--Hoist the Colors High [MB]

It didn't take long for Jackie to realize that there was some intent on Daija's return, one that likely didn't include her involvement. "Well," she said after a moment of silence, the warmth of a familial welcome slipping away. "Guess I'll leave you two to it, then," she said, and trotted off. A part of her yearned to stick around, hide in the bushes, and eavesdrop on what they had to say, as she would have done as a pup. Oh, how much pack drama there was growing up, and so many secrets withheld. She almost thought of doing it, but she respected her older brother. She wouldn't have wanted him nosing around in her business, anyways. There was much more of the terrace to see, but her interest had never really been in the land. No, she always had eyes for the sea, her paws skipping over the well-beaten trail there, to the shore.

She stood in the wind, the warm breeze ruffling her dark-hued coat, inhaling the salty air. She closed her eyes, relishing the feeling, when it was interrupted by the high-pitched cry of a seagull. She paused, turned, and glared at the pale rat with wings, standing dumbly amongst the rest of a flock. A devious smile, a childish impulse, and she took off, running and barking as loud as she could, the gulls exploding as a volcano would. She laughed, jaws snapping the air at their fat bodies and wings, trying to see how many she could catch. Alas, they escaped her grasp, and she claimed the sandy territory with a resounding bark. "That'll teach ya," she snorted, treading into the water once again, resuming her calm disposition, and enjoying the sight of the sea.

But, something had changed along the horizon. The storm that she had seen with... What was his name. The male, who had adventures like hers, but on another sea... She was so bad with names. Sad, too, as he had been a handsome face. Perhaps if he returned, she would be able to recall. Regardless, they had seen a storm far out over the ocean, but it appeared to be drawing near. She put her nose to the air and inhaled; there was still the overwhelming scent of salt, as always, but there was a particular stench, too, like rotting fish. Even the sky above was beginning to fade to a pale yellow. Hopefully, the others would notice. The trouble with tropical storms was their speed; they could hit without warning.

Something to her left caught her eye. It was a rogue, treading through the lands and seeing the sea for the first time... or the first time from the shores of the Pearl, that is. Jackie paused, wondering if anyone else had seen him yet, but her legs moved and she wandered over to the bru. "Ahoy!" she barked, tassel swinging. Her word of entrance to these lands probably wasn't as good as Jack's or Yana's or anyone else's, but she could tell a good soul from a bad one. She had tangled with the worst of them, afterall. Seafoam eyes glinted in the sunlight, still present in the approaching storm. "And what brings the likes of you to the lands of Captain Jack Sparrow?" she asked, a certain swagger to her step, the gold jewelry jingling in her ear as she walked, but it was by no means a look of a welcoming encounter. If anything, it was bold and confident, and she wondered how this lad would react.

But the brute said nothing in return. Jackie halted, holding her head tall, though she held no official rank within the pack yet. Regardless, she was a member and sister of the Captain, and thus she would take it as her honor to protect his lands. "Ye be warned if ye enter with ill intentions," she said simply, green eyes glinting like the flash at sunset. "We may turn the other cheek when it comes to past misdeeds, but we will not spare your life if you take one of ours." There, those were words she could leave him with. He was hard to read, given his silence, and thus she would leave it as it was. He had the freedom to turn back, now. However, the scent of the storm on the wind blew again, and she knew that there wasn't a whole lot of time left for adventure. If the storm was coming, they would have to batten down the hatches and prepare. "I am Jackie, by the way. Follow me if you are to parley with the Captain, or else scram," she snorted offhandedly and shrugged.


She turned back the way she had came, the surf having risen since she first came out here. The foamy water now washed up to her ankles, flooding the golden sand between her toes, clinging to her darkened fur. It seemed that the seasons throughout the rest of the world had no effect on these pacific waters. That was all right, though. She wasn't built for snow and dreaded the thought of the cold. She had been to the Arctic once, had boarded a Germanic vessel that detoured north, and had become lost in the process. The human crew became stuck in the ice for at least a month. She had managed to slip out the back and found shelter amongst a native pack, who took her in and fed her with the warmth of caribou and winter pheasant. They had been a strange bunch, traditional and other-worldly, but kind enough to give her a place to stay. There had even been a strong and silent hessian there who had captured her heart in that wintry tundra, but of course, they were polar opposites; then again, that is what had caused such a fire between them in the first place. The Arctic was not her place, though, and the humans dug themselves out, and departed for warmer waters. She could still remember his mysterious amber eyes, obsidian coat hiding coil upon coil of raw muscle, and the softness of his voice like that of a gentle stream. His name was Naktuk, a name that still made her heart beat fast and her insides tighten. But all of that was not to be...


The family had gathered since she had last seen them. Calypso was smiling now and the whelps were romping about, which was a good sign that they were recovering. She approached and nuzzled her brother's shoulder, looking to both him and his mate. She caught the look that Calypso gave him, and smiled. She could see that the woman truly loved him. It was pure and it was honest... Something Jackie herself wasn't sure if she was capable of. "How are things?" she asked, tail wagging. "Better, I hope?"

Calypso's response was uplifting. Jackie wagged her tail and smiled, glad to see that things were in moving into good spirits. This was the way of the pack by the sea. The ability to forgive, let go, and begin anew. An old philosophy that it seems her brother had carried over. "Aye, I believe I shall," she replied, watching the pups romp and wrestle. "Moral support 'n' all. Me brother's gotta have a first mate somewhere, eh? I mean, besides yourself." Her words said this, but as with the endless number of waves crashing on the beach, there was her endless love of the sea. It called her name, a whisper on the salty breeze, yearning to pull her in for more adventure. But for now... She needed to be on land. Stay grounded. There were pirates out there hunting for her hide, and she knew she was safest here, amongst a crew she knew.

"How is me brother, Calypso?" Jackie asked softly, as not for the pups to hear. "I know he broods. He's a stubborn lubber like that. Do you or him need any help with duties? I enjoy the work, y'know. Pup-sitting, hunting, alliances, you name it." It was the least she could do. While there were packs in which she was a freeloader, finding the most attractive male and exploiting him for his riches, this was different. She was to earn her stay. Jack would have done the same for her.