Songs of Reamere Event: Songs of Reamere Ch. II

We arrived safely at the village where all this began. However, finding a ship to take us further from shore turned out to be a bit of a problem. Fear of the unknown prevented even the most experienced captains from venturing into the open sea.

 

 

 

I sent Rex to find some food for himself in the surrounding wilderness, while I entered one of the local taverns to get myself a warm meal and also protection against the cold sea breeze for a while. As I had anticipated, the price of a fried fish was astronomical, so I ordered a potato soup with bread instead.

 

 

 

Not long after I was joined by captain Warye, the only captain in the whole village not only willing, but eager to go look for the sea monster with me. He desperately wanted to see it with his own eyes and study it. His enthusiasm immediately reminded me of Steven. For a second I felt a pang of guilt for not telling the others, where I was really going. I discussed the details of our voyage with Warye for the rest of the evening (me using ink and a pile of parchments). He was pretty excited about the idea of having a stryx onboard. It would allow him to cover more ground and offer him more manouverability in case we manage to track down the monster.

 

 

 

The next morning I saw Wayre‘s ship, the Nullarbor, for the first time. She was a beauty with her elegant curves, mighty sails and more than enough space for me and Rex. We didn‘t waste time. After the final preparations, the two of us boarded the ship and together we left the harbor.

 

 

 

A thick fog enveloped the ship for the first few hours of our journey. When it finally lifted, the land was nowhere in sight. Rex regarded the rolling waves with suspicion. Most Harpies love water, especially the ocean, but Rex is the exception proving the rule. Maybe it has something to do with his silken leg feathering, maybe it is just a coincidence. Either way Rex has never been a fan of getting wet.

 

 

 

I ordered him to stay on the afterdeck, where he shouldn‘t cause any trouble for the sailors operating the ship. I climbed up into the crow‘s nest to get the best possible view of the turqoise waters below. I propped my arms against the railing and lifted the old spyglass to my eyes.

Almost the whole day went by without any interesting sightings. I took turns of flying with Rex in big circles around the ship and looking out from the crow‘s nest, while Rex rested.

 

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

an hour later...

The first thing I notice are the bubbles. Then unusually big waves rock the ship and wake Rex from his slumber. He shakes his head in annoyance and gets up to his feet to better balance the sudden movements of the board. I frown and struggle to see more details using the spyglass. It seems that even a greater wave is nearing the ship. I fold the spyglass and start climbing down from the crows nest. I need to see it up close!

 

 

 

All the sailor‘s have gathered on the starboard. They are cursing and pointing at the wave. I push through the crowd to Rex, who‘s already waiting for me. I left his saddle on exactly for occassions like these. While I‘m still dangling on his side, holding tight on the straps, he takes into the air with a powerful leap. A few wing beats and we are floating high above the ship.

 

 

 

When I finally sit properly in the saddle, I ask Rex to circle towards the strange wave. My breath catches in my throat, when I see the gigantic shadow that pushes the water in front of itself. It must be the sea monster everyone is talking about. Not even blue whales are this big!

 

Good thing: We found it. Bad thing: It‘s heading straight for our ship.

 

Rex lets out a worried chirp. I give his feathered neck a reassuring pet and urge him quickly back to the ship. If its intention is to attack us, we‘ll show it we aren‘t as defenseless as one might think.