Luz, Masha, Vee, Willow and Gus had been at sea for three days now; they had collected ocean water and used buckets to desalinate it and had caught some fish to eat. The rest of the time they rowed incessantly, taking turns to rest, yet they still could see nothing but an immense blue expanse around them. "How big is this ocean!?" Luz screamed in exasperation.
"Rumor has it that the ocean covers almost three-quarters of the world" Masha muttered. "So... yeah, I'd say it's very, very big"
"I'm starting to feel discouraged" Vee admitted. "Finding mom here will be… well, it will literally be like finding a fish in the sea! We don't even have a guarantee that we're going in the right direction"
Luz wanted to contradict her, but she was starting to feel pretty down herself. She had tried to remain optimistic, but seeing nothing but water in every direction was rapidly robbing her of any good omens. And Vee was right, they weren't even sure they were going in the right direction: there were no landmarks in the ocean, everything looked the same. To orient themselves up until that moment they had used the sun, but it wasn't an infallible system: the sun moved throughout the celestial vault and this movement was always the same regardless of where they were, so as far as they knew even if they were going to the same direction as Camila they could have moved a kilometer or two to the left or right, and therefore they could have passed her without even realizing it.
A familiar buzz woke her from her torpor; she looked up and saw Willow descending towards the boat with her usual imperfect and rambling flight, carrying Gus in her paws. The two of them landed awkwardly on the deck of the boat, a sign that Willow must be really exhausted. Luz picked them up and put them back in her pocket where they could finally rest comfortably. "Found anything?"
"No. Even from above, there is just water as far as our eyes can see" Gus answered. "It's really incredible... I didn't think I'd ever miss birds, but now I'd give anything to see a seagull"
Luz knew what the spider was referring to: they hadn't seen a single cormorant since they left the coast behind. Gus and Willow had initially been delighted, but it hadn't taken long before they realized that the absence of birds also meant the total absence of any land. "Let's not despair. Come on, we shouldn't give up. You'll see, we'll find mom sooner or later"
"I just want to find her before something else finds us" Willow murmured as she peeked out of Luz's pocket. From her tired voice she must have actually flown as much as possible before returning to the boat.
"Now don't be so pessimistic" Luz told her. "What could there be in this ocean that could find us?"
She hadn't even finished speaking when a jet of water at least ten meters high erupted a short distance from them, as if a geyser had just exploded on the surface of the water, causing rain to fall on them that lasted just two seconds. When they looked carefully they saw that where that jet had appeared there was a dark shape moving under the water as big as a building, perhaps even bigger. "Something like that!" Willow almost screamed, and a shiver ran down the backs of Luz, Vee, and Gus: if that creature had decided to attack their boat, or even just jumped out of the water, it could have capsized it as if it were made of paper.
But Masha, unlike them, leaned over the edge even more and stared at the creature with admiring eyes. "Don't worry, it's just a blue whale! They're not dangerous, in fact they're very good and kind!" they said, and soon after a second, much smaller jet appeared next to the beast's shadow. "Oh, look... there's a puppy too!"
"Are... are you sure it's not dangerous?" Vee asked with a bit of fear as she tried to figure out where exactly the creature began and ended.
"Don't worry, whales only eat krill" Masha replied to them. "They are gentle giants who travel across the ocean, sometimes even singing"
"If they are so kind, then let's ask that old lady for directions!" Luz exclaimed, then she yelled: "Hey! Hey, ! Can you please give us a moment of your time?"
"Luz! For heaven's sake, think before you act!" Willow exclaimed, but it was already too late: the whale had in fact already changed direction and was approaching the boat. Moments later the creature's snout emerged from the water next to the boat; it was gray in color and the face was rather elongated, and above it there were some long green algae that seemed to grow in symbiosis with the animal. "Can I help you?" she asked with a feminine singsong voice.
"Oh, yes! Sorry, , we just wanted to ask for some information" Luz replied.
"Just call me Selkidomus, you don't need to call me a mistress. I may have already had a son, but I'm still in my prime" the whale said, and next to her appeared the face of a small, chubby puppy that inspired extraordinary tenderness. "So, what do you want to ask me?"
"Have you by any chance seen a boat pass by with a woman on it? Tanned, black hair, about this tall, average physique?" Luz asked, describing Camila as best as she could.
Selkidomus let out a growl from her throat that made the water around her snout boil. "Oh, of course! That very kind lady, I met her just yesterday!" she said. "She was at sea with a little boat not very different from this one. She helped me with my son, you know, he had a bit of a stomach ache and she was so good at taking care of animals! Camila Noceda, if I remember correctly... "
"Yes, she's my mom!" Luz exclaimed. "We're searching for her! Can you tell us how far it is and which way it was going?"
"Of course. As I told you she has a day's lead on you, but the good news is that you are going in the right direction" Selkidomus replied. "Camila told me she was headed to the other side of the ocean. There is the Town of the Industrious Bees there, although almost everyone now calls it Bonesborough because some architect with bad taste in aesthetics built some buildings that look like curved bones. All you have to do is follow the current of the major route and it will take you there in just a week. Oh, and by the way, you're already on the right current, so you just have to avoid changing direction"
Luz's eyes lit up with happiness. "Did you hear? Mom is fine and we're going in the right direction!" she shouted triumphantly. "Thank you so much, Selkidomus! You're a friend!"
"You're welcome. But I warn you, be careful as you go. These waters are not safe, that's why my son and I are leaving" the whale said. "Not all sea creatures know how to be kind and hospitable, especially to those they perceive as easy prey. And we also saw many pirate ships as we traveled. Never let your guard down"
All five gulped at that warning. The fisherman had also warned them about it, but it was one thing to hear it from a man who had never gone too far out to sea, it was another thing to hear it from a creature of the sea herself. "Thanks for the advice. Eh... does my mother know about these dangers?" Luz asked apprehensively.
Selkidomus let out a light laugh. "You are indeed a judicious girl if your first thought after such a warning is that your mother might be in danger" she told her. "Don't worry, that woman knows what she's doing. I'm sure she'll be fine until she'll arrive to Bonesborough. Focus on your safety right now, it's more important"
Luz took a deep breath. Yes, the whale was right: she had to trust her mother. She would arrive safely on land, she was sure of it; if there was a woman who could defy whatever horror the ocean threw at her, it was Camila Noceda. "Okay. Thanks for everything"
"You're welcome. Good luck, I wish you happiness!" Selkidomus replied, and after that last greeting she dived back into the sea, but not before raising her powerful tail and slamming it on the water, wetting Vee, Luz and Masha from head to toe.
"Phew! It's times like this that I'm thankful I'm small enough to hide in my pockets!" Gus said coming out of his hiding place.
"And also that the pockets of this jacket always stay dry" Willow murmured as she went out too. "I assume they are protected by some spell, after all this is a fairy's jacket and...". She froze when she realized what she was saying, fearful of awakening bad memories in the puppet, but luckily Luz didn't seem to hear her.
"Well, at least now we know where to go!" Vee said with a smile. "That's a good thing, right?"
"It sure is! Mom is fine and we'll find her soon!" Luz exclaimed happier than ever. After everything that had happened in the last few days, that small victory warmed her heart more than any blanket.
The five continued on and actually after a while they realized that, as the whale had said, the current was carrying them without any need for them to row, which was a good thing because they could concentrate on staring at the horizon. It was then that Masha noticed something moving in the middle of the sky in the distance. "Is that my impression or is that a seagull?"
The others looked in the direction indicated, and indeed they could see the unmistakable outline of a bird circling above the water. "It looks more like a fat pigeon to me" Luz commented. "What is it doing here in the middle of the sea? There are no islands nearby, at least I don't see any. Where will it rest when it gets tired?"
"I don't know, but I don't like it" Willow murmured, and as if to confirm her words, a few moments later the bird began to sink lower and lower towards the surface of the sea; and shortly afterwards the undoubted profile of a ship appeared in the mist. "Is that a sailing ship?" Luz asked.
"It seems so. Let's try not to be noticed" Willow said. "Maybe it's a merchant ship, but given Selkidomus' warning it's better not to risk it. Let's keep a low profile and wait for them to pass by"
Everyone agreed with her, but Luz, whose ears were made of wood and had the sharpest hearing, murmured: "Guys... I can clearly hear laughter"
The expression on the faces of the others indicated that they didn't think that was a good omen at all. "Maybe... there's a party on board?" Gus tried to say, but an instant later a huge harpoon stuck straight into the deck of their boat. The five let out a cry of surprise and fright, and soon after they were dragged towards the ship in front of them, which grew closer and closer with each passing second. Masha took out a dagger and tried to cut the rope, but it turned out to be covered in a tiny, very hard wire mesh that made it impossible for them to do so. Very soon, it was possible for them to see the vessel better, which turned out to be completely covered in iron and with strange tubes running across the entire bow, and three large masts which, however, were much wider and concave than the normal wooden masts of ships. And just as they were wondering what would happen to them next, to their surprise a dog appeared from the edge of the ship: "Hey, over there! First time at sea, am I right?"
Luz, Masha, Vee, Willow and Gus were surprised to find a dog in the middle of the sea, but even more so because of the appearance of the aforementioned dog: he was in fact wearing a black shirt and two large glasses. "Um… hello?" Luz tried to say, not knowing what else to do.
"You don't need to ask, Barcus, they're obviously freshwater sailors!" said a lanky boy appearing next to the dog. "Otherwise they wouldn't start sailing around the main route with that little boat. At the first big wave they'll end up keeping the fish company!"
Other individuals ran to the edge of the ship to observe them. They were rather strange guys: they vaguely resembled fish or molluscs, so much so that one of them almost seemed to have fins instead of hands. And among them, however, a girl with a ponytail stood out who, as soon as she arrived, took a leap and, without fear of falling into the water, leaned over the edge holding only one hand. "Wow, we really had some unusual fishing! See, Jerbo? You must never doubt your first official!" she said patting the shoulder of the lanky boy who had spoken just before. "Puddles has the eyes of a hawk! No matter how absurd it sounds, if he says he saw a puppet, a basilisk and a human riding around in a little boat in the middle of the sea, then he's right! Uh, and there are also a spider and a cricket, now that I look closely!". She raised her arm and a fat pigeon which was undoubtedly the one they had seen earlier flying over the sea landed on it. "Excellent work, my faithful scout!"
"You flatter me, master" the pigeon replied, puffing out his chest proudly.
None of Luz, Masha, Vee, Willow, or Gus knew what to say, but they didn't need to because suddenly a booming voice was heard. "Hey, you on the little boat! You were lucky! These waters are infested with pirates... thank goodness we found you first!". The sailors on the edge of the ship burst out laughing at those words, and then they moved aside to let in a large man with shoulders as broad as a wardrobe, red skin, a large beak instead of a face and two crab claws instead of hands, who put his hand on his chest and lowered his head as if to do a bad imitation of a royal bow. "Captain Salty, at your service"
In Collodi's original book Pinocchio asks for information not from a whale but from a dolphin, who is also described as very polite (because we know, dolphins are very polite... when they don't get high on pufferfish XD), furthermore he does it when he has already reached the beach. Yes, in simpler words Pinocchio crosses the sea in a single night (and remember, alone, swimming and in the middle of a storm!) and then he has a conversation with a dolphin who apparently had the power to beach itself and then return to the water at its own will. Here, since we are looking for greater realism, our protagonists meet their informant at sea and while they are sailing on their little boat. For those who haven't understood, Selkidomus is the creature that Luz hunts together with Captain Salty in the first episode of the second season of The Owl House; in canon she doesn't speak, but since we are in an AU where all animals can speak, here she does, and given her design in canon she is not a dolphin but a whale (we always talk about a cetacean anyway). Furthermore, as I had anticipated, I intend to use this sea trip to introduce new characters (unlike Collodi who let Pinocchio arrive directly on the beach). Who might they be? Oh, come on, it can't even be considered a spoiler at this point, since they already declared their names