The morning sun rose over the mountains behind the jungle wilderness. On the ground, the mist evaporated into nothingness, and the eerie gray atmosphere faded away. The moist turned to spring, and the warmness rose in the sweet tropical air.

Lucy sighed and removed her cloak. She placed the folded sheet into her inventory.

With no ghosts around, the two canine pirate women could walk without wearing their disguises. Lucy couldn’t see anyway through her hood.

"What a relief," she said under her breath.

"Yeah, I'm roasting in this sheet." Loretta fanned her face with one paw.

Lucy glanced at her with a clueless look. "How can you roast yourself in that sheet? The night was completely cold."

Loretta shrugged. "Sometimes I feel hot when I get nervous around ghosts. I can't help it."

Lucy glanced around and saw no ghost. Maybe Loretta grew that habit since she was trapped on the island for one year.

Loretta stopped under a palm tree and removed her white sheet cloak. In the sunlight, she wore a corset shirt with leather fabric tied together around her torso and long white sleeves. Her pants were dark brown trousers above her heeled boots. On her large cleavage, she has golden swirly tribal lines across her chest.

As beautiful as the sun showed Lucy, Loretta's hourglass voluptuous figure was impressive. If Lucy lost more weight, she could achieve the same body image. Not because she was jealous or anything else. A pirate captain should be attractive to keep her crew’s attention on her.

Loretta swung her long hair, giving it some air. She stroked it until her eyes caught Lucy’s attention. "What!"

Lucy turned the other way. "Nothing."

Loretta pursed her lips into a seductive grin. "Uooooooooo, I saw you checking me out."

Lucy’s cheeks flushed red. "No I wasn't!"

The jackal stepped up close to Lucy, widening her grin. She placed her paws behind her back, and wagged her bushy tail. "To let you know, I do prefer women. Are you single?"

"No-well… There is someone I admire the most."

"Who?"

Lucy’s face grew warmer. Indeed, she has someone who she does like. It would be awkward if she told Loretta she liked her brother.

"That is none of your concern, and finding my friends is more important!" Lucy exclaimed.

Loretta held out her paws and shrugged. "Well, sometimes it doesn't hurt to ask."

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Sometimes the answer will bite you, Lucy thought.

"Right, but let's move on until we-"

Lucy paused when a young girl's voice cried for help. Her heart dropped when she recognized the voice. "It's Ivy! One of my crew!"

Loretta’s left ear twitched and she turned toward the cry. "She sounded close."

"Come on!" Lucy sprinted through the bushes under the trees.

Ivy screamed again. "Help!"

"I'm coming, Ivy!" Lucy shouted.

She stopped toward the edge of a muddy pit. Below, she spotted the tomboyish cat girl waving her arms as her body sunk into the mud.

Ivy cried again until her head descended into the dark pool completely.

Lucy dropped to her knees and tears sprinkled from her eyes. "No!"

"I'll save her!" Loretta tied a long vine around her waist. She handed the vine roll to Lucy. "Hold this and don't let go! When you feel a tug, pull it up!"

Lucy took the vine and nodded. Knowing Loretta was a survivalist, Lucy could trust her.

Loretta tightened the vine and dived into the pit. She submerged quickly under the watery mud.

On her feet, Lucy gripped her paws on the vine. Not too tightly so the slipping vine wouldn't burn her paws.

The vine jolted, signalling her to pull it from the pit. Lucy stepped back and pulled the vine as if she was climbing up a cliff.

Loretta’s head emerged first against the slope. Her whole body climbed out from the quick mud while she carried Ivy in her left arm. The cat girl coughed out dirt from her throat, fully conscious. Both of them were drenched in mud and wetness. Although dirty, at least they were out of the pool.

Lucy reached her paw out to Loretta and pulled her out of the pit. Ivy landed on all fours and coughed again at the grass.

Lucy kneeled and padded Ivy’s back. “Are you alright?”

Ivy cleared her throat and smiled a wry grin at her captain. “Aye… Captain. Damn, I didn’t see that bloody pit. Glad someone saved me.”

Lucy smirked with relief. “Me too.” She helped Ivy rise to her feet and gestured to Loretta. “This is Loretta, Charles’s missing sister. She found me when the ghosts chased me.”

The jackal waved with a cheerful grin. “Greetings!”

Ivy’s eyes grew wide and her cheeks bloomed red. “Oooooo-uhhhhh, hi! I’m Ivy. Lucy’s cabin girl.”

Loretta giggled. “Charmed to meet you too. Hehehe!”

Ivy rubbed her paw behind her head. There was no hiding the fact that she noticed how attractive Loretta was.

“Ivy, have you seen the others?” Lucy asked.

The cat girl sneezed and rubbed the dirt off her little nose. “They are hiding in a tree.”

“A tree?” Loretta placed her paws on her hips.

“Yup, we ran all over the place until we reached an oak tree in the fog. For some reason, the ghosts didn’t bother us up there. I think they hate trees.”

“I think so too. That’s why I built a shelter in a bigger tree.”

Ivy smiled at Loretta. “Blimey.”

“So they are still there?” Lucy asked.

The cat girl nodded. “Ahem.”

“Why did you leave them?”

"When the sun came up, I volunteered to search for you. I believe the others are still waiting in the tree."

"They should know it is safe to climb down in the daylight," said Loretta.

"Then let’s meet them so they will know," said Lucy.

“Okay, but can we take a bath first? I smell like elephant dung.”

Ivy nodded for a yes with a big smile, but Lucy glared at her.

“No, we meet the others first,” she ordered. “Show us the way.”

Ivy rolled her eyes. “Fine.”