A New RumorThe door to the antique shop whined on its hinges as Talisminn opened the door. The dusty shop was filled with the sound of whispers. Talisminn’s pointed ears flicked, her pink coat bristled, and her rough blue tail swished as she padded across the floor - she loved a good mystery. She found them at the back of the shop, right near the counter and huddled in together. Casually inspecting the wares of the shelf, she slowly drifted closer to the group. Her ear twitched. “But, didn’t you hear about the Wive’s Tail?!” One of them hissed urgently. “They say it sank off the coast of Allspyne.” “I heard the Razor Wind sank it!” Another replied. “Allspyne?! That’s not far from here!” The third replied in horror. “What if the Razor Wind comes here?! We’re so close to shore!” “What’s the Razor Wind??” A new voice asked. “You haven’t heard?! It’s a pirate ship!” The second voice explained. “Almost no one who encounters it lives to tell the tale. No one even knows the Captain’s name!” Talisminn could hear the floorboards creak as the owner of the voice leaned in. “They just call him the ‘King of Terror.’” The final member of group scoffed. “The King of Terror isn’t real. He <i>and</i> the Razor Wind are just a scary story for pups and kits. You don’t really <i>believe</i> that?” “Oh no! He’s real!” The third voice insisted. “My father’s cousin knows a guy who worked with a guy who had a run-in with the King of Terror himself! Lost a paw! Barely survived!” “I heard he was 6 foot tall at the shoulder, 9 foot from nose to tail-tip, and <i>all</i> muscle.” “Please, <i>no one’s</i> that big.” <i>“I</i> was told he has three rows of teeth! <i>All canines.”</i> <i>“Well, I</i> heard a rolling fog follows his ship <i>everywhere.”</i> Talisminn flicked her ears back. Her long shark tail swished on the dusty floor behind her as she lifted onto two legs to delicately inspect one of the books on a high shelf, a paw resting on one the shelves below to support her weight. “I heard the Captain of the Razor Wind drinks blood.” Talisminn said. She shot a glance back over her shoulder, narrowing her eyes so her sharp lashes stuck out like knives. The gaggle of townsfolk had all frozen to look at her. <i>“Surely not!”</i> The first one shouted. “No, no! I heard that from someone else too!” The second one insisted. Returning all paws to the floor, Talisminn pulled the book from its display. It was a guide to runes, and she found the contents intriguing. She carefully placed the leather backed book on the counter. “Just this, please.” The woman behind the counter flipped through it. “Ah, runes.” She was the owner of the final voice. “Lots of religious travelers believe these things hold cosmic power. Are you a vagabond?” Talisminn smiled cooly. “You could say that.” “Two silver.” Talisminn reached into the bag draped just behind her dorsal fin and dropped the coins on the counter. She made eye contact with the store owner. “I’m sure you’re right - the rumors of the Razor Wind are probably heavily overblown. But… they must come from <i>somewhere.”</i> Her eyes narrowed as she smiled. “Stay safe out there.” Several minutes later, Talisminn was weaving her way through the overgrown woods. She growled each time her fins snagged on a branch. Bodies like hers weren’t meant to tromp through undergrowth. She shook her pink coat out upon reaching the shore. The sun was glistening off the polished planks of the Razor Wind. She was home. Her crew saluted as she reached the top of the gang plank. “Hello men. I assume you had a good day in town.” “Shen and I offloaded a lot from our last plunder!” Shrimpi cried, her whiskers twitching excitedly. “Good.” Reaching into her bags, she tossed a sack of food at Shen. “I trust you bought a new sextant with some of your earnings.” “Yes, Captain.” Shen nodded. “Excellent. The town is talking - apparently they heard about our little ‘run-in’ with the Wive’s Tail.” Her first mate, Flapjack, sighed behind her. “She was a beautiful ship. Shame, really.” Talisminn ignored him. “Pull up anchor and get us moving. I don’t want anyone nervously watching the shore to find us.” Shen saluted silently. She tossed another sack of food at Shrimpi. “Go check on our little ‘stow-away,’ would you darling?” “Aye-aye, Aliss!” Shrimpi saluted as well before pivoting on her heel and bounding across the ship, her shrimp tail dragging behind her tiny body. Aliss turned, thumping Flapjack with her shoulder as she walked past. “Come to my quarters, would you?” Flapjack obediently turned to follow, his dolphin tail swishing against the deck. “Anything for you, Captain.” “There was a lot of whispers amongst the townsfolk today about ‘the King of Terror.’” “Oh, really?” The dolphin-dog asked, his blue tail subtly wagging. “What’d they say?” “They added yet <i>another</i> foot to my height,” Aliss began, walking into her low-ceilinged Captain’s quarters with ease. “I now have <i>three</i> rows of teeth - all canines, of course. Annnnd I helpfully informed them that the captain drinks blood.” Flapjack shot her a look. “What?” Aliss asked. “You can never be too careful. Who knows when I could strike?” Her smile faded. “They still think I’m a man.” “I understand it bothers you, but perhaps you should take it as complimentary - all those stories depicting you as a powerful beast of a man.” Flapjack shrugged offhandedly. “Yeah? Wellll, I <i>don’t.”</i> Aliss rolled her eyes. “It’s insulting everyone hears stories of a terrifying captain and never consider I could be anything other than a <i>man.”</i> “Well, who would they hear it from? The survivors you leave won’t have the confidence to say they were bested by a pink, petite <i>woman.</i> They’d never live it down.” “…You’re absolutely right. <i>They</i> would never say it.” Talisminn straightened her shoulders. “Jackie, darling, you and I are going to spread a <i>new</i> rumor.” Talisminn watched from the corner of her eye as Flapjack tugged a piece of parchment toward himself, quill in his other paw. Aliss smiled, beginning to pace slowly as she spoke. “I will no longer be known as this ‘King of Terror’ as the riffraff has judged me, but rather as the ‘Tyrant <i>Princess</i> of the Southern Seas.’” Her volume dropped, but her voice sharpened. “Let them know <i>exactly</i> what sank those ships - a <i>woman.”</i>trophytrophy