CHAPTER 2: Hung Up

The old but still sound Thrundank lumber of the boat doors sagged on rusty hinges. Chains, as rusted as the hinges, held them closed. Diving under the doors, Fawkes and JuJu came up inside a covered mooring dock. Gray light speckled in through a few notches in the walls and holes in the roof, revealing that the boat lift hoists and ropes were gone. The rock foundation supporting the walls widened into stone walkways around all the walls save the one holding the doors. Riverweed clung to the rocks below the water and there was that damp earthy smell of wood rotting beneath mushrooms. Damn it, this place is emp—

The big dog whined and swam fast for a dingy brass ladder on the shoreside of the boathouse. Someone bigger than Thimmy clung to the ladder with an arm flung over a rung, preventing their head from slipping beneath the water. JuJu nudged whoever it was with his nose and whined louder. Spurred by the desperation in his dog's whine, the young man rushed to the unconscious bearded man. He let out a relieved breath when a palm to the chest found a heartbeat.

"Let's get him onto the walk." Fawkes scrambled up the rock foundation slipping twice on the slimy riverweeds then lay flat. JuJu went under and came up beneath the man. Working loose the arm flung over a rung, Fawkes was shocked to find a cut piece of rope dangling from the wrist. There was no time to wonder why as the dog lifted while the young man pulled until the bearded man lay on the stone walk.

"Bristol!" Fawkes stared at the old fisherman's face all battered and swollen. What happened to you?

Fawkes darted his eyes about then settled on a dark corner.

"Let's get him over there. I can use the orb without anyone shoreside seeing it." I don't dare let the Hand find us right now. Who else would have done this to him?

JuJu crawled on his belly as Fawkes lifted Bristol by the arms. Sliding the unconscious fisherman onto the huge dog's back, it was a simple matter of the young man keeping Bristol balanced while his dog stood then walked to the corner. Wiping his shaking hands on the back of his shirt, Fawkes untyed the river lion pouch at his waist. He reached in and took out his orb covered with glass beads.

A twist of the top half of the orb one way and the bottom half the other way until there was a click sent light blazing out from the beads. Fawkes tapped several beads turning them dark until only two still glowed. He released the orb and it drifted to hover over his left shoulder.

The swelling on Bristol's face was so bad the old man struggled to breathe while laying on his back. Fawkes quickly rolled him onto his side and the breathing eased. The younger man's hands slipped from the shirt that clung wetly, but he was determined to check for wounds. On the fisherman's left side, swollen spots started to darken into bruises. Cautiously pressing them, Fawkes huffed out a breath. At least his ribs aren't broken.

Bristol shivered. Snatching the orb, the young man gave it one more twist. The two glowing beads dimmed to orange and wamred. He pressed more beads until he had enough to provide them the heat of a small campfire. Setting the orb on the walk near the old fisherman, he let it go. The orb stayed put.

"I need my medicine bag, but it's in my haverpack. It's, um," Closing his eyes, he thought about what he had done with the pack last night. Despite being so tired, he had buckled it tight and returned it to its peg on the cabin wall. Another habit Grandfather had taught him. "It's on its peg. Can you fetch it quick?"

The huge dog snorted. He nuzzled Bristol then tucked his head against Fawkes, who gave him a hug and a pat.

"Be careful."

JuJu snorted again. Trotting to the end of the walkway, the huge dog jumped into the water with a splash. He swam to the boat doors and dove under.

***

JuJu surfaced just past the doors. Them Hands won't notice me swimming to the docks from here.

He turned to swim that way and growled low. Two boats rowed a slow lazy patrol. One headed down the middle of the river toward the boathouse while the other circled the harbor. Still growling, the big dog swam for shore. A short scramble up the steep bank and he was in the brush between the warehouses and the river. Snorting at the sky, he gave himself a thorough shake. Rain shmain. Shakes are good.

Looking over the brush to the street, his ears folded back. Too many peoples out. They'll be asking where's my boy. He snorted. The boy is fun but lots of work.

Heaving a put-upon sigh, he prowled toward the warehouses and Haggler's Storehouse. The Hand only had watchers at the big front doors and the roof door. Someone stuck out his head out of the roof door for a peek then ducked back down, pulling it closed. Pathetic.

Walking through the brush without anyone sparing a look, he reached the first of the cottages. Several of them had chickens. Some had dogs. The worst had both. Damn ruckus makers. And damn them patrolling boats for making me go past all the noisemakers!

The rain helped and he managed to weave his way along unbothered. Just one more cottage and he would be on a street. This one had a rooster who looked very feisty. It was thoroughly drenched but alert.

Looking for another way past the roster, JuJu stopped himself from snorting. Any noise could set it off. The bank sloped more gently here so the rooster's yard went right to the water. Next door had a pair of hounds whining for a run. There was no other way around them. He would have to swim.

JuJu prowled to the riverbank. He looked down towards the boathouse hiding Fawkes and Bristol. The patroling boat was past the boathouse and. Looked the other way, the huge dog watched that patrol boat circle the harbor again. With both boats too far to notice, he waded in, nice and quiet. Not until his paws could no longer touch the bottom did he start to swim. JuJu loved swimming. It felt great to swim out into the deeper channel where the rooster could not see him.

The boat in the harbor. Its circle was slow. My boy could drag bottom with a big ship anchor and still row faster. A second man in the boat tilted back a bottle. JuJu snorted and swam for the harbor. Diving under he first dock of fishing boats, he came up under the big dock. He dove once again to get under the third dock where the Gosling was tied up. At Boatessa, Bristol's fishing boat tied up next to the keelboat, he stopped, still under the dock but his chin resting ont he fishing boat.

"Woof." His bark was short and low.

"Woof?" PeyPey peered over the dock.

"Woof."

A moment later, PeyPey jumped onto the fishing boat. He touched noses with JuJu. Finally, the brothers could talk.

Bristol's hurt bad. Our boy needs his pack.

Thimmy?

Nothing.

The ship?

Can't sniff there.

I'll get his thing. PeyPey looked out over the harbor and growled at the patroling boat. He, too, snorted as the bottle was passed to the rower. Leaping back onto the dock, he went to the Gosling. A minute later he returned with the pack and reached it to his brother.

Been watching the ship.

Swim and sniff tonight?

Yeah. PeyPey looked out at the patrolling boat. They're pathetic and look away. Go.

JuJu swam back through the docks the same way he had arrived. Once he was clear of the harbor, he swam faster. In no time at all, he reached the riverbank near the ornery rooster. It ran over to the very edge of the cottage yard and eyed the huge dog but did not crow. Instead, it waited for him to put just one paw onto its yard.

Dumb bird.

Snorting once he was past the rooster, he prowled his way past other cottages. A dog barked but he ignored it and kept going. The yapping dog ran up and grabbed the haverpack. With a swat, JuJu knocked the other dog aside.

"Scrappy!" a child called. About to try for the pack again, the other dog stopped to look at a cottage. JuJu used the distraction and jumped the garden wall. With its paws on the wall, the other dog kept barking until a girl ran over and grabbed his collar.

"Bad dog! Stop barkin' at nothin' again!"

JuJu continued his prowl and reached the brush between the warehouses and the river. Reaching his boy's slicker tented over his boots, he lay down low and growled. The patrolling boat rowed by.

Soon as Scrappy started barking at the boat, JuJu swam to the boathouse. He surfaced inside then swam fast for the ladder.

"Wmmf."  It was a muffled bark but his boy heard him and hurried over.