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Alan
Albert
Almor
Cazal
Drev
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Drev  Blog Adoptables My Stories |
Five-part Roleplayed Short Story / Written 3/30/04 / Rated PG-13
A Roleplayed/Collaboration piece between me, Chesh, and Rachel. My written parts will be done in green, Chesh's will be done in black, and Rachel's will be done in blue. They will also be separated by small breaks so you'll be able to tell which writer was writing which part. This story tells the story of a pirate captain, a cabin girl, and a prison refugee during their long voyage to the safe haven of the Clan lands. This is still one of my most favorite RPs ever... it took a long time (started on 3/30/04 and ended on 7/1/04), but it's definitely one of the most memorable ones I've ever been a part of!
| Chapter 1 Introductory |
Chapter 2 The Third Party |
Chapter 3 The Wolf, the Ship, and the Dragon |
| Chapter 4 Bahía del Camarón |
Chapter 5 Cam' Wethrin Island |
Chapter One - Introductory
The setting takes place on a peninsula, far detached from the World that modern creatures know... this place was remote, and had no alliances elsewhere... not that anyone knew of.
The place had fortified walls, and inside, a village, watched over by a stone fortress of sorts... however, the population of this place was small, and that made it vulnerable... despite it's seemingly good defenses.
The season was autumn, and this place, known as Sorvanya, was surrounded by trees, mainly maple, whose leaves had turned a vibrant red... their branches appeared as if on fire.
Sorvanya was home to a young dragon; even in her youth, her passing caused gossip and glances behind her back. It became custom for her, so she grew to ignore it, in her childhood bliss.
The dragon's name was Calvanta, and around her there was a mysterious allure, that none denied. She lived within the fortress itself, under the eye of the Duke and Duchess of the lands... long since forgotten as Kings passed away and World modernized. She had appeared, only a year and a season past, to them, with little but her large eyes and a glowing pendant around her neck.
The kindly old couple took her in as their own, and never asked her questions about her past for "She was far too young to know such things,"... and "There will always be time to ask that later," Little did they know, things were about the change...
As I previously stated, the season was now autumn, and the maples outside of the village walls were in vibrant color, their leaves preparing for their yearly descent to the ground. Calvanta loved this time of year, and often, when the farmers came in from the fields, she was sneak out from behind the walls, away from the eyes of her overseers, and she would make her way to the ocean's edge.
Here, beneath the maples, she would sit on a smooth boulder, jaggedness long since worn away by the beating waves and sand. She would sit there, wings stretched out behind her, knees pulled to her chest, chin resting there, her hair blown every which way by the ocean breeze. She would just sit there, and watch the tide come in and out, listen to the seabirds calling. And later, she would always slip back into the village keep... often without anyone even knowing she had gone in the first place.
Well, today was just like one of those days. Except, Calvanta had miscalculated the daily passage of time, and was still seated on her boulder, eyes glazed over, pointed towards the far-off horizon, apparently deep in thought. The sun had sunk low in the sky, and the foliage of the maples had lit up in a vibrant spectacle... one that she did not notice. The wind picked up, and yet she still sat, barely even taking time to blink.
After another hour of this, the sun had sank far below the horizon line, and Calvanta finally moved, yawning, arms stretching up, her legs splaying out in front of her, aching from disuse. She tilted her head lightly, obviously confused by the change of time, but yet she still stayed. Now she lay back on the rock, gazing at the multitude of stars that dotted the sky, through the patches of sky visible between overlapping maple.
This is how our story begins.
Palled by the thick blanket that the night sky provided, none saw the galley fast approaching the bay area of the village, the dark grey masts blending in almost seamlessly with the few clouds already in the sky. The ship finally halted not too far away from the coast. The only sounds left in the air were of the natural wildlife found on the peninsula and the waves crashing against the beach. Nothing more than the calm before the storm.
"Well well, what have we here? Something pretty for Sven, yes?"
Calvanta's carelessness was interrupted suddenly by a dry, hoarse whisper and a tight grip around her ankle. Consciousness immediately flooding back to her as she realized someone was trying to pull her away from her boulder, and others were running towards her village. The maples previously alight with the sun's rays were now radiating a light of their own, as the breeze moved licking flames from one tree to the next. Her reflexes told her to run. She looked up to face her captor, a much larger dragon than herself, deep socketted green eyes glaring back at her as a grimace grew on his face revealing several missing, yellowed teeth. The kidnapper reached forward to grab onto her knee, but instead got kicked in the face. A piercingly high scream blended its way into the screams already emitting from the village. Instinctively, she had begun sprinting towards the village, but stopped herself after seeing it in the light of the fire. The fortress walls were being easily penetrated by the trespassers ability to fly. Being caught so off guard, most of the arms available were already commandeered for the looters' personal use. The village was no longer safe.
Lost in her confusion, she had hesitated too long, and again "Sven" was on top of her, this time pinning her to the ground from behind, using one arm to clamp her mouth shut and the other to snake its way around her waist, dragging his claws to leave small scratches along her midriff. Her wings were being crushed under his weight, making it impossible for her to use them.
"That was not a very nice thing to do poppet. Sven was planning on being nice he was, Sven only wanted to have you for company."
He lifted her up off the ground and turned around toward the sea, where she could now clearly see the ship silhouetted against the smoke filling sky. She screamed, but her mouth was clamped shut, she balled up her fists, but her arms were pinned to her side, she tried to take flight, but her wings were crushed. She kicked and lashed her tail in an unfruitful escape attempt, but she only managed to slow the walk.
"No one will hurt you my little doll. The captain won't even know you're there. You'll just stay with Sven and keep him happy." As he said this she could feel him nuzzling his snout into her hair, a growling purr of contentment vibrating through his chest. "No one will hurt you so long as you stay with Sven forever."
Those were the last words she heard that night. The combination of smoke, fear, and her muzzle almost completely being covered all led her to pass out from oxygen deprivation. The last she saw of her village was burning. Dragons were fleeing, screaming, crying. The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness were the dark grey sails, and a black flag bearing a dragon's skull holding a blade in its mouth.
She awoke again in darkness. No, not complete darkness, there was dim light coming from either side of her. She tried to move, her hands were bound behind her back with what felt like cloth. Her mouth was bound shut with a similar vice. Her legs ached and were covered with bruises. Her wings... her wings were immobile. They didn't seem to be bound by anything, but they refused to move, and they barely seemed there at all. Dried blood had formed on her waist were the scratches were made. Her face and jaw especially also felt raw, and bruised. She had a splitting head ache from passing out. And the smell in this, cell wasn't much relief after nearly being suffocated. As her eyes cleared she realized she wasn't in a "cell" at all. There were boards about three inches above her nose, but nothing other than her binds, preventing her from leaving through the sides. It was silent in the room, no one was there to keep her prisoner either.
The ground was rough, it felt like splintered wood, trying to wriggle to either side for escape would absolutely mean more pain, but surely it was better than the alternative of sitting in this confined box waiting for someone to release her for better or for worse.
Calvanta sat in the near-darkness, her eyes wide, pupils large... full of a certain feeling that has not often been there before- pure terror.
She bit back the sobs that were now looming, and threatening to take her over... a failing attempt, to say the least. Soundless cries shook her shoulders, the splinters of the coarse wood scraping them, and her other bare skin. The binding cut into her wrists and hands, and silent tears coursed down her cheeks, leaving tracks where they had traveled, in the dirt that clung to her.
She feared the return of the one called "Sven" with all her heart, and a fiery hatred suddenly burned within her, as she continued to silently sob. She hated him, she hated this place, and most of all, she hated him. Him, him, him, him. She didn't even quite remember his voice, or his face, but the hatred burned all the same, having replaced her sorrow for that fleeting moment.
About 30 feet above Calvanta's head, her captors were busy milling around the upper deck of the ship she was currently hostage on. No one but Sven knew she was even on the ship though. Sven, who was now on deck cleaning cannons. Sven, whose thoughts drifted down to his "little friend" tied up under his bunk. He wouldn't be able to revisit her until later that night though, as his captain demanded his presence on deck for the rest of the day until midnight.
After some time of such behavior, Calvanta finally ceased her crying. She was still powerfully angry, of course... so she tried desperately to squirm away from this place where she was held captive... only, when her back rubbed against the splintering wood, a pang shot through her, and she nearly screamed... had it not been for her gag, she would have. Her eyes watered and threatened tears again. But despite this, she continued on with her efforts, leaving a smear of blood on the floorboards, without having any knowledge of it.
The room was apparently barracks style sleeping quarters. The walls were lined with bunk beds, but other than that and the smell of rotting wood, it was completely empty. There was a door at the top of a short staircase without anything to cover it up, revealing a bright sky, and every so often someone would run by. Now that she was standing up, she could feel that the ground seemed rather unstable. Outside she could hear gulls, waves crashing, and men yelling back and forth to each other while footsteps pounded overhead. But in the room there was silence only occasionally broken by the creaking of boards and her own breath.
Before she could make any moves though, someone walked by the door again, and then stopped, turned around, and looked into the room directly at Calvanta.
"STOWAWAY!"
She wobbled on the unsteady ground, eyes widely staring at the door, soon enough had another pair of eyes staring straight back. She went rigid in her terror, eyes widening to even more than their usual size. She could hardly move as it was, what, being bound like she was, so she merely stared back at the other, absolutely horrified.
And there was nothing left for her to do, but stare. Stare on, and await what was to happen next.
The dragon in front of the door, along with a flood of others, ran into the room and seized her, holding her already bound hands to her sides.
"What would a pretty little girl like you be doing on a ship like this?" The dragon who had originally seen her was now brutally ripping her gag off of her face so she could answer. "Don't be making us wait deary, you know what we do with stowaways, don't you boys?" There was a murmur and laughter of agreement from all around her, one of the others was drawing a long knife out of a holster, while others were reaching for pistols and cutlasses. The pirate holding her still unsheathed his own knife, and slowly brought the blade up to her neck, pressing, but not cutting. "You might want to get on with your side of the story missy, you only have another 3 seconds to speak until I spill your blood down that pretty dress of yours."
This time though, no one made a sound, but there was another set of foot steps fast approaching. The dragon on top of her was roughly pulled off, his own blade being brought up to his neck as a tall dragon with dark features grabbed hold of his hand, and essentially, making him cut his own throat.
"You'll not be killing anyone on this ship unless I tell you to you good for nothing flea ridden dogs. GET BACK up on deck before I make another example out of one of yeh's. Take this body with you too and throw him over board, we don't need corpses to add to the stench and attract more rats. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!" With that, everyone in the room had stampeded out almost as quickly as they had filed in. A trail of blood left behind on the floor where the body had been dragged. He walked over to Calvanta and grabbed her chin forcefully, angling her head up to look him in the eyes. "Who are you and why are you on my ship? I may have saved you from my crew, but don't get any false sense of hope, I only did it because on this ship I give the orders and I do not tolerate insubordination. Get talking missy before I call them back and allow them to do whatever they want to you."
After all of this had taken place, Calvanta was near to the end of her wits, and despite what her better instincts told her, she could not suppress any tears that now flowed down her cheeks, quite freely, adding yet another track on her dusted face. She had opened her mouth, but winced back, finding that it was painful to do such a thing. She was trembling from head to toe, before she managed to say.
"B-but... I didn't w-want to be here! Y-you act a-as i-if I would c-come h-here and b-b-bind myself u-up!"
At this time, her eyes glazed over, and she swayed something awful, despite his grip on her chin, before her eyes closed, lids heavy, and she dropped into a dead faint... the trauma of the day hitting her in one fell swoop.
The captain simply let her fall to the ground and left her there. She was brought on board, and he could almost say for sure by who. He left the room for the deck once again, heading straight for the cannons where Sven was still cleaning out gun powder.
"SVEN! Would you like to tell me why there's a little girl passed out on the floor of your sleeping quarters?" Before Sven had a chance to offer any kind of explanation, the captain had taken out a pistol and shot him through his hand, which was holding a rag against the cannon. "NEXT time you bring someone on this ship without my permission and you ravage them the way you did that little girl that hole will be in your head. Do I make myself clear, you dim witted sorry excuse for a pirate?" Grabbing Sven by the back of his neck, he slammed his head into the cannon and then spit in his face. "BACK TO WORK you slob!"
Some of the other pirates started chuckling to themselves, but said nothing to each other for fear they'd be next.
Calvanta slumped to the floor, hitting her head rather hard on the floorboards, which would later provide a nasty bruise around her temple area. Only later, did she awake, and finding herself in near the same predicament, with a blazing headache added to her repertoire of worries, she curled into a fetal position... and would still be found that way, hands clasped behind her back, eyes wide, and silent tears coursing down her cheeks.
She hardly made a sound, however every so often she would choke back her tears... not as if anyone was around to hear her, anymore.
After awhile, maybe a few hours, the sun was beginning to set outside in the now dusk sky. The captain returned to the room while the dragons up on board seemed to be slowing down from their work.
"Little girl." The captain walked right up to her and pulled her up from the ground roughly by her arm. "You've nothing to worry about...for now. No one will kill you unless you give me a reason to change my mind. Since it wasn't your choice to be here, you'll stay under my guard as my personal servant." He had begun cutting loose all her binds and walking towards the door. "That means you follow me."
Fierce thoughts roused in her head, but when she opened her mouth, not sound came out. She felt bruised, and heavily violated, there was nothing for her to do... but do as he said. Hadn't he said she wouldn't be hurt...? No, he'd said she wouldn't be killed...
She followed after him, looking worse for the wear. Her dress was somewhat tattered by this point, and had blood on it. Her face was dirtied and lined with tear tracks. In other words, she was quite the pitiful sight. She lowered her eyes and scuffled along, movement painful and labored. She opened her mouth again, but nothing came out, so she would look rather unfortunate, there with her mouth open.
"... ..."
The captain carried on without looking back at her. He headed up to the main deck and towards the fore castle where there was yet another door that led below deck. As they passed, some of the pirates looked up, but did nothing more than glare. The captain held the door open for the girl to ensure she'd be ushered inside. Once in, he closed the door and lit a lamp.
"Now what shall I be calling you then? You'll be on the ship for quite awhile so I'll be needing some way of identifying you, whether or not it's your real name is up to you." He walked around a table and took a seat, leaving her to stand or sit as she pleased.
She wobbled back and forth a few times, her eyes widely staring as she was ushered around. She was rather terrified, and she shook like a leaf in the wind. She felt her heart racing, and once the 'captain' had taken a leisure seat, she was far too scared to move a muscle.
"..Cal...Cal...Calva-vanta..."
She stammered quietly, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
"Well then Calvanta, welcome to The Cassiopeia! It's a shame you came to my ship under these conditions, but you'll recover. While you're here, you'll either pull your own weight or you'll be thrown over to fend for yourself. I don't particularly care that you're only a little girl, everyone on this ship has to prove their worth, all the same. So, your choices are you either serve as my private servant and do whatever I tell you to do along with looking out for yourself, or you serve as part of my crew, and do whatever I tell you to do as well as look out for yourself...but you'll be with the crew. I'm not heartless, so I'll leave the decision up to you."
She had cast her eyes down, very much frightened by this captain, her hands clasped weakly behind her back, her arms and legs shaking as if they had no bones in them. After many attempts at speech, she finally managed.
"...S-s-serv-ve y-you? N-n-not the crew, p-please!!"
She stammered, as she thought about the one that had captured her, causing a quake. She wavered on her feet again, bottom lip trembling something awful, as she held back the hot tears of fear and hatred, although it was a trial for her to do so, indeed.
The captain stood up and crossed the room to go pat her on the head.
"Good girl. You start immediately. I have no personal use for you right now, so you're to go down to the kitchen to work there. If you don't know how to do something, learn. Get going now, I won't tolerate slackers on my ship. MOVE!"
Calvanta stumbled backwards and out the door, in a sort of daze, turning around, her whole body aching. She knew not how to get to the kitchens, but over the long months to come, she would learn... and learn quickly. She had to learn quickly, here on the pirate's ship. It was learn quickly, or perish.
And so began her voyage on the Cassiopeia.
Large, black wings unfolded against the night sky, shielding the land below from the moon's light. An escaped prisoner was taking flight.
Mind clouded by thoughts of anger and hatred, the loner flew on. Leaving his past and all he knew as far behind him as possible. He had business elsewhere, reunions to make. If only he could find his way to this place he'd heard of.... but where to start?
Days of flying and a lack of companionship led him to a rough and tumble seaport on the dark side of the sea. Eager to stop for a drink and a bite to eat, he entered the tavern and spoke with the bartender. He was sure to keep his profile well covered by his dark cloak, not wishing to draw attention to himself. He had no idea who might be looking for him and he didn't want to be found. But he had questions that needed answering and it was about time he began to socialize and possibly find the answers he desired.
Murmuring low with the bartender, he began to pry information from him. Had he heard of a place called 'The Dragon Clan'... how would he go about finding it? He was willing to reward anyone for any information they might possess. He didn't have much silver, but he had enough to make a handsome sum in return for information.
At the end of the bar, a figure so dark he looked like nothing more than a shadow listened in on the conversation being had. He kept his head down with a wide brimmed hat covering most of his face in shadows, eyes focused on the tankard in front of him and nothing else. Long, thin, prehensile tail curling around the bar stool, while the figure's ears perked at the words "reward".
"The Dragon Clan you said? I know the area pretty well, haven't spent much time within the boundaries though, too closely guarded, too many rules, too easy to get caught. I do, however, know of a way in that isn't heavily guarded. I was making a voyage down that way anyways if you wanted to come along...for a fairly priced fee of course."
A sly smile spread his lips to reveal a row of jagged fangs. His pupils dilated slightly as one word crossed his mind, "Sucker".
"Bartender, get my friend a drink. Now, let's discuss the issue at hand. You need to get to the Dragon Clan. I have a galley set to sail tomorrow morning for an island just off the coast of the mainland. You'd be more than welcome to come along...no need to worry about payment just yet of course. So, do we have an accord?"
He extended a hand wrapped in a bloody bandage, trying to smile as sincerely as possible, though his true feelings could still be seen in his eyes, despite the fact they were still shadowed by the wide brimmed hat.
Drev narrowed his eyes at the stranger and mentally weighed the situation.... should he trust him? He was the first being he had met with any knowledge of the Dragon Clan. For such a shady character, he seemed to have the kind of information Drev needed.
Not yet taking the stranger's hand in agreement, he decided to question him first. "How much?" he asked. "How much is your fare to get me to the Dragon Clan? I won't be paying you until I arrive there and have been assured it's the right place, of course." He was still eyeing the stranger with heavy suspicion as he gripped one of his blades subconsciously in case there was any trouble.
"Prices, prices, prices. Why is everyone so concerned with money nowadays? Didn't I tell you not to worry about the fee? I promise it will be a just amount, but I couldn't possibly tell you exactly how much without knowing how much we will need after this next trip. That's reasonable, is it not? I'd hate to set a price now, only to decide I over charged you later."
He still held his smile and never drew his hand away. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that the dragon was reaching for a weapon. Normally he'd take this as a challenge and make it a point to teach him a lesson about drawing a weapon on a stranger whose own concealed weapons you don't know about. But he wanted this transaction, and furthermore, this was one of the few pubs where he wasn't already banned, and preferred to keep it that way.
"There'll be no need for violence chap. You have my word the island I speak of is the one you want to get to. I'll let you look around, and then come back to pay me. And payment can be negotiated of course. It's three days worth of travel. What say ye? Will you be accompanying me on my humble ship to the Dragon Clan lands tomorrow then?"
Drev eyed the stranger one last time before releasing his blade and shaking the other's hand. "Fine. But I'll warn you now that any attempts to cheat me will leave you wishing you hadn't. If the voyage is fair and what you've claimed is true, you have my word that I will pay you deservingly. Leaving tomorrow would be ideal...." he mused as he released his grip from the other Dragon's. "By the way... I don't believe I caught your name."
The stranger smiled contentedly as they shook, not really heeding Drev's warning as a serious one.
"A thousand pardons. My name is Captain Vallaham."
A few people in the bar looked up momentarily but returned to their own business moments later.
"Crew mates call me Val, or Captain. You may call me Val, since you're obviously a man who can be trusted and respected." Val stood up from his stool and prepared to leave. "We leave tomorrow at dawn, any man not on board gets left behind so it'd be wise not to be late. You'll find my ship out in the wharf, the one with the three grey sails, shan't be hard to find."
With that he left, casually walking out smirking to himself, eyes following him curiously from narrowed slits trying not to draw attention to themselves.
Drev watched as the Captain left, making a mental note of his ship's description and location. I'll be there. He thought, gaining a slight bit of respect for the Captain after being complemented by him. With that, he chucked a few pieces of silver at the bartender and asked for a room for the night. He gathered his few things and left to sleep for the night.
The next day, at daybreak, there was a lot of activity down by the wharf. It was still somewhat dark out since the sun was just now coming over the horizon. Captain Vallaham was nowhere to be seen, but surely enough, there was only one ship in the harbor with three, large, dark grey sails. Gold letters stenciled on the side read "The Cassiopeia", and from the tallest post, a black flag hung limp in the windless sky.
Out on the docks, dragons milled back and forth from the ship, back to the village in preparation for the later sail. No one else was readying for a voyage, so it was hard to ignore the busy group.
Drev stalked towards the docks, burlap sack swung over his shoulder containing his very few belongings. Black sails... that must be it... With all the confidence in the world, he strode through the busy harbor as if he owned the place. Eyes fixed on the vessel before him, his mind raced with ideas of what the Dragon Clan would be like.
Upon finally reaching the massive ship before him, he stared at the gold lettering on the side for a minute before rudely grabbing the arm of a pirate near him. "Where can I find Vallaham?" he asked in a tone that was more threatening than questioning.
The pirate yanked his arm away looking slightly insulted and gave Drev a good look over. "And what would ye be looking for the captain for, eh?" The pirate dropped the cargo he was carrying over to the ship and reached for his cutlass. "Ye wouldn't be wanting to start any trouble with this crew matey."
Before either of them could make any moves to kill each other, Vallaham appeared on the docks. "AAH! And there's my guest, right on time. Good. I was hoping we wouldn't have to wait. Peri! Back to work! Why are you threatening my guests with that bladeless pocket knife you half wit?!" Val grabbed the cargo and shoved it back into Peri's arms, pushing him once again towards the ship. "A thousand pardons my friend, you have to understand, we constantly have dragons trying to ambush, rob, sabotage, and otherwise hurt my ship and its crew members." He moved one hand behind Drev's back and guided him towards the ship. "I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name by the way..."
Drev sneered at the pirate Peri, feeling slightly disappointed that Vallaham had interrupted what probably would have been a fun fight, but we was relieved to see a somewhat familiar face, no less. "My name is Andrevlin." he said as he followed the captain back to the ship. "Drev, if you wish. You have a nice boat, by the way... how would you say its name?" He adjusted his knapsack on his shoulder and glared at any nearby pirates that tried to look at him.
"The ship? Ah, she's beautiful, ain't she? The name's 'Cass-EE-Oh-Pea-Ah'. I really should have the letters repainted I know. The men were just finishing loading...the cargo. If you'd like to wait on board with me than I'll show you around a bit. That is, unless you'd rather stay out here with these men." He smirked to himself and headed towards the ship. At the same time, 'sailors' on either side of them would glance up at Drev with either curiosity, jealousy, or malice.
"I suppose I'll follow you, if you don't mind." he said, refusing to acknowledge any crew members that might look his way. He liked to always have a good idea of his surroundings when he could. Being trapped in an unfamiliar place was his worst nightmare... and he had had more than his share of nightmares in this lifetime. He gathered his things and took off in the path of the captain.
Val led Drev up to the main deck where a few sailors were mopping, cleaning, loading, things in preparation to sail pretty much. "I'll show you around the head of the ship. Any time you need me, this is most likely where I'll be. Specifically on the forecastle or the room just below deck. You'll have your choice of where you'd want to stay of course. I'm sure there's extra bunks in the men's quarters, but any place you find space is yours. But this-" All the while he had been heading towards the door below the forecastle. He opened the door to reveal a fairly good sized room inside, but immediately visible was a table and kitchen-like area. "-is my private quarters. This is the only space off limits to you, unless you're invited in of course." He continues holding the door to invite Drev in. He lit one of the lanterns immediately inside the door, but it wasn't needed too much as the sun was now on its way up. "Sit down, the decks will be crowded until we're ready to sail. You might as well wait it out in here. So, tell me. Why were you looking to go to the Dragon Clan anyway? Nothing but a bunch of happy go-lucky ninnies with next to no monetary value whatsoever. What could possibly be the allure?"
Drev made a mental note to find a place to sleep later on. As much as he didn't like the idea of sleeping in "bunks" with the crew, he wondered if there was anywhere else to sleep on a ship. He plopped down in a chair in the captain's chambers and mulled over a possible response. He didn't really want to reveal the truth about why he was heading to the Dragon Clan... just because they were pirates didn't mean that they condone murder. "I have an old acquaintance I'd like to meet up with..." he halfway lied."Monetary value means nothing to me. But it leaves me curious: why are you heading there if it has nothing to offer?"
Val shut the door and took a seat himself. "Aye, nothing to offer, but lots of unexplored territory. Like I said, we're setting sail to an island just off the coast of the mainland. I'll point you in the right direction, but we'll be staying within the island chain. No one visits there. The ground is frozen solid; the woods are occupied by strange creatures as feral as anything and terribly vicious. The islands themselves are surrounded by a dense fog that makes it nigh impossible to find without proper knowledge of precisely where they are. Get too close and you'll crash on the rocks. If you don't get close enough you'll never find it. These islands are covered with caves and coves perfect for..." He stopped himself and chuckled. "Well, let's just say my interest isn't with the Dragon Clan so much as it is with Cam'Wethrin Island, MY island."
"So..." He took his hat off and threw it at a shelf. He wouldn't be needing it to hide his face after they were at sea. "...tell me. You seem to be a worldly man of fine tastes. Have you ever been on a ship before?"
Drev's interest was sparked by talk of the island.... frozen ground, caves, mysterious creatures? His eyes lit up with childish excitement, but he decided to wait and ask about the island later on...
"Er... no... I can't say I've ever sailed before. I do most of my traveling by flight. I've always lived in the skies... But if I'm following you to the Dragon Clan, I guess I'd rather just stay on board seeing as how I've never been this way before. I'm not sure what to expect on a voyage like this..."
Val sneered a bit as Drev talked about flying. "Yes, well, there's nothing quite like traveling by sea. The trip itself shouldn't be too eventful, it's what you make of it though." A small twittering bird dropped onto the table in front of Drev, squawking at him as if it was insulted.
"Ah! Don't mind Vane, he doesn't take well to strangers but he'll warm up to you soon enough." The small bird continued clicking its beak and puffing up its feathers in an attempt to be intimidating. Val reached over and stroked his back trying to calm it down.
"We should be about ready to sail at any time now..."
Drev eyed the annoyance squawking at him and tried not to look disgusted. Instead, he'd wait until Val wasn't looking and then flick it across the room or something. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, waiting for the crew to hurry up with their preparations so they could leave and be on their way. He was enjoying his freedom, but he still had a job to do...
From outside a voice drifted up shouting. Only about half the words were distinguishable, of which included "Captain Vallaham" and "Go".
"Well it would seem we're ready." He stood up, leaving the agitated, twittery bird to ruffle and click on the table. "Make yourself comfortable, you're stuck here for 3 days." he said as he headed over to the door opening it and exiting. He left the door open and walked out of view as he headed towards the cathead.
Not being one to stay cooped up in such small quarters, Drev immediately left his seat and headed for the same door that the captain had left from.
Peering outside, he saw the crew hard at work getting ready to set sail. Would they really be at sea for three days? He didn't like the idea of being with the same people that long... but it was the only way he could find the Dragon Clan.
He saw a pirate running by with a rope dragging behind him. Not even taking a moment to think, he quickly stomped on the dragging rope as hard as he could and saw the pirate fly back in a marvelous stumble. He snorted and tried to retrain himself from bursting into laughter, "Sorry..." he coughed, "Wasn't watching where I was going!" He smirked at the pirate and strolled off to another part of the ship to get a better look around.
Heading towards the back of the ship, crossing over the main deck, Drev would be able to see clear back to the poop deck, but there's a door before that under the quarter deck. Pirates are busy moving things around and raising anchor and cutting ropes and other such things you'd have to do to set sail. The ship was moving now, though very slowly. No one seemed to be paying much heed to Drev as he walked around on his own.
A pirate lugging a heavy sack of something was heading straight towards Drev with his head down. Nearly walking into him, he glanced up to sneer, "Why don't you stay out of the way if you're going to stand around and be useless."
From the Captain's quarters, Vane flew out and headed towards the head of the ship where Val was to steer. Vane perched himself on Val's shoulder and picked at his ear with his beak lovingly until Val shooed him away. "How about you go bug someone else while I'm busy?"
The ship was now leaving the bay, still not at full speed, still a lot of activity on deck. Vane was making his way to the crow's nest to look down over everyone else.
Drev eyed the pirate that had nearly run into him, "I'll do as I please." he said with a sneer, "Unless, of course, you're planning on making me stay out of the way." He snorted rudely and bumped the pirate aside before noticing the back of the ship. He climbed his way up to the back to look over the edge at the water slowly making waves from the ship's tail. Boooooring... I sure hope something more exciting happens than this. He leaned up against the railing to watch the crew buzz about like tiny bees and waved his tail behind him boredly.
Vane hopped back and forth watching the activity below, still rather hurt that he was shooed off, but it wouldn't be the first time. As he flitted around, he noticed the green dragon that had been in "his" room earlier, heading towards the stern and then leaning over the edge. His feathers ruffled up again and then he dove down towards the dragon, landing on Drev's back, and proceeding to hop and squawk as if he were yelling at him.
"AAAARRRGHHH!!" Drev was caught off guard and nearly toppled over the back of the ship. Immediately, he swung around and took a swipe at the pesky bird. "Stupid ball of feathers! Leave me alone before I cook you and feed you to the sharks!" He was just about to draw his blade when he thought better of it... the Captain seemed somewhat attached to the annoying little bugger and he didn't want to set him off by killing it.
Vane continued to hop and squawk, his claws poking at Drev every so often.
~~~~Time lapse, ooo ooo! Look at the time lapse!~~~~
Noon arrived and for the most part, the activity on board had died down. Vallaham stayed at the head of the ship to steer, but they were now in open water, there was nothing but ocean to see on either side of the ship. The cloudless sky, although made for fantastic weather, exposed the sun, which seemed scorching, since they were in the middle of the ocean with water on all sides to help reflect the suns rays into the ship. Most of the pirates had retreated to shadier parts of the main deck to play cards and to gamble. Vane had left Drev several hours earlier now that Val wasn't nearly as preoccupied, and was now comfortably situated on his shoulder, where he felt he ought to be at all times.
Drev drummed his fingers boredly on the wood floor of the ship where he felt like he'd pass out from lack of something to do. And it's not even that far into the afternoon yet... he eyed his shadow on the deck, trying to get a good idea of the time by the projection of his shadow and then squinted up towards the sun, shielding his eyes as he did. I wonder what there is to do on a ship like this during the day, then... rather than just lying around like a worthless lump. He got to his feet, stretched and took off looking for something to do.
Although it was dreadfully hot on the ocean that day, the petite, somewhat worse for the wear Calvanta was out with her battered broomstick, sweeping debris off the ship's deck, and into the water. She'd been at it most of the afternoon. She'd heard of a new dragon on the ship, but she'd been keeping to the hold and smaller places of the keep to avoid him. She was dreadfully shy and soft spoken after months on the pirate ship, and even now, when she was just doing a daily chore, her eyes were lowered, and her feet shuffled on the wooden deck. Her dress had been torn more than once, and had to be patched periodically, so it was tattered, with different bits of fabric sewn haphazardly into it.
Drev was strutting around the deck boredly when he spotted something out of place that sparked his interest. A... girl?? What would a girl like that be doing with a bunch of pirates!? He paused to lean up against a mast and eye her as she swept. Her body language was unmistakable. She was nervous, afraid, and… he squinted his eyes a bit in the hot sun, very attractive. He thought about going to talk to her but thought better of it. It's not like he'd have anything worthwhile to say. And he'd probably end up making a fool out of himself if he were to say anything. Maybe I'll just ask Val about her later…
Vallaham decided that they were far enough out to sea that he wouldn't have to stand by the wheel constantly anymore. Spinning around, he caught sight of Drev leaning against the mast, looking at Calvanta who was diligently sweeping the decks.
"Ah, I see you've met Calvanta!" Yelling as he walked towards them. "Good, good, saves me the trouble of having to introduce you. Drev, it's noon, would you like to join me for lunch? Calvanta, keep working, you can eat after we're through."
Calvanta raised her head when Val began yelling, her skin pringling at first... she startled easily, and she was a bit frightened of the captain, still. She paused only for a minute before he told her to continue working, and so she did... but he was talking to someone else, behind her, as well. She hadn't even realized that someone was back there, and the thought made her insides cold. She glanced over her shoulder at the one on the ships, the visitor of sorts, before she lowered her eyes again and continued on with her task, listening to the last part about her taking her lunch.
"Y-yes sir..."
Drev winced, he would have preferred not to be discovered the way he had... His face flooded with a strange heat when he turned back to get a final glance at Calvanta as Val herded him off to lunch. Cal...Calvanta? He thought as he turned to Val and cleared his throat, "So... um... what's a girl doing on this ship anyways?" he thought quickly changing the subject might get some of the blush to die down before Val might notice.
Val kept his eyes straight ahead as he headed towards the same room with the small table in it that Drev was in earlier that day.
"A girl on the ship? Aye, well, it wasn't on purpose, I'll tell you that much. Some of the men are...troublesome...they like to bring back more than money, gold, silver, and fine clothing sometimes when I send them on a raid. This was the first girl I got to before she was killed off by either her captor or the other men. She's only a child. I won't allow her to be killed when she was brought to this ship against her will in the first place, but I'm not going to give her special treatment either, so she works as a servant, she only has to listen to me and take care of herself. But enough about her! I had the cook prepare a ham in honour of your presence! It's not often we have guests so I'll try to make your 3 days comfortable. And I'm sure you'll repay the hospitality after we get to shore, right?" Before Drev could answer that last statement, he interrupted "Have a seat, make yourself comfortable, grab a bottle from the shelf!"
Calvanta kept out of their way as they passed by, finishing her task, sweeping the last of the ship's rubbish overboard. She made her way into the shade, wiping one spindly arm across her eyes, before she set her broom in a safe nook where she kept it, taking a brief moments time of rest, waiting for her time to have lunch. She knew better then to go early.
Drev stood speechless for a moment before finally swiping a drink from the shelf, plopping into a comfy chair and taking a long swig from the bottle. "I can't help but feel a bit intrusive..." he said, "You're being awfully kind by even allowing me on you're ship, much less providing me with a nice lunch. I wish there was more of a way I could help you in return. If you had extra chores or manual labor you needed done? I'd be willing to help anyway I can - I get awfully bored just lying around doing nothing."
"Bah, don't worry about it yet. Your debt will be repaid eventually, for now just relax." His eyes narrowed slightly and he decided to change the subject. "I couldn't help but notice the way you were looking at Calvanta, you've taken a liking to her?" He sat very still, gauging Drev's reaction.
Drev gaped for a moment, quickly trying to find the best way to answer, "Well... no, I don't even know... you know? I mean..." realizing how stupid he must sound; he decided to change the subject back, "Well, I'd still feel better if I had something to do. I can't shake the idea that I could be helping at least... you know, maybe even help adjust the sails or something?" Not like he knew much about how a ship worked, but he might was well offer.
Val continued staring at him through slitted eyes, breathing calmly, still judging him. "CALVANTA! GET IN HERE!" Not once did he look away from Drev, looking him straight in the eye and boredly tapping his last two fingers on his own bottle.
Calvanta jumped slightly, her skin crawling, and she got up in a hurry, edging carefully around the cabin's wall, before pushing the door open softly, peeking in tenitivly. She took small, soft steps into the room, as if afraid of stepping on glass, or someone's toes. She glanced up at Val once, before she murmured.
"Y-yes sir?"
Drev shifted in his seat and took another hasty drink from his own bottle, What's he doing? He wondered as he did his best to "act natural" when Cal opened the door and peeked in. He noticed Val looking at him and he nodded his head in the direction of the door as if to say "She's here".
Still staring at Drev, "Sit down Calvanta, our guest has requested you join us for lunch, so you'll not have to wait today." He pushed a plate towards an empty chair next to Drev. "Go on. Calvanta, this is Drev, since he's a paying passenger, we'll be very nice to him won't we? He seems to like you quite a lot. So as my gift to you, Andrevlin, Calvanta will also be serving you while you're aboard." With that, his attention immediately went to his plate and he began to eat as if neither one of them were there, ignoring any arguments from the two.
Drev went to stand up in protest, but though better of it, "I NEVER said!" he blurted out, "I never..." he took a deep breath and spoke again in a calmer tone, "I mean... it's okay, I have no need for a personal servant and I'm sure she has more important duties to perform... like.. cabin girl stuff or whatever." he eyed Val dangerously trying to weigh the motivation behind this last decision.
Calvanta glanced up at the captain with a mixture of disbelief and shock, and she stood still for a moment before she bowed her head.
"T-thank you, sir..."
She murmured, and she shuffled forward, slipping into the seat, tenitivily taking a plate with a small serving, dipping her head to take even smaller bites, wary and tense next to the stranger, and with the captain, at the same time.
Val looked up at Drev with a glare that could cut right through you. "Are you declining my gift? My hospitality? My kindness? Look Andrevlin, it's not often that I extend such kindness, and when I do, I DON'T EXPECT TO HAVE IT THROWN BACK IN MY FACE! IF YOU WANT TO ACT LIKE SERVANT YOU CAN JOIN MY CREW OUT ON THE DECKS WAITING TO EAT LATER TONIGHT!" He shot an angry glance at Cal as well "YOU'LL BE JOINING HIM! GET OUT!"
Cal flinched back, choking on the food she'd been chewing, coughing quietly for a moment before she stumbled up out of her chair, mumbling a hasty:
"S-sorry sir, so sorry..."
Before she backed out of the room, still coughing, her throat and chest aching something horrible, tears welling up in her eyes. She hated when the captain got angry...
Drev stood up calmly and cleared his throat, "Well, I appreciate your invitation to dinner, anyway." he returned Val's glare with a nasty one of his own, "I hope it tastes better if you eat it on your own."
Not even waiting for a reply, or a chance to see him even more pissed off, Drev slipped out of the cabin as fast as he could, making sure he took the bottle with him. He noticed Calvanta standing just outside the door, "I'm..." he said softly at first, before trying again to make sure she heard him. "I'm... sorry. I ruined your dinner."
As soon as the door was shut, a loud "thunk" was heard right behind them. About 3 inches of a blade from a dagger was sticking through the wood of the door, dangerously close to about where Drev's head might be.
Val sat back down in his chair, growling in rage at the door. Indigestion from the sudden anger causing him to lose his appetite, with one quick wave of his arm, he sent all of the dishes on the table flying into the wall. Vane squawked from the direction in which the dishes were thrown and flew over to the table, twittering in protest after having been woken to a plate nearly hitting him. Val growled at him, grabbed him off the table with one hand, and threw him out the window as well, shutting the glass behind him.
Cal looked timidly over at Drev, one hand held softly at the base of her neck, as she coughed lightly, the pain slowly receding from her chest. She lowered her eyes again, blinking away the tears that threatened to fall, nibbling on her bottom lip.
"...N-no, d-don't apologize... t-the captain is l-like that..."
She said, before she circled her arms around her waist protectively.
Drev twitched slightly, not really knowing what to say to someone who seemed so distraught. He took another swig from his bottle, "So... is he always like this? Does he yell at you a lot?" He had apparently misjudged Val from the beginning. He hadn't had a chance to see him this angry yet and he was pretty sure it was a side of him he didn't agree with. Ah well... maybe give him a chance to cool off and drink off his rage and he'll forget about it tomorrow.
Calvanta began to feel nervous about the questioning, and she ducked her head, contemplating her answer. Her ears quivered from time to time as she gained what little composure she still had left in her, and she took a deep breath, steadying herself. She wouldn't sell out the captain... he had been good enough to her... saving her from Sven...
"N-no. The c-captain is a g-good man."
She said finally, although she couldn't bring herself to look up, her bottom lip still quivering daintily.
"Well... I guess I'll just have to take your word for it." he said, afraid that he might have offended her, "After all, I don't know him very well at all."
He stood for a minute in awkward silence figuring she wouldn't really speak unless spoken to and he couldn't really think of anything worthwhile to say, "So..." he said after a minute or two of waiting for something to happen, "When does the crew usually eat? I'm beginning to wish I had thought to keep the plate when we left the room. I'm hungry."
She glanced up at the sun, judging its position, one hand nervously fingering the smooth pendant that hung around her neck. She than answered softly.
"About 3 hours. This is l-lunch time... w-we have to wait for d-dinner."
She then lowered her eyes again, feathered ears lying back against her hair, and she sat down against the cabin wall quietly, wincing as her tattered wings rubbed against the rough wood. By now she knew all about how her wings were ruined, and how she'd never be able to fly again... which was why she couldn't really get off the ship, if she wanted to.
Vane circled around angrily as he was tossed out the window, he turned around in time to see the window shut and latch. And then he saw Drev and Cal standing near the door. Fury overtook him, deciding it was their fault he was thrown out, and swooped at Drev's head, skimming him with his beak and then flying back up to the crow's nest. From this vantage he could see that the wheel was unoccupied, and while the rest of the crew sat on the main deck, oblivious to all, the ship was coming up to a rocky cliff, and fairly fast. He panicked, and squawked and charged towards Val's door.
In the cabin, Val remained, growling quietly to himself, dwelling on the disrespect he was just shown, in his mind, probably twisting it around to seem much worse than it really had been. He got up to his feet and began pacing around the room, the clunks from his boots hitting the wood echoing in the silence. He stopped in front of a small desk that had a stack of papers, and an ink quill. The desk itself was equipped with one small drawer with a brass knob. Val looked around to see if anyone was looking through the window, and opened the drawer, and lifted up the bottom of it using his claws. Underneath was a hidden compartment, which had a small tattered piece of paper, which the captain retrieved and brought up to the candlelight, rubbing his fingers over it to clear off any dusk that might be hiding the image. And then he was interrupted by the high pitched, shrieking cries of Vane, he slammed the paper back into the drawer and flung the door open.
Vane flew right past Drev and Cal, and right through the open door where he proceeded to hit the back wall, twittering in a dizzy state, Val looked at him questioningly before he realized he was trying to warn him. He left the room, not taking the time to look at either Drev or Cal and made his way to the head of the ship, where the wheel was, and where he could see they were now heading towards rocks. "ALL MEN ON DECK NOW! TURN THE MASTS UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE DEAD ON THE ROCKS!" He turned the wheel sharp to the right, but being on such a large boat, and being so close, the boat still hit the rocks, though not devastated, it did tilt up on its side, Val used the wheel to steady himself but slipped anyways, some of the other pirates were holding onto the sides or were heading for cover below deck, Vane, who was laying exhausted on a table, slid to the side and was crushed under any random contents the table might've had.
After being beat sharply on the head, Drev growled, "THAT STUPID BIRD!" and immediately went to chase after it and snap its little neck. He didn't get very far at all before the bird's playful attitude quickly changed to a panic.
"What's going on?" he wondered out loud as he stumbled backward and saw Vane fly past to warn the captain. He watched as Val burst out of his quarters, barked a few orders at the crew and ran up to the wheel. He noticed the rocks just in time to wrap his arms tightly around the nearest rope. The crash caused the boat to sway, but he held on safely and ended up escaping the crash with a smooth swing.
Feeling proud of himself, and quite accomplished for having thought of that on such short notice, he didn't even think to check on the welfare of anyone else.
Calvanta had been caught off guard by the jolt caused by collision with the rocks, as she had been sitting down, and not able to see the threat in time. When the shake came, her eyes widened, and then the ship tilted. She wasn't braced, and she tumbled down the deck before she could take hold of any thing. Within a breath's time, she'd fallen from the cabin wall to the short fencing around the ship. She hit this hard, knocking the breath out of her lungs, and bruising her shoulder.
The ship jolted again as it grinded away from the rocks, and she tumbled overboard, and into the churning waters around the jetties with a hardly audible splash, sinking below the waves...
After regaining control of the ship, Val wiped the sweat from his forehead using his bandaged hand. He turned around to see how badly things had ended up on the ship, and after deciding things weren't too bad, he quickly erased any trace of concern from his mind and went back to yelling orders "WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR! CLEAN THIS MESS UP OR I'LL HAVE YOUR HIDES!" There was a scramble on board of pirates fixing everything back to normal as Val descended to the main deck, looking over the side and noticing a small swirl in the water and a few bubbles rising up. He squinted slightly at it and then turned around to look at everyone on deck, noticing that Calvanta was no where to be seen. "Fuck." Val kicked off his boots and jumped over the fence, taking a head first dive into the water, spreading out his "wings" as soon as he hit the ocean.
His wings, which were shaped like a ray's, allowed him to glide swiftly under water, jetting towards where a small form was falling slowly, bubbles slowly diminishing as she fell. He swooped under her, grabbed her around the waist with one arm, and darted back towards the surface. "SOMEONE THROW A ROPE!" He threw Calvanta over his shoulder and with the rope twisted around his other arm, and with the help of one of the pirates on board, climbed back up to the deck, where he dropped Calvanta and to lay there on her stomach. "Next time, hold on."
Upon hearing the orders to clean up the ship, Drev wasn't one to argue and immediately got to work with any of the nearby pirates. It wasn't until he heard the commotion off to the side of the ship that he ran over to see what was happening. With a twinge of jealousy and guilt, he watched as several pirates hoisted Calvanta and Captain Val back onto the ship, he immediately knew what had happened. And I left her... I left her side! His eyes grazed the deck in shame and he felt terrible that she could have been lost but lucky that Val had been able to save her. Why'd it have to be him, though...?
The sensation had been a horrible one... she'd felt the cold, the pressure on her lungs, and the aching from impact and tumbling on the ship. Then she'd felt movement of water, the circling of something solid and promising around her waist, and then a jerk upwards... back towards the surface. Her consciousness was slowly fading when they broke the surface, and air once again surrounded her. The next thing she felt was the dull pain of being dropped on the deck, and she sputtered, the blow forcing water up out of her lungs. Her dress clung to her as she lay there unceremoniously, unable to thank the captain before he strode back into his cabin... nor to protest that she hadn't time to hold on, not that she would have, anyway. She knew better.
Drev quickly got over his self pity and decided to check to see if she was okay, seeing as how Val wasn't going to stick around and the rest of the pirates had got back to work so as not to upset the captain any further.
He stopped by her side and stood there for a minute before finally saying, "Hey... are... are you okay?" He probably could have thought of something better to say, but he was having trouble thinking as it was and he didn't need to add to it by trying to use big, impressive words.
Calvanta coughed a couple more times, her hair plastered to her even worse than her dress was... she was a pretty pitiful sight. She raised her eyes slightly, seeing the feet of the one known as Drev, before she said, in a soft (and a bit raspy, her throat hurting...) voice
"...I'll... I'll be okay..."
She then pushed herself up, spindly arms wobbling, scrambling to unsteady feet, water dripping from every possible place. Her ears and wings were sodden, and she swayed uncertainly, arms waving out to balance herself. She accidentally hit Drev with one of her arms when she flung them out, and she threw herself back, aghast, trying to dip in an apologetic curtsey on twisted legs, tripping over her own tail, causing her to stumble back even more, close to toppling over.
"S-sorry, sorry!"
Drev startled as she hit him, For such a little figure, she sure packs quite a punch... he thought as he rubbed his arm where she hit it. "Are... are you sure you'll be okay?" he watched confusedly as she wobbled around, "You don't look so good."
"F-fine, fine, I'm fine!"
Of course, it was at this time that her unsteady posture finally got the better of her, and she tripped back on herself, falling on her rear. She bit her lip, and despite herself, began to wail, loud at first, but it quickly steeped off to quiet weeping. This showed how childish she really was... but the day's events had just been too much for her. She'd never admit to it, but she'd been crying a lot, since she came aboard this ship. It was just too much, too much today.
Drev twitched and seemed frozen for any ideas on how to react to this... Great... what am I supposed to do now?? Crying made him uncomfortable. Normally, he'd just tell someone crying to 'suck it up' and 'get over it', but this was different. Not that he actually cared, of course, but he didn't want to snap at her...
He decided he'd take the man's way out. Taking a deep breath and mustering up all the courage he could he quickly blurted out his response, "Ummm... IthinkI'llgotobed." With a quick turn of his heels, he was headed down to the crew's chambers, not even taking notice that it was still pretty light outside.
Calvanta pulled her knees up to her chest, and she wrapped her arms around them, her shoulder still aching from the blow she'd taken to it, tears streaming down her already wet face. Her shoulders shook, wings hanging damply behind her, dress clingy, so every shiver was visible. She stayed there, like that, for who knows how long...
~~~~Time Lapse OOOOO Time Lapse!~~~~
The rest of the day passed on quietly, Val had retired to his own quarters to clean up, and Vane spent the rest of the day sitting in the room being very quiet. Val declined dinner, but the rest of the crew ate as usual. The moon steadily climbed to the middle of the sky, providing the ship an ample amount of light to guide it. Val was at the wheel, making sure they stayed on course, and watching the stars flicker in the sky. Being out in the middle of the ocean where there were no electronic lights or much pollution, the sky and the stars were particularly clear, and served to form a fantastic, shimmering blanket over them as they sailed. Most of the crew had gone to sleep now, so there was next to know sound on deck, aside from the waves crashing against the ship and the creaks of the wood every so often.
After hitting his head on the wall repeatedly to punish himself for being so stupid, first for leaving Calvanta in the first place, causing her to be thrown overboard and secondly, for running away when she obviously hurt which would have been the opportune moment to comfort her. He sighed and began to climb one of the bunks. Sure, it was still early in the evening, but he wasn't about to show his face on deck right after making such a cowardly exit. It didn't take him long to fall asleep and before he knew it, he was swept away by courageous dreams of sailing and fighting valiantly against invading ships.
Just as his dream was about to end it felt, the scenery changed and he found himself in a misty forest. Where am I? He wondered as he absently started running. I've been here before. He had no idea where his feet were taking them, but he had no reason to go another way, so he let them lead the way. Suddenly, he spotted a figure ahead of him, darting in and out of the trees. Am I following them? Suddenly, the small figure stopped running, and when he finally caught up with it, he knew why. Towering over them was a large monster. Drev was so shocked to see a creature so hideous and so huge that he stumbled backward and... fell.
With a loud thump he woke up on the floor of the cabin, every inch of his body aching from the hard fall, and his body drenched in a cold sweat. What kind of nightmare was that?? I know I've had it before. He slowly got to his feet and noticed there were several pirates in the cabin now, sleeping soundly. Several of them were snoring, which might make it hard for Drev to fall back asleep. He stretched and tried to clear the dream from his memory. Is it still nighttime? He wondered as he climbed his way back on board the ship.
Sure enough, the ship's deck was bathed in the warm glow of thousands of stars spread generously across the open sky. Drev sat gently on a nearby set of stairs and enjoyed the cool night breeze. Just what I need to take my mind off that dream... His mind was so preoccupied that he was completely unaware of the presence of any others that might be on the deck as well.
Calvanta had been far too upset to go to bed, so she'd instead opted to get into one of the boats lashed to the side of the Cassiopeia after she'd finished crying. She had curled up into the bottom of that, and had been there for many hours, dozing despite herself. A couple of black feathers had managed to become visible while she rested, as she did not really know what position she was in... so if anyone was to look, they would probably find her...
Although they could have probably found her anyway. It wasn't the most original of hiding spots. She'd only wanted someplace to go where the older male pirates wouldn't pick on her because of her puffy eyes, and the bedraggled way she looked after falling into the ocean...
The moonlight swirled over the rippling ocean as the moon hit exactly mid sky and the clock struck midnight. Val breathed deeply, the green in his eyes dissolving into the yellow and creating an acid green glow. Just as everything seemed calm, the captain keeled over, pulling his head down to his stomach, his claws ripping into his snout, drawing blood as he ripped the flesh from his face, exposing bloody fur that would otherwise be a brilliant white. Snarling and growling while blood and drool hit the deck, progressively ripping more of his skin from his face, while the skin on his back was clearly ripping on its own, exposing the same bloody fur. His breathing turned into wheezing, sounding like someone who was about to be sick and was crying at the same time. His horns remained, as did his ears, which were now covered with fur, complimenting his face which was now fully canine, the same black marks still around his eyes, and his hair remained unchanged as well. His breathing became even more shallow and labored as the end of the transformation ended, replacing his long ray tail with a poofy wolf's one.
He took a step back, kicking the mess off the deck into the water while snarling furiously at the moon. His ears twitched slightly, picking up on footsteps, and finding the scent of two others on the deck other than him. Narrowing his eyes, which had now returned to normal, he spun around and glared in the direction the sounds and smells were coming from, growling quietly to himself more than anyone else.
It was a little previous to this that Calvanta had awoken with a start, startled by where she was, before she remember why she was there. She sat up groggily, and wiped the sleep out of her eye, as she hoisted herself out of the boat and onto the deck, right as the cloud cover moved away from the moon. She began to walk towards the front of the ship, thinking perhaps she could muster the courage to thank the captain for saving her today. As she drew closer, and the cloud cover dissipated completely, she froze. Her sight was still a little blurry from sleep, but what she saw caused her to shiver all over. She quailed; watching the transformation come over the captain... a truly horrid thing, seeing as how he'd just clawed all of his skin off...
She wasn't sure what to think. She could've sworn that she'd seen flashes of white fur on previous nights, when she'd been up and about before... but... never this. Such was the state of shock she was in, that she couldn't move, couldn't speak... couldn't do anything. She could do nothing but stare, wide-eyed and rigid, as he turned around, growling. A soft squeak escaped her, and her bottom jaw began to tremble horribly... this was the end, for sure. She knew it.
A dim light of comprehension flashed in his eyes, keeping his mind steady, though battling with the wolf's desire to attack. Though clearly a bipedal creature, he began creepy towards her slowly on all fours, growling viciously in warning. In a familiar voice, though a bit more raspy (as he probably spent a good amount of time retching) he snapped at her "I would run if I were you, unless you want to die a horrible death tonight." With that, he took a running jump at her, snarling at the same time and landing a few inches from where she was standing. From this vantage she could see that his eyes were still clear and intelligent, though showed no compassion nor warmth, not like he ever showed these traits at any other time though, and he seemed very intent on attacking her, but remained still, waiting for her to move first.
She skidded back slightly, before she gasped, actually reaching out towards him in a lapse of common sense.
"C-c...captain...?"
She said in a tight, shocked voice, her legs seeming to turn to jelly as she stood there, and she wobbled horribly, eyes wide and fearful... but something else was there too, something not quite explainable. She tried to take a few steps back, but was having a hard time getting her legs to obey her, her hand still daintily outstretched, just missing one tuft of white fur.
Maybe she thought she was dreaming. It all seemed too unreal for it to be actual...
Val sighed and rolled his eyes as she just stood there unable to move. He lifted his arms, claws bared, and let out a loud, echoing roar of a growl, and moved his head forward to nudge her with his snout, as if to say "move it." Deep within the back of his mind, the wolf was pleading to come out, to attack, he skipped dinner, so he was hungry, and those pangs weren't helping the situation much. Growling annoyedly, he sat back on his haunches looking away from her. "Tell anyone and I'll leave you on the first island we pass."
Drev's dream-like trance was shaken loose by the sound a fierce growl from up deck. It was so late that he had no idea who might be up at this time of night, much less making those kinds of odd noises.
He was shocked at what he saw, the large creature sitting threateningly in front of Calvanta as she stood paralyzed with fear, a look of confusion fixed on her face. Not taking a moment to think, he drew his sword and stealthily started forward. It's just like in my dream! He thought he eyed the creature's neck for the perfect place to strike.
"Calvanta!" he called, "Step back!"
Val's head shifted to focus on the oncoming attacker, somewhere between complete consciousness and the wolf's primal instincts, he sat there a few minutes trying to decide who was now advancing on them brandishing a weapon. He squinted his eyes as his nose quivered, "Familiar... but... " His thoughts were interrupted realizing he was too close to Calvanta, and she had a good chance of being hit. He got to his feet again and dashed over to the other side of the deck, bringing the fight away from Cal, and giving him time to put a name with the face. Drev, Andrevlin... that new guy...
He growled in Drev's direction and turned his back on him, his tail flicking in agitation, hoping to get across the message that he didn't want to fight, probably coming across as he was too good to fight him though.
All the while in his head, the wolf was fighting its way towards taking over, seeing as how Val was angry and hungry, giving the wolf more reason to want to hunt, and Val less reason to fight it. His mind swam with different thoughts, every so often interrupted by the desire to turn around and snap Drev and Cal's necks. I need to get to my room, I can't hurt them there, kill them, no one can know, I have to keep them quiet, tear their flesh, I have to avoid Drev, I can't fight him, taste their blood, why are they even awake now? KILL THEM!
Drev subconsciously stepped in between Calvanta and the wolf-creature and eyed its every move, trying to judge just how dangerous it was. It had run away when he called out... maybe he had frightened it? What was a creature like that doing on a boat in the middle of the ocean anyway??
He titled his blade slightly, allowing the moon to reflect a shine spot onto the deck to let the creature know he wasn't going to step down.
Val turned around, hearing that Drev had stopped, but hesitated after noticing he still had his sword drawn. Just walk right past and he won't attack, he wouldn't dare. Deciding that the best plan of action right now would be to get to his room, he lifted himself off the deck and slowly made his way towards the door, keeping a keen eye on Drev to make sure he didn't decide to charge him again. Getting closer, he started to reach out for the handle, faltering a bit unable to find it and instead grasping air.
A low growl roared from the back of Drev's throat as he eyed the creature. He couldn't shake the feeling that this was no ordinary monster... it seemed much too intelligent to just be a stupid animal. And there was something about the look in its eyes.
But where was it headed? The captain's quarters? The captain must still be asleep! He thought as he called out to the creature, "Don't even think about it, you beast..." if the creature made another move, he'd attack. It was one thing to prey on an innocent girl... it was another to attack a man in his sleep.
Val did not take well to being called a "beast". "COME AGAIN!?" He spun around glaring at Drev, momentarily forgetting about the door all together. "I thought you were asleep, GET BACK TO YOUR QUARTERS! BOTH OF YOU!"
Drev's jaw dropped as he nearly stumbled backwards, "Yo...You can talk!?!" And those orders sounded a lot like... the Captain?? "What happened to you??" he asked in pathetic disbelief as he lowered his sword.
Val glanced again at the door and then back to Drev. "Nothing of consequence to you." With that, he turned and entered his room, not bothering to latch the door assuming they would get the hint and take off now.
Vane woke up and blinked stupidly for a minute trying to decide what was going on, realizing it was nothing different from any other night, he nestled his beak back into his feathers and fell back asleep. Val had stopped in front of him to give him a loving rub on his tummy before continuing over to the desk drawer, removing its contents, and entering his bed room, where he planned on staying for the rest of the night.
Calvanta was an inch away from touching the captain's fur when Drev came into the picture, and she hastily pulled her hand away and stumbled back, shrieking at the transactions that took place. She was breathing heavily when it was all over, and she covered her face with her hands, tears threatening her again.
Today had really been something. What were they going to do now? The captain would be really angry at her tomorrow, she was certain. And Drev... what was he going to do? She turned away, her wings quivering, and began to walk across the deck, her steps kind of slow... a bit deliberate... like somebody that was sleepwalking. She was in a state of shock, and it was clear that she would probably not sleep tonight...
Drev stood dumbfounded in front of the door to the captain's cabin, not really sure what to do or say next. Calvanta had left before he had a chance to see where she had gone. He sighed, this trip has NOT been going the way I had hoped... or at least the way I had expected. With a disappointed slouch of the shoulders, he trudged back to the sailor's quarters. There, he lay awake for a long time before finally falling to sleep for the second time, this time his sleep was free of nightmares and he was able to remain in dreamland until the sun rose and woke the crew up the next morning.
Val spent the rest of the night curled up on his bed, his eyes scanning over the photo and eventually falling asleep despite the horrific memories that threatened to plague his dreams again. Dreams that tonight consisted of wolves, and death, and running, and blood, and-
"SARAH!" Val awoke in his bed, completely back to normal now, except his lack of clothes, his head pounding with vague memories from the night before, trying to decide which were part of the dream and which were reality. He raked his claws through his hair, shutting his eyes tightly against the little bit of sunlight that was filtering through the window just above his bed. He got up, stretched, scrambled through the blankets for the photo which he replaced in the desk, and then made his way over to a cabinet in his room that held a small syringe and a bottle of clear liquid which he used to inject into his shoulder. He replaced everything back into the cabinet and locked it, got dressed, and exited to the deck, Vane close behind him to perch up on his shoulder.
He glared at anyone who even dared to look at him, and made his way up to the wheel, keeping an eye out for Cal to make sure she kept her word and Drev to make sure he knew better.
Drev staggered onto the main deck from the crew's quarters rubbing his eyes groggily. The rest of the sailors were used to rising early, but he sure wasn't. At least the second half of his night hadn't been as restless as the first... and it hadn't ended in him falling from the bunk. He winced and rubbed his back in memory of the fall, Ow...
He had nearly forgotten the rest of the events that last night until he saw Val, again at the helm. Oh yeah... he made a point to avoid eye contact, he just didn't know how to handle the situation right now. Obviously, he was very curious about what might have happened, but he also felt slightly humiliated for thinking he would rescue the ship from some great beast when it was really just the ship's captain. What if Val thought less of him because of it? What if Calvanta...? He would definitely do his best to avoid any confrontation between any of them. He just didn't feel like talking to anyone right now.
With a frustrated kick, he sent a small empty bottle skidding across the deck.
As the glass rolled across the wood, Val turned around to find the source, seeing Drev on the deck very much so not awake. He narrowed his eyes against the rising sun and left the wheel to approach Drev, who he hadn't the chance to talk to the night before.
"Drev! Fancy seeing you up already. I would've thought that running around on deck so late last night, and picking fights with the captain would tire you out for sure."
Drev narrowed his eyes at Val, "I could say the same for you. You're lucky I knew it was you or else I could have killed you before you even knew I was coming." This, of course, was not true, but more of a desperate attempt to save face... which Drev felt he really needed right now. Not to mention, last night's events had put him in a pissy mood and if Val wanted to start a fight, he was sure to get one.
Val stopped in his tracks and growled under his breath, weighing out the pros and cons of throwing Drev over the ship's side, but deciding he still wants to be paid. "Right... would you like to talk about this somewhere more private?" He nodded towards his room and started to head in that direction himself, stopping at the door and holding it open for Drev, staring daggers into the back of his mind.
Drev scanned Val for any hint of malice, wondering exactly what he might be trying to suggest. "Okay..." he said as he sidled by Val into his room. If nothing else, it'd be a good chance to get some things straightened out about what had happened last night...
Val slammed the door behind Drev and turned on him so he was trapped in the corner. "Listen to me, and listen to me good, you saw absolutely nothing last night. You were asleep and you dreamt it all. If anyone asks what you and I were talking about on deck, say it was an argument. If anyone asks about the noise, tell them we passed by an island with feral dogs. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"
He backed off a little bit and looked away from Drev, leaning back on the table, white knuckling the edge. "I can guarantee you I wouldn't have hurt anyone, I've made sure of it. But next time you come at me with a knife like that, don't expect me to run off like I did."
Drev just glared at Val for a minute, he hated being threatened. And as far as he was concerned, there was nothing Val could say or do to him that would guarantee he keep his mouth shut. "Don't bully me." he hissed. "A polite request would have done just fine and I would have been more likely to honor your demand." He felt he wasn't going to get much respect unless he demanded it, and now was the perfect chance to do so.
"I'm willing to keep quiet about it..." he began, "But I want to know exactly what happened to you, if it's happened before, and..." he made sure he had established solid eye contact, "What was happening between you and Calvanta."
Val met Drev's eyes and just stared for a moment in silence. How DARE he question me! I suppose he might have a right to know though. With a heavy sigh, Val went over to the desk, retrieved the photo, blowing dust from it and handing it over to Drev. In the photo was a black and white picture of a girl who looked astonishingly like Calvanta, only a bit older, and not as worn, her skin was a little lighter too.
"That, is Sarah. You won't know her, she's dead. Before I picked up a life of piracy, I used to be a normal citizen in the southern part of an island that was mainly of a middle to lower class population. When I was 15, I fell in love with Sarah. And when I was 16, I came home one night to find my family slaughtered, and paw prints leading off towards her home. When I got there, it was already too late for the most part, she was just barely hanging onto life by a thread, she saw me however, and when she turned, so did her attacker, which happened to be a big...bearish, wolf thing...anyways, it came at me and took a chunk out of my ear." He tapped the missing part of his left ear. "But I did get away otherwise unharmed...stupid animal was probably too full up on my loved ones to run after me."
"Well the next night I found myself... well you saw what happened last night... same thing, only I wasn't in control, I ran around killing off innocents just like that stupid beast. I woke up the next day and thought it was a dream, and all the disappearances were coincidence, but it happened every night after too, it seems to get stronger on the full moons. After a few months of denial, and offing about half the island, I finally came to terms with my reality, and escaped to the sea. You see, being what I am, I was always very at home in the ocean anyways, so this just seemed logical, to go off alone where I couldn't touch anyone else. I sailed around aimlessly in a wreck of a ship with no direction or course. I eventually found myself, one morning, on a new island. I must've gotten close enough to land in the night and ran off. I'm not sure how I met him, but a shaman had taken me into his care when he found me that night, and supplied me with something to help me keep my head. It still becomes extremely hard to control on nights with a full moon, but I can at least have a fighting chance."
"At any rate, despite my new found luck, I still thought it best to stay away from normal folk, and to live off at sea. Now, you should understand, sustaining a beast like that night after night will cause it to wear on your nerves, and so it'll start coming out during the day. I admit I don't have the most charming of personalities. A life at sea and my temper combined just seemed to go hand in hand with piracy, and I quickly found a willing crew who had originally cornered me about the subject, assuming I was a captain from the way I acted.... and I did have a ship after all...which they decided for me was not worth the wood it was made out of. So we commandeered the Cassiopeia here, I think she was originally a navy ship or a merchant vessel, it's hard to tell. And the rest is history... I inject myself every morning so that when midnight comes, I'm still conscious of my actions and won't run off killing or hurting the crew... we don't need more than one on board after all... and I'll leave killing anyone to the day time, when I have a clear head, and can fully imagine that beast's head attacking my girl and leaving her maimed and bloody for vultures to pick off of."
Val seemed to forget where he was during the last bit, his eyes focusing on nothing in particular and speaking through gritted teeth, as if reliving the memory all over again, but then came back to himself and refocused on Drev. "And what was happening between me and her you ask? I was trying to scare her away, make her believe she was dreaming, keep her from fully understanding the truth. I wasn't going to hurt her if that's what you're implying."
Drev was thankful to hear that Calvanta hadn't been in danger and wondered if she really thought it had been a dream. He found Val's tale interesting... at least he had a way to control it. He didn't know what to think about the story behind it, though. So... it had been his girlfriend? He looked at the picture in his hands, she was very pretty - what a tragedy to lose her that way. For a split second, he almost felt a twinge of sympathy... but he got over it quickly.
"Well... that's quite the story." he said stupidly as he handed the picture back to Val. "I'm sorry about your family." Another stupid comment... but really, what else was there to say?? "If you wish for me to keep it a secret, I will... so long as you promise to keep things under control when you transform in that way."
For some reason, Val took this as a challenge and glared back at Drev with cold eyes. "Oh, I'll keep it under control all right, unless you give me a reason not to..." He took a step back again, taking the picture and replacing it in the desk where it belonged. "Anyway, that was nearly a full moon and I was in COMPLETE control," a lie "so you shouldn't have anything to worry about. But speaking of Calvanta, have you seen her around the cabins? I need to talk to her next..."
Drev glared at Val, for being the one at fault here, he sure wasn't being very thankful for Drev's kindness. "No, I haven't seen her." he practically spat. "She's probably off doing one of her chores, don't you think?" He might have to keep a close eye on the captain, he thought. Just in case...
Val didn't seem at all phased by Drev's tone. "You're probably right." he said as he crossed the room to look out the window, completely oblivious to Drev's anger, and instead scanning the deck for Cal. "So, will you be joining me for lunch again today then?" Still oblivious to the fact he probably insulted Drev yesterday. "No hard feelings right? Besides, I've got to stay on good terms with you now I suppose." He extended a bandaged hand to Drev, thinking nothing odd about admitting he's only being "nice" so Drev doesn't see fit to expose him.
Drev reluctantly shook Val's hand, never breaking a vicious eye contact. Honestly, he was surprised that the captain had even invited him back to lunch after what had happened yesterday... "I suppose I could join you for lunch..." he muttered. "But you should probably invite Calvanta as well... seeing as how she didn't get to have one yesterday."
Val eyed him suspiciously but nodded in agreement. "Very well, she can come too. Now if you'll excuse me," he slid past Drev and opened the door, "I need to get back to the wheel now." And with that he exited the room, leaving Drev to show himself out.
Drev would have grumbled in response, but he was happy that Calvanta would be able to come... after all, he still felt responsible for ruining her lunch the other day. This time I'll keep my mouth shut. he vowed as he left the room and rejoined the random crew members on the deck.
Calvanta had strayed close to the front of the ship, her hands grasping the railing at the prow as she watched the oncoming waves, a splash of sea spray getting to her every so often. Her hair billowed in the strong breezes, and she sighed lightly. It was obvious that she hadn't slept last night, and her eyes were already puffy from crying. She was finding it hard to concentrate today, and it was evident in her posture, the way she merely stared blankly ahead as the ship sailed on. She'd learned to do this, to make herself as unreadable as she could, here on the pirate's ship...
It wouldn't do to have the crew reading her like a book... they weren't exactly prim and proper, and they'd use whatever they knew about her against her... most of all, the dreaded Sven. He took every chance he got to taunt her, to touch her, to give any sort of unwanted attention... but she never brought it up, never uttered a word about it.
But that wasn't what was bothering her, not now. But who was to say as to what WAS bothering her?
When Val turned to head toward the ship's head, he saw Calvanta holding onto the side. Well that's convenient. He approached her, trying to be as quiet as possible, as she looked rather sick to him. Placing a hand on one of her shoulders and trying to lead her away from the ship's edge, he spoke to her in the calmest voice he could manage, and spoke very quietly so no one else might over here.
"How are you feeling today Cal?" Before she could give him more than a nod of comprehension, he cut her off. "Look, about last night... just don't say anything to anyone, all right? And you're welcome to come to lunch again today too." With that, he let go of her shoulder, but didn't leave her side, waiting to see how she would respond, making sure she wouldn't have a break down or anything.
Calvanta took a sharp breath when he touched her, but realizing who it was, she calmed down a bit, lowering her eyes, wings drooping a little bit, before she murmured.
"I... I'm s-sorry I intruded on y-your privacy.... t-that was s-something secret that I-I had no right to s-see."
She took a deep breath, and wrapped her arms around her stomach as she did when she was feeling uncomfortable. But honestly, who did he think she was going to tell? She never spoke to anyone, unless it was Drev or the captain, really. The crew only made snide comments at her, and she ignored them, if she could. She murmured something else incoherent under her breath, before she closed her eyes. So it had happened... well, at least it was verified now. She hadn't dreamed it, but she didn't think that she had, either.
It seemed to cost Val every ounce of strength he had as he winced at her words, and through gritted teeth replied "Don't worry about it, you couldn't have known you were intruding. Just... be careful next time you decide to wander around on deck that late at night." He exhaled and sighed as if a great weight had just been lifted, but he looked none happier about it. He patted her on the shoulder and turned back to the open ocean ahead of them. "Why don't you take things a little slowly today... you don't look well."
She nodded and blinked her eyes open, before she glanced up at him. She murmured her thanks, before she unwrapped her arms, gently touching his arm.
"I... I won't tell anybody."
After that, she pulled away and disappeared to other parts of the deck as quickly as she could, feeling a little bit bothered for some reason. She had a lot of cheek, touching the captain that way. He'd probably be angry at her...
Val's arm jerked slightly in surprise before she withdrew and ran off. He stared after her, completely dumbstruck, until she disappeared. No one had ever tried something like that since he took up his life at sea, it revived some memories of how things were back on that island he grew up on, but quickly forgot them again as the shouts and calls of the pirates around him flooded his ears again, snapping him back to his senses. He headed back to the wheel without another look back at Cal, but not entirely focused on the water ahead of him, as his mind still rewound to that brief second over and over again, trying to decide what made her do it, and why it made such memories flash back to him like that.
Drev had managed to climb his way up the masts to check the sail ties and make sure they were safely secured. There wasn't much else to do, so he gracefully balanced along the boom checking each tie. He wondered when lunch would be... he was getting pretty hungry. After he checked the last tie, he plopped himself down on the end of the boom to survey the ship below him and steadied himself with a rope so that he wouldn't go tumbling over backwards by accident. It was peaceful up there... no one to bother him, just the sea breeze whistling through his hair. It was a good place to just sit and... think.
Calvanta had escaped to the other end of the ship, wrapping her arms around herself again, swaying on her heels. She was going to hear it later, she knew it. She wasn't supposed to treat the captain like that, he was going to be furious with her!
It was at this inopportune moment, when she was experiencing a weakness, a lowered wall over her feelings, when Sven sidled up to her, trailing one hand over her shoulder. She shuddered involuntarily, and his grizzled muzzle smooshing up against her ear. She shrank away as best she could, before he murmured in her ear.
"Thar 'ye are, my pretty.... 'aven't seen ye' in a while..."
Calvanta squeaked softly and tried to get away, but he grabbed her arm, and not too gently, either, pulling her against his chest.
"No no no, m'dear... why don't ye' stay a while...?"
He said, smirking lightly and wrapping his other arm around her waist, tail lashing behind him.
"Ye' may 'ave gotten on the cap'n's good side b'fore, m'darlin'... but 'e en't around right now, is 'e?"
Calvanta squirmed, trying to get away, but to no avail... she completely forgot about everything that had been troubling her at that moment, in her intense fear and dislike of Sven...
Drev's tail swayed absentmindedly behind him as he continued to enjoy this new "perch" of his. He was just enjoying being up there away from the crew when he noticed Calvanta off by herself, again looking scared and helpless. He was just thinking about something to say to her when she came to lunch when he noticed a brawny Dragon approach her and grab her arm roughly. Drev immediately jumped to his feet on top of the boom and narrowed his eyes. What's going on...? He watched as the Dragon pulled her to him affectionately, Maybe... maybe he's her boyfriend or something? he wondered frantically until he saw Calvanta's reaction. She didn't like it... she was trying to get away... what was this guy going to do to her?? With an enraged leap, his massive wings fanned out to slow his fall to the deck. He landed swiftly and broke out into a full-out run towards the assaulter. Remember, talk first, fight later, talk first, fight later! Too late. The minute he rounded the corner and saw the assaulter with Calvanta in his arms, he hauled off the heaviest punch he could muster, throwing his entire body weight into a blow to the side of Sven's face.
Calvanta had continued to pull away from Sven, not even really noticing Drev until he was right up on them. Sven turned towards Drev, just as his fist made contact. Sven stumbled back, cursing, still holding on to Calvanta, whom fell back and was dragged by him. At this point, Calvanta shrieked and held out an arm towards Drev, before Sven pulled on her roughly, and clapped a hand over her mouth, a bruise already becoming visible by his cheekbone. He whispered fiercely to her:
"Now, tha' won't do, pretty, wouldn' wan' the cap'n to come o'er 'ere..."
Calvanta thrashed, but his hand was held tight over her muzzle, and she could really do nothing more at this point. Sven then looked up, and glared at Drev, gnarled wings fanning out behind him.
"You'd bes' leave us alone, this 'ere is my property... I found 'er! She wouldn' be 'ere if it weren't for me! And don't... don't you ever hi' me again!"
He said, before he spat on the deck, looking at Drev maliciously.
Drev was shaking with fury and lunged at the attacker one hand grabbing his neck, the other hand on the wrist of the arm that held Calvanta. He lowered his face so he could look Sven straight in the eye, "How about if I break your wrist, huh? Will you let go of her then? What about if I snap this neck of yours?" His teeth were bared and his claws were already beginning to put pressure on Sven's skin. "If you hurt her, I'll kill you right here." his voice was dripping with venom as he snarled, waiting for a response.
Sven snarled as Drev dug his claws into his flesh, and he swept his tail against Drev's legs, attempting to dislodge him, foam flecking at the corner of his mouth. He refused to let go of Calvanta, even to defend himself... he was a bit obsessive, one could say. Cal struggled, and to cease that, he pulled his hand off her muzzle, sound immediately bubbling from her throat, to deal her a blow to the head. She slumped over in his arms... now leaving him one arm free.
Sven dug into his boot and pulled out a dagger, snarling at Drev. He pointed it at him, before quickly swiping it through the air, to hold quivering against his throat.
"Step away, m'friend... step away."
He said, voice almost as venomous as Drev's own.
For a fleeting moment, Drev was scared. He realized he didn't have a weapon with him... but that wasn't going to stop him from killing the bastard. In one sudden move, he charged the arm that was holding Calvanta as if he wanted to rip it off to set her free. At least he could get her out of the way so he could kill Sven without having to worry about her. He didn't manage to escape the knife blade, though and suffered a deep cut to the shoulder. He struggled to loosen Sven's grip on Calvanta throwing in a punch whenever he could.
Sven snarled but his voice was cut off as Drev got him in the gut, his grip on Calvanta loosened until she slumped from his grasp, hitting the deck at their feet. Sven swore and pulled his bloody dagger away from Drev, jumping back, tail wrapping around one of Calvanta's limbs as he went, dragging her a few inches away from Drev... it was too slow of a way to retrieve her, and he was having a hard time with it, anyway. Although she was very light, it was all dead weight right now. He gave up that effort and leaped down to snatch her away, hoping he wouldn't be too late, several gashes starting to bleed on his body, where Drev had inflicted damage.
Drev made a quick, desperate grab for Calvanta with his good arm. And managed to wrap his grip around one of her small wrists. He tried to bat Sven away and gently push Calvanta to safety at the same time, which was getting quite hard to do with the knife wounds in his left arm. Come on... he said as if he were pleading with her to wake up. This would be so much easier if you could just run away! He tried not to pay attention to Sven at all unless it was just keeping him away from Calvanta. He had to get her to safety first - or at least far enough away to where she wouldn't get in the way...
Sven grabbed her other wrist quickly, seeing that Drev had a hold of her, and he glowered, eyes narrowing.
"Let go!"
He snarled, and in an instant, he had his dagger up and threatening again. He was breathing hard by this point, his nose curled in exertion and anger, teeth gritted together.
After being tugged around, Cal was beginning to stir, but not much... the blow she'd taken to the head had been a powerful one, and she was likely to be unconscious for a while longer... although as things were going, she was going to be torn in two before that ever happened...
Calvanta tug-o-war.
Drev eyed Sven in terrible hatred, still trying to pull on Calvanta - but not so much as he didn't want to hurt her. "I won't let her go." he sneered defiantly. "What are you trying to do to her anyways, surely the captain wouldn't like to hear of you bullying his cabin girl." he narrowed his eyes and attempted to kickstomp at Sven's grip on Calvanta.
Sven spat at Drev, quite displeased that it was becoming more and more difficult for him to just have his way with his treasure.. someone was always getting into his business.
"She's mine, fool, I found 'er! Le' the cap'n know, bu' I found 'er, and she's mine!!!"
He then tugged on her arm, attempting to get her away, growling under his breath, still brandishing the dagger.
"Let go or I'll slit ye' throat!"
Drev smirked, knowing full-well that nothing this idiot could threaten to do or actually do to him would scare him off. "You wanna slit my throat, go right ahead. Look..." he tilted his head to the side as if he was offering his neck to the stranger, "I'll give you a head start." Granted, this wasn't the smartest thing that Drev could have said... but maybe he could provoke the pirate's anger enough so that he could lure him away from Calvanta...
Sven snarled, and lunged at Drev, forgetting in his anger to keep a hold on Calvanta...
After realizing this, he cursed, but it was already too late. She was out of reach. Sven was outraged... but... there was always another day. He would try again, once this... this creature was GONE.
"You 'aven't 'eard the last o' me..."
He spat, and then he swung around, and swaggered off as if he'd planed to do that all along, slipping his blade back into his boot.
And so, Drev was left with poor battered and unconscious Calvanta, and he was a bit worse for the wear himself. Alas.
Drev smiled weakly. Okay... so it didn't go exactly as I had planned... but I did manage to scare him off. He watched Sven run off with a right smug look on his face - that is, if you could tell it was smug beneath the several cuts and blinding black eye. He was shaking uncontrollably from the adrenaline rush mixed with aftermath of a severe beating. But he was used to this. He sighed with relief and looked sadly at the battered Calvanta who was still laying delicately not to far from where he sat. She looks so sad... he thought as he crawled closer to her and sat by her side, his large shadow cast over her. Without thinking he reached out and tenderly brushed a lock of her hair out of her face. I know how it feels. he said as though he could speak to her with his thoughts. To be held against your will...
Being upwind from all of this ruckus, Val was at the bow completely oblivious to what was going on by the stern. That is, until Sven ran up to him panting and bloody.
"Sir! Sir! Come quick! Tha' guest o' yers is messin' wit Calvanta! I tried ma' darnedest to fight 'im sir!" Surveying over the injuries inflicted, it was obvious that there was definitely a fight.
Growling in fury she spat at Sven, "YOU! Stay here and watch the wheel." and with that he turned and bee lined for the back of the ship, reaching for his pistol as he went.
On arriving at the scene, he had only seen Drev over an unconscious Cal, which seemed to only add to the verification of Sven's story. Val bared his teeth and let out a low, vicious growl, words just barely audible through it "What the HELL is the meaning of this?" His finger on the trigger of his pistol, but waiting, though impatiently, for a reply.
Drev was startled to hear a voice behind him when he thought no one had been there. He jumped and turned around to see who it was slightly embarrassed to see it was Val. We was afraid Val knew how he felt about Calvanta and there he was, sitting with her... maybe Val had even seen him touch her hair... He didn't need the Captain to know his guest had taken a liking to his cabin girl. "I... I'm sorry." he stuttered as he quickly scooted away from Calvanta trying to think of a way to explain himself. "I... I didn't mean to... She just looked so sweet laying there like that... And she's hurt." He winced, hoping Val wouldn't tease him about this. After all, he had only doing what he thought was right by saving her. It's what any man would have done in that kind of situation, right?
Val's eyes ignited with fury as he listened to Drev's explanation. "What the fuck do you mean by that!? Didn't I fucking tell you that she's only a fucking child and that I fucking wouldn't let anything or anyone fuck with her!?!?! So what do you do? You betray my trust, use your black mail, and take advantage of a girl not even a third your fucking size?! You make me physically sick. And if you fucking think I'm letting you off that easily you've got another thing coming." Val raised his pistol and with a shaking hand pulled the trigger, aiming for Drev's knee.
"Now how about you back up and fuck off before I aim this thing at your head."
Drev was completely caught off-guard by the captain's anger. Why on earth would he be angry at me!? he wondered as it became clear what the captain thought had happened... He was just about to open his mouth in protest when Val fired his shot hitting Drev just below his left knee and a little to the outside. Drev screamed in pain and made a grab for his knee holding it tight to try and stop it from bleeding, "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?" he roared between clenched teeth and paused for a few sharp breaths before continuing.
"I didn't touch her!! Well... I didn't touch her that way and..." he paused for a minute as a wave of pain spread down his leg. "It... it was that other pirate." He stammered painfully. "He was hurting her and I... I stopped to help her." His vision faded in and out a bit as he made a desperate attempt to plead with the Captain, "Listen, I didn't hurt her." He rubbed his gunshot wound and looked Val straight in the eye, "You know I wouldn't hurt her."
Val snorted and kept his eyes on Drev. "Well I thought you wouldn't hurt her." He thought for a moment, taking in the other side of the story, thinking, knowing Sven as he did, that it made much more sense than the first story he heard. He looked from Drev, leaning over his knee in agony, to Cal, sprawled on the deck, completely passed out, and back again to Drev, glaring back at him. "Excuse me one moment." Calmly, Val left the two alone again, and headed back towards the head of the ship, his hand still on the pistol.
"Sven, you silly, lying bastard." He swung once at Sven's head with the butt of his pistol, splitting the skin from the pressure. "Now, are you going to tell me the truth this time?" He rounded on him to face him on the other side of the wheel, leaning on it as if he was terribly interested to hear what Sven had to say as Sven himself swore and gripped his skull in pain.
"Blooday HELL! Wot was tha' fo-" Sven was interrupted as Val lifted the barrel of the pistol to Sven's chin, lifting it up so he'd have to look him straight in the eye when he spoke, his finger idly tapping the trigger.
"I want the truth before I blow that useless head of yours clear off that stubby thing you call a neck." He spoke in a quiet, menacing tone, one arm still rested on the wheel, the other holding the pistol to Sven's chin. His face portrayed quiet fury as he simply stared into the two terrified eyes of a man on the verge of death. "No?" Val pointed the pistol downwards and shot at his foot. Through the screams and yelps he asked again, "How about now?"
Through curses and growls Sven managed to make out the words, "Faaah... yeh know jus' as well...shii... jus' as well as any one wot happened. (inaudible swears) Didn't quoite expect yeh ta be dumb enuff ta even think abou' wot I sed as troof." If there was anything everyone on the ship knew full well, it was that you didn't talk back to the captain. Sven crumpled to the ground and Val stood over him unloading his pistol into him... after all, he had framed an innocent dragon, hurt Cal, lied to him, and insulted him to his face.
"CLEAN THIS MESS UP!" He stepped over the body and made his way back to Drev to apologize.
"I fixed it, sorry about your leg, here." He unwrapped one of the bandages from his hands, exposing raw, cracked and still slightly bloody burn marks, and handed it to him to wrap his own wound.
Drev reluctantly took the Captain's bandages and avoided eye contact. "Thanks.." he muttered as he began to gently nurse his gun wound, the one that needed the most attention right now. He wasn't so much offended as he was embarrassed. What kind of person had he come across as to be accused of such a thing... granted, he could maybe see how it would have looked like that... He hung his shoulders in shame and did his best to keep his focus on cleaning the wound.
He had heard the gunshots up deck and was pretty sure about what had happened. At least that was one less person to worry about... and the pirate wouldn't be harming Calvanta any more. I just wish I could have had one more chance at him... he mused, On fairer ground... and after turning me in? He tied the bandage roughly and leaned back on his palms, I would have killed him... He started to ponder the best way to get back to his feet. Use the railing for stabilization? He sighed and gripped the sidewall, preparing to hoist himself back onto his feet. One thing was for sure, though... he was never letting himself go unarmed ever again.
After all this ruckus, Calvanta finally began to stir again. Her fingers twitched daintily, and she groaned softly, curling up into a fetal position on the deck. She slowly awoke, the first realization coming to her with her pounding headache, enough to make her wince horribly. She ached... everywhere. Voices drifted to her ears, but they were muffled and she was unable to make out what they were saying. She coughed and retched for a moment, one of her hands flying to her temple as soon as she did so, as a wave of pain went through her skull when she did. She began to tremble, and she opened her eyes, although everything was blurry and out of focus... at least for now. Sound was beginning to come in clearer, but the result was that it worsened her headache. Her sight began to clear, but not much, and she still couldn't quite make out who was standing over her.
Val stood there somewhat awkwardly, not because he felt bad for his mistake, but because everyone was being so dead quiet. He felt like just turning around and heading back to the bow, but felt he at least owed it to Drev to make sure he was fine, and to see that Cal would be all right as well. Not being the nurturing, caring type however, he didn't really know how to go about this, and instead just watched Drev struggle to his feet and kept glancing over at Cal who seemed to have at least moved a bit. "Right... well it looks like you two are ok then..."
Drev nodded in response to the Captain as he finally stood on two feet. He had noticed Calvanta was waking up as well, but he really didn't feel like seeing her right now... or allowing her to see him like this. He painfully crept along the side of the ship, using it for support. He'd head down to the crew's chambers and clean up a bit and then he could return the captain's bandages.
Calvanta's eyesight finally cleared, but everything was far too sharp, and it made her head hurt to look at anything. She firmly shut her eyes again, and groaned, trying to push herself up with her bruised arm... the bruising was already showing up faintly, and it was easy to tell where she's been held... there was almost a handprint there. She struggled up some more, opening her eyes a bit, murmuring under her breath, and wincing, before she said, to no one in particular (seeing as how she didn't even know who was there..)
"W-what happened....?"
But she stopped short, because her jaw was stiff, where Sven had held onto it tightly.
Val bent over to help Cal back up to her feet, taking special care to avoid bruise areas. "I think Drev would be ..." but after looking around realized Drev had wandered off. "Uh, well supposedly Sven was at it again, and Drev, or so it seems, saved you." Still slightly uncomfortable, especially after what had happened at the bow, Val was keeping his words short and curt to hide the waiver in it that hinted at a bit of worry. "You're all... all right then?"
Calvanta's eyes widened as she suddenly remembered, and then she looked down, feeling suddenly very, very guilty.
"I... I caused a lot of trouble t-today... didn't I?"
She said, expecting him to be furious with her. She had no right to have caused so much hurt and discomfort...
As soon as she was back on her feet and somewhat steadied, Val backed away from her and stood, with a somewhat nervous expression, with his hands clenched behind his back. "Well, good! Good. Well... I'ma... I'm just gonna get back up to the bow then. You can make it from here on your own." Without waiting for a proper reply, Val turned on his heals and headed towards the bow again, watching the ground ahead of him and not looking anyone in the eye, if anyone mentioned his face being red, he'd play it off as the heat getting to him is all. Returning to the front of the ship, regaining his station of power, some of the random thoughts that had been running through his mind faded out with the sea breeze now meeting his face. He reached a hand up to the wheel again and winced in pain, looking down to realize he now had an uncovered open wound on the palm of his hand. Well that won't do. In a very mechanical, automatic sort of way, he turned around again and went off looking for Drev to retrieve his bandages, not really watching the ground or where he was going (Not that it would matter, he's spent a good chunk of his life on this ship), rather, he studied the cracked flesh and scar tissue that rarely ever was open to fresh air.
Drev had just finished cleaning up, applying bandages of his own and making sure he had thoroughly cleaned the ones belonging to the captain. He sat there for a minute, not really wanting to move for two reasons: he was still in a lot of pain, and he didn't really feel like confronting anyone at the moment... especially not the captain. Maybe I can just... leave them somewhere for him to find and then come back here and... find something to do. he looked around the room as if measuring it up to find out what exactly he could find to do in it. Nothing.
With a frustrated sigh, he pulled himself to his feet again and attempted the best proud gait he could to hide any sign of limping. I'll just drop them off somewhere where he'll see them... he thought as he slowly made his way out of the crew's chambers and across the deck with a firm grip on the bandages. I wonder what these are for anyway... he hadn't really got a good look at the captain's hands without the bandages, but he hadn't seen him without them since the day they met.
He was so deep in thought, that he wasn't concentrating at all on where he was going. So lost in thought, in fact, that he nearly ran right into the captain who was headed in his direction. "Sorry..." he muttered before he saw who it was. "Oh! Err..." he shoved the bandages towards the captain, "I cleaned them. Thanks for letting me use them." All the while, he was doing his best to avoid eye contact. Once he got an acknowledgement, he'd be back off in the other direction.
Val jumped a bit as he had become accustomed to people clearing the way for him, so someone in his direct path was an all together new experience.
"OI! Oh.. It's er... right, thanks then." Val was completely caught off guard and had decided that today was a bad day in general. He grasped for the bandages, looking up as he did so only to find Drev avoiding his gaze. "Something wrong?" Val grabbed the bandages in a rather rough fashion, causing some of his own blood to smear onto Drev's palm. "Doesn't seem like it was worth getting up today." He absentmindedly started wrapping his hand, looking out towards the water as he did so.
Drev shifted uncomfortably, he wasn't expecting a conversation to deal with... "Oh... nothing's bothering me." he lied. "Just one of those days, you know?" He ignored the new blood on his own hands and would clean it later. It'd probably be rude to wipe it off on his pants or something, and it's not like it bothered him at all.
Val completely turned away from Drev, refocusing on the ship around him, but his mind elsewhere. "Right... right... good." He finished knotting the gauze and began walking away, in a rather trancelike state. He passed the door to his room and for a moment, considered hiding in there for a good part of the day, but decided that his duties remained on deck, and it'd be suspicious for him to disappear rather abruptly and for so long.
And as soon as it had all happened, Calvanta found herself alone again, on the deck. The breeze picked at her hair, and she looked down at the blood stains on the boards, feeling a deep and unrelenting shame. However much she ached, she'd caused far more pain today than she could ever make up for. How she wished that she'd never been brought to this ship... she could've kept childhood's innocence... she wouldn't be bruised and torn... and she wouldn't have driven the pangs of her presence through all of the crew.
It would have been better off for everyone had I just died...
She thought to herself bitterly, the sting of tears pricking the backs of her eyes. She mechanically retrieved a cloth, and a bucket of water, returning to the spot where the scene earlier had taken place. She stooped, falling into a kneel, and began to scrub the blood from the deck, her tears mingling with the briny water, as the blood slowly ran away...
From atop the crow's nest came a familiar, somewhat annoying squawk, and Vane dutifully swooped down to the captain's shoulder clicking and twittering as if he had something important to say. Val patted him on the head and gave the wheel a sharp turn to the left. "Land ho!" It'd still be a little while before they pulled into the docks, but a small, pirate friendly island was just around the corner it seemed, and at this moment, Val was rather keen to get off the ship and get away from some of the problems that had arisen.
Drev was just making his way back to the crew's quarters when he heard the pesky bird squawking again. What NOW!? he wondered as the captain called out and the small island came into view. Part of him was overjoyed to get off the ship and take a break for a drink or something, but he was also slightly annoyed. At this rate, we'll never make it to the Dragon Clan... He sighed and frustratedly watched as they got closer to the island. Well, might as well make the best of the situation. With that, he left his spot to head down to his bunk and retrieve his money-bag. I'll need this...
The Casseopeia dropped anchor and slowed it's course as it entered the bay and pulled in to dock. Val had retrieved the same wide brimmed hat and jacket he wore when he first met Drev for the first time and was quickly making his way off of the ship. He stopped a few pirates who were eagerly running out just ahead of him and told them to loot some supplies for the rest of the trip.
"And make sure no one does the same with our ship, eh?" Without taking a second glance back at the angry scowls he received from giving the few men a job to do while they should be at leisure, he headed off to the Crooked Claw to hang in the back and drink until he couldn't feel feelings anymore.
The island itself looked as desolate and uninviting as any spit of land could. There was hardly any grass or trees and the buildings looked like they had seen more than a few fires. The island rose into a steep, rocky hill, which used to be a volcano but has been inactive for years. The water around the island was heavily polluted and dingy, and the ships in the harbor gave you a good idea of the kind of company you'd keep in a town like this.
Drev was lost in the sea of rushing pirates as they landed. He had no idea where to go on an island like this... all he knew was that he needed a drink and he didn't care where or what quality. Still moving slowly to keep from disturbing his leg, he left the ship and began a stroll up the main street in town, promising to stop in the first pub he came across.
Now let's see... which one looks like a good place to stop for a while...? He found a place that looked like it might have been a nice pub, but was quite shocked when he walked in and found it to be a brothel. He barely had time to figure out what a place like that must be meant for when a pretty girl noticed him and approached him. "Hey honey..." she said as she eyed the bag of money in his hand. "I'm free tonight, what do you say?" she offered him a wink and rubbed his arm.
Drev lurched away as if she were going to attack him, "Erm... um..." he stuttered as he fumbled for the door, "I'm... I'ma just on my way out!" With that, he stumbled out of the door and barely caught himself from falling. Get out of here, fast! he thought as he made his way back down the street as fast as he could.
Once he thought he was clear, he leaned up against a building to catch his breath. "How am I supposed to know which one to go to...?" he wondered as his eyes strayed from sign to sign. He was just about ready to give up and head back to the ship when he spotted the captain heading down the street. Hmmm... maybe he's headed to a pub too... he watched closely and decided to follow him. At least... I sure hope he isn't headed towards another one of those places...
Val entered through a large wooden door that looked like it was just hanging on barely by the hinges. As he entered, a few people by the door glanced up, and then went back to their business. Val's wasn't an uncommon face in this town and definitely not a suspicious one or anything.
He mad his way to the back of the pub, taking a free table in one of the dingy, dark corners and hanging back, trying to remain unnoticed for awhile. He leaned himself forward on the table, propped up on his arms, and tilted his hat forward so no one could see his eyes, which were darting around the room every so often, surveying the crowd. He wasn't hidden by no means, just lying low, it didn't take too long for a waitress to meander up to him, and in a flirty sort of way, moved one of her hands over his shoulder in a very loose hug and crouched down to his eye level. "Hi there captain, it's been awhile... the usual?"
He smirked, "Hey Charlotte, yeah, a pint of rum if you don't mind. And don't go blabbing around that I'm in town."
Charlotte hurried off to busy herself at the bar. Despite Val's request, he could see her go up to another waitress and say something to her, which caused her to turn around and look at him, turn back and giggle.
Drev watched as the captain entered the building and eyed it suspiciously at first. It didn't look too bad... He cautiously approached the wooden door and slowly turned the handle. Once he had stepped inside, he knew it was a mistake. Much of the chatter slowly vanished to a hush and he could feel several people watching him as if he didn't belong there. But, by judging the position of the counter, a stage, and several dark tables, he had found the kind of place he was looking for so he wasn't about to turn back and leave.
He ignored anyone that might me watching him and painfully strode as confidently as possible up to the counter where he sat on a vacant barstool. After all, he wasn't quite dressed decently enough even for a place like this with his tattered pants and lack of a shirt. If they wanted to throw him out, he'd understand... but he just wanted one drink first... He nodded to the bartender and pointed to a pirate farther down the counted as if to say, "I'll have what he's having."
Not too long later, a mug came sliding down the bar towards him and with a swift catch, he sipped at it to taste it. Mmmmm... not bad...
It was rather hard NOT to notice Drev enter. The pub had gone almost completely silent, heralding in a "new'un". He hung back at his table, his face somewhat concealed by his hat still, watching Drev move towards the bar. "That damned idiot... ah well." he mumbled under his breath and kicked his feet up on the chair across from him. Charlotte quickly returned with Val's drink and eagerly bent down close to him to whisper in the still somewhat hushed bar.
"Ever seen him before? He's new, right? He's limping, wonder if he got in a fight! Wouldn't doubt it. I bet he's here to start trouble, what'dyou think?"
"Charlotte, shut up. He ain't here to start no trouble... he's with me on my ship, you can tell everyone to relax."
"Aah, I see, well that explains why he's limping then, doesn't i- HEY! I was only kidding!"
Val and jumped to his feet with an annoyed glare down at the waitress. "Get back to work and stop bugging me... I don't need your lectures on how to treat my crew."
Drev was perfectly content up at the bar with no one to talk to. Even if some people were still staring, he could care less. Not to mention the drink he had ordered had turned out to be just what he needed and he was already on his second one.
I wonder if there's a certain time we have to be back by... he thought as his eyes strayed to a small window behind the bar. I'd hope they wouldn't leave me... even if.. hey wait! The captain's here too! I'll just leave when he leaves, then. He was mighty proud of his decision, even if he still had yet to notice where the captain had even gone to...
Val slunk back into his chair and swigged from his drink, still glaring at Charlotte who was now retreating behind the bar. Val tilted his head back and lost himself in the steadily increasing noise in the bar.
~~~Meanwhile~~~
Charlotte had found sanctuary from Val's outburst behind the counter and returned to her gossiping with Sophia.
"Same old Captain Vallaham." They chuckled to each other and ran around doing whatever a wench in a bar behind the counter would do. Charlotte caught sight of Drev out of the corner of her eye, and remembered what Val said about him being on his ship.
"Hey there sugah." She traipsed up to him and leaned over the bar to him. "So you know Val, eh? That must be loads of fun." She turned away again giggling hysterically with Sophia and going back to her business.
Drev, who was now on his third drink blinked stupidly when Charlotte addressed him. "Me?" he asked, as he definitely wasn't used to being called 'sugar'. "Wull, yeah, I know Val... he's the captain. I don't know if it's fun, though..." The alcohol was finally beginning to show through as he screwed up his face confusedly, "I don't get what you're saying."
Charlotte smirked at him and leaned in closely in a teasing sort of way, "Captain Val is one of our favorite customers..." she explained as she cast a sly grin towards Sophia who was cleaning mugs. "Well anyway..." she drummed her fingers on the counter and looked quickly towards where Val was sitting to make sure he didn't see her talking with his crew member. "Any idea how long he's planning on staying this time? We're just curious to see if he might want to spend a little time with us today."
Drev scratched his head and took another swig of his drink, "I don' think we're stayin' here for much longer 'cuz we've gotta be somewhere and he needs to take us. But if yer friends of his, maybe he's staying? I dunno..."
Sophia raised an eyebrow at Charlotte and whispered, "I think it's time to get the captain another drink and help him forget he has other plans..."
Charlotte gave a knowing wink and filled another pint of rum for Val. "On the house!" she raised the glass as if in tribute and went off to deliver it to Val.
Having just finished the pint he had originally ordered, and now feeling particularly dry, along with being offered a drink free of charge, Val wasn't about to turn down another drink. He didn't offer any thanks though, pushing the empty glass to the edge of the table and tilting his hat completely over his face so he could close his eyes and just relax. His snout was slightly blushed as he began pouring back the second pint, losing interest in those around him and whether or not Drev was even there.
Charlotte looked pleased that Val seemed to have no self-control today. As she was returning to the counter she grinned at Sophia, "Not much longer now..." she said, "Look at him! He must have had a rough week. I'm sure we could change that, though."
Somewhere between sips, Val had partially dozed off. He was still quite conscious, being able to tell what was going on around him, but he was in a sort of day-dream like state where he was revisiting dreams he had the nights before. The funny thing about dreams is they're never quite as meaningful, frightening, or realistic when you're awake. He snorted a deep sigh and smirked under his hat, relishing the deaths of so many and completely accepting that Sarah was gone and not coming back. He finished off the last of the second pint, put his feet flat on the ground and made his way (with a bit of a sway) towards the bar where Drev was seated.
"HOY! Eh, I just wanted to say I was sorry for being such an ass." He pushed a pirate out of the stool next to Drev and took it for his own. "We're still friends right? Cause you know it'd really make my trip down to that island a lot more meaningful if you were there. Shhhh!" The bartender walked by and glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, Val just glared back with his own partially veined eyes. "Shhtupid ass! What was I saying? Ah you know I was joking right?" He slaps Drev on his bad knee. "You're my favorite crew member y'know, I'm gonna make you first mate to make it up t'ya, ok?"
Drev, who was now on his fourth, was caught off-guard again that someone was speaking to him. He was just about to reply to the captain, when he was hit in the knee. With a roar of pain, he grabbed his knee and fell backwards off the barstool, "MAAAII KNEEE!" he wailed as he rolled on the ground in pain, "What're you doing to me?? Firs you shoot at me an hit me and then you say I'm yer friend..." He struggled to sit up, "What's wrong with you!? Yer always bein mean to me and I haven't done nuthin' to you!" He whimpered pathetically as he glared at the captain from the floor. "Just 'cuz you're the captain doesn't mean you shouldn't treat me good."
Val let out a loud obnoxious laugh and through snickers, "I'm sorry, 'ere, I'll get y'another drink on me." He snapped his fingers and extended his other hand towards Drev to help him up. "An' I only shot y'in the knee cause I like yeh. If I didn't like yeh, yeh'd be dead." He let out another laugh and grappled for his pistol, playfully aiming it at Drev's head and saying "bang bang" under his breath. "I'm jus' kidding I am. Oi! Sophie!"
"Sophi-AH!" Sophia made her way over to Val who was now leaning across the bar to whisper to her.
"Mah friend here could sure use some attention yehknow." he slipped some silver coins to her under his hand. Sophia just laughed and glanced down at his hand which was now shoving the coins into hers.
"Aw, you poor dear, those rope burns still haven't healed yet?" She rubbed her hand over the back of his in a soft caress.
"'Fraid not, don't think they'll heal anytime soon either, I keep reopening them when I go to fix the riggin'." His tone turned somewhat serious and was clearly trying to keep any waver in his voice from coming through.
"Aw, I was kinda hoping those big, strong hands of yours would be all better the next time you'd show up."
"Wishful thinking my dear."
Sophia pocketed the money and winked at Drev, moving back towards her duties for the moment.
Drev pouted as Val helped him to his feet. He wobbled a bit on his knee and re-claimed his seat at the barstool. "Bu... but what about those times when you were yellin' at me... an when you yell at Calvanta an stuff?" He hadn't noticed Sophia wink at him and continued to ask whatever questions came to his mind. "An... an... I dunno, I just think you've gotta pretty weird way of sayin ya like sumone. I hope you dun shoot me every time I do sumthin' good."
"SSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHH! I said I was keeding! Sheeesh! Yeh'd think I shot yeh in the gut or something! Come'on, we'll finish our drinks and then we'll get back to ther ship and be on our way to that ther island yeh wanted me to take yah ter. All righ'?"
Charlotte returned with another drink for Val, just assuming he'd want another at this point. "Aw, why don't you spend the night? You know we have rooms in the tavern to rent."
"Nah we need to get back to the ship."
"Pleeease? You know how badly we need the money, it's so very hard to run this place any more." She pulls a handkerchief from her bodice and dabs her eyes. "We might have to close down and then where will you go when you come into town?"
"...I think you tried this on me last time..."
Drev watched Charlotte's display and looked back and forth from her to Val. "Wull... how much longer 'til we get to that island?" he asked, "If it's not long, maybe we could stay... I dun wanna see the place havin' to shut down just 'cuz they don't got the money! An then yer pretty friends won't have any place to work an stuff! We really aren't in a hurry to git to that island are we?"
Val growled so low that it could easily be mistaken for a purr as Charlotte continued to flirt with him to entice him to stay by running her fingers through his hair.
"Say, you never did tell me Charlotte, how'd a trashy girl like you end up in a nice place like this?"
Five red lines across Val's face were the only remnants that Charlotte was ever there, as she stormed off so fast to go about her work. Val sighed and rubbed his face looking back over at Drev, the slap slightly sobering him a little.
"Shouldn't be too long, I'd say we'd be there by tomorrow night, we've made good time.
Drev nodded, "That's good." He fumbled with his mug a bit and looked embarrassed for a minute before speaking again. "You know..." he blurted out suddenly, "Yer a really good captain. I dun know if a lotta the crew really appre... appprec... respects you the way they should. An also... yer probably my only friend in the world." he took another sip from his glass and sighed as if he were relieved having finally said it.
Val pulled Drev into a one arm hug that probably was more effective as a sleeper hold. "Yeh're a good pirate, yeh know that right? Aah... what'dya reckon? Should we stay the night or just leave?" He glanced around and then leaned in over Drev to whisper (still talking at a normal volume though), "Cause you know, I gotta hide somewhere if we stay the night."
Drev was shocked when Val hugged him and nearly fell off his stool again. He was about to say something in return, but ended up saying nothing as he was interrupted by a small choke-sob. He sniffed quickly and rubbed at one of his eyes to hide any evidence that he might have been effected by such a compliment. "Oh, er... yeah... a place to stay, that's really up to you I guess 'cuz yer the captain. Why would you have to hide? You rob the place er sumthin'?"
"SSSSHHHH!!! Keep yer voice down! I need to hide because of my problem." He looked around at the other self consumed pirates. "'sides...I've got my crew looting, I don't need tah do it." Val was too far out of it to pay any mind to Drev's sobs, and took no notice at all. He looked around and found a grandmother clock on the wall, the hands indicating it was somewhere around 5:00, but his eyes were too blurry to make out the exact time, it could maybe be 12:25 actually. "Should probably decide soon too. It's getting kinda late."
As if on cue, a flash of light closely followed by a crack of thunder ushered in pouring rains. Some of the pirates let out moans of discontent while others paid no heed. The winds picked up and it was fairly obvious that this was not weather to be sailing in, or even walking outside in for that matter. Val squinted his eyes trying to decide how bad it was. "Don't think we're gonna go anywhere."
Drev looked confused, "Problem...?? I din' know you had a problem, captain...." he scratched his head and looked mildly embarrassed before changing the subject. "Where're we gonna stay then??" he asked.
Val nudged Drev in the ribs. "That nightly furry thing, you know..." He looked around the bar, back at the girls, over to the stairs that led to the rooms, back to the girls, back to Drev. "I suppose here's as good a place as any, the bar's right downstairs so that makes things more convenient. I hope Calvanta has the sense to find a dry spot for the night."
Drev still wasn't quite sure as to what Val was talking about, but decided it was probably best just to drop the subject.
"Maybe we should go get 'er!" he said worriedly, having almost forgot about Calvanta. "We can' leave her on the ship with all the pirates! What if one of 'em does somethin' to her again? She should stay with us!"
Val smirked and shoved Drev off of his stool. "If you want 'er go get 'er. I'll stay 'ere and get the room." Outside the rain carried on, blowing the palms violently and uprooting some of the shallow root plants, dead palm fronds falling away in the winds. Rain falling in thick sheets making it increasingly hard to see, and quickly sending the island a few inches underwater.
Val turned away from the door and windows to call Sophia over to arrange a room for the night, dropping her a few more coins, and receiving a key in exchange.
Drev stumbled as Val shoved him and looked timidly outside. It was looking really bad out there... but on the other hand, he didn't want to leave Calvanta on the ship during a time like this...
He staggered towards the door and opened it, determined to find her and bring her back to where she'd be safe. It was a long, cruel walk back to where the ship was docked, eyesight counted for nothing and he was left to rely solely on instincts and memory, neither of which were pretty reliable right now.
Somehow or another, he managed to finally make his way to the ship and, though he was drenched and frozen, he climbed aboard to look for her. "CALVAAAANTA!!" he called out over the wind. "Where are you? The captain wants you to come with us!" he began to search the deck for her usual sweeping spots just in case.
Calvanta, by this point, had been completely soaked by the rain, and as she was thoroughly discontent and unwilling to go into the hold with the pirates, she had sought out one of her other hiding places, one of the boats lashed to the side of the ship. Unfortunately, this offered little cover, and the boat began to fill with water before too long. The wind whipped at it, causing it to creak at its ties dangerously.
Nevertheless, she crouched down, shivering, arms wrapped around herself, dress clinging to her thin body. Her lip quivered, but despite all this, she refused to get back to the deck, and seek refuge below. The water swirled around her legs, and she closed her eyes, feathers on her ears and wings wet and bedraggled.
She barely heard Drev when he called her, and even then, she mistook it for the wind. She did open her eyes again, however, her teeth chattering, but by this point she couldn't see a thing.
Drev continued to search, wondering where she could possibly be. She shouldn't be out in weather like this. "CALVAAAAANTA!!!!" he tried again, doing his best to project his voice over the wind, "Come on, we've got a place that's warm!" He circled the deck one more time, looking for any possible place she might be hiding.
Her ears pricked a bit, and although she didn't really want to, she swung herself onto the deck, slipping when her feet hit the slick wood, arms splaying out to steady herself. She was drenched and cold to the bone, but she knew she'd heard her name this time. Just as to whom was calling her, she didn't know.
Drev spotted her and breathed a sigh of relief, his fingers were beginning to go numb and he really just wanted to get back to the hotel. "There you are! We've gotta place in town that's warm fer the night! You should come with use so you dun catch a cold." he motioned for her to follow him. "It's getting really cold out here... we should go in soon."
Calvanta allowed herself a spell of relief when she saw who it was, and she balanced herself, attempting for composure, although it was hard, as bedraggled as she was.
".....Okay...."
She said, and she reached out a hand for him, a very childish gesture. She was a bit afraid of venturing off the ship in weather like this, and she would hate to get lost...
Drev stared bewilderedly at her hand for a minute wondering what to do next. "Errr...." he mumbled before timidly taking her hand in his own. "Umm... right... I'll... I'll lead the way then..." he stuttered as he once again began to fumble towards the dock and make their way off the ship so they could get back to the hotel. He felt very awkward like this, and he was pretty sure it wasn't just due to the alcohol.
She grasped his hand, before she found herself flinging her other arm over her eyes, in an attempt to keep the rain and biting wind out of her eyes. From then on, she trusted him blindly, even in these conditions, to not lead her astray.
That was a big compliment.
After quite a while of struggling against the weather, Drev finally recognized the warm glow of the pub where Val was staying, "That's it!" he said as he opened the door and held it for her to go in first. Now it was only a matter of finding Val...
Val remained in his seat at the bar, the key ring around one of his fingers and his head in his folded arms, leaning on the counter. He'd apparently dozed off a bit into a light sleep, as he was mumbling incoherently under his breath. His hat was pushed over his eyes again, seemingly oblivious to the world, so much so that the pirate that he had shoved off of his stool, had decided this would be a perfect time to try to do some pick pocketing, and was now carefully untying the swag bag from Val's belt.
One tug of the string and Val's hand fell from under his chin and clamped down on the pirate's wrist, his thumb digging into the pressure point causing the pirate's hand to claw and the pirate himself to drop to his knees with gags from the pain shooting up into his elbow as Val bent his hand around into a pain hold.
"You mind tellin' me what you were doing around my money?" He glanced up with everyone else as Drev and Cal entered the bar again. "Ah good, they're back." He let go of the pirate, letting him fall to the ground gripping his wrist and gasping for air. Val wasn't very steady on his feet...he seemed to be leaning towards the right a bit and after he walked into a chair, started to bear left. "So, you made it back all right? Hope yeh don't mind, I only got one room, they each have 2 beds so I'll just curl up on the floor."
Calvanta was somewhat relieved to be in the warm atmosphere of the pub, until she realized just how many pirates were in there, and how bedraggled she was, soaked, her dress plastered to her. She slunk behind Drev, arms wrapping around herself, peeking out from behind him at the captain. She seemed a bit taken aback by his blatant drunkenness, as she'd never been to a pub in his presence before (if she'd even ever been at all...). She murmured something like 'thanks' to Drev, eyes cast down as she received glances from those present at the pub, hushed whispers being heard from time to time from the darker corners of the room.
Drev winced when the captain mentioned only one room... sharing a room with a drunk werewolf as well as Calvanta didn't sound like the best idea... especially since he wasn't feeling quite himself either. "Wull... okay, I guess." he said as he watched Val topple around, "Were is this room?"
Val started twirling the key by the ring around his finger and nodded towards a stair case on the other side of the bar. "Up stairs, room 9. You really weren't tired already, were you? Ah geez! And I thought you were going to make a good pirate." He punched Drev in the arm in a friendly way, but definitely harder than he meant to. He glanced down towards Cal who was half hidden behind Drev, apparently very wet, very cold, and very uncomfortable. "But, eh... if you wanted me to show you where it is, I can take yeh up there now."
Drev rubbed his arm where he had been punched, "I'm not tired!" he said defensively, "I'll make a good pirate!" He was just wondering what else there was to do as it got this late, when he remembered Calvanta standing behind him. "Oh... maybe Calvanta'd like to go to the room and dry off or something..." After all, she had been out in the storm longer than he had. "Ummm.... I'llbeoverthere." he said as he abruptly turned on his heels to go sit at a vacant facing away from them. He'd let Val show her the room if she wanted, right now he wasn't sure if he could trust himself just yet. And he didn't want to say anything stupid or out of line that he might regret later.
Val's eyes followed Drev to his seat and then went back to Cal. "So how about it then? D'you want to go dry off and hide out up there for awhile? Or would'yeh rather stay down here for a little while?" Already guessing what her answer will be, he put his arm behind her back to give her a little nudge forward.
Calvanta was already quite sure that she'd rather be back out in the rain then be subject the to raunchiness of the drunk members of the bar, and she quickly went foreword at the gentle guidance, more then willing to do so without a second, more cautious thought. She only wanted to escape this atmosphere at the soonest possible time... which appeared to be now. She whispered a hushed "Thank you" to the departing Drev, and to Val as well, as her ushered her ahead.
Val either didn't notice or decided not to respond to Cal's gratitude as they moved forward towards the rather worn looking staircase. The floorboards creaked under their feet as they ascended to the second landing. Val glanced at the numbers etched on the doors and turned right.
6...7...8... "Ah, here it is." Before them stood a door that looked just like all the others, but a crudely carved "9" was bored into the wood near the top. Val fiddled with the key for a few minutes, the catch on the lock apparently sticking, but after a few tries and an annoyed twist of the knob, the door swung free and revealed a dusty dingy room on the other side. As Val had said, there were two twin beds on one wall, and a small table with a water bowl and a cracked mirror on the other. There was a door that looked something like a closet and no carpeting, but there was a rather ragged looking rug at the foot of the beds. He fiddled with the key to get it back out of the lock and pocketed it once again. "Oh yeah, real comfy..." There was a strong smell of mildew in the room, it actually felt a bit more like a dank prison than a bed room really. Val entered and stood in the middle of the room, looking around at the peeling wallpaper. "Well I guess this will have to do, eh?"
She clasped her hands in front of her, twiddling her thumbs in a nervous habit, looking around the room with something that wasn't quite dismay, as it was better then what she'd come to be used to, but also... there was little here for her to dry off with. She was shy of using the tattered comforters, for some reason that made her skin crawl, just thinking about it. She looked around the room once more, and seeing that there was no hearth, so became forlorn, and she looked at Val, letting her hands drop, before once again clasping them- behind her back, this time. She rocked on her heels a bit, water dripping on the floor. She was attempting to compose herself and phrase this correctly in her mind before she said it..
"Thank you... but... sir...?"
She was willing the courage to say it.
"...There isn't a towel... and I haven't a change of c-clothes..."
She then lowered her eyes meekly, feeling rather the disgrace, with her bedraggled hair and soaked dress that clung to her bones.
Val's head seemed to clear for a minute as Calvanta spoke. He considered her words carefully, slightly crestfallen that he hadn't done as well as he expected. He thought for a moment of the obvious solutions, Charlotte and Sophia lived at the pub after all, so they'd have a change of clothes...but Cal wasn't really their sizes so it'd be an awkward fit. He mulled over the thoughts for a moment while picking at one of his coat sleeves until it dawned on him like a bat to the head. "Here," He took off his captain's jacket and threw it to her, "That'll keep you warm until we can find you a suitable change of clothes. I'll ask around and see if I can buy something off someone, I'm sure at least one of those cads down there has a dress stowed away somewhere."
He still couldn't think of anything to do about a towel. The only towels in this place he knew of were bar mops and those were barely fit to wipe the grease off the counter tops. He edged back towards the door, leaving Cal where she stood with his jacket, not turning back when he said "I'll find yeh something, but no promises it'll be the best fit." And with that he left the room, closing the door behind him, and listened to the latch snap shut before walking away towards the stairs.
Drev was getting restless, it seemed like they had been up there forever! What's taking them so long...? he wondered as he slouched boredly and looked over his shoulder to see if either of them were coming back yet for the umpteenth time. This time, however, one of them did return... in a considerably less amount of clothing...
He narrowed his eyes confusedly as Val came into view and his mind raced with ideas as to why he might be missing his jacket. He shook his head and bit his lip, No, no... don't think that... Especially after what he said to me earlier...
He mulled over what to say, or if he should even mention it at all as Val grew closer to his table. When he was finally within talking distance, Drev whipped around in his chair, "Howisshe?" He blurted out, "I... I mean..." he narrowed his eyes again. "She'll be fine, of course..."
She caught it, stumbling back a bit, the jacket creating a bundle in her arms that seemed a bit too big for her body, creating a comical look as she peeked out from behind it. She barely managed to murmur a "Thank you." before the door latched behind her, and she was left alone in the less then exciting room.
Once she was sure she was alone, she tugged the sodden dress over her head, looking at it's patched fabric with dismay, before she lay it over a chair (assuming there is one in there... eh..). She hastily pulled the captain's jacket around her, folding her arms in front to keep it closed, and snug. After this, she wandered over to the bed, and feeling rather dreary all of the sudden, she sat down on it, never to realize that she was falling out of consciousness...
Before she could get herself up, she was fast asleep on the coverlet, curled with the coat draped almost protectively over her, one hand closed loosely around the orb at her neck, the other resting by her muzzle.
Val blinked a few times at Drev, semi taken aback by his sudden outburst, if it could be called that. "She's fine, she needs a change of clothes though." He took a seat next to Drev and looked around the bar. Outside the windows, the storm was still raging on but the sun had set, and it was now quickly getting darker and darker. "Should probably get on that quick too." He beckoned Charlotte over, who had apparently had forgotten about the comment earlier, and she obliged with a large grin on her face.
"What can I do for yeh sugar?"
"Do you by chance have a younger sister?" Slap. "RAH! Not like that! I need her dress!" Slapped again. "WILL YOU LISTEN TO ME WENCH! I have a little girl upstairs soaked to the bone and she needs a change of clothes!"
"OH! Well why didn't you just ask? I'm sure I have something I can lend yeh, I'll be back in just a little bit." And she turned and ran upstairs to her own room to fetch what'd hopefully be a suitable dress.
Drev was struck speechless and could only watch in amusement as the captain was bitchslapped again by one of the barmaids. It took all he had to prevent himself from laughing out loud, but at least that had helped cheer him up a bit - especially after the "change of clothes" comment.
Eager to change the subject to something else... anything else, Drev nodded towards the window. "If the storm keeps up like this, are we gonna be able to sail out in the mornin'? 'Cuz I still need ta get to the Dragon Clan and stuff."
Val rubbed the side of his face growling low at the retreating Charlotte. "We should be. The thing about storms like this is they tend to vanish just as quickly as they appear. I wouldn't be surprised if it broke in the middle of the night or even 5 minutes from now, but it's rather a little too dark to set sail now, we should wait for first light at least." Val's eyes strayed around the bar, he was beginning to sober up a bit at least if nothing else. He had, for the most part, lost interest in drinking and was now more concerned with what time it was and getting Cal her requested change of clothes.
Still not looking fully at Drev for more than a 3 second glance, "What's so important at the Dragon Clan anyway? You never did tell me why you're heading that way."
Drev shifted uneasily in his chair and guiltily began to pick at a spot on the table with one of his claws. "Oh... it's nuthin' much. I've just gotta meet someone there..." He narrowed his eyes and glared at the worn spot on the table. With all that had happened, he had nearly forgotten why he was even heading to the Dragon Clan in the first place. He didn't want to think about that now, though... not until they finally landed on Clan territory, then he'd start planning out a course of action.
Val either lost interest or deemed this a suitable response and returned to searching around the bar and waiting for Charlotte, who was taking her sweet time. It had grown completely pitch black outside but the rain was illuminated every so often by a flash of lightning. He had begun to nervously drum his claws on the bar as the time passed. According to the grandmother clock on the wall (which may or may not have been totally reliable anyway), it was now about 11:20 or so, his time to hang around downstairs was running out. "Where in the hell is that woman." But just as he said this, Charlotte came bounding merrily down the stairs waving a small green dress at him.
"HERE! Took me forever to find it, it was locked up in an old trunk. It's one of my old ones, think that'd do?"
Val didn't really give her much of a reply as he grabbed the dress and made for the stairs, muttering a hurried thanks before taking off. "Drev, just knock and I'll let you in. #9 on the second floor." He gave Drev and nod toward the clock indicating that he was running out of time. "I need to turn in for the night if I'm going to sail a ship tomorrow." He turned back around and rushed up the stairs and to the right again, back to room 9.
Val reached the door, and after fiddling with the lock for what seemed an eternity again, he finally got in and shut the door behind him, turning the lock to make sure no one randomly stumbled in during the night. "Calvanta, Charlotte said you could borrow--" he glanced over at the bed where Cal was curled up under his jacket fast asleep. He worried for a moment that he woke her after being rather loud, but not seeing her stir right away, he decided he was still safe. He laid the dress Charlotte had loaned him on the edge of the bed. And then he picked it back up and tried to fold it, though crudely, and then placed it back on the edge of the bed for her.
He then headed over and dropped down on the other bed for the time being, planning to get up once Drev showed up. He crossed one arm behind his head to raise it slightly while the other rested on his stomach as he stared blankly at the ceiling. The room was very dark aside from the moonlight in the window, and even that was being covered by the clouds at the moment.
Val got a pain in the pit of his stomach and broke out in a cold sweat. He closed his eyes in an attempt to block out the pain and thought to himself Made it just in time
Drev just nodded in response to the captain and took another sip of his last drink for the night, I'll follow as soon as I finish my... wait a minute. he glanced nervously at the clock just as Val had done, No wonder he was in such a hurry! He stood up so fast, he knocked the table and sent the rest of his drink flying over the side. "Sorry 'bout that." he muttered to Charlotte as he bolted his way up the stairs the best he could.
Room nine, room nine... he thought as he stared helplessly down the hall. How the hell am I supposed to know which one that is!?!? Not wanting to waste any time leaving Calvanta alone with the Captain transformed, he banged on the first door on his right. "'SCUSE ME!" he shouted with another forceful knock. "IS THIS ROOM NINE??"
A bedraggled young male opened the door and squinted at the visitor. "Of course it isn't, you idiot! This is room three and I'm trying to sleep! Go down that way." he said with a wave of his hand down the hall before slamming the door.
Without even bothering to apologize or thank the man, Drev left and wandered down the hall to where a woman was peeking out from her room, obviously from hearing the commotion at room three. "Room nine?" Drev asked her.
"Room seven." she replied with a sigh. "Honestly, can't you read the numbers on the doors? I know they're hard to see in this lighting, but you shouldn't bother people this late at night. It's two doors over."
Drev muttered a thanks and hustled over to the door she had directed him to. Hoping it was the right one, he banged on the door and in a normal tone this time asked, "Captain...? Are you there?"
Val winced at the sound of the banging which was having the same effect as a loud sound while having a hangover. He swung his legs over the side and hurried over to the door, feeling slightly dizzy at the moment, and turned the lock and the door handle at the same time, leaving the door cracked for Drev to let himself in.
"Lock the door behind you, don't need anyone wandering in." He said as he retreated to one of the corners, dropping to the ground and closing his eyes once again, this time covering his eyes with one hand. "That one's yours." He motioned towards the empty bed with his free hand and turned over on his side to face the wall.
Drev was relieved that he had found the right room and that the captain hadn't changed yet. He slipped inside and turned the key in the lock before slipping it in his pocket. It's true the captain had claimed he was harmless in his wolf form, but Drev wasn't ready to trust him on that just yet...
He looked confused as Val laid on the floor and wrinkled his nose, "You okay, cap'n...?" he said almost apologetically as he backed towards his bed and continued to keep a watch on Val. He sat down on the foot of the bed and scooted backwards towards the top of it, not really sure of what would happen next.
He made a quick scan of the room and noticed Calvanta in the process. He had almost missed her because she was so little under the captain's large coat, she could easily be mistaken for a pile of clothes. He thought she looked like an angel just lying there and he hoped he hadn't disturbed her sleep during his desperate attempt to find the room... He immediately felt stupid for not thinking that others might have been sleeping... he should have been more careful to not wake anyone up!
He bit his lip nervously and quickly averted his gaze back to the captain, eyeing him suspiciously. He wondered how in control the captain would be tonight... even if he had taken the special serum, what if it was affected by alcohol? Not that he had any idea how the whole thing worked, but he figured it was best to be on his guard just in case...
Val groaned something that sounded like "Uh huh" to Drev and curled his knees to his stomach as a wave of nausea came over him. Like the night before he started growling, though this time a bit more quietly, trying not to draw attention to himself or bother anyone. He started breathing heavily and scratching violently at his face and chest, again ripping skin away to reveal blood stained white fur. He shook slightly as he continued scratching and clawing, breaking through his skin and shedding it like a snake's. He turned over and propped himself up on his arms, facing the ground, teeth bared and eyes shut tight. He was gulping rapidly, trying not to be sick, eventually his teeth unclenched and his tongue fell out as he continued panting for air as if he had been underwater for way too long. His transformation slowed and he kicked his boots off as his tail turned into a long fluffy one rather than the thin ray spine. He continued panting, obviously exhausted, and merely turned away from the puddle of blood and discarded skin, dropping back to the ground and breathing deeply and strained, every couple of breaths he'd let out a pained moan like someone who was suppressing an outburst of some kind.
Drev watched in horror as the captain started clawing at his own flesh and made his best attempt to swallow back the lump that was forming in his throat. It was too late, though, the final stages of the transformation had been too much and he just couldn't seem to tear his eyes away no matter how sick it made him. With a frightened gasp, he clapped his hand over his mouth and fell off the bed, hitting the floor hard and feeling lucky to have a small waste basket nearby. Unable to hold it in any longer, he grabbed the small basket and threw up into it.
A few dry heaves later and he shakily stood to his feet and wobbled over to the table with the wash bowl. He splashed his face with cold water and took a small sip from the pitcher to rinse the taste out of his mouth. His stomach rolled and he collapsed into the nearby chair that also had Calvanta's dress draped across it. He squinted at Val and held his head for a minute before braving to speak, "Th... That's what happens to you every night!?"
Not really giving time for an answer, he took to his feet again and walked back to where the waste basket was. He moaned as she stooped down to pick it up. "I'll be right back..." he muttered as he slipped the key out of his pocket and opened the door to go dispose of the trash's contents elsewhere. He found a large trash bin just outside of the little pub through a back door and just left the trash basket sitting along side it before heading back to the room.
He turned the key in the lock again and locked the door behind him after re-entering. He slid the key back into his pocket as he eyed Val warily still feeling slightly sick by the mess on the floor.
Val wouldn't have answered even if Drev gave him the time to, his throat was burning and his eyes were watering after fighting off being sick on top of everything else. Drev got up and left and Val curled up, feeling slightly healthier now, resting his head on his forepaws and closing his eyes to sleep. One ear perked up as Drev reentered but he didn't open his eyes. He could tell even without looking that Drev was staring at him. The fact that he hadn't moved from the door was statement enough that he was hesitant to come fully into the room, and it was rather obvious to him why.
"Something I can help you with?" He opened his eyes slightly the green glow just now fading back to normal as he gazed up at Drev from the ground, somewhat annoyed that with what he had to put up with in this state.
"N..no.." Drev stammered, noticing that, even in another form, the captain still seemed to have that air of superiority about him. He took a deep breath and scuttled over to his bed and crawled on top of it, laying cautiously on his side, facing the wall. He didn't even bother with the covers or pillows and laid there for quite a while, staring at the wall and listening closely to see if the captain moved again at all.
After a long while of hearing nothing, his eyes closed and he fell asleep, still aware of any dangerous situations that may arise. He was sure to keep his senses awake in case he needed to wake up in a hurry.
Val laid still, eyes adjusting to the dark as he just stared into space, waiting for Drev to fall asleep. Despite being absolutely exhausted, he was a werewolf, and the moon was nearly full, which meant he wanted to be awake and running around. He was still conscious of everything and did his best to stay on good behaviour, but it's the same as a small boy staring longingly at fresh baked cookies that his mom told him not to touch.
After he heard Drev's breathing deepen and slow, he decided he was safe to get up and move around a bit. Raising to all fours he stretched his back and legs and very quietly, and low to the ground, crept over to the window, which he propped open a bit to let in some fresh air. As predicted, the storm had slowed and was now only drizzling out, heat lightning in the distance with quiet rumbles of thunder were the only traces of the storm that had just been over the island.
He rested his head on the sill for a moment before turning back to look at the other two. Not completely sure what possessed him to do it, Val crossed the room over to where Calvanta was lying. Maybe it was his impaired judgment due to the full moon, maybe it was the only conscious action he actually did, but whatever the case, he nudged her cheek slightly with his nose and gave her a little lick before retreating to his corner of the room again. The fresh air giving the room a slightly bearable atmosphere, Val quickly lay back down, his head once again resting on his forepaws, and closed his eyes to doze off.
Calvanta had barely stirred whilst the transformation occurred, her frail form merely shivering from time to time, the water evaporating from her skin, leaving her cool to the touch. But after a time, her hair was dry, if tangled, and a certain warmth had been captured and wrapped around her, beneath the captain's jacket that was her clothing, and her blanket. She sighed lightly, once the rain had slacked off, and all were asleep, coming up from the deep sleep that had been with her, wings and fingers twitching from time to time.
It was in this way, that she vaguely felt the gentle nudge at her cheek, the soft lick, something that she would later believe to be some sort of dream, as she slept on into the night, the only indication that she was alive at all the slight murmur that escaped her, before she sighed and settled down into the ruffles of the captain's jacket.
Drev had drifted off more than he had intended. It was probably due to getting sick - or maybe all the mounted exhaustion from the excitement that day. Either way, he had managed to fall into a deep sleep, he heard nothing of the noises outside, nor the movements of the others in the room. It wasn't until he felt a cool breeze from the window that he even realized something wasn't right...
At first he just ignored it, but when he felt it again, he realized why it felt so familiar... with a sharp intake of breath his eyes flew open and caught a glimpse of the shadow on the wall. Maybe it was caused by the moon shining through the panes of glass, maybe it was the texture in the wall, maybe it was his imagination, but the shadow looked strangely like vertical iron bars to him... No... I can't be... I CAN'T BE!
"NOOOOOOO!!" he screamed as he leapt up from the bed, reached for his sword nearby, grasped it firmly with both hands and drew it across the wood paneling in one swift move leaving a deep cut about four feet long. He was breathing in sharp pained gasps as he saw the shadow move, felt another gust of air and whipped around to see who else was there. He was still holding his sword close as if he expected he'd need it and his eyes were wide in an unusual panicked look.
Val was on the beach with his nets again, water swirling around his ankles under the clear sky and warm sun. In the water he could see a reflection of a girl approaching, he smiled at her face in the rippling water. And then she screamed, he spun around and she was gone...
He was back in the room and staring straight at Drev who was now gripping onto his sword prepared to strike. Considering a number of factors, he had been drinking, he just woke up, and because the moon was fairly full (still not quite), the wolf jumped up to the front of Val's mind, shutting Val to the back. He jumped up on all fours growling sinisterly at Drev. His lips quivering and the fur on his neck bristling. He was still sizing him up at the moment, so he was still in his corner, unmoving, but was planning on attacking.
Normally, Drev wouldn't have been fazed by any of this. He would have easily shrugged it off and gone back to sleep. But something must have really spooked him and he wasn't acting like himself at all...
Upon hearing Val, he turned quickly and pointed his sword towards Val's nose not even trying to recognize the beast that now approached him, "D...don't come any closer!" he warned as his entire figure shook with fear. "I...I'm not going back there, ya hear?" He was obviously willing to fight, like always, but this time there was something different about him in that he seemed to be expecting to lose. Normally, Drev's confidence was always evident - especially when starting a fight... but not this time.
Calvanta awoke with a start, nearly falling off the bed, startled to her wits end by the scream that pierced through her sleep, and later the growls. She clutched the captain's jacket to her, and looked over towards the other bed, where the sinister scene was taking place. She gasped, and then screamed, before the sound was cut off, and she quickly pushed herself off the bed, movement constricted and ungainly in the large coat, and bolted across the floor, slipping on the rug, whimpering as she went.
"Stop! S-stop, he's the c-captain! Oh! Stop!!"
She slipped to a stop, legs trembling, as she placed her hands on the sword and tried to push it down, biting her lip.
"Oh please, stop..."
Someone new. I'm out numbered. They have a weapon. Should I chance it?
Though Val's mind was completely lost, the wolf's mind seemed somewhat rational. Val's ears laid flat back against his head and his tail dropped. He was still growling and keeping eye contact, but was reluctant to attack now that there was more than one. He had started to wonder if there were any others hidden anywhere as he took a step back, only to meet the wall. All of a sudden, rather than feeling very aggressive, he was becoming very scared. He could make a run for the window or the door, he could curl up and surrender, or he could just take a chance and attack them. His ears twitched slightly, the idea of either making a run for it or attacking seemed, at the moment, a lot more favorable than just sitting and waiting to die.
Drev watched in horror as another figure approached, he was outnumbered and wouldn't stand a chance. The other, smaller figure whose identity he couldn't seem to place seemed to have no trouble approaching him and he couldn't bring himself to attack in his defense. His mind raced as she touched his sword, pulse increasing, temperature rising, still breathing by the rapid intake of shallow breaths. He watched as the canine figure backed off and suddenly, it all became too much for him. With a pitiful gasp and a glazed-over look, he clutched his hand over to his heart and sank to the floor in what would appear to be surrender. He bowed his head and covered his eyes with a shaky hand, giving himself a chance to calm down before he said anything.
Calvanta looked with horror as events unfolded... this was almost worse than if one had attacked the other. It made no sense. She pulled her hand away from the sword, shakily, looking from one to the other, completely torn as to what to do. Finally, she settled on creeping towards the wolf, and she tenitivly (and irrationally... whatever happened to caution?) reached out a hand to lightly touch behind his ears, biting her lip as she formulated the right words to pacify such a creature. At length, she took a stab... it could be a good thing, or a bad thing.
"...You...you're a good boy... yes you are... such a g-good boy..."
She then pulled back, not too quickly, quite uncertain as to if the captain was going to lunge at her or not, as she knew that she must reek of fear. She began to back away, slowly, watching him, before she tripped back on Drev's sword, stumbling and tangling in the oversized garment she wore. After recovering, she knelt beside him, whispering in what she hoped would be a kind, comforting voice... and she almost succeeded, except for the tremors that caused her voice the shake from time to time.
"...You-you've only have a b-bad dream... it's okay... you can w-wake up now..."
She said, and she carefully touched his hand, lest he lash out at her as well.
She only wanted to end these night terrors.
Something in the back of his mind kept him from attacking when the small creature approached. The words uttered oh so very quietly meant absolutely nothing, he just kept growling and keeping his eyes on the fallen one who still had a weapon, every so often glancing to the side at the other.
Could be playing possum, better not chance it.
He relaxed a bit as the little one retreated so he could watch them both at the same time. And then, she fell. He seized his opportunity and made a run for the open window, finding a somewhat level tree branch near by that he could jump out onto and touch down on the ground.
After landing, somewhat painfully on all fours, Val took one last glance at the window and made a run for it into the center of the town, moving quickly and as silently as a large wolf bounding through the streets could.
Drev was completely caught off guard by the gentle voice he heard next, it was definitely not what he had been expecting. He shivered and looked to where her hand was on his. He wasn't sure what to do or say next as the other figure left. He took a deep breath, wishing to be safe and asked, "Yo...you mean you're not going to turn me in?" He appeared desperate and helpless, any chances of saving face or defending himself were long lost.
Calvanta shook her head lightly, freezing for a moment when the wolf leapt out the window, the color (what remained of it..) draining from her face. She managed to stutter a few words out...
"No...no, I wouldn't t-turn you in... it's o-okay now..."
But it wasn't, not really. Not with the captain loose.
They would all pay for this, in the morning...
Drev breathed a sigh of relief as he slowly started to realize where he was. Oh yes, that's right... they had stayed the night at the pub due to the storm. And... it was Calvanta beside him... she wouldn't hurt him....
A wave of humiliation swept over him as he realized and he desperately hoped he hadn't said anything stupid. He couldn't help his constant fear of someday being re-captured, but that didn't mean he shouldn't be able to manage it. And freaking out like that was just stupid... he should have grown out of it by now... Especially since it'd been a good month and a half since then...
He surveyed the room, still trying to piece things together when it hit him: where was the captain...? Judging by the darkness outside, the captain shouldn't have changed back to normal yet, right? He wasn't sure exactly what the time-length was for the captain's transformation, but he at least knew it was over by morning. He shivered and looked almost apologetically at Calvanta, "Where's the captain?"
Calvanta looked at Drev, her features pale, a cold sweat trickling down her cheek, and she began to shiver, biting her lip.
"He... he... he j-jumped out the w-window..."
This was bad. She knew it was bad. It was bad for everyone. What if he.. hurt people? Even worse... what if he hurt people, and then changed back into himself... while he was still around them?
She began to fret, looking at Drev, filled with something worse then terror.
"What... w-what do we do?"
Drev scratched his head uneasily, he still felt a little foolish, but it seemed as though Calvanta had already forgiven him...
"Well... I suppose we should go look for him..." he said with a nervous glance towards the open window. He didn't like the idea of letting a werewolf run loose on the town at night, and he wouldn't be able to sleep with a guilty conscience. "Looks like the storm died down a bit... so I guess if you felt up to it you can come with me."
He stood and checked to make sure that he had anything he might need, even though he wasn't sure what that might be. The captain shouldn't be too dangerous, but they'd need to be careful.
She lowered her eyes for a moment, before she looked out the window, visibly shaking, for all of the folds of cloth that surrounded her. She then looked back at Drev, bringing one hand to her mouth, and chewing on her thumbnail(claw?) nervously.
"I... I guess w-we'd better go..."
She said, before she lowered her eyes again, tail wrapping protectively around her legs.
"Okay.." he said as he unlocked the door. "Let's not be out too long... We've just got to find him and make sure he isn't doing any damage or anything. Then we can get him back to the ship or the room." He was just rambling now, trying to figure out the best course of action. Of course, he had no idea how seriously dangerous Val might be right now, but that's why he wanted to hurry.
She stumbled foreword, having forgotten to unwrap her tail completely, and she clutched the jacket tighter around herself, leaving the room, ears lowered. She was so frightened, for the captain, and for whatever might get in his way. She could only hope that they'd get there in time.
"He... you t-think he won't b-be to d-dangerous to get near?"
Drev shrugged his shoulders as he led the way out of the inn. He didn't want to let on that he was nervous about it, so he decided to avoid conversation as much as possible so as to not worry her any more. "It... shouldn't be too bad. I'm sure he'll recognize us at least or something."
He kept his eyes straight ahead and tried to reassure himself that it might go over easier than he was expecting it to.
Val eventually found himself in the middle of a darkened alley, the only real light coming from the moon reflecting off so many puddles of water from the storm. There were a few rooms alight with candles, but not enough to light up the street. He remained in the alley where he was, for the most part, hidden by shadow; despite how late it was, the streets were still quite busy, probably more so than they would be during the day even since most people sailed out once dawn broke. Pirates were drinking and playing music, and sneaking in and out of doors with their pockets considerably fuller than before while the shop keepers tried to keep their eyes open. Or maybe it was that the shopkeepers just didn't care, as their goods are stolen anyway.
Val was curious, so he kept watching, with his head cocked slightly to the side trying to see around the corner and out into the main road. One ear twitched and turned slightly as the sound of heavy breathing entered the alley way along with footsteps on the wet ground. A pirate, who was being chased by the original owner of the purse he was now clutching, had just turned into the shadows to seek his own cover, apparently oblivious to Val on the other end. Val turned and smoothly ducked behind a crate so the other pirate wouldn't see him. Just in time too it'd seem, the pirate, now satisfied that he had successfully alluded his chaser, turned toward the other end of the alley and made his way towards the crates so he could count out his earnings. Val waited quietly waiting for his prey to come to him, it'd be easier than chasing him down.
As soon as he sat, Val pounced, and before he could scream, Val silenced him. Dragging the body into the center of the alley, jaws still clamped down on the pirate's neck, the wolf, as it would be completely unfair to consider this being "Val" anymore, tasted something that was denied him for about four years now. Murder. And murder tastes pretty damned good.
Calvanta nodded her head slightly, and followed Drev out of the building, clutching the coat around herself, having been completely oblivious of the dress draped over the chair. She skirted through the cobbled streets, running to keep up with Drev's long strides, hair being whipped around her face by the sea breezes. She was having a hard time keeping up with him, but she was trying her best anyway, one hand always clutching the oversized coat around her body. It wouldn't do to lose that... not only would it be severely embarrassing, but... it was the captain's jacket. She couldn't lose that.
Drev walked quickly so that they wouldn't lose any more time than they already had. He was headed around the inn, he wanted to get a good look at the ground outside their window... if not for clues, then at least for somewhere to start.
"Ah hah!" he said triumphantly as he stooped down to get a better look. The mud was still fresh from the storm and even in the dimly lit street it was possible to see a few large animal prints heading off away from the building. They should be able to follow them for a while, at least... and he was pretty sure a large, white, anthropomorphic canine wouldn't be too hard to spot.
Taking off a little faster, Drev began to trace the tracks muttering to himself. "Keep your eyes open." he said as he peered down another dark alleyway.
Calvanta stooped, catching her breath when Drev stooped to inspect the paw prints, but he was off again, far too soon for her to have recovered. She squeaked softly under her breath, and bounded off after him, never quite able to catch up. She was falling more and more behind, and eventually she slowed to a walk, looking in each alleyway they passed. Different activities were occurring in each one... and she passed one where a pirate was counting coins, but something more caught her eye... a tuft of white fur, only visible for a moment. She froze, and looked straight at the pirate, before she began a soft noise, which eventually grew to a shriek.
"Dreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeev! DREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEV!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
He was already about 100 feet on, as she'd been trailing behind, but she hoped he'd get there... an quick.
The wolf looked up from his kill with eyes glowing poisonously. He licked the blood off his lips as the girl from before stood a few yards ahead of him, and this time alone. He was a little more confident this time, the blood lust now driving away all rational thought and the desire to just keep killing. He bared his teeth, growled, and bounded forward, the previously white fur now stained red in several places.
Calvanta shrieked, and stumbled back, throwing her hands in front of her face. She couldn't outrun the wolf, even if she were thinking straight, and right now, all that was on her mind was terror. She stumbled back again, but in moments, he'd be upon her, and that would be that...
Drev stopped dead in his tracks when he heard Calvanta scream. Immediately fearing the worst, he reacted without thinking. He reached for his dagger and hurled it as hard as he could in the direction of the scream. It'd miss Calvanta, and with any luck possibly impale anyone near her... if not, at least stopping them long enough for him to get over there.
Unfortunately, his run wasn't the best it could have been, due to the wound in his knee, but he took off in that direction as fast as he could.
At just the right moment, right when the dagger was passing in front of Calvanta's face, the wolf had leaped out of the alley, and the dagger skimmed the top of his muzzle, causing him to fall in mid jump, closing his eyes against the pain, and turning instead, his attention to the dagger, which had fallen to the ground not too far away. Running over to it, he grabbed it in his jaws and shook it, as if trying to make sure it was dead. He dropped it again and now looked in the direction it had come from, to find the other dragon from before running, though with a limp, towards him, and then something snapped in his mind quite suddenly, and the glow died.
Val refocused on the scene in front of him, trying to figure out why he was even outside at the time. Drev was running towards him...no...not quite...he was running towards Calvanta. With a flash of fury he leapt in front of her, blocking Drev's path to her, growling menacingly, completely unaware of the previous events.
Drev skidded to a halt as the wolf jumped out in front of him. What was the captain doing? Either way, there was no way to be sure as to whether he was safe or not. Drev drew is sword and pointed it at Val, "What now? Are you quite done having fun on the town? I could care less about innocent civilians, and I know you could too... but if you hurt Calvanta, you'll regret it later. If I were you, I'd back off... slowly."
Val's ears laid back against his head and he advanced on Drev. What the hell is he talking about
"Back down boy, I'm in no mood to fight tonight." Val's eyes stayed fixed on Drev and he stopped about 5 feet in front of him, his feet planted. He was being truthful when he said he didn't want to attack, but he was poised nonetheless.
Drev narrowed his eyes as he finally got a good look at the blood that darkened Val's white fur. "No mood to fight!? Look at yourself!! I'm guessing you rolled around in barbed wire, then?" He didn't budge, still not sure if this was some kind of front just to get him to lower his guard.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" But as he spoke, his tongue brushing against his teeth every so often, the taste of blood hitting his senses with every word, questions started bubbling up to the top of his mind, mainly-
How exactly DID I get out here?
He decided he'd take a chance and glance down at himself. It took a few tries, as every time he glanced away from Drev, he'd immediately become paranoid and look right back up at him. Eventually he managed to place his eyes upon his blood stained paws, sheer horror flickering through him. He first looked back at Calvanta, not seeing any obvious marks on her, he began looking around for his victim, finally finding the body in the alley. Without much warning, Val raced over to the body, and tore into it, completely mangling it, ensuring that he was indeed dead. After he was satisfied that no new werewolves would be running amuck the town, he gave one last fearful look at Drev, and then began sprinting back towards the shore, away from the town.
Drev lowered his sword, but didn't say a word as he watched the captain destroy the body. He didn't feel the need to follow him, either. The captain didn't look vicious as he did scared, so Drev figured there probably wasn't anything to worry about now. They might have to leave earlier the next morning before news got out about the murder... unless there never was a murder...
"Erm... go on back to the hotel." he said as he tossed Cal the key. "I'll take care of this." He paused for a minute to give her a chance to get away before he stooped down to grab the collar of the dead man. With a great heave, he slid the mangled corpse around the corner and through the shadows towards a small inlet. It took quite a while and a great effort as people were still running around, drunk off their arses, and he was trying to cover his tracks as he went. There was a lot of blood being smeared behind him that would leave a nasty trail for anyone to follow. He dragged the body into the water up to his waist and then gave it a shove. He watched the corpse drift eerily out to sea for a minute as if honoring the dead with a moment of silence. Then he turned to go back and cover his remaining tracks.
Val kept running until he reached the docks, where he slowed his pace to a slow walk, keeping his head low as his feet dragged through the mud as he approached the planks that led to the boats. He glanced at his reflection in the water, and for a fleeting moment, considered just falling over the side. He decided that'd be a somewhat disgraceful way to die though, a naturally aquatic creature drowning...
He eventually found The Cassiopeia, which swayed rather ghostly in the waves, its dark sails keeping him in shadow as they blotted out the moonlight. He boarded the ship, headed for his chambers, closed the door and collapsed onto his bed. He wasn't depressed because he killed anyone, he did that quite often whether or not he was a wolf or a dragon. He was upset because he had lost control and had put the few people he actually did care about at the moment into danger, after he was so sure he was safe. He was careless. But, if he really wasn't able to ensure that he could keep control, even with the serum, how could he trust himself again? Before he fell asleep once again, he resolved that he would find some shackles before they left the island.
Calvanta attempted to catch the key... but naturally, fumbled, and dropped it. She dropped to her knees and began searching for it amongst the dirty cobblestones, but she was intensely nervous after all that had just happened, and it was dark, and her heart was pounding so hard... she could hear it in her ears... where was that damn key?! She bent her face close to the ground, attempting to find it, and she eventually did... maybe 15 minutes later. She grasped it tightly this time, and headed back towards the hotel... walking for a long while, before realizing that she didn't really remember the way back... she'd been too busy following behind Drev, and trying to keep up, to have really paid attention to WHERE they were going.
This wasn't good, not at all. She began to think that she'd be wandering the streets all night, if she were lucky, and if she wasn't, someone... the wrong someone... would find her, and she'd be dead by daybreak. Or worse...
Clearly, it was going to be a terrifying experience.
He was walking slowly, sweeping his tail on the ground behind him. It would be impossible to clean up all the blood, so he figured he'd just smear it enough to confuse anyone who might want to find out what had happened. He was probably quite a sight to see now that his pants were wet and dripping, and he was slightly stained with blood. But he figured if he stayed in the shadows, no one would be able to notice until he could get back and clean up.
Once he was satisfied with the mess he had made, he made his way back to the hotel and up the stairs. At first he almost panicked again, forgetting which room was theirs, but he retraced his steps and eventually found the right door. He knocked on it and waited for Calvanta to open it, but she never came. He wondered if she had fallen asleep and he was locked out.
"Great..." he mumbled to himself. "Now what am I supposed to do?" After a minute or two of standing awkwardly outside the door, he decided that breaking it down wasn't such a good idea and he should probably just go back to the ship for the rest of the night.
He headed down the stairs and out of the inn once more and sulkily started to make his way towards the ship. He was taking his time, even though he really just wanted to clean up and get some sleep. It was a nice night out considering it had been so stormy earlier. He was just about to turn the last corner towards the docks when he heard something farther down a near alleyway. He decided to check it out for an excuse to be out even later and was glad that he had.
"Calvanta??" he asked as he spotted her wandering around. "Where are you going? I thought you were asleep..."
She jumped, startled, and whirled around on her feet, clutching the coat shut and brandishing a shell (where she found it, no clue. It's probably dirty and diseased..) defensively. Her pulse had quickened, as had her breathing, but, seeing who it was, she calmed slightly, and instead started to become very upset, the night's events getting to her at last.
"I got lost!"
She wailed, and she dropped the shell, which clattered to the cobblestones. She started shaking.
"I didn't know how to get back...."
Drev sighed, lack of much-needed sleep was starting to get to him. "It's this way." he said shortly as he pointed down the way he had just come. "Follow me."
Calvanta did as he told without question, and they found their way back to the hotel soon enough, with little more problem. The light filtered through the windows as they settled down, and Calvanta dropped off to a quick sleep, after so much drama she was unable to keep awake, even as the birds woke, and the night drew to a definite close.
And so begins another day..
Dreamless sleep was a luxury rarely afforded to Val anymore, often times his nights of rest being flooded with flash backs to that certain night, and waking up feeling slightly less rested than when he actually laid down. Tonight, however, was strange. Today, instead of being awoken by the climatic finish of Sarah, he was instead alerted by the steadily brightening light that was now filtering through the window just over his bed. He yawned and turned over, but realized he was actually wide awake, he also realized, that he could not recall any nightmares, he was also in a peculiarly good mood.
He stretched and glanced over at the cabinet where he kept the syringe and vile, considering for not even a second, that maybe he would just skip it today... But no... he couldn't chance the possibility that he might go on a killing spree, or worse, not kill everything he happened across. Reluctantly he got up, and headed over to the small doors.
~~~YAY! Time lapse! Haven't had one of these in awhile!~~~
Val headed down the gang plank to the docks once again, his hat over his eyes, but lacking his jacket, which he had forgotten he had left with Calvanta, who should, with luck, still be at the pub with Drev. He walked swiftly and avoided eye contact. His mind wandered every so often, he stopped to linger on the thought of Vane though... he couldn't remember seeing him at all this morning.
He swept through the doors, didn't look up at all to acknowledge the glances he got, and headed straight for the stair case. Charlotte intercepted him at the first step.
"Well, well... what are you doing up so early?" She playfully grabbed his arm and tried to lead him back to the bar, he pulled away a bit forcefully and refocused ont he stair case.
"I have things to do this morning, I don't have time to hang around with hussies today." With that he headed up the stairs without another word or a look back. He kept movind down the corridor to room 9, and knocked loudly, waiting for someone to let him in.
Drev had slept like a rock for the remainder of the night. Fortunately, his sleep was dreamless. But, of course, that was probably owed to his exhaustion and any amounts of booze he had consumed.
He was startled awake by a very loud pounding on the door. He cautiously pried his eyes open and winced them shut at the sun that was coming in through the open window. With a loud groan, he staggered blindly to his feet and stumbled towards the door, eyes narrowed to slits to keep out as much light as possible. The bright light was just adding to his mounting headache.
"What do you waaaaaant?" he whined pathetically as he opened the door to argue with whoever was standing behind it. "Oh..." he said once he saw who it was and scratched his tousled hair embarrassedly. "Morning, captain."
"You're not even dressed yet? Well hurry up already! I was hoping to be able to sail in no more than 30 minutes. I have to pick up a few provisions before I head back to the ship... you know how to get back to the ship, right? Or would you rather me wait up for you two?"
Something about the captain this morning was different... He seemed to be rather light hearted and almost...cheerful.
"Bah... we should've been out to sea by now. At this rate, we'll make it to the clan by late afternoon...I was hoping to get there before noon at least."
Drev looked even more embarrassed and closed the door a bit, still peeking through the crack. "Er... why don't you come back for us, then?" he said. "Then we can all go back to the ship together... I'll make sure Calvanta's up."
Val nodded and took a few steps back.
"I'll be back in about 15 or 20 minutes then."
He turned on his heal and headed down the stairs and out the door, and straight towards the center of town to look for a black smith to find shackles and chains.
Calvanta was still asleep, as she was young yet, and slept hard... she'd been exhausted, and she didn't often get to sleep on a bed anymore, even if it was a shoddy one like the one she rested upon at the moment. After Drev had closed the door, and the captain had left, he sidled over to where she slept, and lightly nudged her shoulder (embarrassedly, I'm sure..)..
She woke, eyes fluttering open, and then squinting again, similar to how Drev had woke up himself, as she tried to keep the glinting sunlight from hurting her light pink eyes. Her eyes were colored that way from lack of pigment so... of course they were sensitive to light. She stretched, and sat up, spotting the dress on the chair for the first time, the captain's jacket still her tent-like clothing.
"Is... is that for me?"
She asked groggily, interrupted by a yawn, as she glanced at Drev, and then back at the dress that had been left there the night before.
Drev nodded, "That's the one the captain brought up for you last night... but you were already asleep by then, I think." He turned to gather his things. "Um, I'll wait down in the lobby so you can change." He set the key on the vanity near her dress and slipped out of the room to wait for the captain in the bar area.
Calvanta quirked a brow at Drev as he left, and she hoisted herself up and off the bed, wandering groggily over to the chair where the dress was draped.
She finally let the jacket drop, and she pulled on the dress... although it was a bit baggy on her, and long... it fit better then the jacket had... and she bundled up what other belongings of theirs she could find, before she grabbed the key, and headed downstairs also, locking the door behind her.
Drev had reclaimed his spot at the bar and was drinking from a glass of ice water while he waited for the captain and Calvanta. He was looking forward to getting to the Clan that evening and he was ready to go. It was only a matter of waiting for the others, and he had no idea how long the captain would take.
Calvanta had gone down the stairs, and skirted the many visitors already present at the pub... not drunk yet, but not entirely sobered up from their last day of drinking, before they began again. She cowered down and made her way as quickly as possible over to where Drev sat, holding the key up in front of him. She didn't think it was something she had a right to keep, but she didn't know what to do with it either... so, when in doubt, trust the adult figures.
Drev looked curiously at the key, he didn't know what to do with it either... He took it from her and said, "I think the captain needs it to check out the room or something..." Not that he had any idea how a hotel worked, but the captain probably did, so he'd just save the key for when he got back.
"Did you want some water or something?" he said as he motioned to his glass. "It's nice and cold."
She blinked a couple of times, and then looked at the glass of water he indicated, noting that she was quite parched... and she glanced at him again, looking a little bit worried.
"I would... you d-don't mind..?"
Drev shrugged, "Of course not." he waved to the bartender and pointed at his own glass of water to indicate he wanted another. "I'm not sure how long the captain's going to be gone, so we might as well drink something."
Calvanta tenitivly took the water when the tender passed it down the bar, and she sipped it, grateful for the cool, clean taste it offered. The water wasn't as good when they were out on the ship, and she relished this while she had it. She chanced a glance at Drev, and shyly asked him a question, shrinking back after she had, as if she expected a blow for asking something that was none of her business. "Where are w-we voyaging...?"
Drev was mid-sip when he asked and nearly choked on his water. "Um..." he looked nervously at his glass of water as if it would give him an answer and drummed his fingers on the side of the glass, "Well... I just wanted to come to the Dragon Clan... I've never been there before and the Captain said you guys were going out that way..." Well, it was halfway true...
She tilted her head slightly, as she listened to him, sipping her water still, grasping the cup in both hands. She was a bit worried at his reaction, but at least he hadn't cuffed her..
"Oh.."
She said once he'd told her. She hadn't been there either, that she could recall, and she couldn't remember ever having passed by that way, all the time that she'd been on the ship among the captain and his crew.
The main purpose of Val's errands was to acquire sturdy, metal chains that he could attach to the walls of his bed room, walking down the cobblestone street though, he had been stopped by an old friend, a retired pirate, who had a small bird in his hands, one immediately recognizable as Vane. It was explained to him that Vane was found in the middle of the storm on the island, soaked to the bone, and wings broken from the high winds. After a short exchange of conversation, it was decided that Vane would retire on the island to recover, in the care of this old pirate.
The rest of the morning passed uneventfully up until he left the blacksmith's. In the alley behind the shoppe, there was a large, but sickly looking dog like creature, sporting a large pair of black wings. Perhaps it smelled the wolf on Val, as it immediately took affection to him and began follow him... refusing to leave even after Val tried to lose him and after throwing a fairly good sized rock at him... the mange ridden mutt wouldn't leave. With an exasperated sigh, he headed back to the pub, dog following.
Val pushed his way through the swinging doors with one arm, the other supporting a heavy sack over his left shoulder. The dog pushed its way ahead of Val and sat down at his side as soon as he stopped. Ignoring it, he found Drev and Cal seated at the bar (it wasn't too busy yet, so they were easy to spot), and called over to them.
"Are you two ready yet? Drop that key on the counter and let's get going! We haven't gotten all morning if we want to dock before sunset!"
Drev hopped to his feet, eager to get moving and left the key on the counter with a few silver coins to pay for the waters. "Coming!" he said as he gathered his things and made ready to leave. "Are you done?" he asked Calvanta, thankful that Val had interrupted their conversation and let him off the hook. "We should probably get going."
Calvanta raised her eyes, and quickly drank the rest of her water, coughing lightly as she choked a bit on some of it, but she'd finished, and she hopped to her feet to follow after the captain and Drev. She held up the bundle that was the captain's coat, and she lowered her eyes, flushing a bit and mumbling something along the lines of "Thanks", before she noticed the dog-like critter, and smiled delightedly, her own tail waving behind her slightly. Maybe Val would let her pet the dog, if she asked nicely....
The dog started wagging its tail, which was curled up over itself, and got to its feet to properly greet Calvanta.
Val accepted his jacket, relieved to have the cover back, and was all set to leave until he looked down and realized the dog should need an explanation. "Er...right... the dog won't stop following me... I was going to try to lose it at the docks." The dog looked up at him with that trusting, loving look that dogs give you when they seem to say "I love you", and Val hesitated, "...look... don't get attached... I don't need a mutt on my ship."
Calvanta scratched the dog behind his ears, and then she glanced up at Val, pulling back suddenly, remembering she'd forgotten to ask. She murmured something along the lines of "I think he's cute..." before she shrunk back again, expecting a cuff. She was being exceptionally shy and worrisome today, sure, but... oh well.
Val sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Let's go..." He turned around and headed towards the wharf, the dog immediately turned around and started bounding after Val as well.
Calvanta followed after the group, still watching the dog with delight. She already liked him much better then the bird that had hung around the captain before. But she wasn't going to say so... Val had been very fond of the squawky thing, as she recalled. She instead walked... sometimes skipping to keep up, after the two adults and dog, back towards the docking area.
It wasn't a very long walk, and the sun wasn't high in the sky yet so it was still cool out from the previous night's rain. The Cassiopeia's sails came into view right where the ship was left, pirates sitting on the dock, waiting for the word to leave.
"Get yer flea bitten, lazy arses back on deck where yeh'll be of some use to me! We're sailing now so raise anchor!" The pirates scrambled and Val followed, as did the dog, much to Val's chagrin. "GIT YOU MANGEY MUTT!" He moved to kick at the dog who merely barked playfully, dodged, and ran past him onto the ship. "OI! NO! GET OFF!" Val dropped the heavy, chain bearing sack on the deck and ran after the dog, who was now playfully barking and chasing after the pirates.
Drev had been quietly following the other two. He was amused by the larger dog who seemed to have taken a liking to the captain. Maybe with any luck it'd eat the captain's bird or something.
When they arrived at the ship and the captain had dropped his bag to run after the mutt, Drev nonchalantly stooped to fetch it, "You dropped your..." he said before he peeked inside and saw what it was. His pulse quickened as his eyes darted around nervously, What is he doing with these....? He can't have bought them for... he swallowed hard and lifted the bag. No... no... don't get worked up. he tried to assure himself as he securely tied the bag shut. There's probably a good reason other than... He lifted the bag and draped it over his shoulder. He just wouldn't ask... if anything out of the ordinary happened, he'd take off. He'd rather drown at sea then ever be chained up again.
After a few moments of chasing the dog, Val had finally managed to tackle it, and then ended up on his back... Somehow the dog had managed to turn the tables and pin Val to the deck, and was celebrating by drooling all over Val's face, licking, sniffing, knocking his hat off, usual affectionate, though often annoying canine behaviour. Though, somewhere amidst all the yelling and swearing, there was a laugh, and finally, "ALL RIGHT! Fine... fine... you can stay, but ONLY until I find someone to drop you with. Agreed?" He stuck out his hand half jokingly and the dog licked it, got off of his chest, and bounded off to explore.
Val got up, retrieved his hat, still smirking, realized there were quite a few watching him, coughed, straightened up, "GET BACK TO WORK YOU FILTHY ANIMALS!", and headed over to where Drev was now, to claim his bag. "Thanks very much. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go get to work with this." Sure that Drev and Cal knew their ways around the ship well enough by now, he turned and headed back towards his quarters.
Drev stood anchored on his spot. Work on what?! He watched the captain walk off with a sense of dread, but shuffled and cleared his throat. He wouldn't let it get to him... it wouldn't effect him. He'd just go off to the bunks again and hide out there for a while...
Calvanta made her way onto the ship, and she quickly disappeared from sight, back to doing her never ceasing duties, quietly and not noticeable. She kept to her tasks, finding that the deck was strewn with debris after the storm... and that she had a lot of work to do.
She didn't see, nor notice that Drev had become fidgety, as she hadn't seen what he'd discovered, nor would she had understood it, had she seen it.
For the first time in 3 days, the ship sailed on without much interference. This wasn't out of the ordinary, but it was a welcome change from the last couple of days. Val spent most of the day in his quarters securing the chains to his walls next to his bed. He completely forgotten about lunch, and hadn't seen hide nor hair of Drev or Cal, they each seemed to have found something to keep them occupied where they didn't come looking for him.
Val didn't reemerge until a pirate came knocking to tell him they were coming onto thick fog.
The fog that they were sailing into, stood a few meters in front of them like a formidable wall. It seemed impossible to see through at all angles, and as Val headed towards the wheel, and the front of the ship entered the mist, those at the back of the ship lost sight of the bow completely.
Drev hadn't even noticed how much time had passed, he had cooped himself up in the sailor's quarters to brood over why, exactly, the captain had bought chains and what he might be doing with them. He was also experiencing a bit of nervousness... something along the lines of 'butterflies in his stomach'. After such a long time, he was finally closer than he had ever been to Clan territory...
He was only snapped out of his trance by a change of pace from on deck; there was an air of excitement about the crew and they were definitely moving faster. He was just wondering what it might be when a pirate peeked his head in the doorway and called "LAND HO!" to any pirates left in the quarters.
This is it... he thought at he gathered his few things and headed up the stairs and on deck for their landing.
The boat was slowing steadily, and Val was counting under his breath.
"...10...11...12...13 DROP ANCHOR!"
With a loud clanging sound, the anchor began to unwind and fall towards the waters, which it hit with a loud splash. The boat kept moving, though slowing now, the fog lifted, and the boat came to a rest just barely too close to the rocks around the island which stood before them. The air around the island, possibly from the mist, was frigid and moist, the island itself looked like a silhouette. If you looked to either side of the island, you could make out faint outlines of other land masses through the fog.
Val turned around just in time to see Drev approaching the front of the ship.
"Welcome to Cam'Wethrin! And more importantly, welcome to the Dragon Clan."
Drev had to hold back a cheer - it had been a long trip and they had finally arrived. He was impressed by the outlook of the first island where they had landed. He figured this was probably the Captain's island...
He kept his eyes eagerly on the island, springing down to take flight and said to no one in particular, "Finally! I'm out of here."
"OI! Not so fast. First thing you need to know is how to actually get to the mainland. This island is near the north east tip, the fog is too thick to see the mainland from here, so if you try to fly through it, you'll get lost instantly. Your best bet is to go to the end of this island, where you'll be able to see the next island in the chain. There are two islands, and then a bigger one with a mountain on it, that's where the fog dissipates, so you'll be able to find your way from there. And remember, you owe me something now." Val was nearly giddy with the prospect of finally getting paid, along with visiting his stores.
"Let's see... You've managed to rack up quite a toll here. The ride over, the food, the lodging, the detour, me having to sacrifice the secret location of my island, my own pleasurable company, one dead crew member in your name, the hotel room, the directions to the main land, my apologies for shooting you, the invitation to my cabin, the rum, the bandages... (continues on for awhile)... So all in all, I think you owe me no less than 5,000 gold pieces... give or take a few. I'm fairly easy going though, so it doesn't have to be in gold if you can't manage it, just worth that much is all."
Drev opened his mouth in protest at first, but forced himself to shut up. "G...gold?" he choked as he dug through his pockets and pulled out his small money pouch which only contained about 12 silver pieces.
"I don't have that kind of money!" he said frantically, "I didn't know it'd cost that much!" He was just thinking about how on earth he would ever find those kinds of funds when his mind flashed back to the chains the captain had brought on board earlier. He froze and looked around the deck nervously before he spoke again in a much softer, almost pleading tone, "What can I do?"
Val laughed and slapped his arm behind Drev's shoulder, leading him to the edge of the ship. "You'll figure out something, maybe you'll find something over there." He nodded towards the vastness beyond the island where he claimed the mainland was. "I wouldn't know, never bothered much with that place because what I CAN see of it, it's worthless. But you might be different. Don't disappoint me though, because then you'll be in my debt." He winked and gave Drev a shove towards the water before turning around and heading back to his own cabin to get ready to go about his own business.
Drev just nodded and looked at the captain in obvious gratitude. "I will! I'll find something there, I promise!" the fear of returning empty-handed and the possible consequences was enough to make him keep his word. Before he left, however, he ran chased after the captain and stuffed his small bag of coins into his palm. "I'll get more later." he said assuringly as he turned right around and left, leaping off the side of the boat to head in the direction the captain had pointed out before he was able to change his mind.
Val weighed the bag Drev gave him in his hand. It was slightly warm wherever the coins rested in his palm.
Silver... not enough, but it's a start.
He continued on back to his cabin to retrieve that which he hoped to pack away tonight in the caves.