Author's Note:

All right, let's do this. As always, please review and I'll update as soon as I can.

Chapter 17: Dies Infaustus

Carmelita's POV:

I was jostled awake by the sound of cannon fire. To be more accurate, it was the feeling of cannon fire. It was a thudding crack followed by a deep thrum that rattled the lungs and felt as though my breath was squeezing my guts. Whoever the Princess Vixen was laying into, they were going to have one massive migraine. Or, at the very least, a whole bunch of patch jobs to cover.

I stumbled to my feet, the repetitive feeling of stomach churning aches effecting my balance greatly. I lurched forward, bracing my paw against the wooden doorframe of the Captain's cabin. I grabbed my holster hanging from a hook and stumbled on deck. I heard Ignatius bellowing out commands on deck and crewmen bustling back and forth in an almost ritualistic manner. Grab the shot, load the cannon, Ignatius checks the sight, found it good, pulls his trigger line with a cry of "Fire!", repeat. On deck, the aroma of gunpowder was thick and choking. Yet still, underneath it all, Cooper was still there lingering.

Ignatius was grinning deeply and his eyes glinted triumphantly as he sighted the vessel in the distance. He was closing in fast.

"I have you now, Cooper." My heartbeat throbbed in my ears. I bolted to the aft side to see a vessel flying an incredibly familiar emblem. The cannons fired again and the enemy ship took a hit across the sides. An explosion of wood splinters ricocheted like shrapnel. Ignatius' lips were pulled back into a sneer. Beckett was bouncing back and forth between the men issuing orders in Ignatius' stead. By now, The Princess Vixen was side by side with Henriette and the crew was visible.

Henriette looked strikingly similar to Sly. I suppose that makes sense considering she's his ancestor. Her smug smirk in the face of danger was definitely familiar at least.

"Commodore!" Henriette crowed leaping nimbly on the railing with the characteristic Cooper grace. Not that I noticed it, but it was commented upon many times before by the tittering office girls. They sorted case files for Interpol and Sly was a favorite for the paper pushers. I caught one lovelorn Iguana, whose name I think was Katerina, doodling hearts and smooches on a photo she found on my desk. It only got worse when he worked there in the flesh. 'Reach this for me, Sly? Are your shoulders tense, Sly?' oh I couldn't stand their blithering!

Ignatius scoffed and approached his own railing. Angled below her like something out of Snakespeare- "Commodore and Henriette". Henriette was smiling broadly as Ignatius set his face like stone.

"Henriette 'One-Eye' Cooper. Our paths cross yet again, and for the last time."

"And it 'asn't been t'e las' time I 'eard t'at line from you, Commodore." She squinted her intelligent eyes at his waist. I glanced to see the Cooper cane glinting at his hip.

" I lack your amusement." He flicked his wrist and immediately the point of his rapier was at her throat. It flashed like quicksilver and landed right in the dimple of her collarbone. "Now do be a dear, and come quietly."

"T'e only t'ing I do quietly, Commodore, is steal." She had the gall to wink salaciously at Ignatius. I noticed with surprise that a small blush was faintly creeping up his neck below his collar.

"That's quite enough out of you, thief." Henriette raised her eyebrow.

"Oh I t'ink I'm barely gettin' started." Henriette hooked her cane hand around the rapier and pulled forward, knocking Ignatius off balance. He quickly righted himself but was too slow on the uptake and Henriette was quickly in his personal space. He fumbled but righted himself, grappling her hook hand behind her back. Her arm pinned behind her by his strong grip, they were muzzle to muzzle now. Ignatius smirked.

"Like I'd fall for that feint again, Cooper." The crews were standing by with weapons drawn as they witnessed the duel of their respective leaders. I have never been someone to wait idly by. Ignatius may be content with his Cooper, but I wanted to know where mine was. My paw twitched against my holster where the shock pistol rested against my thigh. Something was fishy, and every bone in my body knew it. Henriette was a good bluffer, but I'm not the best Inspector at Interpol for nothing.

"Commodore," I broke the tense silence of their staring contest "something is wrong." He shot his eyes at me, the glower intensified by the shadow of his tricorn hat. He wanted me to continue, he had faith in my Urge. Even if, by his standards, they were weak and untested. "Henriette willingly allows herself to remain captured and you don't find that suspicious?" I couldn't help but recall when Sly was in custody on that helicopter after I crushed the last remaining piece of Clockwerk. Ignatius growled and turned that intense stare back onto Henriette.

"Where's the other one?" he tightened his grip and Henriette softly gasped from the pain. "You stole him, now where is he?!" She grit her teeth and glared. I began to search for Sly. Now, the thing about Cooper, is his tells. He always leaves a trace. At least, a trace a Fox can see. When I was first assigned to Cooper, he was supposed to be unstoppable. No one could find him, no one could catch him. However, Coopers were vain. Always leaving a marker so everyone knew they were hit by the legendary Cooper Clan. So there you have the perfect resource for tracking. They're daring you to try.

The first trick was to think like a Cooper, 'What here do I want?' I mulled over the possibilities. It couldn't be on Henriette's ship, because Sly is the sappy sort and family is everything. The only option is he's managed to get back on board The Princess Vixen. What on the Vixen does Sly Cooper want? Immediately I thought of the cane. The Cooper Cane currently glinting at Ignatius' hip. Henriette saw that I was starting to clue in. She widened her eye so imperceptibly I wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't looking for it. That tell, that mistake. She was covering for Sly. Sly was close by. My heart was thrumming with the joy of the chase. I sauntered behind Ignatius, blocking the line of sight to his cane. I felt in my blood that this was the opportunity I needed to finally catch Cooper.

But, he's just so good. My brain betrayed me. The problem with Cooper is he never steals from normal people just criminal ones. High profile targets for a high profile thief. In fact, Sly was more often than not on my side. Now my chance was here, to prove to Ignatius that I was willing to be a Fox, and I'm hesitating.

"Well? Did you find him, vixen?" the Commodore once again turned to my Urge. Of course I knew, he was in the scaffolding waiting for his chance. I know he knew because Henriette twitched her tail. I should tell Ignatius that, I should rat him out like the scoundrel he is. I felt the phantom feeling of Sly's eyes on me. He doesn't know why I'm hesitating either. I girded myself and poised my posture.

"No Commodore, I have yet to find him. There are too many Cooper smells in one place."

"Tch, a waste of a Fox. I'm not surprised, just incredibly disappointed." He tossed Henriette towards me. "Make yourself useful and throw her in the brig. I'll find him myself. Can't be that different from 'One-Eye." I turned with Henriette in tow behind me. She was staring at me in dumbfounded silence. When I finished handcuffing her in the cell she finally spoke.

"Ain't ye a Fox?" I nodded "T'en why di'nt ya tell yer kin?" To tell the truth, I didn't fully understand it myself but what I did know was this:

"The Cooper cane belongs to Sly. Ignatius stole it and it deserves to remain with him." Henriette was silent for a moment perusing me.

"I t'ink I understan' why 'e 'angs around ye now." I cocked my head confused. "Ye understan' t'e Cooper way."

"Yes, well, I've been chasing him long enough now." I got into interrogator mode. "Now what are you playing at?"

"Ah, now t'ere's a Fox." She chuckled "All business." She shifted her position on the floor into a more relaxed position. I knew she could pick those cuffs easily and still she chose to cooperate. So I listened intently as she informed me of Bentley and Murray getting back in contact and concocting a plan to steal back the cane. Only problem was, Ignatius caught up to them. Now it was an improv game. "I t'aut t'e plan was soiled when ye started sniffin' 'im out, but I see I misread ye."

"Believe me, I feel more conflicted than you do. The Commodore is everything I should be. A black and white, good vs evil; textbook law machine. It was easy before I met Sly." Henriette hummed quietly in understanding.

"If it's any comfort to ye, lass, I t'ink yer better t'an t'e Commodore. 'E gets too focused on 'is goals and loses sight of t'ose around 'im. Beckett, for example, ol' friend o' mine." I gaped at her "O aye, Commodore captured 'im in Blood Bay. We were sore afraid 'e were dead. T'en I got word t'at, at t'e trial, t'e Commodore requested t'at Beckett serve 'is sentence aboard t'e Vixen. Yes, t'e Commodore was a good man. Admiral Ignatius was a good man." She got a far off look in her eye, a mist gathering at the edges.

"I don't understand, he's so driven in his Urge, how was he demoted?" Henriette cast a harsh eye on me.

"Do ye truly understand 'ow t'at kind o' drive can change a man? T'e Urge helps Foxes find t'eir prey, it's not meant to be abused like t'is. Surely your parents told ye, lass. A Fox is t'e best tracker I 'ave ever met. I 'ave nothing but respect for 'is skill, but now I 'ave only disdain for 'is obsession. When 'e were independent, Ignatius was known in every port. If ye had a bounty on yer 'ead, consider yerself caught. T'en t'e Navy caught wind o' 'im. T'ey ruined 'im."

"So why did the Queen demote him? I mean, his tallies!"

"A point of pride for 'im, but 'ardly enough to merit Queenly favor. When I was assigned to 'im, Admiral Ignatius let me get away."

"You're kidding!"

"I ain't. By chasin' me 'e found, in 'is opinion, bigger fish. I was stealin' from Cap'n Kitt. Navy 'ad been on 'is tail for months. Ignatius rounded up Kitt, and I got out. Fleet Admiral didn't feel t'e same way. Insubordination he said, a traitor, he said, but t'e Queen loved Ignatius' work and demoted 'im to Commodore. O, but Ignatius believes if 'e turns me in 'e'll be restored. So 'e gave 'imself to 'is work, and t'e world lost Ignatius and gained a Commodore." From deck, there came loud yelling. I rushed on deck, I knew Henriette would get out as soon as I turned around.

"DAMNATION! Where is that blasted thief?!" Ignatius' eyes practically glowed with anger. I noticed Sly was successful, the cane was gone from his hip. I cast my eyes to the scaffolding and caught a fleeting glimpse of a Ringtail ducking behind a sail. "You!" Ignatius whipped towards me, grabbing my collar, heated stare pouring over me in waves. I saw Sly's shadow tense up. "I know you know where he is. You have to know!"

"What does it matter to you Commodore?! You have your Cooper!"

"It should matter to you! He's your Quarry! The Fox Family has to obey the Law or be reduced to madness!"

"The only mad one here, Ignatius, is you!" I broke his grip by ducking down and knocking my forehead against his chest. He lost his footing and I dodged behind his fumbling grasp forward. I jabbed my elbow into the small of his shoulder blades and he crumpled to the deck. I'm so glad I took those martial arts classes. The crew, noticing the beat down of their leader, rushed forward in an angry mass. Now men were dueling on deck flailing madly with swords. Ignatius grabbed my foot growling deeply and reaching for his blunderbuss. I didn't have time to feel guilty, I grabbed my shock pistol and fired point blank. He writhed in agony and jittered wildly on the wood.

"Carmelita!" Sly swooped down and hooked his cane around my waist. He carried me through acrobatic stunts on the netting as he sped towards Henriette's ship. We were stopped by a spitting mad striped weasel. Beckett was baring his surprisingly intense fangs at us.

"'Ow dare ye 'urt t'e K'atin." He surged forward, dagger in hand. Sly put me down and began his deadly dance with Beckett. The dagger went left Sly went right. Beckett tried a backhand slash but Sly would catch it. Beckett howled a war cry and leapt into the air in a feat that would make Sly jealous. I saw a glint of silver as Beckett landed nimbly behind me on the netting and the burning pain of a knife slash followed. I felt the warmth spread and I remember falling. Sly was screaming something but I couldn't hear him. I was shocked when I was caught in the arms of Henriette as a mouse with an earring growled and deflected a sword off of her.

"To t'e ship men, Retreat!" Henriette dropped a pellet and the deck was covered in a blue stifling smoke. It was mass chaos. Coughing and blind grappling followed. The crewmen left on Henriette's ship had been hard pressed to repair the ship and make it seaworthy but the patches would have to do. We dove onto deck speeding away on the fair wind. The last glimpse of The Princess Vixen was of a fuming Fox. I'm sure if they had stared longer, instead of fussing over my bleeding back wound, they would have seen the shadow of wings covering the vessel of the Commodore.

Author's Note:

Woo this one was a beast. Please review and I'll update as soon as I can.