Blue Skies and Alibis

The day is young and Nico will not be visiting today. The coyote pup had told Calico Jack yesterday that he had to do something with his ward, Oscar, and he would not be at the border to greet him in the morning. Now, Jack isn’t sad that his friend won’t be there but he does feel a sense of longing as he slowly wanders along the dark sands of the beach. If he is being truthful with himself, he actually kind of feels lost without Nico, like a ship without its rudder. Aimlessly he walks, small paws crunching the granules of black sand as he goes.

From the sky above, Jolly Roger, Calico’s blue and yellow macaw, calls to the pup, trying to pull his attention away from his thoughts. Stubbornly, the patchwork pup ignores his young bird companion, willing himself to brood a little more. Nothing is going to make him feel happy today. Suddenly, a form drops from the sky, streaking toward the ground and aiming right for Calico Jack’s head. A shadow across the sand alerts the pup to the incoming danger and, instinctively, he throws his body to the side.

Heart thunders against his ribs as he turns his ice gaze to his attacker to find… Jolly Roger unfurling his wings and clacking his beak in some strange sort of laughter. The pup scowls at the bird, indigently shouting, “What was that for?” Jolly Roger just continues to do the strange, mocking laugh, swooping down toward his head again with his talons outstretched. Cal rolls, batting a paw at the bird to make it stop. But his friend doesn’t stop and continues to harass the pup until Calico Jack has enough and springs up to his paws.

Issuing a loud bark of annoyance, Calico leaps into the air in an attempt and catch the bird and realizes, belatedly, that Jolly Roger wants to play. The macaw then begins to fly away, looking back to Jack as if to say, ‘you coming’. Dang it. The bird knows him too well. With a happy laugh, Calico Jack gives chase, small legs churning as he races across the beach, following after the bird as they zigzag along. After some time, the pair approach the water’s edge, with Cal huffing and puffing from the exertion.

A lone figure near the water pulls the patchwork pup’s attention away from his bird friend and Jack slows down, angling his path so he can approach the other pup. Icy blue gaze roams over their pelt, admiring how he appears to be made of fire. With a gentle bark of greeting, Jack tries to pull their attention to him and says, “Hey… you okay?” Stopping a little way off from the pup, Jack’s tongue lolls out of his mouth as he pants and watches the other. Jolly Roger reappears, landing on the sand a short distance away and cawing at the pair.


"Calico Jack"