Rex yawned, watching the humans scurry about on the pier from his perch on the figurehead of his pet's ship. He had only had this particular pet for two moon cycles but he felt optimistic about him. His pet was a fine Marine of considerable rank, kept himself well-groomed, and always made sure Rex had enough to eat without trying to give him to much. Rex was sure the mouser cats who owned his pet's previous captains had had a paw in his training and he was grateful. Tilting an ear back, Rex half-listened to his pet chattering to the other humans. He was still learning human-sounds, but he could understand the basics. They were here to capture some magic-using hawk, or something to that effect. Human-marines didn't target hawks, though, so more likely it was a pirate with a name that sounded like hawk. Either way, it seemed Rex's pet planned to go alone, and that just wouldn't do at all. He was a good pet, after all, and it would be a shame to lose him. After all, Rex didn't know enough about human training to train his own pet if he lost this one. Nodding to himself, Rex checked that none of his pet's litter-mates were watching before jumping to the pier and following after his pet.

Rex's pet led him well into the city, before stopping near a human-made spring. Rex climbed a nearby tree and settled on a thick branch to watch as his pet made for a golden-furred human slightly smaller than him who was playing with some false-leaves. Cards, Rex thought he'd heard them called before. The two seemed to be chattering peacefully, perhaps this wasn't the hawk-pirate after all. Rex had heard that some humans would chatter with others while looking for pirates. Just as Rex was settling in to wait his ear flicked back to catch the sound of something light landing on the branch behind him. Reluctantly, he turned away from his pet to look at the black-furred queen who had apparently been resting on a higher branch. "Good afternoon. Would you like your fortune told?" The black queen asked, sitting just behind Rex. Rex noted briefly that she had a white patch on her chest and her eyes didn't match, the right eye being green while the left was blue.

"No thank you. I need to keep track on my pet." Rex said, turning Back to the two humans below. The gold was showing his pet something on one of the cards.

"I take it the marmalade is yours. Looks like my pet is reading his future." The black queen said, hopping nimbly to the branch beside his. "My name is Tarot, by the way. I Saw that a Marine would come for my pet today. I do not, however, See the shadow of death on either human." Rex turned back to the queen, checking her black collar to find no tag whereas he himself proudly wore the Marine's emblem on his own dark blue band.

"Your pet is the Hawk pirate we're after?" He had to be sure. Tarot gave him a small smile that nearly put his fur on end, and not for the reasons he would have expected.

"Basil Hawkins, captain of the Hawkins Pirates. My tag was lost in a recent fight, we're here to get a new one." Tarot said. Rex glanced at the humans again before sitting up and turning towards the queen.

"Perhaps I will have my fortune told, after all." He said, tail swishing slowly. Tarot smiled again and sat up, placing one paw on Rex's forehead and closing her eyes.

"Interesting. I See a great change in you life. Blood stains your claws. Your tag lies broken. A seagull dies." Rex's ears folded back. 'Seagull' was a common nickname for Marines, he knew that much. He glanced towards his pet who was still chattering with Tarot's pet. Was he in more danger than Rex thought? Tarot drew back her paw, turning towards the humans. "I'm sorry, there are to many paths the future might take from there. You stand at a crossroads, and I fear your future depends upon that of you pet. Stay close to him. It looks like they're done." Rex turned and, sure enough, the gold human was walking away, leaving his pet standing by the spring. Tarot jumped from the tree and followed her pet, jumping onto his shoulders when she was close enough and allowing herself to be carried away.

Rex watched as his pet sat on the low wall enclosing the spring, face hidden in his forepaws. Frowning, Rex jumped to the ground and walked to his pet, speaking softly. "It's alright, Drake." Rex's pet looked up on hearing his voice and started slightly, murmuring.

"Rex, what…going…do?" Rex wished his pet could understand him, even as poorly as he understood his pet. Instead of trying to talk, he jumped into his pet's lap and purred soft reassurances. His pet stroked him lightly, watching the direction the gold human had gone, before picking him up in his forelimbs and carrying him back towards the ship. "I'm done…a Marine. We'll have…see…from there." Rex just kept purring and hoped his pet wasn't about to do something foolish. The mental image of a dead seagull rose in his mind. He desperately hoped it wouldn't be his pet.

TBC