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Quint counted the coins in his hands, "Twenty-three hundred; twenty-four hundred; and twenty-five hundred. Thank you, sir."

He walked away from the bounty office with his winnings and trotted out of the building. The hyena walked down the front steps of the building and stopped at the bulletin board outside to find a new criminal to chase. A flashy poster of a lion caught his eye.

"Hmmm, seventy-five thousand, eh? He must be a very bad kitty." Quint tore down the poster and took it with him.

The Artful Dodger sailed into the port of Nineva. Quint and Tireal disembarked onto the wooden dock and looked around.

"This isn't much of a place you'd expect a bigwig to be hanging around in." Tireal noted.

"But this is where the poster says he was last seen... so let's get looking." Quint strode down the dock with Tireal in tow.

Their first stop was the local tavern. The building wasn't very large; in fact it was pretty small. It was only one story high and the outside of it was an ugly green/gray color. Quint strode through the doors; Tireal following cautiously behind him. The inside of the building was very different from the outside. Carpets covered the floor and a thick haze of smoke filled the small confines of the tavern. Aside from the smoke, the place was fairly well lit. The bar ran along the length of the left wall and a small stage sat against the right. Tables and chairs filled the floor space of the building. All of the furs inside turned to look at the pair who had entered and after a few seconds of looking, most of them turned back, but a select few kept their eyes on the hyena and otter warily. A feline barmaid greeted them and offered them a place at the bar. Quint smiled kindly to her; took the seat and Tireal did the same. The hyena watched as the bartender attempted to clean a glass with an already dirty rag. When the hippopotamus didn't look up from the glass after a while, Quint cleared his throat loudly. The hippo looked up.

"What do you want?" The fat hippo asked gruffly.

"Well a drink would be nice." Quint said. "How about a shot of whisky for me and a water for him?" He gestured to Tireal.

The hippo spat into the glass he was cleaning and rubbed his saliva around inside it for a moment before he looked back to the hyena. "Quint... you know I don't do this kind of thing any more." The fat hippo continued to clean the glass. "I've settled down, I have a wife and daughter."

Quint shrugged. "That's never stopped you before, Max. Now have you seen this kitty around here lately?"

Max looked down his nose at the poster Quint held up as he poured drinks for the two furs. "That's Vicks; at least it looks like him. He's a nice boy, comes in here every so often and works in the kitchen." Quint nodded and downed his shot as the hippo continued, "I hope he hasn't gotten into any trouble."

Quint smiled to Max. "I don't think he's in trouble, but just let us know when he comes in next alright?"

Tireal sipped his water quietly; looking around the room. His gaze stopped on an oddly dressed rat seated in the far corner of the room. The rodent was wearing what looked like a uniform of some kind. The clothing was a dark blue color and the rat looked very uneasy sitting in a bar full of pirates and outlaws.

Tireal chuckled to himself. He kind of felt sorry for the poor rat. The other patrons in the building were looking at the rodent with sideways glances and the uniformed rat looked as if he was about to wet himself. The otter turned back to the bar in time to notice a lion trotting down the steps from the second floor. Tireal jabbed his elbow into Quint's ribs.

"Quint, does he look familiar?"

The hyena turned slowly; looking casually over to the lion who walked across the room. "Indeed he does." Quint turned back to the barkeep. "Nice one Max, trying to hide a bounty from me?"

The lion sat down at a table and stretched nonchalantly as the hippo shook his head negatively at Quint. "No, Quint I would never!" The hippo looked nervously over at the lion, then back to Quint. "He's a good kid, Quint, he hasn't done anything wrong!"

Quint smirked. "Then why does he have a 75,000 bounty on his head?"

"Seventy-five... thousand??" the hippo looked aghast.

"That's right, my friend. And we're collecting." Quint slid off the stool and strode towards the lion with Tireal in tow. The feline yawned and looked at them casually as they approached.

"Can I help you guys out or something?" The lion asked.

Quint noticed he was wearing normal clothes; a baggy shirt and brown pants. The lion's fur was orange/brown and his head-fur was very messy. Quint looked down at the young lion and smirked.

"You're Vicks, correct?" He asked.

The lion nodded. "That's me alright, who are you?"

"I'm Quint, and this is Tireal. We'd like to have a word with you outside."

The lion shrugged. "Why not say what you want in here?"

Quint nodded, smiling the whole time. "As you wish..."

His fist cracked along the lion's skull; rendering the feline unconscious. Tireal set to tying Vicks' hands and feet together as the hippo frowned at them from behind the bar. When the otter had finished with the ropes, Quint hoisted the lion onto his shoulder and Tireal followed him out of the building and back to the docks. No one noticed the rat slink out of the back door of the tavern as the pair left.

On the Artful Dodger, Quint dropped Vicks on the floor of the common room; just above the engine and untied his hands. He turned to Tireal:

"Are you feeling hungry?"

The otter nodded slightly and his stomach growled to emphasize. "I guess I am." He grinned and patted his stomach.

Quint nodded and started for the stairs to the deck. "We can get some food on shore; I doubt he'll be going anywhere soon." The two creatures left for the warf.

Vicks opened his eyes, sat up, and scowled. "Who the hell do they think they are??" He untied his feet and rubbed his wrists and ankles angrily as he stood and stretched, massaging his bruised cranium.

He looked around the room idly. A couch rested on the far wall and in the middle of the room was a small metal table. The whole room was made of metal in fact and Vicks silently marveled at how the room was constructed. There was an escape ladder, also metal on the wall to his right and a staircase that led upwards, away from the ladder, on his left. He walked around the room slowly to one of the closed doors. He tried to open it, but it didn't budge, so he walked over to the other one only to find the same thing. He sighed dejectedly and then suddenly noticed a small metal box on the wall. He opened it in feline curiosity and smiled. Inside were small round objects with a clip and pin at one end.

"These will do just fine..." He took one of the objects and pocketed it before closing the box and sitting on the couch to wait for his captors to return.

***

The Artful Dodger drifted lazily in the midmorning sun. The sail-less craft had been without propulsion for a few days now. The ship itself was a strange sight. It had no mast and was made almost completely out of metal. The name was painted crudely in red on the side of the ship, over some rather large white letters. All in all the craft looked very streamline and capable of itself in rough weather. Steam escaped through a small hatch in the top of the vessel as Tireal tried to get the engine running again. Although the ship looked very modern, the engine was not. It was an old relic from an age long passed when different beings used the ship for a different purpose.

Tireal threw his hands in the air in frustration as the engine sputtered out once again. Scowling at the machine, he hiked up his pants and kicked it angrily before storming up the ladder and out of the engine room. Vicks was tied to an escape ladder and sneered at him happily. The lion had "accidentally" tossed a grenade into the engine room after Quint and Tireal told him he was free to explore the ship. Tireal raised his middle finger at the feline and glared at him as he marched through the doorway to the main deck.

Quint was looking at the sky as if asking why this had happened to them when Tireal stepped onto the deck. The otter stomped over to his captain and poked the hyena in the ribs.

"The engine's still not working, Captain." The otter sighed in frustration and slumped on the railing of the deck.

"Did you try switching the intake valves like I told you to?" Quint asked, still squinting into the blue sky.

The otter sighed exasperated again. "I tried that and I tried adjusting the temperature clamps too. Nothing works!"

Quint sighed. "We should have tied that lion up the minute we got him on board..." He turned towards the otter. "I'll take a look at the engine, you start cooking us some of what's left of our food. If there isn't enough, the lion doesn't get anything." The hyena descended from whence the otter came as Tireal left the deck for the galley. Quint passed Vicks, who mockingly chuckled at him. Quint stopped in front of the laughing creature.

"You think this is funny, do you?" He asked.

"Damn straight I do. Serves you pirates right for capturing a guy who doesn't even have a bounty on his head."

Quint pulled the poster from his belt and showed it to the lion. "On the contrary, you're worth a measly 75,000. You'll be enough for us to patch up this ship and get some more supplies before heading out again to catch the big guns. You're hardly worth our time."

Vicks struggled against his bonds. "You're making a BIG mistake here! I'm not guilty of anything I swear!"

Quint shook his head. "Tell that to the bounty commission at Sathik, if we ever get there."

The lion struggled harder against the ropes that held him fast to the ladder as Quint left for the engine room.

The hyena looked at the engine distastefully. He didn't like to work on machines because they brought back too many painful memories, but this was a desperate situation. He gritted his teeth and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. It was time to get to work.

***

A pup walked down the rain drenched street. The canine seemed to be in a hurry. His short legs moved as rapidly as they could through the pouring rain as he looked up at the buildings. They were dark shadows through the rain and one could barely discern the difference between them. The young pup followed the directions well, though, as he soon stood in front of a lighted doorway. He looked down the alley he was in suspiciously before knocking three times on the door. After a moment, the metal door slid open and the small canine darted inside. He shook the water from his soaked fur and then looked around the room cautiously. He was in a small room that seemed to be a mud room, but the walls and floor were tiled instead of the regular sheet metal. There was a doorway across from him that he could see through, into the next room. A coat rack and several pairs of shoes sat on the wall to his right. The pup shrugged and started towards the open door. He peeked through it to see a large room. The ceiling towered above him and arched high into darkness. The young canine couldn't see the top of the arch. The walls were wooden, something he had never seen before and he sniffed it curiously. Torches lit the walls, but they were not the usual torches the canine was familiar with, these cast flickering shadows on the floor; giving the room an ominous feel. A fireplace with two wing-backed chairs sat on the opposite wall; the fire giving out the same flicker as the lights around the room.

The pup took a step into the room and one of the floor boards creaked under his feet. He jumped in surprise and almost shrieked as a voice floated over to him from the fireplace across the room.

"Come in, young one... don't be afraid. I've been waiting for you." The voice was old and sounded as if the speaker risked breaking their lungs when they spoke.

The young canine shakily approached the two chairs. His body shuddered with fear as he came up on the two pieces of extravagant furniture. The pup looked around the chairs, his curiosity getting the better of him. He gasped as he saw the very frail fur sitting in one of the chairs. He thought she was a panther, but the light made it hard to tell. Her only piece of clothing, a thin blanket that barely covered her body, lay draped over her almost non-existent frame. Her arms and legs were long and thin as if she had not been eating for quite some time. The pup gulped as his eyes moved up to her face. Her eyes sparkled with life that seemed odd in her case and they looked out at him through deep furrows in her face. Her cheekbones jutted out from her features, making her face very pointed. The youngling sucked in a quivering breath and he reached into his pocket and produced a package. He handed it out to her cautiously.

"No..." she rasped, "I have no need of that now... I'm giving it to you... use it well." The small canine looked up at her, puzzled.

"What is it?" He asked.

"It is life; your life. It will only run out when your destiny is realized. Mine has almost reached its end. Remember, child, you must keep it safe, for if it breaks, you will break also."

And with that, the fire of life left her eyes and she died, leaving the young canine alone in the room. He whimpered and kept the package held out to her as if she was going to come back and take it. After a few minutes he grew curious enough of the small parcel and opened it. Inside were a small pendant, a note, and a vial of swirling orange and yellow liquid. The note read: The liquid heals you and makes you stronger, wear the pendant at all times. The pup put the pendant around his neck and felt an electrical shiver run up his spine and the jewelry glowed at his throat lightly. The pup pocketed the vial and left the dead creature where she sat as he scampered out onto the rain drenched street.

***

Quint touched the pendant at his throat and jumped when he felt something pressed into his back. He gulped and cursed himself for not being more aware as he raised his hands defensively.

"Stand up... slowly." A voice behind him said. "And don't try anything funny."

Quint stood up, very slowly, looking around him for anything he could use to defend himself with. His eyes fell on the wrench at his feet.

"Turn around," the voice said; pushing the object into Quint's back for emphasis.

The hyena slowly turned; keeping his eyes on the wrench and calculating quickly in his head. As he rounded completely and his eyes fell on the blue, uniformed rat before him, his foot kicked the wrench upwards. The rat squeaked in alarm and fired the rifle he carried at the hyena. Quint was moving before the gun went off. He somehow dodged the projectile and caught the wrench as it started to descend. The wrench came down on the rat's helmeted head; sending the creature sprawling to the ground. Quint followed quickly after the fallen fur and tied the rat to the staircase using the rifle's shoulder strap. The rat looked very frightened and shivered in fear. He was about to say something when Quint stuffed a dirty rag in his mouth to keep him silent. Quint took the pistol that was at the rat's hip.

"Now why would a fur like you know about firearms?" He asked the rat hypothetically. "Thanks I think I'll keep this." The hyena gestured to the pistol and started to climb the stairs.

Tireal had been cooking when the Artful Dodger was boarded. The rat soldiers quickly had the poor otter tied up and on the deck. He was now staring at the most beautiful rodent he had ever seen. She had boarded the ship after the rats and began barking orders in an unfamiliar language. Tireal could do nothing except sit and wait for them to decide what to do with him.

Quint noticed that Vicks was gone and the ropes they had tied him with lay frayed on the floor. "Shit," Quint thought to himself. He cautiously opened the hatch to the main deck a crack to peer outside. He saw a female rat and all of the others lining up on the deck in an orderly fashion. There was no way he could take on all of them with just his pistol. He kept his head low and watched as the rats finished assembling on the deck. There was one space in the ranks missing and the female rat barked at the soldiers angrily. Quint cursed under his breath as all of the rats turned towards the hatch. "Well," he thought, "I'd better go for broke." He lifted the hatch and stepped out onto the deck; his baggy clothes fluttering in the breeze.

"Who are you?" The female asked in a thick accent.

Quint nodded to her. "I am the captain of this vessel." All of the rifles lifted towards him and he lifted his hands slightly. "Hey, hey, easy now boys, there's no need to get all aggressive."

"If you are the captain of this ship, then we have no choice, but to take you in." The female said.

"Well can you at least tell me what I'm under arrest for?" Quint asked; taking a step closer to the rats.

"Stay where you are." The female barked. "You are not under arrest; I'm actually after the bounty on your head."

Quint blinked. "And what bounty is this? Last I checked; I was clean and clear."

The female scoffed. "Whatever the reason, you have a one million gold bounty on your head."

Quint chuckled. "All of this firepower just for me? You guys must be pretty desperate."

"We prefer not to take chances." She glared at Quint. "Now drop your weapon."

Quint shook his head. "I don't think so. How about we have a little duel?"

The female appeared amused. "You think you can bargain in this situation? We clearly have the upper hand."

Quint shrugged. "Where's your sense of adventure? It's just a friendly gun duel."

The rat smirked. "As you wish, but I warn you, I've studied the art of gun fighting for years, so your likelihood of winning isn't very high."

Quint smirked right back. "You shouldn't be so cocky," he chuckled. "We shall see who comes out on top."

The female drew a pistol from her hip and barked at her soldiers. The rats quickly scurried out of her way as she stood across the deck from Quint.

"I won't go easy on you." The female told him.

"I don't expect you to." Quint answered.

The ship lurched forward suddenly and Quint and the female rat struggled to keep their balance as the Artful Dodger started to move. The female rat took no time in pointing her gun as best she could at Quint; firing a few desperate shots at the hyena. Quint saw the gun and dove sideways just in time as the bullets ricocheted off of the deck. He rolled behind some of the boxes on the deck and fired erratically over the top of them.

The female scoffed. "You missed me!"

Quint smirked and reloaded his gun as a few bullets bounced near his head. He waited for the shooting to stop before he launched himself from his hiding place. He twisted in mid air and fired a single shot at the female. She noticed, however and ducked behind one of her soldiers, who ate the bullet for her.

Quint frowned. "Hmmm... Sacrificing your own men, eh? That's not very sporting of you."

He landed on his shoulder and spun himself upright with the momentum he had from his leap. He found himself staring at the barrel of the female's gun; pointing straight at him.

"Game over." She said.

"You think so do you?" Quint chuckled.

"I don't think so, I know so." The rat smiled as she pulled the trigger.

END?