EXILE on hold! sorry :(

Chapter 7

Hey guys! so, I know this has been a loooong time coming!  :O but i've been extremely busy lately. unfortuanately, i don't think i will be able to finish quickly enough to do the wattyawards :( it sucks, truly, but i'd rather write at my own pace than cram and rush to do the contest.  and anyways, this is for you guys!! but enough of me, so enjoy the chapter!! :D (and as always... votes, comments, and feed back are greatly appreciated! (: )

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EXILE: Part-of- Chapter 7!

Blaring sirens slowly faded from existence until they were no longer distinguishable sounds. The splashing of water overtook all noises that were quieter than the yelling Captain.

“C’mon ya lazy hounds!” He puffed down to the lower deck, where a multitude of men were rowing the giant oars to propel the vessel forwards. “There beh l’ttle wind in tha sails! Ya beh rowin’ aginst tha current. We hadn’t got all day! I want tha port in sight by no lata’ than dusk! C’mon fellas! Throw yer backs into it!”

Gotare chuckled at the Captain’s haggard speech and rough accent. It was completely different from what we were use to. Nothing about the Captain was very normal to us. We were use to straightforward people, where what they seemed like was what they were. But the Captain… He was different. He seemed like a tough and timeworn man, but he had a delightful tone to his voice. As fit as he was, he lumbered around like a blimp. He was an odd character and it was obvious that he was hiding secrets behind his sage orb eyes.

We stood apart from the crew. Our backs were pressed against the bow’s railing. Mist sprayed onto my neck, making me shiver. Together, Gotare and I observed the on-goings of the ship in the beating sun.

Moon Breaker wasn’t in as much chaos as she was when she first left dock. Instead of racing around in panic, the crew walked to their stations with a peaceful gait. Many things were being done to keep the vessel on her course. Things were settling down though as well. The Captain appeared in the hatch to the lower deck. He stared at as curiously for a moment, then blinked.

“Hey, ya gua’ds!  C’mon ov’r ‘ere,” I grabbed Gotare’s attention, and lead the way towards the Captain. “Hm,” he mumbled looking skywards. “Tha sun is shinnin’ down quite brightlay rit’ now. If ya want ta, ya can take off some of tha armer that ya bear.”

“Thank you, Captain,” I replied, feeling the sweat upon my back and brow. Gotare grunted his thanks in turn. I stepped down the hatch beside the Captain. Missing the ladder’s rail, I started to fall to the deck floor. I thudded against the floor in a heap and felt it creak under me.

Gotare chuckled as he slid down the ladder. “Well, that was graceful,” Gotare chuckled as he helped me up.

“Why thank you,” I replied with gusto, followed by a deep bow. Laughing, I walked down a side hall to where the guard quarters were kept. Choosing one of the rooms, I slipped inside and closed the door behind me. I looked around.

Sunlight streamed in from the porthole and illuminated everything in the tiny room. A single bed occupied the left wall. Bolted to the floor and wall on the right side of the room was a minimal wardrobe. A candle lantern swung from the ceiling. There wasn’t much floor space in the cramped room, but it was cozy and homey.

With nimble fingers, I undid the leather knots on my armor. I removed the greaves and the breastplate. The rest of the armor was placed on the floor soon after, followed by the light chainmail and tunic. I immediately felt a great weight lifted off of me, and I breathed a sigh of relief.  Rolling my shoulders, I stretched out the kinks in my neck and back. I gathered all my stuff to put it into the wardrobe.  Hurriedly, I placed my armor into the cabinet.

Leaving the room behind, I made my way back to the upper deck. Bright sun bombarded my eyes. I squinted. I raised my hand up to cover my eyes from the intense sun. Finally, when my eyes adjusted to the brilliant light, I noticed the odd sight on the deck.

Everywhere I looked, flowers were floating through the sky. They were sitting on the deck, and swooping past the crew’s heads. Rising upwards, they glinted and shone. Not one soul moved as the majestic sight took place.

One of the flowers floated towards me. I reached out slowly with my hand. With a gentle move, I touched one of the delicate petals. It was warm and gave off a comforting feeling. Scooping my hand underneath the flower, I brought to myself. Once it was close enough, I examined its extensive beauty.

The main colour the petals held was ivory. The edges were lined with gold. Towards the pistil, the colour blended into a rosy pink. Looking closer, I noticed flecks of pink were scattered across the ivory petals. A vivid red covered the stigma. Little golden stamen surrounded the pistil. The more I observed, the more I saw upon the flower.

A breeze blew past my face. I glanced up and saw thousands of the flowers swirling around me passively. Picking up speed, they swung around me faster and faster. The flower on my hand drifted off, and joined the twirling of the others. My hair blew across my face in withering strands. Joy spread through my body. I laughed gleefully. I twirled with the flowers and lifted my chin up to see the sky. Sparkling, golden dust fell down from the petals of the flowers. It alighted upon me, making me glow. Still laughing, I slowed to a stop.

Suddenly, the flowers stop circling me. Instead, they rose upwards then headed in a northwest direction. I fell quiet, and watched them float away. A smile lingered on my lips.

“Wow…” Gotare breathed, coming up behind me. I turned to look at him and found all members of the crew staring at me. The Captain stood there with his jaw dropped as far as it would go.

The crew started to mumble and whisper, amazement still drawn on their faces. The Captain stumbled towards me. He was noticeable shaking, and his breaths were labored. When he finally reached me, he swallowed and opened his mouth to speak. He shut it, swallowed again, and tried once more to speak.

“It was tha sign of tha Elves!”