Here I am I’m the master of your destiny
I am the one the only one I am the god of kingdom come
Gimme the prize just gimme the prize
Give me your kings let me squeeze then in my hands
Your puny princes
Your so called leaders of your land
I’ll eat them whole before I’m done
The battle’s fought and the game is won
I am the one the only one
I am the god of kingdom come
Gimme the prize just gimme the prize
lyrics from Gimme the Prize as performed by Queen
Ari softly closed the door to the room, sighing softly as he walked back out to the deck. He could feel his own stomach, ready to expel it’s own contents over the whole mess of events. Over the deck, Ari could make out about three figures. Were the sailors up this early? The tall man, whom had to be Umbatu, turned to Ari. As he signaled the other two over, Ari could only think of one thing.
Oh shit…
“‘Ey!” a rather angered voice called out. This was most definitely, not in Ari’s head. As a matter of fact, it came from six feet behind him. “Bloody ‘ell! Tha’s where me rum went offta! Gimme tha back, ye blumin’ thief!”
Ari spun around, looking to the shouting sailor. “‘ey, now, I didn’t take nothin’!” he said defensively, holding his hands up.
“‘Ere, ye! Gimme tha’ bottle right now!” The sailor lunged forward, his hands aiming for Ari’s neck. He was mad with rage that someone would have stolen his prized bottle of rum that he had stashed on this dry ship. He nearly tripped, as Ari managed to effortlessly sidestep him. As he fell, he knocked over several boxes, one of which landed with a large thud against the door that lead to Umbatu’s quarters.
No one moved as the door started to slowly open. The large black man studied the box for a moment, then his eyes drifted to the sprawled sailor. Umbatu’s brow furrowed, as though the action itself would ask the question that he thought.
“I… I…” the sailor stammered, then pointed to Ari. “‘E’s a bloody thief, ‘e is!” As though that explanation was enough to answer the unspoken question.
The large man shifted his gaze to Ari, and clenched his fists. He seemed to wordlessly study the tailed elf, and then, slowly, he stepped forward.
“I didn’t take anything, now did I? What’re ya doin’ with a bottle of rum, anyway?” he responded in defense, stepping back as Umbatu moved closer.
The large man stopped in his tracks, and ever so slowly, his eyes again turned toward the sailor. There was a sudden, pungent odor that filled the air as the pair of dark eyes finally rested on the still sprawled sailor.
“It… it…” the sailor again stammered. His voice lowered as the giant of a man loomed over top of him. “It was me gold purse,” he finally blurted in a voice that very nearly made no sound. And again, the giant man turned his attention back to Ari. His massive feet nearly shook the deck as he walked toward the tailed elf. Without a word, he smacked both hands, then clenched one in a fist and slammed it into the palm of the other. Loud snaps could be heard as the knuckles popped with the pressure.
Ari could already tell, words weren’t going to be any help now. There was only one last thing to do when a large, muscular man is about to pulverize you, along with a few other men.
Flee! Ari spun about and ran away from Umbatu, tripping over one of the crate. As he fell, he threw his hands forward to brace his fall, and righted himself back on his feet. Umbatu continued in long strides along the deck, not running, but walking very fast. As he watched the tailed elf fall, he reached out with a massive hand to grasp Ari. Ari was a slippery little fiend himself, just barely managing to avoid the large man’s grasp. One of the other men quickly leapt in front of Ari, trying to tackle him as he ran closer. Instinctively, Ari grabbed a rope hanging from the mast, swinging over the man’s head.
Umbatu stopped, and watched. He knew the ship like the back of his hand, and all he need do was wait. He pointed to the sailor, silently indicating for the man to stand his ground as the larger man strode with purpose in the only area that the elf could land.
Ari could see where this was going. He could stay put and hope he can hop off on the rebound, or let go and hope the large man was wrong in his positioning. He decided to let go, soaring in an arch over the deck.
Umbatu merely watched, slightly impressed, from the deck below as sailors scrambled to climb the mast and rigging in a vain attempt to catch the thief. But the large, black man knew something, and it was the most simplest of things. He has to come down eventually. And so, he stood and waited, a smile almost cracking his lips as Ari sailed through the air.
There wasn’t much Ari could do in his current state. He was flying straight into the hands of an angry brute, and there wasn’t much he could do to change that. Or was there?. In a few moments, Ari cracked a grin of his own as he began to grow bits of fur over his body. As Umbatu grabbed at Ari at the last moment in his air time, he was shocked to realize that he only caught air.
As the big man looked down, then between his legs, he saw a small white cat rolling onto his feet, a small blue bell on the collar jingling. Umbatu’s large hands could not grab hold of the cat fast enough, as the white furball became a white streak along the deck. This time, Umbatu didn’t stop because of tactics, he stopped because he had to shake his head at the sudden lunacy of the crewmen. They all flailed across the deck in an attempt to catch the wayward cat.
Over the deck and through the crate, the little furball zipped. Sailors desperately lunged at him, adding more insult and injury to the crew. After a good while, the cat sat triumphantly at the top of the ship’s wheel, licking it’s paws as the sailors were laid about on the deck. Too exhausted to continue the chase, the men collapsed to regain their breath.
And again, slowly, Umbatu began to walk toward the cat as it sat triumphantly on the wheel. His was a patience, like the old story of the young bull and the old bull. He would catch the cat, it didn’t matter how or when, but he would catch the cat. And as he climbed the stairs, he casually watched the feline clean himself, and then look up. It crouched down low, ready to pounce again.
But Umbatu suddenly stopped. His attention had become diverted. The other sailors could feel it as well. The air had grown still, and the sea was suddenly all too calm. He looked toward the cat again, but did not move. He did not even move when the cabin door opened to the women’s quarters and a well rested Shani stepped out, stretching her arms and yawning. She took note of the sailors, then saw Umbatu, and finally she saw Ari, shifted into his white cat form. She snickered slightly, and then realized that outside of the obvious, there was something wrong.
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