Another Ghost Ship

Chapter 4

Something woke Dean from his restless and uncomfortable sleep, and he lay there, eyes closed, as he searched his surrounding with his other senses...the gentle rocking of the "ground" below him and the muffled sound of lapping water threw him for a moment until he remember he was on freakin' pirate ship in the middle of the freakin' ocean. Damn, he was getting too old for this crazy shit!

He rolled over on his back with muffled groan, and opened his eyes, expecting to see his baby brother grinning down at him, or one of the "pirates "staring down at him curiously: what he wasn't' expecting was said pirate to be green and monster looking...

With a wild "what the hell" shout, Dean rolled away from said "monster" and came to his feet, drawing a weapon in one fluid motion.

All hands nearest the "commotion" stopped and turned their attention to the crouching man to see he had a weapon drawn on their crewmate: and several of the crew followed suit, moving up to intervene in the impending altercation, only to be shoved aside forcefully by a small, heavy set bearded man.

"You best be putting that pig sticker away boy, lest ye be wantin' to be feedin the fishes," the short, bearded man threatened as he raised a rather large looking axe to point at Dean.

"Dean," Sam exclaimed in surprise as he pushed through the crowd to stand with his brother; turning to the angry crowd he held up his hands in a placating manner, "look, we don't want any trouble..."

Before the exchange could degenerate into a full blown melee, a harsh voice sounded over the crowd as Cierra pushed her way through, "Enough...back to your stations...now: lest you wish me to wake the captain to deal with the likes of you all...you're lucky Monty and the likes of them are below deck at the moment..."

A wave of grumbling was heard through the crowd as the crew began to slowly disperse back to their duties. Satisfied that her command was being heeded she turned to the opposing parties, "what in the name of Haramast is the trouble here: put that damn axe away before I take it from you, Thrain...you want the captain to see you threatening our guests..." turning to Dean, she demanded similarly, "and you, put the dagger away, lest John decides he only needs one of you..."

Eying each other suspiciously, Thrain and Dean slowly sheathed their weapons.

"Now would someone like to tell the meaning of this rabble you've caused," Cierra demanded.

"I'm afraid it was all my doing Mistress," the green creature said in a high pitched and excitable voice, "I was merely intrigued with our guests, I just wished to speak to them..."

"It talks..." Dean murmured to Sam.

Cierra and Thrain both shot Dean a scathing look, before Cierra said, "Perhaps you should have waited until the young man awoke, instead of startling him from his sleep...as I see it, no harm done to either side but some ruffled feathers...that I'm smoothing out now: no more will be said of the incident, lest you want the captain to be making a judgment."

Cierra's eyes feel specifically to the small bearded man known as Thrain, who grumbled unintelligibly but allowed the "green" creature to herd him off.

"And you, you best be more careful who you draw a weapon on, on this ship..." Cierra warned.

Dean just growled, while Sam said, "...thanks for that, really, we didn't mean any offense..."

"What was that...?" Dean demanded hoarsely as he watched the two 'men?' go below deck, before he then waved his hand to indicate the deck and rigging, "...I mean really; your crew is like a freaking 'Monster Mash'...

"What...you mean Thrain and Roderick..." Cierra said, "...mostly harmless, really...a dwarf's bark is usually worse than his bite...but in your case, he may make an exception; despite the captains orders..."

"Dwarf?...what, that make you Snow White, or something," Dean snarked.

Cierra looked at him blankly, as Sam asked tentively, "...and Roderick...?"

"He's a goblin...fancies himself a poet..." Cierra mused, with a gentle smile.

Exchanging surprised looks, Dean asked slowly, "... a goblin...? Next you'll be telling me your first mate is a ghoul and elves dance through the rigging..."

Cierra now looked at both young men curiously, "God's no...Dangerous lot, ghouls and wraiths and the like; and as for elves—since the battle of Freeport, relations between the humans and the elves has been much strained. You claim to be well travelled on your world, yet you seem to know nothing of dwarves and goblins...even were you to stick to human cities, surely you have come across news of the other races in your travels?"

"Listen lady...we don't live in Halloween town...the only differences in our 'races' is skin tone; we sure as hell don't have monsters living next door..." Dean snapped out...'at least the normal people didn't', Dean mused to himself.

"This planet...for the most part; consists only of humans," Sam supplied.

Now it was Cierra's turn to look surprised, "Only humans? No elves or dwarves...gnomes...halflings?"

"Halflings," Dean questioned, adding sarcastically, "where'd you pop out from...Middle Earth?"

Shaking her head, Cierra answered, "Carathus..."

"So, your world...it's called, Carathus," Sam asked.

"Aye," Cierra responded.

Realizing, not for the first time, that they were indeed on a world totally foreign to them and by default the crew and its world was a mystery to the two strangers, Cierra decided to elaborate: despite the two having no frame of reference.

"I hale from Kalindi, the captain and his brothers from Freeport, Devlin from Pollogus: the rest of the crew from all points in between," the bard supplied.

"And monsters just roam freely around your world," Dean asked with sarcasm.

"Of course not, they keep to shadows and dank dwellings...most but hear of them through song or bawdy tale from the likes of adventurers," Cierra stated, "Few souls, would dare venture out with purpose to meet such foul creatures."

"You're not jokin' are you," Dean finally said.

"Joke? Tis no joke to meet such as a ghoul or orc in its lair," Cierra replied, the small shiver that crept down her body not going unnoticed by the hunters.

"But you and your crews...you do; venture out, that is," Sam asked.

"Aye, the lure of adventure and treasure keeps us in constant company of that which sane men flee," Cierra said with gentle snort, looking again at the two men with curiosity, " and your home...you have no such foul beasts to peril you in your travels?"

"Uh, well...like your world; most people only hear of monsters in stories...and few believe the tales to be anything more than that," Sam explained.

"A world without monsters..." Cierra mused.

"Geek boy didn't say that," Dean interjected, adding, "we got our own monsters...it's just most people don't believe anymore."

"Interesting..." Cierra said. "We shall be going ashore before the midday sun," Cierra then informed the brothers, "if you be wanting any breakfast, I suggest you get yourself below deck while cook is still of mind to be feeding the lot of you..."

Sam just nodded to the woman and grabbed his brother's arm, practically pulling his brother across the deck.

"Dude, they have monsters as part of their crew...and did you hear her talk...dwarves and elves...and did she really say—halflings, they've got Hobbits...Really!" Dean exclaimed as his brother continued to guide him towards the stairs.

Sam shrugged, "guess goblins aren't monsters in their world..."

Seeing his brother's incredulous look, Sam said, "...hey, at least ghouls and wraiths seem to be..."

"If she mentions dragons, I am so outa' here," Dean grumbled, "and we still don't know what those things are up in the rigging..."

/supernatural/Freeport pirates/