The Non-Human Society

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Eight - Vim - A Swell of a Storm

      The wave crashed up over the deck, dousing me again.

I huffed and brushed sea water out of my face, only to get splashed even harder as the boat lurched the other way.

"I swear," I complained as I turned to look at the rest of the deck.

It was a mess. The ocean swells had already taken most of the stuff off the deck. The deck side cannons were gone, thanks to the left railing breaking off. Most of the loose rope, barrels and crates were either gone completely or stacked in a corner near the upper deck's stairwell. Tied with haste to keep hold of them.

As the ship rolled again, I shifted my weight to keep myself stationary. I wasn't tied down like the five other men on the deck. They all had three ropes each tied around their waists. One to the nearest mast to their station, one to a metal chain hook on the center of the deck, and a third and final one to tie them all together.

I had recommended them to not tie each other to themselves, but they hadn't listened. To them it was a smart idea.

Smart ideas didn't come when one panicked.

"Grab hold!" a man screamed as he lunged for the nearby iron mast. I turned to see what had spurred the instinct of survival.

A great wave, higher than our ship, was heading towards our port side.

The ship would be fine, I knew this... even the sailors knew this, but they weren't as lucky.

Men were feeble. Weak. They were nothing in the force of nature.

So what did that make me?

The wave hit us, and the boat suddenly disappeared from beneath my feet.

For a tiny moment I was weightless... then I felt my feet land onto the smooth wood once again. I crouched as the whole world went dark, and I wasn't able to see anything anymore.

The huge wave rolled over us, blocking out what little sun the clouds let thru, and once again I was in the ocean instead of above it.

As fast as the water came, it left. It swooshed loudly as it poured off the deck as fast as it could, as if the ocean waters didn't want to be on the boat anymore than we wanted it here.

"Hoorah!" the five men loudly bellowed their survival, and I was half tempted to join them.

I didn't though. It wasn't fair if I did.

Slowly standing up from my crouch, I looked up at the giant masts and sails. A few had torn and ripped before we had been able to get them rolled up, but most were still fine. Even the smaller masts in the rear were still in one piece.

This was a well made ship, all things considered.

Something touched my foot, and I looked down and realized I had lost my shoes. A crab was walking upon it. The hair legged thing was doing its best to escape.

I let it be, and wondered where my shoes had gone.

They were nowhere to be seen on the deck.

"Another lads!" one of the sailors bellowed.

Ignoring them, and the oncoming wave, I decided to head downstairs. If not to find another pair of shoes, but to at least check on the boy and the women.

As the wave came roaring towards us I headed for the doors to the lower levels.

I didn't need to open the doors. They had been broken off hours ago from the waves. One was stuck half bent inward, as if something heavy had landed on it... maybe a cannon had done the deed.