The Pirate-Puppy adventures of Stefan - Intro

The Pirate-Puppy adventures of Stefan
Introduction

“FIRE! FIRE ALL CANNONS!” Captain Stefan shouted, grasping the handle of his sword in his mouth and pointing it toward a much bigger ship than his, caught in a strong headwind.
In a second, the deck erupted in a sudden cascade of smoke, deafening cannon fire and the strong reek of black powder. The bigger ship was defenceless, unable to evade or turn away from the Redemption. In a series of flashes, the Redemption’s guns blasted relentlessly at their target.

Captain Stefan had been chasing down this vessel for a few weeks now. The captain was a wanted dog in thirteen colonies, with a very large bounty for him, his ship, or proof of his destruction. Now, Stefan wasn’t in it for the bounty. He wasn’t interested in the High King’s laws, or those that upheld them. He was on the wrong side of the law too, so to speak. But not wanted by any of the colonies. He usually pirated a supply or trader every now and then, but mostly kept his head low.
He had pursued this ship purely for reputation. To send this goliath of a ship to the bottom, would truly make news within all the colonies! “Captain Stefan sinks The Ravager. The Redemption truly lives up to its reputation, as the fastest, stealthiest ship in the seas.”
It had been a good attempt, but no one escapes Captain Stefan!

The Ravager had been crippled by that volley of shots. The Redemption’s crew have unmatchable aim, and almost always hit their target. Captain Stefan let out a howl of victory, amplified and echoed by his fearsome crew as the masts of the other ship toppled and collapsed into the water.
Captain Stefan sheathed his sword again, sliding it back into his belt across his back. He kept his eyes locked on the Ravager watching as the shapes of scared dogs ran up and down the deck, avoiding the flames that consumed the ship and dodging the falling debris that was sent skyward by the explosions.
“They’re in trouble now, boys. They’re at our mercy!” He barked, in his high, little voice. His voice was drowned out by the triumphant howls of the crew.
“Let’s get in there, and finish the job! Half sail, turn straight at them. We’ll board them and ignite their powder supplies, send them out with a bang.”

His orders were followed immediately. The sails dropped down and caught the wind instantly, pushing the ship into a lurch as the helms-hound spun the wheel, steering the ship towards its victim.
“It’s been two weeks since we set out after this ship. Wanted for attacking the High King’s supply fleet, and sinking the royal armada’s second biggest ship. When they go down to the bottom of the sea, our names will go down in History!” He barked, wagging his tail furiously.

Suddenly, the wind changed again. The Redemption groaned as it was pulled violently off course. Captain Stefan stumbled across the deck, before tripping over his own paws and faceplanting the solid wood beneath him. A lot of his crew were knocked off balance, scattering the deck.
Captain Stefan put his paws up onto the side of the ship and hauled himself up. “Back to your paws, bring down in the sails! Rogue winds will blow us right in to....”
He froze, the words stopping dead in his throat. To his horror, the rogue winds had blown them right out to the side of the Ravager. He seen the feathered cap of the Captain’s hat, and seconds later the shutters on the ship had clattered open, and the Ravager’s guns were ready to fire.

“Get down! Brace for attack!” Captain Stefan barked, right before the thunderous crack of the giant ship’s guns echoed above the chaos. The world suddenly went numb, as the side of the Redemption exploded around him, throwing huge lumps of wood up onto the deck. Captain Stefan was knocked away, blasted across the deck into one of the larger dogs in his crew. Both went tumbling over the edge, into the crystal blue water below.

----) = (----

Stefan suddenly woke up, his legs shaking and his eyes wide. He gave a panicked bark, and heard one of his humans coming down the stairs to investigate the noise.
“Ah fiddlesticks....just another dream.” He said, setting his head down on his anchor plush and watching the door.
As if on cue, the little girl human came running through and straight over to his bed.

“My poor little Steffy!” She said, skipping over and picking him up. “Did you have a bad dream again? It’s okay....”
She bent down and grabbed Stefan’s anchor plush and walked out of the kitchen, heading back to her room with Stefan in her arms. “Mom won’t mind you sleeping on my bed again...I hope.”