LERWICK SCOTLAND...
The picture lying on the dock was torn, ragged and soaked but that didn't matter to the ship staring at it. Her hull was a wild assortment of colors, black, blue, gray, and teal, she looked like something out of the first World War. The dazzle paint could be dizzying, it was to even her at times and she found herself missing the night black coat she had before. Sighing, she rested her head down on the dock, her nose touching the picture. It was a photo of seven ships, all identical to her. One of them was her, only much younger. In the 1970s the Royal Navy built a class of ships to protect its fishing industries in Scotland. She was the second born of this class and very close to her siblings but one day all that changed. When she decided to abandon her duty and turn against the fishery she was born to protect. Most of her siblings forgave her, but one never did. "Jura..." the former FPV Westra, now MY Steve Irwin, sighed. Her only elder sister had forbidden her from ever returning to Abberdeen. Whatever words the two exchanged in the years hence had been words of hatred. Jura had been scrapped the month before, refusing to let her dazzle colored sister to see her. "Jura..." Irwin whispered again. She rested her nose over the photograph of all the Island class patrol vessels, tears falling gently from her eyes.
Her suburb hearing picked up on the sound of footsteps and her nose twitched as she picked up the strong scent of food. "Pea soup." She realized, hiding a grimace. Just what she needed to lower her already depressed mood. She heard a quite gasp, the bowl was set down beside her and a pair of hands were rubbing her snout soothingly. "Talk to me Westra." said that deep voice that Irwin knew so well. She merely whimpered, pressing her muzzle against her captain's fingertips. "Jura, she-she was scrapped last month. She wouldn't let me go and see her." She wailed. Paul's breath hitched. "I'm sorry." He said, actually meaning it. He paused momentarily in petting his ship to look at the picture Irwin's head rested on. "Is this her?" He asked, one finger resting on the ship furthest left. Irwin nodded. "Yes, those are all my sisters." She replied, her snout touching the one next to Jura. That smiling face and bright amber eyes were instantly recognizable. "I was so young then. So innocent." A bitter sob escaped her. "You can't blame yourself." Paul said. "But I can. I chose to fight against it. If I had just done what I was told..." She wailed. "If you had done what you were told, countless more lives would've been lost. Innocent ones, helpless." Paul told her sternly. "You did the right thing." "What is the right thing about it if it tears me away from my sister." Irwin sobbed. "The right thing is never easy, Westra. I trust you know that by now." He said. She nodded and he continued. "I too had to make a choice. If I hadn't gone down this path, I likely would've ended up as just one of those sealers we've fought in Labrador." "It hurts Paul!" Irwin wailed. "It hurts so much!" "I know, I know." He sighed, his fingers running soothing circles along the sides of her bow. She buried her muzzle into his chest, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath his layers of clothing and hearing the soothing beats of his heart. "Make it better. Make it stop hurting!" She begged him. Paul smiled gently, knowing what his ship wanted. Placing one hand under her chin, feeling the roughness of her red keel, and the other on her nose, he leaned forward and kissed her between the eyes, his forehead resting against her prow. The amber eyes met the brown and the darker pair softened considerably. "It will heal, with time." Paul promised her. She nodded. "Thank you." She half whispered. "Can't have my ship all moping around now can I?" He replied with a smile.
He let go and picked up the bowl he'd carried out. "Still steaming hot, good." He said and set it down in front of her. Westra hesitated. "Don't give me that." Paul chided. "Go on, you might actually like it this time." "What makes you think I will?" She snorted. He shrugged, a twinkle in his eyes as he replied "Intuition?" She gave him a deadpan look before lowering her head to sniff the soup experimentally. Well it passed the smell test at least. Time for the next test. She licked it, surprised to find that the dull taste of plant wasn't nearly as present this time. A full bite followed and Irwin soon found herself devouring the soup, licking the bowl clean. "Mmm, best soup I've ever had!" She exclaimed. "I knew you'd like it!" Paul laughed. "My compliments to the chef." She said. "Why thank you Westra." He replied. Her eyes widened a little. "You made it?" She asked. He nodded. She shifted her weight more towards the dock. "Um, would it be possible to have seconds?" She asked. This time her captain smiled. "Of course Westra, I'll be right back." He promised. He picked up the bowl and walked back inside.
Westra turned her gaze to the darkening sky. The stars were beginning to appear. "Are you up there, Jura? Do you even notice me?" She thought. The breeze picked up and almost, almost, Westra thought, she could hear her sister's voice again.