"This chaos has to come to an end, one way or another." Gunter said. After the smoke had cleared, he gathered a meeting for all the animals on the deck. Even the captain's annoying parrot Nestor was there, perched on a rope.

"I second that!" Bjorn said. "But what can we do? We don't have any control over the ship; we're just animals."

"And the ghost dog wasn't our fault. We're just here for the adventure. We don't want any gold." Rita said, folding her arms.

"Gold for me. Adventure is useless without gold." Nestor cawed.

"So it's your fault the ghost dog came!" Snaggle hissed, pointing at Nestor.

"What? No! No idea dog would come. Only thought gold would come."

"But what can an animal do with gold? No human would let you buy anything because you're a parrot." Trinket said.

"True, but with gold, I can have what no other animal has; riches!"

"Okay," Rita said, "but no matter how much we accuse each other, there's still the matter of the ghost dog. Nothing can change that."

"What should we do about it?" Dondigo asked. "We can't make them turn the ship around."

"We could swim and hope we find an island." Rocco said, grasping for straws.

"Are you crazy? We're not even sure an island exists out there, and we'd probably get tired before we saw one. And something may pop up from the ocean and eat us." Trinket said. Rocco remembered the monster squeezing the boat like a snake, eating full grown men like snacks. The idea of swimming while a monster was right below you, watching you, didn't sound appealing.

"We could steal the little boat, then find an island." Dondigo said.

"How would we get it over board? And we don't know how to paddle." Bjorn said.

Dondigo nodded. "Good point."

"Anyways, we have to do something." Gunter said, "But there isn't a reasonable way for us to escape the dog. Unless you wish liberation in Davey Jone's Locker."

"Could we convince the ghost dog to leave us alone?" Dondigo asked.

"Good luck." Snaggle said. "And what would the dog want to do to the crew? Send more curses?"

"So we're stuck." Trinket said.

There was silence for a minute, then Gunter said "Prepare yourselves for the night. It's a miracle we've survived this long."

All the animals besides Rocco, Rita and Bjorn disbanded to take care of their own matters. The three who had been left sat on the deck, waiting for something to stir.

The foggy sky put a on damp, chilled feeling. It looked like the sun had risen, but the clouds were covering it. One could see out over the water for a good thirty to forty feet, then it was all lost in shadows and vapor.

'What should we do while we wait for the ghost dog's little surprise?" Rita asked.

"What is there to do?" Bjorn asked. "We're in the middle of the ocean on an expensive piece of wood, waiting to be slaughtered by an apparition."

"Well I'd rather do something besides sleeping while we wait for our deaths. Rocco, how about I show you how to fight using a sword?" Rita said

"What?" Rocco asked. He didn't think rodents could use a sword, besides Rita. He thought she just stabbed with it, sort of like a long claw or tooth.

"Sword fighting! or if you wanna get technical, fencing."

"Aren't they different?" Bjorn asked.

"They both consist of fighting and swords." Rita replied.

"Yes, but fencing is a sport. People don't get terribly hurt. Sword fighting is actually fighting; trying to kill your opponent."

"Then this is fencing. Rocco, go find two sticks or chicken bones or something." Rita said.

"Okay." He scampered behind a barrel. After a few seconds of searching, he found a large pile of twigs. Who put it there? Oh well. Rocco pulled out two twigs slightly shorter than him and carried them back.

"I found two! There was a pile of sticks!" He said around the twigs in his mouth.

"Swordplay is a human art. If you want to do it, spit those out of your mouth and walk like a man!" Rita said, dancing on her hind legs.

Rocco did so, awkwardly carrying both sticks in his paws and waddling on his legs. He handed one to Rita, and she gave it a good wave. "A bit light, but it will do."

Rocco tried to place his feet the same way Rita had hers, but he felt heavy and out of synch. She looked bouncy and flexible, even though she was bigger than him.

"Strike at me. Try to get my chest."

Rocco looked around with confusion, then decided his plan of action, though he wasn't confident. He hopped forward and poked the stick at her chest, but long before it made contact she swirled it out of his hands with her own stick. Rocco felt a spark of frustration, but it dampened when he remembered his weak plan.

"You can't get me that easily! You'll have to get me when my own sword is down or you have an open shot. And don't let me whack it from you." She gestured to the stick and Rocco took it up again, feeling more ready. "Again."

He struck at her again, but when she started to swivel, he pulled upward with both paws. It didn't work, but he put up a better fight.

"You're not strong enough to escape that. Try something else." Rita said.

Rocco exhaled, loosening his muscles. He struck out again, but swiped for her sword instead of lunging for her chest. She swiftly deflected the attack, but Rocco struck again. With each of his attacks, she quickly blocked them. Once she faltered a bit, and he detected it as her getting slower. He tried to strike her chest again, but she whacked it away with the same speed as before.

"Much better!" She said. "But you're still very eager to end the fight. And I won't go easy on you this time."

He picked his twig up again, breathing deeper. He watched as Rita bounced a little, then stood firmly on the wood.

He swiped at her leg, but she blocked it with ease. With a wide arch, she brought his twig down.

"What?!" Rocco said indignantly

"Don't get so caught up in yourself!" Rita said excitedly, bouncing lightly on her paws. "I told you I wouldn't go easy! Try again!"

This time Rocco felt his blood running faster. After hours of his heart slowly thumping, it was almost addictive to feel fresh blood pump through his veins, fueling him.

Rita slashed quickly at him towards his hand, but he swished her off. She let him roll her twig, and quickly hit his leg once she was free.

"Ow!" Rocco barked, surprised by the sudden lash.

"Focus on the enemy, not the injury!" Rita said as she swiped again.

With each strike, Rocco could feel his laziness edge away. He was hardly aware of Bjorn watching from the side, a wee smile creeping on.

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}

Rocco wouldn't let Rita stop fighting till long after the sun shined through the top of the fog. When the first member of the crew arose from the cabin, Rita tried to convince Rocco that sword fighting rodents would look crazy. Rocco reluctantly agreed. He didn't like the humans, and he didn't want to bring attention to him.

Throughout the day, Rocco followed Rita around, asking her every question that popped in his head about sword fighting. He hadn't won at all when they played before, but he was anxious to start again.

As they were nibbling on some larger-than-normal crumbs in the cabin, Rocco asked "Why do you need to be balanced? I'm not very balanced; maybe that  was why I didn't win."

Rita was patient about answering questions before, but she was quickly getting bored of the younger rat. "Yes, you need to be balanced. And that was one reason why you never won, but there are plenty of other problems."

"Like what?" Rocco asked, his dark eyes shining. "What was wrong?"

Rita looked over the room, studying what the captain and his men were doing. "You weren't very fast, and your reflexes are sluggish. Your resiliency is terrible."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you're very rigid and when your stance or attack is broken, it's hard for you to recover."

Rita went on answering questions till the afternoon. By then, her patience was spent and she asked Rocco to go somewhere else. He went to the deck indignantly, upset that he had nothing else to do and he wanted to learn more.

He practiced by himself in the corner a little, but it wasn't as fun.

He eventually curled up in the shade and dozed asleep, listening to the apprehensive mutters and foot steps of the men.

{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}

Rocco was startled awake from his dream.

He dreamed he was walking across a rope suspended above the water. Monstrous fish leaped up for him, but they never caught their target. Trinket was following him. Keep going! They'll get us if you stop! But in order to get to the other side you have to-

She was cut off when Rocco was awakened. He was shaking, wondering what she was about to say to him.

The stars danced mockingly. Death was suspended in on the North star, melancholy filling the Big Dipper. It was midnight, and as the ghost dog promised, something terrible would happen.

Rocco jumped when a caw pierced the night. He looked to where the sound came from, but it was just Nestor on the rail.

He ruffled his bright feathers. "Chilly, chilly night. Cabin should be warm."

Rocco watched quietly as Nestor jumped off the rail, not wanting to get the bird's attention and talk to him. Nestor landed on the deck then waddled to the door leading to the cabin. He muttered something as he pulled the door open with his beak, but Rocco couldn't hear. As Nestor opened the door and started descending the stairs, he stopped.

Rocco couldn't see him once he had passed the wall, but he heard a spine-chilling noise, like bones moving, and screeching that quieted to flopping.

The sound of men waking up, probably startled by the sound, started to fill the damp air. Rocco raced over to Nestor from his cover to see what had happened. He pried the door open a bit more to see better. Through the filtered moonlight, laying at the top of the stairs, was a bright red fish slightly smaller than Rocco. The only sign of Nestor was slowly falling feathers.

The men started running up the stairs, followed by the captain. Rocco scampered behind the door quickly.

"¿De pescado?"

"¡Nestor se ha ido!"

The men questioned the scene of the random fish, then they panicked. They ran to the deck, looking for what trouble there may be.

The sound of moving bones came again, and most of the men became scaly. They shrunk, and turned into fish. Their screams converted a chorus of flops.

The captain looked surprised, but it replaced to fear. He turned into a silver fish.

Fifteen men stood, ready to turn into fish. They waited in agony, but nothing happened.

The fish started to jump, trying to get over the side of the boat. Some succeeded, but some weren't able to. Everyone watched in shock as they slowly stopped moving.

Ghostly fog leisurely filled the air. The standing men screamed and ran for the cabin, but the door slammed shut. Rocco scampered to a crate after he lost his hiding spot.

The ghost dog formed from the smoke. His purple eyes stared intently at everyone.

"All of those who came for gold, their lives have been sold. To the bottom of the sea they flee, unfortunate that they could not see. Your ship entered the triangle long ago, and I think it's time that you should know; this journey was meant to fail, from the moment it set sail. You can't turn around now; all there is left to do is drown! Pray to your deity, for he cannot stop me! To burn or sink? I suppose you better think!"

Thunder roared from the clear sky. Stars blazed like fire, and riptides smashed into the boat. A claw of lightning struck the mast, and red flames spread.

Embers blew from above, landing on the deck and starting fires. The few men alive tried desperately to put out the flames, but it was all for not. The ghost dog lifted into the smoke, laughing with the howl of the flames.

An ember landed besides Rocco on a pile of ropes, and it quickly caught fire. He rushed away, scared by the heat. Smoke was beginning to poison the air, and sparks blew in the wind.

A sharp wave buckled the boat, and a gut-churning sound of wood breaking added to the chaos. Through the hole in the floor, Rocco could see the lights flicker out and water smash in. It rose higher and higher, flooding the cabin completely. He watched in horror as it reflected the fire on its glossy surface and lipped over the hole. Pretty soon, the boat was sinking, and it was up to Rocco's chest. He panicked and climbed up the biggest barrel he could find. Please! No! I can't swim!