`` Of gods and men.. entwined into a tale of one``

Bloody Sails

♦ 

`` The royal flags fell, reddened with the blood of the crew members.``

. | Waves crashed at sea as its watery blue depths twisted and turned, the tides throwing themselves against the soaked wood of the Aramitsu. The ship rocked lightly with the contact, being cradled by the merciless sea as it lurched forward.

On the deck of the ship stood its captain, who was turned to face the sea. The tom’s vibrant eyes were shielded from the sun by the shade of the large hat he wore, of which’s black leather shone in the sun's rays and the blue feathers atop it swayed proudly as reminders from which the victories of the cat were displayed. The ship rocked yet white paws remained firmly placed on the ground with the confidence of one who had already conquered the sea. His snout lifted to the air and his jaw parted slightly to taste the sea filled air and the scent of salt that circulated through his being.

HIs large black ears swiveled on his skull, angling themselves behind him, attentive to the sound of a door creaking open across the deck. Pawsteps followed, and the tom bothered not to turn around- as he already knew who it was that approached his side.

“Dana.” He breathed, green eyes blinking to her direction, yet his cranium moved not an inch. 

“Captain Rosiere, please. I’m asking for a moment of your time to talk about this…”

“Dana… I gave my answer. We’re sailing the Constantine Sea to wait a storm out, then we grab the eye. You know as well as I that sailing the Northern Sea is dangerous.” He sighed as he said this, letting his jaw close with a huff of air.

“I’m aware of that, sir. But you also know we’ve not had the time to be waiting on a storm. We’ve only 3 days until Ephraim finishes the God Soul… and who knows what they’ll do next. I’m sorry I just don’t… I can’t let that happen.” Danaus shook her head, her orange eyes dull with worry. 3 days… that would be all the time she had left to get her brother back from the gods that so cruelly snatched the tom away. Her teeth grit at the memory, and grief had long since turned into rage against the Suntouched.

Rosiere turned to look at her with a soft frown of sympathy. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t lose anyone to the long white spears. Memories of his old crew flashed in his eyes, yet he said naught for a moment, letting the lull of the crashing sea steal the silence. The rim of his hat slid further, obstructing his eyes halfway. “Time is never on our side… is it?”

Danaus gave no answer, sighing simply before walking further up the deck, closer more to the steering wheel. The cat in its mantle had a sorrowful expression, having been listening to the conversation. Everyone suffered loss after the Exodus. She knew the whole ship was in a state of rue- none needed to say what they all wondered, ‘Why couldn’t they take me instead?’ But alas, they were the ones here, the survivors left in anguish and separated in life and death. Her pawsteps carried her past the wheel and onto the thin bow of the traditionally built ship. Her paws were placed with certainty, despite the rocking of the sea. The breezes pitched up from the sea battered at her ears and face, but the she-cat paid no mind, staring out into the clear blue sea, its hues entranced and entangled in a ball of colors, with each wave engaging in a dance of salt and mist.

Her sight casted across the sea caught in its clutches the glimpse of a large shape on the horizon, bulky in manner but with tall structure protruding from the top. She knew better than to mistake it as land or a lighthouse, especially not after their escapade from Veneria. Her suspicions confirmed themselves as the shape of a hull climbed over the horizon and came into view. The molly turned her head back to the deck, where she shared brief eye contact with the steering crew member before yelling out to the captain.

“Rosiere! A ship is approaching us… I've yet to see their affiliation or intentions. What do we do?”

“Stay on course. Once they come into clearer view, then we make a decision.” The captain's voice so close to her ear startled the molly, as she looked around. She was the only one on the bow of the ship still. Yet her gaze reached upwards instead, Where sure enough the captain stood on one of the large wooden beams- two paws planted on the wood as he stood upright, with a front paw leaning on a vertical pole for support. His free paw laid above his eyes, to aid them against the sunlight.

“Oi! They ought to be merchants I think. They’d be the only ones out this time o’ day.” The feline at the mantle spoke, turning the wheel ever so slightly to adjust the course of the ship to side by side with the other.

“Ferin… I think we’ve got more than merchants…”

“The royal guard.” Danaus breathed, as the larger ship’s sails came into view. White fabric with the royal symbol- a sun with a cross through it. “More trouble” 

The crew's breath was held collectively as the larger vessel neared, eventually coming to a stop as anchors were thrown overboard. Now the ships were parallel, side to side and sail to sail at a standstill. The crew of the Aramitsu watched as a single cat approached the edge of the royal boat. Dressed in the finest white fabric, adorned with intricate golden markings representative of the royal guard. A longsword stayed strapped to the man’s thigh. 

“Aramitsu, have your captain step forth. We wish not for violence under our holy sun… unless necessary.” His voice bellowed across the ships, in formal announcement.

Danaus lifted her gaze and watched as Rosiere sighed, dropping onto all fours and pacing along the beam, until he swiftly dropped to the next, and progressively lower until his paws finally landed on the deck with a thump. As he approached the edge, he looked up at the officer. “Captain Rosiere of the Aramitsu speaking. What is your business?” His formal tone shocked Danaus, as it was contrastingly different from his carefree  mood around the crew.

The officer nodded to someone on deck before turning back to Rosiere. “We were ordered by the Legistrate of Aztracia to do a sweep of all ships out between sunrise and Nigh. We will be boarding your vessel. Whether you cooperate or not is up to you.”

At his words, the crew of the Aramitsu tensed, exchanging uncertain glances across the deck. It was April, who had arrived on deck shortly earlier, that spoke. “Rosiere… what about the-”

“Silence. Let them search. And Ferin… go grab Himaru from my chamber.” The captain spoke firmly, the tension on the ship as clear as day. His attention shifted when his ears singled out the noise of a plank of wood clanking against their hull and deck. The wood now connected the two ships, and his gaze narrowed as soldiers began crossing.

Danaus frowned, worrying spiking through her. Would they find the Black Compass? Her face etched into a grimace. They’d be arrested and taken to the capital if the guards found the sacred item aboard. And why did Rosiere ask for Himaru? Was he intending for a fight? Danaus remembered watching the sword cut cleanly through a barrel and shivered briefly before padding back to the deck to stand next to April. Her gaze flickered to the General as he finally crossed, stopping only to stand a tail length away from Rosiere. 

“Now… I thank you for cooperating.” He spoke, smiling politely, yet the hint of ulterior motive in his eyes didn’t go unnoticed by Rosiere, who narrowed his own gaze. 

“You may search this vessel, but I assure you the Aramitsu has nothing to hide.”  Rosiere lifted his head, returning the defiant glare. “We are simply a crew traveling the sea. Have we not a right to that?” 

The General stared for a moment before dipping his head, only to whip it back up and break into a laughing fit. “HAHAHAHAHA! My my! You are quite more than what I was told about you, Rosiere. Say, I guess that means you know my purpose in this search?” 

Rosiere grit his teeth, letting his claws sink into the wooden deck. So word traveled that fast… He took a breath before staring sharply at the General. “If it is the mirror you seek, we traded it off.” he stated.

Danaus’s ear twitched at the lie as she glanced around the deck. Several guards were now mixed in with the crew… but something was off. None of them seemed to make a move to search the storage bins, nor go under deck. This wasn’t right…

“Wow! And you’re slow! No, we could care less if you have the Black Mirror, t’isn’t what the lord asked. We’ve come seeking the Vessel.” The general grinned, pointing with one paw across the deck.

Danus froze in place, jaw dropping as she realized the paw was pointed at her. How did they know? She was so sure Ephraim had no relations with the royal government in regards to his “experiment”, so how did they find out about her? Instinctively she moved to back away, but her path was stopped as she bumped into a guard behind her. They seemed to tower over the molly, who stared at the captain. “Rosi-”

Only a brief tsch left Rosiere before his paw entered his mouth and a loud whistle echoed across the sea. As if in the same instant, the ship broke into chaos. Rosiere turned on his heels and dashed towards Danaus, who had leaped upwards out of the guard’s grasp at the signal. The royal crew acted in response, looking to seize the girl, but ended up locked in combat instead with the Aramitsu’s crew. Rosiere ducked, letting his paws slide across the wood to dodge a heavy swing from a soldier. His front paws planted themselves on the wood as he spun, lifting his hind legs in front of him to kick the cat a ways across the deck.

He watched as Danaus scrambled up the posts, dashing between and behind the sails with a soldier close on her tail. Rosiere was quickly brought to reality when his head rang with pain suddenly, and he was sent flying, crashing into some barrels. “Ack-!” He coughed, looking up to see the General approaching.

“Ah, where are my manners? General Aesogus of the Aztracian Navy at your service~ Well, you’re at mine, but you get the point!” He purred, smiling smugly. One paw reached to his thigh before drawing a longsword with golden engravings on the handle. “Enough of the formalities though! I have to kill you now. But hey look on the bright side, I won't sink your ship. It’s a real beauty, you know. It’ll look nice in one of my fleets~” He hummed, pushing himself up onto his hind paws to properly hold the sword as he approached the captain.

Rosiere glared at Aesogus with fury. “You piece of shit! Leave my crew alone, and the Aramitsu belongs to me. Keep your filthy paws off it.” He got up, but knew better than to charge the general with the way he swung the sword effortlessly in one paw. The captain’s gaze flitted across the deck, scanning until he caught sight of the light brown fur of Ferin. He watched the young cat wove through the chaos, dropping, rolling and running to dodge tooth and claw as the crews fought. In his jaw was Himaru, a long black katana. Rosiere’s gaze flickered between the cat with his sword and the General, who sure took his sweet time in approaching.

“FERIN!” Rosiere yelled, lifting up on his hindpaws and reaching a front paw up in the air. The captain’s well placed confidence paid off as within the second, he saw his sword flung across the deck, and his paw curling around the leather of its sheath. He drew the blade, which glistened in light with the sun.

“Impressive! I didn’t expect you to know swordsmanship too! This will be fun~” Aesogus chirped, planting one foot against the wood before launching himself at Rosiere without warning. The clang of metal rose through the air as Rosiere lifted his sword to block the strike, sparks flying as the blades grinded against another. It was Aesogus the drew away, stepping back once before swinging his longsword sideways. The strike was parried with Himaru twisting in the captain’s paws, dropping to a vertical at his side to block the blow.

“And to think this is all the royal navy has to offer…” A chuckle left Rosiere, who used an overturned bucket as support to leap upwards. His ascent was cut short though as a paw wrapped around his ankle, yanking him to the ground with a slam. The impact tore the air from his lungs, leaving the captain coughing and lying on his back.

“Tsk, I was trying to be nice. But you're just so rude.” Aesogus sneered, nearing the feline with his sword gripped tightly in one paw. 

Rosiere coughed, which turned into a laugh as he propped himself up on one elbow. “Heh, I am a pirate, afterall.” a grin crossed his face, but quickly disappeared as he found that the tip of a blade found itself under his chin. He frowned, looking up at Aesogus.

Though his hate was stopped in its tracks as a high pitched scream rang in the air, turning everyone's attention up to the sails. In the moment that passed, all the captain could process was the flash of white fur that dropped from the beams above, causing his stomach to drop with it. The sound and splash of water that followed made Rosiere roll to the side swiftly, forgetting the danger and earning him a nick on his neck from not avoiding the blade fully. He’d deal with that later. The tom pelted across the deck, swerving past the members of both ships, who were frozen in shock. All combat had ceased with the realization..

“DANA!!” The captain yelled, propping his paws up on the railing of the deck with his eyes desperately scanning the surface of the water.

Something… anything… desperation rose in his chest.

But the sea remained silent, refusing to give back what it took.