AvatarofBahamut(LittleBlackDragon)- the Author of I Should Have Stayed In Bed Presents

It Just Had to Be Pirates

An Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag Fanfiction

The following fanfiction is rated T for ages 13+, however this is likely to change depending upon the author's discretion. This story mostly has earned its rating for violence and implied and/or mild adult themes.

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Chapter 1: A Stray Dog Leads One Astray

It was a chilly night in February. Snow was still thick on the ground, and even this late it seemed as though more might be coming. Soft grey clouds blanketed the sky, and small flakes of white drifted down from above. A nearby street lamp flickered, with a young woman sitting under the bench beneath it. She shivered, watching the road outside a small, shoddy apartment building.

As the snow settled on her dusty mauve coat, she brushed her arms lightly to make the snow melt and to prevent herself from becoming cold. She looked at her watch, tapping her finger on the face as her blue eyes came to meet the road once more. She had been waiting a good fifteen minutes outside, wondering if the person she was expecting would be arriving soon.

The area echoed with the crackling of loose trash, the buzz of televisions inside homes, and the gravely noise of cars occasionally making their way down the street. That night, the woman could smell the distinct scent of motor oil from a car passing by that needed its muffler looked at. It was actually something quite familiar to her, though she never found it to be the most pleasant thing.

Her eyes fell to her watch again and she shook her head. She pulled out a cell phone, checking for missed calls or messages, but there were none to speak of. She sighed, frustrated as the person she was supposed to meet was meant to be there ten minutes before. But, perhaps she was being impatient and unforgiving. And today of all days should not be one for her to worry or stew over the smallest of mistakes and details.

Surely enough, a car turned the corner, a refurbished model with a custom dark green paint job and a decorative spoiler on top of the trunk. It belonged to the person she had been waiting for, and she was grateful that he had finally arrived. Despite having lived with it all her life, the Canadian cold never sat well with her.

There was a pulse of sound coming from the car, one she associated with the loud volume of the radio playing from within the vehicle. The window of the passenger's seat rolled down, and she was met with the loud screech of a guitar solo blasting from the speakers. However, the din of music was abruptly cut off, sparing the woman's ears.

"Finally! I told you three times to turn that blasted chaos you call music down, Clay!"

A bass male voice came from inside the car, replied to by a much higher tenor one.

"Look, I couldn't hear you, okay? Besides, Paige doesn't mind so I'm not used to having to turn down the volume."

"Ergh…this is why I'm the one who enlisted while you stayed home," the bass voice replied facetiously. The woman stood up, putting her phone away in the pocket of her coat as she approached the open window.

"Baby sister! Sorry we were late, I had to finish a repair for a guy who came in at the last minute," the tenor voice greeted her.

"More like he wanted to finish shooting the breeze with one of his motor-head buddies."

The voices belonged to two men, both older brothers of the young woman, Paige. The deeper voice belonged to the eldest brother, Liam, the traditionally dutiful first child.

He emerged from the car, his long, grey duster jacket gracing the snowy street. He was a well-built, strong man, his head cleanly shaven. However, Paige still remembered their days as children, when he had the same coppery red hue as his little sister. However, his was straighter, having only a slight curl at the top, while Paige's hair, though kept short, always had messy swirls. But, even with the hair gone, he was still the same picture of a giant that was her brother.

Her eyes watered a bit, having laid eyes on him for the first time in years.

"Well, I guess it's official. My term is done, and I finally get to come home for good this time," he readily embraced his sister in a tight hug, smiling gently and thankfully at the reunion.

"I am so glad to see you, Paige," he squeezed her before letting her go, he looked her up and down, shaking his head.

"You're getting to be quite tall there, sister."

Paige let out a nervous laugh. It was true she was taller than most women, something she preferred not to think about as it made her feel out of place.

"I guess we have that in common now as well," he laughed.

"Yeah, well I got the short end of the stick!," replied her other brother from inside the car. The two of them peered in to see the disgruntled face of the middle sibling as he slouched in his chair.

"Hey, Clay, it's not all it's cracked up to be, trust me," Liam replied cheekily.

Clay was indeed shorter than both Paige and Liam, despite being second in age. He hid underneath a bulky padded green coat, stroking his dark beard.

"Well, I suppose I was the brother born with the charm and good looks…"

"Hey!"

Paige shook her head, smiling. Clay tugged on his white wool cap before tapping his fingers on the wheel of the car.

"So, are we going to celebrate our reunion properly or aren't we?"

Liam sighed.

"True. We're going to Jen's for a good meal and a pleasant start to the next chapter of our lives!," Liam said as he got back into the car. Paige followed, sliding into the back seat.

It really was the first time in years the three siblings were together. Their lives had kept them apart; Liam had gone into military service overseas, following in the footsteps of their late parents, which made him only reachable in few and far between ways until now. Paige had been busy with her studies at the local university, and Clay was earning a living as a mechanic at a local automobile repair shop. The last time they were really together like, this, Paige thought, was just before Liam enlisted. He was figuring out what he wanted to do with his life, while Clay and Paige were in high school and living with their paternal grandparents.

"I am really glad to see the two of you, you know. It's been too long," she spoke as Clay began to turn the key to start car up again.

"Haha! She speaks!," Clay chuckled. Paige's face turned red and she frowned.

"Of course I do!"

"We know," replied Liam assuredly, playfully slapping his brother on the shoulder, "However, you've always been a rather quiet one, Paige."

She huffed.

"I just don't always have much to say."

Perhaps that wasn't entirely the whole story, however. Paige was more of a thinking, introverted person. She thought quite a lot of things, and wondered about the world and all its mysteries. But, when it came time to speak, it was not always the easiest thing for her. She certainly enjoyed other people's company; there was no question of that. But, when it came for her to speak with them, somehow she'd often be at a loss for words. It was because of this that she preferred to listen rather than speak. But, getting her to talk was something her friends and family had nudging her on for quite a long time.

"Oh, I doubt that," said Liam, "Maybe someday you'll tell us just what goes on in that big brain of yours."

"Or maybe she'd just prefer to talk to her furry patients," Clay joked.

"It's not the same," Paige retorted.

"Maybe, maybe not."

"You do have an affinity with animals, it's a pretty inspired thing that you're studying how to put that talent of yours to use," Liam noted.

"Veterinary medicine, yes," Paige responded.

"Kind of cheesy though, isn't it?," Clay mused, "Having a bit of luck with animals and then deciding it's your calling in life?"

"You have a talent with cars," Paige replied.

Clay laughed as the car started up and the three of them drove away down the street.

"That's true. I just seems a bit…hokey in your case. You know, you sometimes read those stories about people who are magically gifted with small innocent creatures like some Disney Princess…"

Paige shook her head.

"It's not magic. I liked animals. So I learned about them, I spent time with them. I learned how to handle them."

Clay kept his eyes on the road, but listened, interested in how his sister would handle his comment.

"And it's not like I'm magically friends with every animal I meet."

"That so?"

"Do you remember that story about the gerbil?," Paige questioned him. Clay shook his head.

"What gerbil?"

"Last year, when the two of us go together for one weekend I told you about a gerbil I was taking care of…"

"…And?"

"…It bit my finger and tried to kick and scratch me, the little devil," Paige scowled, remembering that moment in her studies with a marked dissatisfaction.

"…And then there was Lyle the horse…dear god….I think the hatred was mutual there…"

Liam actually found himself chuckling at her comment.

"So, it's a talent that developed through hard work."

"Yes, it is."

Clay smiled as he approached a stop light.

"Fair enough. As for me, I was born with this magical mechanical expertise."

Liam rolled his eyes.

"I'll believe that when a pig does a swan dive into your bathtub."

Clay growled, annoyed.

"You just made that up."

"Maybe I did," said Liam smugly.

Liam and Clay were always teasing one another, even as children, thought Paige. Perhaps some things about people never changed. While appearance might, and maybe even some aspects of a personality, at the core of the person was their truth and the very essence of what made them who they were.

The car rolled on for a while, the road and the tires creating a soft humming sound. However, after some time, the three siblings were just a block or two away from their old favorite restaurant, Jen's. It was more of a diner style place, quiet and out of the way with glowing blue neon lights. The scent of grilled meat and French fries was already starting to drift into the car, causing Paige's stomach to growl with anticipation.

"Well, now, your stomach sounds like it's trying to tell you something, Paige."

Paige let out a soft laugh.

"I guess I am pretty hungry."

"Indeed? Well, then let's get in there and grab a both so we can get something to chow down on, huh?," Clay rolled up a bit closer before picking a suitable parking space near the diner. The three of them got out, with Liam taking a big whiff of the delicious aromas coming from inside.

"It's good to be home," he smiled contentedly.

"You'll be even more glad when you've gotten your belly full."

As Liam and Clay began another round of playfully snipping at one another, Paige caught wind of an odd sound not far off the right of the group. It sounded like a low whining, perhaps a whimpering. She turned her head, noticing a small black shadow coming from a nearby alleyway. She watched the alley for a few seconds, the sound of her brother's conversing becoming blocked out by the tightened focus of her curiosity.

"Paige?"

Liam noticed his youngest sibling's slipping attention. That was when he noticed the small shadow as well. Clay looked around, wondering what had grabbed his sibling's attention. That was when the figure emerged from the dark alleyway, a figure bearing a wet nose at the end of a long muzzle. "Well, well, what do we have here?," Liam asked aloud.

The shadow belonged to a canine, two feet in height. It came out of the alleyway slowly, cautiously approaching the trio.

"It's a dog," Clay replied, unimpressed. Paige squinted, taking a closer look at the animal now approaching them. It had a collar, so it obviously belonged to somebody it thought. Then, she took note of the dog's features. She wasn't completely familiar with many dog breeds, but she was aware of commonalities among some.

This dog had a short, fine coat of fur made of larges splashes of black trimmed with white. Its ears were flopped on either side of its wide head, and its slowly wagging tail was pointed towards the end. Its legs were muscular and straight, but its toes were curved inward somewhat like a cat. It looked up at the group, its small eyes bearing an expression of sweetness and curiosity.

"I can see it's a dog, Clay," Liam shot back.

"Looks like a foxhound of some sort," Paige concluded aloud after giving it some thought, "Not sure what kind though. Still, what is it doing out here all by itself?"

"It probably got away from its owner," Liam answered thoughtfully. The tall man squatted down, opening his hand to offer it to the dog for it to sniff.

"Maybe Paige should be the one to…"

"It's fine, Clay," said Paige, "It doesn't look hostile."

"Here boy…er…girl…" Liam struggled, "Umm…Maybe we should check the collar for a name or an address."

Paige nodded and was careful in approached the dog. She kneeled down, allowing the dog to sniff her. It did not seem frightened by the presence of her and her brothers. In fact, as soon as it seemed satisfied in investigating page, it rested its chin in the palm of her hand and looked up at her, letting out of huff that was reminiscent of a sigh.

"Alright, buddy," she spoke to it in a soft voice, "Do you have a name? Maybe an owner?"

With her other hand she gently rotated the collar searching for a metal tag or something that could identify the dog. She realized the collar itself was made of bronze, loosely fitting around the dog's neck. Paige tilted her head down, examining the dog's collar more closely.

"This is strange…"

She felt something etched into the collar and looked down to see a name engraved into it.

"Trusty," Paige recited the name allowed. The dog perked up a bit, wagging its tail a little more vigorously. Clay shook his head.

"What kind of a name is that?"

"Well, I guess it's his name," Liam noted, seeing quickly an identifying characteristic that betrayed the dog's gender, "He responded to it, or seemed to, anyhow."

Paige quickly looked over the dog again, noting its appearance.

"I haven't seen any missing pet posters for a dog like this," Paige said, trying to think of anything about the dog was familiar. What perplexed her most was the strange collar, how it was made of unusual material for a dog collar. Even further still, upon inspection, there was nothing else other than the dog's name. Or what she assumed was its name, based on the animal's earlier reaction.

The dog investigated the three siblings before returning to Paige and Liam, sitting attentively in front of them.

"I couldn't find an address on the collar," she told them.

"It's possible the tags fell off," Liam suggested.

"We could take it to the local shelter. They can take care of it and we can get on with things," Clay offered impatiently.

"Well," Paige thought aloud, "I would like to check the alley the dog came from just to be sure. For all we know, he could live nearby."

"I'll help you look," Liam proposed. Paige nodded in agreement. Clay shook his head.

"Fine, I'll go get a table. I don't want the place getting packed so full that we have to wait in line for our food."

Clay went inside the diner, closing the door behind him.

"Suit yourself," Liam called back.

Just then, the eldest sibling noticed that the dog was looking at Paige rather intently. He chuckled to himself.

"Well, you really do have a way with animals, don't you?"

Paige looked back down at the dog, squatting with her knees bent.

"I don't know about this dog…Why does it have a collar made of bronze?"

"It could be he has rather eccentric owners. It could be something else. Why knows?"

"You're probably correct," Paige sighed, dissuading herself from thinking too much on the strange facts about this dog that she had observed.

The dog inched closer to Paige before it stretched out a paw and tapped on her wrist. The creature then let out a guttural whine, still keeping its eyes fixated on the young woman. Paige reached out a hand to scratch the dog's ear. It closed its eyes for a moment or two, only to shake its head and let out another while. It then let out two short barks before bouncing back to the ground.

"Oh, did I do something wrong, boy?"

The dog looked at her, briefly glancing over to the alleyway.

"We should check the alleyway as you suggested. Maybe there's a clue there we can use to get the dog home."

Paige heeded her brother's words, looking in the direction of the alleyway. As she was about to stand up however, the dog stiffened, and in a second or two, it instantly bolted from the brother sister back down the alleyway.

"Wait, come back, Trusty!"

Paige quickly went after the canine, her physically more able brother easily able to keep up with her. She raced down to the entrance and turned the corner down the dark street. They followed the dog a ways, running to fast to notice how their surroundings had changed. Things had suddenly grown darker, with strips of clear light with a pale blue tinged lining dappled along the building walls. However, the eldest sibling eventually took notice of this and went grinding to a halt.

"Paige, hold on, something funky is going on…"

Paige stopped a few feet ahead of him, also starting to notice what was around them. The strange light rippled in the growing darkness that was around them. Paige looked up to see the sky become entirely black. However, she heard the dog barking nearby, mixed with loud whimpering and whining.

"Trusty? Here boy…"

She called for the dog, receiving whimpers and yelps in reply.

There was then the sound of crashing waves, like the sound of the ocean was not far off. Liam could hear it also, and was disturbed by the sudden strange events that were occurring.

"What in blazes is going on?," her brother shook his head, his face twisted in confusion.

"I don't know," Paige said, "I think we should get out of here once we find the dog…"

"Are you sure? Maybe the dog will follow us."

The youngest sibling started to feel warm moisture pooling into her socks, looking down to realize her foot wear was suddenly soak with water. What was the sudden occurrence of the surreal? Had they walked right into some creepy place? She did not remember an alleyway in their hometown that made the sky turn black and was leaking water like a popped swimming pool, that was for sure.

She could still hear the dog's whines, making Paige indecisive about how she should proceed.

"Paige?"

"I have no idea…"

Before she could finish her sentence, she took a step to the side before she felt her leg instantly plunge into what felt like wet, muddy quicksand. Her brother gasped, seeing his sister's leg disappear into the inky blackness.

"Liam!," she cried, trying to pull her limb without any success, "I can't move!"

Her eldest brother ran for her, only to see her other leg disappear, followed by the entire lower half of her body. She felt herself becoming encased in the inky shadows around them. She saw her brother reach out to grab her, and she reached out her hands in kind. They reached and reached, Paige's body slowly being consumed by the black. She heard her brother screaming her name, telling her to hold on while cursing whatever this strange blackness around them was.

And then, she saw it begin to change. The darkness withdrew from Liam, the light of the street behind them glowing at Liam's back, the details of the buildings and their surroundings becoming more visible. But, his voice started to become distant, his body and everything else in the alleyway shrinking from her view. At the same time, she continued to hear the whining of the dog they had found, but there was still no sign of him.

"Paige! No, Paige! Let her go!"

Liam's voice was faint, but she could tell from the way his face twisted that he was screaming at the top of his lungs. The sensation of mud began to enclose her body like a cocoon, the scene of her brother and the alleyway continuing to grow smaller and smaller, as if becoming farther away. Her brother's voice became barely a whisper, and she let out a shrill scream of her own. But no sound came forth from her lips. Even the dog's barking had fallen silent.

What was this sudden madness that had taken her? Was this all just some nightmare from which she would soon awaken? It seemed too sudden, too insane to be anything but. She continued to open her mouth to scream as the last vision of the street turned into nothing but a white dot, growing smaller than a far off star in the night sky. Finally, her very face felt like it was imprisoned in clay, her eyes forcefully falling shut, the rest of her body completely immobilized.

There was then a violent swirling sensation around her as if her paralyzed form was thrown into a fast moving rotating door, spinning her wildly around and around. Her body was tossed about in the abyss like a ragdoll in a tornado, pain shooting through her as lightning through a tree.

But she couldn't open her mouth to cry out. She could not hear, she could not see. She could only feel these forces and pressures acting upon her.

The torment seemed to last for hours it felt like, pushing her every which way into the nothingness of the void that had swallowed her. And then, that's when she began to hear it. It was barely audible, but she began to hear the barking of the dog once more. It was only for a moment or two, but she heard it. That was when she felt one final violent push on her body, impacting with some sort of surface. She realized it felt soft and somewhat warm, something that was not there before.

Her eyes were still sealed shut, but the rest of her body started to feel the weighty sensation drop off as though it were being stripped away. In fact, her entire body suddenly felt weightless, as though it were drifting. Her hand shifted, feeling a light pressure against it. Something akin to water, she thought. But, she was still able to breathe perfectly normally. And then she felt something drift up her nose, something gritty and irritating. She sneezed, suddenly feeling a gentle sensation of drifting forward and down, until after a while, the sensation ceased.

The sound of crashing waves entered her ears once more, only to die down to the flow of a gentle ocean tide, pulling in and out. She felt a surface underneath her motionless body, as though she were now lying on her stomach with her head turned just off to the side. The redhead started to feel warmth beginning to embrace her body and the touch of sand upon her fingers.

The smell of ocean water and morning dew wafted into her nostrils. She shifted to get her bearings and perhaps open her eyes. But, she felt a sudden dizziness and kept her eyes shut. But, there was one thought that was clearly on her mind: what on earth had just happened to her?

She felt a light tap on her back, followed with the sound of panting and a gentle woof.

After a brief pause, she attempted to open her eyes once more, the young women met with the sound of a bark and the sight of the soft, sweet eyes of the mysterious dog. She said nothing, but was clearly wondering not only how she was here, but as to why the dog was with her as well.

Paige grumbled, moving her hands sluggishly under her, feeling a sharp pain shoot through her body. She hissed, but continued to push herself upwards, realizing that the surface beneath her was a warm sandy beach. The dog barked at her once more and she shook her head, trying to shrug off the pain she was feeling.

"It's okay, I'm up, I'm up….just what are you doing here anyway?"

Before she could fully stand up, the dog leaned in to lick her face, causing a compulsive chuckle from the young woman. She reached out to pet the dog upon its head, at which it replied with a soft huff and rubbed its nose along her arm.

But, there was a better question that she should have asked, she thought. What was she doing here? And where was she now?

One thing was certain to her when she finally got a good look at her new environment: Paige Churchill was nowhere near Manitoba, Canada. Nowhere near home.

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To be Continued?

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Author's notes:

Well, ladies and gentleman, here we are, again. I had to do some research on 18th century dogs for this one…and of course, I'll have to make sure to do what I can to keep things in line with Assassin's Creed 4 as much as possible. I haven't planned any pairings as of yet, since I actually have no idea what I intend to do with this fic yet… I'll let you, the readers, throw your suggestions into the ring. I'll try to keep author's notes as short and to the point as I can since I know I tend to get carried away at times. But, I appreciate the feedback I've gotten on my AC2/B fic (which is still my first priority fanfic wise), but I hope to also get some useful feedback on this and future side projects.

That's all for now, see you next time!