Mark stood at the edge of the dock the next morning, arms crossed, muzzle twitching, glaring at the heap of pirate costumes piled on a rolling garment rack. Beside him sat a tattered trunk containing hats, boots, swords, a busted telescope, and \u2014 for reasons he could not begin to explain \u2014 three extremely suspicious bananas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pirate ship gleamed in the sunlight, crew already up and scrubbing the deck. The captain was waiting. So were two crew members with clipboards and a polite but very tight-lipped expression that screamed we’re billing you for everything.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, and said, \u201cOkay. Here\u2019s the stuff. Some of it\u2019s damp. All of it smells like Gabriel. Good luck.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first crew member lifted a shredded velvet coat, frowning. \u201cThis has glitter in it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark didn\u2019t even blink. \u201cI don\u2019t want to know why.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then came the big one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUh\u2026 sir?\u201d the second crew member called, squatting beside the bottom of the crate. \u201cDid\u2026 did one of you take a cannonball?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark blinked. \u201cA what now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re missing a twenty-pound decorative iron cannonball. We use it in the rigging display.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy would anyone take a \u2014\u201d Mark stopped. His ears twitched. His brow furrowed. \u201cGabriel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He turned and stormed back up the dock, pulling out his phone with pure murder in his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back at the hotel, Thane opened the door to the suite just in time to hear a loud clang<\/em> from inside. He turned the corner and found Gabriel, still in pajama pants, crouched behind the couch and whispering, \u201cShhhh, you’re my emotional support cannonball now\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane stared. \u201cGabriel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The black-furred werewolf\u2019s ears slowly drooped. \u201c\u2026Don\u2019t be mad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid you seriously steal a cannonball?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not stealing<\/em> if it loves me back,\u201d Gabriel muttered, cradling the thing like a lapdog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark appeared behind Thane, radiating unholy fury. \u201cPUT. IT. BACK.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel yelped and bolted, cannonball tucked like a football under one arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane and Mark gave chase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fifteen minutes, three broken lamp shades, and one dented doorframe later, they finally cornered Gabriel in the laundry room. Thane gently pried the cannonball out of his claws, while Mark fumed and called the pirate ship company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDamage fees,\u201d Mark growled. \u201cCostume repairs. That cannonball. Twenty-five grand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCan I Venmo it?\u201d Gabriel asked sheepishly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo,\u201d Thane muttered. \u201cWe\u2019re paying it.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n By mid-afternoon, the pack was back on the road, loaded up in their red tour bus as it ferried them to the docks. The next stop: Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel sat on the couch, sulking slightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou okay?\u201d Thane asked, sitting next to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI just thought it was cool.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was<\/em> cool,\u201d Thane replied. \u201cBut maybe don\u2019t bring weapons home next time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFine,\u201d Gabriel mumbled, then brightened. \u201cWait \u2014 what about swords?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat about \u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel sighed, flopping dramatically. \u201cYou guys are no fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark, from the kitchenette: \u201cTell that to the cannonball-shaped hole in the drywall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rico leaned over from the front lounge. \u201cSo what\u2019s this next venue?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIreland,\u201d Thane replied. \u201cBig outdoor venue just outside of Dublin. Sold out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOoooh,\u201d Jonah said, perking up. \u201cPlease tell me there\u2019ll be beer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOnly if Gabriel promises not to steal a keg,<\/em>\u201d Thane said dryly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel grinned. \u201cNo promises.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the ferry pulled away from the British mainland, the red bus nestled below deck and the pack gathered on the top deck to feel the wind in their fur, Gabriel leaned against Thane and whispered with a grin, \u201cStill worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thane shook his head\u2026 but he didn\u2019t disagree.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mark stood at the edge of the dock the next morning, arms crossed, muzzle twitching, glaring at the heap of pirate costumes piled on a rolling garment rack. Beside him sat a tattered trunk containing hats, boots, swords, a busted telescope, and \u2014 for reasons he could not begin to explain \u2014 three extremely suspicious […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tour-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1711"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3002,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1711\/revisions\/3002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/tourblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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