Tweet
Felix breathed with relief as he watched the fleet sail away. It had been a close call, but the captain had been able to pull them through, as always. As he watched the ships become fading dots in the distance, and the shore shrink away into the horizon, a smile crept up on his face. The moon would soon be high upon the sea, silver glints reflecting onto a flying flag. That flag better be the White Wolf's true, as it would clearly be a sign of wellbeing in their travels. And with that thought in mind, he hurried down to the kitchen, retrieved the hidden flags and hurried to the captain's quarters, replacing all the fakes in their proper place. Then he brought the real one, ready to be set free, up above deck and held it for Tyra to take.
-
-
After dealing with the Intrepid Lance, the Sea Queen never spotted another one of Rhykim's ships. Once the crew felt that they were in the clear, Corin returned to the stern of the ship to begin painting once again. He didn't bother Zaria for help because she seemed to be busy with Zulo, and unlike before, he had plenty of time. The rope was in the same place he had left it, so Corin simply tied it around himself, hopped over the back of the boat, and went to work.
Within thirty minutes he was finished, and the distinguished white lettering of the vessel's true name, the White Wolf, gloriously adorned the stern. He always did his best job when printing this name. Anyone who looked at it would remember the name "White Wolf", whether they had been watching in awe as the beautiful caravel left port, or watching from a sinking ship as the White Wolf triumphantly sailed away from a sea battle unscathed.Comment
-
Tyra grinned as Felix brought the White Wolf's flag from belowdecks. "Thanks, Beaver. You did good hiding it." She took the flag, then called, "Hawk! Show Feather how we fly our colors, will ya?" She handed the Rito the white flag. Zaria grinned in turn and called Zulo over. She proceeded to show him how to hoist the flag, and also showed him how to trim and reef the sail while she was at it. Tyra watched them with some pride, as well as Corin as he lowered himself over the rail to repaint the ship's name. "White Wolf on a new adventure. Let's see where it takes us." She patted the tiller before turning it to accommodate for Zaria and Zulo's sails lessonPhillipians 4:13 - I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Character Tracker, where you can find out about all the characters.
sigpicComment
-
Zulo followed Zaria around the deck as she continued teaching him their routine on the ship. First they went to the central, tallest mast of the White Wolf and he watched Zaria raise the ship's true flag. It was simple enough, but working with the sails wasn't going to be so easy. She adjusted them just enough to show Zulo how it was done, but it would be a while before he would get the hang of it.
By the time Zulo's lesson on the sails was complete, the moon had risen higher in the sky and his eyelids had grown heavier. With the rocking of the ship combined with his tired muscles, his walking became wobbly, almost as if he were drunk. He was ready to pass out and hoped the crew would be calling it a night soon.Comment
-
As the moon rode high, Tyra called, "Alright everyone, finish your chores and get some sleep. I'll take first watch. Hawk, you relieve for second, and bring Feather with you. I know it's dull, but I want you to teach him what we keep an eye out for in the dark. Sparrow will take morning watch." She lashed the tiller in place and watched her crew as they gradually filed down below-decks. It was cool night, with hints of clouds, nothing that would indicate a storm. Still, she reefed the sails some, just to be sure, before taking her position on the bow to watch their progress, comparing what she remember of the charts to the stars above. Zaria would tweak their course as needed when she came up for her watch.Phillipians 4:13 - I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Character Tracker, where you can find out about all the characters.
sigpicComment
-
"Aye," Zaria called as she led Zulo below deck. The heat below deck was a nice contrast from the fast-cooling air outside that always came from the oceanic night. "You've slept on the sea before, right boy?" she asked the other Rito. "If you're from Clearcliff the sound won't bother you, if not it takes longer to get accustomed." She figured Tyronica wouldn't be at all lenient on sleep, even with a new crew member taking watch.Old Age of War stuff here:
Comment
-
Zulo wasn't looking forward to waking up so early for second watch with Zaria, but all he could think about for now was going to sleep. He stumbled down the stairs after Zaria into the cozy warmth below deck, and entered their room behind her. He was amazed at how much space there was inside the ship. It was still quite crammed, but there was more space than he had judged from the outside.
"I'm used to the sound," Zulo told Zaria. "Not the tipping though." Despite the unfamiliar tilting of the ship, he was sleeping like a lazy goron when bedtime finally arrived.
The Ritos were followed by Corin, who ambled into his own sleeping quarters. He had a full belly and was ready to sleep. He hadn't looked as bad as the Rito newcomer, but Corin wouldn't have a problem falling asleep himself. He didn't mind having third watch, either. He considered it some good lounge time, and he could do whatever he wanted until it came time to work his duties as first mate. He reclined in his bed and let the gentle washing of waves lull him to sleep.Last edited by HyrulianBlackcat; 01-27-2014, 03:25 PM.Comment
-
Felix, while wary of the deep sea in the nighttime, could already begin to feel the weight on his eyelids gaining heaviness by the second, so he bowed out of the deck and headed down below. He hoped no other problems unravelled as he rested. After all, being shaken awake by the screeching sounds of an alarm that turned out not to be a drill really irritated him. By the time he got to his quarters he didn't even try to change into something more comfortable. He simply slipped onto the covers and was engulfed in dreams.Comment
-
(Apologies for the length, I was told I needed to make it 500 words. It is 572, minus this part here. :P)
Tyra smiled as one by one, her crew filed below decks to their bunks. She was still amazed to have such a good crew, and now two new members had joined their family. Hopefully they'd be able to fit in well and learn a few things about how to pilot a ship. Deann would make an excellent addition to their raiding party, and maybe he'd even pick up a few tips from Felix if she sent him down often enough. She always felt that she should find someone to help her cook out, and to take over when he had to leave for specific missions from her. When Felix had to leave the ship for even a little while, crew morale suffered because no one could cook as good as he did and everyone knows, a crew's attitude was determined by how well they were fed. Tyra smiled as she thought about how she had first met Felix. A poor boy aboard a ship, she found him hiding in the cargo hold and thought herself fortunate to have caught such a big fish. Surely someone so ill-treated must be a hostage to a rich family!
How silly she felt when he informed her, rather amused, that he had been the ship cook. She had insisted he prove it, and been shocked at the dish he had concocted. He clearly didn't have anywhere else to go, though, so she decided to take him aboard her own ship. She made him the cook, giving him the title slave so that outsiders wouldn't think it strange that such a young lad was cooking for them. Also so that he couldn't be tempted to leave White Wolf and take his culinary delights to another crew. Now, though, he was like another brother to her, and she was just as protective of him as she was of Corin.
She had met Zaria early on, of course. The Rito was a skilled navigator, having an instinctive sense of direction and a knack for reading maps. Realizing what an invaluable member she'd be to the crew, Tyra hired her right off. She should have checked Zaria's personality first, made sure she would fit with the crew, but her gut had insisted on it. Tyra was glad she had listened; the Rito didn't have any problems fitting in and even got along with Corin really well.
Now she had Zulo to train as well. If one Rito was good, two was even better. She could then afford to use Zaria for other purposes, and even split the night watch more once Zulo was trained well enough. And if it ever became necessary, she would train Corin and Zulo to be the only night watch, sleeping during the day and keeping watch all night. It would be quiet for them, and perhaps tedious, but if she could manage it that way, it was less likely something could happen between shifts. She always hated those few moments when the previous watch had to duck under to wake the next, because it left the ship vulnerable. Now maybe she could avoid that break altogether, if she could plan it just right. And being on the open sea for storm's knew how long, she'd get plenty of chance.
Tyra looked up with a start and realized she had let the ship off course some. Stretching, she stood and moved back to readjust the tiller.Phillipians 4:13 - I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Character Tracker, where you can find out about all the characters.
sigpicComment
-
Zaria climbed into her bunk and shoved her face into the pillow. A full belly was always the best to sleep on, even if was supposed to make you fat. Life on the sea didn't allow for that, between rationing food and the physical activity, she had a rather lean build. She wasn't sure how long she had to sleep, every night shift seemed to vary to her. Tyronica probably kept shifts tight, but dreams didn't know time, and usually hit their high point right when she needed to fight or take watch. She'd probably teach Zulo more about navigating in the pre-dawn when their shift came up, for now she was going to sleep.Old Age of War stuff here:
Comment
-
Most nights were dreamless for Felix. It was a small comfort, as when he did dream his mind was plagued with nightmares and terrors of his past and fears for his future. This night was one of those. The water was cold, he couldn't feel it but the air rising from it brought the temperature with it. There was a light fog surrounding the ship. It wasn't the White Wolf. He was younger, and torture was bright in his eyes. The crew yelled at him, called him names, bossed him around. While he was only supposed to cook for them, they made sure to take advantage of him for much more than that. The ship then began shaking, rumbling from beneath. A sudden blow to the side sent him flying to the other side of the deck, face first. A fight ensued, he did not know with what. The rest of the crew hurried around furiously, shouting, bellowing out at the seas. Finally, the captain came out from below. He hollered to the others. He is hungry. Let's feed him. They agreed, nodding in unison. Felix felt his blood freeze within him, for the captain grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and raise him into the air like he was nothing. It was a pleasure having you work for us, he said. And Felix flew. He flew for once in his life and then fell as was custom for him. He fell below into the deep, black night waters. They were cold, he had been right. It wasn't hard for him to spot the creature, white, slightly glowing in the infinite darkness. It floated before him, huge mouth gaping at the innocent cook. He tried to scream, but knew it would let go of all the air he had left to breathe. But the creature didn't kill him, break him, eat him. It simply used a long tentacle to push him back out of the depths. Felix gasped for air and tried to stay afloat, worrying that the creature was just toying with him and would eat him up. But it didn't, he waited and nothing happened. It was gone. Finally, one of the crew members spotted the boy floating beside the ship. They retrieved him. He was shaking, dripping wet, teeth jittering and arms teetering. The captain came up to him, grinned viciously like a hyena, and then ordered Felix to clean up the mess he was making, then to get back to the kitchen and cook him up a snack. "It seems your employment with us isn't over yet, lad."
Felix swallowed a scream as he woke up with some pain on his head. He had rolled out of the bed and smacked on the floor. Covered in sweat and pale as a bed sheet, he quickly used a towel to clean up slightly, changed into more comfortable clothes, and lay back down. He didn't speak, but didn't drift back to sleep either. How could he? He simply waited for either morning to come or Tyra to "wake" him.Comment
-
Tyra sighed as she noticed the moon had risen to the right position. It was time for her to wake Zaria and Zulo. She really didn't want to leave her ship unguarded, even for those brief moments, but she had no choice. She lashed the tiller in place, making sure the knot was loose enough that Zaria could undo it easily. Maybe her navigator could use the long hours to teach Zulo to tie knots too, from the lose ones used for the tiller to the firm ones to keep the ship docked. Knot-tying was essential on a ship, one of the few skills that everyone had to learn.
Quick strides took her below decks to Zaria's quarters with a lantern. She knocked lightly on the pole, knowing that was all it would take to wake the Riot, then moved on to Zulo. Since she didn't know his sleeping habits, she went up to his bunk and shook him awake. "Wake up, Feather. Zaria will be topside soon, just head up there. She'll show you the ropes. And stay awake now." She smiled at the younger Rito, then started walking the rest of the ship. She liked to make sure everyone was settled in for the night. Jasin was sleeping with his sword nearby as usual. Corin was sprawled on his bed snoring.
When she poked her head in Felix's room, though, she noticed he was awake. He usually was sleeping soundly, a deep sleep that didn't seem to be affected by dreams. She had noticed a few times, though, that he'd be awake and uneasy. She didn't know why, but she always made a point to take him out and get him talking. Even if it was small talk, she felt it was better to keep him company than leave him stewing over his thoughts in the dark. "Hey Felix. You want to join me in the kitchen? I feel like making the crew a treat for breakfast tomorrow. How does cinnamon rolls sound?"Phillipians 4:13 - I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Character Tracker, where you can find out about all the characters.
sigpicComment
-
Felix was pretty surprised when the door to his quarters opened, but it wasn't the first time Tyra had come and check on him at night. She did that with most of the crew, after all. She could probably tell that something was wrong, but he decided against making it known. He smiled and pushed himself up to sit on the edge of the bed. He smiled. "Yeah, actually that sounds pretty good right about now, couldn't sleep anyways." He got up, stretched the stiffness out of his muscles, and made his way over to Tyra.Comment
-
Tyra smiled and put an arm around Felix's shoulder, her free hand holding the lantern as she led him to the kitchen area. Once there, she set the lantern on the counter and light the oven, which would provide any additional light they'd need. "First things first. Where do you hide the yeast? I'll also need the sugar and flour." She reached into a cupboard and pulled out a bowl and poured some water in it, which she placed by the oven to warm. Cinnamon rolls was one of the few recipes she knew, and she was pretty good at it. She had never asked Felix to make it, so she wasn't sure how good he was at it, but she preferred to keep it that way. If he was as good at it as he was at everything else food-related, she'd rather not listen to the crew requesting his over hers when it was one of the few things she enjoyed doing. "You got butter too, right? I need butter once the dough rises. And cinnamon of course. Can't have cinnamon rolls without cinnamon." She peeked into another cupboard and frowned. "And I think you moved the eggs on me again."Last edited by HyrulianBlackcat; 02-04-2014, 10:04 AM.Phillipians 4:13 - I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Character Tracker, where you can find out about all the characters.
sigpicComment
-
Felix grinned as he pointed out the places where the ingredients were, as well as helped get some things out for the captain. She did love making those cinnamon rolls, and he'd never been asked to do it himself. To be honest, he had no idea if he was even any good at making them, which was why he appreciated that they were "Tyra's special treat". As he reached for the eggs, he began talking. "Of course we have butter, what kind of a cook do you take me for, Cap'n?" He then retrieved that and placed it before Tyra. "Are Zaria and Zulo up for watch already?" While they didn't actually talk about what was bothering him, Tyra always had a great way to get his mind off of things.Comment
Comment