The Beast Inside Page 2

  Dirty Dan would be found missing soon and there would be a tribunal to decide who the next leader was going to be. As per custom the tribunal was held on the largest ship at the docks. Pirates of the sea we were and all laws were made on a ship. The girl looked up into my eyes after having her head down. She was deep in thought before talking to me.

  “I don’t know what to say, well I do but I don’t know how to put it in words. Really what we do is just sit around drinking, and waiting. So, that is probably part of the problem with us girls. We are always waiting for the men to come back and our patience gets thicker with the more rum you get into our bellies. I am sure you know what I mean being a pirate, and all.

  “Us women were never allowed to go with the men, and do pirating. They said that we were to tend the home, but women are worth more than that. So, after so many years of being here why ask me that question?” I could not help but notice her feet, then ankles, then thighs and hips as she was sitting in a cross legged position.

  It would be hard to talk to her while she sat like that and so I looked up into her eyes after lingering too long on her hips, and abdomen, and breasts. Dirty Dan was not wearing a shirt and it only came to my attention now that she was wearing her clothes the way a pirate does.

  Thus pants only and a bandana to tie her hair up. Not sure if we need to have a rule that had women wear shirts as suggesting it might lead to them thinking that they were not equal. Sitting down opposite her finding it hard to speak to her or focus on her eyes, I said what had to be said.

  “I ask now because we need to know if there is more to the surface of this cove than meets the eye. Those other pirates had to have come from somewhere. Did they come in through another entrance or somewhere else?” She laughed, it was musical and I enjoyed it far too much I suppose.

  “I am not sure, but I don’t think that they had come in through the normal way. It is strange but I don’t really remember what location they came from because we were all surprised. Things started and finished at pretty much exactly the same time. My blood was hot and I could barely see.

  “A rage set in me after the first woman was raped. I did not want that for me, but I was too scared to do anything. Hearing the screams from where your brother and I usually stayed. One after another their screams were getting closer and closer, until finally they came to my door.” She paused for a moment, tears ran freely down her face.

  There was a scar above her left eye that looked fresh, possibly from being hit from someone’s fist. She had a yellowish bruise below her right breast as well. Before speaking again she brought the bottle of rum up to her lips and for what I thought felt like forever, she drank.

  “I knew what they were after and I could not help, but pee myself. You see I got very drunk the night before and my head was pounding when they pounded on my door. Most of the other girls were probably still drunk, and very vulnerable.

  “But are we not vulnerable already as women and most men like to take advantage of us women. We thought that we were safe, but we were not safe when you men were out pirating on the open sea. Life would probably be better on the open sea with the men, but the men don’t want us to be equals.

  “You men go shirtless on the ships, but what would you do if the women were dressed the same with us wearing trousers only? We would probably get ourselves raped and that is not acceptable. By the time that they were at my door I assumed everyone else here was dead or dying. The pounding on my door felt like it was going on for a very long time, but when the three men finally got through my door, it was in splinters like it just blew inward.

  “Where I am from the girls are taught to use a knife on themselves and take their own life so that they do not have to suffer any indignities, but I did not want to die. I also did not want to be raped, but the knife that is to protect me from losing my dignity was and still is only three inches in blade length. At first they did not see me so I bided my time as I needed to be very close to them in order to defend myself.

  “They had curved swords, and I assumed that they knew how to use them. It was dark outside and it took them time to find me, but find me they did. I knew that I would have a fight on my hands with two of them as I would only have a chance to kill the one, but by the time that that happened they would be on me. You see all of me right now, and know that I am not a big girl. I look smaller without clothes on, although that night I was wrapped in a blanket.

  “Adrenalin was pumping through my veins and my heart pounded so loud that I could hear nothing, but the pounding of my heart. Something was caught in my throat and my lips were dry and sticking together. Any attempt at speaking only brought words that even I did not understand. Whatever I tried to say would not come out. My tears went towards my ears due to my forward movement.

  “My blankets got caught up in my feet tripping me up and sending me crashing to the floor after killing the first man that came into the door. He fell on me and was quite heavy, so much so that I felt like my chest and ribs were being crushed under him. There was no breath left in me and I was acting on pure instinct fueled by adrenalin. I, and they were drenched in sweat from our exertions.

  “With such a short blade my options were limited and I was not really paying attention to where I stabbed them, just that I had stabbed them. Not sure how many times I stabbed either of them, but it was enough to make them still. The women before my house were not so lucky as I. I ran out of my house naked carrying my knife and helped the women in the houses after mine.

  “Afterwards we all hid and did not come out until the men came back. Sadness and relief is what we had when you men had finally come back from the sea. For some of us nothing ever would feel or taste the same. Life was never going to be the same. What made it worse was the fact that your brother did not come back alive so I had to kill two of our own pirates before I came to see you.

  “I don’t like killing and don’t think that I ever will get used to it, in fact I never will be used to that.” For a moment I thought that I had caught a look in her eyes of a cornered, wounded, and lost wolf. But by the time that I had noticed this, the look was replaced with a smile. “Where was I? Oh yes I was answering your question. No we never explored this place the way that we should have. Is it too late to do so? Do you think?” She was serious, and looking at me as though I had the answer to this problem.

  “I suppose that we should look, but right now it is time for the tribunal. Let us go to the main ship. What?” She was looking at me in a strange way and I could not understand what was going on with her. She was laughing as she left my place.

  “Nothing. Umm, nothing. Besides I don’t think you would understand. It is a girl thing, and maybe I will just tell you later.” We both walked off and out of my place.

  When we got there, there were two men guarding the plank to the ship. They waved the both of us up the plank, and did not even pay no mind to the girl being shirtless. There were no tattoos on any of her skin yet and it was obvious that she had never been out in the sun on a ship as her skin was pearl white. In fact I think that she would burn in the sun.

  I do wonder if anyone noticed that she was wearing Dirty Dan’s clothes. Looking around all of our women were on board and all of our men were on board. All of the women were shirtless and I am not sure if they took it off in support of my brother’s girl, or had them off in the first place.

  So basically all of us stood there in pants and sword, the unofficial pirate uniform. I looked around at everyone and I was not completely sure how this would go down. We had not had a tribunal ruling for who would be the lead captain in a very long time. It was previously inherited, but Dirty Dan had no kids so it is obvious that he is done with no line to carry him through.

  His blood is done and I am to thank for that. It would have been more use to have him alive, but I am not up to sharing a woman when she only wants me. Weird thoughts of other men I just do not want to know. Shaking my head does not even get rid of the image of many men on this innocent
woman, it is just some nasty old thought.

  There were twenty women and thirty five men, which meant that fifteen men would not have a woman. It is hard for a pirate to not have a woman when they come back from the sea as it is almost like being in prison for a long time. A man does strange things when he does not have a woman and if he does not want a woman and wants a man, well he does not seem to last long at all.

  Those things are out of my control and all lives are short that are linked in some way to the pirate life, perpetrators and victims alike. Pirates come and go, half of us are new and typically die within the time it takes us to sail our first time on the seas. Some pirates live longer than others, but most die before any gray hair starts forming.

  Blue was selected by us all to conduct our election of captains and leaders. He was aptly named because he had contracted frostbite on almost all of his body, thus he was blue. Thirty five of us were there at this tribunal, myself, the girl next to me, Blue, and a few others. It was all that was left of us as before we lost a few when out on the sea, and the more than few women that we lost at home we had a good sixty or more of us.

  Winter would be upon us soon and we would lose some more as we did not have enough supplies for all of us. Land raids is what we would have to do, and it would be rough. Blue gestured for everyone to be quiet with his right hand.

  “Dirty Dan is dead, and the girl next to Black Bart is wearing his clothes,” Said Blue pointing right at the girl standing next to me. “Black Bart you should know better than being with a woman that killed our leader.” He was looking right at me when he said that, and so I spoke up.

  “I killed him, Blue. It was not her that killed him, even though she happens to be wearing his clothes.” I was not expecting what he said next, and it jarred my mind.

  “You killed for the woman already, and I bet that you don’t even know her name yet. I see that you don’t, by the look in your eyes. You could never hide it from us, you know. Just to let you know, we are not following the old ways where this would make you leader as we still need a vote.

  “It is obvious that you are one of our captains and lost your brother recently, but we still need to vote for the head captain. Woman, what is your name?” He accused me, and now was pointing at the girl next to me. Her being shirtless it was hard to concentrate so I needed to change this woman’s shirtless affair that has made all the women here shirtless. It would not be long before some other pirates got the drop on us, and took our women.

  “I don’t have a pirate name as yet, but the girls have started calling me the Marauding Mistress. Not sure if I like that name, but as far as I know no one has a choice of what their name is going to be.” I think that I was coming across as too kind in my words, but there was nothing that I could do as my words were already out of my mouth.

  Blue went back to speaking. Black Bart was in his own thoughts, and I was too. I am not sure what was going to happen. “Who are the nominees for our leader?” Random guys and girls put their hands up, and two of our number were nominated for leader, BlackBart, and a fellow by the name of Weasel. I, the Marauding Mistress, was happy with BlackBart's nomination, but not with Weasel's nomination.

  Blue put a halt to our bickering amongst ourselves and raised his voice above the growing storm. Lightening was seen in the distance and moments later the thunder roared, but we heard Blue. “Do we put this to a vote or will there be a fight for leadership?” The yays and neighs spoke, it would be a duel, to the death.

  Weasel, and Black Bart faced off against each other. I bit my lip and drew blood as the adrenalin of the oncoming fight excited me. The fight with Dirty Dan and Black Bart was over before I could feel anything at all, but this fight had only begun. Weasel was all trickery and subterfuge as he had many feints and parries and was content on nicking Black Bart here and there.

  Black Bart got Weasel a good cut in his shoulder that continued to bleed and weaken him. As Weasel came in with a feint Black Bart thrust his cutlass into his solar plexus and yanked it upwards spilling more blood out of Weasel. Weasel fell to the ground as Black Bart pulled the sword from his belly. It looked like Black Bart would be the leader.

  Weasel’s wounds could not be staunched and he died right where he lay. His clothes were taken by a girl that just stripped naked out of her old clothes. We all were Marauding Mistresses, but I was the only one that took the name.

  My breath was taken away by Black Bart and I was not sure of the significance of his actions after he had killed Weasel, but he pulled me into him and kissed me long and hard. I did not know what to make of this public showing of ownership, but I believe that that is what that was and all around agreed silently that that is what he had done.

  The pirate life looked like it would be very promising for me as the queen of the pirates because that is what BlackBart was telling everyone by letting them know that I was his and his alone. Goose bumps covered my entire body and I realized at this point that I could not continue this topless affair as my breasts would get real cold from the winter winds. Winter was nearly upon us and we did not have enough supplies to carry us through it, and we must do so in order to survive.

  Raiding villages on foot was not our forte but we would have to do it once our harbour froze over, and then ships could not sail. Over the next few months we raided many villages and explored the caves within our hideout further. I became pregnant with child by the time that we had enough supplies to hide out in the cave system. Strange writings were on the wall, and the deeper we went into the tunnels the weirder everything got.

  One day BlackBart, and I found a black object. BlackBart disappeared, and so did my pregnant self. I really don’t know where we are, but it is very hot here now.

  CHAPTER TWO

  At one time the Fenshians and the Dochani were of one race and their origins began on the same planet. Many red woods were on this planet and many other trees and fauna as well fed the lesser beasts upon the planet.

  This planet was neither the Fenshian home world nor the Dochani home world, but a primordial wasteland with beasts of all variations. The time was more than three billion years before now and the reasons for the Fenshian and the Dochani for becoming enemies may seem complicated, or even superficial to anyone but the Fenshians or the Dochani.

  While these two were of the same race and species at one time they were not quite the same as everything was different around us no matter what we perceive it to be. Perception is one of the most subjective mannerisms that everyone shares as no one can take the same exact view point as another, and say that they truly agree with them.

  If I am standing in one spot giving my view of something, then no one else can take that same view simply because they cannot stand in the same spot that I currently stand. Because, if they do, then my view would change because I would no longer be in the same position that I was in a moment earlier.

  This simple fact puts one in the thought that it is clearly impossible to have the same exact view as another even if they ate you and you both are now in the same spot because you are obviously inside them, and you once were free. Well back to the task at hand.

  The Fenshians as they are now seen are very huge in a small ones view, even though they are regular size with respect to themselves and their race. Since they weigh more than one hundred and fifty thousand tons, they definitely are huge. They were not always like this. In fact they and the Dochani were quite small until the cataclysmic volcanic period took place between three billion and two billion years ago.

  Without being able to adapt to the change in climate and thus change in plant life many beasts with plant only diets diminished in numbers, or ceased to exist. This new change was ideal for the primary carnivorous diet of the Fenshians, and the Dochani. The Fenshians’ sole diet was meat while the Dochani diet consisted of some vegetables and fruits, and more than ninety percent of their diets were meat.

  The Fenshian and Dochani in some ways assisted in the extinction of many plant eating beas
ts, due to their diet being of mostly meat. This basically changed how these races coped with each other because the Dochani, or those who brought about the first of the Dochani race, very rarely ate or wanted to eat of the Dochani. But the Fenshians just kept eating, and eating, and eating anything, and everything that was meat.

  Their viciousness would sicken the Dochani, especially when they would witness a Fenshian eating a Dochani still alive and well, except for the fact that they were being eaten. At even this time they were still the same race, even if they started to look quite different. The torso of both were relatively still quite humanoid in that their arms, legs, chest and head looked human. Their back, feet, hands, and wings were obviously not humanoid.

  The only thing not humanoid about their back was that there were extra muscles to support the wings, and obviously the wings made it look unlike any humanoid creature. Their hands were made with retractable talons, which also made these unlike any human, or intelligent bipedal creature. Some feathers were present at this time, but not too many.

  Being smaller than the others of the initial race, the Dochani developed a higher intelligence and also developed the ability to travel from world to world with an uncanny mental ability. However, this is not quite when they separated from the Fenshians, and became a new race. This took some time, a very long time to realize that they needed to leave the planet of their birth if they wanted to survive.

  If they did not leave, the Fenshians would eventually eat them all. It was about one billion, five hundred million years after the cataclysm that the Fenshians were meeting some strange beast that had arrived in a strange ship. Bipedal creatures that looked normal except for the fact that they were more machine than flesh.