Steel Heart

Ch 2 - Dock #1

Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

Nana lowered her wrench and took a step back to examine her handiwork. She placed her hand on the cannon and pushed it slightly forward to see its movement. "Hrmmm, still not quite there. Sloppy ass work, if you ask me. Tch, those bastards slacked off while I wasn't around and think I wouldn't notice?!"

She turned her head towards Pygmy, who was sitting by a table covered in tools of all shapes and sizes. "Can you hand me the box wrench?"

Pygmy wagged his tail and sniffed around the table. Finally, he barked and sank his muzzle into the pile of tools. He pulled out the box wrench between his teeth and brought it towards his master. She took it from him and licked his nose. He did the same and she giggled. "Thanks, Pyg."

She squatted back down to one of the cannon wheels and fitted the wrench over the hub. She was about to tighten it when she stopped and looked over the top of the cannon, just in time to see Iceberg and Kalifa walk past the warehouse. Nana glanced over at Pygmy. "Why do you think Icy is here?"

He wagged his tail and tilted his head. She grinned. "Okay, let's go find out!"

He barked in response and then dashed towards the door. She grabbed the horn of his saddle just as he passed by her and she expertly swung her legs over his back. She held tightly to the fur around his neck and he bounded towards the exit. As they passed her workbench, she smoothly grabbed her hammer off of the table.

"Woof! Woof!"

"Iceberg-san!" Kalifa gasped as Pygmy leapt onto Iceberg and knocked him backwards onto the ground. Pygmy barked happily and licked the mayor's face.

Iceberg grunted and looked over past the dog's muzzle. He sighed as his disciple smiled cheekily back at him. "Hey Icy-...er Iceberg," Nana said, her eyes glinting with mischief even through her goggles. She then noticed the mouse in her guardian's pocket and her eyes lit up. "Another one?"

"Ah," he said as he got to his feet and dusted off his pants. He petted it with his index finger, "I just found it. I think I'm going to call it...Tyrannosaurus."

"I hope he won't chew threw my leather like Elephant did," Nana sighed. She gave Pygmy some light pats against his neck to help soothe him. He had gotten over his fear of mice but he still needed some comforting when one was around.

Loud boisterous laughter caught Nana's attention. Both her and Pygmy turned towards the sound. Past the low wooden fence, bordering between her warehouse and Dock #1, stood a group of pirates. They were right behind Paulie, who was busy prepping a log for cutting and not really giving the audience behind him much of his attention.

The leader of the group held a long sword and wore a hat with a gold crescent emblem at the front. It gave him the look of horns. When he laughed, he showed fangs in his teeth. "I've decided not to pay. Not even a single Berry," he crowed as he waved his sword threateningly at the foreman.

"Sir, it would not be wise," Paulie warned while clenching his cigar between his teeth, "To tease craftsmen like that."

"It seems that they are refusing to pay," Kalifa sighed. She held up her clipboard to show Iceberg and Nana the wanted poster of the pirate captain, "That's sexual harassment."

Iceberg's face was solemn and he nodded in agreement. "Oh my...It's sexual harassment."

Nana tugged gently at Pygmy's fur and her grin turned devilish. "I have a sudden feeling I'm about to get really clumsy."

"Nana-" Iceberg started to say but Pygmy interrupted him with a sharp bark.

"Woof!" The large animal soared over the fence with his owner on his back and made his way towards the pirate group, who were too busy laughing to notice the incoming duo.