The Adventures of Little Cloud

High Stakes

    "Three twos." Little Cloud declared confidently. She looked into her opponents eyes ad she said this, trying to guess if he was going to call or raise the stakes. 

    "Four twos." He growled. A flicker of fear flashed in his eye. 

   "Liar." Little Cloud said calmly. They both overturned their. cups, revealing that Little Cloud was indeed the victor. A smile that can only come form causing others pain split her face. 

    Her opponent roared in rage, and flipped the table, scattering the dice. "You cheated!"

   "How could I possibly cheat?" Now Little Cloud was angry. "It is impossible to cheat at a game of random chance."

  The man leaped at her, swinging his fin-like fists wildly. She dodged to the side, and landed a blow on the small of his back, then at the base of his neck, pushing him to the ground. Little Cloud started to walk back up to the deck for her watch when Davy Jones spoke.

   "I believe it is quite time for initiation, don't you." The whole crew laughed with a maniacal humor. Little Cloud had a bad feeling.  The crew grabbed her and dragged her upstairs. And there it was.

   A giant squid-like creature Little Cloud had only read about waved its tentacles menacingly above the water. Little Cloud reached out with her mind, and felt only an angry, ravenous hunger, a desire to destroy all it knew existed, and wallow alone in its darkest thoughts. The feeling made Little Cloud want to hide herself in the middle of a desert, atop the highest mountain, or anywhere far away from the sea. But she could not back down. She was thrown forward. 

  "What exactly am I to be doing?" Little Cloud snarled. She put herself in a stance that was ready to fight.

  "Oh no. You won't be fighting one of us. You will fight the Kracken." Davy Jones laughed malevolently. The rest of the crew joined in, their jeers and mocks making Little Cloud wrathful. She turned to approach the beast, when several things happened. 

   One of the hideous tentacles wrapped itself around Little Clouds ankle and threw her against the mast. For a second, she blacked out. She remembered hearing the sound of her bones crunch, and when she drew in a breath, she coughed up blood. Several of her teeth lay strewn upon the deck. The world revolved around her for a split second as she lifted up her head. Then, she held out her hand, and hes missing teeth flew to it. Shoving them in her mouth, back into her gums, she stood up. Sparks started to burn in the air. 

   Little Cloud ran toward the beast, jumped and became a white dragon. She leaped at it, tearing with her teeth and slicing off tentacles with her claws. The Kraken retreated over the side of the boat, screeching in pain, but Little Cloud dove after. Roars and cringing noises followed, as the crew stared petrified at the ships rail. 

  Then the waters calmed. Steely silence gripped everyone, and even captain Davy Jones had been put on edge by the battle. He waited in anticipation for any sign of a victor.

Out of the water burst a white claw. It gripped the green slimy rail and hauled up the dragon. Before she had gone under the water to fight, Little Cloud had been a pristine, beautiful creature, but after the battle, her left wing was bloody and torn, and on of her eyes was completely sucked closed. Her maw dripped blood, and chunks of tentacle were caught between her claws. 

   She shrank back to her normal form, and stalked past the crew, snatching her sword from the hammerhead. "Pleasure to be serving as first mate, captain." Little Cloud said to Jones. 

   Jones nodded, lost for words.