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They reach the Republic of Pirates in good health, if exhausted.
After Izzy had been sent away, Ivan and Fang had decided not to stick around. Their Captain was changing, and that had given Fang the push he’d needed to make some changes himself.
If the Captain could choose not to kill his beloved new pet, then Fang could leave and get himself a new pet, too. No dog could replace his old one, of course, but hopefully, in time, the gaping hole of regret and guilt inside of him would grow less painful.
Izzy finds them in Spanish Jackie’s bar, and grins when he sees them. “Come to join me for revenge, eh? Good, we can use men like you. Come along.” He turns, clearly expecting them to follow him.
Ivan nudges Fang. “You tell him.”
Fang gulps when Izzy turns again, glaring from Ivan to Fang and back.
“Tell me what?” Izzy asks. “Has something happened on the Revenge? To our Captain? Is he okay?” His voice almost sounds worried.
Fang shakes his head, and sits up straight. “He was okay when we left,” he says. “But we’re not here for revenge.” It’s weird, not having to listen to his Captain or Izzy’s orders anymore.
“Then why the fuck are you here?” Izzy demands, stepping close to glare up at Fang. “You left the Captain alone with that—that Bonnet?” He spits the name as if it’s the foulest curse.
“He seemed pretty happy,” Ivan says, and Izzy whirls to glare at him.
“And we thought, well, if the Captain can be happy, maybe we can, too,” Fang adds.
“Happy?” Izzy stares at them both. “We’re fucking pirates! We aren’t happy unless we’ve got some merchants at the other end of our sword, pissing themselves while we steal their wares!”
“I just don’t find that very satisfying anymore,” Fang says. “I’ve been talking to Captain Bonnet about that, and—”
“Don’t you dare say that name in front of me,” Izzy snaps. “He’s not a real captain.”
“And he says that it’s perfectly normal to become unsatisfied in your career after you’ve done the same thing over and over,” Fang continues. From the corner of his eye, he sees Ivan give him an encouraging smile. “He decided to switch careers and become a pirate. So why can’t we switch careers and stop being pirates?”
“You don’t stop being pirates!” Izzy tells them. “The only way we stop is when we’re dead! And I’ve got a good mind to help you two along.”
Ivan gets up, towering over Izzy. “No. We’re done with pirating. We’re not on your crew. We don’t have to listen to you. Come on, Fang. Let’s go.”
Fang’s glad Ivan took the lead there, because watching Izzy work himself into a rage always makes him worry. Izzy’s become more unpredictable than usual, and Fang doesn’t want to stick around to see who or what Izzy will stab this time. “We’ve got more important things to do.”
“Like what?” Izzy spits, fury burning in his eyes. “What can be more important than saving the Captain?”
“Dogs,” Fang tells him. “We’re gonna save dogs.”
Izzy bursts into laughter. “You two are gonna save dogs? That’s the most pathetic things I’ve ever heard. You two make me sick. Get out.”
Fang doesn’t point out they were leaving already, and follows Ivan out. “Do you think he’s right?” he asks. The Captain’s stance on dogs is clear, and Izzy hates the idea as well. Fang’s always listened to them before.
“Of course he isn’t,” Ivan tells him. “You like dogs. I like dogs. There isn’t a dog rescue on this island.”
“Are there even any dogs on the island?” Fang asks, frowning.
Ivan smiles at him. “Why don’t we find out?”
*
Setting up a dog rescue is more work than Fang expected. They take over a burnt-out bar where Spanish Jackie killed the previous owner for looking at her funny, and fix the place up.
Jackie drops by after seeing their sign go up. “You two starting a bar?” she demands, glaring at them.
“No! We’re starting a dog rescue,” Ivan explains.
Jackie frowns at that. “A dog rescue? For actual dogs? With the fur and the yapping?”
Fang smiles. “Yes!”
“You two are crazy,” she tells them, then nods. “Jackie likes crazy. But you better not start a bar, you hear?”
“No, ma’am,” Fang manages. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
*
Their first rescue is a mongrel that washes up on the shore. Fang carries it back to the rescue, where he and Ivan take turns taking care of her wounds and feeding her. The poor girl’s starving, and Fang strokes her fur as she eats. “You’re in good hands now,” he tells the dog, and she wags her tail as she licks his hand.
Fang feels tears well up in his eyes. “You’re a good girl,” he tells her. “A very good girl.”
Something warm blossoms in his chest, a feeling he hasn’t had in a long time. Not since the Captain had told Fang about his no pets policy, and how he expected Fang to deal with it.
The dog’s brown eyes stare up at him, clear affection in her gaze, and she rolls onto her back so he can pet her belly.
He gasps when he feels something move under her skin. “Ivan! She’s sick!”
Ivan rushes in, kneeling by Fang’s side. He rests his hand on the dog’s belly. “She isn’t sick. She’s pregnant.”
Puppies.
They’re going to have puppies.
Fang grins. “We’re going to need more blankets and food for when they arrive!”
*
The dog, which Fang named Spot for the many brown and black spots covering her white fur, gives birth to four puppies. Ivan and Fang almost lose one, the runt of the litter, and Fang stays up through the night to feed it goat’s milk until it’s strong enough to drink from Spot.
The four puppies wriggle and whine on the blanket Fang has set up for Spot in the corner, and his heart swells with joy as he watches them.
Spot whuffs when he ruffles her behind her ears. “I know, they’re a lot,” he tells her. Spot looks exhausted. “You’re being a very good mum to them.”
“So are you,” Ivan says, coming from behind Fang to give him some bread rolls. “You forgot to eat. Again.”
Fang ducks his head. “I wanted to check on them. Make sure they’re okay.” He takes out a bite out of the rolls and moans at the flavour. “Oh, this is delicious! Did you make these?” Fang’s mainly been focused on the puppies and Spot, and Ivan has been experimenting in what’s left of the kitchen.
“I did.” Ivan smiles, looking proud. “I added a bit of cinnamon. It’s more fun cooking here than it was on the ship.”
“You should do it more often,” Fang tells him. “If you want.”
Ivan’s smile grows. “Yeah. Maybe I will.”
*
And that is how Pirate Dog Rescue turns into Pirate Dog Rescue & Bakery, which Spanish Jackie is suspicious of until she realises they’re not selling drinks. Just food.
She also ends up taking one of the puppies once he’s big enough to be on his own, and she says it’s to keep the mice and rats out, but Fang can see how protectively she cuddles the dog to her chest.
He smiles, happier than he’s felt in months.
And nothing and no one is going to take that away from him.