Before you read, it may be a good idea to read about kenku if you haven't, their unique attributes are a focus point of the story.
This is the first part of the Sheaf's Chronicles series. The next part is Combat Training.
Sheaf stood, happily feeling the breeze in the crow's nest of the ship. An appropriate name, he thought, sharing the sentiments of his new captain. As the salty breeze passed him, the kenku felt bliss. It truly felt like flying, the wind flowing through his dark feathers, the sea far below. It made Sheaf feel young again. He was not young, but he wasn't quite old, at least not yet. Today was a new chapter in his life, the dim chambers of the monastery left behind for the open sea and the bright sun before him.
As his sharp eyes focused on the horizon below, Sheaf reflected on the day. He had finally arrived at the port city after hours of isolated journey. As he passed through the gates, he immediately perked up. The city was astounding! New sights, smells, and, most of all, sounds greeted him as he strode through the city. Sheaf took in all the stimulus around him. He had always prided himself on his massive catalogue of sounds and mimicked words, and now it was quickly growing. Winding his way around the streets found him at the docks, where he stood, awestruck
Towering above the buildings around him, the thick masts of the ships caught his attention first. He had read books about ships before, but none could quite relate their true size. He immediately knew what his next step was to be.
Casting his eyes around, Sheaf spotted a sign on the side of a small building. It read Hiring Sailors, Apply Within. He entered the building, and inside saw a bored-looking woman wearing an officer's uniform behind a desk. She heard him enter, and flicked her eyes to him for a moment, returning her attention to the paperwork below her. As soon as she registered what she had saw, she took a double-take at the feathered man.
"Help you?" she said, an unsure look playing across her face. She wasn't the first Sheaf had noticed surprised by his appearance. Satisfied with her attention, he gestured to the poster on the wall, a smaller copy of the sign outside. She nodded, and shuffled papers around, pulling a form from a cabinet.
"Alright, you're seeking a job with the Navy?" Sheaf nodded. "Any military experience?" He shook his head. "Any sailing experience?" Again, he shook his head. She furrowed her brow. "I can put you below-deck-" He quickly shook his head. The thought of the stuffy dark belly of the ship made his feathers stand on end. "... or a deck-hand. Have you ever handled a cannon?" He shook his head again, and she sighed, starting to put away the papers.
"I can learn, though." He quickly said, immediately regretting it. Her face betrayed her confusion and slight fear. His vocabulary was vast, but it was stitched together, mechanical and unnatural to the people he didn't know. For years, the most popular punishment for undevout monks in his monastery was to read the young kenku large swaths of the dictionary. Through this, his index of words grew and grew, but his voice was a stitched mess, with many different voices, oddly intoned and melded together.
The strangeness of this reflected in the officer's face. As she tried to maintain her composure, she pointed to the door. "Try Captain Dranjis. He's a bit less… selective, than the guard." Sheaf hung his head and stepped out the door.
The dock's bustle brought his head up again, and he looked around, trying to figure out how to find this "Captain Dranjis." As he thought, a man suddenly took his arm.
"Oi, mate, Navy turn you down?"
"Yes," Sheaf replied.
"I take it they sent you after Dranjis, am I right?"
"Yes," Sheaf said again, wondering where this was headed.
"Don't bother. Dranjis is a drunk and a bastard. His daddy's the advisor to the guard, so he gets special treatment. You looking for passage or work?"
"Work," Sheaf told him, careful to keep his replies to one word at a time.
"Well, I just so happen to be recruiter for a Captain Zishen Nimma, and we're seeking some new sailors. Can you work hard-like?"
"Yes."
The man gave Sheaf a hard look. "Mate, let me ask you something. You know how to talk? I've 'eard you say two words since I met ye."
"I can talk, but it is usually… off-putting." Sheaf responded, letting his voice out.
"Ah, there it is. I figured, you're one of those Cuccoos, right? Can't talk but can mimic?"
"Kenku, and yes."
"Right. Kenku. I hear you got sharp eyes, yeah? Good at catching sights from afar and whatnot?"
"That is true."
"Brilliant. You look like you can work your way around some rope. You know how to climb?"
"Better than I know to speak."
"Good sense of humour. I like that. What's your name?"
Sheaf made the sound of ruffling papers that he took as his name, then told the man, "Though most call me Sheaf."
"Ah, I get it. Like papers, right? That's the sound? Kenku do that, yeah? Sounds for names?"
"Correct."
"Well, my name's Pim. Come with me, we'll see what the captain says."
Sheaf was surprised. Pim hadn't even flinched at his voice, or his name. Now he was getting Sheaf onto a ship, maybe as a scout. As they clambered up the gangplank, Sheaf glanced upwards. He saw the empty crow's nest, the rigging streaming from post to post, and the massive sails. He closely followed Pim around the men hauling supplies and keeping maintenance. Pim reached a door under the helm and knocked, a loud thud against the wood. He heard a response and opened the door, beckoning Sheaf inside.
When the door closed behind him, Sheaf was in a different world. In here was dark and quiet, lit by smoky windows and flickering candles. He felt as though he was in the monastery again. Pim stepped ahead of him and addressed a woman leaning against a desk.
"Captain, here's a recruit for you. I think this one's a real good one, could take 'ol Evam's place."
She turned and looked him up and down. She had long, dark hair held back, and a hard expression. She wore a tricorn hat and a rough-looking jacket, with thick pants tucked into tough boots. After a moment, she turned to Pim.
"How am I supposed to gather anything with that robe on him? Did you pick the bird up from a pack of monks or something?"
Sheaf decided to test his voice with her. "Actually, Captain Nimma, I have just left my service in a monastery. I am seeking a new experience for my life."
She looked at him, then turned to Pim. "What's with his voice?"
"Kenku, sir, they mimic. Every word he says, someone else said first."
She nodded, turning back to Sheaf. "That's why I keep Pim around. He's a piss-poor sailor, but he knows people." Pim shrugged, and picked up a book. "Are you modest?" the captain asked. Sheaf shook his head, and Nimma opened a trunk. She eyed him, then pulled out a set of clothes.
"Lose the robes and let me have a look at you. Don't get any ideas, I just want to see if you size up. I have standards for my crew, and if you're filling in for Evam, your bar's pretty high."
Sheaf complied and gave Pim a look. He lowered his voice and asked Captain Nimma, "Can he read?" She shook her head, and turned to him.
"It's upside down, twit." He jumped, and flipped the book over.
"I knew that," he said. "Just experimentin' is all."
The captain turned back to Sheaf, and said, "He's trying to learn, but I'm starting to think it's a waste of time." She scanned his body, head to toe, taking note of his talons and lean muscle. "You look like you can do." She took the set of clothes she pulled out and tossed them to him. "Try these on, check the fit. Those robes aren't going to work for your new job. You know how to use a sword?"
He nodded, pulling his short sword from his robe. As he pulled on the new outfit, Nimma turned to Pim.
"You didn't check him for weapons?"
Pim's face went white and he set the book down. He stuttered, spitting out, "I-I didn't think to, captain, he seems pretty trustworthy, and…"
"Out of my cabin, Pim. We've got more positions to fill, go do your job." He nodded furiously and tore out the door, shutting it behind him. Captain Nimma sighed and busied herself with a map, plotting the ship's new course.
Sheaf had readjusted the straps from his robe to fit his new clothes, and sheathed his sword at his back. "You have a strange relationship with him," he said.
Nimma paused, and lifted her head to look at Sheaf. "What are you saying, bird?"
"You keep him on a short leash, yet you are very forgiving. A blunder such as his put your life at risk, and he received no more than a slap on the wrist. You care for him, but you refuse to let him know."
Nimma relaxed, and rubbed her forehead. "He's a good man, and works for his keep, to be sure. He's a hell of a judge of character, too. If he brings someone on the ship, I trust them. Look, let me judge you by this. Can you keep something to yourself?" Sheaf nodded, his curiosity piqued. Nimma walked closer to him. "I want him to take over after I'm done with the ship. I see the potential in him, but he's never going to be able to captain a ship unless I kick his ass the whole way there."
Nimma paused and looked at Sheaf. She shook her head, and said, "Pim had a point. There's something trustworthy about you. And hell, you're an observant son-of-a-bitch. I think you can show Evam up. I'm putting you in the crow's nest." She paused and laughed. "Appropriate enough isn't it?" Sheaf perked up, not believing what he just heard. Nimma turned back to her map, then hesitated. She slowly turned back to Sheaf.
"Did Pim tell you what we do?"
Sheaf shook his head, confused at the question.
Nimma sighed, and regarded Sheaf. "You're on a pirate ship, bird. I don't suppose you're one of those, 'law above all else' people, are you?"
Sheaf shook his head, though suddenly unsure about his prospects.
"You were a monk though. Tend to be against killing, no? Let me try to elaborate. We don't touch merchants or innocents, right? Usually don't have anything worth taking anyway. But look, the Navy's crooked, and the Sword Coast isn't the only alone in that. We take from military and government vessels. Pim took you outside a Navy office? The way they turned you away, that's everyone, if you don't have someone in the court giving your name. The offices are for show, they only recruit people the king tells them to. The way I figure, they're stealing from us, let's steal from them. You still with us?"
Sheaf wondered for a moment, then responded to Nimma. "I will join you, but I must be able to leave if I cannot stomach the… activities."
Captain Nimma smiled, and stuck out her hand. "That's a deal, bird."
The captain told Sheaf what to watch for from the crow's nest and how to communicate that to the crew. She sent him out to meet the rest of the crew while they were still in port. He met a colorful crowd, mostly human, an elf or two, even a tabaxi, whom he took a liking to. They talked for nearly an hour until the captain told everyone to get to their stations. The ship set sail, and Sheaf took his place in the crow's nest, feeling the salty air through his feathers.
Author: Thank you for reading, this was a story to write while I had some writer's block on my other story (Miranyth Cave). I needed a bit of a change, and this provided it. Funnily enough, this story came about because I was bored while waiting for a test to start, so I started writing in the margins of a booklet. This is what it turned into.