Prologue
The sky was pitch black that night.
Considering that the crew's ship was out in the middle of the ocean, it should have been filled to the brim with stars. Not this clear night, however. On this night, the only source of light for miles around was the dinky little ship's lanterns and searchlights.
None of the crew members really concerned themselves with that anyway. It was a cold and wet night for them, as only hours ago the entire vessel had been tossed and turned about in a storm. Most of them were grateful that the waters were calm, and that the sky was clear.
They were in a rather festive mood since they had caught an abnormally large bounty of fish, so they all gathered around a lantern on the deck and spun old yarns about their lives back on land in attempts to make each other laugh.
It was then that a strange noise was heard by all of them. They quieted down quickly.
"Did you hear that?" was the most common question some were asking others, but before they could get any response by anybody, the entire ship suddenly began to rock back and forth, much like how it did earlier in the evening. The only difference here being that there wasn't a cloud in sight.
They all began to run around the ship in a panic. The captain barked orders at them, though most didn't listen in their chaos. Finally, the source of the ship's movement became known.
It lifted itself out of the ocean before them, the water being displaced rocking the ship slightly, and the liquid began to cascade off of the creature's body in sheets, pouring onto the ship and everyone in it.
It had rows upon rows of jagged dorsal fins, the main row tall, and towering over them. At last, the being lifted its head up, and gazed upon the ship.
They all stood in complete horror. In the flickering lights from the ship, they could see its face, its rows of teeth, and its dark glare reflecting in the warm blaze.
It dove down too fast for them to comprehend, its drooling mouth wide open, ready to take the boat in its jaws.