Tyme Flyes When Yerh Havin' Rum

Most days he wouldn’t worry.

But at current today was not most days.

To be exact it would be some time before anything seemed normal again. Far too long they had both spent in bodies that were vastly different from the ones the found themselves in now. These days they found themselves at odds with their new forms. Trying to adjust to a life that was new to them but clearly familiar to everyone else around them. Calhoun Ryder was known for his ability to adapt and overcome. But that did not help Arronax concern any. He was also reckless. Especially when he was in unfamiliar territory. And right now this was very unfamiliar. So when Ryder hadn’t come back after some hours Arronax’s mind began to turn to worry and concern. In time he made his choice to seek the Captain out. It wasn’t hard to follow his trail.

He never cared much for stealth and strategy unless on open ocean.

Sure enough he’d managed to track the stallion right up to the edge of a cliff. And by his tacks he would venture to say the stallion to a long flying leap off the edge. There had been a sudden feeling of dread. The waters below churned and the rocks seemed rather jagged and aggressive in nature. It existed only for a few brief seconds as the brass eyes searched the waters only to feel a wave of relief escape his chest as his eyes caught sight of a form in the distance.

Green and vibrant against the teal waters. He seemed to be enjoying himself. Diving again.

“Well at least some things never change.”

The words had been spoken with a hint of amusement in his voice and mirth in his eyes as he slowly rounded on himself and started back down the cliff. For a time he merely waited at the base until the telltale scent of rum, gunpowder and brine told him the Captain had decided to star coming to shore.

And with that in mind he had followed.

With how far the pirate had gotten Arronax was not nearly surprised it took him himself some time to reach him. Trees and foliage and boulders would offer a blockade from sight of the large stallion for some time. Time that would soon end as he set eyes on the Captain and heard the ungodly screams of rage. The blacksmith gave a low sigh and pushed himself into a long lope, tucking his winds hard against his broad sides as the powerful limbs ate up ground quickly.

Of course, the first sight of the stallion was somewhat of a shock.

He stood before the hulk of what was once The Ranger. The red still snapping in the breeze, though tattered. Her hull was a shattered mess and her sails held over her like the shroud over a corpse. A skeleton of what once was. Her wooden flesh littered with yawning holes and her masts cracked and broken. He understood the rage a bit better now. But what truly concerned him was what he had screamed in his ire.

He quickly caught sight of what had caused the bellow.

Shaking his head he kept up the pace. At least until he met eyes with the pirate. His gaze hard. A wordless warning as he drew closer. It was enough to make him turn his attention to the ship. Arronax nodded slowly as he drew alongside the stallion. “And the mare?” His voice a deep, smooth rumble, elegant and calm. Stalwart, like his stance and soul. The words he got back caused a frown to tug his lips down as he regarded the man.

“Calhoun…”

This time the warning was quite verbal. The tradesman all too clearly saw the frustration in his lovers eyes and he stepped a bit closer, dropping his head enough to brush his muzzle slowly along the large brand that was burned into his shoulder. How odd it seemed they both bore the scars and brand they were given in another time and place in bodies that were new rather than familiar.

He felt a flicker of muscle before the slow relaxation followed and he smiled slightly. It was a patient, gentle smile. The words that fled the pirate however gained him a playful nip. He cared not for what the mare might think of their relationship and instead let the Captain speak. However his words got a more sharp nip, meant a warning before words fled his throat.

“Calhoun, play nice or so fuckin’ help me I will make yeh sleep in the forest tonight instead of on the bloody beach…”

He let Ryder attempt to try a more polite approach. Well, at least, for him. Sighing he leaned against the taller stallion, lifting his head to press his muzzle to the man’s neck before turning his attention to the mare.

“Yeh will have to forgive the Captain, he’s a bit possessive of The Ranger. And to be exact, me as well, that said we had thought we had lost her and I can’t say I blame him for his anger if you knew the truth of it. The name’s Arronax, as Ryder said.”

He paused and let his attention turn towards the ship, shaking his head.

“I don’t need to tell yeh what this damage bloody looks like, do I, love?”

It was rhetorical. He sighed and regarded the beast.

“How the bloody Hell we are goin’ to fix her is beyond me but… since when as that ever stopped us?”

Slowly he turned his brass hued gaze back to the mare.

“If I could ask, what is yerh name? I would truly hate to insult yeh further by callin’ yeh somethin’ other than what yeh wish to be called.”

Arronax offered an almost warm smile, one that was patient and understanding. Something that showed a far different nature that that of the man he stood beside. He did not enjoy letting others see the darker side of his nature. And truly it was far easier to let Ryder handle the violence and Arronax deal with tending to injuries and taking care of the work. They were of different minds but truly were souls made to stand with each other and never be far apart.

“Yerh friends, they are… spirits I take it? I am sure the Captain had some choice words for them. I hope they can accept an apology from me on his behalf. Though I would truly rather not explain why his temper is as it is. That is not my story to tell. Only to know and help him cope with.”

1113 Words || @K’yarie || And some Arro to fix the issue at hand…