[FrostWynd]

It just so happened to not be your typical currency though. From what he did learn about this world, they used these peculiar little stones as a form of money. But where he came from, they were rather different, and the coins between his fingers caught in the sunlight to reflect a bright metallic shine. "Is that..." "Gold? It is indeed." He handed over one to let them get a good look at it.

"It's not your usual form of money, but I imagine it will still suffice?"

[FrostWynd]

The man's jaw would gradually drop as he took a much closer look at the single coin he'd been given, as it would be determined that it was, in fact, the real deal. Greed was so commonplace that the dragon had no doubts in his mind the small piece of gold would work in his favor here. "Uh, y-yeah! This'll do nicely." He finally responded after needing a moment to recompose himself. "Wonderful. Now tell me what you know."

[FrostWynd]

So how on earth was he supposed to find these pirates anyway?

Back to Lukas, the golden pup wasn't having much luck in answering that question. There were a lot of people passing through the port today, and with all the ships practically looking the same to him, this task was turning out to be virtually impossible to accomplish.

It didn't help that his hunger made it difficult to concentrate either... Every time he passed by something food-related, you could practically hear his stomach screaming out demands for something to eat.

[FrostWynd]

"Stupid brute, you better get me an amazing meal in return for doing this..." He grumbled under his breath irritably as he kept making his way around, doing his best to ignore this nagging going on in the back of his head that would've compelled him to resort to his old thieving tricks again.

Eventually he'd find himself at the very end, again. This had to have been what, the second or third time he'd gone in a circle through the docks and stuff? And still nothing stuck out that screamed 'Hey, these are the pirates you're looking for!'

[FrostWynd]

Clearly he had missed something. That much was obvious. Because otherwise he would've been hiding somewhere watching some dumb pirates doing dumb piratey things for the next several hours by now. Guess that means he was gonna have to go around again for possibly the third time in a row, which was getting annoying already with how repetitive and boring walking about in circles was. But he was going to have to find them, and soon, otherwise he was gonna get into some serious trouble with Midnight for sure... Another long sigh would escape him the second that thought crept up.

If only he could lie his way through this, then everything would be so much easier.

[Hunt Complete]

[FrostWynd]

Then, a thought struck him.

What if he were to lie?

Obviously on one hand, it was the worst idea ever. Because if he were to screw it up and got found out, well... the results probably won't be pretty. But on the other, that would mean he won't have to go through nearly as much effort just to tell Midnight what he needed to hear!

Could he do it though? The guy was pretty smart, so it may not actually be the easiest thing to do.

[FrostWynd]

Hmm... It really was a tough one for Lukas to decide on, that it started to frustrate him enough to the point where he started scratching a claw against the wood of the dock as he thought this over. Simply because right now he was equally afraid of what the consequences might be, as much as he was feeling incredibly lazy and really didn't want to keep an eye on pirates all day. Never mind the fact that he also hated his 'master' quite a bit.

So which one was going to win out in the end here?

[FrostWynd]

Getting so wrapped up in his thoughts trying to sort this out, he wouldn't take notice of how the world seemed to have slightly different plans in mind when something suddenly grabbed at his back. And just like before, without his permission, his whole body got lifted straight back up into the air with some speed. "Aaaah!" He responded with panic, and again flailing around while having no idea what was happening. "S-stop! Put me down!"

Did Midnight find out what he may or may not have been up to before he actually did anything?!

"Whoa, did you hear that? This thing talked!" An unfamiliar voice would say, and the next moment the world spun around as Lukas was turned to now face whoever had grabbed him out of the blue.

[FrostWynd]

It would be some sort of lady that had grabbed him by the harness, and she looked just about as surprised as he did. Her blue eyes glittering with wonder at their newest find.

Accompanying her were two other women standing off to one side, and were also staring at him. Both wore clothing that were stark contrasts from each other, as one was extremely harsh and bright with varying golds and reds, while the other being much softer and pale with whites and blues. "It's rather scrawny looking..." The flashier of the two commented, appearing to be disappointed by her observation for some odd reason. Instantly he felt unnerved by the way she was looking at him... "Very pretty though..." The other would add in softly, coming in closer to get a better look at him.

His ears flattened tightly against his head when she started getting too close, and instinctively revealed his teeth when she tried to extend a hand towards him. "Stay back! I'm warning you!"

[FrostWynd]

If he had to, there was nothing stopping him from going and biting her gloved hand. Nothing except for the woman that was holding him up anyway... Her friend started to laugh and readjusted him so his pointy little teeth were facing elsewhere. "Pretty feisty too, for something this small!"

The paler dressed woman didn't seemed put off by the pup's threat, and went to grab at the end of one of his tails anyway. Despite doing his best to keep them tucked away, he could feel the lady's fingers grab at one of them, and pull it over for proper inspection. All he could see out of the corner of his eye was her admiring his golden pelt, stroking his fluffy tail and occasionally poking at the blades near the tip. "I've never seen a creature like this before. The fur is so soft and light."

This situation was starting to feel awfully familiar, and he wasn't too happy by the memories it brought up.

[FrostWynd]

Just thinking about it made him get sick and tired of all the poking and prodding that was going on, and being talked about like he was some kind of shiny object for their amusement. "Excuse me, but that's MINE!" Next thing they'd know, the little golden furball would lash out with sudden motion and energy. All in the attempt to free his tail from the lady's grip. It was incredibly awkward to do, but somehow he would manage to twist himself around on the harness and slap at his tail with his paws, it would be just enough for him to knock it free and protectively hide it away again.

"Touch me again, and you'll regret it!" He snapped, now doing his very best to look intimidating. Which wasn't accomplishing all that much considering the position he was in, but what else could he do?

[FrostWynd]

"Oh? We'll regret it, huh? Is that so?" Appearing to be intrigued by that last statement, the one in the bright clothes would start to grin. The sharp teeth she revealed was enough to send a chill down his spine. "Tell me little beast, how exactly do you plan on making us regret it?" Something about her in particular sent off all sorts of alarm bells in his head, and just as quickly as the anger came, it vanished. Now it had been replaced with fear. "I... Uhm..." Any words he had left quickly escaped him.

It was a good question though. How could a pup like him actually do anything against these three ladies? Not only did they outnumber him, the first one still had a firm grip on his harness.

He was completely helpless right now.

[FrostWynd]

Becoming aware of that fact would really take the fight out of him. He fell completely silent and averted his eyes.

Seeing that he had no answer to give, and how he became less energetic, seemed to bore the flashy one. Quickly she lost interest. "Nothing? Tsk, figures..." Crossing her arms, she turned away and seemed about ready to leave. "You guys do whatever you want with that thing, I'm going back to the ship."

The one that was holding him up turned her attention to her friend, and nodded. "Alright Ki! We'll catch up in a bit." At that, this 'Ki' lady held up a hand as she walked away. Leaving the remaining two with him.

[FrostWynd]

Her leaving wouldn't bring about too much comfort for Lukas, but at least now he could relax just a small bit.

Meanwhile, the two women still with him would return to staring at him. "So. What do you think we should do with it?" The first would ask the other curiously, slowly starting to spin him around. "Hmm... We could probably sell it. A creature this unusual has to be worth something."  The other would reply after a moment of thought. As soon as he heard the word 'sell' though, he immediately stiffened up. "Whoa now, you ain't doing ANYTHING with me! Just let me go, and we can forget this ever happened!"

[FrostWynd]

The one holding him seemed to find what he said funny, as she laughed yet again. "Aw, sorry hun, but no can do. I caught you fair and square, after all." Fair and square? FAIR AND SQUARE? Out of frustration, he found the energy again to flail around and start shouting in protest. "You snuck up on me! THERE'S NOTHING FAIR ABOUT THAT AT ALL!" Wanting to break free, he started trying to get at her hand to bite, scratch, kick, or anything he could possibly do to get her to let go already.

It wouldn't work out very well, as all she needed to do was switch hands every time he got too close. While he was occupied with that, she would come up with an idea of her own. "Ooo! I know! We can have Viv and Theo take a look at it, and see if it might be worth selling. They're good at figuring out that sort of thing."

[Hunt Complete]