The seas crashed against the ship Oceanblood. Searats and oarslaves alike
groaned at the weather. It was down pouring, and water continually teemed
down like buckets of water were being dumped. Water seeped through the
slaves oarports, wetting the woods and making the slaves pitiful garb
soaked.
One searat, Lolak, bunched his fur tight, whip close at paw. He lashed out at an otter, whose back was scarred from before thrashings. The otter did not wince, but grimaced at the whip making fresh wounds. Staring out his oarport, he tried to wash out memories of previous floggings with the rain. The slaves were not rowing, but that was the only highlight.
" 'Ey, you, riverdog! Keep yer eyes forward! 'Less yew wanna talk to the Cap'n!"
The otter, Kaola, was about to snap back a smart remark when the ship lurched. The two rats who were on slave duty were hurled to the other end of the ship, slamming against the wall. Soon, the two searats were tangled together. Slaves chuckled quietly to themselves.
The other searat than Lolak hissed. "I hate this stinkin guard duty. What are these otters gonna do, snap open their chains and walk off board?"
Lolak nodded. "Right, mate. I though I 'eard the cook says he was gonna make skilly'n'duff. Maybe there's some left iffen the others didn't get to it!"
Lolak and the searat, after getting untangled, stood up and faced the misfortune slaves. "Looks, I ain't gonna say this again. Stay quiet and maybe you'll get fed tonight. Ahahaha!" They strode off laughing at the otters, who were caught a season earlier at an otter encampment. Oceanblood had no slaves, so the otters were the only slaves on board. Since there were so few slaves, the four otter families were worked extremely hard.
Kaola, after seeing them leave, smashed his paw against his chains. "I want to slay those two, aye, the whole crew! I want to leave this flea-ridden cursed ship! I want to see it rot into pieces, and those sink! I want-"
"Freedom."
The otters turned their heads towards the back. A young ottermaid was sitting back there, her paws bound to her oar, scars across her face. She was pure black, and her eyes were tinted red from birth- she was in the back from the very beginning. The captain was afraid of her eyes, for he claimed that a demon resided in them. To that the ottermaid, ShadowWave Tsunami, replied, "It is not me the demon, but your ship and your entire crew!"
Since then, she was alone pulling her oar, her red shaded eyes glaring at the searats. Every one of the searats feared her- not just because of her looks, but because she always took a chance to bite, claw, kick or harm in any way to any rat. ShadowWave made sure any slave near her was not harmed, or the offending rat would get an injury.
"Freedom," she repeated, her bold voice ringing out like a brazen bell. "We have been denied that for a season, many slaves on other ships their lives. These creatures, foul, evil, malicious, cruel- that is the only thing that resides in their eyes. For a see this ship as a tree that had it's freedom stolen and wrecked. I see these chains as ore that has been shaped, not as a key, but a shackle- a shackle used on a slave that has been wrecked, shaped, and hurt."
Kaola spoke up, his voice equally strong. "That is true. Are we not riverdogs, streamdogs, otters? We are on a ship, and well able to get off it!"
An old otter, his fur a silvery gray, whispered, "But how..."
ShadowWave jerked her fetters hard. They squeaked, and visibly moved. She wrenched harder, and the whole slave crew watched. Finally, the chains gave in. They yanked from their staple, deeply set in the middle of the floor. A small bit of chain was left. Little did the searats know, they had put ShadowWave closest to the staple bolt- and therefore the most easy place to escape. She looked around. "Well? Start pulling with all your might- these paws will be the ones around the searat's necks!"
A/N Ok, that's one chappie! I've been sitting in this cursed desk for a while, and I gotta go. Oh well, wait for the next chapter! -Shadowsong CometShard StarGlaive. (By the way, in the story, it's about dusk.)
One searat, Lolak, bunched his fur tight, whip close at paw. He lashed out at an otter, whose back was scarred from before thrashings. The otter did not wince, but grimaced at the whip making fresh wounds. Staring out his oarport, he tried to wash out memories of previous floggings with the rain. The slaves were not rowing, but that was the only highlight.
" 'Ey, you, riverdog! Keep yer eyes forward! 'Less yew wanna talk to the Cap'n!"
The otter, Kaola, was about to snap back a smart remark when the ship lurched. The two rats who were on slave duty were hurled to the other end of the ship, slamming against the wall. Soon, the two searats were tangled together. Slaves chuckled quietly to themselves.
The other searat than Lolak hissed. "I hate this stinkin guard duty. What are these otters gonna do, snap open their chains and walk off board?"
Lolak nodded. "Right, mate. I though I 'eard the cook says he was gonna make skilly'n'duff. Maybe there's some left iffen the others didn't get to it!"
Lolak and the searat, after getting untangled, stood up and faced the misfortune slaves. "Looks, I ain't gonna say this again. Stay quiet and maybe you'll get fed tonight. Ahahaha!" They strode off laughing at the otters, who were caught a season earlier at an otter encampment. Oceanblood had no slaves, so the otters were the only slaves on board. Since there were so few slaves, the four otter families were worked extremely hard.
Kaola, after seeing them leave, smashed his paw against his chains. "I want to slay those two, aye, the whole crew! I want to leave this flea-ridden cursed ship! I want to see it rot into pieces, and those sink! I want-"
"Freedom."
The otters turned their heads towards the back. A young ottermaid was sitting back there, her paws bound to her oar, scars across her face. She was pure black, and her eyes were tinted red from birth- she was in the back from the very beginning. The captain was afraid of her eyes, for he claimed that a demon resided in them. To that the ottermaid, ShadowWave Tsunami, replied, "It is not me the demon, but your ship and your entire crew!"
Since then, she was alone pulling her oar, her red shaded eyes glaring at the searats. Every one of the searats feared her- not just because of her looks, but because she always took a chance to bite, claw, kick or harm in any way to any rat. ShadowWave made sure any slave near her was not harmed, or the offending rat would get an injury.
"Freedom," she repeated, her bold voice ringing out like a brazen bell. "We have been denied that for a season, many slaves on other ships their lives. These creatures, foul, evil, malicious, cruel- that is the only thing that resides in their eyes. For a see this ship as a tree that had it's freedom stolen and wrecked. I see these chains as ore that has been shaped, not as a key, but a shackle- a shackle used on a slave that has been wrecked, shaped, and hurt."
Kaola spoke up, his voice equally strong. "That is true. Are we not riverdogs, streamdogs, otters? We are on a ship, and well able to get off it!"
An old otter, his fur a silvery gray, whispered, "But how..."
ShadowWave jerked her fetters hard. They squeaked, and visibly moved. She wrenched harder, and the whole slave crew watched. Finally, the chains gave in. They yanked from their staple, deeply set in the middle of the floor. A small bit of chain was left. Little did the searats know, they had put ShadowWave closest to the staple bolt- and therefore the most easy place to escape. She looked around. "Well? Start pulling with all your might- these paws will be the ones around the searat's necks!"
A/N Ok, that's one chappie! I've been sitting in this cursed desk for a while, and I gotta go. Oh well, wait for the next chapter! -Shadowsong CometShard StarGlaive. (By the way, in the story, it's about dusk.)