A/N: Allo again cheries. I couldn't wait to keep writing so here is four chapters over vacation. I'm... sorry...I'm venting a lot right now. I already used the last viable page in my sketch book so I'm writing like crazy instead. I hope you don't mind.
In the chapter I get to display my limited knowledge of sailing ships, and how to operate them. Mind you I'm going for as simple a version of my cousin's twelve foot sunfish sail boat as I can.
Soooo, as per usual, read read read sunflowers read!
The morning of Storm Festival arrived bright and clear with not even the faintest streak of red to ruin it. Feli had all but forgotten about Kiku's words of a boat returning. They came back everyday, and left everyday, it wasn't anything new. If it had been say, a Kilowe boat then he might have paid closer attention. The festival was on Tiberi this year, not Maykelo, so none of the other tribes should be coming here for anything as far as he knew. And he should, he was a prince, he had to be up to date in the political aspects of all of the tribes, weather he wanted to or not.
He tied the new deep blue sail to the mast and jib (it's the pole that lies parallel with the bottom of the boat, to keep the sail in place rather than flapping like a flag) poles and admired the pale reflection as sunlight flit through the fabric. He was now eighteen, an adult by all standards, and he could now fly his tribe's colors in his sail. Children's boats only ever used the plain white sails, so that if ever they were caught out by another tribes fleet they could not be faulted or harmed. No one attacked an innocent child on the open seas. But any adult with a boat could fly their islands colors. Maykelo's were blue and gold, as those were the most abundant colors to be found on the island . And he had chosen blue to match the new green painted hull of his skiff, and Berlitz's scales.
In the now eight years since his partner's disappearance, he had settled some into becoming an un bonded casaraptor. Technically he had no partner, but he stayed with Feli and Felicity for want of his old companion's wishes. He roamed the island during the day, stopping to watch children play and allowing many of the adults to stroke him and toss him a scrap of fish every now and again. And at night fall he returned and Feli put him up with Felicity and Pele. Gladiator would not have it living with three chicks in his stable and Teuton rather preferred his company to Berlitz's anyway, so he stayed there. It gave Romulus a reason to see Aldrich more often.
Actually right now Berlitz was with Felicity swimming off the end of the docks in the deeper water. They moved like the round billed water birds that sometimes came around in dry season. Drifting, floating atop the water and paddling their long legs, until they decided to dive under water. And then they looked more like the long poisonous serpents of the deep jungle twisting through the blue water. They were beautiful either way he thought as he tied off the sail and moved to stand on the bow(front) of his skiff.
"You're out here early Feli. That eager to go see Gilbert and Matthew?" It was Lovino that called to him. His younger twin was leaned up against one of the tall poles the had helped support the dock where his skiff was moored. He was dressed for the occasion already himself, in royal green pants with red and gold trim around the waist. He should be, after tonight he would be a happily mated man.
Antonio could be spotted several yards down the dock, on Lovi's bright orange painted sunfish(it's another name for a skiff). He was tying up a brand new golden sail, with a happy smile adorning his face. If Feli wasn't mistaken, he would be humming too, and there was a bounce in his step as moved from the top of the mast to the long jib pole. He was happy. Well he always was. But happier than usual. Lovino also bore an uncharacteristic joyful look to his face. He almost never smiled like that in public.
"Don't a act like you can't wait a to go either. Vee~ I bet we wont a be able to drag you and Tonio out of the jungle tomorrow morning." Feli grinned at him as he hopped down and onto the dock. The boards squeaked underfoot, they needed replacing again as they did every five or so years with all the rain rot. Lovi tossed him a smirk before turning deeply loving eyes on his soon to be mate.
"You bet. Have you thought about you and Francis at all?" He asked not taking his eyes off of the beta's lithe form. Feli only hmmed in return. He had, quite a lot actually. Francis already knew his decision, really had known since Feli refused to allow the blond navigator to even kiss him on the cheek. He cared about him, but it went no where beyond the love of a close friend. Like Elizaveta or Antonio.
"I don't think he's what I'm looking for Lovi. I've tried. But I just... I can't. Vee~ I'll keep looking for someone though." He said looking down at his feet. Lovi glanced back at his older brother. He had always hated that fact, that Feli was older than him, even if it was only by a few minutes. But in recent years he had come to realize it was in the right. Feli while childishly happy and klutzy on the best of days was more determined than him, and always serious when he needed to be. He displayed the same natural ease for things of the political world as their grandfather did. He had a certain respect for his trying to wait for Ludwig, but even he knew after eight years it wad pointless.
"Hey what's that?" Lost in his thoughts Lovi hadn't quite noticed his Antonio approach and leaned up to him. He was pressed against him in the best way, with his arms draped around his neck and his body pressed flush against his. His head rested on his shoulder, and his curly brown hair tickled his ear but he didn't mind the feeling. He snakes his arms around the beta's waist in return, holding him close.
"Vee~? What's what?" Feli asked.
"That, on horizon, looks like one pretty well banged up boat, amigo." Antonio said lifting and arm from his back to point behind him. He turned half way around with Antonio still snug in his arms to look out across the water. Feli turned at the same time he did to look at this mysterious boat.
Indeed it was a fairly beaten boat. Even at several miles out one could see it listing dangerously to one side as it rocked. It wasn't a skiff, but it wasn't one of the twin master ships like Francis and Lovi's fishing rig either. It had but one mast, flying a strange pitch black ripped and wind torn sail. Amazingly it still caught the breeze, and helped push the boat closer to shore. They couldn't see anyone manning the ship either.
"Lovi. Go find Nonno and Aldrich." Feli said as he leaped back into his skiff, grabbing several long rolls of mooring line as he did. He stuck his fingers in his mouth and gave three sharp high pitched whistles. Two red and blue heads surfaced just feet off the end of the dock where Antonio now stood as Lovi went to retrieve Pele from the land end of the dock and ride off to find Romulus.
"Come on you two. I need some help." He called as he looped one of the ropes through the hole carved in the cover of the bow and tied a noose with the other end. With both precision and strength he threw the one out as Berlitz came around the front and caught the noose around his neck. Felicity wasn't far behind as Feli deftly rigged two more lines to the pegs on the inside port(left) side meant for casting a small fishing net over the side.
"Black sail, fallow!" Feli barked his orders to the casaraptors moved to the rudder at the back. Felicity kept to the starboard(right) side of the sunfish as Berlitz put his long legs to good use and began swiftly towing the craft out of the Docks. He was swift in the water, better than on land these days, but he was moving gayer than he usually cared to. Feli couldn't catch it yet, but Berlitz could taste a familiar scent on the salty air.
Feli set the rudder and then stood to look out at the horizon again. The black sailed ship was moving south with the wind towards the beach. The tide would turn it back and keep it drifting back and forth between the wind and the waves for awhile. He turned and held the rudder with his foot as he leaned forward and unfurled the sail. It snapped out of his hand, and billowed open with the force of the gusts coming off the surf. The wind was all it took now to send him gliding across the water towards the other boat.
As they drew close Felicity dipped underwater where she could move free of the wind drag and much faster. She circled just beneath the surface around the boat, no doubt listening for movement beneath the high sides. When she surfaced with head tilted in confusion and dripping feathers plumed out, Feli knew she hadn't heard anything, and was dreadfully confused by it.
"Felicity, come here girl." He called. He didn't know of there was someone waiting to attack in that boat or not. He hadn't brought his bow with him, only a small cleaning knife that rested my the mast pole from his last fishing trip of of the far north west coast. But that didn't mean he'd let Felicity find out the hard way first.
She circled back around as Berlitz helped to steer the sunfish up along the starboard side of the larger craft. It was nearly sixteen feet in length to Feli's twelve, and about seven feet across, a good sized four or five man fishing rig. The wood was new looking, as if it hadn't been carved and built more than a month ago, and it was still shiny with fish oil. It wasn't painted in anyway like they could be. But still, it had that strange black sail, torn ragged along its free edge, and hanging onto its poles by mere threads. As Feli came up on the bow end, he notice something bellow the water line, carved and the burned black into the side. A name.
"F-R-E-E-B-I-R-D. Free Bird. Vee~ Odd name for a fishing boat. But okay!" He chirped. Most fishing vessels were named after a kind of fish, or the person that built them. His skiff was called the 'Flying Fish' after beautiful silver and blue fish that liked to leap from the water in schools. He was within a two feet of the other boat, and so he reach over with a rope to begin securing it to his with the intention of towing it back into the shallow end of the harbor where repair and building happened. But he found no pegs for a net, and he hadn't seen an holes to tie one through either. Strange, any ship this size should have them on both sides. Feli pulled closer and leaned over to look inside the boat. Maybe he had missed it and it was father down?
The inside wasn't even finished. Where there should have been flat planking to level the bottom only the front end had been done leaving the ribbing beneath exposed on the back end. And he had been right with his first guess, there were no pegs for a fishing net. What got him most was what appeared to be at least three bodies curled together under several large thin pelts, and woven linen sheets. They were easily full grown, and he could make out a pale hand sticking out from underneath the pile. He watched closely and determine he could see the rise and fall of either the back or stomach of at least one of them, that was good.
At the front of the ship he noticed a small hole in the thick wave breaker on the bow. Carefully holding the two ships together, he walked along the edge toward the breaker with two more ropes hanging off of his left arm. Holding the bows together with his sheer weight, which wasn't much, he knotted both through the hole with some difficulty but he succeeded none the less. With those lines secure, he released the other ship, more concerned with getting it back to check on its occupants rather than looking now, and returned to the stern(rear) end of his skiff. He tied them off on either side of the rudder and pick up his fourth and final rope.
Berlitz had been left with several feet of slack line being so close to the ship, and had been floating just port side while Felicity drifted towards Feli's own port side bow. She seemed intensely curious of the three people in the boat, and poked her head over the side to look inside cooing as she did. There was a low groan that caught Feli's attention for a moment before he finished tying the last line to the bow with the other one.
"Come on girl, I'll need you to help pull both of us to the docks." He called to the red beauty in the water. She trilled, and swam to Berlitz's side as he returned to the bow as well. He loosed the noose and Felicity caught round her neck easily, before moving into place on the right while Berlitz stayed to the left, closer to the Free Bird for now.
"Alright, hard to starboard, and back to the docks." Feli said as moved to begin tying down the sail so it would catch in the wind and drag them back in the opposite direction. The casaraptors knew which way to go and so brought them about facing into the wind. Doing so Feli could look back towards the Docks and found Lovi in his sunfish waiting about half way between them and the harbor. He had Pele with him as well. He called a greeting to the double team of raptors as they approached and Feli smiled as Lovino pulled in his sail and pulled a hard to port to pull up beside him.
"So what is it just an abandoned fishing rig?" He asked looking back at the boat as it drifted ten or so feet off of the Flying Fish's stern. It still listed to the starboard side a bit, but it held up right for the most part. The older twin shook his head.
"No, there's about three people in there, not moving, under some pelts and sheets and things. I haven't bothered to look at them yet, but at least one of them is still breathing." Feli explained to his brother as he glanced back at the black sail. Lovi only nodded in response. He bent down to retrieve another twine rope and beck securing it to his starboard stern and tossed the other end over to his twin.
"Secure that to the other boat, Pele and I will help you bring it in." He said as Feli caught the line and moved to began pulling the Free Bird close so he could tie yet another line to it. While the younger pulled his golden sail in and lashed it down to the mast pole, the older found room for a third line in the bow and made sure it was secure. With the rigging finished the three casaraptors began the long pull back to harbor.
No on any ordinary day, seeing a team of three or even four or five casaraptors pulling a ship into the Docks wasn't all that unusual. But seeing three casaraptors pulling two skiffs belonging to the princes that was towing another ship in was. So many people had gathered to see the sight. At the forefront of the crowd was Romulus, and Aldrich of course. Francis, Antonio, and Elizaveta stood not far behind the other adults as well. For once Winawe had accompanied Kiku out of the home and she floated in the water next to the end dock where Kiku stood. Her coming out was unusual enough, seeing her in the water was something Feli and Lovi had never seen before. What was so important about this boat that she would come out here and into the water with Kiku?
As soon as the casaraptors could touch the bottom the lines were released and Lovi and Feli left the Free Bird to be manually pulled in with the lines they had used to tow it. It was brought right up to the beach, where it could be moored in the sands and not drift back out. The many curious on lookers were shooed back a distance as Romulus and Kiku came through with the princes not far behind. The casaraptors were just swishing out of the water on the far side of the Free Bird, with Berlitz helping to nudge Winawe out so she could stand on more solid ground. They waited patiently as the older she-raptor took the lead and leaned down to pluck one of the long cream colored linen sheets off. Kiku stepped forward and easily hopped the edge into the ribbed end of the boat and began throwing pelts and corners of fabric out of the way. Feli and Lovi moved forward to clamber into the moored rig and help pulling things off the three people as well.
As they came off the figures emerged. The one curled in the middle with knees to chest and head tucked down was the only girl among them. She had long black hair that while neat, was thrown this way and that over her cheek and shoulders. She wore only a long pale green dress that was slightly tattered at the bottom hem, and had long sleeves. Though even with her hair thrown about Kiku could make out the beta markings of Kilowe tribe.
The second figure to her left, a man about Kiku's age, had his back pressed against hers and was curled in the opposite direction. He had dark brown hair, dark than Lovi's or Antonio's, with a strange cow lick that stuck up at the peak of his head and then split into two curls. He was of a darker olive skin color than the girl, and also bore beta markings, those his were of Tiberi. None of these people were from their tribe so far, so what were they doing adrift in an unfinished boat in Maykelo waters?
Feli threw the last sheet away revealing the character that the pale hand he had seen earlier belonged to. His knees locked up, his breath hitched, his heart dropped into his stomach and then leaped into his throat. The man had smoothed back blond hair, and a strong square jaw. One could just make out Maykelo's alpha mark around his neck as well, though a scar cut through at one spot on the left side. He was laid out on his right side, showing an elaborately swirled cats paw inked into his broad shoulder, and a still bold promise mark on the left side of his chest.
Feli let the sheet fall from his limp hand as tears threatened to spill over. A vaguely uncomfortable heat started in the pit of his stomach as he gazed upon a face he had all but given up on seeing ever again. It was older, not as innocent, but strangely peaceful in this unconscious state. His vision started fuzzing out to black around the edges and his turned light. He was loosing it himself, he knew it. Yet right before he lost all consciousness those pale eyelids fluttered, cracked open, and shimmering sky blue looked blurrily up at him. It was then that his eyes slipped closed, and he proceeded to unceremoniously crumpled to a heap over the blond alpha's familiar side.
"Ludwig..."
A/N: Yaaaaay! LUUDDY'S BACK! LUDDY'S BACK! Yes I brought him back. Earlier than I originally planned but I am making adjustment to my plot line. I needed something happy. But this dose not mean my fic will be short! Just because he's back doesn't mean this bumpy road is over. In fact, I think I see some rather larger boulders over there.
Shall we go find out what awaits us at the top together my darlings?
