The ocean was always a very mysterious and dangerous place. Creatures hidden below the surface, some of which no human eyes had ever set sights on. Large trading companies from other countries and continents sailed across the sea, selling goods unique to their homeport to others and buying goods in return. And then there were pirates. They hid within the looming mists of the seas, coming out to attack small towns, get rid of government officials who tried to stop them, and steal every piece of gold they could get their dirty hands on.
Tales were told of many pirates who had destroyed many towns and left many with no homes. Of course, the children hear these tales and instantly decide to play pirate, some grouping together and making teams: the pirates, the townspeople, and the government. The children always seem oblivious to how true these tales were and how dangerous pirates could really be. The majority of children would never have to worry about dealing with pirates until they got older, if they ended up a sailor, of course. But not all kids are quite that lucky.
The town of Greymouth had always been a generally peaceful place. Many ships used the somewhat large ports that were built in the town a long time ago, stopping to resupply on long journeys to other countries, as well as give the people some of their supply in return for generosity.
This town, similar to many others, had their own experiences with pirates, but those had occurred long before the current time, almost being a myth in the eyes of the young who were being raised there. Anymore, pirates were unheard of, even when the largest ships with the most valuable cargo were there.
Around the center of town, one of the larger inns was bustling with excitement, despite the late time of day. A ship had just arrived that morning at the docks, full of riches that the younger generation had not yet seen. Odd coins with different patterns and letters on them, recently made dresses and suits that could easily fit the young, and fancy dishes and foods that were only found wherever the ship had come from. The Captain of the ship himself had brought some of their goods to the town, happy to see the beautiful faces of the women, which he didn't see often, and the bright eyes and bushy tails of the youngsters. The Captain was a somewhat younger man, maybe in his 40s or 50s, with cut black hair, brown eyes, and a suit that seemed as if only the most rich could ever think of wearing. He sat on a tall stool in the middle of the room, boxes and crates stacked behind him against the wall that were being torn open by some of the innworkers and his own crew.
Down the steps of the inn came a woman, one of the cooks, followed by a young girl. The woman had her hair back in a small ponytail, a long green dress hanging down to her knees.
"Thank you Dallin. We always appreciate you stopping by and bringing new things for the little ones," she stated, giving a small curtsey to the Captain. Despite the fact that she wasn't the owner of the inn, she might as well of been, since the inn's owner was a lazy drunk who couldn't care less about the town itself, only caring about money. The lady pretty much ran every part of the inn, giving people rooms and watching after the children, as well as the cooking and contacting the ported ships when they arrived.
Captain Dallin had visited the inn many times, bringing some of the goods to them for the kids, as well as those who stayed at the inn. Some also saw small hints that the cook had something to do with his constant visits as well.
"Of course. I always enjoy stopping by to see all these kids. They always ask if they can be apart of my crew. I enjoy coming to see you to, " said Dallin, offering a kind smile, despite the fact that his words were more flirtatious than they were just kindness. "So where is your little gi-" his words ended as his question was answered. Out behind the cook came the girl who had followed her downstairs.
The girl was still a child, around five or six years of age. Her face had some of the same features of the cook, including slightly large eyes and a small nose. Her eyes were a bright shade of green, going from lighter around the pupil to darker at the edges. Her silver hair, of which the naturality was questioned, was pulled back into a small braid, pulled over one of her shoulders.
"Here!" She let out a small giggle, trotting up to the Captain and looking up at his hat, attempting to reach up and take it from him. With a smile, the Captain removed the hat from his head and set it on the girl's head, the front of the hat falling down over her eyes and being too large for her small head. Despite the size difference, the girl pushed the hat up off her eyes and held it there as she went to join the other kids next to the now open crates.
"Make sure you don't lose that hat, Tawny, " the cook called after her daughter. As her and Dallin returned looks of amusement, screams were suddenly heard from outside, followed by a loud explosion. The two of them, as well as the members of his crew, ran outside to see a fire over the roofs of the houses. As far as they could tell, one of the houses near the docks had been hit, most likely by cannon fire.
"Stay here!" Shouted Captain Dallin as he and his crew charged towards the docks. Without any question, the woman ran to the children, grabbing each of their hands and rushing them up the steps. Most of the kids ran to the rooms where their parents were staying, each entering rooms and shutting the door behind them. The lady and Tawny ran to their room as well, which was right next to the steps leading to the bottom half of the inn. They shut and locked the door behind them, Tawny rushing to the window while the cook gathered things together.
Scared green eyes stared out the window at the scene happening at the docks. Fires dotted the edge of the town, growing in number by the minute. At first where the fires were coming from was unknown, but keen eyesight allowed Tawny to see. Another ship, not at the docks but still in the water, was firing cannons at the town. The ship itself wasn't all that visible, but the silhouette and the red flash from the cannons was clearly there. There was something else, as well. Something white near the top portion of the ship. The girl reached over to where a small telescope, given to Tawny's mother by her father who she didn't know, was set, normally there so that the child could look at the stars. As she looked through at the ship, she saw that there was a flag flying from the mast. The flag itself nearly blended in with the darkness, but the symbol stood out. A white skull and crossbones. Pirates.