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Nassau wasn’t exactly the first place Izzy would have thought of for a day of shore leave, but maybe that was because he wasn’t used to that sort of leisure. His co-captains often insisted on shore leave because it was supposed to be good for the crew. Izzy thought it would just them more incompotent than they already were, if that was even possible. As they dropped anchor at the docks, Ed came over and slapped Izzy on the shoulder.
“What are you going to do on shore leave, Iz?” he asked.
“I don’t know yet,” Izzy replied, having not put much thought into it. “I’m sure I’ll find something to occupy myself.”
“Good man,” Ed said. “Just don’t let me catch you trying to sneak back to the ship again. A little time away from it will do you some good.”
“Yes, Captain,” Izzy said, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.
Ed squeezed his shoulder and walked away to where Stede stood talking to Frenchie and Roach. Ed kissed Stede on the lips, putting an arm around his waist. Izzy’s heart twisted in his chest and he turned away, biting the inside of his cheek to stave off his emotions. Once the gangplank was lowered, the crew immediately left the ship and headed into the town, talking and messing with each other like children. Ed and Stede walked off holding hands. Izzy looked around the empty ship before he sighed heavily and went ashore as well.
He felt unsteady on solid ground, too used to the constant motion of the ship. Izzy tugged at his glove as he walked, trying to think of something that could occupy him for a couple hours. Getting drunk was a tempting idea, but something told him the rest of them were already at the tavern, and he didn’t really want to be around the lot of them when they were drunk, especially not Stede and Ed. Alcohol made them both disgustingly affectionate, even more than they already were, and it also made Izzy feel things he didn’t want to feel.
After a minute of aimless walking, Izzy decided that maybe he just needed some alone time, away from not just the crew, but people in general. He purchased some food and a mug of rum, then made his way back to the beach and sat down on the sand, a ways away from the docks. The sun was starting to set on the horizon, glinting off the surface of the ocean, the sky a mix of dark blue and bright orange. Izzy drank his rum and bit into some of the cooked meat he’d bought.
It felt odd not being on the ship, but at the same time, Izzy felt relaxed. Maybe it was the rum. He took another drink and sighed deeply, laying back on the sand, staring up at the darkening sky. A soft noise to his left made him tense up and his eyes, which had been on the verge of closing, shot open again. He sat up with a hand upon his sword just in time to see a small animal with its head inside the bag of food.
“What the fuck?” Izzy said.
He grabbed the bag and pulled just as the animal did. It was a hound. At least, Izzy thought it was, but it was still fairly small. More a pup still than a full grown dog. It was mostly black on top with brown on its legs and a tail tipped with white. It had floppy ears, one of which had a notch in it, tipped with brown, and it had grey-white fur on its chest and the underside of its muzzle. Big brown eyes stared at Izzy as the pup wrestled with a piece of chicken it had pulled from the bag.
“Give me that,” Izzy said, reaching for the chicken.
The pup growled squeakily and moved out of his reach, pulling the meat with it. Izzy scowled.
“Fine, keep it,” he grumbled.
The dog set the meat down and started to try and eat it, but the meat was almost the same size as the dog. Izzy watched the pup struggle to tear the flesh with its small sharp teeth. He reached out and the pup growled, paws protectively on its prize.
“Don’t you dare bite me,” Izzy warned. “I’m just trying to help you.”
The pup cocked its head and sat on the sand, tail wagging. Izzy took the chicken and drew his knife, using it to cut the meat up into smaller chunks. He piled them in front of the pup and it barked happily and began eating, tail wagging the whole time. Izzy could see the faint shape of the animal’s ribs through its fur. He finished his own meal and drained his drink, just as the pup finished with the chicken. Izzy stood up and stretched, then turned and began walking away.
He only moved a few steps before he heard a bark and stopped, turning around to find the dog standing behind him.
“I haven’t got anything else,” Izzy told it. “Go find someone else to poach from.”
The pup turned its head to one side. Izzy turned away and started walking again, and heard it following him again. He faced the pup and frowned at it, while the animal stared at him, panting and tail wagging.
“Will you stop following me?” Izzy said. “I’m not your mother.”
The pup barked and ran in a circle. Izzy sighed and shook his head. He looked down and spotted a stick on the ground. An idea entered his mind. He knelt and picked up the stick, and the pup stopped and stared at it eagerly.
“Go get it,” Izzy said, throwing the stick as hard and far as he could down the beach.
The dog barked happily and ran after it. Izzy watched the dog before he turned and quickly ran from the beach and back into the town. He walked toward the tavern the crew usually frequented whenever they were in Nassau with an inn above it. Behind him, Izzy heard muffled barking and stopped in his tracks, slowly turning around. The pup was making a line straight to him with the stick held proudly in its mouth.
“For fuck’s sake,” Izzy muttered, as the dog reached him and set the stick at his feet. “Don’t you have someone to bother?”
The pup barked as if answering him and nudged the stick closer to Izzy’s boots. He sighed again and picked up the stick, throwing it again. The dog happily ran after it. Izzy slipped into the tavern and was able to book a room for the night. The pup would find someone else to pester, he was sure of it.
The next morning, Izzy saw no sign of the dog as he made his way to the docks with Ed and Stede and the rest of the crew. When they reached the ship, there were a few large barrels waiting on the dock beside it.
“What is that?” Izzy asked.
“Supplies,” Ed said. “Oranges, gunpowder, rum. The uzsh.”
“Right,” Izzy replied, eyeing the barrels.
Wee John and the others started loading them aboard the ship. It wasn’t long before they were moving out and were catching the wind out on the open ocean, the Republic of Pirates getting smaller and smaller behind them. Izzy was standing on the main deck when he heard a sudden commotion coming from below. He rushed down into the cargo hold and found Lucius, Black Pete, and Frenchie standing around one of the barrels they’d brought aboard.
“What the fuck is going on down here?” Izzy demanded. “What are you lot staring at?”
“I heard something coming from inside this barrel,” Black Pete answered. “I swear!”
“Don’t be a twat,” Izzy snapped. “There’s nothing but the uszh in those barrels! Now get back to your posts before–”
Frenchie tipped the barrel over, spilling gunpowder onto the floor, along with, to Izzy’s surprise, the same pup from the day before, black fur more grey from the powder. It barked and sneezed, shaking itself and sending more powder into the air. Everyone stared at the dog in shock while the dog looked back at them, tail sweeping on the floor. Lucius smiled and reached toward it.
“Hello, handsome,” he said. “Where did you come from?”
The pup sniffed at his outstretched hand and shook its head, then moved to sniff Black Pete and Frenchie.
“What the fuck?” Izzy said.
At the sound of his voice, the dog turned and barked, running right up to him, standing on its hind legs and pawing at Izzy’s trousers, tail wagging furiously. Lucius and the others started laughing.
“Aww, someone made a new friend,” Lucius said. “He’s so much cuter than the other one.”
Izzy glared at him. “I’m not affiliated with this mutt.”
“He seems to know you though,” Black Pete said. “How do we know you didn’t smuggle him aboard?”
“Because there’s no fucking pets allowed here,” Izzy snapped.
He looked down at the pup, who stared back with two large brown eyes. Izzy picked him up with one hand by the scruff of his neck. The pup’s tail continued to wag and he licked at Izzy’s face. Ignoring the snickering, Izzy left the room, only to run into Ed and Stede out on the deck. They stopped and stared at the pup in surprise.
“What you got there, Iz?” Ed asked teasingly. “A new friend?”
“It’s a stowaway,” Izzy replied irritably. “He was in one of the barrels we brought aboard.”
“He’s very cute,” Stede said. “But you shouldn’t hold him like that.”
Izzy looked at the pup he still held by the scruff. The animal was still wagging his tail. Izzy adjusted the pup and held him in the crook of his arm against his chest. The pup squirmed and licked at his chin. Ed chuckled.
“Seems like you’ve got yourself a pet, mate,” he said.
“You said pets weren’t allowed on the ship,” Izzy reminded him. “I’m not keeping this mutt.”
“Well we’re certainly not going to just throw him overboard,” Stede said. “Besides, rules can change. I don’t see the harm in having this pup on board.”
Izzy grunted and looked down at the dog, who was now falling asleep in his arms.
“Fine,” Izzy muttered. “But I’ll let him go when we return to Nassau. This is only temporary.”
A few weeks went by. The pup grew bigger and came up to Izzy’s waist when he was sitting. He had no name except for “Little Izzy” which was what the others called him because he was always following Izzy around like a shadow. He wore a black cravat around his neck that Stede had tied there, so that he looked more dignified. Izzy tried to distance himself from the dog by pawning him off to the others, but the pup just came right back to him.
“You’re still going back to Nassau,” Izzy told the dog one night in his room. “I don’t care what the others say.”
The pup blinked his big brown eyes before going back to chewing on the length of braided rope Jim had given him. Izzy shook his head and kicked off his boots, removed his weapons and the rest of his clothes, then laid back on his bed. He closed his eyes for a moment and heard the sound of claws against wood, before the bed shook slightly and a cold, wet nose pressed against his cheek.
“Get off,” Izzy grunted, lightly batting at the dog’s muzzle. “Go sleep over there.” He waved toward the floor.
The pup whined and moved, but not to the floor. Instead, he laid down along Izzy’s side and curled up, tail thumping softly against the bed. Izzy sat up and stared, but his irritation died when the dog nuzzled against him. Slowly, Izzy reached out and ran his fingers through the soft fur, then scratched at the pup’s ears.
“Good boy,” Izzy whispered.
The pup whined in his sleep and nestled closer to Izzy’s side. Izzy rolled over and draped his arm over the dog, hearing the tail wagging harder against his leg. The dog’s fur was soft and warm against Izzy’s cheek as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.
The next morning, Izzy walked out onto the deck with the pup trotting at his side. Lucius saw them and grinned.
“Well, look who it is,” he said. “Izzy and Little Izzy.”
“Isaac,” Izzy corrected.
“What?” Lucius asked.
“His name is Isaac,” Izzy said, rubbing the dog’s head.
“Isaac,” Lucius repeated. “Fine, but he’ll always be Little Izzy to us.”
Izzy rolled his eyes and walked away with Isaac.
A month went by and Isaac didn’t get any larger, staying about the size of a fox. He was with Izzy all the time–walking around the ship with him during the day, eating his own food at Izzy’s feet during meals, and sleeping in Izzy’s bed with him at night. Izzy had never had a best friend before, but Isaac was very easily the best one. He didn’t judge Izzy for anything and actually wanted to be around him. Izzy could tell him anything and not have to worry about being laughed at or mocked. He also provided comfort when Izzy found himself sad or upset.
A few nights ago, the two of them had been out on the deck. Izzy noticed Ed and Stede sitting side by side at the railing, hands intertwined with Ed’s head on Stede’s shoulder, the blond’s fingers combing through the other man’s long hair. They were talking quietly and giggling, occasionally kissing. Izzy stood and watched from afar, feeling a tightness in his chest, like someone was squeezing his heart. His eyes burned.
Isaac whimpered and pawed at Izzy’s leg, nuzzling at his hand hanging at his side. Izzy snapped out of it, blinking away the tears that had suddenly welled in his eyes. He hurriedly walked away and went to his room, where he let the tears fall as he sat down on his bed. Isaac jumped up next to him and whined, licking Izzy’s face dry. Izzy sniffled and wrapped his arms around the dog, crying into Isaac’s soft warm fur. When his tears stopped, Izzy pulled away and Isaac yipped once, tilting his head to one side.
“Thank you,” Izzy told him, scratching behind the dog’s ears. “Good boy, Isaac.”
Isaac licked Izzy’s cheek and the man smiled.
When ‘The Revenge’ returned to Nassau, Izzy did bring Isaac ashore with him, but it was no longer to leave him there. He played fetch with the dog on the beach with a stick and wrestled with him in the sand, playing tug-o-war with Isaac’s rope toy. Before they returned to the ship, Izzy took off the cravat Stede had given Isaac and replaced it with a black collar with a metal tag hanging from it, Isaac’s name pressed into it. Izzy put the cravat over it but left the tag visible, then scratched behind Isaac’s ears.
“You’re my best friend, Isaac,” Izzy said. “You’re my good boy.”
Isaac barked and licked Izzy’s face, wagging his tail. Izzy smiled and laughed, and hugged his dog close.