Beach Day, Beach Day!

Life is grand for the young Calico Jack. Sure, his mother is a drunken puddle most of the time and the last raid hadn’t gone exactly as hoped but hey, at least he is still breathing! Stepping out of the cavern that borders the beach, he takes in a deep lungful of the ocean air and closes his eyes. This is where he belongs. The salt of the water permeates the air, filling his nostrils as he dragged in the air. It is comforting, familiar and will always remind him of home. No matter where life takes him, whenever he smells the ocean, he will remember these blissful, lazy, days.

A call reaches his ears and the teenager’s eyes snap open, a smile curling his lips as he pushes out the air he had been holding. Turning in the direction that Rivin had called from, the boy whistles for his companions to follow before taking off at a long lope. Having reached his ‘awkward’ stage of life, Calico Jack looks like he is all legs and elbows, more angles than actual wolf, as he races across the black sand. It does not take him long to find the fire marked girl he considers his best friend.

By the time he pulls to a stop in front of her, a huge grin is on his lips and his eyes sparkle with merriment from just from being in her presence. Jolly Roger circles overhead, cawing a greeting to Rivin while Flying Dutchmen hangs out further up the beach, far from the water’s edge. Happily, Jack greets his friend with his strange, cracking voice, “Rivin! How are you doing? Been meaning to find you and congratulate you on your first raid victory! But uh, it kind of slipped my mind.” The grin turns bashful as he admits he forgot but it quickly brightens again because nothing can dampen his spirits today.

Head cocks to the side as Calico asks, “What can I do for you?” The waves crash beside them, spraying their heads of foam across the beach before retreating once more. What a perfect day.


"Calico Jack"