Moon Guardian

Chapter 4... The Voyage Home

 CyberAlias: Well well well, we meet again. Aren't you the avid reader. This chapter is loosely dedicated to X_KawaliPanda_X cause, well what can I say. She called me awesome and she's been an good supporter. And my first fan.

Enjoy

_____________________________________________________________________________

He didn’t need to have the ability to smell fear to know that his crew reeked of it. Three weeks into the voyage and everyone still got out of his way. As he paced the deck each day they stumbled over themselves to stay out of his way, no one dared to speak to him. They were terrified.

Alone in his cabin, Theodore tried to keep his insides calm as the ship dipped and swayed to the rhythm of crashing waves and howling winds. Eyes wandering to Luna, peacefully sleeping in a makeshift cot, he felt a stab of envy; how could she sleep through this storm while he his stomach lurched with every movement? He paced his room rhythmically, the constant sound of his boots hitting wood made him feel a little better.

He picked Luna from her cot, cradling her gently in his arms, carefully as not to wake her. She was so tiny, swathed in wool and cotton, her dark skin contrasting with the white of cloth reminded him once again how insane his plan was. Saving a child was one thing… saving an aboriginal child of Africa was another entirely, but to bring her back with him... to England? That was complete madness. It was folly to think that he was going to get away with this so easily.

The ship lurched again, as did his stomach simultaneously. He groaned, why the ship insisted on dancing on every wave that rolled under them was beyond him. Two weeks… two more weeks of this, and he’d be fine. Legs shaky with queasiness, Theodore hobbled above deck, adopting a false air of firmness as his head peaked out into the sunlight. The crew didn’t need to see him in a state of sickness, they were afraid of him. He needed it to stay that way.

“Thatcher!” he barked, “Where’s the milk?” He wasn’t much of a barking person, but how else would a fearful man command? He thought.

Thatcher came running, warm goat’s milk sloshing out the sides of a small bowl. He was the only one who grew up on a farm, and the only one who could milk the goat for Luna.

“Thank you.” Fearful men should still be polite shouldn’t they?

The sight of the milk unnerved him slightly; he could feel sickness sliding an unnatural path up his throat at the sight of the thick white liquid. He couldn’t be sick here… not in front of them. They may reek of fear but he was positive they could sniff out weakness like sharks would blood. With a firm nod of his head he turned and strode down below the deck.

The faint sounds of the child’s squalling reached him before he did the door. He saw her there, arms lifted slightly over the cot’s edges. Picking her up he began to hum a lullaby; it was the same lullaby the woman had sung in her last breath. The woman, he couldn’t say her mother, she was around for only a little… barely anytime of Luna’s life really, but she left him with this child… this child and a lullaby. He sang it over and over to her, stroking her back slightly, till her crying turned into tiny hiccups. It was then he remembered the milk. Settling her on his knee, his palm cradling her entire head and part of her back he dribbled milk into her mouth little by little, till he was sure she was full.

She was so tiny that he worried. Were babies supposed to be this small? He held her up for his inspection, her arms reached for his hair she’d grown fond of pulling but they weren’t long enough so the action resulted in the tiny palms brushing down his face. She really was tiny, he was sure she could be hidden with the covering of just his two palms. As he tried covering her attempting to test his theory, the sight of his skin next to hers made him fully realise that she was so light, back there, at night he’d thought her skin to be dark but once the sun rose he saw that she could pass for Caucasian… save a shade darker than most but he was sure no one would question it... for at least a little while.