What shiny things do we have here?

Calico Jack might not be the smartest wolf around but he does have a kind heart. And today, it seems to be more trouble than it is worth, especially when it comes to this tiny pup. She is sassy and stubborn and when, he approaches to show her the dangers of this long-abandoned battlefield where rusted, dull weapons still hold risks for young, curious paws. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t a good idea to touch the unknown pup but hell, Jack wasn’t trying to hurt her and he thought she knew that.

She leaps into the air and what might have been a comical moment turns sour as she lashes out with needle sharp teeth and strikes his paw. Calico Jack recoils, bringing his paw to his chest while a look of utter bewilderment and a deep, fathomless sadness crosses his features. The much taller boy shrinks back as he feels tears sting the back of his eyes and he silently curses his soft heart. The silly pup stomps over to the object he had pointed out, the years may have dulled the once honed edge but it is still sharp which the pup obliviously does not believe.

A sniffle fills the air and he swipes the angrily stinging paw at his eyes, trying to hide the hurt that goes much deeper than just the simple bite. Maybe he shouldn’t have cared so much but, for some strange reason, he does. The stranger swipes at the edged weapon and he winces in sympathy as it rips open her paw pad. A startled screech fills the air as she squeals about it being sharp and, if it had been any other wolf, they might have felt some sense of smug satisfaction at what has happened.

But Jack isn’t that kind of wolf and instead of a laugh, a sad sigh rolls past his lips. Effortlessly, he moves over to where she is, dexterously grabbing the sun-bleached banner that waves in the breeze with his teeth and tears it free. Gathering it in his paws, the boy looks to the pup and lifts one paw in surrender while saying, “I give up. You win. My name is Calico Jack. Now, show me your paw so I can stop the bleeding.” Hopefully, that will make the pup more willing to allow him to tend to her paw.

This has been one hell of a first meeting and a thought occurs to the boy as he waits to see if the pup will allow him to help. Turning his icy gaze to look over the battlefield, he realizes that even after all these years, the weapons that had been made to deal death still work. He notes every sword and strange weapon that juts like broken teeth from the earth. For the first time, Jack wonders why all of these weapons where even needed.


"Calico Jack"