Closed Dire straits

[Marino Oceangem]

41st of Fall, 520 AV

It was early when Marino decided to go out onto the sea. The sun had just broken over the tops of the trees, silhouetting the island in a variety of warm colors. Marino looked at that island longingly. Wanting to know what was inside. His feeling was wrapped around another. A deep seated fear that he was not ready for what could be found there. That perhaps he would never be.

He tried to dismiss such dour thoughts by looking at the strait he was to thread to reach the open sea. It worked for a time. Work had a good way of doing that, keeping his hands busy. The surface of his mind occupied with the necessary mechanical motions of manipulating the sail. However the island was always on his periphery, even after he had long since put the bay behind him as he crept up Syka's coastline.

While that simmered in the back of his mind, Marino took what joy he could in the sounds of the sea. The creak of the sails as they billowed in the wind. How the warm spray off the sea speckled his skin. Of the smells that came to him from every passing wind. The air rattled in his chest as he took in a deep breath. He soaked it all in with his eyes closed for a moment before a familiar cackle drew him out of his reverie.

Marino hastened to the side of the Seasilk, leaning over the railing to lay eyes on Twist hopping out of the surf. In his usual show off fashion, the dolphin leapt high in the air to perform four flips before splashing hard back into the sea. More than a little bit of water got onto Marino from the maneuver. He fell back with sputtering laughter, taking a moment to swipe some of the water out of his eyes before going back to the railing once more.

Twist was waiting for him. Lurking just off the side and gave him a cheeky whistle when they caught sight of eachother. Marino had the thought to throw him a bit of fish but his companion dived below the waves till he was well out of sight. Sighing, Marino watched the sea until it was time for him to go back to the wheel again.

The Seasilk responded well to his touch, turning easily under his gentle touch. There was a good wind today so there was no problem keeping her under power as he navigated along the coast. Once he was sure he could keep the same heading for a while, he went down to his cabin to grab a mango which he quickly set about slicing open with his eating knife. It was refreshing and just what he needed aboard the warm deck of the casinor.

Sucking the excess juice off of his fingers, he allowed his eyes to roam idly along the shore for a moment. His imagination populated that dense jungle with all sorts of denizens. Another frontier for him to traverse. So long as he had another to guide him. Throwing the skin of the mango into the sea, he briskly rinsed off his hands with a waterskin and set about pulling up the sails. He was close now to where the wood was kept.

WC - 550

[Marino Oceangem]

He returned from the sawmill empty handed. While work was good of late, Lars didn't have anything for him that he hadn't already taken up to the settlement yesterday. That was fine by him, this errand had been more or less about getting the day sorted before the heat started to gain traction. Even though it was now well into fall, he knew it wasn't going to get much if any cooler.

Besides that, the concept of a midday break was kind of growing on him. It was nice to get a second wave of energy to power through any afternoon work that came up.

There was an earsplitting screech from somewhere behind the Seasilk. A noise that shattered the stillness of the calm walk he had been on, and set his heart to racing. Marino looked down to see that he was running. Running as fast as his legs could carry him. Running until his legs started slapping at the water until he had waded out waist deep into the surf.

Immediately he saw the source of the screeching. A thrashing grey form off to the side of the casinor that was whipping up a pinkish white froth. Then there was a sudden stillness. Of sound and movement. Marino froze likewise in the water, panting while his eyes squinted against the glare of the sun. A long grey form drifted towards him from under the water. A fin crested the water. His breath hitched in his throat before his mind registered that it was just Twist.

The thought sank in, and threatened to swallow him whole. Marino stumbled towards the dolphin, wading in until the water was nearly up to his throat. Twist was flagging as he crossed the remaining distance between them. He seemed to be favoring his right side so Marino turned him gently onto his left.

Marino saw it then. The wound. Three puncture that leaked a broad trail of red behind the dolphin. They were ragged along the edges and for the life of him, Marino Couldn't think of what had caused this. His eyes scanned fearfully along the water but didn't see anything within the clear blue depths.

Petting Twist along the bridge of his snout, Marino guided him away from the deeper water. Away and towards the little shelter that could be found in the shade of the Seasilk. The water was down to his sternum now which made it easier to spin slowly around with Twist to keep him moving while he thought this out. His friend was clicking softly as they moved together which he took a cold reassurance from the felt as fragile as Twist did in his arms.

"What are we going to do friend?" He asked softly.

WC - 458

[Marino Oceangem]

Unsurprisingly Twist didn't have any answers for him so it was left to Marino to find a solution. One thing he settled on was that he needed to get them back to the settlement somehow. So while he was reluctant to leave his tavan's side he had to find something. Scrambling aboard the casinor, Marino moved as quickly as he could to his cabin and grabbed a handful of things he htought might help him. Namely his scarf, a pair of pants, and the hammock he had yet to make proper use of.

Then he was bak in the water to wade up to Twist. He'd felt so sure up until this point, but when his eyes met that wound, his resolve melted. What if he petched this up? There was so much he didn't know about taking care of an animal. Thankfully Twist had been mostly self sufficient up until this point, however that just made him feel more guilty. Clutching the scarf, and the bundled up pair of pants, Marino cautiously ventured closer to Twist.

"Easy there friend. I'm just going to try to help you out so we can make it back to Syka. Okay friend?" Marino asked gently. Twist didn't answer, just kept swimming weakly around in a rough circle till Marino stopped him with a hand. As softly as he could manage, he pressed the bunched up pair of pants to the wound before draping the scarf over the top of Twist. Gingerly, he fished around underneath his tavan till he found the end of the scarf and pulled it up. Now came the most difficult part. Pulling it tight after he'd wrapped it around in a rudimentary knot that he used for practically everything on this ship. He was extra slow as he cinched the knot tight around the dolphin's midsection.

It was only after it had been pulled tight that he noticed how unfortunate it had been for the wound to be behind the fins. Twist's body tapered sharply from this point and Marino had a sudden fear of it sliding off while they traveled. At the same time, he didn't want to chance testing the binding because he didn't want to put his tavan through any more discomfort.

Stroking Twist's head. Marino gently guided him over to the side of the casinor where he'd left the hammock. Tying one end off to the metal fastener on the railing, Marino guided the other end down and around teh dolphin carefully before bringing the other end up to tie on the same fastener. Learning from the makeshift wrap he'd just placed on Twist, he threaded the hammock diagonally underneath his tavan, and prayed to Laviku that this would keep him secure. Then after stroking his forehead one more time, Marino leaned over to place the side of his face next to the tavan's. "Its going to be okay friend. I'll take us nice and slow back. We'll find us someone to heal you there. Just relax friend."

He rubbed at the base of his dorsal fin till he felt Twist had been calmed somewhat and then he climbed aboard the Seasilk.

WC - 527

[Marino Oceangem]

The journey back began as a blur. A flash of activity before a break in the routine allowed him to check over the side on his tavan. For the moment, the hammock seemed to be doing its job. Which was helping Twist keep pace with the slow moving casinor. The 'bandage' remained as well, though it was worryingly dark with blood that trailed faintly through the clear bluish green water. Marino clutched at the railing till his knuckles were white. Only a slight drifting of the Seasilk to the left prompted him to leave his post so that he might correct their course, then he was back to the side to watch Twist.

It occurred to him after a while that there might be other things he should be watching for. Things that caused this injury to Twist and might be lurking nearby to make another attack. Reluctantly, he left that spot on the railing to start scanning before and behind them. While he noticed no unfamiliar shapes in the water, he didn't take that information to heart just yet. There was only so much water he could watch while keeping the casinor on the correct course. To compound matters, they were approaching the point. A notoriously difficult stretch of water that would require his full attention at the wheel.

"Laviku watch over him" Marino whispered under his breath as he went to the wheel. He had to adjust the sail a total of four times to get around the point as they were fighting the wind at this point which caused him to need to zigzag to catch enough to keep them moving forward. Everytime they panned to the right, he thought he heard Twist bump up against the side. The sound stabbed him through the heart each time and he had to grit his teeth to keep from checking on his tavan. When they were finally past the point of difficulty, he at last was able to leave his post momentarily to check on Twist.

The bandage had fallen off somewhere along the crossing, and his tavan was bleeding freely into the water. He was still nestled in the hammock, though it was clear that it was an uncomfortable arrangement for him. Leaning over the side, Marino could hear a soft whine from Twist. "I'm sorry Twist. Not too much longer now." Marino called down to the dolphin, not sure if his tavan even recognized his voice anymore. Somewhat sullenly, he went back to the wheel to guide them along the shore for what he hoped would be an uneventful rest of the trip. While this stretch should be relatively easy, he was worried about navigating between the island and the shore on the way to the dock. He would just need to go for the deepest part in the middle and put the rest in Laviku's hands.

WC - 479

[Marino Oceangem]

They were a few chimes from the strait when he heard a screech from the side. An a sudden thrashing. Marino immediately left the wheel to cross over to the railing and was shocked by all the blood. It was practically pouring from Twist's flank now where a chunk of tail was now missing.

"Twist!" He shouted and then quickly ran down below to grab his spear. When he came back up to the railing, Twist was still thrashing below while his attacker was no where in sight. Marino Moved towards the back of the ship, then the front but unfortunately didn't notice anything to fasten his ire upon.

The world went suddenly quiet. Practically leaping to the side of the railing, Marino saw that Twist had torn free of the hammock and was drifting slowly backwards while he slowly turned around in circles underwater. Marino put a foot on the railing, then he hesitated. He had to pull the ship around. Bring it to a stop. DO SOMETHING. But the soft grey outline was drifting into sight now. Over from the opposite side of the ship. Its outline unmistakably predatory. A fun cut smoothly up out of hte water and headed straight for Twist.

A droplet of sweat stung his eye, forcing him to blink in a breadth before the two forms merged underwater. At least that was what he told himself long after the shadows had melted out of sight. Marino anchored the Seasilk not long after that, and sat at the back railing, staring blankly out towards the horizon. As he watched his lips dried to the point they cracked in places and his skin hissed with pain when he made the slightest movement to adjust his posture. An the sky turned from blue, to red, and then to a deep midnight blue speckled with stars.

Through it all, he felt this passage of time not at all. There was only the pit. The great yawning hole that grew inside of him until there was nothing left. He was still clutching his spear several hours later when he finally registered what he was holding. Standing up, he gritted his teeth at the pain that arched across his shoulder but he bore it anyways so that he could chuck the spear out as far as he could into the sea. He did not hear it splash down. Instead he slammed his fists on the rail, and he cried. An there was only the sound of the sea to answer him as it lapped against the hull of the Seasilk. Swishing as it pulled away and splashing as it crested against the weathered planks. Eventually he dragged himself below deck where he took a drink of water and tehn sat on his bed. He felt like a man made of stone. One with a crack down the center that would not heal this time. The storm had been an impersonal hand of distruciton. This one had been different. His friend was gone. And the world felt a lot emptier because of it.

WC - 497