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monstergoblin · 2 years ago

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The Owl Pirates Chapter Twenty

First Chapter Tumblr Link HERE

Previous Chapter Tumblr Link HERE

Posted First On A03 Here

It’ll be updated on A03 first and might take me a bit to get to updating it here as I always seem to forget about my tumblr. <3

Trigger Warnings Always Read Safe: Depression, Suicidal thoughts, Pushing down feelings, Overworking self to ignore feelings, Child Abuse (Belos is a bitch okay), Gaslighting, Self Gaslighting, Manipulation, Injuries, Dead body, Eda eats a dead guy in Beast form,

Notes: TRIGGER WARNING: There is a dead body this chapter, And Eda is eating it!! Read safe!

Chapter 20: Plans, Traps and Words

It was easier to leave the cabin in the morning. Not only because Luz got a full nights rest- which was a hard feat considering everything- but also because she knew Hunter would be forced to stay down by that bird. That little red bird that came from his necklace.

Honestly it was amazing to see Hunter relax this much. The injury was forcing him to stay down and with Flapjack now keeping him entertained he didn’t seem so on edge all the time. He was being himself- even if just a little. No chores to distract him or others to defend himself against. He was truly starting to open it.

Luz almost could be excited. If she wasn’t so busy herself.

She needed to find the others. She would take anyone who was still alive. It was her fault to being with that they all were pirates now. It was her fault they all ended up on this island- or if they were dead. She had been the one to convince them, one way or the other, to join the Talon.

Which eventually led to this- hopefully they all were alive.

The cabin on the cliff seemed to be the tallest part of the island as Luz always found herself heading downhill no matter which way she traveled. It made the journey back exhausting but she had always had an overfill of energy, as her mother put it.

She sent Owlbert to scout in another direction. Trusting him to be safe. It was better to have two sets of eyes searching for the others, and if Flapjack hadn’t been keeping Hunter entertained she probably would have asked him to help.

They had plenty of supplies built up from Luz the last few days. So today was all about searching for someone else. Anyone else. Just someone needed to be alive.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw the blood painting the grass a bright red.

A fresh red.

She stared with wide eyes at the red trailing through the bushes.

Please don’t be anyone she knew.

But who else could it be?

Luz followed the trail silently. It was fresh blood after all- whatever made them bleed could still be around.

Luz froze when the large figure came into view. It was towering over a body tearing into it mercilessly.

Luz had seen this beast before- once.

Edas owl beast.

Eda was stuck in owl beast form.

Luz could only stare covering her mouth. She barely could stomach looking at the body beneath Eda, trying to see whose it was. Anything that could be an indicator for who feel victim to Edas monster.

It took a moment for Luz to recognize the navy uniform.

At least it wasn’t one of them.

But there was still the issue of Eda being stuck as an owl beast.

Luz tiptoed away, unsure how to handle Eda in this form. There wasn’t anyway for her to fix Eda without an elixir.

Their only hope would be if one washed ashore.

Luz made her way to the beaches to search- and hopefully stumble upon the bright orangish yellow elixir.

----

They came up with a plan to kill the beast. Amity, Edric, Alador, Harvey and Steve all talked a while last night and this morning about how to deal with the large creature that was haunting them.

If they had to survive on this island for a while, they were at least going to make it a little easier.

Edric and Alador would make the traps. A place where they could easily avoid but the beast would end up triggering. They were collecting supplies for them now and finding a perfect spot to put them.

Then Amity- as she was the fastest- was going to lure the beast to follow her. Be as loud as possible and then run as fast as she could to said traps.

Steve would be following behind quietly. In case of any injury, but she doubted the beast would catch her.

Then after they get the beast stuck, they would work together and kill it.

It wasn’t a perfect plan.

But it would work if they properly set it up.

“It’ll be nicer,” Amity commented to Steve who she was walking with. They were collecting food today. “once the beast is gone.”

“Yeah.” Steve agreed. Though truthfully Amity had never seen Steve not look like a ray of sunshine before, but since they landed on the island he seemed duller, worried, anxious.

“Matt’s stubborn.” Amity remarked. “He would not let a shipwreck bring him down.” she said it as if it were a matter of fact, because Matt did seem like the type to haunt them if he died in a non dramatic way.

“Right.” Steve gave a half hearted chuckle, but his smile did not meet his eyes.

��I bet he’s not even acting worried right now.” Amity scoffed playfully. “Pretending he’s tough enough without the rest of us- but we all know what he really thinks.”

“Uh huh.” Steve was not really listening, Amity realized.

“And I bet he’s making a deal with a demon to gain all power. “ Amity made up. “He’s never going to use that power responsibly of course, only to win at cards.”

“Hmm.”

“Oh come on.” Amity stopped in front of Steve to make him truly look at her. “I am not the optimistic one between the two of us. So stop letting yourself dwell on the fact- that they- might-” She looked down to the ground.

Luz was always much better at this.

“Hey.” Steve put a hand on Amity's shoulder giving her a smile- a weak sympathetic one- but a smile nonetheless. “They’re okay.”

There was no chance everyone was okay.

She sighed and nodded. “Just- you need to remember that too.” She turned back and continued walking.

Luz would’ve said something a whole lot nicer than that.

It seemed to fast, to easy, to perfect. How quickly they were able to set up their traps. It all came down to Amity. Amity who couldn’t afford to mke any mistake here. She would have to be fast, and agile and perfect.

She could do perfect.

She walked through the forest now alone. Well, not truely alone. Steve was nearby somewhere and the others were all waiting for her to come running back with the beast to the traps.

It was just a matter of finding the best.

“Oh look I’m a delicious human.” Amity yelled, walking casually but looking around. “Look at all this delicious meat on my bones. I hope no monster that's hungry for human flesh is lurking around this forest. That would be bad for little oh human me.”

Luz would find this whole thing hilarious.

A loud growling alerted Amity and she turned to see the pair of dark eyes watching her. Blood was smeared around its claws and mouth. It tilted its head as if watching a meal.

She froze waiting for the creature to make the first move.

She could probably out run it.

She had to outrun it.

The beast launched itself and Amity slid into a run making her way back to the traps.

She just needed to be faster than the creature.

She ducked underneath some branches to possibly cause the creature to slow, but the beast only lept over them keeping right behind her.

The beast was faster than her. It was going to catch her.

Amity leapt over a log that the creature barely saw as a stepping stone.

Her heart beat echoed in her ear as she panted and squeezed her way between two trees growing close together. Even those few seconds of the beast going around might help.

She was going to get caught.

She had to keep going.

She had to just run.

Amitys foot landed directly in a small hole in the ground causing her to come crashing down. She tumbled forward trying to keep up momentum but there was only so much distance a person could make while falling-

She tried to scramble back up but the beast launched itself on her. Pinning Amity to the ground.

As the creature grinned down Amity could pick up the smell of blood on its breath.

This was it then.

She was going to die.

She hadn’t been perfect enough.

Amity closed her eyes, turning away as the beast growled at her.

At least she hoped it would be fast.

“WEH!” A loud booming shriek nearly burst Amitys eardrums and she could only cover them in defense.

The creature screamed in pain backing off of Amity.

Amity through a ringing head and blurry vision tried and failed to scramble up to her own feet.

“WEH!” A figure jumped in front of Amity. Bewteen the beast and her.

“King?” She couldn’t hear her own voice as she tried to blink away the shakiness. It sounded like King. It had to be the siren.

The siren grabbed Amitys hand and ran. In what direction Amity couldn’t make out. Only follow King to the best of her abilities. Letting him drag him through the woods.

“King- We set traps.” She tried to say but she wasn’t sure the volume of her own voice.

King said something in response but Amity could barely make out the whisper of him talking.

“Can’t hear.” She explained her balance returning as she looked back to see the beast starting to make its own way back to pursuing them.

Amity pulled King away now leading instead. Towards the traps where they could trap and kill the beast. As the area the traps came into view she realized the siren was trying to pull back and fight her on this.

Why would he fight her on this?

“King its okay, we have a plan.” She resoned.

“That’s Eda!” She was only able to make out King yelling it as a quiet noise above the ringing.

“That’s Eda?!” Amity repeated, coming to a halt just outside the traps.

King nodded his head and looked back to the beast- Eda charging towards them. He held his hands above his finned ears to tell Amity to cover and then WEHed at Eda sending her flying backwards.

“Are you sure?” Amity watched the beast- that could in no way be Eda- but Eda was always buying those Elixirs- and she mentioned once something about being a burden- and oh it was Eda wasn’t it.

“Yes.” King replied.

Well so much for their perfect plan.

“We can’t kill Eda.” Amity groaned. “What do we do.”

The beast was starting to get back up. Shaking off the loud noise and glaring at King.

“She needs an Elixir.” King did not take his eyes of Eda. “But they went down with the ship- I didn’t think about it- I should’ve grabbed one.”

“Well how do we fix this?” Amity sighed not really expecting the child to have an answer. “Oh Eda.” She looked back at the traps.

The traps that were only meant to capture, not harm.

“I have an idea.” Amity grabbed Kings hand again and led him through the safe path of the traps.

Eda launched herself at them and landed square in one of them. She went flying upwards as the makeshift cage pulled her up into the trees. She clawed and growled at the cage.

It did seem a shame for the captain that was all about freedom to be locked in a cage.

“Sorry, Eda we don’t have a choice.” Amity sighed.

“You did it!” Edric came running out of his hiding place, the others following. “Now we can kill-”

“Actually-” Amity looked to them. “We have a different problem.”

----

Camila was getting awfully tired of Kikimikis complaining. Even as a ‘prisoner’ the little woman had something to say about everything.

And the praises she’d sing about the evil man that was Belos.

Camila would be lying if she said she wasn’t a little tempted to do the woman in if she said one more thing about the disgusting slithering man.

“I am going to be his right hand.” Kikimiki declared, despite her being tied up by a rope that did not diterate her dexterity. She jumped up the small ledge with ease with her hands bound- a ledge that Camila could easily step up sure but it was a little worrying that the woman could move so easily. “There’s an opening and I’m the perfect candidate. Especially if I bring back the traitors and the owl woman.”

“It’s owl lady.” Camila sighed out. “At least get her title right.”

“Her ‘title’ holds no value, therefor there is no need to properly acknowledge it.”

Camila really wanted to stab her sword clean through Kikimiki. It would be so easy, so easy.

So why isn’t she?

‘Everyone deserves a second chance.’ The young voice of Luz echoed in her memory.

But did Kikimiki really?

“Keep a move on.” Camila scolded, after tall the tiny woman kept proving she could still move easily.

“What is your plan anyway?” Kikimiki scoffed. “Keep walking until the island ends?”

“Just until I find someone.” Camila answered simply.

“Well that’s stupid, no one could survive a storm like that.” Kikimiki stated.

“Then we must be ghosts.” Camila shrugged off. “Besides, us owl pirates are more stubborn than you give us credit for.”

“Owl pirates.” Kikimiki spit. “You shouldn’t sound so proud of that.”

But Camila was proud, she wasn’t about to hide it. Sure, she never planned on being a pirate until Luz had gotten Eda, Gus, Willow, and King together to break her out of the prison Camila had wrongly been put in. It wasn’t the plan to become wanted by the navy because she escaped her own execution.

Though, Camila wouldn't change the way fate played out. She loved the sea and her pirate family, and her blood family. Belos only made a more powerful enemy trying to pin the blame on Camila oh so long ago. Trying to hold her own husband's death against her.

If Camila could choose how fate had went before, well she would still want to meet the Owl pirates, still want to be part of the family, and still want to protect every single one of them.

Even if it meant constantly worrying about life and death.

“You pirates think you’re oh so wonderful.” Kikimiki had been spouting off as Camila thought of her family. “I bet you even see yourselves as the good guys in this whole ordeal. Somehow justifying your actions by some silly words or ideas.”

Ironic coming from one of Belos’ idiots.

“All because you can’t follow the rules- I’m sorry your parents clearly didn’t love you enough to teach you morals-” Kikimiki spat going on and on to the point Camila stopped listening entirely.

She wished she had found something extra to tie up the tiny woman's mouth.

Then she stopped walking as she reached it. A large split in the island, only two cliff sides going straight down into the water below. The other side so close and yet so far away.

They would have to walk around.

“I’m sure Belos will show you mercy if you meerily-” Kikimiki was walking forward as she was too busy talking to see the edge of the cliff.

Camila regretted grabbing Kikimiki by her collar to save her life and stop the tiny woman in her tracks.

“What are you-” She started before looking ahead. “Oh.” She looked over the edge of the cliff as she registered it.

“Come on Kikimiki.” Camila sighed making her way around the cliff but not seeing an end to it.

Kikimiki shut her mouth for a bit, and Camila found herself hoping to enjoy the silence. Though that had been stupid as Kikimiki picked up her pace to match Camila and then continued with her declarations of how awful pirates were.

It would be oh so easy to push the tiny woman down into the water below.

But Camila was unfortunately a good person.

----

It had been a few days now. Being stuck in this cave below the world. There was no escape other than the hole far above their heads.

Matt had checked every nook and cranny around them to double- triple- multiple times check if there was something he’d missed but to no avail.

They were stuck and they would remain stuck if no one walked above the hole and heard the two boys down here.

So, they talked. It wasn’t like there was anything better to do anyway, and it was easy to talk about anything and everything with Gus anyway. They were best friends after all- maybe- at least Gus was Matts best friend.

Gus told Matt about growing up with visions, and how everyone treated him like a freak because of it. How he meet Willow as they went to the same school and she also had problems with people bullying her. How they bonded as the ‘weird kids’. Then how they met Luz, Luz who had been hunting down the Talon with Eda, and King- apparently Eda sold it when she planned to retire and the merchant was not keen in selling it again, wanting to keep it as a trophy. Luz had convinced Gus and Willow to help- well they volunteered as they knew the merchant and his weaknesses, it had been to late when they realized that helping pirates wasn’t something you could easily go back home after with.

Gus had a way with stories, somehow making them feel so fun to listen to. He would gesture and do voices and Matt loved to listen. The way Gus’ eyes lit up when he was excited about a memory, or how his expression would sour as he described an old enemy. The way he snickered when recalling how crazy Luz had acted when they first became pirates.

Of course, Matt shared some stories too. Mostly about life before Steve left for the navy. How mom, him and Steve used to make shadow puppet stories. When Steve had decided to leave for the navy and how Matt and his mom had a big day to stay goodbye to him.

And Matt didn’t mean to tear up at the memory.

And he wasn’t embarrassed about it at all.

Nor did he blush when Gus held him and comforted him.

That would be stupid.

Waiting had never been a strong suit of Matts. Waiting to be rescued was not something he liked doing. How long would they have to wait. Would they be rescued before their rations ran out or-

Matt made sure to divide the rations for as long as they possibly could. There was no food source or clean water source down here so they only had what they had.

Matt even debated on trying to scale the wall out of the hole- but he knew that no one could scale that, Not even Luz- though she would certainly try.

“This is annoying.” Matt complained leaning against the rock that he and Gus often laid against. It was directly under the hole so they could see the sky, and possibly their voices would carry outside.

“You said that.” Gus remarked leaning so casually against the same stone. It was like the boy just knew they’d make it out of here- possibly he did.

“Did a vision show us getting out of here?” Matt asked eyeing the taller boy.

Gus stiffened at the mention of his visions. Right- he still didn’t want to talk about the one- “No.” He stated.

“but it happens outside the cave.” Matt sighed looking back up to the sky. It was just a big waiting game then.

After a long moment of silence Matt found himself sitting up as Gus said “No.”

“What?”

“No-” Gus made eye contact for a second with Matt before turning his gaze to look up at the sky. “No- it happens in teal lighting.”

Teal lighting- like the teal glowing moss?

“So soon?” Matt questioned.

Gus had already said it wasn’t bad, and Matt had agreed- sort of- not to pry anymore but if it happened so soon why was there a need to hide it.

Why was Gus so flustered about the whole thing?

“Possibly?” Gus sat up and shrugged. “It was fast- I didn’t-” He stopped not finding the words.

Matt did not miss the way Gus scotted away from him.

Why would he do that?

“So- you’re not going to tell me?” Matt asked folding his legs up so he could rest his arms on them. It was weird seeing Gus so- so quiet.

It only took two words spoken so quietly, so quickly that Matt almost didn’t catch Gus saying them at all. Two words that made Matt’s entire body explode in blush and had him scrambling to his feet in a panic. Two words that Matt surely misheard.

“We kissed?” Matt repeated stupidly. The two words nearly getting caught in his throat as he said them.

Gus only nodded before hiding in his own legs.

Matt scrambled backwards away from Gus putting as much distance as possible between them. Matt had never been good at feelings and this was to much for him to handle. His heart hammering in his ears as he crossed his arms and faced away from Gus.

They kiss?

They kiss.

His heart was caught in his throat as he peaked back at Gus.

Gus who was still curled in on himself not daring to look at Matt.

Did Gus even want too?

A familiar dread slowly overpowered Matt as he starred at the taller- but younger boy. The same boy he tried to hint to so many times, that always seemed to not notice- or not care about Matt’s flirting attempts.

There was no way Gus wanted this.

“Your visions- don’t always come true.” Matt faced away again unable to meet the gaze of Gus. He sure felt it burning into his back. “Do they?”

“They usually do.” Gus replied, his voice was shaky. “Do you not want-” His voice broke and Matt’s heart sunk at the sound.

“NO- I mean- I do- I mean only if- '' Matt stumbled, daring a glance back to see Gus looking at him with big tearful eyes. “I want to.” He ended with a shaky exhale but then the realization of what they were talking about re-hit him and the warm flame of red erupted again and he turned quickly away. “I mean if you do!”

Gus’s soft sad chuckle echoed around the cave. So did his little sniff as he weakly smiled. Matt hadn’t realized he turned back to peek at Gus’s reaction until he saw the smile. “I do too.”

Oh.

Matt could only stand dumbly crossing his arms to hug himself and stare at Gus. Gus in turn was looking at him with a curious expression.

“Why are you standing over there?” Gus asked.

Because facing these feelings he spent forever trying to push back down was too much.

Matt slowly made his way back to where Gus was sitting, but still left a good few feet between them.

“So, “ Gus started. “This is weird.”

“This is stupid.” Matt agreed.

Gus laughed at Matt’s comment and Matt found himself chuckling along.

They were stupid.

The laughing slowly turned to awkward silence and the two boys sat for far to long waiting for the other to start. Matt turned to peak at Gus about the same time the other boy did and they both ended up red messes once again turning away quickly.

“Can we wait.” Matt’s voice felt heavy as he spoke but before Gus could open his mouth he added. “I’m not ready to- I want it but - I’m not good at this sort of thing.” He hid his head under his arms wishing he had his bandanna to pull down over his eyes but he had given that to Gus for his leg.

“Yeah.” Gus answered. “Me too.”

And it was weird now.

Both of them in an awkward silence.

But Gus liked Matt back then?

Gus wanted to kiss Matt.

Matt hid himself further as the heat flooded his face, the butterflies in his stomach stampeding in celebration.

They were going to kiss.