He saw the attack coming.
He also figured that it was, at least, slightly deserved... but that didn't mean that he was going to take the hit, though. Ilio easily dodged backwards as he saw the man's blurred claws coming at his face.
Inkani seemed more than a bit surprised that his attack had missed so easily, but that didn't stop him for long. With a furrowed brow and frustrated hiss, he struck out again, then again, then again!
"Hold still you damned dog! You wanted me to get physical with you so badly, so why are you running away now?!" Inkani snarled as he dug his claws into the thick wooden table right where Ilio had been not a moment before.
"I would like a less aggressive form of that contact, please," Ilio said as he leaped up onto a little ceiling beam to dodge another swipe... unfortunately, it wasn't all that high.
Inkani was just about to join him, clearly not finding his words very placating, but when one of his crewmen fumbled into the room, his attention was immediately stolen away.
"What is it?!"
Glad I'm not on the receiving end of his frustration any longer.
It was odd to see someone get so worked up after such simple contact, though.
Perhaps he feels the bond, too?
He could obviously tell when a wolf was affected by it, but maybe he could sense a little of it within himself, too.
Maybe if I bed him he'll calm down.
Ilio tilted his head one way, then the other as he half-listened to the new vampire ramble on.
Uh... my stomach doesn't feel so good.
The ship was also shaking a bit more than he remembered it had last time as well.
"Well speed up! We can't let that bastard catch us!" Inkani yelled, snapping Ilio out of his daze as both vampires suddenly hurried from the room.
Ah, wait... wait for me.
Ilio tried to gracefully dismount the ceiling beam, but his stomach lurched and he got a bit dizzy, resulting in a not-so-graceful flump to the floor.
Ow.
He slowly pushed himself up as the other vampire, who had been back by a kitchen-like area, hurried out the door, too. Something was clearly wrong, but he just couldn't bring himself back to his feet without nearly puking.
I have to go help... Inka needs me.
He was just trying to get up again when he felt fur sprout from his back and the top of his hands.
You want to come out?
His wolf snorted just beneath his skin before pushing him out of the way completely!
Hey!
Ilio internally scowled as his wolf finished its transformation, then quickly shoved its way through the slightly open doors. It's large paws made quick work of the dark hallway, eventually bringing them to the stairs leading up onto the deck area.
He was just lifting a paw to start their ascent when the boat gave a hard jerk to the left, making him stumble right into the wall near Bin's room!
That hit, and the sudden shifting of the boat actually did have him gagging a bit, but while his human form had been quite nauseous, his wolf only felt a little bit of the discomfort.
Shaking his coat out as he stood back up, Ilio looked up into the opening at the top of the stairs.
Raining...
It was also surprisingly windy, and as the loud gusts picked up even more speed, they swept downward towards him, bringing with them the scent of strangers.
Hackles rising, Ilio quickly but quietly stalked up the stairs one by one, his muscles tensing further with every step. He slowed to a stop a few steps from the top before pinning his ears back and inching his head up just enough to be able to see over the edge of the deck floorboards.
The heavy rain coming down just outside misted his nose as the droplets broke on the worn wood, making it twitch every few moments as it quickly dampened.
Hmm?
There were definitely strangers onboard, and, more specifically, they definitely didn't seem friendly.
His hair looks like someone peed on it.
It was a very dirty blond, cut to shoulder length and possibly styled, at some point, but the wind was undoing any work that might have been done to it previously.
How is his hat staying on his head?
Inka's was long gone. Likely taken away by the gales.
I can't hear them.
Even with his ears pricked up, he could barely catch whispers, let alone words. He could, however, read the situation just fine.
Whoever the group of men to his left were, they weren't there for a friendly chat. In fact, several of them were beginning to draw their swords.
He would have let them start to fight before he intervened, but when he saw Bin step out from behind Inkani and draw his own blade, Ilio's heart twitched slightly. He had no affinity for the man, but he was the only vampire he knew that was currently supportive of his attempts to claim his captain.
Ilio was just about to lunge forward and break the tension, and even bared his fangs a few times to test out how menacing he felt he looked, when the ship lurched again. This time he was ready since he was already on edge and easily caught himself before he could slam into the wall again.
Several of the men on deck before him had to adjust their weight to balance, but it was clear that they were more used to the shifting of the boat than himself.
That abrupt rocking drew his attention to something else, however, making him think that simply interrupting the group wouldn't be nearly as useful as something a new, different course of action...
Patiently, Ilio waited until the boat was yanked to the side again, then darted out of his hiding place and to the left as the wind immediately buffeted his thick coat and the rain soaked him straight to the bone without mercy!
He could sense eyes on him immediately but disregarded everyone as he finally got to his intended destination and promptly clamped his jaws down on a rusty metal three-pronged hook, then pulled as hard as he could as he pushed against the side railing with a paw on either side of the contraption!
The railing creaked from his effort, but as the ship rocked slightly left again, he was given just enough reprieve to force the large hook free!
One of its prongs snagged the inside of his mouth as he finally released the heavy hook, but he ignored the sting and watched as the item sailed through the air until it splashed harshly down into the raging waters.
Before he could turn toward the other two hooks he heard several loud hisses and sensed unfamiliar people approaching, forcing him to swing around and roar as loud as he possibly could!
Of course, he likely looked a bit funny with his coat completely soaked, but he still felt like he had enough scare in him to make others think twice about trying anything, and, thankfully, he was correct.
The group of men that had been about to charge him slowed to a stop, clearly nervous about taking on such a formidable beast.
"Captain...?" one of them questioned right as the piss-blond haired man stepped forward.
The man was now surrounded by what Ilio could only assume was his own crew. At least, those who had come over to their ship.
"Pirate lord Inkani... actually has a werewolf on his side?"
He sounded completely baffled by the possibility.
Standing proudly but still menacingly, Ilio let out another warning growl, just daring the man to try his luck.
"I do, and he's an alpha, too. Not a nice one, either, I promise you that," Inkani said as he stepped closer, a fanged smirk on his face.
"Care to try your luck with both of us, captain Moral?"
Ilio kept his teeth bared as the other captain considered his options. He had clearly come after them with the intent to attack, but now he had to consider a new piece of the puzzle that he hadn't expected to have to combat.
It was big, normally modestly fluffy when not soaked to the bone, and absolutely obsessed with his enemy.
They all waited in silence as the wind began to calm down, then, finally, the rain followed. Once the last droplet had fallen the other captain quirked his lips up and gave a light huff of humor.
"So lord Inkani has a dog now."
He then thought silently to himself for a few more moments, then lifted his let hand and gave a slight wave back toward his own vessel.
"Let's go. I'm not interested in losing crewmen today," he said before turning and walking over toward the railing a few paces away.
His crew followed him carefully, making sure to keep their eyes on the other vampires, and Ilio, in the process. Then, once they were all close to their captain, the man stepped out of the throng with his blade at his side, guarding his men as they leaped and climbed the rope back to their own ship.
He remained there, standing stock-still like a statue, until every single one of his crewmen were safe, then, finally, he turned and leaped up, himself.
Why didn't Inkani try to get him while he had no one to help him?
He could have also gone after the man rather easily, but for some reason, he'd decided against it, too. His thoughts quickly turned to other things, however, because soon there was a hand gently patting his damp head.
"Finish cutting off the hooks they have on us, then get us the hell out of here before he decides to use his cannons!" Inkani yelled to his crew as he stood at his side, stroking his wet fur absentmindedly.
Ilio swished his tail a bit and nuzzled into that hand with a quiet grumble, quite pleased with his reward. They waited and watched until everything was taken care of, then, finally Inkani turned to stand in front of him, then knelt down with a half-grin on his face.
"You... are a brat! What the hell did you think you were doing?"
Huh?
Ilio tucked his tail a little and averted his eyes for a moment before looking back up at Inkani, confused.
I was trying to help you. Didn't I help you?
"Shift back, now."
With his shoulders drooping and his head lowered, Ilio slowly let his human body return to full control. He expected to be yelled at as soon as he finished the transformation, but to his surprise Inkani was rather quiet as he reached forward and grabbed his jaw, then tilted his head up so that he could get a better look at his face.
After another moment he reached forward and gently grabbed the skin at the edge of Ilio's mouth, then tugged it a bit in order to see inside.
"You darn dog, cut your mouth all to hell," he said, clearly frustrated.
He stood back up after another few seconds, then reached down and promptly yanked Ilio right up into his arms!
"I'm going to deal with this mutt. Finish up here, then get back to resting," he said to Bin as he walked past the man.
And just like that, Ilio found himself situated on Inkani's bed, still naked, with his mouth open and aching as the man first disinfected, then sewed the surprisingly-large cut the pronged hook had scraped into his left cheek, closed.
By the time he was done Ilio's jaw was partially numb and partially throbbing. He also wasn't feeling good again, since he'd been forced to shift back to his human form.
"Here," Inkani said, bringing Ilio out of his tired thoughts as something warm was pulled over his head.
He quickly wiggled into the too-big night shirt, then fought back a yawn so that he didn't accidentally pull his stitches out.
"Get some rest, I'll be back in a bit," the man eventually said as he walked toward the door.
But...
He didn't want him to go, but he knew that he had to check on his crew. So, not wanting to be even more of a burden, Ilio kept his mouth closed and simply nodded, then crawled into the bed beneath the sheets and faced away, even though it hurt his cheek to do so.
The door opened and closed a moment later, leaving him in the darkness with Inkani's scent everywhere around him.
I'm not going to rest until you come back.
And, surprisingly, he was able to stay awake until the door creaked open again nearly two hours later.
He waited patiently as he heard Inkani do a few things around the large room, then remove his clothing before tugging something else on. Another minute later and he was finally climbing into bed.
The moment he was beneath the covers Ilio rolled over, his eyes eager to take in the man's shirtless upper body.
"Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" he asked as he stared at him with thin glasses balanced on the bridge of his nose and a book freshly opened in his hands.
Ilio inched a little closer on his belly and forearms, testing the waters concerning how much the man might let him get away with at that moment.
He didn't get very far before the book Inkani was holding promptly thumped him on the head, then stayed settled against his recently dried hair.
"Did I say that I wanted your attention?" Inkani asked as Ilio glanced up from beneath the book still situated against his messy hair.
Ilio pouted until the book was removed and he received an eyeroll for his efforts.
"Happy, brat?" Inkani asked before moving to open the item again to start reading.
Considering his options, Ilio decided not to just go in for another kiss this time, but he also wasn't interested in simply leaving the man alone yet, either.
So, after another moment of thought he simply lifted himself up and flopped his upper body down on top of the book, and the man's lap and hands!
"Hey! The hell are you doing you mutt?!" Inkani hissed as he quickly moved his hands, and the book, out from beneath him, then tossed the item aside onto his nightstand before grabbing Ilio's ear and tugging angrily.
Ilio ignored the man's clear insistence on him moving and, eventually, his reddened ear was released with a loud huff from Inka.
"Am I not allowed to even relax in my own room now? I haven't gotten a chance to even read a book in three months, and now, when I finally get a few hours to myself, you just have to demand attention from me, huh?"
Ilio's heart dropped in his chest as he slowly pushed himself up and away from the man until he was sitting sulkily beside him, hugging his knees to his chest.
He saw Inkani retrieve his book again from the corner of his eye, then settle in to begin reading.
I just want some attention from my mate...
Of course, he knew better than to expect much to begin with. He knew his situation, and he had been trying to push for a little more affection, but each time he did so he always got negative responses, then a little bit of care, then ignored again.
He was just sighing out a deep breath when he felt a cool arm wrap around his middle, then a hand settle against his waist before he was abruptly tugged backwards against Inkani's firm chest!
U-um?!
"Just be quiet and let me have some time to myself, please? I'll have dinner with you later, okay?" Inka said as he moved his hand from his waist up toward the book.
For once, it was a good thing that he was scrawny, because now he got to snuggle with Inkani as he read his book!
It wasn't exactly the kind of attention he wanted from the man, but as he settled in against him with his head resting on his shoulder, he honestly knew that he couldn't have hoped for anything better.
And, even though Inka had said that he wanted the time for himself, every once in a while Ilio felt the man's hand lift to gently rustle his hair, likely thinking that he was already fast asleep...
He wasn't.