The navy dogs grunted in frustration, straining against the ropes that held them tight against the mast of their conquered ship. All that Winslow and the rest of his men could do was watch as the pirates raided their cargo hold, hauling their supplies over to their ship while helpless to do nothing.

  The collie spotted the captain of the enemy stride out of the poodle’s quarters, snarling at the retriever. Fetch merely gave him a guilty smile, as if to say he was sorry for attacking them and stealing what was theirs. The rest of his crew followed behind him, with Benny lugging a rge treasure chest over his shoulder.

  “So, what will you do with us now?” Winslow barked venomously. “Leave us here to drift out to sea without food or water? Or perhaps you’ll sink us once you're far enough away?”

  “Do we look like the kind of dogs who would do such a thing?” Fetch countered with mock astonishment. “We’ve left you all plenty for you to make it back to the nearest isnd, which is…” Fetch’s smile fell in confusion before he turned to his first mate. “Checkers, where’s the closest isnd from here?”

  “Pedigree Isnd, captain.” The Dalmatian answered. “Due North-East of your location. With the wind on their side, they should reach there by sundown.”

  “Thank you, Checkers!” The retriever praised his trusted friend before turning back to the collie. “Well, I think we’ve taken up enough of your time…along with everything else.” A resounding chuckle came from the crew at the captain’s joke. “But, we best be moving along. So, we’ll leave you to it. Safe sailing!”

  The retriever made his back onto his ship, the rest of his crew following along while Winslow and the rest of his men could only watch them go, the feeling of defeat smothering them all. The crew of the Snarling Stray then detached itself from their vessel, sailing away with the sound of the pirates howling in victory echoing back to the beaten sailors.

  By the time their ship had sailed away freely, the door to the captain’s quarters creaked open slowly. Foof, dishevelled and shaking, poked his head from out of his hiding pce, looking around the deck with wide, panicked eyes. “A-Are they gone?”

  Winslow could only snarl at the cowardly canine, his pride greatly wounded by how easily they were handled by a pack of strays.

  ±

  “Benny! Drop it there!”

  The giant St Bernard did as his captain ordered, dropping the rge chest over his shoulder down on the ship's deck. All of the crew gathered around, surrounding the chest with enticed interest in what could be inside. Fetch stood before the chest, with Checkers and Rosa by his side.

  Yip, after hiding below deck during the fight, squeezed his way through the crowding crew until he managed to break free and get into the clearing. He then spotted his captain, and eagerly scampered over to him. “Captain!”

  The retriever turned his head at the familiar voice, and saw the boy, a smile breaking out on his face. “Yip! There you are! Gd to see you’re alright!”

  “I was hiding below deck. Checkers wouldn’t let me join in on the fight!” The beagle boy compined.

  “I was trying to protect you, Yip. If you had joined in on that fight, you wouldn’t have been coming back on board alive!” The Dalmatian reprimanded the pup, earning a slight whimper from the young beagle.

  Fetch pced a comforting paw on the boy’s head, rubbing it gently as he knelt down to Yip’s level. “I have to agree with Checkers on this one, Yip. Pirating isn’t a game. You could get seriously hurt. Can’t risk losing our precious cabin boy, now can we?”

  “Okay…” Yip bemoaned disappointedly before his ears perked up at the sight of the chest. “Is that the treasure you were after, captain?”

  “Yes, and no.” Fetch corrected, standing once more before making his way back to the chest. “Inside this chest, is what will lead us to a treasure unlike anything the world has seen for generations…” The retriever knelt down and pced a hand atop the chest, a hopeful glimmer in his eye. “The lost treasure of Bck-Tail.”

  The mention of Bcktail rendered everyone on board silent, a quiet reverence overcoming the raggedy crew of mutts.

  “Many years have gone since Bck-Tail disappeared,” Fetch recalled, reaching a gloved hand down onto the chest. “No one knows what happened to him, or where he left the vast wealth he cimed from his time roaming the seas…”

  The retriever stood tall once more, looking out over his gathered crew. “But now, we have a chance to. This chest contains a map that will lead us to the treasure, the first step towards finding Bck-Tail’s long-lost fortune. We will no longer have to survive as strays, but live like kings!”

  The band of dogs cheered and howled in unison, invigorated by their golden leader’s words.

  “Or queens, for some of us!” Fetch quickly corrected, looking towards Rosa with a sheepish grin.

  The crew ughed while the Saluki merely rolled her eyes.

  Fetch went on to pull out a pair of small, thin metal tools before poking them into the lock, intent on picking the chest open.

  While the captain fiddled with the concealed container, Yip tugged on Checker’s pant leg to get his attention, a question on the young pup’s tongue. “Who’s Bck-Tail?”

  “Bck-Tail was the most scurvy dog ever to roam the seas.” The Dalmatian detailed, watching his captain work. “He spent years pilging towns and raiding noble ships for their riches. He amassed a fortune unlike any dog had ever seen. Even the noble high-breeds could only dream of obtaining so much wealth.”

  “Woooowww…!” Yip awed at the tail of the infamous pirate, his floppy ears perking up in eagerness to hear more. “Where is he now?”

  “No one knows.” Checkers shook his head. “Story goes that Bck-Tail sailed to the furthest ends of the ocean to bury his gathered riches, on an isnd that can’t be found on any map.”

  A metallic click came from the chest, drawing Yip and Checkers attention, their ears perking up at the sudden noise.

  Fetch remained still, a shuddering breath escaping him as he pced his lock picks aside and stood back on his feet.

  “At least, that’s what the stories say…” The Dalmatian spoke with an air of wonder in his voice.

  Yip’s hopes were as high as the seagulls flying above their ship to what was inside the mysterious chest.

  The gold-furred captain steeled himself, pcing his gloved hands on either side of the chest’s lid.

  Anticipation was thick among the crew, the band of dogs eager to see what y inside.

  The captain lifted it open, a bright light striking him in the face, causing him to shut his eyes and look away. Peeking an eye open, Fetch looked back to the open chest, seeing it filled to the brim with treasure. Coins of solid gold glimmering in the sunlight, while jewels of plentiful colour sparkled with refined beauty.

  The crew saw the loot inside, gasping at the riches they had gained. All held their breath as Feth ran his fingers through the wealth.

  The captain dug through the mound of money, throwing out handfuls of treasure for the rest of the crew to grab. As the band of pirates took what they could get their paws on, some breaking out into fights over who saw what first, Fetch reached the bottom of the chest. He lifted his head from the now empty chest, yet instead of a look of eted joy on his face, he wore an expression of complete confusion and utter disappointment.

  “It’s not here…” Fetch softly spoke.

  Checkers made his way over to his captain, being the only one to hear him over the cmmer from the crew. “Sir?”

  “The map! It’s not here!” The retriever called out frantically, catching the attention of the rest of his crew.

  “What?!” Yip looked up in shock, his hopes of seeing a long-lost map dashed in an instant.

  “But, the poodle-man said it was in there!” Benny moaned, worried that he brought the wrong chest on board.

  “Isn’t it obvious? He lied to us.” Rosa barked with frustration at how they got pyed. “It’s like my mother always said: never trust a poodle.”

  Rosa unscathed her sword with a furious snarl. “I’m going to sheer the fluff off that snivelling coward’s coat the next time I see him!”

  “Captain…” Checkers approached his leader, concerned for what he could be feeling right now.

  Fetch remained in pce, looking down at the empty chest before taking a deep breath through his nose. He then turned back, showing his first mate a rexed smile. “Foof got us good with that one. Pulled the fluff over our eyes, you could say.”

  “What are your orders, captain?” The Dalmatian inquired, returning to his professional attitude.

  “Nothing has changed.” Fetch crified, walking past Checkers and making his way towards the front of their ship. “We still don’t have the map, but we know that Foof has it for certain.” He reached the bow and pnted his foot on the railing. He pulled out a spygss from his coat and opened it up, instantly spotting the speck that was the naval ship they had recently raided.

  The retriever brought the scope back down, a knowing smile crossing his snout. “And we know exactly where they're headed…”

  Fetch turned back to his first mate with authority. “Checkers. Set a course for Pedigree Isnd.”

  Aye-aye, captain!” The Dalmatian nodded before turning about, ready to bark orders to the crew. “Alright, you lot! Back to it! Benny, raise the midden mast! Felloe, keep our ship on course with the navy’s!”

  As the crew scurried across the ship, preparing the vessel for the journey, Fetch kept his eyes focused on the ship in the distance.

  “Soon…” Fetch whispered while closing his eyes. “We’ll be there soon enough…”

  ±(Author's note)±

  I will taking the month of April off, and be back in the beginning of May.