  She took the hose of her hookah and took a deep breath, shutting her eyes and holding it in as long as she could before letting it out with a sigh, a light grey cloud forming from her breath, catching the red light and bathing her in an eerie glow.  \n\n    The flap opened slowly, and Mia’s eyes opened wide, and a quiet gasp escaped her lips as familiar legs walked into her view.  Thick dull black-furred feline legs and red-brown bovine legs walked in, claws clicking and hooves clopping, a long black bushy tail hanging loosely, a skinny, strong, sinewy bull’s tail whipping anxiously at their ankles as she listened to them talking in a language she still didn’t understand.  \n\n    “Szia cica! Miután egy jó estét, kis kurva?”  Mia heard, sounding like the panther, because of a little purr that seemed to ride on the end of it.  “Már hiányzol, ezért úgy döntöttünk, hogy jön össze, és adja meg a legjobb időt csak lehetett!”  He seemed excited, which wasn’t out of place for the men that tended to come for Jiao’s “services.”  \n\n    Jiao purred and rolled onto her back, letting her legs fall slightly apart, just enough so her lips peaked out through the bow of her sash, and lifted her tail to her chest, snaking through the valley between her breasts, and into her hand.  She stroked and played with her tail, licking it teasingly as she spoke, looking up at them.  “Hehe, te édes fiúk! Köszönöm, hogy gondolt rám! Voltam annyira magányos mostanában, különösen a kis kutyák és macskák, és egerek úgy tűnik, hogy látogasson el engem annyira …”\n\n    “Azért, mert annyira szép és feszes, azt hiszik, hogy a kis petyhüdt farkuk elég, hogy tetszik! HAH! Az ostobák.”  The panther laughed loudly, but stopped suddenly as the bulls skirt fell around his ankles and he stepped out of them.  He snorted loudly and dropped to his knees beside Jiao, shoving his hand into her robe and squeezing her breast roughly, making her gasp and let out a quiet moan.  \n\n    “Miért az istenek nevét ragaszkodnak ehhez színjáték ... Ő fizettek ki, nem úgy viselkednek, mint ez a dátum. Csak hagyja, hogy a nő nem a munkáját …”  He bent down and suckled her breast hard, the grey fur framing a rough, scarred face.  His eyes were dull, dark brown, with a milky film over one, like when someone pours cream in water.  \n\n    Jiao gasped and moaned, her hands gripping at his horns tightly, her muscles flexing visibly, although Mia couldn’t tell whether she was pushing him away or pulling him closer, and he didn’t move an inch either way.  “Te, ISTEHEM te, hogy ilyen durva!”  Jiao moaned and yelled as the bull pulled her robes apart, ripping the bow open and tossing her belt across the room.  \n\n    “Heh, amit mondasz, bika. Te csak ideges, mert nem volt egy nő, mert te voltál utoljára az egész Rajna.”  The panther laughed as he untied his pants and dropped them, letting his shirt fall behind him.  He knelt at Jiao’s feet and let his rough pads slide up and down her calves, purring to himself as he examined her.   He had grey on his face, mostly around his mouth and under his chin, leading down to his chest.  The grey fur led down his chest, and seemed like outlines around his muscles, going down to a large, broad sheath, and heavy, full, dangling balls.  “Te még szebb, mint az utolsó alkalom, Anngui ... Hogyan kezeli maradni, így a fiatal és tökéletes?”  He wrapped one paw around her ankle, lifting it up as his other hand caressed up her leg, massaging her thigh as he kissed her pawpad gently.  “Hmmm ... Hiányozni fogsz, ha otthon vagyok több, mint amit nem fogadott a feleségem, amikor elment …”  He lapped at her petite toes as his claws popped out, prickling and tugging at the sensitive flesh inside her thighs.  \n\n    Jiao laid back, moaning and whimpering as the bull slid his hand roughly down her belly, the attentions from the two hard men being a lot for her to take with composure.  She kneaded and clawed at the bull’s broad shoulders as his tongue slid out, long and thick, the strong wet muscle grinding against her sensitive flesh.  “Dörzsölje, miközben én dörzsölni te …”  He gripped her pussy tightly in his large hand, making her gasp and yell out.  “Dörzsöljük most...”  She whimpered and reached down between his legs.  She moaned as a single thick, meaty finger plunged between her lips, pushing in to the knuckle with a loud squelch.  \n\n    “AA-eeeee! Így vastag! Te ujj nyúlik nekem széles!”  Jiao screamed out as she thrust down on the bull’s finger, the panther slowly licking and kissing up her leg , massaging it sensually as he became harder and harder, more and more of his pink shaft peeked from his grey-black sheath.  His hands and sharp claws caressed and teased her gently as he inched closer and closer to her heat where the bull was pumping and stirring her loudly making lewd noises.  Jiao could feel his hand on her rump, and rolled her hips to one side, letting him have a little more access, her tail reaching down to his face, sliding across it and tugging him up slightly, guiding him.  He nipped at the back of her thigh and she hissed deeply as the bull’s long, sharp penis finally came into Mia’s view.  She couldn’t nearly see all of it, but judging by where his hips were, and where the tip was... it was long, at least.  \n\n    The panther purred and laid on his belly, kissing and nipping lightly at Jiao’s bum, his hands stroking up and down her legs gently as he probed under her tailhole with his broad, rough tongue.  He rolled onto his side and hugged her leg to him, pressing her footpaw to his shaft as it throbbed, still quite thick and growing thicker.  She giggled a little as his tongue flickered against her tight pink tailhole, and let her soft pads wrap around his cock and squeeze it, knead it gently  while he roars muffled by her furry rump.  \n\n    The bull sat up finally, giving Mia a full view of his manhood from underneath her prison of sheets.  She felt herself wetting like a faucet, the smell of sex filling her nose, the sound of Jiao’s moaning and whimpering, the men’s own growling...  She craved something, for a moment almost wanting to switch places with Jiao, even though she could never handle two fully grown males, probably not even one.  Her little fingers traced down her belly, reaching between her slender thighs to her already-moist slit.  She let her dull claw dip between her tightly-pursed lips, biting at the fabric breathing silently, heavily as she watched her friend being lavished and prepared to be taken.  \n\nJiao reached forward and lapped the bull’s tip, making him low in pleasure as she stroked and squeezed at his shaft and balls.  Mia bit her lip and silently moaned as her claw teased over her little pearl while Jiao wrapped her lips around the bulls tip and suckled, moaning and purring into it as the panther slurped and lapped at her tailhole, Jiao’s soft toe pads wrapped around his thick, heavily spined shaft and stroked slowly.  The smell of sweat and male musk was so thick in the air that Mia almost thought she could taste it.  Mia dipped her finger into her tight folds, gasping quietly as she slowly pumped her slender finger in her tight folds, her dull claw pressing on her virginity gently making her twitch and hurting her slightly.  The bull gripped the back of Jiao’s head and pulled her down slowly, she gagged a little and coughed around it, as inch after inch disappeared in her pale lips, captivating Mia like a sword swallower, her throat swelling slightly as the bull shifted his weight, showing his back to Mia as he thrusted in to the hilt into Jiao’s throat.  Jiao gripped at the bull’s muscular ass, clawing it making him low loudly as he pulled back, a hand on either side of her head, holding her still.  She clawed his ass deep and rough as he pulled back, his dripping tip resting on her nose, finally giving Mia a full view of his length.  It was almost as long as Mia’s arm, the base as thick as her bicep.  His balls were about the size of mangoes, Mia thought.  Jiao smiled at her little friend in her hiding spot, and gave her a wink as she opened wide and pulled the bull down, taking him all the way to the base again, her face disappearing under his heavy leathery sack.  \n\nMia pushed her pinkie in her mouth, sucking it the way she’s seen Jiao on mens’ things, pretending as she stirred her insides and thrusted her hips down onto her hand.  She watched the bull thrust in and out of Jiao’s throat, lowing deeply as his muscles rippled and his sack smacked heavily into her lips.  Mia took her pinkie out of her mouth and reached back, caressing and massaging her tight rump the way the panther was doing to Jiao, rubbing her slick, slobbery finger against her own tailhole.  The panther finally sat up on his knees, hugging Jiao’s legs to his chest.  The panther roared loudly and Jiao’s eyes shot wide, silently screaming around the bullcock that plugged her throat.  Mia thrusted her finger into her bum, muffling a scream into the sheets as she fingered both of her tight holes, watching the two strong, sweaty, muscular males use Jiao like a toy.  \n\nJiao’s legs tensed and pulled, kicking and twitching as her toes curled and clawed at the air and the panther held them tight, his crotch smacking roughly into her soft rump as he pounded away at her tight tailhole.  His spines tickled and tugged at her insides and teased her ring, and his coarse, wiry grey pubic fur tickled and teased her lips and clit.  The bull gripped her breasts roughly, using them to pull him into her throat, riding her rougher and rougher as his balls began to smack into her forehead and he snorted and lowed almost angrily.  Mia’s legs twitched and kicked behind her wildly as she watched, biting her lips hard trying to suppress whimpers and screams as she pumped and stirred herself quickly, her tight tailhole tensing as she switched to her middle finger, wincing as she tried to do herself as fast as the panther was taking Jiao.  \n\n    Suddenly the bull pulled out and wiped his cock on Jiao’s face.  She panted and moaned from the rough fucking the panther constantly gave her.  The bull smacked Jiao’s cheek with his cock and looked at the panther.  “Fordítsa neki vége, macska. Azt akarom, hogy pina, most.”  The panther nodded and released Jiao’s legs finally, pushing her onto her side twisting her around his spined cock.\n\n    “Aaah!  M-mind a ketten? Ez túl sok, sok túl sok!”  Jiao tried to push herself up, but the panther gripped her shoulders and pulled her up almost effortlessly to his chest, letting out a short roar as her weight fell onto his cock.  “AAAAH!  Te tüskés szemét! E-engedj el!”  \n\n    “Mi a magunk módján fizetni, cica. Most nyissa ki a lábát, és vegye be a tejet, mint egy jó cica.”  The bull shoved his tongue into Jiao’s mouth and gripped her at the bends of her legs, lifting them up and angling her for his thrust.  She screamed into his mouth as he continued to forcefully kiss her, and as he thrust up to the hilt, his tip hammering into her cervix and his thick base stretching her lips wide, she managed to break from the kiss and scream in pain and ecstasy.  \n\n    Jiao’s scream masked Mia’s, pleasure/pain shooting through her entire body as she unconsciously sat down hard on her finger, piercing her own virginity.  It hurt, and she wanted to just pull her fingers away, but the way she was laying wouldn’t let her move her arm, and she couldn’t come close to stopping her hips from moving.  She kept riding her fingers, whimpering and moaning as her claw found a particular spot deeper than she had managed to get before.  She kept grinding her dull claw over it, trying to make the pleasure dull the pain.  She felt herself getting closer and closer to orgasm, the pain subsiding slowly as time went on.  She sighed and bit her lip, thankful that the slapping, moaning, screaming, roaring and bellowing form Jiao and her clients to drown out her own muffled moans and whimpers.  \n\n    The panther wrapped his arms around Jiao’s chest, gripping her breasts tightly and digging his claws in, pinching and tugging her nipples with his claws while the bull held her weight up in his large hands.  With all their force the male’s thrusted into Jiao, making her scream and hiss and moan in ecstasy, her claws digging into the bull’s back bringing blood.  The panther nipped and pulled at her ears, growling loudly.  The bull threw his head back, lowing wildly into the air as they bounced the housecat roughly, their hard bodies smacking roughly into her in quick time.  \n\n    Mia whimpered and moaned, her palm rubbing against her tender clit while she fingered herself quickly, pumping herself in time with Jiao and her partners.  She could a taste the inside of her mouth bleeding as she bit her cheek, keeping herself quiet as she inched closer and closer, her feet kicking and clawing behind her.  The rhythmic smacking, moaning, roaring and lowing combined with the heavy scent of sex, almost hypnotized the little girl, her eyes staring wide, entranced by the pulsing, throbbing, bouncing, undulating masses of flesh and fur.  The bull thrust up, spearing Jiao on his huge manhood, letting out a loud bellow as Jiao yowled like a wildcat, her toes clawing at the air as she reached her climax being filled by the pulsing bovine seed.  Mia felt herself getting closer to her own orgasm, only a touch away.  The panther thrust up and roared, masking Mia’s loud squeaky scream as an orgasm shot through her like lightning, her body arching and twitching, writhing inside the sheets.  \n\n    Mia’s world went dark as she was overwhelmed by her orgasm.  When her eyes finally opened she still felt warm, the tingle from her climax still rolling through her gently, like ripples in a pond after a powerful storm.  The bull and panther were both gone and Jiao laid weakly on her back, still groaning weakly holding onto the pipe of her hookah loosely.  She held it in the corner of her mouth, puffing lightly letting her smokey exhales flow out of her mouth lazily.  Mia started to climb out awkwardly, kicking and pushing herself forward, getting her head out of the pile of clothes and breathing the fresh air deep for the first time in a while.  “J-Jiao!” She rolled around and wiggled trying to get her arms loose.  “Are you okay?”  \n\n    Jiao turned her head up, looking back upside-down at her little friend with half-lidded eyes.  “Hmmm?  OOoh, yes-yes, I’m absolutely fine...  I was starting to be afraid you’d suffocated down there.  Hah, hahaha...”  She laughed sleepily as she continued to breath in the cool smoke from her hookah.  \n\n    “Jiao!  J-Jiao can you-AH!-can you give me a hand?”  Mia wrestled with a particularly disagreeable sheet that had wrapped itself around her like a straightjacket, keeping her arms locked tight to herself.  \n\n    Jiao laughed and clapped, her hands, giving Mia applause.  “Haha here’s a hand!  For Mia!  Encore Encore!”  Mia finally found the right leverage and popped out of the sheets, rolling on the ground before finally landing beside Jiao with her face in the floor, her light yellow dress turned over her head with her bare butt stuck up, before her legs gave out and plopped herself down flat onto her belly.  \n\n“Bleh...”  Mia’s tongue lawled out weakly and she cut her eyes up at Jiao.  “Thanks for the hand...”\n\nJiao laughed more and put down her hookah, patting the little rodent’s rump.  “World-Renowned Escape Artist and Acrobat!  Can I have your autograph?”  She squeezed the jerboa’s rump playfully.  \n\n    Mia layed on her belly, crossing her arms and laying her head down.  She gave a huff and looked away.  “Stoppit, I’m not in the mood.”  She flicked her tail irritatedly at Jiao’s face.  \n\n    “But Miiiiiiii-Aaaaaaaaaaaa!  I wanna play now!  I just got my second wind!”  Jiao got onto her knees and straddled Mia’s legs.  “Don’t you wanna play?”  \n\n    Mia huffed again loudly and whipped her tail around, the poofed tip popping against Jiao’s sides ineffectually.  “Nooooo!  You’re mean and lazy and high on hookah stuff!”  \n\n    “So?  I’ve been high before when we played!  Come on, laugh for me!”  Jiao wrapped her hands around Mia’s sides and began tickling her ribs with her claws, making the girl sputter as she tried to withhold her laughter.  \n\n    “N-Hmp-NO!  I don’t wanna-hehe-I don’t wanna play!  Stoppit!  Haha, STOP!  Haha-HAHAHA-JIAO!”  Mia giggled and laughed loudly, kicking and slapping the ground as Jiao tickled her, laughing every bit as loud.  Mia managed to roll over the grown woman and get on top of her and tickle her back.\n\n    “See!  No more grumpy little mouse!  Only my happy giggly little girl!”  Jiao laughed as they continued to tickle-battle, rolling all about Jiao’s room, knocking over her folding table and colliding into her chest of drawers.  \n\nSuddenly the ship shook, pipes broke and steam hissed from all directions.  The coolant pipes leaked and shot out hydrogen, freezing the water and making an icy snow over everything.  The walls of the tents fell, out in some places, in in others, covering Jiao and Mia in the heavy fabric.  They tried to dig themselves out, crawling on top of each other to find their way out.  \n\n“WHAT WAS THAT?!”  Jiao screamed loudly as the pushd the toprail of the tent up, letting Mia run out and look around.  \n\n“I DONT KNOW!”  Mia scrambled to find her panties as Jiao grabbed her robe and looked around, tieing her belt quickly.  Mia stood and jumped into her panties, looking all around.  The entire hold was frozen.  People looked around confused, while other’s tried to fix the damage done.  Turbulence was not abnormal, but this seemed different. They could swear they had heard an explosion, but that couldn’t be right.  Maybe one of the generators had blown, or something.  This damage was much too much to be simple turbulence. Mia looked up at Jiao worriedly.  “This isn’t right.  Something’s wrong...”\n\nJiao patted Mia’s head and stroked her ears comfortingly.  Well... Let’s see what we can do... Help me clean up my room, hmm?  If we need to run I need to be able to bring my valuables with me.”  Mia nodded and began helping Jiao clean up, folding up all the sheets, clearing the floor while Jiao put the walls back up.  Just in the first few minutes Mia had found a handful of gold Sovereigns, and a bag of Guines.  \n\n    “I’ve found thirteen pounds so far Jiao!”  Mia said as she ran about, tidying up and going through the sheets.  \n\n    “That’s good!”  Jiao went through her drawers quickly getting all the moneys in order.  “Bring them over here!”  Mia quickly ran over and dropped the money on the dresser.  Mia squeaked and tightly gripped Jiao’s dress, hiding her face as the ship shook again violently.  She felt Jiao’s slender fingers running through her headfur calmly as the people outside began to sound more and more restless.  \n\n    “Jiao... I... I don’t feel safe down here... We should go above deck where it’s safer...”  Mia looked up shivering a little, hearing the shuffling and yelling going on outside.  \n\n    Jiao nodded and smiled warmly as she stroked the little girl’s ears, her other hand reaching into her drawers and searching.  “Okay... They won’t like me being above deck if they catch me, though... My ticket is second class only.  How will we get passed the gate?”  She pulled out a small tin and placed it on the top of her dresser.  \n\n    Mia looked up to the pipes that were now frozen and wet.  “I came that way... I don’t think I can climb that again...”  She looked to the dresser at the little round tin, shiny and silver with the words “3 Merry Widows--AGNES-MABEL-BECKY” stamped around the lid, with a little flower in the middle.  “What’s that, Jiao?”  Mia pointed to the tin.  \n\n    “That’s something every woman should keep on her, for one reason or another...”  Jiao reached over and picked up the tin, popping it open and pulling out a long, almost see-through thing, that looked like an emptied-out sausage case, or an unfilled balloon.  “Men... SOME men have diseases... This goes on his member to keep me from getting his disease... also, if a feline pays enough extra, he is allowed to use my pussy... But he has to wear this, so i can’t get pregnant.  See?”  She poked it with her dulled claw.  “Water and cum-proof.”  She smiled and put the lid on the tin, blowing air in the condom.  \n\n    Mia looked at her confused and tilted her head with her ears perked.  “What are you doing with it now, though?”  \n\n    Jiao smiled and picked up the bag of guineas and began dropping them into the condom, pushing them down towards the bottom.  Their ridged sides made a rough series of little spikes down the long row, before finally tying the end in a simple knot.  “Women have many places to hide things that are improper to search... where only the rudest or most daring men think to look.”  You may want to look away for a moment, darling...”  \n\nMia nodded and blushed, turning away.  “You can, umm... tell me when you’re done...”  Her little feet shuffled and she went a little knock-kneed, her paws gripping and playing with her skirt embarrassed.  She can hear the faint wet slurp of the dry lambskin against Jiao’s moist flesh, and the quiet sucking sound as her lips close around it.  She felt fingers pinching her eartips teasingly and tugging them.  “Aah!  Jiao!”  Mia pawed at Jiao’s hands surprised and trying to get away.  \n\n“Hehehe lookey here, I managed to catch me a pretty little mouse!”  Jiao leaned down giggling and nibbled on Mia’s ears playfully.  \n\n“Jiao!  We need to leave!”  She gripped her ears and tugged them away from Jiao, stroking them right and drying the slobber off the tips with her shirt.  \n\n“Yes, yes we do.  Did you ever figure out how we were going to get out, though?”  Jiao walked back to her dresser and started gathering up her money in little bags, hiding them all in her robes in different places.\n\n“Hmmm... I don’t know... They just let me through last time...”  Mia peeked her head out of the tent and looked around at the people shuffling about, packing their things, shuffling about the makeshift streets, bullying their ways past others, and fighting in the stalls over food and clothes and anything else.  She could hear and see the people’s behaviours deteriorating as the ship vibrated steadily and getting more and more violent, and she started feeling scared.  “Maybe... we should try the gate?”\n\nJiao nodded and grabbed a small jewelry box and held it in her hands, hidden by her long sleeves.  “Let’s hurry, Mia.”  Jiao lifted the fabric of the tent and Mia hopped out, her tail snaking through the air behind her as Jiao followed reservedly.  The ship rocked violently as they walked, making them brace against the walls as they made their way toward the broad wrought-iron gate.  The smell of rust from the insides of the pipes filled their noses as the muggy, frozen slush settled and melted on the warm metal floor.  The girls shivered as the icy water soaked into the fur and chilled the sensitive flesh above their pads.  \n\n“Something’s not right with the ship, Mia...”  Jiao held onto Mia’s shoulder tightly in her paw.  “You know about these things... What would make all of this happen?”\n\n“Well... It could be some turbulence... or some kind of collision... We rode on a little airship when i was younger, and we hit a bird.  It almost sunk us, haha...”  She chuckled a little as she thought.  “But I don’t know of anything in the air that would make a ship this big wobble...  Maybe a flock of... Ummm...”  Mia stopped walking as she thought to herself, her ears twitching as she did.  \n\n“Pelicans?  Hundreds and hundreds of pelicans!”  Jiao looked down excited, completely convinced.  \n\nMia looked up, her eyebrow raised at the adult in a classic, “Are you kidding” expression.  “Ummm... a few HUNDRED pelicans, maybe...”  Mia looked forward and started walking again, tugging Jiao along.\n\n“Hey, it could happen!  They might have all been flying south for the winter...”   The shipped rocked hard again, the makeshift buildings crashing down, dust filling the chilly air and making the girls grip onto the walls and each other tightly.  \n\n“That wasn’t a flock of birds, Jiao!”  Mia said as she started pulling herself forward.  “Let’s get out of here Jiao!  My papa will know what’s wrong!”  Mia proclaimed proudly as she pulled the cat along, Jiao’s hand wrapped tightly around her shoulder holding on for dear life.  They got closer and closer to the gate and Mia sighed in relief.  “It’s the same guards as last time... I can probably get us both by them this time, maybe...”  She grabbed Jiao’s hand and pulled her to the gate, and shook it violently.  “SIRS!  I need to get out!”  \n\nThey turned and looked at her surprised, and looked at each other.  The cat looked back down at her and then up at Jiao.  “How’d you get back in there little miss?  Don’t tell me you got lost again...”  he said with a little scepticism.  “And who’s your grown-up friend?”  \n\nJiao winked at him and acted coy, hiding her face a little and turning to the side.  Mia tugged her hand and shook the gate again, looking up at him with big innocent eyes.  “Papa and Mama hired her to teach me Chinese!  I wanted to come down here and see the stuff she was telling me about...”  Mia began to sniffle a little, making her eyes water and giving that perfect look of a child that’s been caught.  “I’m scared mister!  What’s happening to the ship!?  My Papa is a sailor, I know he can fix it!”  She shut her eyes and started bawling, and Jiao knelt down and petted her head, looking up at the men tenderly.\n\n“Will you please let us through?  She’s terrified, and I just want to get her back to her parents...”  Her eyes shined with a nurturing light, and she smiled a weak, timid smile at the cat.\n\nHe looked across the gate at the dog and they looked back at Mia and Jiao, and sighed in unison.  “Okay...”  the dog said as he pulled out his heavy keyring and pushed it forcefully into the heavy lock.  “You girls aughtta keep to the top deck from here on out, alright?”  He slid the door open and Jiao guided Mia through as she kept crying into her arms.  The dog knelt down and patted Mia’s head.  “There’s probably nothing wrong with the ship... at worst one of the nacelles may have ruptured... It’s no big deal, I promise.”  \n\nJiao looked at the cat and batted her eyelashes, cutting her bright eyes at him.  He just tipped his hat and blushed, smiling a little timidly.  “And, um, if you ladies want to try coming down here again, why don’t you just use the gate to begin with...”  His tail flickered behind him and he shuffled his feet, before shaking it off and looking over at the dog.  “Close the gate, man!”  The dog jumped up and slammed the gate shut and locked it.  Jiao smiled and gave the cat a little curtsey, and pulled Mia along slowly.  \n\nMia kept sniffling and sobbing quietly until they rounded the corner out of the guards’ sight, then bounced forward giggling.  “That was amazing, Jiao!”  Jiao nodded and started to speak, but the ship quaked violently and brought them to the floor.  They heard the guards screaming in panic and could smell smoke behind them.  \n\nJiao’s eyes were blurred and she felt a dull pain on her head as Mia tugged her arm desperately.  She pulled back and put some weight on her feet, letting the little rodent help her to her feet.  “W-what happened?”  She wiped her eyes trying to clean the dizziness away.  \n\nMia tugged at Jiao in a panic, pulling her roughly.  “We have to go!  We need to get above deck in case the fire spreads!  If the balloons catch fire all the lower decks will go up!”  \n\nJiao’s ears perked and she heard the words “fire” and “go up,” and grabbed Mia’s hand and began running down the halls toward the stairs.  “What the hell is happening?!”\n\n“I don’t know!”  Mia ran and kept pace easily, her skirt letting her run a lot freer than Jiao in her pencil-profile robes, and her long strong legs helping her to bounce at pace.  “The stairs are this way!”  Mia pulled Jiao down a different hallway and the scent of smoke began to spread around them.  She ran down the hallway and turned up the narrow stairwell.  Their feetpaws and claws against the metal steps clanged dully as they ran frantically up towards the fresh air.  \n\nThe farther up they went, the prettier and better kept things were. Distinctly, at the 5th level, things transitioned from being cheap and utilitarian; with bare iron stairs and railings and rough unfinished walls, to the more luxurious; with wooden, carpeted stairs, shined brass rails, with papered walls and even the emergency lights in this stairwell were shined to a mirror polish.  They could hear commotion all around them as they ran up the stairs toward the upper deck.  As they had run up, they had escaped the smell of smoke from the lower decks, but they began to get unsettled as the farther up they ran, the louder the smell of smoke became.  \n\n“Jiao!”  Mia hollered as they neared the top of the steps.  “Do you still smell smoke?!”\n\n“Yes!  What do you think that means?!”  Jiao asked as he kept running up frantically.  Mia pulled away as they neared the top, bounding straight to the door.  “Be careful!  It may be dangerous!”  Jiao yelled, but Mia ignored her as she pushed through the door.  They were blinded for a moment, the gaslights and red emergency lights weren’t nearly as intense as the raw sunlight.  \n\n“Ah!”  Mia covered her face with her arm, shielding her eyes from the sunlight.  As her vision slowly adjusted her mouth fell agape, her eyes broadened in terror.  What looked like a chinese junk, with the double-ramparts of a barque sat off the side of the ship, the bottom rampart full of canonry, the top covered in men of every species, in as many different kinds of dress as was in the bottom hold of the ship.  There were large harpoons dug into the deck, holding the two ships together as men began to swing from the masts, mounting the Mauritania.  \n\n“Oh no...”  Jiao whispered before grabbing Mia’s arm.  “Where is your parents’ room?”  \n\nMia hesitated for a second then pulled hard, dragging Jiao behind her.  “THIS WAY!”  She pulled Jiao roughly toward their room.  Behind them they could hear gunshots and steel clashing against steel, and men screaming.  Jiao shuddered and ran like she never had before, keeping up with the jerboa well.  When they got to the door it was left ajar.   Mia shouldered in, letting go of Jiao and running on without ber.  \n\n“Mia!”  She yelled.  “You shouldn’t run on without me!”  Jiao followed her quickly, afraid for what might be inside.  The room seemed ransacked, but there was no sign of violence.  No ripped clothes or blood.  “Mia!”  She yelled.  “Are they here?!”  She looked around, peering into the bedrooms and letting a little chuckle when she got to Howard and Nancy’s, the smell of sex and sweat loud.  “Definitely Mama and Papa’s room...  AAH!” She jumped almost to the ceiling as she felt a tug on her tail, and heard Mia yell behind her.  The little jerboa panted, tears rising in the corners of her eyes.  \n\n“I can’t find them, Jiao!”  She looked up desperately, needing some hopeful words to cling to.  Jiao put her hand on Mia’s head and stroked it gently, smiling down at her.  \n\n“I’m sure your parents are fine.”  She stroked the little girl’s ears in her paw, petting them gently.  “As good a sailor as your papa is, I’m sure a few pirates can’t get in his way.”  She smiled down and gave her a little hug.  “Now come on, let’s go find them.  They can’t be far.”  Mia nodded and turned to the door.   \n\n“We need something in case we need to fight them off...”  She ran to the front door and pulled out an umbrella, brandishing it like a sword.  “This will work for now!”  She nodded self-assuringly and ran out the door.  \n\n“MIA!”  Jiao yelled as she ran after.  “Stop running off without me!  It’s not safe!”  \n\n“PAPA!!!”  Mia yelled as she ran back towards the front of the ship, where the pirate junk was, where the fighting was, where she knew her father would be.  She rounded a corner and felt like she’d run into a wall.  She fell back on her rump and shook her head, trying to shake the stars out of her eyes.  As the fog in her head began to fade she could make out a orange-yellow silhouette, with a blue face in the middle.  As her vision settled and cleared finally she could see, it was a monkey of some kind, with a bright blue face, and bright orange or golden fur.  It’s black, beady eyes were sunken back into it’s face a little, and that exaggerated its big, puffy lips.  She thought for a moment how pretty it would be, but soon noticed it’s dirty clothes and the sheath hanging from his belt, and the long-ish narrow swords in his hands.  “H-hi~?”  She spoke quietly and timidly, giving a little wave.  \n\nThe monkey looked at her with head cocked for a moment before his jaw opened, taking up as much as his whole face in a gaping, huge maw.  The flesh in his mouth was bright red with a few boils toward the back, and his teeth were shades of yellow at best. with a few brown and hollow with deep black pits.  A haze of rotten stink, of fish and spoiled fruit poured out of his mouth as he released a loud, shrill, glass-shattering shriek, making the little jerboa grab her ears in pain.  “Wǒ fāxiànle yīgè fēngfù de yīngguó xiǎozi!”  He reached out to grab her with his large, dirty paw, sword still in hand.  She crawled backwards frantically before remembering she had the umbrella in hand.  Desperately she jabbed forward quickly and sloppily, but by a stroke of luck she managed to strike his grabbing hand, hitting his palm and pushing the tip up through his hand and up into his arm.  \n\n    The monkey screeched and recoiled back.  He dropped his sword and it clattered on the ground loudly, the thin blade ringing as it came to rest at Mia’s feet.  He pulled the umbrella back with him, ripping it out of Mia’s hands with it stuck in his flesh.  He gripped his arm fiddling with it; blood dripped down everywhere as Mia stared, her eyes wide and her body frozen in shock.  “Tā mā de! Nǐ tā mā de xiǎo mǔgǒu!”  The monkey screamed as he brought up his good arm to swing down and cleave the little mouse in two.  \n\n    “Yuǎnlí tā, húndàn hóuzi!”  Jiao yelled as she took a run at the monkey.  He turned and opened his massive maw just in time to catch a large brass flowerpot in his face and knocking him back.  Jiao scratched at his face roughly with her dulled claws as she fell on him, making him stumble back against the railing of the ship.  \n\n    He pawed at her shoulder with his gored hand as he flexed backwards, his blood spraying and covering her.  He felt the railing at his back and the empty air under him and kept screeching that same blood-curdling, disgusting screech, frantic and fearful, yelling half-words and begging for some unseen force to save him.  He dropped his sword and grabbed at the railing with his good hand, but he slipped on the fresh wax, falling backwards.  At the last second his feet-hands grabbed Jiao’s dress, pulling her against the railing with a loud dull clang.  She yelled out and gripped the railing, pushing herself back away from the edge as the monkey thrashed desperately to find the railing or something to grab on to.\n\n    Mia blankly stared down at the sword at her feet, dumb, deaf, and blind to anything else.  “MIAAA!”  Jiao’s voice broke through the haze around Mia’s head.  “Bāng bāng wǒ ba!  Help me!”  Mia’s eyes shot up, instantly finding Jiao fighting the pirate for her life, beating on his ankles desperately with her clenched fists.\n\n    “Aah!  Jiao!”  Mia yelled as she jumped up, standing panicked.  “What do I do?!”  \n\n    “The sword, Mia!”  Jiao yelled.  “Give me the sword!”  She looked back at her, terror in her bright blue eyes.  \n\n    Mia looked down at the sword and grabbed it, too scared to hesitate now, and grabbed the light blade lifting it up and turning back to Jiao and her attacker.  Jiao pulled back hard, putting as much distance between her and the ape as possible.  “NOW! Mia now!”  Mia ran at them and swung hard with both hands, bringing the blade down onto his feet-hands, breaking on his bones, but hurting him enough to make him let go.  His feet released Jiao’s chest as the handle of the broken sword jumped out of Mia’s little hands, the blade flying overboard and the handle clattering to the ground behind her.  Jiao fell back as the pull on her released, landing on her rump on the floor.  The monkey barked as his good hand finally found the bottom of the guardrail and grabbed on, catching himself.  \n\n    “Nǐ mǔgǒu! Bāng bāng wǒ ba! Tā mā de bāng wǒ!”  He screeched desperately as he clung to the railing, trying to swing his tail or one foothand up enough to save himself.  Mia gasped and jumped down, grabbing his good hand at the wrist and pulling up as hard as her little arms would pull, with her shoulder braced against the railing.  \n\n    “P-pull!! I’ll help you up!”  The innocent girl’s violet eyes flashed with fear as she tugged desperately at his mangy fur and tattered clothes.  He threw up his bad hand and she grabbed it, holding onto the wrist as tight as she could, the blood making it slick.  “I can’t hold on!  I-AAH!”  In a moment the ape jumped up, his good hand grabbing at her shirt so that the little girl was all that held him onto the side of the ship.  \n\n    “Rúguǒ wǒ jiù yàosǐle, wǒ bǎ nǐ gēn wǒ lái!”  The monkey laughed wildly and shook her, trying to break her brace against the pole.   Mia’s grip loosened, and she could feel herself slipping from the pole.  Finally the slick monkey fingers slipped through her hands, and she felt the sharp tug on her hair and her eyes shut, and she felt nothing beneath her but air.  It was too fast for her to realize, too sudden, until she felt a grip on her tail, and then a rough pull that almost ripped it off of her tailbone.  The weight on her hair was gone.  She forced her eyes open just in time to see the ape disappearing into the clouds, clutching a handful of blonde hair.  She was frozen for a moment until her chest began to hurt, shocking her into breathing again and realizing the situation.  \n\n    “AAAH!  JIAO!!!”  She looked up and saw a black paw wrapped around her tail, while another held onto the railing.  \n\n    “Mia!  I’ve got you!”  Jiao screamed as she tried to lift her up.  “Can you reach anythingl?!  Grab the railing!”  \n\n    “Jiao!  Just a little!  Just a little more!”  Mia reached for the shining brass pipes, her own reflection in them glaring back at her.  \n\n    “Mia!  Can you reach it yet?!”  Jiao yelled out over the rushing wind and the growing clamor.  \n\n    “Almost!  Almost!”  Mia reached out and gripped the handrail, pulling up for herself as Jiao gave a last strong tug, pulling her back end up onto deck as Mia pulled her top up.  As soon as Mia was on deck Jiao released her grip on her tail and hugged her waist with both hands, pulling them both back as far away from the edge of the ship as possible.  \n\n    “Mia!”  Jiao kissed all over Mia’s head, hugging the little girl into her breast.   “Are you okay?!”  \n\n    “I-I’m fine!”  Mia tried to push away, and feel at her head.  “H-How much did I lose?”  She could feel a large, ragged, empty place in her otherwise full head of hair.  it was almost to the scalp in places, a little longer in others, but regardless, her hair was ruined.  Jiao stood up and grabbed Mia’s hand, tugging her toward the front of the ship.  \n\n    “It will go back, for now we need to find your papa and get off of this ship!”  Mia looked up at her for a second, suddenly reminded the severity of the situation.  She nodded and swallowed loudly, choking down a little fear.  “Let’s go.  Your papa will know what to do!”   Jiao pulled on her arm and they ran up the ship together, towards the smell of fire, and the yelling and screaming.  \n\n    Metal clanged and clashed against metal loudly and men screamed and yelled in a half dozen different languages, rifles and pistols cracked and roared, and foreign engines growled.  The din of battle grew louder and louder still the closer they came, until finally it spread out before their eyes.  The few actual Navy sailors that had been commissioned to provide security for the ship were doing their best to hold off the chaotic, conglomerate horde of pirates from reaching the gliders.  Mia could see a hedgehog, a beaver, a marten or some kind of weasel, a dhole, and a bunch of dogs that she recognized as being European, mixed along with raccoon dogs, monkeys, tigers, oxes and even what looked like a pygmy elephant.   They stood together, watching the heaving masses of men push against each other, pounding and flowing back and forth like water crashing on a beach.  \n\n    “How are we going to get to the lifeboats now?!”  Mia said hushed to Jiao.  “We can’t go all the way around the ship now!  We’ll never make it!”\n\n    “I don’t know...”  Jiao whispered back squeezing the little jerboa’s hand tightly.  “Maybe there was a stairwell the upper deck we missed?  we can go around that way?”  \n\n    “They were all broken!”  Mia yelled out loud.  “Or else locked... there’s no way to get up that way...”  \n\n    They looked at each other for awhile, not sure what to say or do.  Then, Jiao hugged Mia, and kissed her head gently.  “Wǒ ài nǐ, zhēnguì de tiānshǐ...”  Mia held on for a moment before pushing away.  \n\n    “I love you too Jiao!”  She said sternly.  “There’s got to be a wa-Hey!”  She was interrupted by a dull thunk on the top of her head.  She looked up, and saw a small red squirrel, at least he looked like a red squirrel, kind of.  He had a lot of white on his face, more like a red panda than a squirrel.  His head was poking through the top and second rail, he looked like he was Mia’s age or thereabouts.  \n\n    “Hēi yúchǔn de nǚhái!”  The boy yelled in Chinese, with a slight, odd accent. “Come on!” He was wearing the Chinese men’s outfit, a plain black tangzhuang.  The shirt is simple, no real collar, straight arms with no cuffs, and straight wooden frogs holding it shut in the front.  The pants were more or less the same, held at his waist with a thin string tied in a bow, and loosely wrapped around his legs with ties around the ankles as well.  \n\n    Jiao and Mia just looked at him curiously for a moment, wondering where he had come from.  Chinese weren’t allowed above deck, but then again Jiao had found her way up, so that didn’t really mean much.  “Who are you?  Where did you come from?”  Jiao asked pushing Mia behind her slightly.  \n\n    “Who cares?  Do you want help?”  He said as he dropped a thick rope down off the side.  “Come on!  There aren’t any pirates up here!”  He wrapped the rope around the upper guard rail and tied it, pushing against the rail with his foot.  \n\n    “Why are you stopping to help us?  Why not run on and get out?”  Jiao still held Mia back, trying to hide her.  But Mia pushed her head out peaking at the skinny squirrel boy.  \n\n    “They won’t take chinese without a gweilo to vouch for ‘em!  Now come on or else I’ll find someone else!”  He growled a frustrated growl and bent over, holding a hand out.  “Now come on and let’s go before someone sees us.”  \n\nMia ran out from behind Jiao and leaped halfway up the rope by herself, and started climbing her way up.  “Come on Jiao!  It’s this or nothing!”  She grabbed the squirrels hand and let him help her up.  Jiao shook her head and started climbing up, slowly and poorly as her delicate and manicured paws and claws were barely strong enough to lift her own weight.  Mia reached down and helped to pull her up, gripping at the neck and shoulders of her dress, hoisting her up.  \n\n“Thank you, Mia.”  Jiao said, dusting herself off as she straightened up, fixing her dress and getting herself right.  She glared at the little squirrelboy and took Mia’s hand again.  “Too bad YOU couldn’t have been any help.”  \n\nHe just laughed and started walking down the deck, toward the other side of the ship.  “I don’t need you, I only need the gweilo.”  His long, bushy red tail flowed behind him.  He was dirty, and had a strong smell of dirt and sweat about him.  His clothes were dirty and already wet down the back with sweat and his tail was caked and matted in places.  His hair was short and shaggy, and almost in as bad shape as his tail.  \n\n“If we’re going to get a glider, we should hurry.”  Jiao grabbed Mia’s wrist and pulled her on, rushing by the squirrel.  “If you’re coming, come on.”  She growled low and quiet as they walked on, Mia walking along her side\n\n    They walked on quickly, hurrying towards the port side of the ship and the gliders.  The closer they got the more obvious it became that there were very few gliders left, and doubtful there would be enough for everyone.  The port side of the ship was usually covered with the wooden gliders, with folded wings to save space.  They were only on the port side to save weight and balance something or other on the starboard.  Mia wondered if there were any left at all, let alone enough for whoever was left.  \n\n    “Do... Do you know how bad it is?”  Mia turned her head back to ask the boy, her ears low to her head.  \n\n    “Uhh...”  He threw his arms behind his head, stretching his back out before roughing his shaggy red hair.  “Last I heard two of the five balloons are leaking now, the second and the fifth one... The one in the rear is on fire.  The Hydrogen pipes are all just spitting fire now.”  His tail snaked behind him as they walked, and Mia turned back around towards the front.  \n\n    “Oh no... papa’s Hornet was back there...”  Her tail drooped down loosely, the poof dragging along the floor.  Jiao stroked her hair and hugged her closely.  \n\n    “I’m sure it’s alright, Mia.  Your papa can surely get another one someday.”  She gave Mia’s shoulder a little comforting squeeze.  Mia whimpered quietly and picked her tail up a little.  \n\n    “Hey, I’m sure your papa could get another!  The company that owns this ship will have to pay back the passengers for destroyed cargo.”  The squirrel interjected.  \n\n    “Really?”  Mia looked up at Jiao with a hopeful twinkle in her eye.   \n\n    “Umm... I suppose so.  The first class passengers have to fill the cargo manifest to keep track of their luggage and such.  So... It stands to reason that they would have insurance or something.”  She smiled back, not really knowing one way or another.  She acted like she did though, for Mia’s sake.  \n\n    “Yeah!”  The boy hollered behind them.  “So worry less about daddy’s car and more about your skin.  That’s definitely not covered on their insurance, and even if it was it’s not for sale on any market I’ve seen.”  He ran by, his tail whapping Mia in the face.  \n\n    A grimace of utter disgust spread across Mia’s face as the smell of sweat, dirt, and salty grime was wiped over her nose, and retched a little.  Jiao gave a little growl, and wiped Mia’s face with her perfumed sleeve.  “What where you wipe that tail, boy!”  Jiao chided him sternly. but he ignored her and went ahead.  Jiao patted Mia’s back and straightened herself up.  “Perhaps we should hurry as well?  Come on.”  She went on, not a full jog, just a dainty, ladylike trot.  Mia kept her walking pace, looking up in thought.  Everyone seemed to be carefree now.  Like everything was already okay.  She knew that Jiao was an adult, and probably knew better than her, but still, she couldn’t shake the gut feeling that this wasn’t over yet.  She shook her head and turned up, seeing Jiao rounding the corner ahead that led to the port side.\n\n    “Wait for me!” Mia shouted as she ran on to catch up with her feline companion.  She rounded the corner and her face thudded softly against Jiao’s back.  She bounced off and rubbed her forehead a little, because the big bow on Jiao’s belt was a little hard on her forehead.  “Why’d we stop, Jiao?”  Mia looked up and leaned around to have a look Jiao’s big, bow-covered butt.  “Jiao?”  Mia’s eyes widened and her jaw fell.\n\n    The port side of the ship was covered in people, packed against the guardrails like sardines.  “CHILDREN ONLY!  THEN THE WOMEN!  THEN THE ELDERLY!  ONLY THE CHILDREN ARE BOARDING!”  There were a few gliders left, maybe a dozen, to go between around a thousand people.  Each one was only fit for 20 people, maybe 40 if they were standing.  There was no way that everyone was making it off of this ship.  The one thing that did give Mia a little bit of solace was that the adults hadn’t boarded yet, so that meant her mom and papa were still onboard.  \n\n    “J-Jiao!  Did you hear that?!  That means my parents are still here!”  She jumped forward and started running toward the crowd.  “MOMMY!  PAPA!  MOOOOOOMMY!!!!”  She screamed and yelled, calling out for her folks as she jumped up onto the crowd and bound from shoulder to shoulder.  “Mommy!!  PAPAAAAA-AH!”  She gave a squeal as she was lifted by the nape of her neck, and held up by one of the sailors keeping order in the crowd.  \n\n    “What are you doing?!  If you’re boarding a glider get in line!”  He yelled at her shortly, obviously not in an understanding mood.  \n\n   \n\n    “I need to find my mommy and papa!  Have you seen-”  \n\n    “If you’re not boarding get out of everyone else’s way!  This ship is going down and we have to evacuate as many as we can!”  He tossed her out of the crowd by her collar, and she rolled a fair ways until Jiao caught her.  \n\nMia sniffled and gave a little sob as she picked herself up slowly.  “J-Jiao... I...-sniffle- They...-hic-There’s too many people...”  \n\nJiao pulled Mia into her chest and held her tight, holding her head.  “It’s okay Mia... It’s okay... Shush...”  Jiao petted Mia’s head, stroking her ears lovingly as she sobbed into her chest.  “Everything’s okay... I’m sure your papa and mama are looking for you too... so all we need to do is wait...”\n\n    Mia gave a little nod and looked up to Jiao.  Tear stains ran down her cheeks and she sniffled loudly before wiping her face off on her arm.  “You really-AH!”  The ship rocked violently as fire shot through the crowd.  The glider that had been being loaded fell, taking most of the crane that was holding it up with it.  Screams came from all directions.  Men, women, and children’s voices rang out shrilly, deafeningly as fire came from the very top deck.\n\n    The squirrel looked up and his eyes widened like saucers.  “The crane... Goddamnit they shot the crane!”  \n\n    Jaio looked up at him and then up to the wreckage at the base of where the crane used to be.  “Why would they do that?!  Pirates are supposed to be after the cargo, not the passengers!”  \n\n    “I KNOW!”  He yelled, angry and confused.  “This isn’t how it’s supposed to go!  They hit the balloons first, and everything valuable is on fire!”  \n\n    “That doesn’t matter!”  Mia screamed, jumping up.  “We have to find mama and papa!”  Mia ran off again, bounding up and onto the heads and shoulders of the crowd.  “MAMA!  PAPA!  MAMA!”  She screamed at the top of her lungs as she leaped across the crowd toward the front.\n\n    “MIAAA!”  Jiao screamed as she started shouldering her way through the crowd.  “Mia come back here!”  She ran desperately, barely able to keep sight of her through the crowd.  She’s blinded for a moment by a red puff as the squirrel boy glided over the top of the crowd quickly after Mia.  \n\n    “I’ll get her!” He yelled back.  “Stupid girl!”  His long tail snaked through the air behind him, up and down, up and down, rippling as it follows him through space.  “GET BACK HERE MOUSE!  Yúchǔn de xiǎo biǎo zi!”  \n\n    “Mama! PAPA!”  Mia screamed and hollered, jumping from shoulder-to-shoulder and bouncing off of people’s heads.  Desperately she jumped and climbed all over the throng of desperate, panicking people.  She wasn’t paying attention as the pirate’s junk began turning their guns toward the unawares crowd.  “ACK!”  She felt a hard blow to her back knocking her down into the crowd.  She struggled against whoever it was on top of her, wrestling as best she could with her slender weak body.  She managed to get her head around to see the squirrel boy above her, holding her down by the waist.  “Get off of me!”  She yelled as she tried to shove him off.\n\n    “Stay down!”  The squirrel-boy yelled as a whistle rang out above them.  Mia could see behind him a black mass with a white steamy tail, and then the floor below them shook violently, people screamed, and red flew everywhere.  Feet rushed by them, and stomped all around them.  Mia pulled her ears in tight and tucked in her tail and arms, going in the fetal position as best she could while the squirrel did the same, squeezing himself tight around her.  She took a couple kicks to her ribs, and the squirrel grunted over her as he took a foot to his back.  He went flying off of her however, and she heard him grunt again as Jiao lifted her up and onto her feet, hugging her tightly.  \n\n    “Are you okay?!”  She looked Mia over, rubbing all along her sides and up and down her legs.  \n\n    “I’m fine, Jiao!”  She said looking around.  The crowd had dispersed, and most were running toward the stern.  The squirrel was behind Jiao, dusting himself off after getting thrown.  \n\n    “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine too, tā mā de yúchǔn de biǎo zi jìnǚ māo...” He mumbled that last bit, straightening his shirt before looking up.  His face seemed to turn pale, and his eyes went wide again.  He vaulted over Jiao’s shoulder and over Mia’s head, landing behind.  \n\n    “Zhè liǎng gè shì wǒ de fúlǔ, bùyào shānghài tāmen!”  He yelled, making Jiao’s head shoot straight up, her eyes going wide too.  \n\n    Mia turned and saw the mass of pirates, running through on either side of them following the passengers behind them toward the stern.  The footsteps thundered as the blood-bathed men ran by, wrapped in clouds of the stench of stale sweat and death.  Before her, standing in front of the squirrel boy, was a tall, black, beast of a man; a type of creature she did not recognize.  He was wide like a bear, but his face looked more like a raccoon.  His arms and legs were short but wide and stocky, and his torso was long and wide.  He was dressed as a european, in a waistcoat and a tricorn hat, with wide breeches and a grimy, used-to-be-white shirt that was ripped open almost halfway down the front.  He was covered in tacky jewelry, and wore a braided beard full of beads and ribbons.  He had almost a dozen pistols hanging from two ropes around his chest, in an X.  He held a sword in his right hand, with what looked like a pistol mated to it.  \n\n    “Oh... they are, are they?”  The huge man spoke, looking over the squirrel’s shoulder to eye them.  Jiao held Mia tight, but even if she hadn’t, the little girl was much too scared to run, she could barely even breathe.  \n\n    “Yes!  The little one is an officer’s daughter!  I’m sure the navy would pay her ransom!  The big one is good too!  Look at her!”  There was a desperation in his voice, like a kid trying to talk their dad into letting them keep a stray.  \n\n    Jiao stood up straight and pushed Mia behind her, guarding her from the big black creature’s view.  “I am... I’m very expensive... and I’d be more than willing to offer my services... for safety on your ship...”  Jiao spoke out; her voice smooth and calm, her tone diplomatic.  \n\n    “Hmph...”  The big creature, a binturong, looked down his nose at the squirrel boy.  “You thought you could keep these two to yourself, Hong?”  He made a motion of just moving the squirrel out of the way, but smacked his shoulder hard, knocking him onto the ground.  \n\n    Hong slammed down onto his side, but quickly rolled onto his back and sat up, trying to push himself to his feet.  “N-not from you, captain!  Just from the rest of them!  They were... Ummm... the big one was a gift!  I just want the little one!  Please sir!  As a... Umm... A humble reward for my find?”  \n\n    Mia growled loudly and looked out from behind Jiao, glaring hatefully at Hong.  “HOW DA-mph!”  She was muffled as Jiao gripped her muzzle and held it shut.  Mia kept staring at the squirrel, seething in anger.  \n\n    The captain’s shadow loomed over them as he looked Jiao up and down.  “You don’t... LOOK like you’d be that expensive.”  He reached up and palmed Jiao’s belly, giving it a little squeeze making her growl quietly in the back of her throat for a moment before choking it down.  \n\n    “I understand that, captain.  But I promise that I earn every penny of what I charge.”  She reached forward and stroked his arm.  It was thick, much thicker than she expected it to be.  She thought that the baggy sleeves were just making him look bigger than he was, but he was filling them out quite well.  She didn’t think she could wrap around his forearm with both hands.  He let go of her stomach and slid his claws across her waist as he walked around her, just barely raking them over her dress.  He bent down and looked closely at Mia.  His size, the look in his eyes, the air coming off of him made her shrink, and look down at the floor.  \n\n    He stood and looked back at the squirrel boy who had finally made it to his feet again, watching him out of the corners of his eyes like someone watching a part of a movie they don’t like.  “You know that Rigs would love this skinny little... mouse...rabbit... thing.  Why should I let you have her?”  \n\nThe boy shrank a little and looked up, trying his best to assertive without being disrespectful.  “Because Rigs didn’t bring you the cat, sir!”  \n\n“Hahaha!”  The captain laughed as he walked back around to Jiao’s front, looking them over one last time.  “You don’t think I could have found her on my own?”  He turned back and looked at the boy, his tone showing a little bit of budding frustration.  \n\n“No sir... if only because those drunks on the guns... Idiots like Rigs, almost burned them to death in the lower decks!  Along with all your profit, sir!”  He swallowed a little and looked away, roughing his hair nervously.  \n\n“Alright... Here’s what I’m gonna do...”  The captain stroked his braided beard.  “We’ll take them both.  The woman can do what she does best, and earn the girl’s safety, hmm?  So long as she keeps us occupied and busy you can keep the girl.  Make her work though.  Nobody gets free rides, prisoner or not.  Does that suit you, Hong?”  He rolled up the corner of his mouth, showing sharp yellow teeth, and reddish gums.  His smile was predatory and threatening.  He almost seemed to be hoping for disobedience to punish.  \n\n“Y-yes sir.  That sounds fine.”  He shuffled his feet and looked over at the girls.  \n\n“Get them to the Blind Marie before this thing hits a mountain.  We’re leaving in 15 minutes.”  He began walking towards the stern of the ship, past the girls.  “As for you two, behave and you may last long enough to touch free soil again.”  He walked on casually, and Mia watched as he slowly made his way back, without a care in the world.  His long, black tail snaked behind him, dragging the ground heavily.  \n\nOnce the captain finally disappeared into the fog toward stern, Mia jerked loose of Jiao’s hands and ran toward the squirrel, bounding in 3 steps before hitting him hard in the chest with her shoulder.  She knocked him to the ground and pounded at his face and chest with her balled fists.  “YOU BLOODY BASTARD!  YOU STUPID LITTLE RAT!”  She pounded ineffectually at his face before he finally pushed her over onto her back and pinned her down.  \n\n“I TRIED TO GET YOU OFF!”  He yelled angrily.  “I TRIED TO HELP YOU OFF THE SHIP!”  He shoved her down against the floor and jumped up, stepping back and panting for his breath.  “And I kept him from tossing you both overboard, or worse!”  \n\nJiao came up from behind him and gripped his shoulder hard, making him wince a little.  “He’s right, Mia... These are not the type to be argued with... As for our little squirrel friend here, he’s going to take care of you while you’re on the ship, and when I can’t.”  She looked down at him, squeezing even harder, her claws threatening to rip his shirt and making him grit his teeth.  “Isn’t that right, Hong?”\n\nHe nodded and shrugged his shoulder hard, getting her off of him.  “Right... That’s why I asked for her... Some of the guys on that ship wouldn’t treat a girl like her well.”  He ruffled his hair again.  “I’m sorry, alright.  I had every intention of going on that glider with you guys.  For now, let’s just get to the ship before those bastards blow us to kingdom come.”  He started walking, turning his back to the two of them.  \n\nMia got up and looked back and forth between the stern, Jiao, and Hong, their new... friend.  Tears welled in her eyes as she looked up to Jiao, who was now standing beside her, holding her around her shoulders and guiding her along after the boy.  “J-Jiao... Mama and papa...”  She sniffled, looking down towards the scuffed, bloodied, gouged and stained wood that only hours ago was mirror-polished.  \n\n“I’m sure they’re fine, Mia... If your father is half the sailor you say he is I’m s.ure he’ll find a way to get himself and your mother off the ship.  Then the only thing left will be for us to get ahold of the navy when we get free, and locate him.  Right?”  She stroked Mia’s shoulder gently trying to comfort her as best she could.  Mia only nodded and sniffled again, wiping her face with her arm and following Jiao’s lead.  \n\nThe rest of the way to the bow Mia held her head low.  She fought her tears back, as best she could.  She knew this was to be one of those times papa had told her about, where she had to keep her lip stiff, and be strong.  She would have to be courageous like Sinbad in her bedtime stories, or like papa and Martin.  She picked up her chin and walked on, a stern look on her face, masking the fear and sadness that threatened to break through at any moment.  They walked over the rope bridge that bound the Mauritania to the Blind Marie.  \n\nThe floorboards on the pirate junk were rough-cut, the gaps between the boards only haphazardly filled with pitch.  She looked around at the dirt and grime, she took in the scent of rotten wood and rotting food, and she saw the men that were working in the canonry.  They were  mostly shirtless, dripping with sweat and the scent that wafted from the place was a pitched battle between black powder and stale, loud, stinging sweat.  As she looked over the mixed bronze and iron cannons she noticed a mangy looking dog, old and skinny, with only patches of fur left looking back at her.  She turned her head away quickly and saw the squirrel looking up at her, firmly.  \n\n“That is Rigs... Stay away from him.”  He began walking toward the middle of the ship, where a door led down into the lower deck.  “This way...”  They followed him, and took his tour of the ship.  It was large but had few rooms, and was mostly open.  The engines were old and uninteresting.  Everyone was gone, besides the cannoneers.  He settled them in to wait for the end of the raid, safe from fire or other sailors, at least for now.  Mia curled up in a little corner as Jiao sat on a crate, and Hong climbed up onto a rafter.  Jiao pulled out a cheap celluloid comb and began to comb her hair, breathing deeply and slowly, deliberately.  Mia sobbed silently in the corner, her head resting between her knees.  Hong watched her from the rafters, not knowing what to say or do, wrapping his tail around himself to hug himself and hide from the foreign situation.  Jiao stood, and walked over to her, sitting on the her knees and moving behind Mia to comb her hair for her.  \n\n“Let’s get this straightened out before you get too many knots and tangles, hmm?  Maybe we can find a way to cover up that ragged spot.”  She tenderly pulled Mia back into her belly, letting the girl cry as she groomed her tenderly.  ","writing_bbcode_parsed":"<span style='word-wrap: break-word;'>Chapter 3<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It had taken the maintenance on the ship a couple of days to repair the broken vent in the second-class passenger bay,&nbsp;&nbsp;but it was worth the wait.&nbsp;&nbsp;Now that Mia was able to make it all the way to the other side of the hanger she could get to the long vertical pipes that sent hydrogen from the balloon to the refrigeration and air conditioning units all about the ship.&nbsp;&nbsp;She could wrap her arms around the insulated pipes and shimmy down with her back to the wall, safely and quietly dropping to the ground almost right on top of Jiao&rsquo;s tent, and far away from that tiger... and that goat.... In the week since they met, Mia had gone to visit Jiao every day.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao appreciated the company greatly, and did her best to teach the little jerboa Chinese to reward her for her kindness.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia dropped to the floor and looked around, being sure no one was looking before diving headfirst under the side of Jiao&rsquo;s tent.&nbsp;&nbsp;She knew enough to listen, and stay hidden for a little while before popping out, in case she was with a customer again.&nbsp;&nbsp;She heard nothing, so she popped one eye out and looked around.&nbsp;&nbsp;She couldn&rsquo;t see Jiao anywhere, which was very unusual.&nbsp;&nbsp;Suddenly Mia felt a heavy weight on her back, and a white tail dangled in front of her face.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;N&iacute;n hǎo Mia, nǐ jīntiān hǎo ma?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao greeted her little friend and asked how she was today.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;N&iacute;n hǎo jiāo, wǒ sh&igrave;... De gǎnju&eacute;...... Fēich&aacute;ng hǎo... Zh&iacute;d&agrave;o yī zhī māo zu&ograve; z&agrave;i tā de d&agrave; p&igrave;gu z&agrave;i wǒ de t&oacute;ush&agrave;ng!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia giggled and tried to stand up her arms flailing out at her sides trying to grip and push herself up.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;&Oacute;, wǒ de p&igrave;gu sh&igrave; zhīf&aacute;ng, sh&igrave; ma? Yěxǔ wǒ b&ugrave; hu&igrave; gěi nǐ yī zhǒng xiǎngsh&ograve;u!&rdquo; Jiao teased the little girl as she pressed her weight down slightly.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;NUUU!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia stopped struggling and looked up as best she could.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sorry, your butt isn&rsquo;t fat, it&rsquo;s shapely and sexy now please get it off of me and give me my surprise!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Hmmm....&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao thought for a moment tapping her chin with her claw.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Count to 10 in Chinese and you can have it.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;But Jiao!!&nbsp;&nbsp;RRRR!&rdquo; She growled exasperated and settled down.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;yi, er, san, si, wu, liu, qi, ba... ba... JIU!!! NOW LEMME GO!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She started kicking and thrashing again, and she felt the cat turn over and lay on her back, hugging her tightly and rolling over in the sheets.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;A, wǒ de yīngyǔ shǔbiāo d&igrave; nǚh&aacute;i!&nbsp;&nbsp;You&rsquo;re such a silly little girl Mia!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She smiled and pawed at Mia&rsquo;s face as she nibbled her long ears.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia grabbed Jiao&rsquo;s hand and nommed on it playfully with her rodent teeth. &ldquo;Arrr-RRrrr-ARR!&nbsp;&nbsp;I want my surpriiiiiiise!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She wiggled and giggled rolling over to face Jiao, and sat up on her belly.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Whatisit, whatisit, whatisit, whatisit, whatisit, whatisit, whatisit!!!!?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp; She leant down and grabbed the cat&rsquo;s shoulders shaking them playfully like she was begging for dear life.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Hahaha calm down little english you&rsquo;d think you were starved to death!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao laughed and petted the girl&rsquo;s arm as she straightened up her hair.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Tell me what I gave you last time?&rdquo;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Swiss Crosses?&rdquo; Mia answered quickly.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Yes!&nbsp;&nbsp;And the day before?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao rested her hands on Mia&rsquo;s waist.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Fruit Fizzies!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia giggled remembering the tickle on her tongue when the hard candy fizzled in her mouth.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;And the day before?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao squeezed and released Mia&rsquo;s thighs idly as she waited.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;A candy box!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She smiled beeming, remembering the fun they had eating their way through the box while Jiao taught her the words for things, trading right answers for candies.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;What was in the candy box?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao asked, stalling obviously.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Chocolate coins, candied lotus seeds, melon seeds, candied pineapple and coconut, candied ginger, and.... OOH!&nbsp;&nbsp;OOH!&nbsp;&nbsp;Those tasty water chestnut thingies!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She bounced on Jiao&rsquo;s belly excitedly, jarring the cat and making her breasts bounce and jiggle.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao grabbed Mia&rsquo;s head and pulled it into her breasts, holding her in the fluffy fur a she struggled.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Silly silly excitable girl!&nbsp;&nbsp;Hahaha you&rsquo;re so adorable!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia thrashed and kicked, smothering in the fleshy, fluffy tomb.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Calm down Mia!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao let her go and Mia leaned back, dramatically taking deep gasping breaths like someone that&rsquo;s been drowned.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao smiled and grabbed her cheeks, pulled her down and kissed her on the lips deeply, pushing her tongue inside the younger girl&rsquo;s mouth and wrestling it around.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia&nbsp;&nbsp;blushed brightly, surprised by the sudden kiss, and pulled back.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;H-how many times have I asked you to not sneak those on me with that!?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia blurted out in embarrassment.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;You like it, silly girl.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao said as she sat up.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Now, if you&rsquo;ll get off of me I&rsquo;ll get your surprise...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao cut her eyes suggestively and Mia jumped up, not needing any more of an incentive.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao got up on her knees and turned around, crawling away from mia.&nbsp;&nbsp;Her tail waved behind her, occasionally giving Mia a teasing glimpse of her tight lips and clean pale pink tailhole.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia blushed and tried to look away, but Jiao did have a very shapely rump...&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;S-so, Jiao, ummm...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia spoke with eyes transfixed on the cat&rsquo;s white, fluffy rear, her tail swinging back and forth like a pendulum as she rummaged through her things.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;What&rsquo;s my<br /><br />surprise?&rdquo;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The cat giggled and turned around, a small box in her hands, wrapped in an expensive-looking red paper.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;What do you think it is, Mia?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She walked on her knees toward Mia with the box in hand.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Ummmmm....&nbsp;&nbsp;We&rsquo;ve had sweets twice... Hmmm...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia put her little claw to her chin as she thought about what they&rsquo;d had already.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve had sweets two days in a row, so probably not again.&nbsp;&nbsp;So...&nbsp;&nbsp;a salty snack?&nbsp;&nbsp;Pretzels?&rdquo;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Nope!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao sat the box down and pushed it towards Mia, who grabbed it up and felt it, shaking it a little.&nbsp;&nbsp;The box rattled heavily like there were different little things inside, but they sounded soft.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Be careful with it, Mia!&nbsp;&nbsp;Haha just open it!&rdquo;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia sat down the box and unfolded it slowly, peaking at the folds trying to find its secrets.&nbsp;&nbsp;Finally she finished unwrapping the box and looked it over.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was pretty brass, with a pretty picture of what looked like a high-class family buying candy from a street vendor stamped onto the lid.&nbsp;&nbsp;She &ldquo;ooo-ed&rdquo; at it and clawed its latch open, her little eye shining as she gripped the lid and lifted slowly, before letting it fall open and staring down at it, mouth agape.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Dozens of diamond-shaped chocolates shone up at Mia, glimmering up from their paper cups as if they were made this morning.&nbsp;&nbsp;They smelled fresh and loud, almost instantly finding their way into her delicate nose.&nbsp;&nbsp;She shut the box and set it aside, looking down at the floor as she put her hands on her knees.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t they look delicious, Mia?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao smiled at Mia, but tilted her head curiously as she stared at the floor hiding her little face.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t like chocolates?&nbsp;&nbsp;I&rsquo;m sorry... I can get somethi-OOF!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao was cut short by a sharp little shoulder digging into her belly as Mia tackled her and hugged her tightly, squeezing her waist so tight she could barely breath.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;ILOVEITILOVEITILOVEITILOVEITTHANKYOUSOMUCHJIAO!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia squeezed her friend tightly as her tail whipped excitedly, and she nuzzled all up and down Jiao&rsquo;s sides.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao stroked Mia&rsquo;s head gently and stroked her hair, playing with her long velvety ears.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad you like it, Mia, but do you know what makes them special?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She ran her hands up and down the little girl&rsquo;s back massaging and petting her tenderly.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Nuh-uh.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia looked up at her, still hugging her waist tightly.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;They&rsquo;re not just solid chocolates?&nbsp;&nbsp;Are they truffles?!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her eyes lit up imagining what they could be.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao petted Mia&rsquo;s cheeks and combed her fingers through her soft cheekfur gently, smiling wide.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Try one.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;Okay!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia jumped up and turned back to the box, lifting the lid and picking one of them up.&nbsp;&nbsp;She picked one up and looked a Jiao curiously.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Are they all the same?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao nodded, and Mia nodded back, then popped the chocolate into her mouth, chewing on it making her eyes open wide.&nbsp;&nbsp;She chewed on it munching and moaning her bright amethyst eyes rolling back into her head as she swallowed it down.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;How does it taste, Mia?&nbsp;&nbsp;Do you like it?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao laid to her side, propping her head in her hand watching Mia gulp down the delectable candy.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I love it!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia jumped at Jiao again, tackling her and kissing all over her face before pulling back and sitting up on her belly.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;What&rsquo;s in them?&nbsp;&nbsp;It tastes yummy and sweet and nutty!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a liquor called amaretto, Mia.&nbsp;&nbsp;Have you ever had alcohol before?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao rubbed the little girl&rsquo;s sides while she sat on her belly.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;No, this was my first time.&nbsp;&nbsp;I thought ladies weren&rsquo;t supposed to drink?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia said, her hands resting on Jiao&rsquo;s chest holding herself up.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Ladies aren&rsquo;t supposed to drink, but this isn&rsquo;t drinking.&nbsp;&nbsp;This is eating.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao smiled.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;This is how respectable ladies can take alcohol, instead of opium or laudanum or hashish.&nbsp;&nbsp;Does your belly feel warm yet?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia nodded and smiled rubbing her stomach through her thin yellow sun dress.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;It feels warm and all tingly, and my head feels light, like when I have a fever, but... not.&nbsp;&nbsp;It&rsquo;s nice.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She reached over for the box and sat it on Jiao&rsquo;s breasts leaving the lid open.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Share?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao smiled and reached in, pulling one out and popping it into her mouth, wadding up the paper with a smile and tossing it towards her own little cast-iron fireplace.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;They ARE delicious, aren&rsquo;t they?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao said with a wide smile as they both reached for another.&nbsp;&nbsp;They locked eyes, nodded, and popped them both at once.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;MMM!&nbsp;&nbsp;NOW!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao reached under the pillows and tossed a book at her little friend, written in Chinese.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Recite the first chapter to me, be slow and clear, so i can hear your accent.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia picked up the book and looked at it crossly, beginning somewhat shakily.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Tā de jiǎo-... jiaohu&aacute;i zu&ograve; z&agrave;i tā kuānku&ograve; de ji-.. jiānbǎng, tā jiāo...xiǎo de jiǎo bǎid&ograve;ng h&eacute; ch&agrave;n-chandǒuzhe tā de ch&aacute;ng, ti&agrave;od&ograve;ng de n&aacute;nzǐ q&igrave;g&agrave;i du&igrave; tā de děngd&agrave;i, r&egrave;, zhězh&ograve;u m&agrave;n man xiǎof&uacute;...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She continued reading the risque novel, occassionally popping the tasty liquor chocolates along with Jiao.&nbsp;&nbsp;She felt her penties get somewhat wet, and remembering the lesson from last time with her wet panties, she leant back without giving it a second thought and slipped the white, frilly-cotton garment down her long slender legs and tossed it over in the corner to pick up later.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Jiao watched her amused at how nonchalant Mia was now, and began stroking her thighs underneath her dainty yellow dress while she read.&nbsp;&nbsp;She could feel her heat rising, the warmth in her belly spreading slowly down to her nethers, and she could feel the same from Mia, her moist slit rubbing against Jiao&rsquo;s belly, the heat pressing against her, and she could see the blush rising in Mia&rsquo;s ears.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao reached her hands behind Mia and gripped her tight bum, gently teasing her clean, pink tailhole with a dull claw.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia jumped and slammed the book shut, looking down with wide eyes.<br /><br />&ldquo;J-JIAO!&nbsp;&nbsp;W-what are you doing?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;They had been experimenting a lot lately, the older feline teaching her about different things she could do with herself, and with a partner.&nbsp;&nbsp;She was surprised by the sudden attention to that mostly ignored part of her body, but trusted Jiao enough to stay still and not pull away so soon.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;Just playing with you, darling.&nbsp;&nbsp;Scoot up a little, please.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao pulled at Mia&rsquo;s hips, lifting her gently, guiding her up towards her face.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;J-Jiao? What are y-OOOoh~!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia&rsquo;s speech turned to a drawn out moan as Jiao&rsquo;s long, rough, skilled feline tongue slid it&rsquo;s way across her tight lips, from the very bottom all the way up, curling at the very end to tease her clit and tug gently at her hood before finally slipping out with a quiet slurp.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia&rsquo;s hands gripped at Jiao&rsquo;s ears, pawing and tugging at them as over and over the rough, wet, hot muscle was drug across her lips, each slow lick making her tense and shiver, every touch to her delicate pearl sending shivers up her spine.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia arched her back and gasped loudly as Jiao&rsquo;s lips wrapped around her clit and suckled gently, purring deeply making her shake and shiver to the very bone in ecstasy.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Gently Jiao teased Mia&rsquo;s tailhole with her claw, slowly pressing more and more until her fingertip popped in, Mia&rsquo;s virgin ring squeezing down on Jiao&rsquo;s finger tightly as she gently stirred it inside, not pushing any deeper.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia barely noticed the intrusion, the liquor and her nearing orgasm making the sensation melt away into a loudly rushing river of pleasure, sweeping through her demure body.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao felt Mia&rsquo;s insides spasming and convulsing around her tongue and finger, and began pumping with both, thrusting her finger and tongue into the tight folds, pressing one in as the other withdrew, quickening and quickening her pace until she felt a splash of sweet nectar all over her tongue, dripping from the corners of her mouth as Mia arched back, her head almost touching Jiao&rsquo;s belly.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia went limp, laying her back down on Jiao&rsquo;s chest, her ears falling between her legs as she relaxed, her legs twitching and spasming still as she rode out the intense orgasm.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao licked Mia&rsquo;s wetted lips clean, not leaving a mess for her to have to clean up later.&nbsp;&nbsp;With every touch Mia moaned again, whining quietly.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;D-don&rsquo;t... not again so soo-OOH!-ooon...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao only giggled and continued to clean her little friend eagerly, letting her tongue sneak down between her skinny cheeks to tease her pale pink pucker.&nbsp;&nbsp;JI-JIAO!&nbsp;&nbsp;T-that&rsquo;s so di-iiiiiiirty...&rdquo; Mia wiggled her butt and tried to pull away, but her weak legs pushed at the sheets ineffectually.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao pulled away and stroked the mouse&rsquo;s slender thighs affectionately, stroking up and down with her claws.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;No, you&rsquo;re absolutely, perfectly, deliciously clean, Mia.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao purred.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Doesn&rsquo;t it feel good?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She lifted her head up and pressed her lips to the girl&rsquo;s rump again, giving it a teasing lick.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia whimpered and nodded, her hips shifting and moving on their own.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Y-yes...&rdquo;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;As Jiao pressed her tongue against the smaller girl&rsquo;s rump, barely tickling it before three bells rung out loudly.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao pulled back and looked up at the smaller girl urgently.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;You need to hide.&nbsp;&nbsp;I have to work.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia was somewhat used to this, every once in awhile during her chinese lesson a bell would ring and she would have to hide, but this was the first time it had rung twice.&nbsp;&nbsp;She jumped up, and immediately fell on her face because of her noodle-legs.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Eep!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She crawled into the pile of clothes, burying herself being sure to get into a position where she could see the goings-on.&nbsp;&nbsp;It had been odd and embarrassing at first, but she was curious ever since they first met about what Jiao was doing with these men.&nbsp;&nbsp;She couldn&rsquo;t imagine sometimes how Jiao could take some of their things, they seemed so big, but others were so tiny she couldn&rsquo;t help but giggle in her little nest of sheets.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao told her not to laugh at them though.&nbsp;&nbsp;She said that &ldquo;little&rdquo; men are just as good as bigger ones, especially if they know what they&rsquo;re doing, but Mia was sure that Jiao was only being nice. Then again, the really big ones seemed like they hurt her, at least at first, but Jiao always SEEMED to enjoy it, for whatever that was worth.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao hurriedly put her robes back on, assuming the pose she always took when she was waiting on clients.&nbsp;&nbsp;She tied her sash around her waist holding her robes closed, with the hems barely covering her breasts.&nbsp;&nbsp;It only went down to her knees, barely, but bunched up so it covered her pussy.&nbsp;&nbsp;Her tight rump, however, was almost completely exposed, and her tail snaked and writhed through the air fluidly as she perfumed herself and kneaded the floor under her with her toes.&nbsp;&nbsp;She took the hose of her hookah and took a deep breath, shutting her eyes and holding it in as long as she could before letting it out with a sigh, a light grey cloud forming from her breath, catching the red light and bathing her in an eerie glow.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The flap opened slowly, and Mia&rsquo;s eyes opened wide, and a quiet gasp escaped her lips as familiar legs walked into her view.&nbsp;&nbsp;Thick dull black-furred feline legs and red-brown bovine legs walked in, claws clicking and hooves clopping, a long black bushy tail hanging loosely, a skinny, strong, sinewy bull&rsquo;s tail whipping anxiously at their ankles as she listened to them talking in a language she still didn&rsquo;t understand.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Szia cica! Miut&aacute;n egy j&oacute; est&eacute;t, kis kurva?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia heard, sounding like the panther, because of a little purr that seemed to ride on the end of it.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;M&aacute;r hi&aacute;nyzol, ez&eacute;rt &uacute;gy d&ouml;nt&ouml;tt&uuml;nk, hogy j&ouml;n &ouml;ssze, &eacute;s adja meg a legjobb időt csak lehetett!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He seemed excited, which wasn&rsquo;t out of place for the men that tended to come for Jiao&rsquo;s &ldquo;services.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao purred and rolled onto her back, letting her legs fall slightly apart, just enough so her lips peaked out through the bow of her sash, and lifted her tail to her chest, snaking through the valley between her breasts, and into her hand.&nbsp;&nbsp;She stroked and played with her tail, licking it teasingly as she spoke, looking up at them.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Hehe, te &eacute;des fi&uacute;k! K&ouml;sz&ouml;n&ouml;m, hogy gondolt r&aacute;m! Voltam annyira mag&aacute;nyos mostan&aacute;ban, k&uuml;l&ouml;n&ouml;sen a kis kuty&aacute;k &eacute;s macsk&aacute;k, &eacute;s egerek &uacute;gy tűnik, hogy l&aacute;togasson el engem annyira &hellip;&rdquo;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Az&eacute;rt, mert annyira sz&eacute;p &eacute;s feszes, azt hiszik, hogy a kis petyh&uuml;dt farkuk el&eacute;g, hogy tetszik! HAH! Az ostob&aacute;k.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;The panther laughed loudly, but stopped suddenly as the bulls skirt fell around his ankles and he stepped out of them.&nbsp;&nbsp;He snorted loudly and dropped to his knees beside Jiao, shoving his hand into her robe and squeezing her breast roughly, making her gasp and let out a quiet moan.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Mi&eacute;rt az istenek nev&eacute;t ragaszkodnak ehhez sz&iacute;nj&aacute;t&eacute;k ... Ő fizettek ki, nem &uacute;gy viselkednek, mint ez a d&aacute;tum. Csak hagyja, hogy a nő nem a munk&aacute;j&aacute;t &hellip;&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He bent down and suckled her breast hard, the grey fur framing a rough, scarred face.&nbsp;&nbsp;His eyes were dull, dark brown, with a milky film over one, like when someone pours cream in water.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao gasped and moaned, her hands gripping at his horns tightly, her muscles flexing visibly, although Mia couldn&rsquo;t tell whether she was pushing him away or pulling him closer, and he didn&rsquo;t move an inch either way.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Te, ISTEHEM te, hogy ilyen durva!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao moaned and yelled as the bull pulled her robes apart, ripping the bow open and tossing her belt across the room.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Heh, amit mondasz, bika. Te csak ideges, mert nem volt egy nő, mert te volt&aacute;l utolj&aacute;ra az eg&eacute;sz Rajna.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;The panther laughed as he untied his pants and dropped them, letting his shirt fall behind him.&nbsp;&nbsp;He knelt at Jiao&rsquo;s feet and let his rough pads slide up and down her calves, purring to himself as he examined her.&nbsp;&nbsp; He had grey on his face, mostly around his mouth and under his chin, leading down to his chest.&nbsp;&nbsp;The grey fur led down his chest, and seemed like outlines around his muscles, going down to a large, broad sheath, and heavy, full, dangling balls.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Te m&eacute;g szebb, mint az utols&oacute; alkalom, Anngui ... Hogyan kezeli maradni, &iacute;gy a fiatal &eacute;s t&ouml;k&eacute;letes?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He wrapped one paw around her ankle, lifting it up as his other hand caressed up her leg, massaging her thigh as he kissed her pawpad gently.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Hmmm ... Hi&aacute;nyozni fogsz, ha otthon vagyok t&ouml;bb, mint amit nem fogadott a feles&eacute;gem, amikor elment &hellip;&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He lapped at her petite toes as his claws popped out, prickling and tugging at the sensitive flesh inside her thighs.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao laid back, moaning and whimpering as the bull slid his hand roughly down her belly, the attentions from the two hard men being a lot for her to take with composure.&nbsp;&nbsp;She kneaded and clawed at the bull&rsquo;s broad shoulders as his tongue slid out, long and thick, the strong wet muscle grinding against her sensitive flesh.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;D&ouml;rzs&ouml;lje, mik&ouml;zben &eacute;n d&ouml;rzs&ouml;lni te &hellip;&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He gripped her pussy tightly in his large hand, making her gasp and yell out.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;D&ouml;rzs&ouml;lj&uuml;k most...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She whimpered and reached down between his legs.&nbsp;&nbsp;She moaned as a single thick, meaty finger plunged between her lips, pushing in to the knuckle with a loud squelch.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;AA-eeeee! &Iacute;gy vastag! Te ujj ny&uacute;lik nekem sz&eacute;les!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao screamed out as she thrust down on the bull&rsquo;s finger, the panther slowly licking and kissing up her leg , massaging it sensually as he became harder and harder, more and more of his pink shaft peeked from his grey-black sheath.&nbsp;&nbsp;His hands and sharp claws caressed and teased her gently as he inched closer and closer to her heat where the bull was pumping and stirring her loudly making lewd noises.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao could feel his hand on her rump, and rolled her hips to one side, letting him have a little more access, her tail reaching down to his face, sliding across it and tugging him up slightly, guiding him.&nbsp;&nbsp;He nipped at the back of her thigh and she hissed deeply as the bull&rsquo;s long, sharp penis finally came into Mia&rsquo;s view.&nbsp;&nbsp;She couldn&rsquo;t nearly see all of it, but judging by where his hips were, and where the tip was... it was long, at least.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The panther purred and laid on his belly, kissing and nipping lightly at Jiao&rsquo;s bum, his hands stroking up and down her legs gently as he probed under her tailhole with his broad, rough tongue.&nbsp;&nbsp;He rolled onto his side and hugged her leg to him, pressing her footpaw to his shaft as it throbbed, still quite thick and growing thicker.&nbsp;&nbsp;She giggled a little as his tongue flickered against her tight pink tailhole, and let her soft pads wrap around his cock and squeeze it, knead it gently&nbsp;&nbsp;while he roars muffled by her furry rump.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The bull sat up finally, giving Mia a full view of his manhood from underneath her prison of sheets.&nbsp;&nbsp;She felt herself wetting like a faucet, the smell of sex filling her nose, the sound of Jiao&rsquo;s moaning and whimpering, the men&rsquo;s own growling...&nbsp;&nbsp;She craved something, for a moment almost wanting to switch places with Jiao, even though she could never handle two fully grown males, probably not even one.&nbsp;&nbsp;Her little fingers traced down her belly, reaching between her slender thighs to her already-moist slit.&nbsp;&nbsp;She let her dull claw dip between her tightly-pursed lips, biting at the fabric breathing silently, heavily as she watched her friend being lavished and prepared to be taken.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Jiao reached forward and lapped the bull&rsquo;s tip, making him low in pleasure as she stroked and squeezed at his shaft and balls.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia bit her lip and silently moaned as her claw teased over her little pearl while Jiao wrapped her lips around the bulls tip and suckled, moaning and purring into it as the panther slurped and lapped at her tailhole, Jiao&rsquo;s soft toe pads wrapped around his thick, heavily spined shaft and stroked slowly.&nbsp;&nbsp;The smell of sweat and male musk was so thick in the air that Mia almost thought she could taste it.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia dipped her finger into her tight folds, gasping quietly as she slowly pumped her slender finger in her tight folds, her dull claw pressing on her virginity gently making her twitch and hurting her slightly.&nbsp;&nbsp;The bull gripped the back of Jiao&rsquo;s head and pulled her down slowly, she gagged a little and coughed around it, as inch after inch disappeared in her pale lips, captivating Mia like a sword swallower, her throat swelling slightly as the bull shifted his weight, showing his back to Mia as he thrusted in to the hilt into Jiao&rsquo;s throat.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao gripped at the bull&rsquo;s muscular ass, clawing it making him low loudly as he pulled back, a hand on either side of her head, holding her still.&nbsp;&nbsp;She clawed his ass deep and rough as he pulled back, his dripping tip resting on her nose, finally giving Mia a full view of his length.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was almost as long as Mia&rsquo;s arm, the base as thick as her bicep.&nbsp;&nbsp;His balls were about the size of mangoes, Mia thought.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao smiled at her little friend in her hiding spot, and gave her a wink as she opened wide and pulled the bull down, taking him all the way to the base again, her face disappearing under his heavy leathery sack.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Mia pushed her pinkie in her mouth, sucking it the way she&rsquo;s seen Jiao on mens&rsquo; things, pretending as she stirred her insides and thrusted her hips down onto her hand.&nbsp;&nbsp;She watched the bull thrust in and out of Jiao&rsquo;s throat, lowing deeply as his muscles rippled and his sack smacked heavily into her lips.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia took her pinkie out of her mouth and reached back, caressing and massaging her tight rump the way the panther was doing to Jiao, rubbing her slick, slobbery finger against her own tailhole.&nbsp;&nbsp;The panther finally sat up on his knees, hugging Jiao&rsquo;s legs to his chest.&nbsp;&nbsp;The panther roared loudly and Jiao&rsquo;s eyes shot wide, silently screaming around the bullcock that plugged her throat.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia thrusted her finger into her bum, muffling a scream into the sheets as she fingered both of her tight holes, watching the two strong, sweaty, muscular males use Jiao like a toy.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Jiao&rsquo;s legs tensed and pulled, kicking and twitching as her toes curled and clawed at the air and the panther held them tight, his crotch smacking roughly into her soft rump as he pounded away at her tight tailhole.&nbsp;&nbsp;His spines tickled and tugged at her insides and teased her ring, and his coarse, wiry grey pubic fur tickled and teased her lips and clit.&nbsp;&nbsp;The bull gripped her breasts roughly, using them to pull him into her throat, riding her rougher and rougher as his balls began to smack into her forehead and he snorted and lowed almost angrily.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia&rsquo;s legs twitched and kicked behind her wildly as she watched, biting her lips hard trying to suppress whimpers and screams as she pumped and stirred herself quickly, her tight tailhole tensing as she switched to her middle finger, wincing as she tried to do herself as fast as the panther was taking Jiao.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Suddenly the bull pulled out and wiped his cock on Jiao&rsquo;s face.&nbsp;&nbsp;She panted and moaned from the rough fucking the panther constantly gave her.&nbsp;&nbsp;The bull smacked Jiao&rsquo;s cheek with his cock and looked at the panther.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Ford&iacute;tsa neki v&eacute;ge, macska. Azt akarom, hogy pina, most.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;The panther nodded and released Jiao&rsquo;s legs finally, pushing her onto her side twisting her around his spined cock.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Aaah!&nbsp;&nbsp;M-mind a ketten? Ez t&uacute;l sok, sok t&uacute;l sok!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao tried to push herself up, but the panther gripped her shoulders and pulled her up almost effortlessly to his chest, letting out a short roar as her weight fell onto his cock.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;AAAAH!&nbsp;&nbsp;Te t&uuml;sk&eacute;s szem&eacute;t! E-engedj el!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Mi a magunk m&oacute;dj&aacute;n fizetni, cica. Most nyissa ki a l&aacute;b&aacute;t, &eacute;s vegye be a tejet, mint egy j&oacute; cica.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;The bull shoved his tongue into Jiao&rsquo;s mouth and gripped her at the bends of her legs, lifting them up and angling her for his thrust.&nbsp;&nbsp;She screamed into his mouth as he continued to forcefully kiss her, and as he thrust up to the hilt, his tip hammering into her cervix and his thick base stretching her lips wide, she managed to break from the kiss and scream in pain and ecstasy.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao&rsquo;s scream masked Mia&rsquo;s, pleasure/pain shooting through her entire body as she unconsciously sat down hard on her finger, piercing her own virginity.&nbsp;&nbsp;It hurt, and she wanted to just pull her fingers away, but the way she was laying wouldn&rsquo;t let her move her arm, and she couldn&rsquo;t come close to stopping her hips from moving.&nbsp;&nbsp;She kept riding her fingers, whimpering and moaning as her claw found a particular spot deeper than she had managed to get before.&nbsp;&nbsp;She kept grinding her dull claw over it, trying to make the pleasure dull the pain.&nbsp;&nbsp;She felt herself getting closer and closer to orgasm, the pain subsiding slowly as time went on.&nbsp;&nbsp;She sighed and bit her lip, thankful that the slapping, moaning, screaming, roaring and bellowing form Jiao and her clients to drown out her own muffled moans and whimpers.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The panther wrapped his arms around Jiao&rsquo;s chest, gripping her breasts tightly and digging his claws in, pinching and tugging her nipples with his claws while the bull held her weight up in his large hands.&nbsp;&nbsp;With all their force the male&rsquo;s thrusted into Jiao, making her scream and hiss and moan in ecstasy, her claws digging into the bull&rsquo;s back bringing blood.&nbsp;&nbsp;The panther nipped and pulled at her ears, growling loudly.&nbsp;&nbsp;The bull threw his head back, lowing wildly into the air as they bounced the housecat roughly, their hard bodies smacking roughly into her in quick time.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia whimpered and moaned, her palm rubbing against her tender clit while she fingered herself quickly, pumping herself in time with Jiao and her partners.&nbsp;&nbsp;She could a taste the inside of her mouth bleeding as she bit her cheek, keeping herself quiet as she inched closer and closer, her feet kicking and clawing behind her.&nbsp;&nbsp;The rhythmic smacking, moaning, roaring and lowing combined with the heavy scent of sex, almost hypnotized the little girl, her eyes staring wide, entranced by the pulsing, throbbing, bouncing, undulating masses of flesh and fur.&nbsp;&nbsp;The bull thrust up, spearing Jiao on his huge manhood, letting out a loud bellow as Jiao yowled like a wildcat, her toes clawing at the air as she reached her climax being filled by the pulsing bovine seed.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia felt herself getting closer to her own orgasm, only a touch away.&nbsp;&nbsp;The panther thrust up and roared, masking Mia&rsquo;s loud squeaky scream as an orgasm shot through her like lightning, her body arching and twitching, writhing inside the sheets.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia&rsquo;s world went dark as she was overwhelmed by her orgasm.&nbsp;&nbsp;When her eyes finally opened she still felt warm, the tingle from her climax still rolling through her gently, like ripples in a pond after a powerful storm.&nbsp;&nbsp;The bull and panther were both gone and Jiao laid weakly on her back, still groaning weakly holding onto the pipe of her hookah loosely.&nbsp;&nbsp;She held it in the corner of her mouth, puffing lightly letting her smokey exhales flow out of her mouth lazily.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia started to climb out awkwardly, kicking and pushing herself forward, getting her head out of the pile of clothes and breathing the fresh air deep for the first time in a while.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;J-Jiao!&rdquo; She rolled around and wiggled trying to get her arms loose.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Are you okay?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao turned her head up, looking back upside-down at her little friend with half-lidded eyes.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Hmmm?&nbsp;&nbsp;OOoh, yes-yes, I&rsquo;m absolutely fine...&nbsp;&nbsp;I was starting to be afraid you&rsquo;d suffocated down there.&nbsp;&nbsp;Hah, hahaha...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She laughed sleepily as she continued to breath in the cool smoke from her hookah.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Jiao!&nbsp;&nbsp;J-Jiao can you-AH!-can you give me a hand?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia wrestled with a particularly disagreeable sheet that had wrapped itself around her like a straightjacket, keeping her arms locked tight to herself.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao laughed and clapped, her hands, giving Mia applause.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Haha here&rsquo;s a hand!&nbsp;&nbsp;For Mia!&nbsp;&nbsp;Encore Encore!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia finally found the right leverage and popped out of the sheets, rolling on the ground before finally landing beside Jiao with her face in the floor, her light yellow dress turned over her head with her bare butt stuck up, before her legs gave out and plopped herself down flat onto her belly.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;Bleh...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia&rsquo;s tongue lawled out weakly and she cut her eyes up at Jiao.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Thanks for the hand...&rdquo;<br /><br />Jiao laughed more and put down her hookah, patting the little rodent&rsquo;s rump.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;World-Renowned Escape Artist and Acrobat!&nbsp;&nbsp;Can I have your autograph?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She squeezed the jerboa&rsquo;s rump playfully.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia layed on her belly, crossing her arms and laying her head down.&nbsp;&nbsp;She gave a huff and looked away.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Stoppit, I&rsquo;m not in the mood.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She flicked her tail irritatedly at Jiao&rsquo;s face.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;But Miiiiiiii-Aaaaaaaaaaaa!&nbsp;&nbsp;I wanna play now!&nbsp;&nbsp;I just got my second wind!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao got onto her knees and straddled Mia&rsquo;s legs.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Don&rsquo;t you wanna play?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia huffed again loudly and whipped her tail around, the poofed tip popping against Jiao&rsquo;s sides ineffectually.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Nooooo!&nbsp;&nbsp;You&rsquo;re mean and lazy and high on hookah stuff!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;So?&nbsp;&nbsp;I&rsquo;ve been high before when we played!&nbsp;&nbsp;Come on, laugh for me!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao wrapped her hands around Mia&rsquo;s sides and began tickling her ribs with her claws, making the girl sputter as she tried to withhold her laughter.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;N-Hmp-NO!&nbsp;&nbsp;I don&rsquo;t wanna-hehe-I don&rsquo;t wanna play!&nbsp;&nbsp;Stoppit!&nbsp;&nbsp;Haha, STOP!&nbsp;&nbsp;Haha-HAHAHA-JIAO!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia giggled and laughed loudly, kicking and slapping the ground as Jiao tickled her, laughing every bit as loud.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia managed to roll over the grown woman and get on top of her and tickle her back.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;See!&nbsp;&nbsp;No more grumpy little mouse!&nbsp;&nbsp;Only my happy giggly little girl!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao laughed as they continued to tickle-battle, rolling all about Jiao&rsquo;s room, knocking over her folding table and colliding into her chest of drawers.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Suddenly the ship shook, pipes broke and steam hissed from all directions.&nbsp;&nbsp;The coolant pipes leaked and shot out hydrogen, freezing the water and making an icy snow over everything.&nbsp;&nbsp;The walls of the tents fell, out in some places, in in others, covering Jiao and Mia in the heavy fabric.&nbsp;&nbsp;They tried to dig themselves out, crawling on top of each other to find their way out.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;WHAT WAS THAT?!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao screamed loudly as the pushd the toprail of the tent up, letting Mia run out and look around.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;I DONT KNOW!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia scrambled to find her panties as Jiao grabbed her robe and looked around, tieing her belt quickly.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia stood and jumped into her panties, looking all around.&nbsp;&nbsp;The entire hold was frozen.&nbsp;&nbsp;People looked around confused, while other&rsquo;s tried to fix the damage done.&nbsp;&nbsp;Turbulence was not abnormal, but this seemed different. They could swear they had heard an explosion, but that couldn&rsquo;t be right.&nbsp;&nbsp;Maybe one of the generators had blown, or something.&nbsp;&nbsp;This damage was much too much to be simple turbulence. Mia looked up at Jiao worriedly.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t right.&nbsp;&nbsp;Something&rsquo;s wrong...&rdquo;<br /><br />Jiao patted Mia&rsquo;s head and stroked her ears comfortingly.&nbsp;&nbsp;Well... Let&rsquo;s see what we can do... Help me clean up my room, hmm?&nbsp;&nbsp;If we need to run I need to be able to bring my valuables with me.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia nodded and began helping Jiao clean up, folding up all the sheets, clearing the floor while Jiao put the walls back up.&nbsp;&nbsp;Just in the first few minutes Mia had found a handful of gold Sovereigns, and a bag of Guines.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve found thirteen pounds so far Jiao!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia said as she ran about, tidying up and going through the sheets.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;That&rsquo;s good!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao went through her drawers quickly getting all the moneys in order.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Bring them over here!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia quickly ran over and dropped the money on the dresser.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia squeaked and tightly gripped Jiao&rsquo;s dress, hiding her face as the ship shook again violently.&nbsp;&nbsp;She felt Jiao&rsquo;s slender fingers running through her headfur calmly as the people outside began to sound more and more restless.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Jiao... I... I don&rsquo;t feel safe down here... We should go above deck where it&rsquo;s safer...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia looked up shivering a little, hearing the shuffling and yelling going on outside.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao nodded and smiled warmly as she stroked the little girl&rsquo;s ears, her other hand reaching into her drawers and searching.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Okay... They won&rsquo;t like me being above deck if they catch me, though... My ticket is second class only.&nbsp;&nbsp;How will we get passed the gate?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She pulled out a small tin and placed it on the top of her dresser.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia looked up to the pipes that were now frozen and wet.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I came that way... I don&rsquo;t think I can climb that again...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looked to the dresser at the little round tin, shiny and silver with the words &ldquo;3 Merry Widows--AGNES-MABEL-BECKY&rdquo; stamped around the lid, with a little flower in the middle.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;What&rsquo;s that, Jiao?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia pointed to the tin.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;That&rsquo;s something every woman should keep on her, for one reason or another...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao reached over and picked up the tin, popping it open and pulling out a long, almost see-through thing, that looked like an emptied-out sausage case, or an unfilled balloon.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Men... SOME men have diseases... This goes on his member to keep me from getting his disease... also, if a feline pays enough extra, he is allowed to use my pussy... But he has to wear this, so i can&rsquo;t get pregnant.&nbsp;&nbsp;See?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She poked it with her dulled claw.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Water and cum-proof.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She smiled and put the lid on the tin, blowing air in the condom.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia looked at her confused and tilted her head with her ears perked.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;What are you doing with it now, though?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao smiled and picked up the bag of guineas and began dropping them into the condom, pushing them down towards the bottom.&nbsp;&nbsp;Their ridged sides made a rough series of little spikes down the long row, before finally tying the end in a simple knot.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Women have many places to hide things that are improper to search... where only the rudest or most daring men think to look.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;You may want to look away for a moment, darling...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Mia nodded and blushed, turning away.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;You can, umm... tell me when you&rsquo;re done...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her little feet shuffled and she went a little knock-kneed, her paws gripping and playing with her skirt embarrassed.&nbsp;&nbsp;She can hear the faint wet slurp of the dry lambskin against Jiao&rsquo;s moist flesh, and the quiet sucking sound as her lips close around it.&nbsp;&nbsp;She felt fingers pinching her eartips teasingly and tugging them.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Aah!&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia pawed at Jiao&rsquo;s hands surprised and trying to get away.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;Hehehe lookey here, I managed to catch me a pretty little mouse!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao leaned down giggling and nibbled on Mia&rsquo;s ears playfully.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;Jiao!&nbsp;&nbsp;We need to leave!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She gripped her ears and tugged them away from Jiao, stroking them right and drying the slobber off the tips with her shirt.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;Yes, yes we do.&nbsp;&nbsp;Did you ever figure out how we were going to get out, though?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao walked back to her dresser and started gathering up her money in little bags, hiding them all in her robes in different places.<br /><br />&ldquo;Hmmm... I don&rsquo;t know... They just let me through last time...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia peeked her head out of the tent and looked around at the people shuffling about, packing their things, shuffling about the makeshift streets, bullying their ways past others, and fighting in the stalls over food and clothes and anything else.&nbsp;&nbsp;She could hear and see the people&rsquo;s behaviours deteriorating as the ship vibrated steadily and getting more and more violent, and she started feeling scared.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Maybe... we should try the gate?&rdquo;<br /><br />Jiao nodded and grabbed a small jewelry box and held it in her hands, hidden by her long sleeves.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s hurry, Mia.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao lifted the fabric of the tent and Mia hopped out, her tail snaking through the air behind her as Jiao followed reservedly.&nbsp;&nbsp;The ship rocked violently as they walked, making them brace against the walls as they made their way toward the broad wrought-iron gate.&nbsp;&nbsp;The smell of rust from the insides of the pipes filled their noses as the muggy, frozen slush settled and melted on the warm metal floor.&nbsp;&nbsp;The girls shivered as the icy water soaked into the fur and chilled the sensitive flesh above their pads.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;Something&rsquo;s not right with the ship, Mia...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao held onto Mia&rsquo;s shoulder tightly in her paw.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;You know about these things... What would make all of this happen?&rdquo;<br /><br />&ldquo;Well... It could be some turbulence... or some kind of collision... We rode on a little airship when i was younger, and we hit a bird.&nbsp;&nbsp;It almost sunk us, haha...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She chuckled a little as she thought.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;But I don&rsquo;t know of anything in the air that would make a ship this big wobble...&nbsp;&nbsp;Maybe a flock of... Ummm...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia stopped walking as she thought to herself, her ears twitching as she did.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;Pelicans?&nbsp;&nbsp;Hundreds and hundreds of pelicans!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao looked down excited, completely convinced.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Mia looked up, her eyebrow raised at the adult in a classic, &ldquo;Are you kidding&rdquo; expression.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Ummm... a few HUNDRED pelicans, maybe...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia looked forward and started walking again, tugging Jiao along.<br /><br />&ldquo;Hey, it could happen!&nbsp;&nbsp;They might have all been flying south for the winter...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp; The shipped rocked hard again, the makeshift buildings crashing down, dust filling the chilly air and making the girls grip onto the walls and each other tightly.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;That wasn&rsquo;t a flock of birds, Jiao!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia said as she started pulling herself forward.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s get out of here Jiao!&nbsp;&nbsp;My papa will know what&rsquo;s wrong!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia proclaimed proudly as she pulled the cat along, Jiao&rsquo;s hand wrapped tightly around her shoulder holding on for dear life.&nbsp;&nbsp;They got closer and closer to the gate and Mia sighed in relief.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s the same guards as last time... I can probably get us both by them this time, maybe...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She grabbed Jiao&rsquo;s hand and pulled her to the gate, and shook it violently.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;SIRS!&nbsp;&nbsp;I need to get out!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />They turned and looked at her surprised, and looked at each other.&nbsp;&nbsp;The cat looked back down at her and then up at Jiao.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;How&rsquo;d you get back in there little miss?&nbsp;&nbsp;Don&rsquo;t tell me you got lost again...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;he said with a little scepticism.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;And who&rsquo;s your grown-up friend?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Jiao winked at him and acted coy, hiding her face a little and turning to the side.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia tugged her hand and shook the gate again, looking up at him with big innocent eyes.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Papa and Mama hired her to teach me Chinese!&nbsp;&nbsp;I wanted to come down here and see the stuff she was telling me about...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia began to sniffle a little, making her eyes water and giving that perfect look of a child that&rsquo;s been caught.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m scared mister!&nbsp;&nbsp;What&rsquo;s happening to the ship!?&nbsp;&nbsp;My Papa is a sailor, I know he can fix it!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She shut her eyes and started bawling, and Jiao knelt down and petted her head, looking up at the men tenderly.<br /><br />&ldquo;Will you please let us through?&nbsp;&nbsp;She&rsquo;s terrified, and I just want to get her back to her parents...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her eyes shined with a nurturing light, and she smiled a weak, timid smile at the cat.<br /><br />He looked across the gate at the dog and they looked back at Mia and Jiao, and sighed in unison.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Okay...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;the dog said as he pulled out his heavy keyring and pushed it forcefully into the heavy lock.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;You girls aughtta keep to the top deck from here on out, alright?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He slid the door open and Jiao guided Mia through as she kept crying into her arms.&nbsp;&nbsp;The dog knelt down and patted Mia&rsquo;s head.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;There&rsquo;s probably nothing wrong with the ship... at worst one of the nacelles may have ruptured... It&rsquo;s no big deal, I promise.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Jiao looked at the cat and batted her eyelashes, cutting her bright eyes at him.&nbsp;&nbsp;He just tipped his hat and blushed, smiling a little timidly.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;And, um, if you ladies want to try coming down here again, why don&rsquo;t you just use the gate to begin with...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;His tail flickered behind him and he shuffled his feet, before shaking it off and looking over at the dog.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Close the gate, man!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;The dog jumped up and slammed the gate shut and locked it.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao smiled and gave the cat a little curtsey, and pulled Mia along slowly.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Mia kept sniffling and sobbing quietly until they rounded the corner out of the guards&rsquo; sight, then bounced forward giggling.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;That was amazing, Jiao!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao nodded and started to speak, but the ship quaked violently and brought them to the floor.&nbsp;&nbsp;They heard the guards screaming in panic and could smell smoke behind them.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Jiao&rsquo;s eyes were blurred and she felt a dull pain on her head as Mia tugged her arm desperately.&nbsp;&nbsp;She pulled back and put some weight on her feet, letting the little rodent help her to her feet.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;W-what happened?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She wiped her eyes trying to clean the dizziness away.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Mia tugged at Jiao in a panic, pulling her roughly.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;We have to go!&nbsp;&nbsp;We need to get above deck in case the fire spreads!&nbsp;&nbsp;If the balloons catch fire all the lower decks will go up!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Jiao&rsquo;s ears perked and she heard the words &ldquo;fire&rdquo; and &ldquo;go up,&rdquo; and grabbed Mia&rsquo;s hand and began running down the halls toward the stairs.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;What the hell is happening?!&rdquo;<br /><br />&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia ran and kept pace easily, her skirt letting her run a lot freer than Jiao in her pencil-profile robes, and her long strong legs helping her to bounce at pace.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;The stairs are this way!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia pulled Jiao down a different hallway and the scent of smoke began to spread around them.&nbsp;&nbsp;She ran down the hallway and turned up the narrow stairwell.&nbsp;&nbsp;Their feetpaws and claws against the metal steps clanged dully as they ran frantically up towards the fresh air.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />The farther up they went, the prettier and better kept things were. Distinctly, at the 5th level, things transitioned from being cheap and utilitarian; with bare iron stairs and railings and rough unfinished walls, to the more luxurious; with wooden, carpeted stairs, shined brass rails, with papered walls and even the emergency lights in this stairwell were shined to a mirror polish.&nbsp;&nbsp;They could hear commotion all around them as they ran up the stairs toward the upper deck.&nbsp;&nbsp;As they had run up, they had escaped the smell of smoke from the lower decks, but they began to get unsettled as the farther up they ran, the louder the smell of smoke became.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;Jiao!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia hollered as they neared the top of the steps.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Do you still smell smoke?!&rdquo;<br /><br />&ldquo;Yes!&nbsp;&nbsp;What do you think that means?!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao asked as he kept running up frantically.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia pulled away as they neared the top, bounding straight to the door.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Be careful!&nbsp;&nbsp;It may be dangerous!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao yelled, but Mia ignored her as she pushed through the door.&nbsp;&nbsp;They were blinded for a moment, the gaslights and red emergency lights weren&rsquo;t nearly as intense as the raw sunlight.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;Ah!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia covered her face with her arm, shielding her eyes from the sunlight.&nbsp;&nbsp;As her vision slowly adjusted her mouth fell agape, her eyes broadened in terror.&nbsp;&nbsp;What looked like a chinese junk, with the double-ramparts of a barque sat off the side of the ship, the bottom rampart full of canonry, the top covered in men of every species, in as many different kinds of dress as was in the bottom hold of the ship.&nbsp;&nbsp;There were large harpoons dug into the deck, holding the two ships together as men began to swing from the masts, mounting the Mauritania.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;Oh no...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao whispered before grabbing Mia&rsquo;s arm.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Where is your parents&rsquo; room?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Mia hesitated for a second then pulled hard, dragging Jiao behind her.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;THIS WAY!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She pulled Jiao roughly toward their room.&nbsp;&nbsp;Behind them they could hear gunshots and steel clashing against steel, and men screaming.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao shuddered and ran like she never had before, keeping up with the jerboa well.&nbsp;&nbsp;When they got to the door it was left ajar.&nbsp;&nbsp; Mia shouldered in, letting go of Jiao and running on without ber.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;Mia!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She yelled.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;You shouldn&rsquo;t run on without me!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao followed her quickly, afraid for what might be inside.&nbsp;&nbsp;The room seemed ransacked, but there was no sign of violence.&nbsp;&nbsp;No ripped clothes or blood.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Mia!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She yelled.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Are they here?!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looked around, peering into the bedrooms and letting a little chuckle when she got to Howard and Nancy&rsquo;s, the smell of sex and sweat loud.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Definitely Mama and Papa&rsquo;s room...&nbsp;&nbsp;AAH!&rdquo; She jumped almost to the ceiling as she felt a tug on her tail, and heard Mia yell behind her.&nbsp;&nbsp;The little jerboa panted, tears rising in the corners of her eyes.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t find them, Jiao!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looked up desperately, needing some hopeful words to cling to.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao put her hand on Mia&rsquo;s head and stroked it gently, smiling down at her.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure your parents are fine.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She stroked the little girl&rsquo;s ears in her paw, petting them gently.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;As good a sailor as your papa is, I&rsquo;m sure a few pirates can&rsquo;t get in his way.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She smiled down and gave her a little hug.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Now come on, let&rsquo;s go find them.&nbsp;&nbsp;They can&rsquo;t be far.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia nodded and turned to the door.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />&ldquo;We need something in case we need to fight them off...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She ran to the front door and pulled out an umbrella, brandishing it like a sword.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;This will work for now!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She nodded self-assuringly and ran out the door.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;MIA!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao yelled as she ran after.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Stop running off without me!&nbsp;&nbsp;It&rsquo;s not safe!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;PAPA!!!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia yelled as she ran back towards the front of the ship, where the pirate junk was, where the fighting was, where she knew her father would be.&nbsp;&nbsp;She rounded a corner and felt like she&rsquo;d run into a wall.&nbsp;&nbsp;She fell back on her rump and shook her head, trying to shake the stars out of her eyes.&nbsp;&nbsp;As the fog in her head began to fade she could make out a orange-yellow silhouette, with a blue face in the middle.&nbsp;&nbsp;As her vision settled and cleared finally she could see, it was a monkey of some kind, with a bright blue face, and bright orange or golden fur.&nbsp;&nbsp;It&rsquo;s black, beady eyes were sunken back into it&rsquo;s face a little, and that exaggerated its big, puffy lips.&nbsp;&nbsp;She thought for a moment how pretty it would be, but soon noticed it&rsquo;s dirty clothes and the sheath hanging from his belt, and the long-ish narrow swords in his hands.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;H-hi~?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She spoke quietly and timidly, giving a little wave.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />The monkey looked at her with head cocked for a moment before his jaw opened, taking up as much as his whole face in a gaping, huge maw.&nbsp;&nbsp;The flesh in his mouth was bright red with a few boils toward the back, and his teeth were shades of yellow at best. with a few brown and hollow with deep black pits.&nbsp;&nbsp;A haze of rotten stink, of fish and spoiled fruit poured out of his mouth as he released a loud, shrill, glass-shattering shriek, making the little jerboa grab her ears in pain.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Wǒ fāxi&agrave;nle yīg&egrave; fēngf&ugrave; de yīnggu&oacute; xiǎozi!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He reached out to grab her with his large, dirty paw, sword still in hand.&nbsp;&nbsp;She crawled backwards frantically before remembering she had the umbrella in hand.&nbsp;&nbsp;Desperately she jabbed forward quickly and sloppily, but by a stroke of luck she managed to strike his grabbing hand, hitting his palm and pushing the tip up through his hand and up into his arm.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The monkey screeched and recoiled back.&nbsp;&nbsp;He dropped his sword and it clattered on the ground loudly, the thin blade ringing as it came to rest at Mia&rsquo;s feet.&nbsp;&nbsp;He pulled the umbrella back with him, ripping it out of Mia&rsquo;s hands with it stuck in his flesh.&nbsp;&nbsp;He gripped his arm fiddling with it; blood dripped down everywhere as Mia stared, her eyes wide and her body frozen in shock.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Tā mā de! Nǐ tā mā de xiǎo mǔgǒu!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;The monkey screamed as he brought up his good arm to swing down and cleave the little mouse in two.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Yuǎnl&iacute; tā, h&uacute;nd&agrave;n h&oacute;uzi!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao yelled as she took a run at the monkey.&nbsp;&nbsp;He turned and opened his massive maw just in time to catch a large brass flowerpot in his face and knocking him back.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao scratched at his face roughly with her dulled claws as she fell on him, making him stumble back against the railing of the ship.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He pawed at her shoulder with his gored hand as he flexed backwards, his blood spraying and covering her.&nbsp;&nbsp;He felt the railing at his back and the empty air under him and kept screeching that same blood-curdling, disgusting screech, frantic and fearful, yelling half-words and begging for some unseen force to save him.&nbsp;&nbsp;He dropped his sword and grabbed at the railing with his good hand, but he slipped on the fresh wax, falling backwards.&nbsp;&nbsp;At the last second his feet-hands grabbed Jiao&rsquo;s dress, pulling her against the railing with a loud dull clang.&nbsp;&nbsp;She yelled out and gripped the railing, pushing herself back away from the edge as the monkey thrashed desperately to find the railing or something to grab on to.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia blankly stared down at the sword at her feet, dumb, deaf, and blind to anything else.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;MIAAA!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao&rsquo;s voice broke through the haze around Mia&rsquo;s head.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Bāng bāng wǒ ba!&nbsp;&nbsp;Help me!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia&rsquo;s eyes shot up, instantly finding Jiao fighting the pirate for her life, beating on his ankles desperately with her clenched fists.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Aah!&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia yelled as she jumped up, standing panicked.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;What do I do?!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;The sword, Mia!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao yelled.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Give me the sword!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looked back at her, terror in her bright blue eyes.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia looked down at the sword and grabbed it, too scared to hesitate now, and grabbed the light blade lifting it up and turning back to Jiao and her attacker.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao pulled back hard, putting as much distance between her and the ape as possible.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;NOW! Mia now!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia ran at them and swung hard with both hands, bringing the blade down onto his feet-hands, breaking on his bones, but hurting him enough to make him let go.&nbsp;&nbsp;His feet released Jiao&rsquo;s chest as the handle of the broken sword jumped out of Mia&rsquo;s little hands, the blade flying overboard and the handle clattering to the ground behind her.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao fell back as the pull on her released, landing on her rump on the floor.&nbsp;&nbsp;The monkey barked as his good hand finally found the bottom of the guardrail and grabbed on, catching himself.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Nǐ mǔgǒu! Bāng bāng wǒ ba! Tā mā de bāng wǒ!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He screeched desperately as he clung to the railing, trying to swing his tail or one foothand up enough to save himself.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia gasped and jumped down, grabbing his good hand at the wrist and pulling up as hard as her little arms would pull, with her shoulder braced against the railing.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;P-pull!! I&rsquo;ll help you up!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;The innocent girl&rsquo;s violet eyes flashed with fear as she tugged desperately at his mangy fur and tattered clothes.&nbsp;&nbsp;He threw up his bad hand and she grabbed it, holding onto the wrist as tight as she could, the blood making it slick.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t hold on!&nbsp;&nbsp;I-AAH!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;In a moment the ape jumped up, his good hand grabbing at her shirt so that the little girl was all that held him onto the side of the ship.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;R&uacute;guǒ wǒ ji&ugrave; y&agrave;osǐle, wǒ bǎ nǐ gēn wǒ l&aacute;i!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;The monkey laughed wildly and shook her, trying to break her brace against the pole.&nbsp;&nbsp; Mia&rsquo;s grip loosened, and she could feel herself slipping from the pole.&nbsp;&nbsp;Finally the slick monkey fingers slipped through her hands, and she felt the sharp tug on her hair and her eyes shut, and she felt nothing beneath her but air.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was too fast for her to realize, too sudden, until she felt a grip on her tail, and then a rough pull that almost ripped it off of her tailbone.&nbsp;&nbsp;The weight on her hair was gone.&nbsp;&nbsp;She forced her eyes open just in time to see the ape disappearing into the clouds, clutching a handful of blonde hair.&nbsp;&nbsp;She was frozen for a moment until her chest began to hurt, shocking her into breathing again and realizing the situation.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;AAAH!&nbsp;&nbsp;JIAO!!!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looked up and saw a black paw wrapped around her tail, while another held onto the railing.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Mia!&nbsp;&nbsp;I&rsquo;ve got you!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao screamed as she tried to lift her up.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Can you reach anythingl?!&nbsp;&nbsp;Grab the railing!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Jiao!&nbsp;&nbsp;Just a little!&nbsp;&nbsp;Just a little more!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia reached for the shining brass pipes, her own reflection in them glaring back at her.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Mia!&nbsp;&nbsp;Can you reach it yet?!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao yelled out over the rushing wind and the growing clamor.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Almost!&nbsp;&nbsp;Almost!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia reached out and gripped the handrail, pulling up for herself as Jiao gave a last strong tug, pulling her back end up onto deck as Mia pulled her top up.&nbsp;&nbsp;As soon as Mia was on deck Jiao released her grip on her tail and hugged her waist with both hands, pulling them both back as far away from the edge of the ship as possible.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Mia!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao kissed all over Mia&rsquo;s head, hugging the little girl into her breast.&nbsp;&nbsp; &ldquo;Are you okay?!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I-I&rsquo;m fine!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia tried to push away, and feel at her head.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;H-How much did I lose?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She could feel a large, ragged, empty place in her otherwise full head of hair.&nbsp;&nbsp;it was almost to the scalp in places, a little longer in others, but regardless, her hair was ruined.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao stood up and grabbed Mia&rsquo;s hand, tugging her toward the front of the ship.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;It will go back, for now we need to find your papa and get off of this ship!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia looked up at her for a second, suddenly reminded the severity of the situation.&nbsp;&nbsp;She nodded and swallowed loudly, choking down a little fear.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s go.&nbsp;&nbsp;Your papa will know what to do!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp; Jiao pulled on her arm and they ran up the ship together, towards the smell of fire, and the yelling and screaming.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Metal clanged and clashed against metal loudly and men screamed and yelled in a half dozen different languages, rifles and pistols cracked and roared, and foreign engines growled.&nbsp;&nbsp;The din of battle grew louder and louder still the closer they came, until finally it spread out before their eyes.&nbsp;&nbsp;The few actual Navy sailors that had been commissioned to provide security for the ship were doing their best to hold off the chaotic, conglomerate horde of pirates from reaching the gliders.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia could see a hedgehog, a beaver, a marten or some kind of weasel, a dhole, and a bunch of dogs that she recognized as being European, mixed along with raccoon dogs, monkeys, tigers, oxes and even what looked like a pygmy elephant.&nbsp;&nbsp; They stood together, watching the heaving masses of men push against each other, pounding and flowing back and forth like water crashing on a beach.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;How are we going to get to the lifeboats now?!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia said hushed to Jiao.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;We can&rsquo;t go all the way around the ship now!&nbsp;&nbsp;We&rsquo;ll never make it!&rdquo;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao whispered back squeezing the little jerboa&rsquo;s hand tightly.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Maybe there was a stairwell the upper deck we missed?&nbsp;&nbsp;we can go around that way?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;They were all broken!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia yelled out loud.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Or else locked... there&rsquo;s no way to get up that way...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They looked at each other for awhile, not sure what to say or do.&nbsp;&nbsp;Then, Jiao hugged Mia, and kissed her head gently.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Wǒ &agrave;i nǐ, zhēngu&igrave; de tiānshǐ...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia held on for a moment before pushing away.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I love you too Jiao!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She said sternly.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;There&rsquo;s got to be a wa-Hey!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She was interrupted by a dull thunk on the top of her head.&nbsp;&nbsp;She looked up, and saw a small red squirrel, at least he looked like a red squirrel, kind of.&nbsp;&nbsp;He had a lot of white on his face, more like a red panda than a squirrel.&nbsp;&nbsp;His head was poking through the top and second rail, he looked like he was Mia&rsquo;s age or thereabouts.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Hēi y&uacute;chǔn de nǚh&aacute;i!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;The boy yelled in Chinese, with a slight, odd accent. &ldquo;Come on!&rdquo; He was wearing the Chinese men&rsquo;s outfit, a plain black tangzhuang.&nbsp;&nbsp;The shirt is simple, no real collar, straight arms with no cuffs, and straight wooden frogs holding it shut in the front.&nbsp;&nbsp;The pants were more or less the same, held at his waist with a thin string tied in a bow, and loosely wrapped around his legs with ties around the ankles as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao and Mia just looked at him curiously for a moment, wondering where he had come from.&nbsp;&nbsp;Chinese weren&rsquo;t allowed above deck, but then again Jiao had found her way up, so that didn&rsquo;t really mean much.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Who are you?&nbsp;&nbsp;Where did you come from?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao asked pushing Mia behind her slightly.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Who cares?&nbsp;&nbsp;Do you want help?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He said as he dropped a thick rope down off the side.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Come on!&nbsp;&nbsp;There aren&rsquo;t any pirates up here!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He wrapped the rope around the upper guard rail and tied it, pushing against the rail with his foot.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Why are you stopping to help us?&nbsp;&nbsp;Why not run on and get out?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao still held Mia back, trying to hide her.&nbsp;&nbsp;But Mia pushed her head out peaking at the skinny squirrel boy.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;They won&rsquo;t take chinese without a gweilo to vouch for &lsquo;em!&nbsp;&nbsp;Now come on or else I&rsquo;ll find someone else!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He growled a frustrated growl and bent over, holding a hand out.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Now come on and let&rsquo;s go before someone sees us.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Mia ran out from behind Jiao and leaped halfway up the rope by herself, and started climbing her way up.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Come on Jiao!&nbsp;&nbsp;It&rsquo;s this or nothing!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She grabbed the squirrels hand and let him help her up.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao shook her head and started climbing up, slowly and poorly as her delicate and manicured paws and claws were barely strong enough to lift her own weight.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia reached down and helped to pull her up, gripping at the neck and shoulders of her dress, hoisting her up.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;Thank you, Mia.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao said, dusting herself off as she straightened up, fixing her dress and getting herself right.&nbsp;&nbsp;She glared at the little squirrelboy and took Mia&rsquo;s hand again.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Too bad YOU couldn&rsquo;t have been any help.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />He just laughed and started walking down the deck, toward the other side of the ship.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t need you, I only need the gweilo.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;His long, bushy red tail flowed behind him.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was dirty, and had a strong smell of dirt and sweat about him.&nbsp;&nbsp;His clothes were dirty and already wet down the back with sweat and his tail was caked and matted in places.&nbsp;&nbsp;His hair was short and shaggy, and almost in as bad shape as his tail.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;If we&rsquo;re going to get a glider, we should hurry.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao grabbed Mia&rsquo;s wrist and pulled her on, rushing by the squirrel.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;If you&rsquo;re coming, come on.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She growled low and quiet as they walked on, Mia walking along her side<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;They walked on quickly, hurrying towards the port side of the ship and the gliders.&nbsp;&nbsp;The closer they got the more obvious it became that there were very few gliders left, and doubtful there would be enough for everyone.&nbsp;&nbsp;The port side of the ship was usually covered with the wooden gliders, with folded wings to save space.&nbsp;&nbsp;They were only on the port side to save weight and balance something or other on the starboard.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia wondered if there were any left at all, let alone enough for whoever was left.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Do... Do you know how bad it is?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia turned her head back to ask the boy, her ears low to her head.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Uhh...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He threw his arms behind his head, stretching his back out before roughing his shaggy red hair.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Last I heard two of the five balloons are leaking now, the second and the fifth one... The one in the rear is on fire.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Hydrogen pipes are all just spitting fire now.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;His tail snaked behind him as they walked, and Mia turned back around towards the front.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Oh no... papa&rsquo;s Hornet was back there...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Her tail drooped down loosely, the poof dragging along the floor.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao stroked her hair and hugged her closely.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure it&rsquo;s alright, Mia.&nbsp;&nbsp;Your papa can surely get another one someday.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She gave Mia&rsquo;s shoulder a little comforting squeeze.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia whimpered quietly and picked her tail up a little.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Hey, I&rsquo;m sure your papa could get another!&nbsp;&nbsp;The company that owns this ship will have to pay back the passengers for destroyed cargo.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;The squirrel interjected.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Really?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia looked up at Jiao with a hopeful twinkle in her eye.&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Umm... I suppose so.&nbsp;&nbsp;The first class passengers have to fill the cargo manifest to keep track of their luggage and such.&nbsp;&nbsp;So... It stands to reason that they would have insurance or something.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She smiled back, not really knowing one way or another.&nbsp;&nbsp;She acted like she did though, for Mia&rsquo;s sake.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Yeah!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;The boy hollered behind them.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;So worry less about daddy&rsquo;s car and more about your skin.&nbsp;&nbsp;That&rsquo;s definitely not covered on their insurance, and even if it was it&rsquo;s not for sale on any market I&rsquo;ve seen.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He ran by, his tail whapping Mia in the face.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;A grimace of utter disgust spread across Mia&rsquo;s face as the smell of sweat, dirt, and salty grime was wiped over her nose, and retched a little.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao gave a little growl, and wiped Mia&rsquo;s face with her perfumed sleeve.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;What where you wipe that tail, boy!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao chided him sternly. but he ignored her and went ahead.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao patted Mia&rsquo;s back and straightened herself up.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Perhaps we should hurry as well?&nbsp;&nbsp;Come on.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She went on, not a full jog, just a dainty, ladylike trot.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia kept her walking pace, looking up in thought.&nbsp;&nbsp;Everyone seemed to be carefree now.&nbsp;&nbsp;Like everything was already okay.&nbsp;&nbsp;She knew that Jiao was an adult, and probably knew better than her, but still, she couldn&rsquo;t shake the gut feeling that this wasn&rsquo;t over yet.&nbsp;&nbsp;She shook her head and turned up, seeing Jiao rounding the corner ahead that led to the port side.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Wait for me!&rdquo; Mia shouted as she ran on to catch up with her feline companion.&nbsp;&nbsp;She rounded the corner and her face thudded softly against Jiao&rsquo;s back.&nbsp;&nbsp;She bounced off and rubbed her forehead a little, because the big bow on Jiao&rsquo;s belt was a little hard on her forehead.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Why&rsquo;d we stop, Jiao?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia looked up and leaned around to have a look Jiao&rsquo;s big, bow-covered butt.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Jiao?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia&rsquo;s eyes widened and her jaw fell.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The port side of the ship was covered in people, packed against the guardrails like sardines.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;CHILDREN ONLY!&nbsp;&nbsp;THEN THE WOMEN!&nbsp;&nbsp;THEN THE ELDERLY!&nbsp;&nbsp;ONLY THE CHILDREN ARE BOARDING!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;There were a few gliders left, maybe a dozen, to go between around a thousand people.&nbsp;&nbsp;Each one was only fit for 20 people, maybe 40 if they were standing.&nbsp;&nbsp;There was no way that everyone was making it off of this ship.&nbsp;&nbsp;The one thing that did give Mia a little bit of solace was that the adults hadn&rsquo;t boarded yet, so that meant her mom and papa were still onboard.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;J-Jiao!&nbsp;&nbsp;Did you hear that?!&nbsp;&nbsp;That means my parents are still here!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She jumped forward and started running toward the crowd.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;MOMMY!&nbsp;&nbsp;PAPA!&nbsp;&nbsp;MOOOOOOMMY!!!!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She screamed and yelled, calling out for her folks as she jumped up onto the crowd and bound from shoulder to shoulder.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Mommy!!&nbsp;&nbsp;PAPAAAAA-AH!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She gave a squeal as she was lifted by the nape of her neck, and held up by one of the sailors keeping order in the crowd.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;What are you doing?!&nbsp;&nbsp;If you&rsquo;re boarding a glider get in line!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He yelled at her shortly, obviously not in an understanding mood.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I need to find my mommy and papa!&nbsp;&nbsp;Have you seen-&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;If you&rsquo;re not boarding get out of everyone else&rsquo;s way!&nbsp;&nbsp;This ship is going down and we have to evacuate as many as we can!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He tossed her out of the crowd by her collar, and she rolled a fair ways until Jiao caught her.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Mia sniffled and gave a little sob as she picked herself up slowly.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;J-Jiao... I...-sniffle- They...-hic-There&rsquo;s too many people...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Jiao pulled Mia into her chest and held her tight, holding her head.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s okay Mia... It&rsquo;s okay... Shush...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao petted Mia&rsquo;s head, stroking her ears lovingly as she sobbed into her chest.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Everything&rsquo;s okay... I&rsquo;m sure your papa and mama are looking for you too... so all we need to do is wait...&rdquo;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia gave a little nod and looked up to Jiao.&nbsp;&nbsp;Tear stains ran down her cheeks and she sniffled loudly before wiping her face off on her arm.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;You really-AH!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;The ship rocked violently as fire shot through the crowd.&nbsp;&nbsp;The glider that had been being loaded fell, taking most of the crane that was holding it up with it.&nbsp;&nbsp;Screams came from all directions.&nbsp;&nbsp;Men, women, and children&rsquo;s voices rang out shrilly, deafeningly as fire came from the very top deck.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The squirrel looked up and his eyes widened like saucers.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;The crane... Goddamnit they shot the crane!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jaio looked up at him and then up to the wreckage at the base of where the crane used to be.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Why would they do that?!&nbsp;&nbsp;Pirates are supposed to be after the cargo, not the passengers!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I KNOW!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He yelled, angry and confused.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t how it&rsquo;s supposed to go!&nbsp;&nbsp;They hit the balloons first, and everything valuable is on fire!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;That doesn&rsquo;t matter!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia screamed, jumping up.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;We have to find mama and papa!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia ran off again, bounding up and onto the heads and shoulders of the crowd.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;MAMA!&nbsp;&nbsp;PAPA!&nbsp;&nbsp;MAMA!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She screamed at the top of her lungs as she leaped across the crowd toward the front.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;MIAAA!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao screamed as she started shouldering her way through the crowd.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Mia come back here!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She ran desperately, barely able to keep sight of her through the crowd.&nbsp;&nbsp;She&rsquo;s blinded for a moment by a red puff as the squirrel boy glided over the top of the crowd quickly after Mia.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll get her!&rdquo; He yelled back.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Stupid girl!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;His long tail snaked through the air behind him, up and down, up and down, rippling as it follows him through space.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;GET BACK HERE MOUSE!&nbsp;&nbsp;Y&uacute;chǔn de xiǎo biǎo zi!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Mama! PAPA!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia screamed and hollered, jumping from shoulder-to-shoulder and bouncing off of people&rsquo;s heads.&nbsp;&nbsp;Desperately she jumped and climbed all over the throng of desperate, panicking people.&nbsp;&nbsp;She wasn&rsquo;t paying attention as the pirate&rsquo;s junk began turning their guns toward the unawares crowd.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;ACK!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She felt a hard blow to her back knocking her down into the crowd.&nbsp;&nbsp;She struggled against whoever it was on top of her, wrestling as best she could with her slender weak body.&nbsp;&nbsp;She managed to get her head around to see the squirrel boy above her, holding her down by the waist.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Get off of me!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She yelled as she tried to shove him off.<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Stay down!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;The squirrel-boy yelled as a whistle rang out above them.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia could see behind him a black mass with a white steamy tail, and then the floor below them shook violently, people screamed, and red flew everywhere.&nbsp;&nbsp;Feet rushed by them, and stomped all around them.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia pulled her ears in tight and tucked in her tail and arms, going in the fetal position as best she could while the squirrel did the same, squeezing himself tight around her.&nbsp;&nbsp;She took a couple kicks to her ribs, and the squirrel grunted over her as he took a foot to his back.&nbsp;&nbsp;He went flying off of her however, and she heard him grunt again as Jiao lifted her up and onto her feet, hugging her tightly.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Are you okay?!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looked Mia over, rubbing all along her sides and up and down her legs.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m fine, Jiao!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She said looking around.&nbsp;&nbsp;The crowd had dispersed, and most were running toward the stern.&nbsp;&nbsp;The squirrel was behind Jiao, dusting himself off after getting thrown.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Yeah, yeah, I&rsquo;m fine too, tā mā de y&uacute;chǔn de biǎo zi j&igrave;nǚ māo...&rdquo; He mumbled that last bit, straightening his shirt before looking up.&nbsp;&nbsp;His face seemed to turn pale, and his eyes went wide again.&nbsp;&nbsp;He vaulted over Jiao&rsquo;s shoulder and over Mia&rsquo;s head, landing behind.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Zh&egrave; liǎng g&egrave; sh&igrave; wǒ de f&uacute;lǔ, b&ugrave;y&agrave;o shāngh&agrave;i tāmen!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He yelled, making Jiao&rsquo;s head shoot straight up, her eyes going wide too.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia turned and saw the mass of pirates, running through on either side of them following the passengers behind them toward the stern.&nbsp;&nbsp;The footsteps thundered as the blood-bathed men ran by, wrapped in clouds of the stench of stale sweat and death.&nbsp;&nbsp;Before her, standing in front of the squirrel boy, was a tall, black, beast of a man; a type of creature she did not recognize.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was wide like a bear, but his face looked more like a raccoon.&nbsp;&nbsp;His arms and legs were short but wide and stocky, and his torso was long and wide.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was dressed as a european, in a waistcoat and a tricorn hat, with wide breeches and a grimy, used-to-be-white shirt that was ripped open almost halfway down the front.&nbsp;&nbsp;He was covered in tacky jewelry, and wore a braided beard full of beads and ribbons.&nbsp;&nbsp;He had almost a dozen pistols hanging from two ropes around his chest, in an X.&nbsp;&nbsp;He held a sword in his right hand, with what looked like a pistol mated to it.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Oh... they are, are they?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;The huge man spoke, looking over the squirrel&rsquo;s shoulder to eye them.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao held Mia tight, but even if she hadn&rsquo;t, the little girl was much too scared to run, she could barely even breathe.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Yes!&nbsp;&nbsp;The little one is an officer&rsquo;s daughter!&nbsp;&nbsp;I&rsquo;m sure the navy would pay her ransom!&nbsp;&nbsp;The big one is good too!&nbsp;&nbsp;Look at her!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;There was a desperation in his voice, like a kid trying to talk their dad into letting them keep a stray.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao stood up straight and pushed Mia behind her, guarding her from the big black creature&rsquo;s view.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I am... I&rsquo;m very expensive... and I&rsquo;d be more than willing to offer my services... for safety on your ship...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao spoke out; her voice smooth and calm, her tone diplomatic.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Hmph...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;The big creature, a binturong, looked down his nose at the squirrel boy.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;You thought you could keep these two to yourself, Hong?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He made a motion of just moving the squirrel out of the way, but smacked his shoulder hard, knocking him onto the ground.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hong slammed down onto his side, but quickly rolled onto his back and sat up, trying to push himself to his feet.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;N-not from you, captain!&nbsp;&nbsp;Just from the rest of them!&nbsp;&nbsp;They were... Ummm... the big one was a gift!&nbsp;&nbsp;I just want the little one!&nbsp;&nbsp;Please sir!&nbsp;&nbsp;As a... Umm... A humble reward for my find?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia growled loudly and looked out from behind Jiao, glaring hatefully at Hong.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;HOW DA-mph!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She was muffled as Jiao gripped her muzzle and held it shut.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia kept staring at the squirrel, seething in anger.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The captain&rsquo;s shadow loomed over them as he looked Jiao up and down.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t... LOOK like you&rsquo;d be that expensive.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He reached up and palmed Jiao&rsquo;s belly, giving it a little squeeze making her growl quietly in the back of her throat for a moment before choking it down.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I understand that, captain.&nbsp;&nbsp;But I promise that I earn every penny of what I charge.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She reached forward and stroked his arm.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was thick, much thicker than she expected it to be.&nbsp;&nbsp;She thought that the baggy sleeves were just making him look bigger than he was, but he was filling them out quite well.&nbsp;&nbsp;She didn&rsquo;t think she could wrap around his forearm with both hands.&nbsp;&nbsp;He let go of her stomach and slid his claws across her waist as he walked around her, just barely raking them over her dress.&nbsp;&nbsp;He bent down and looked closely at Mia.&nbsp;&nbsp;His size, the look in his eyes, the air coming off of him made her shrink, and look down at the floor.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;He stood and looked back at the squirrel boy who had finally made it to his feet again, watching him out of the corners of his eyes like someone watching a part of a movie they don&rsquo;t like.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;You know that Rigs would love this skinny little... mouse...rabbit... thing.&nbsp;&nbsp;Why should I let you have her?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />The boy shrank a little and looked up, trying his best to assertive without being disrespectful.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Because Rigs didn&rsquo;t bring you the cat, sir!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;Hahaha!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;The captain laughed as he walked back around to Jiao&rsquo;s front, looking them over one last time.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;You don&rsquo;t think I could have found her on my own?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He turned back and looked at the boy, his tone showing a little bit of budding frustration.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;No sir... if only because those drunks on the guns... Idiots like Rigs, almost burned them to death in the lower decks!&nbsp;&nbsp;Along with all your profit, sir!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He swallowed a little and looked away, roughing his hair nervously.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;Alright... Here&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;m gonna do...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;The captain stroked his braided beard.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll take them both.&nbsp;&nbsp;The woman can do what she does best, and earn the girl&rsquo;s safety, hmm?&nbsp;&nbsp;So long as she keeps us occupied and busy you can keep the girl.&nbsp;&nbsp;Make her work though.&nbsp;&nbsp;Nobody gets free rides, prisoner or not.&nbsp;&nbsp;Does that suit you, Hong?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He rolled up the corner of his mouth, showing sharp yellow teeth, and reddish gums.&nbsp;&nbsp;His smile was predatory and threatening.&nbsp;&nbsp;He almost seemed to be hoping for disobedience to punish.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;Y-yes sir.&nbsp;&nbsp;That sounds fine.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He shuffled his feet and looked over at the girls.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;Get them to the Blind Marie before this thing hits a mountain.&nbsp;&nbsp;We&rsquo;re leaving in 15 minutes.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He began walking towards the stern of the ship, past the girls.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;As for you two, behave and you may last long enough to touch free soil again.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He walked on casually, and Mia watched as he slowly made his way back, without a care in the world.&nbsp;&nbsp;His long, black tail snaked behind him, dragging the ground heavily.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Once the captain finally disappeared into the fog toward stern, Mia jerked loose of Jiao&rsquo;s hands and ran toward the squirrel, bounding in 3 steps before hitting him hard in the chest with her shoulder.&nbsp;&nbsp;She knocked him to the ground and pounded at his face and chest with her balled fists.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;YOU BLOODY BASTARD!&nbsp;&nbsp;YOU STUPID LITTLE RAT!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She pounded ineffectually at his face before he finally pushed her over onto her back and pinned her down.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;I TRIED TO GET YOU OFF!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He yelled angrily.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I TRIED TO HELP YOU OFF THE SHIP!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He shoved her down against the floor and jumped up, stepping back and panting for his breath.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;And I kept him from tossing you both overboard, or worse!&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Jiao came up from behind him and gripped his shoulder hard, making him wince a little.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;He&rsquo;s right, Mia... These are not the type to be argued with... As for our little squirrel friend here, he&rsquo;s going to take care of you while you&rsquo;re on the ship, and when I can&rsquo;t.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She looked down at him, squeezing even harder, her claws threatening to rip his shirt and making him grit his teeth.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Isn&rsquo;t that right, Hong?&rdquo;<br /><br />He nodded and shrugged his shoulder hard, getting her off of him.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Right... That&rsquo;s why I asked for her... Some of the guys on that ship wouldn&rsquo;t treat a girl like her well.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He ruffled his hair again.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sorry, alright.&nbsp;&nbsp;I had every intention of going on that glider with you guys.&nbsp;&nbsp;For now, let&rsquo;s just get to the ship before those bastards blow us to kingdom come.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He started walking, turning his back to the two of them.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />Mia got up and looked back and forth between the stern, Jiao, and Hong, their new... friend.&nbsp;&nbsp;Tears welled in her eyes as she looked up to Jiao, who was now standing beside her, holding her around her shoulders and guiding her along after the boy.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;J-Jiao... Mama and papa...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She sniffled, looking down towards the scuffed, bloodied, gouged and stained wood that only hours ago was mirror-polished.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sure they&rsquo;re fine, Mia... If your father is half the sailor you say he is I&rsquo;m s.ure he&rsquo;ll find a way to get himself and your mother off the ship.&nbsp;&nbsp;Then the only thing left will be for us to get ahold of the navy when we get free, and locate him.&nbsp;&nbsp;Right?&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She stroked Mia&rsquo;s shoulder gently trying to comfort her as best she could.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia only nodded and sniffled again, wiping her face with her arm and following Jiao&rsquo;s lead.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />The rest of the way to the bow Mia held her head low.&nbsp;&nbsp;She fought her tears back, as best she could.&nbsp;&nbsp;She knew this was to be one of those times papa had told her about, where she had to keep her lip stiff, and be strong.&nbsp;&nbsp;She would have to be courageous like Sinbad in her bedtime stories, or like papa and Martin.&nbsp;&nbsp;She picked up her chin and walked on, a stern look on her face, masking the fear and sadness that threatened to break through at any moment.&nbsp;&nbsp;They walked over the rope bridge that bound the Mauritania to the Blind Marie.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />The floorboards on the pirate junk were rough-cut, the gaps between the boards only haphazardly filled with pitch.&nbsp;&nbsp;She looked around at the dirt and grime, she took in the scent of rotten wood and rotting food, and she saw the men that were working in the canonry.&nbsp;&nbsp;They were&nbsp;&nbsp;mostly shirtless, dripping with sweat and the scent that wafted from the place was a pitched battle between black powder and stale, loud, stinging sweat.&nbsp;&nbsp;As she looked over the mixed bronze and iron cannons she noticed a mangy looking dog, old and skinny, with only patches of fur left looking back at her.&nbsp;&nbsp;She turned her head away quickly and saw the squirrel looking up at her, firmly.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;That is Rigs... Stay away from him.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;He began walking toward the middle of the ship, where a door led down into the lower deck.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;This way...&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;They followed him, and took his tour of the ship.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was large but had few rooms, and was mostly open.&nbsp;&nbsp;The engines were old and uninteresting.&nbsp;&nbsp;Everyone was gone, besides the cannoneers.&nbsp;&nbsp;He settled them in to wait for the end of the raid, safe from fire or other sailors, at least for now.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia curled up in a little corner as Jiao sat on a crate, and Hong climbed up onto a rafter.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao pulled out a cheap celluloid comb and began to comb her hair, breathing deeply and slowly, deliberately.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mia sobbed silently in the corner, her head resting between her knees.&nbsp;&nbsp;Hong watched her from the rafters, not knowing what to say or do, wrapping his tail around himself to hug himself and hide from the foreign situation.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jiao stood, and walked over to her, sitting on the her knees and moving behind Mia to comb her hair for her.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /><br />&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s get this straightened out before you get too many knots and tangles, hmm?&nbsp;&nbsp;Maybe we can find a way to cover up that ragged spot.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;She tenderly pulled Mia back into her belly, letting the girl cry as she groomed her tenderly.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span>","pools_count":2,"title":"New Romance in the Eastern Skies, Chapter 3","deleted":"f","public":"t","mimetype":"image/jpeg","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"},{"content_tag_id":"5","name":"Strong Violence","description":"Strong violence, blood, serious injury or death","rating_id":"2"}],"submission_type_id":"12","type_name":"Writing - Document","guest_block":"t","friends_only":"f","comments_count":"0","views":"63","sales_description":null,"forsale":"f","digitalsales":"f","printsales":"f","digital_price":""}