Carnivore

by Recteik Shade

Leviathan

A strong wind was blowing in from the north and the Horus rode it in stride. The sun was still climbing up in the sky and a storm was building in the northeast over the the southern continents vast inland sea. The mood of the ships crew was as dark as the clouds in the distance for a number of different reasons, The Diamond Dogs had started to get cabin fever again and were usually eyeing up the distant cliffs like starving animals. While the ships Captain and two officers were down because a certain forest green Pegasus never made his way back to the ship. They had waited at the location they had specified on his map, for the next seven days they had set there with nothing to do but bark orders squabble with Sappra and watch some Dr.Granted's flying lizards.

When the last day had come and gone, that had started some debate about what course of action to take for the first time since the voyage had begun Jaffar and Sappra agreed with each other, They had to head south and find water on their own. While The Jackal twins had adamantly insisted that they should give Cumulus more time, they had argued about for another two days before Jaffar pointed out that, 'Even if Dr.Granted were alive he has had nine days to get back to us!' Despite everything the truth was that there was nothing to gain by waiting anymore.

"Dis still don' feel right." Denda growled to his brother. Jaffar was locked in his cabin again and Sappra was below deck with most of her dogs. As he had taken to doing any time the twins found themselves away from ken ears Denda was voicing his displeasure at abandoning Cumulus.

Ad'e just sighed and rolled his pale eyes," Don' matta how it feels, orders is orders." He glanced at his brother," But ah tink dis was a mistake. But ah wanna believe dat we will find da Doc somewhere along the way."

"Wonda wat he's up to right now?" Denda peeked through his spyglass towards the cliff face hoping to see a familiar dark green shape.

"Ah a lil' more worried bout wat dey up to!" Ad'e pointed towards the deck where the Dogs were piling into the stairwell. "Ah don' tink dey dey all ever been below at one time!" He glared as the last dog vanished into the depths of the ship.

" Dey gonna mutiny soon," Denda sneered. "Don' even know enough ta keep a low profile." He reached out and gripped the Sonic Whistle around his neck.

Ad'e glanced at his own with disdain, he had no faith that the tool would prove effective against the mutinous dogs. He would rather trust the tested steel of his two Kukri, which were locked in the trunk under his bed. "Brodda! Ya know where da key is. Go get me knives would ya?"

Denda gave him a searching look before nodding," Kay."

- - - - -

The cargo-hold was the last place Sappra wanted to be. The air was stale and made her nose itch as she brushed passed a precariously stacked pyramid of fuel drums, even when she reached the open area where they were gathering she felt cramped. Stacks of crates and more towers of gasoline hemmed in on her from all sides. Her breathe caught in her throat as she was reminded of the dungeons in Gymkhana, not somewhere she was eager to be recall. None the less, here she was glaring back at nearly half her remaining clan," For the last time Garnet, No! We stay here and Jaffar will honor his word!" She growled, and looked into each face with conviction," Once the Horse has his prize he will release us! And then we will find a new home in Equestria! A land filled with gems! It still the truth!"

Garnet scoffed," What good are gems to a dead Dog!" He was as tall as she was but had a large blocky shaped head and slightly yellowish ears, he glared at Sappra through his one good eye," Tammra said those monsters killed Ruddick slow! Tore him to pieces but kept him alive. How many more die? Who's next to be ripped to pieces?" There was a murmur throughout the clan which served to bolster Sappra's opponent," We stay with the Horse, we all die!"

Sappra just shook her head," So your plan is to live here? In the very land that already killed nine of us?" She grinned as her words took hold and many of her dogs realized the flaw in abandoning the ship. "Honestly Garnet, how many will die if we stayed here forever?"

Garnet glared at her," None!" Another murmur went around as he elaborated," We all smell it! There's gems in those cliffs more than we ever had! We live there, dig the gems, and eat the birds on the cliffs!" He leaned back on a steel drum with a smug grim," We just stay away from Feather Monsters." The dogs around him grinned and nodded approvingly, and the rest of the clan fidgeted uncomfortably. Sappra could see most of the clan wasn't certain about this survival strategy. Despite their reputation as tunnelers, Diamond Dogs enjoyed the open air as much as any other race. The thought of staying underground for the rest of their lives didn't seem like a good plan.

Sappra sighed," And you're fine with living in the dark forever?" She recalled the clans time in the dungeon and the effect it had on many of the the Dogs minds, her own included. She was not able to suppress a shudder as memories of being chained to a wall with iron cuffs bolted onto her paws played through her mind. Several of her clan had gone mad and hung themselves in their cells, with the very chains meant to restrain them. She had been very close to doing the same when Jaffar had made a deal to press her clan into his service with a promise of their freedom in Equestria.

Sappra looked Garnet right in the eye "How close were you to madness in the end Garnet?" Back in Saddle Arabia?" He opened his mouth but closed it again and started working his jaw and glaring at her. She looked at the faces gathered around her some looked angry while others had a glazed look in their eyes," I know I nearly ended it in that damned cell! How close were you when Jaffar had us released?"

Garnet glared at her but said nothing, like most of the clan he had nearly gone mad in those cells, but acknowledging that would only strengthen Sappra's position. He glanced in the direction of his supporters, Dogs who like him agreed that that staying on the Horus was suicide. He growled when he saw their conviction start to falter, then an idea came to him," You right Boss." He instantly had the undivided attention of every dog present and, that is exactly what he wanted. "I nearly hung myself with my own chains. But, now there no chains, no cells, no cruel guards that beat us when we beg for food." He smirked when he saw everyone including Sappra finch at the memories he brought back. " There are monsters in that forest... But there monsters in the desert too. How many do you remember get eaten by Scorpio Major?" When No one answered he continued," Any dogs every get grabbed by Aquila Minor? Or how bout a Roc?"

Sappra was silent but clearly furious and he grinned to himself," We learn to tell when monsters were around in desert, we learn for forest too! Monsters can't be everywhere." Several of the fence sitters perked up at this epiphany, which bolstered Garnet to argue further," We live careful and we be cautious, we can learn where it safer to live."

Another murmur ran through the crowd, and from what she was hearing now most of her clan seemed to prefer cutting their loses and running for the cliffs. Sappra felt so betrayed at that moment, a clan would follow their leaders example but if the majority was with another, an Alpha could easily find herself ousted by popular demand. The thought of leaving Garnet to lead her clan, no her family, into the jaws of death? It was more than she could bare. She clenched her paws into shaking fists and lunged forward. Garnet never saw it coming and his cronies couldn't bark out a warning fast enough. A solid right hook caught Garnet square in the jaw. The force of the impact was enough to send him tumbling head over heels and making him smash his muzzle into a fuel tank. Sappra rounded on the rest of the dogs present," WE STAY AND THAT'S THE END OF IT!!!" Most of the dogs yelped and cowered under the fury in her voice. She growled at Garnet one more time before storming out with over a dozen dogs hot on her heels, to terrified to risk angering her by staying.

Most of the Dogs however remained to shocked, scared, or angry to go after Sappra. Several of the Dogs that stood with Garnet helped the half blind dog to his feet. He groaned and started rubbing is jaw, she had hit his blind side an underhanded tactic to be sure.

"What we do now Boss?" Tammra asked from her sitting position on a large crate marked with bold red letters none on them could read.

Garnet tensed, expecting some of the dogs to protest any but Sappra being addressed as Boss, but no objection came. He looked at the faces around him most seemed nervous but gave him the same look they gave to Sappra, the rest had stern determined expressions. A smile crept across his rectangular muzzle, Sappra had just put the last nail in her own coffin, the majority had ruled and most wanted to follow him. Still grinning he looked Tammra in the eye," What we do now? Now, we plan."

- - - - -

The storm had rolled up on the Horus and had made reading nigh on impossible for a number of different reasons, foremost among them was the way the ship pitched and swayed as it rolled over wave after wave. Though most everything in the room was pinned down, for just this reason, it made focusing on the text a chore. With a disgusted grunt Jaffar slammed the book closed and shoved it away. "What could it mean?" He hissed and tugged on his goatee. He had spent much of the time waiting for Dr. Granted, locked in his cabin trying to decipher the meaning of the odd symbol on Captain Sparrow's map.

The work had been slow and absolutely infuriating but he had made some progress, he was confident that it was a Zuban Pictogram meant to act as a marker but, the Zuban Language had been extinct for the last thousand years. The island of Zubanchilmalli, and its surrounding archipelago had become part of Zebrica shortly after Nightmare Moon's banishment a thousand years ago. As a result of the nations Chieftain backing The Nightmare's plans, the Zebrican king had seen fit to destroy every bit of the Islands historical documents and treasures. The result was that when any Zuban artifacts appeared that predated that event, it often took years to decipher it. As far as Jaffar knew there were only three beings that lived who could read the dead language, Equestria's two ancient Princess' and the recently pardoned God of Chaos, Discord. None of which were able to help him, and most likely would be unwilling to when they discovered what the map lead to.

Jaffar glared down at the ancient parchment," How did a Pirate even learn how to use Zuban glyph?" He snorted and got up from the table and made for the door. Another wave slammed into the Horus and the ship tilted, he instinctively reached out and gabbed something sturdy, his wardrobe, as the world went sideways. This wasn't something to unusual for anyone who had spent their lives at sea, but Jaffar winched when he heard the distinct sound of something heavy smashing through glass. Knowing full well what just happened he turned his head to see the large tome he had left on the table laying in his display case. The glass doors were destroyed and he could see small pieces of porcelain mixed in with the shards of glass.

The ship then reoriented itself as it rode out the last of the large wave, and the massive tome tumbled to the floor to reveal the shattered remains of an expensive Faberge Egg. He glared down at the book and then at his ruined display, then back to the book. He did this for almost a full minute before he snorted and walked out the door onto the bridge.

If he had been hoping to improve his mood, one look at the tense situation on the bridge was enough to tell him it was going to be one of those days were nothing goes right. Sappra was leaning in a corner growling and muttering to herself, while glaring so hard he was surprised that she had not burned a hole in the floorboards yet. Meanwhile the twins stood close together at the helm stealing glances at the fuming dog, he also noticed that they were both armed. Denda had a machete strapped to his back and Ad'e's Kukri had been tied to his hips, this was most definitely a bad sign.

Putting on his best fake smile Jaffar strolled up to Sappra," Rough morning?" She fixed her hate filled gaze on him for a few seconds before growling at him. Then without saying a thing she stood at her full height, and stomped to the door leading to the deck and left for the squall. He turned to the twins, who were both eyeing the door as though some ferocious beast wear on the other side of it. "Alright!" He said like a parent scolding a child. "What did you two do?"

The two Jackals gave him an offended look. "We din't do nutin dis time!" Denda replied. "She came bustin in here jus as da storm rolled up an' just started gruntin an' groanin." His expression became very serious," Dere was two o' her mutts hot on her heels till she barked um off. Dey looked scared d'ough."

"Prolly has sumtin ta do wit da mutiny dats comin." Ad'e deadpanned.

Jaffar started at this," Is that why you two decided to arm yourselves, you believe they actually intend to mutiny?"

Ad'e sneered," Oh ah know dey is. Bout ten minutes 'fore she busted in here, every dog on da ship went below at da same time. Dey ain't nevah all been below at once, except when we sailed da Barrier. And ah don' really trus dis lil whistle here ta git da job done."

"Fair enough." Jaffar sighed," Well I had hoped to keep the dogs around to use as a distraction for whatever beasts may be in the vicinity of our prize. But I guess this will save me the trouble of having to kill them after we get back." He lightly tapped his chin," Though I was looking forward to seeing the look on Sappra's face when she finally realized that she had been deceived."

The twins laughed, as they got a mental image of the look of hatred and anger she would have worn just before they pushed her into the waves with a weight tied to her ankles. "Gotta say dat woulda been as sweet a reward as all da gold we gonna git fer dis artifact." Denda guffawed.

"Indeed." The horse agreed, with a knowing smile.

- - - - -

The day had seemed to drag on, and just as the storm finally broke the sun was brushing up against the horizon. With the sea settling and the twilight stretching around the world Jaffar's voice crackled through the intercoms," Drop anchor! We'll rest here for the night."

Garnet grinned wildly to himself," Just about time now." He glanced over at the Dogs that had chosen to join him," You all know what to do?" They all nodded just as they heard Sappra start barking out orders to the few dogs on deck. " Remember, act like Sappra still Boss till I give signal. Then do you what we talked about." He received a chorus of 'Yes Boss' and the dogs scrambled to look busy. Several went on deck to help haul in the sails and make it appear as though they were still loyal to their soon to disposed leader. He grinned again," Now we wait."

A familiar lanky dog slid up next to Garnet," Wish Sappra would be smart and come with us. But I guess there always be bad feelings."

"She would never follow my lead. Tammra your sister picked her path, let her walk it now." Garnet placed a paw on the leggy dogs shoulder and gave a reassuring squeeze. "We get to cliffs and live like Diamond Dogs should."Tammra nodded and walked off, still brooding but willing to follow his lead. Garnet turned to a nearby porthole and stared fondly at the cliffs some four or five hundred yards off," Soon. . . Very soon, we be truly free."

Up on the deck the shadows were lengthening as the sun dipped lower and lower, Sappra looked out over the agitated waves and sighed. Most every dog had been acting cold towards her since she had punched Garnet, it was fairly obvious that she was not going to lead the clan much longer. She already knew she had given Garnet all the ammunition he need to usurp her authority, if he had not already, but the thought of sending her clan out there again terrified her. To make matters worst she had nearly lost Tammra, her sister, once when she sent her to find water with Dr. Granted. She had barely escaped then. What would happen if she went along with Garnet's plan? What would she do if Tammra died?

Sappra had been considering making Jaffar aware of the clans intention to abandon the ship, but had dismissed the idea. She would just be seen as a traitor then and would only worsen her standing with the clan. Her only hope was to make them believe in what Jaffar had promised. But how? No matter what she came up with seemed doomed to failure. She gave defeated sigh,'Maybe I should just go with them. So what if I won't be boss anymore?'

"Hey boss."

Her thoughts were brought to an end and she turn to the dog that had called to her. It was one of the Dogs that was backing Garnet," What!?" She tried to keep the edge out of her voice but it still came out harsh and snappish.

The other dog glared at her but his tone was much calmer," We have watch now." He motioned to to other standing some distance away glaring at her hatefully.

Sappra sighed," Yes, of course." She stepped passed him and made for the stairs below but stopped and looked at each of the three dogs," Please be careful." She stepped out of sight without waiting to see their reactions.

The three dogs exchanged skeptical looks as Garnet strutted out from behind one of the longboats," Don't worry about us. We be much safer than you." He turned to his three subordinates," Go to your posts like normal. Horse and Jackals must think nothing wrong."

The dogs all nodded," Yes Boss." busying themselves with making their rounds.

Garnet turned to scrutinize the helm, the lights were still on and he could see all three of them talking. The twins were the biggest obstacle now, as they would resort to violence if they discovered the plan, a thought reinforced in his mind by the weapons they had just recently started to carry. The horse would be only a minor complication as the worst her could do was deal a few solid punches. While not something he was eager to have happen to him again, it would be a small price if his scheme worked, though ideally they would not know until it was too late to stop them. " Now we wait." He turned and stepped below deck to see to it that his dogs were all ready.

- - - - -

Hours had passed and the ship was eerily quiet, even the sea itself had stilled, it's surface smooth as glass reflected the crescent moon flawlessly. It was there by the pale silvery light that dozens of Diamond Dogs piled onto the deck of the Horus, their footfalls muffled by rags tied to their paws. The dogs milled around on deck muttering and whispering to each other, until an older dog with a blocky head and one missing eye climbed up on one of the longboats tied to the ship. The clan of dogs fell silent when he stood tall and raised a paw.

Garnet looked from one face to the next some looked afraid, but most looked confident and determined. He smiled to himself that attitude was what he needed if this was going to work. "Dogs..." His voice was soft but held just enough volume that they all could hear him. "Tonight we leave this death trap boat." The assembled dogs all whispered to each other until Garnet again raised his paw requesting silence. he pointed to the distant cliffs," There's our new home. But we need to all be ready. Before we learn to ovoid the monsters we'll end up finding them. And some of us may die..." He paused giving that a moment to sink in before he continued," We do everything we can to ovoid that but it may happen anyway... Any dog that want to stay go back to bed now, you not get another chance."

He wanted patiently watching the dogs that had looked scared before, he was pleased to see their fear had been replaced with confidence. When after a full minute noone had moved an inch he continued," Then our job is simple. We take boats." He motioned to the longboats surrounding him. "Then we paddle to the cliffs and sink the boats, leave Horse and rude Jackals here to die trying for their treasure." He grinned down at his new clan," Let's get outta here."

The dogs split into three groups and set themselves to their respective tasks. The smallest dogs untied the lock knots and pulled away the canvas covers while the larger stronger dogs hefted the them up and mounted them to the pulleys. Garnet had chosen to take only three boats as that was all the Horus could drop at one time. He motioned that dogs take their positions, he and several clambered in to the boats while the lankier dogs helped the small dogs into the boats. In under five minutes only the six burliest dogs remained standing on deck as the rest of the fleeing clan were crammed into the tiny longboats.

With practiced skill the longboats swung out over the water," Everyone hold on tight!" Garnet shouted abandoning all pretense of subtlety. He nodded to the dogs holding them aloft, in one motion they released the ropes and let the boats drop. There was a trio of mighty splashes that doubtlessly woke everyone else on board.

As if a confirmation of Garnets notion the door to the helm swung open the few Dogs still on deck saw Ad'e with his Kukri in hand and his icy blue eyes glinting in fury. Rather than risk chancing the Jackal and his blades the the remaining dogs jumped ship with another series of loud splashes and began to paddle towards the hijacked longboats. The enraged Jackal sprinted towards the the starboard side of the ship,"GIT BACK HERE YA FILTY MUTTS OR SO HELP ME AH'LL SKIN YA ALIVE!!!"

The lights to the helm clicked on and Denda joined his brother,"We gotta do sumting brodda!" He looked down at the Sonic whistle hanging around his neck. With a single motion he snapped the leather cord, brought the metal cylinder to his lips and blew. The response was instantaneous, across the water dozens of dogs howled in agony, the burly dogs still swimming the the boats thrashed wildly dropping below the waters surface only to come up coughing and shrieking. Behind him Denda heard the the sound of multiple bodies tumbling down the stairs that led below deck followed by another chorus of pained howls.

He blew on the whistle until the air in his lungs ran dry and pulled the device away while sucking in another breathe," NOW GIT YUR FLEA BITTEN ASSES BACK HERE 'FORE AH USE DIS TING AGAIN!!!" With out waiting for a response he brought the whistle to his lips again ready to send out another crippling ultra sonic blast. However just as it touched his lips one of the burly dogs screamed, not in pain but terror and was pulled under the waters surface. The other dogs were still regaining their senses fro the first blast and had not noticed the lose of their comrade, but the danger was not lost on either of the Jackals. Denda turned wide eyed to his brother, who's own expression was one of shock, and turned back to the sputtering dogs," GIT OUTTA DA WATTA!!! GIT OUTTA DA WATTA NOW!!! T'AIN'T SAFE!!! DERE'S SUMTING IN DA WATTA!!!"

The dogs glared up at him and turned away paddling towards the longboats. Their defiance lasted until the dog at the lead of the waterlogged pack was sucked under. The rest reeled back and began thrashing about howling in fear, which drew the attention of the dogs in the longboats who watched as three of the the four remaining dogs shrieked and vanished in a turbulent flurry of bubbles. Now Diamond Dog eye's are fairly good at seeing in lowlight environments, due in part to their tunneling lifestyle, and with the light of the crescent moon they could just make out three massive black silhouettes drifting lazily through the water.

Two of the shapes lingered around the last dog in the water, as if considering their next morsel, while the third, and upon closer inspection the largest, slid towards the closest boat sending the canines it held into a panic. As it approached it gave the boat a testing bump which, considering the size of the creature, was enough force to make it rock violently and nearly sent several dogs into the water. The thing drifted away slowly staying surprisingly still before pumping its tail and diving the darkness of the deeper water enough to make the dogs that tracked it lose their line of sight.

The dogs in the boat tensed, many of them holding their breathe, several yards away the dog still in the water screamed and slipped under in another flurry of bubbles. It was enough to draw their attention back to the two other silhouettes as they began to meander to the boats causing the dogs to all mass at the farthest end nearly capsizing the it then and there. They all flinched when the boat to their left launched skyward and shattered like it was made of twigs. A massive sea serpent raised up out of the water part of the life boat crushed in its slender jaws. Its body was muscular and streamlined wit black dapples marking is dark blue skin. It crashed down onto several dogs sending a huge jet of water out in its wake and as its body slid below the waves it raised it flattened paddle-like tail high into the air and smashed it down onto the boat it had nudged.

The boat was smashed to splinters and the dogs were sent flying into the air, Garnet watched in absolute horror as two thirds of his clan thrashed wildly in the water.

"What we do Boss!?" Tammra shrieked in his ear.

He frantically snapped his head between his two best options, the cliffs were still a long way off but the sea monsters would likely focus on the dogs already in the water, giving them the time they would need to reach it. However he could not just abandon his dogs, if he they went back for them it was likely the the monsters would just destroy their boat too. A voice caught his ears," Com back t'ain't safe out dere!" He looked to the Horus and saw one of the Jackals waving fore them to come back to the larger ship while all around him the dogs still loyal to Sappra, as well as the dethroned leader herself, threw life-rings attached to ropes to pull dogs back to safety.

"Boss!?"

Now all eyes fell on him, they were waiting for him to tell them what to do. The lives of dozens of dogs now rested in his paws, the next chose he made would doubtlessly cost lives no matter what. 'Was it like this for Sappra!?' He shook his head and made a choice," Turn us around!" He barked. "We go back and save our clan!" They jumped into action following his orders without question. As they rounded and powered towards the ship Garnet turned to the rest of the dogs without oars," Be ready! Grab any dogs you can reach!"

There was a yelp of ,"Yes Boss!", and dogs hung out of the little longboat ready to grab their comrades. When they reached the outer edge of the water bound dogs Garnet watched as another three went under, already there were soaked dogs being dragged into the tiny boat and they powered through. Garnet watched as two more dogs screamed and were pulled to their deaths, then another two, Garnet noticed the waters suddenly growing still. There was no sign of the shadowy Sea Monsters and the dogs still in the water were swimming toward him and the Horus uninhibited. 'Where did they go?'

The boat was becoming uncomfortably crowded as more of the survivors were pulled to safety but, Garnet continued to search for the slightly darker color of th creatures silhouettes . 'This feels wrong!' He just could not shake the feeling that something was off about how calm the situation had become. Three huge hunters had just disappeared and left a feast behind, Garnet was no stranger to working for his food and the thought that they could have just gotten bored and abandoned an easy meal, it did not seem possible. Unfortunately he was absolutely right, a set of massive craggy jaw exploded out of the water on either side of the little boat and crunched closed, snapping the wooded boards like so many twigs. The creatures momentum threw the splintered remains of the boat off at an angle, while Garnet and another dog were carried skyward screaming in pain. His left leg had been impaled on the brutes many recurved teeth and judging from the immense pain that shot up his spine to the base of his skull, it was a safe bet that his leg was broken. Through the gaps in its jaw he could she the other dog was in far worse shape, his head and the whole right side of his torso was in its mouth and his chest was being crushed under the power of its bite. Garnet became aware of a sensation of falling only to realize that the creature was about to belly flop back into the water, as the he collided with the water the force of the impacted knocked the wind out of him. His eyes rolled back in his head and the world faded into a still darkness.

- - - - -

"GARNET!!!!" Tammra screamed and tried to swim wake the Sea Monster had created. The beast had already gone under and a sense of finality came over her, Garnet was gone, the boats were shredded, and now the Jackals knew they had planned to dessert, it was all for nothing they had never even gotten close to their goal. How many dogs died because they had turned their backs on Sappra? ' Sister I'm sorry.' She was probably never going to see Sappra again she would never get the chance to apologize. She felt something slide under her arms and wrap around her chest, she flinched but didn't struggle what would be the point there was no way she could match these monsters strength. The grip on her chest tightened as she was hoisted... upward!?

"Tirek's Chariot! What have you been eating!? Rocks!?" A familiar voice grunted from above her. She snapped her eyes open and looked up to see a familiar green coat of fur and a tangled mahogany mane of Cumulus. He beat his wings furiously and lifted her out of the water and angled towards the Horus. He dropped her on the deck rather suddenly before swooping out and plucking another flailing dog out of the water.

"TAMMRA!!!" Another voice shrieked behind her. She didn't even have a chance to turn before a pair of slim but muscular arms wrapped around her and locked her into a lung crushing hug. "Thank Isis your alright!"

She pried herself free of her sisters hug and turned to face her," Sappra... I'm Soooorrrrrreeey!" She wailed and pulled her sister into another hug.

- - - - -

Jaffar rolled his eyes when he saw Sappra break down and start crying and turned away with a disgusted grunt when she started cooing gentle words of forgiveness to the slimmer waterlogged dog. He watched as Dr. Granted dropped another of the rebellious dogs onto the deck and fly back out to recover another canine. " Well Denda it seems you were right about Dr. Granted after all."

The Jackal ginned wide as he pulled another sputtering dog over the rail and throwing out the life ring to fish another out," Gotta say ah'm glad ta see 'im. Got here jus in da nick o' time too." His grin faltered," WOULD YA IDGITS QUIT FLAILING ROUND AND GIT OVER HERE!?" He yelled at the panicked dogs still in the water. "Damn fool don' even realize dey making demselves a target trashin round like dat. Jaffar turned to see another get sucked under and Dr. Granted hovering above him with a look of fury on his face as he dove to grab at another.

"It does make me wonder where he has been though." Jaffar said mostly to himself. He turned to Sappra and the other dog still crying on each other and sighed," You there!" He barked at a group of dogs," Start casting out life rings already!" He motioned to the flotation devices. They jumped up suddenly eager to follow orders. With every rescued dogs joining in the effort and Dr. Granted's air support the remaining dogs were pulled from the water in a matter on minutes, it helped that the creatures seemed not to be in any kind of hurry.

With water cleared, a mass of dripping wet canines leaned against anything inanimate coughing and wheezing, The rage over their attempted desertion overshadowed by exhaustion and the return of Cumulus, who sat on one of the remaining longboats panting. He had pulled nearly a dozen dogs out of the water and he was very tired.

"Doc."

He turned to see Ad'e and Denda giving him sly grins," I... I know... I'm late." He said between deep breathes.

The two Jackals exchanged glances," Ah don' givva shit bout dat Doc!" Replied Ad'e casually, as he stepped up and lightly punched his shoulder," We jus glad ya alive. kinda tought ya bit da dust out dere."

"So I feel I have to ask." Came Jaffar said as he stepped up," Sense these two do not seem to care. I shall ask then." He paused," Where in Tartarus have you been!?"

Author's Note:

Sorry for the delay.

So it took a while for me to get to the actual attack this time but I felt the build up was important and that we needed to get to know the Diamond Dogs a little bit better. Hope I didn't bore you guys to tears with all that build up. I'm planning on doing a mini Chapter to cover where Cumulus was during all of this.and put it between chapters 7 and 8.

-_- Though knowing the way I let things get away from me it may just end up being a full blown Chapter in it's own right but I'll try to keep it under 3500 words.

And I realize I've yet to credit Graphite Sketch for his roll in proof reading. I'm sorry Graphite I wouldn't be able to do any of this without your help.

CREW COUNTDOWN METER: 30

Next Time: Chapter Eight The White Face of Death! Get ready to meet the biggest badass of them all

Comments

[Oubliette]

No matter what happens, no matter how bad things get on land, stay out of the water…
Of the 10 deadliest seas of all time, the Triassic clocks in at #8, with the Jurassic and Cretaceous as #2 and #1.

[Oubliette]

And these look to be Cretaceous seas.
Welcome to Hell's Aquarium.

[Recteik Shade]

4236124 I take it you approve.

[Oubliette]

Aye me lad!
(Unless ye be a lass, Interwebs nevarr say!)
<Shoves the old Captain back in his cell>
Sorry, Cap picked his cage lock with his peg leg. Warn me if you see any more pirate speak so I can stop him before he causes trouble.

[Prince_Staghorn]

Mosasaurs. it had to be mosasaurs

[Recteik Shade]

4236462 well i'm afraid for my life now

[RadicalDishonesty]

This is getting brutal. In order to escape the master who is intending to kill every one of them, they have to go to sea... where the beasts there start killing them and drive them back into the arms of the master that will arrange their deaths anyway.