Roaring into the air the polar bear pulled another chain sending another sailor to their death. A few screams echoed into the air bleeding into nothing. Ripping the sailor apart blood and limbs going everywhere. Alexandria couldn’t take her eyes off the polar bear. She had only seen them in books. Standing not far from one was a completely different sensation. The sailors on the ship scrambled around trying to restrain the bear.

The noise didn’t affect her for the moment. All that was interesting her was the polar bear. She had not shifted into something that big ever. There was no telling what could happen. However, the havoc it was causing the enemy made her smile. Lyric nudged her elbow. “Do you have a plan to get us out of this captain?”

Alexandria moved forward completely ignoring Lyric for the moment. She knew something was said but wasn’t sure why it mattered. The polar bear killed another sailor. She screamed out for Alexandria’s help as the jaws snapped her in half. Blood, guts, and saliva sprayed all over her, but she kept moving forward. The polar bear finally locked eyes with her panting heavily. Extending her hand trying to touch the bear on the nose.

Tyra peered down her scope at the final sailor holding onto the last chain. The bear had stopped moving just watching the hand come towards it. Tyra at the moment was more concerned about the sailor than the bear. Steadying her rifle, she fired a single shot. It bored through the sailor's forehead blowing the back of the skull all over the walls. Dropping to her knees the body crumbled letting the final slack off the chain. There were no other sailors on the deck of the ship. Only Alexandria and the polar bear remained.

Shaking its head feeling the freedom the bear lowed its head a bit keeping its eyes fixed on Alexandria. Her hand touched the tip of the bear’s nose. She matched the bear’s lowered head focusing on everything about the animal. Her body started to convulse becoming superheated like nothing she had ever felt before. More sailors from another ship stormed the deck but it was a bit too late.

Stepping back a bit the polar bear growled low to the approaching guards. Alexandria screamed into the air after lowering herself to all fours. The sailors had guns in their hands aiming for the bear. Gunfire was heard but it wasn’t from any of the sailors. A cannonball ripped through a handful of sailors knocking the final one off the ship and into the water. Fina loaded another ball into her pistol cocking her head to the side. “If anyone is going to kill Alexandria it is going to be me. So, back off!” Fur and claws grew from Alexandria’s body. She flexed her paws causing the wood planks to splitter underneath her. Turning to face the other group her eyes burned with rage.

The sailors froze having not seen anything like this before. Even the polar bear wasn’t moving just sniffing in Alexandria’s direction. She roared into the air causing everyone to shrink in fear. Guns flew into the air a few sailors making a break for the nearest ship. Lyric cut them off a giggle escaping her lips. “Now where do you think you're going?” Spinning into them with her cutlass lobbing off limbs spreading blood around the deck. She felt like an artist painting a masterpiece.

Alexandria’s vision was clouded by rage not able to tell the difference of friend and foe. Turning towards the polar bear baring her teeth. The bear backed up slowly not wanting to take her on for some reason. Retreating back into the ship the bear disappeared. Pacing back and forth more sailors flooded the ship all armed with long spears. She sat up on her hind legs roaring at the sailors.

Lyric ran forward to assist stopping dead when she looked into her eyes. There was something off about her all she saw was rage. Getting too close could mean death for everyone both friend and foe. The best course of action would be to clear out the rest of the ships. Tyra should have her back from above. Lyric looked up nodding to Tyra moving to the next ship looking for more victims to kill.

Tyra focused on the action on the center ship noticing the same thing as Lyric. There was something off and those sailors were about to feel her full wrath. She was also keeping her ears open for any sign of Eve. There had been no sign of her since everything started. If there was a time for her to show it was now. V circled the sky above watching the action waiting for her time to swoop in and pick the bones.

She had never felt this kind of power before in her life. There was something about this shift that felt different from all the others. Her blood boiled inside breathing in the sweet smell of fresh blade all around her. Moving closer the spear tips shined in the sun light. Alexandria growled low swinging her enormous paws at the encircling sailors. They seemed to be more cautious after seeing what happened knowing this wasn’t your average bear.

One of the sailors started to get impatient moving forward out of sync. Alexandria’s paw came down on her breaking the spear sending splinters into the sailor's face. Her claws caught the sailor in the side ripping a whole in her side pulling her closer. Bringing down her jaws on the sailor's neck pulling her head off. Blood sprayed all over the place painting her fellow sailors a dark crimson. A few of them tried to turn and run. Both were taken out by gunfire. Tyra sniped one while Fina took out the other.

A few sailors tried to go downstairs to grab the other polar bear. However, that didn’t go over well either. The bear didn’t want to go anywhere near Alexandria. She was having trouble controlling the shift attacking anything that moved close to her. Her conscience faded in and out of control making it hard to control. Letting the animal shift takeover would mean trouble for everyone including her crew.

The circle of sailors was shrinking and the blood coating the deck made it hard to move around. It was time for them to make a choice on what to do next. They could continue to fight dying in vain or they could board the last ships leaving to survive another day. Three ships were on fire and two more were disabled. The final two were being attacked by Lyric. She was plastered with enemy blood giggling in delight cutting through anyone foolish enough to face her. Fina was impressed the way Alexandria’s crew handled the situation. They worked together better than most of her elite members. Working together without talking much if at all.

Fina stood there watching the bloodbath mauling over a few choices in her head. There was no need to fight Alexandria anymore at least for the moment. Even though her crew was small they were taking on a formidable group of walled city sailors. Killing this group of women for any reason would be a huge mistake. They were going to be a formidable force if given the chance to grow.

Moving forward Alexandria swatted another sailor to the ground closing her massive jaws on their neck. Screams flooded the air followed by a few cracks as blood sprayed into the air raining back down on her white fur. She tossed the body of the side panting heavily. There were only two sailors left and a single ship escaped into the distance. Flames crackled around them, and small waves brushed over the wreckage of the ships. A handful of the sailors were captured by Lyric. One of Fina’s ships was coming up to the carnage with only a few pirates onboard.

Storming the deck, they advanced on what they thought was a wild polar bear. “Hold off!” Fina yelled watching the two sailors trying to corral Alexandria down into the ship. Even though they were outnumbered perhaps getting away was still feasible. Of course, it was a pipe dream, but the reality had yet to sink in.

Standing up on her hind legs again Alexandria roared at the sailors bringing a paw down splintering one of their spears. The sailor looked down in disbelief drawing a knife charging at her with reckless abandon. Clawing at her chest slashing it open she collapsed to the ground gurgling the last moments of her life away. Alexandria started to stagger on her hind legs. She dropped forward with a thud barely catching herself on all fours. All of her energy was nearly drained. Collapsing on the floor in a heap.

Fina readied her pistol to take out the final sailor. A figure dashed ahead of her brandishing a decorative throwing knife. Ducking under the sailor's spear coming up under her defense a devious giggle echoed into the air. A single slash across the throat spraying blood into the air knocking the sailor back tumbling over the side into the water. Eve straighten her posture flicking the blood from the dagger. It splatted against the deck as she spun around taking a defensive stance in front of Alexandria’s body. Which had begun shifting back into her human form.

Fina’s pirate’s jaws hit the floor watching the huge polar bear shrink down into a woman. Lyric joined Eve her cutlass out facing Fina and her pirates. Tension fille the air like a dense fog. The sailors Lyric had captured were subdued and now all eyes were on Fina. Alexandria was unconscious at the moment drenched in blood. She had dealt with at least two ships full of sailors. Lyric was also covered in blood and there was no way Fina could forget about Tyra sitting in the crow’s nest. Her rifle was most likely aiming for Fina’s head waiting for a pigheaded decision to be made.

Turning her attention to Eve along with her pistol. “Where have you been all this time? If you are a member of her crew. Why wait so long to intervene?” There was no doubt she was one of Alexandria’s crew members. Her skill with a dagger was top notch. Fina chuckled waiting for Eve to answer. Her trigger finger dancing in anticipation and impatience.

Eve tilted her head to the side a devious smile etched on her face. “I was inside your ship poking around. You are quite the weapons maker. If you must know yes, I am the newest member of the crew. Eve is my name.” She didn’t lower her weapon since both Lyric and Tyra still had theirs out. Alexandria needed to be protected at all costs.

She was impressed with the way the young crew reacted to any potential threat. Their captain was done and out, but they remain at her side. “I am captain Fina of the Red Eye pirates. We were in the middle of trading when these sailors attacked us. There was a polar bear on board it retreated down below and has yet to reappear.” She went to take a step forward a dagger struck the board in front of her. It didn’t move at all just stuck perfectly at an angle. Fina looked up putting her hands up. “Alright no need to get hostel. I wish to discuss out relationship moving forward.”

Lyric moved her cutlass to block Eve’s arm. “Hold on let’s hear what she has to say. If there was going to be a fight it would have happened already.” Lyric was serious which wasn’t a normal thing for her. Eve nodded sheathing her other dagger. The one she obtained from Syndey was still out at the ready.

“So, what more do we need to speak about? If you're going to accept our captain’s offer of half take the cargo you want and just leave some useful information. Anything else I can’t really discuss without the captain being awake.” She relaxed a bit, but her cutlass remained out just in case. There wasn’t an air of danger, but they were outnumbered at the moment.

“If we can move back to my ship and get rid of the wreckage around us. Your captain can rest and once she regains consciousness, we can discuss a partnership moving forward. We can also do that on the island.” Fina was always looking for new opportunities and this one was far too good to pass up.