-Jade-
Okay, may have acquired some suspicion when I got out of my cell and got some my snacks from my beloved pack. I now had someone watching me to make sure I didn’t do anything funny, thankfully it was griffon thug number two and I was absolutely planning to do funny things. Funny for me at least.
In my state I wouldn’t have been able to fend off griffon thug one if he entered my cell to beat me black and blue out of suspicion after the stunt I pulled with managing to sneak to my pack to get my dried fruit. I would always invest in waterproof travel packs, especially if you lived next to the ocean for the earlier parts of your life like I have. Soggy food doesn’t taste too good unless it was fish.
The griffon before me had a sturdy amounts of muscles on him. He wasn’t bulky, but he was big enough to be somewhat intimidating and the silver tipped brown feathers were kind of neat. He looked bored and was nodding off every now and then, how would I get him to leave so that I can escape my cell to commit some shenanigans?
They obviously wanted me alive, since I’m worth more that way. If I’m not caught moving around down here, then I might be able to get into their galley. Again, how to do that though?
I looked to the wooden ceiling and a figurative lightbulb went off above my head, so long as the wood was in good condition I could pull this off. I looked back towards the griffon and he continued to give me a bored look and I smiled at him faintly.
“What are you smiling about?” He asked gruffly, I opened my mouth and he looked interested in what I had to say.
I queried him with a happy sounding meowing noise and gave him a innocent look, I would play dumb until he closed his eyes for too long.
“I know you’re intelligent and that you still have your tongue in your head!” I tilted my head at the griffon questioningly and gave him dumb look as if I didn’t know what he was saying. “Don’t play dumb with me, nobody can just walk into a store and buy something by pointing and nodding.”
Sitting up and acting excited, I nodded and pointed at him and made an exaggerated friendly growl.
“I’m not going to dignify you with any further responses, now sit down and stop acting like you don’t know what I’m talking about.” Doing exactly what the guard told me to, I sat down with a serious look on my face as if I were constantly vigilant. “Cute, but cute is not going to save you.”
I kept my vigilant appearance as if I were waiting for a mouse to crawl out of a hole, Abyssinians never had rat problems for obvious reasons. After five minutes of nothing happening, the griffon closed his eyes for a bit too long.
“What the… where did she…” The griffon looked into the cell upon opening his orange eyes and looked both left and right for me. “Darn it, how did she get out? I’ve got to go tell someone about this!”
After listening for the griffon to be far enough away, I slowly lowered myself from clinging to the ceiling and grabbed the door, one partial cast later and I was on the other side of the door.
I released the cast putting the hinged cell door right back where it was, I proceeded to start sniffing the air as I left the brig. Griffons liked fish right? This was a pirate ship, now where is the fishy smell on this vessel? If it smells anything like fish oil, then I must be getting close.
I slinked down the corridor away from my cell, past my belonging that I wasn’t going to move until we reached Turtle Toga and went up the stairs. I ducked behind two barrels as several griffons went past and then I continued onwards sniffing the air. After passing by various doors I eventually found the empty galley, the only doors on this vessel with locks were apparently the cell doors and the captain’s cabin.
After closing the door to the galley, I rubbed my hands together. Now let’s see what I could get away with grabbing.
Checking the counter there were several candles here, many kinds of salts and some pepper. Did they use fish oil in their lanterns? Nice smell, maybe I should take some fish oil for some aroma therapy. These pirates at least had some taste. I look around as I stowed some candles in my pockets, both a salt and pepper shaker, along with a few stoppered vials of fish oil and continued on to find the larder.
Jackpot, there was fish here for the taking!
“She couldn’t have gone far, she might be trying to steal from the treasury!” Nope, why would I need pirate treasure thug one? Well it would be nice to be rich, but I was in a treasury of a different sort. Their food supply was my idea of a treasury, why would I steal money? It would just weigh me down and you would search me for it anyway when you find me, it wasn’t like I could escape right now when we’re still over the ocean.
I grabbed several large fish and stuffed them under my left arm while one went into my mouth. Eating fish a bit raw wouldn’t bother me, Abyssinians did it all the time when fishing. I enjoyed sushi and would have to get my mom onboard with the idea of making some when I got back to her.
I idly sucked on the mouthwatering fish juices as I started to make my way to the door. Mom must be quite worried about me. Well I’m equally worried about her and Fizzle! My ear twitched as something was opening the door, I opened a nearby cabinet and dove inside while carefully closing the door with a flick of my tail.
“She’s not in the galley!” Shows what you know exceedingly gruff thug voice number three, I waited and twitched my ears a few times before I snuck back to the two barrels. I then carefully made my way back down to the cells with my booty and entered the cell before the one I was originally thrown into and sat down to eat.
-
“I’m telling you Captain Gash she couldn’t have opened the door to get out.” Ah thug two was talking to the approaching red feathered bearded guy who thought he could hold me, well this will be the day you should take the hint that I’m more crafty than you’d think. “One second she was there and then she was gone!”
“Looks like she’s still in her cell to me, now who’s the yellow bellied scallywag that let her out and gave the lass fish!” I looked up at the captain’s angry countenance questioningly and smiled at thug two. All part of the plan, thankfully the captain hadn’t thought to ask what cell I had been in previously.
“Mew.” It was my only response and a happy sounding one at that as I looked towards thug two. I went back to ripping the scales off the fish I had with my teeth and consuming it happily.
Thug two gave me an angry stare and I started licking the fur on the back of my left hand in apparent ignorance before returning to my fish.
“She’s a smart one captain, I’m telling you right now that that smug cat is plotting our downfall!” Who me, thug two? Couldn’t be, I’m nice to you! Darn it, Sekhet and mom did infect me with the rhyming virus, it certainly felt like it would be a chronic thing.
“Mew?” I queried dumbly before continuing into my fish, thank you Abyssinian constitution! I even stopped to lick my right hand and rub it against my face cutely.
“She doesn’t even look like she has enough brains between her ears to be a threat to us!” You’ll regret saying that later Captain Bloody-looking-feathered-beard. “If she did, then she’d know to fear my wrath.”
He glared at me and I gave him an excited expression while rolling onto my back and pawing at the air, after that I took up a bit of fish in my mouth and made my way to him on all fours before dropping it on the floor and nudging it with my nose.
“I’m telling you right now captain, that cat is not normal!” He pointed at me with a talon, I moved forward. Since it was close enough, I licked the claw with my tongue through the bars and smiled. Somebody had been eating hippoglossus recently. “Gah, she’s pure evil I tell you!”
“Gilder… it’s an Abyssinian cat and a dumb one at that. It probably likes you and your habit of eating halibut.” Oh goody, I’m clearly as innocent as I acted for the captain. “Why she’s not even nearly close to being as evil as we are and… is that halibut she’s eating?”
Why yes, yes it was. Thank you for noticing Captain Gash! I’m your best friend forever and I would never try to betray you like the newly named Mr. Gilder here.
“Gilder, I appreciate you trying to dodge the blame for this, but passing the buck is a true pirates game lad.” Mr. Gash then proceed to glare harshly at Gilder who shied away from him, yeah this wasn’t going to end well for any of you by the time I’m through with you. “Do better next time if you’re going to try and frame someone else for any wrongdoing on my ship. Also stop sneaking fish you barnacle brained, starfish snorting, swordfish slider! I’m cutting the food you get for your next meal and you better not complain about it.”
Mr. Gash, the wonderful scarlet feathered griffon that he was, stalked off angrily and I just smiled at Gilder. He sent me a glare and I gave him a friendly noise for his troubles.
“Mew.” This time I gave him quite a mocking look.
“You’ll pay for that!” I rolled my eyes, I’d like to see him try and make me.
-
“Captain, we caught Gilder and Gaylord snuggled up to each other in the same cell that the cat was being held in and I think they rubbed fish oil all over each other. I suppose they moved the cat and locked the door to have some private time while letting the cat watch them.” What actually happened thug four, was that they both charged into my cell in an effort to beat the snot out of me.
I just set things up to make it look like the two manly griffons were getting it on, I mean that happens on pirate ships with so many men doesn’t it? Now if only the two guys had thought to swab up the slippery fish oil I poured on the floor before they charge in without their talons gripping the floor, then they wouldn’t have both slipped and slammed into the back wall knocking themselves unconscious. Aren’t I a precocious little kitten?
“Take the keys and leave them in the cell, what they do with each other is no business of ours as long as they can still fight!” Well that was rather progressive of you Captain Gash, maybe you do give some leeway to your crew and here I thought you were a complete and utter jerk to everyone. “Watch the cat Gibs.”
“Mew.” I happily intoned while wagging my tail at the poor innocent griffon named Gibs. They were going to need more men by the end of this.
In particular this Gibs looked and even smelled like a drunkard, which means that I could actually get away with doing things in front of him and nobody would believe him.
I had to remember to steal some feathers from these griffons, I knew I was having too much fun with this and should actually take my situation seriously.
-
“Mr. Gibs… can you please explain to me why you bothered to dye my hat the color PINK?!” I was quietly licking the pink raspberry juice off of my paws, I didn’t want to be caught pink handed by the lovable Captain Gash now. “You know I despise pink with every inch of my being!”
Gash was waving around his now happy looking jaunty pink hat, didn’t he know that real griffons wear pink? At least his bandanna was still black, it went quite well with the pink. Black goes with everything after all!
“It wasn’t me, I swear!” Sorry Gibs, but you didn’t take me seriously enough. Next victim if you will please Captain Gash!
“Who else has a taste for raspberry beer in this crew?” He glared at the griffon and shoved him in the cell next to mine. “Certainly not the cat!”
I didn’t like alcohol and would never imbibe it, it was probably why my previous life went so horribly. I really liked raspberries and most fruits though.
“It was her, it had to be her!” Okay, you’re a hysterical drunkard that drinks a really niche flavor of alcohol, who would actually believe you in this situation? Not me for one, especially if I were Captain Gash. “She was doing things like making the door disappear, she’s magic I tell you!”
Captain Gash grabbed the door to my current cell and shook it roughly, he tested all the bars and the lock a few times and I didn’t move from my spot when he opened the door and sent me a glare to stay put. I was the perfect model of innocence as I continued to lick my fur.
“Mew?” What magic, I certainly didn’t do anything unusual here like perform something magical in front of a drunk person and got away with it. He closed and locked the door, then he went back to Gibs.
“Why is it whenever we get a prisoner you jokers decide start screwing around behind my back in an attempt to make me kill them? We need the funds for food and drink in Turtle Toga. There’s food there that is a far sight better than eating that bilge swallowing cat!” My angry beloved captain at heart screeched loudly at the griffon making him whimper. “In some cases the screwing around is quite literal with Gilder and Gaylord. Also an Abyssinian that can do magic? What folk tale are you telling lad? She’s not old or smart enough to be an enchanter and I’ve had my time with a few enchanters before, those were some of the best nights of my life me hearty. She’s no plain-dealer in any sense of the word, now sit down and be quiet you lily livered buzzard!”
True, enchanters required a decent grasp of mathematics of which I was sorely poor at. So frankly I didn’t have to act like I was dumb this time. Magical alchemy wasn’t a mainstream thing or you’d be singing a different tune Captain Gash.
-
“Espy, descry, Turtle Toga!” My left ear twitched as I barely heard those words. I got up and did a sun salutation out of habit more than anything, time for the jailbreak. I hefted my pack and went to the cell door, my knife at my hip.