Inquiry
By: Grant
It had been cold. Victor had been holding his paws around his arms, as he tried to warm himself. The monkey jacket he wore aided no help against the bitter cold nor did his fur. The feline's tail was coiled around his leg and his ears tried to droop down against his skull, but the visor cap prevented them from doing so. Victor watched his breath in the air and the thought of a warm cup of water made him shudder. Just a simple cup of warm water would do, he could've cared less for tea or coffee just anything warm would've felt like paradise for him. Victor leaned over the deck rail and looked at the blue waters of the North Atlantic. The water was calm and steady, not a single wave crashing against it. Victor felt nervous as much as he had cold, calm water isn't a good sign for oceanliners at night. While it does make the sailing feel peaceful it also defeats any waves crashing against icebergs to alert any crew members. Victor looked up to see the dark sky littered with stars but the moon was nowhere in sight. No moon meant no light and no light meant no way of seeing any obstacles ahead. Victor only hoped that the crew in the crow's nest had their binoculars. Soon a dog walked over to Victor and had his paws grasped around two saucers with ceramic cups on them. Steam escaped the cups as Victor reached out and took the saucer and cup that the canine figure offered. The cup had the Cunard Line company logo printed on it. It had a black liquid substance inside and Victor could barely smell the scent of the coffee. Victor sipped on it and felt his mouth sting with warmth but he gulped down the drink nonetheless. Victor looked at the dog figure, who wore a similar outfit to his but wore a beanie instead of a visor cap. Victor looked at the dog's name tag, it read 'Eden'.
"Too hot?" Eden asked, his accent deep and icy. "Hope that's just reem for ya. Ya needn't freeze yer'self out here."
Victor only continued to drink the coffee with a relieved look on his face. Victor finally looked at his canine companion when he was nearly finished with the drink before speaking.
"Aye Eden," Victor said, as he licked his lips. "What does Authur think he is doin'?! To take us off course when we had been so close at our finish line? You'd think the captain had gone mad!"
"Distress signals are what I've heard," Eden replied before he sipped his own coffee. "I shall inform you otherwise if somethin' were to appear. They're readying warm blankets inside. Pah, such a sight and we are to freeze our asses off."
"Distress?" Victor asked, his ears finally perked up. "From whom?"
"Not sure," Eden replied, "All I've heard are that it's one of White Star Line's liners."
"Pah," Victor scoffed, as he smirked. "Are we surprist? From what I've heard those three liners-of theirs weren't even made for speed. So much for trying to keep up against the Lusitania's record."
"Ah well," Eden said, as he glanced down into his cup. "Shall you gloat about your pride to whomever we shall pull out of the Atlantic, good luck trying not to get the stink eye."
Victor's smirk faded away and the two stood on the deck in silence for a while. The two heard the distant sound of the reciprocating engines from down below being worked on. Neither spoke with the other. Eden just sipped his refreshment and wagged his tail to shake the cold off of him.
"Shall… we depart our own paths?" Victor asked as he grew anxious.
"Yes," Eden replied, "Indeed it would be a wiser decision."
The two nodded and went on their own accords. As Victor strolled down the deck, he glanced at the lifeboats held up by rivets. He took note of the name of the very vessel that he was riding. 'SS CARPATHIA'. Victor was filled with the prideful feeling he once had not long ago.
Please feel free to share your personal thoughts on the story. I do hope you enjoyed chapter I of this possibly long fanfic.