“Move, move, move!” Frosted Shade shouted at her small army. It wasn’t really even big enough to be an army. She supposed it would have to do. The various species of large anthropomorphic cats, gathered from all corners of the earth, had been trained for many years, and were finally deemed prepared for the resumption of Frosted Shade’s plan to conquer the world. It was a big dream… The plurality of outcomes had yet to even be thought of.
	Frosted had had a hard life as a child. Out of all the tigers from her northern home, she was the only one to be born with reversed colorings. Her species was rare enough already… Their snow-white furs, covered in an array of black stripes, were prized by many other anthropomorphic races across the ten continents of the world Urbania. They were captured and killed, and their numbers were dwindling. Frosted’s parents had been told that their child would probably be killed at an early age because she had been born with black fur and white, almost silver, stripes.
	But the approximate time of her death, as predicted by the doctors and shamans, had been washed away in her early years. As a toddler, Frosted had shown signs of a remarkable power inside herself. It started as something small. The slight frosting over of her food when she touched it. The growth of an icicle garden from the floor of the den if the tiny tiger cub played there long enough.
	Frosted was thrown from her revelry, the solitude she experienced in her daydreams fractured for the moment by the clamorous sounds of steel upon steel, the screams of the wounded and dying. Also, the ship she was on was beginning to sway from the pounding of large, storm-foreshadowing waves. The wood of the pirate ship raked against that of the noble’s next to it. Her crew had already swung over to the other deck, and each cat was fighting for his or her life and wealth with a strength tantamount to that of the anthropomorphic dogs with whom they were fighting.
	Frosted Shade made a running leap from one boat to the other while unsheathing her rapier. Her form was intimidating, to say the least. Light blue armor covered her lean, muscular form. The armor, unfortunately, was iced over by the cold emanating from her body, making it a bit hard to maneuver in. Luckily, her crew had already done most of the dirty work for her. She only had to kill the captain of the ship, which, as if summoned by her thoughts, slid across the deck, which was slick from sea spray, and into her view.
	“Nice weather we’re having, isn’t it?” The upright dark brown wolf asked in a surprisingly nonchalant tone while pulling out his own rapier. Frosted Shade looked her enemy over for a moment. He was tall, to be sure, though definitely a few inches shorter than her. His head-fur was a deep crimson color, short and cropped close to his head. Orange eyes, youthful yet rimmed with wrinkles, were framed by a large-snouted face. Though Frosted could not discern where he had come from, it was obvious he was no royal man.
	“It seems the God Poseidon is not on our side today.” He spoke without worry as his head motioned to the waves which were washing over the deck as the boat was tossed across the frothing seas.
	“So it seems.” Was all Frosted Shade decided to say. With that, the two jumped into battle. The wolf leapt at Frosted with a series of quick thrusts. Frosted Shade dodged each thrust, and gave a thrust of her own, though it was received just as equally with a dodge.
 It soon became apparent that the fight would continue this way forever, or until everyone was washed off into the sea, whichever fate came first. Frosted Shade became impatient. That was her first mistake. She threw her rapier aside and lunged at the wolf, her enormous claws outstretched, aiming to take off the wolf’s head. He ducked and shoved his rapier upward. Frosted was stabbed in the side, but obviously in no mood to stop. She wanted to annihilate this pest. He had been mocking her from the beginning. He was mocking her now, with his half-hearted dodges and convivial smirk. The nerve of that man!
Suddenly, a shout from the bow of the ship caught her attention, as well as the wolf’s. One of Frosted’s crew, a lean male tiger, was pointing frantically at the sea before the ship. Frosted gave the wolf an ugly sneer. He could wait. Her new ship and treasure couldn’t. With a few swift leaps, Frosted made it to the front of the ship.
It seemed, much to Frosted’s dismay, that a whirlpool had formed several hundred feet ahead of them. Indeed, the ship was slowly being pulled into the currents, and even turning a bit to the side. The male tiger looked to Frosted for orders, but before she could utter a single word, the wolf captain shoved her away from the ship’s wheel.
“Don’t just stand there! Lower the sails, or this storm will tear them to bits! Get below decks, and start rowing! For your lives, men, for your lives!”
The tiger looked at Frosted for a second. Frosted Shade narrowed her eyes, but, after an almost timorous look back at the whirlpool, she growled at her crew.
“Do as the man says, you idiots! Go!” She shouted, with an angry wave of her paws. Her crew scrambled to their normal posts.
“Funny, how the Gods work, isn’t it?” The wolf smirked once more at Frosted.
“You mortify me in front of my crew, then have the audacity to laugh about it?!” Frosted practically roared at him. It didn’t seem to lower his spirits any. With one last sly look at her, he began to work at the wheel, throwing his weight into it, and trying to turn it away from the whirlpool. Frosted watched him work for a little while, and suddenly became bored.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, Sir!” Frosted shouted over the din made by the wind, thunder, and waves.
“Of course I do! I might need a little help, though!” He shouted back. He gestured to the wheel. Frosted Shade looked at her paws, sighed, stepped into position, stuck her claws into the deck, and started to shove on the wheel along with the wolf. The ship was turning, surely, but not fast enough.
“We’re all going to drown.” Frosted mumbled in the wolf’s ear, being her usual pessimistic self.
“No we’re not. Push.” Was the only advice he had for her. She shrugged, and threw all of her weight into it. The ship creaked, and turned a bit more. The wind, blowing almost constantly at the two captain’s backs, was cold and filled with sea spray.
“Unfurl the sails!” The wolf shouted, noticing the wind might be able to help them. The crew obliged. The sails unfurled, and were instantly filled with wind. The ship sped forward, and out of the whirlpool’s rapacious current. Both of the captains heaved a sigh of relief.
“Meryn.” The brown wolf muttered.
“What?” Frosted Shade cocked her head.
“My name is not ‘Sir,’ it’s Meryn.” He tipped his head back slightly, and chuckled. Frosted Shade glared at him with a mix of acrimony and, Gods forgive her, a bit of curiosity. This man was a mystery to her. She had lost her will to kill him. She wanted to study him.
“You are our prisoner.” She said bluntly.
“I capitulate. I’d rather not fight.” He said, just as simply.

Dinner was mostly silent, though the crew stole a glance or two at Meryn during the meal. Frosted Shade, believing him to be of little harm, locked his weapons away, and allowed him to sit at the head of the table with her at dinner. He hadn’t said anything since they had started, which seemed a bit unusual for the loquacious person Frosted Shade had perceived him to be.
“So, Meryn… Who do… Did… You work for?” Frosted Shade asked in an obvious attempt to alleviate the heavy silence that had befallen them all.
“Well, I USED to work for King Gardery. Of course, his rule wasn’t half as exciting as I think yours will be.” Meryn said, with a wink in Frosted’s direction. Frosted Shade, despite her attempts to hold it in, blushed deeply. Suddenly, one of the crew members stood up.
“I’d like to make a toast.” The tall she-panther said, loudly enough for the room to hear, which wasn’t very loud, considering everyone had been quiet anyway. “I’d like to toast the captain Meryn for his strength and quick-wit, and Frosted Shade for letting him join our crew. Maybe thing’s’ll start to liven up, now!” The panther’s soliloquy was met with a loud cheer from the entire crew. Meryn seemed to brighten up, and Frosted Shade only blushed deeper, a thing she didn’t seem to be used to. The rest of the night was filled with songs, more toasts, both silly and serious, and lots of laughter.

The morning was a bleary one. Frosted Shade had woken up with a bad headache, probably from drinking so much the night before. The porthole in her room showed her that a deep fog had risen overnight, and the ship seemed to be in the middle of it. Frosted slipped out of bed, stretched a bit, and slid into some comfortable clothes. A knock sounded on her door, and, at the opening of the door, Frosted Shade received a large grin from the already-dressed Meryn, and a tray with an array of different foods.
“Made you breakfast, I did.” Meryn said proudly, holding the tray up under Frosted’s nose. This was too much for her. She slammed the door in his face. Loud clatters and crashes served to inform her that he had dropped the tray of food. Everything was silent for a moment, then his voice, muffled by the door, drifted to her ears.
“You seem to be in a foul mood this morning.”
“Oh, no, I’m like this every morning.” She shouted back.
“You mean you act this rude all the time?!” His voice displayed astonishment. Frosted Shade happened to like her attitude, and opened the door to voice her displeasure with the wolf.
“I was hoping you would ratiocinate about our predicament overnight. I’m not as bad as you think, Frosted.” He seemed a bit hurt at her treatment of him. She winced. No one called her by her real name. He must have learned it from the crew.
“Are you trying to exhort me into liking you, or something?” Frosted Shade growled.
“Exhort?! Well, I suppose you could use that word… Aren’t I supposed to try to make you like me?” Meryn asked innocently. Frosted Shade stared at him for a long moment. He was so urbane.
“I… Guess I’m sorry about the breakfast.” She said, actually feeling guilty for once.
“Oh, that’s okay! I can fix another one!” Meryn brightened visibly, thought about something for a moment, then held out a bent arm, and smiled at her politely.
“Oh, stop trying to treat me like a princess.” She grumbled, and brushed past him.

“We can’t be itinerant. We’re in need of supplies.”
“I believe I have the prerogative of picking our course on this voyage, not you!”
The journey was being thought out by Frosted and Meryn over a cold breakfast. The rest of the crew was already topside.
	“I’m telling you, we’re quickly running out of food, and we need to stop somewhere!” Meryn was stubborn with his point.
	“All we have to do is find another ship and plunder it!” Frosted Shade was growing annoyed with him.
	“Who knows when the next ship may come along?” Meryn said with unusual softness. Unable to continue being disputatious, Frosted Shade opted for silence. The two sat in it for a while.
	“Okay, so, you’re right. But there aren’t any docks nearby.” Frosted Shade narrowed her eyes and studied the map deeply. Meryn only scratched his chin, and looked at the map.
	“Well, this one seems nearby enough.” He finally said, pointing at a large town on the map.
	“Are you kidding?! That’s centaur country! We’d be lucky if we lived an hour!” Frosted Shade shouted.
	“I always thought centaurs were a peaceful people.” Meryn blinked.
	“Exactly! A group of pirates like us would be killed instantly!” Frosted muttered.
	“I guess it would be salubrious, in this case, to learn how to act like a noblewoman, wouldn’t it?” Meryn smiled at her. Frosted Shade thought it over.
	“So, you’re saying we should try to act like we’re really the owners of this boat? That’s mad!” Frosted slammed her fist on the table.
	“Not mad… Facile. It would probably work, M’lady.” Meryn said with a very serious look on his face. His face held the similitude of an aged but wise wizard. He then smiled warmly at her. Frosted Shade could only assent weakly under his gaze, which seemed to be making her heart pound.
	“You’re not as pestiferous as you act, Frosted. I know there’s a sweet young lady underneath that thick hide of yours.” He reached a paw out to touch her cheek. She could feel her heart pounding harder. She had to stop this.
	“You, with your nescience, cannot speak to me about myself.” Frosted Shade pushed his paw off her cheek. In becoming indifferent again, she sent out a large amount of iciness. Her powers sometimes acted on their own. The cold was almost paludal as it smothered the room. The walls, floor, and ceiling became covered in a thin coat of ice. Meryn’s teeth began to chatter, and he scooted away from Frosted.
	“What have you done? What has transpired here?” He said as he looked around the room in fright.
	“I told you… You don’t understand me. Don’t try to talk about me until you do.” With this, Frosted Shade pushed herself out of her sedentary position, and moved out of the room, carrying the cold with her. Meryn slowly warmed up.
	“That woman… I’ll best her soon enough.” He muttered to himself.

	“Nice to meet you, My lady.” A centaur offered his hand to Frosted Shade. The entire crew of her ship had spent the day studying and dressing to be like royalty. Though she was normally impartial to what she wore, the thought of something fancy made her shudder. It was a mere impediment, though, because all she had to worry about was getting the supplies, and getting out of the town. Frosted Shade had chosen her best dress, which was a bit skimpy, but would have to do. She also carried a small parasol. Frosted stepped down from the ramp to her boat, and surveyed her surroundings.
	The town was relatively small. The houses were almost arboreal in their construction. Tall, slender, and made of a dark brown packed mud, each one seemed almost concordant with nature, free of any man-made objects. Of course, the centaurs worshipped Pan, and had to build things this way. Their so-called peace was a rather disorderly one, as it was said. Frosted Shade shook thoughts of sacrifices from her head, and nodded her thanks to the half-horse, half-cat animal that had helped her off her ship.
	After a bit of wandering, Frosted Shade found herself in front of a store proudly bearing a sign reading “Supplies.” It was the optimal choice, as the other stores on the row of buildings seemed to either have nothing to do with supplies, or had signs scribbled in a language Frosted Shade could never hope to translate. She went into the store as quietly as possible.
	Inside were large barrels of water, ale, and beer, and sacks of potatoes, flour, sugar, and other ingredients. Frosted was glad she had picked the right store. The words she had received from Meryn on the subject, “Just buy the supplies, come get us to help you carry them, and get out,” ran through her head quickly. She reached into her pocket to see if she still had the small pouch of coins in her possession. She did. She approached the counter, swallowed slightly, and looked to the female centaur standing there.
	“How may I help you this morning?” The dog-horse mix asked cheerily.
	“I’d like to buy two barrels of water, two of ale, two of beer, three pounds of flour, a pound of sugar, a pound of nuts and one of berries, and also… Oh, never mind.” Frosted used her best lady-like tone. She had been going to ask for a couple of pounds of meat, but, being worshippers of Pan, the centaurs were not omnivorous. They believed all animals to be sacred, and trees to be as well, and treated them accordingly.
	“Well, that’s a large amount of food, isn’t it?” The centaur queried good-naturedly while writing the totals down on two different pieces of paper.
	“Oh, yes, I’ve been on a voyage for a while now, and we just ran out of supplies.” Frosted Shade forced herself to smile politely as she handed the centaur the money.

	“Gods, you should’ve been there!” Frosted Shade laughed as she spoke to her crew back on her ship. She was thoroughly drunk, and not the least bit afraid of talking. Meryn had made sure not to dilute her ale any, and he smiled to himself at the thought of it. He would feel guilty about it, for sure, but he believed he liked this new Frosted Shade a lot better.
	“I was about to fall over and die of humiliation!” Frosted’s cheeks were rosy from the alcohol, but she was having a good time of it. So was the crew. Everyone seemed in good spirits. Meryn had a feeling he was in for a lot more fun than he had bargained for. Frosted Shade smiled at Meryn as the crew began to chatter amongst themselves again.
	“So… I was wondering… Would you ever possibly consider manumitting me?” Meryn asked innocently.
	“Why, sure, I suppose, though…” Frosted Shade frowned a bit.
	“Though what?” Meryn blinked in surprise.
	“Though… I kind of liked having you around.” Frosted Shade sighed sadly. Meryn smiled to himself. He liked having himself around, too. He leaned in close to Frosted Shade. She smiled lazily, but sincerely, at him. The two suddenly dove into a deep kiss, ignoring the cheers from the crew, which filled the room. 
	“Then I’ll stay, if it will make you happy, Frosted Shade.” Meryn said quietly when the kiss had ended.
	“Please do, Meryn.” Frosted Shade purred in his ear.