CHAPTER 4
THE THRICE-CURSED PIRATE
Location: The Oasis
Date: 16MAR21
Time: 2245 hours
The echo of the bell carries on through the jungle. I look up into the trees and watch as hundreds of birds flee from the church. Behind them is the blood red moon illuminating the night sky.
M stares deeply into the jungle and is motionless, as if petrified by the ringing of the bell.
I nudge him to break his gaze. “M! Snap out of it! What’s going on?” I ask.
“Sea Wolf . . . ,” he begins, “. . . has risen.”
“Come on, M. That was all just a make-believe story, right?” I say.
“I’m afraid not,” says M. “That bell has set Sea Wolf’s plan in motion.”
“Wait, what plan?” I ask.
But before M can respond, Jag starts sprinting into the jungle toward the abandoned church.
Thick fog spreads through the Oasis. I can barely see anything.
“Pawtriots, into the jungle!” I howl.
“Which way?” asks Lindy.
“Follow me,” says M, sprinting forward.
We all follow M across the beach, through the fog, and into the jungle. Heading into the unknown with reckless abandon.
This is the last thing any unit should be doing.
Location: Base of Abandoned Church
Time: 2345 hours
We move as fast as we can through the lush, overgrown terrain. I jump over fallen branches, making sure to avoid w snare of twisted vines. The last thing I need right now is for my wheel to trip me up.
“Make haste! The church is just through here,” shouts M, pointing to an opening in the thicket.
As we burst out of the thicket into a cut in the jungle, I look up and can see the abandoned church.
I quickly scan the low ground and see rubble, stones, and tall overgrown trees that surround the bell tower, but I can’t locate Jet.
“Rico! Up there,” Franny shouts, pointing to the bell tower.
“Is . . . is that . . . ,” Penny says, her jaw wide open and her eyes big and round.
“Sea Wolf,” M says.
“It can’t be,” I say, in complete disbelief.
“Oh but it can,” M says.
“We need to find a way up to the bell tower to save Jet,” I call out.
“There’s only one way, Rico. Follow me,” says M.
As I start to head for the church I turn and shout “Lindy, Jag, on me!”
When we make it to the top of the church tower by climbing a vine, I rise to my paws to get my bearings.
“This way,” M says. “The bell is up these stairs on the upper landing.”
Lindy, Jag, and I follow M up the stairs to the next landing. As if waiting for us, there is Sea Wolf.
“Easy, easy. Just let her go!” I howl.
He must be twice my size. I scan him up and down. His eyes are bloodshot and the moon paints his gray fur with an ominous glow.
“Poor choice of words!” Sea Wolf calls out. I watch helplessly as he releases his grip on Jet’s neck.
I race to the edge of the bell tower: “Jet!”
But it’s too late. All I can do is watch as she crashes into a cluster of tall trees below, helplessly clawing at the branches in a desperate effort to slow her fall. She hits the ground hard, and I watch as the Pawtriots race over to help her up.
I spin back around to face Sea Wolf.
“We’ve got you cornered!” I growl.
“You won’t stop me this time, M. You treacherous bilge rat!” says Sea Wolf.
We slowly circle Sea Wolf, waiting for the opportune moment to pounce.
“Let’s take him down!” says Jag.
We inch closer and closer to Sea Wolf. He’s big, but we have him outnumbered and he knows it.
“We’ll have to settle this later. Destiny awaits!” howls Sea Wolf as he grabs some vine hanging over the side of the tower and quickly slides down, vanishing into the fog.
