The Wolf Girl

[EmilyHuene]

Walking away the raven-cloaked man would stop upon hearing the gun click. Totally uncalled for. But he like always barely reacted or showed any fear. He turned his head over his shoulder to observe the man aiming a pistol at him. Eden had no idea what kind of bullets he carried in that weapon, but he didn't figure it would do much against him. Not with his special ability about him. August would try to assert his dominance then as he regaled his promises to Evelyn over to Eden. Staying ever quiet, he did not respond or move until August lowered the gun.

Maybe he was just making a point, a show, with that gun. It brought a small smirk to the demon's lips. He scoffed in a chuckle and would then start to walk to the side of the boat. August demanded Eden explain himself, and for a moment the vampire would likely figure he'd never get a word out from this stranger.

"I don't remember much of being alive," he said when he reached the edge of the boat. Putting his hands on the banister he looked out to the open sea and then spun a tale for the curious captain. "I remember that girl, or someone like it. The memory is lost to me. What I do remember is being born in Hell. Crawling my way out of the torture pits and proving myself worthy to the higher lords. One such demon who took note of me was a dragon named Balal. For centuries I did his bidding with no care for the consequences. And why should I? I was a demon now. As deadly as I was when I was alive.

"Until one day someone catches my eye. A little puppet brought in by Lord Balal. Evelyn Tenebris. She was stark naked and being walked around like a dog on a leash. At first I thought nothing of his captured pray until I saw her die and be brought back to life like it was nothing. I'd never seen such power. And the more I watched her being literally stripped of her flesh and bones and then walking it off, it reminded me of something of my past life.

"I don't know who that girl is to me, but I know she is very important. But I didn't know how or why. Until I heard the prophecy. As proclaimed by the demon witch Sybinthe, Evelyn Tenebris would bring about the downfall of Balal. From then on I knew it was my destiny to help her escape and train her, protect her, and assist her with bringing down the dragon of darkness."

Eden would then turn around and face August. "So that is my story. I saved Evelyn from Hell and I intend to protect her with my life until such a time when the prophecy is complete and that vile demon is brought to an end."

 

[KinkyPrawn]

The demon didn't say a word as he walked to the side of the ship. August was getting rather annoyed at the parasite not doung anything whatsoever.

But finally Eden started speaking. August moved from his cabin door to the stairway that lead up to the quarterdeck and leaned against the handrail, his left foot on the first step as his arms were folded across his chest. He listened to Eden speak, not saying a word to interrupt the tale. The more Eden spoke the more August's heart sank. Not only couldn't he comprehend what kind of twisted stuff was going on down there, but the knowledge that this would be his own fate one day was frightening.

When Eden finally finished, August let out a shaky breath unintentionally. He knew that Eden would have picked up on it and he decided to move on before he could capitalise on the vampire's fear. "With everything she went through I'm surprised she's still sane. She's tough, I'll give her that." he stood up and rested his hands on the railings as well, standing next to Eden. "But if you want to take down a demon, I might be able to get someone to help. You won't like him. He won't like you. But he'll be invaluable to you, that much I can promise." he looked at Eden and a nervous smile crept onto his face. "Don't suppose you saw my soul down there, did you?" he asked him with a chuckle. But it wasn't a joke. As a vampire his soul was stolen and sent straight down. If there was a chance to win it back and free himself from the curse he would take it.

 

[EmilyHuene]

"Sane?" he'd repeat with a scoff. "Did you not hear her screaming? She's been having nightmares every night since she's arrived her. Even more so down in Hell. Assuming that bastard actually let her sleep." Eden groaned with a grumble as he replayed someone of the monstrous things that was done to the girl down in Hell in his own memory. While he didn't know the whole story, he'd seen enough from afar to know Evelyn was lucky to have escaped. But luck was only a certain point of view. If she was lucky she never would have been born with her supernatural healing. It would have saved her the fate of not being taken to Hell in the first place.

August would then offer his services to helping bring down the big bad demon, through the help of a friend that is. Eden turned to raise an eye brow at this strange person. August was no doubt referring to his angelic partners which was the furthest thing Eden could ever have thought of as a possibility. So he was generally curious at who would be cavalier enough to take down one of the Lords of Hell.

But before he could ask his question, the vampire asked if he'd seen his own soul down in Hell. It was a stupid question to ask, but not without good cause. "Sorry. They don't extra wear nametags." Then, more seriously, he'd follow up to August's proposal. "So....mystery person. What's his name?"

 

[KinkyPrawn]

The demon had a point. She was not alright at all and sadly there was nothing the vampire could do to help her. Not without making it potentially worse in any case. He was thankful that he didn't need to sleep, with everything he had done in his past, he had no doubt in his mind that he would be plagued with atrocities even he would have trouble believing. Better to just stay awake.

Eden's remark received a shrug from August. "Well, vamp's got to try at least." he said with a chuckle. But then Eden would press on with August's offer and August's smile widened. "Oh you'll hate him. And he'll hate you just as much. He's the holder of the key to hell's gates. A lieutenant in heaven's legions. An archangel named Michael." August crossed his arms as he looked Eden in the eyes. "Might sound crazy, I know, but he's one of the few angels that can not only walk through there unscathed, but take down demons of any calibre. Taking down a demon like that? He'll gladly give you a pass if it meant taking down that dragon." he gave a rundown of his 'friend' but the smile faded as he looked away.

"I'd offer to help, but given what I am I'm not sure what will happen to me down there. Which side will I be on? Will I still have power down there? I can't risk jeopardizing a mission like that."

 

[EmilyHuene]

The moment that August mentioned Heaven he would toss his arms aside and shout, "No! Not going to happen." He'd then turn and start walking as August continued explaining that Michael could help them. Eden wouldn't have it. When he finished again he would turn and point his finger at the vampire. "Not a chance! I'm not setting foot down there either. If Balal comes after her, we'll kill him here. On our turf. His power is only ever that much stronger down there. We'd never have a chance. You'd be sending us to our deaths!"

The door would open behind August then as Evelyn poked her sleepy little head out. Nuahki was right behind, sniffing the air. "Everything ok?" she'd ask. It was no wonder they'd woken her. Eden would be surprised if he hadn't just woken the whole ship with that outburst.

 

[KinkyPrawn]

Eden immediately shot down the idea and started yelling at August. The midnight watch was leaning over their posts to watch tis show unfold. Anybody willing to talk to Captain Valerius in this manner was either brave or stupid. August was also not in the slightest amused or intimidated by this outburst. Eden spun around, pointing a finger at him and explaining why his plan was supposedly stupid. August stared at him with a scowl as he listened to Eden.

"Alright if you're so familiar with him tell me this: Why would he leave the one place where he can have victory to come and do something himself?! Why wouldn't he just send legions upon legions after her?! The way I see it he doesn't have a reason to come do it himself since his troops outnumber our merry little band by quite a lot! How do you plan on dealing with that!?" he fired back at the demon, taking a step closer and resting his hand on his sabre.

The sound of his cabin door opening made August turn around, releasing his sabre. Evelyn was standing there sleepily, asking if everything was fine. August's scowl faded into a soft smile as he looked at her. "Everything's fine. We were just arguing over...rugby teams. Go back to bed, get some rest." he spoke warmly, trying to ease her mind. He looked at Nuahki and nodded to the wolf, hoping she would understand the gesture and take Evelyn back to bed.

 

[EmilyHuene]

Before Eden could retort to August's own bout of anger, Evelyn came out from the room and asked if everything was alright. He assured her that nothing was wrong and that she should go back to sleep. She sighed and shrugged her shoulders, then sleepily rubbed at her eyes before shutting the door. When August turned his attention back to Eden, he'd see the demon was gone.

He wasn't gone forever though, just for the rest of that night. He showed up for the morning meal and then went back to sitting silently wherever he pleased and knew he wouldn't be bothered. Evelyn was in a foul mood that morning from the lack of sleep and tried her best to not show it to anyone. She was rather good at faking her annoyance, always trying to put on a brave face. But when no one was talking to her she was sighing into her food or walking around with her head drooped low.

As the day went by she got better, and the next few weeks proved to be an improvement over all. Evelyn had claimed she lived on the sea and that much was proven even more. Some people were just meant to live on the ocean. The open air did wonders for her. With each passing day they got closer and closer to their destination where they could pick up the last known whereabouts of The Mosasaur, the pirate vessel of the F.E.P.

"We're so close now," Evelyn said to Sylvia who was standing with her and Nuahki on the front deck. The port island ahead of them was getting closer with each minute....

 

[KinkyPrawn]

August turned to face Eden again, but he disappeared. He shook his head and walked back to his cabin, practically gliding over the floor to not disturb Evelyn. The next few days were uneventful. Eden and August kept their distance as usual. Evelyn was more sleep deprived than usual. August felt guilty over it but sadly there was nothing he could do about that. At least the ocean seemed to lighten her spirits and that was enough to calm him as well.

They managed to stop at another port along the way and August managed to replenish his magazines in case they needed to do battle. The weeks passed and they were finally nearing their journey's end. August wasn't happy at all about it. He wasn't in the mood to take these lizards on at all.

Finally the port came into view far off in the distance. August was at the helm, looking over his ship. He spotted Evelyn and her group at the bow, looking at the port. They reached it by midday and August expertly steered the massive warship into a pier. They tied it down and disembarked. August stood next to the ramp, looking the docks over as he waited for Evelyn, Sylvia and Nuahki to join him on solid land. He couldn't care less about Eden but he figured the demon would most likely join as well. "Alright, so any idea on where to start or are we just going to search every brothel, bar and other seedy places until we find a lead?"

 

[EmilyHuene]

​

Ser Rasmu, the White City. One of the largest port cities this side of the hemisphere, Ser Rasmu has had many names throughout time. But it was only in the past three hundred years that the city changed its name to honor their....rather strange Deity. His face was posted on every bit of currency, as well as flags, posters, and even statues. The Lord's name was Prince Rasmus: Gentleman Clown. How this odd tradition ever became a thing was a ludicrous story, until that very same deity came to the White City and fought -and killed- a dragon by dropping a house over its head that he'd pulled out of his sleeve. No one could argue the Lord's powers now and the religious cult that followed him at the time boomed with support and members until it became the sole governing power within the city. It wasn't long after that before the town was one again renamed and has ever since been known as Ser Rasmu.

While August might have liked to avoid any such religious cities, this one was still the best place to search for clues and the whereabouts of their missing pirate ship, plus it was the best market to trade, sell, and buy. While the ship's crew did their thing, Evelyn disembarked with Sylvia and her wolf companion, as well as Eden who followed closely behind. Both demons were wearing cloaks to hide their demonic forms (though Eden already wore a cloak, he turned part of it to a hood to hide his horns). It was very unlike Eden to stay out in the open like this, for he'd normally be watching the group from the skies in his raven form. But with him being so close to her lately, he didn't want to part.

August would ask the ground where they wanted to search first, and both Eden and Sylvia would reply at the same time that they should search the brothel. They gave one another a look of annoyance that they'd been on the same wavelength while Evelyn giggled at them with a snicker. "Why don't you two go do that, Nuahki and I will search the taverns. Cappy can come with me."

Both of them were equally upset by this and tried to protest but she merely held her hands up, silencing them both, and started to move on. "Not a word now. Do as you're told. Come, Cappy."

 

[KinkyPrawn]

August hated this port. People simply just seemed to be crazy here. He wasn't sure if this deity of theirs was real, but he couldn't argue that any and all information came through this port.

He didn't want to have Eden tag along but he couldn't exactly tell the guy what he could and could not do. Though he did have to admit that he looked absolutely silly with the cape. At least with this gloomy weather they would blend right in. Hell they might blend in better than him with his pirate outfit.

Both Eden and Sylvia suggested the brothels and August smiled widely at how their brains were in the same mindset. Evelyn suggested that August come with her and he was quite surprised by her recommendation. She hushed the rest of the group as they protested and moved on. August caught up soon enough with her, walking next to her. After a while of walking through the streets August broke the silence between them. "Is there any reason you wanted me to tag along instead of Sylvia?" he looked down at her as they walked. As he awaited an answer he kept his eyes and ears open for any rumours or snippets of information about the Mosasaur.

 

[EmilyHuene]

Moving forward the two groups would separate and go their own ways. August caught up with the excited teen and would ask why she wanted him and not her ninja friend. Evelyn replied with a laughing tone, "Those two will never get along. Trust me. If I asked either one they'd follow me like lost puppies worried about the other. This way, they can keep an eye out to make sure the other doesn't come rushing back to me. It's genius really. Either that, or they'll get tired of one another and split up again, thus covering twice as much ground."

As she said that last part, she'd jump around to face him and wave her fingers out one at a time in a little dance of genius victory. Least that's how she felt for manipulating the both of them in her own cleaver way. But as she did that, something else in the distance would catch August's eye. There were two adults walking through the market with their young daughter. Both parents were well into adulthood and their daughter looked like she was in her teenage years. The mother -like the daughter- was a Felis, a humanoid feline. This particular one had gray fur and brown hair and was wearing an orange vest over a black bra, with black pants that had a matching orange belt. The daughter had a much different shade of fur than her mother as hers was light blue with darker hair on her head. The father with the two Felis women was a man with long brown hair tied back behind his head. He was wearing a simple sailors outfit though his was red and worn down from age. Over his shoulders was a long gray and black cloak made of animal fur (fake due to his wife walking with him).

But this is not what was the focus that August would be curious about. On the man's hip was a strange silver gun that didn't look anything like a musket. The gun was literally something August had been dreaming of back on the Sanctuary: a gun that could shoot more than one bullet. To think, he'd actually find one, simply holstered on a man's thigh. They were all currently engaged in looking over one of the vegetable stands and paying for various produce.

 

[KinkyPrawn]

Evelyn explained her plan and August smiled widely. "That's actually a good plan, not gonna lie.". As she did her little victory dance in front of him he simply chuckled and shook his head. The pressed on, but after a few steps August stopped. A silver glimmer caught his eye. A gun was hanging from a stranger's hip. But it wasn't a musket. No, this was far more advanced. August's curiosity got the better of him and he moved through the crowd towards the man, leaving Evelyn behind and running after his new fascination.

He completely forgot about their mission, or anything else for that matter. He wanted to know what kind of gun that guy is carrying. When he finally reached the man he stood a few steps away. "Excuse me, friend, but I couldn't help but notice that shiny new piece you're carrying. May I ask what kind of weapon that is? I've yet to see something like that on the open ocean." he spoke politely and professionally to the man. He was most likely looking like a total idiot but he didn't care. He had to know about this strange new weapon.

 

[EmilyHuene]

"Hey where are you?-" Evelyn started to ask as her partner just moved away from her. Grunting she followed after, but the crowd kept getting in her way because she was smaller and not as bulky as her pirate captain.

Hearing that someone was talking to him, the man would turn and blink a few times as the light hit him. He then looked down at his gun and smiled. "Ahhhh. You noticed that eh?" The man would reach down and pull the gun out to show it off. The woman he was with rolled her eyes and pulled their daughter along. She knew this would not be a short conversation.

"Oh it's a real piece 'O work this one. Made it meself, I did. I call it a roulette."

The man would pull the round cylinder out and show that inside the gears were six cylinders. He pulled one out and waved it in his hand for a second. But he was smart as he did; his thumb was over the writing on the tube which had a certain incantation written in it. That's what made the gun so special. In time, someone would learn to make the bullets with gunpowder, but this man's weapon was far different than that for it didn't shoot normal slugs.

"You see, these lil beauties are what do the trick. That's where the magic is, see?" With a proud smirk he put the shell back into the cartridge and loaded it back into the gun with a spin and holstered it. "A'int got much use fer it now. Not since me sailin days were over. Used to be a rather crack shot with it too, ya see? Ol' DeadShot they called me."

As if their luck couldn't get any better. DeadShot, one of the several infamous names of the F.E.P. they'd come looking to find. Was this cosmic circumstance? The work of gods? Or simply just dumb luck? Either way, August had struck gold. And while Evelyn squeezed in behind him, she nudged him and gave him a rather rude look.

"What's the big idea! You're supposed to stay by my side!"

"Well who's this then?" the man asked as he looked down to the fifteen year old.

 

[KinkyPrawn]

August stared in bewilderment at the man and his gun, drinking in every word the man said. He was curious as to how the gun worked and ideas of revers engineering it with normal black powder began to form in his head. He kept looking at the man and his gun with wide eyes until he said his name. August's gaze changed immediately. Dead Shot? What kind of luck was this? Evelyn emerged next to him, angry that he just took off like that.

August's eyes darted between Dead Shot and Evelyn in confusion, trying to figure out what to say. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, she's a street urchin I adopted a while back. Still working on her manners, my apologies." he covered Evelyn quickly before shaking his head a little. "Alright, firstly: What can I trade you for that gun? I've got a stash of pure Aztec gold in my ship. Worth a massive fortune to the right people. How's that sound? And secondly: Dead Shot? As in 'F.E.P Dead Shot'? Tell me, do you know the whereabouts of the rest of your crew? I'm currently looking for one of them and it's rather urgent that I meet with them." he spoke quickly and professionally. He might be coming off as a bit strange but he didn't care.

They were this close to victory, manners can go fly a kite right about now.

 

[EmilyHuene]

"Hey!" the demon urchin protested while slapping him on the arm.

DeadShot then looked on at the two before turning his attention to August whom was now trying to buy off the magic gun. He offered a pile of gold, Aztec gold to be precise. The old pirate would hold up his hands trying to dissuade him but the vampire kept talking. He inquired about the man's name and if he was connected to the Flesh-Eaters. Still without giving the man time to reply he then asked if he knew how to find them for their business was quite urgent.

"Hold your horses there, mate. First off, gun's not fer sale. A'int nothing you got this ol' man like me needs. My treasure days are long since over. The crew yer looking fer don't exist no more. Not since the Captain's death. Broke the whole ship down in the battle." DeadShot took a moment to wipe some of the sweat from his brow. "So I'm sorry if he was whom you was lookin' fer. But Good Ol' WrathSpike a'int among the livin' no moe'."

Evelyn would push past August again and speak up once more, "We're not looking for no Wrath spike. We're looking for someone named Aeryun Huene. Do you know her?"

The man shook his head, "Sorry lass. We only ever used our pirate names. Only ever knew the Captain's because he was something of a legend. You could try askin' the first mate, ShearBlade. She ran the ship for awhile when the Cap was away. And she named some of the fresh blood. She might know this Huene lass."

"Do you know where we can find her?" Evelyn continued to push eagerly. There was so much hope in her voice.

Against his better judgement, the man seemed to sigh and really think it over. He seemed like he didn't want to share this information, but the desperation in her tone made him question himself. Who could say no to a little thing like her. Evelyn's voice was always so...alluring.

"Well..." he thought for another moment while trying to decide whether or not he should actually say one way or the other. "After the ship went down, we all went our separate ways, you see. We didn't all keep in touch. I kin think she probably went off with that wolf of hers. She took mighty affection for the man...wolf, thing. Sorry. No disrespect of course. Never know what to call a werewolf when they can change the way they walk. My bet though, she's with him on their island."

 

[KinkyPrawn]

The man told him to calm down and August obliged. He took a breath and relaxed, allowing the man to explain himself. He was rather saddened that the man wouldn't sell the gun. What use is a gun if you didn't use it? But he let it go. Hopefully someone would figure out a similar type of device in the future...

DeadShot went on to explain that the crew no longer existed. That came as a shock to August. How could a group of pirates with a reputation like theirs simply cease to exist? Clearly their mission was not that well thought out if no one made an effort to keep them together. He wanted to ask further but Evelyn took the lead in the conversation. DeadShot pointed them to the first mate, ShearBlade...but where the hell did she reside?

Evelyn pressed further and August was surprised that the man obliged. He gave them some semblance of her whereabouts, as well as who she's with. August was not happy in the slightest but he just kept his mouth shut.

When he was done August shook the man's hand. "Thank you very much, sir. Have a good day...also love the gun." August spoke sincerely and proudly, conveying his gratefulness. He motioned for Evelyn to follow and made his way away from the man. When they were out of earshot and had some form of privacy he turned to Evelyn. "So, any idea where we might find this ShearBlade and her mutt?"

 

[EmilyHuene]

"I appreciate that," he'd say and nod his head to both August, and then again to Evelyn, before turning to catch up with his girls.

Evelyn would then turn to face August while pursing her lips in thought. He'd ask her where this first mate was and she nodded her head a few times before answering. "I think I do. Or really, it's more of a hunch. See, as far as I know, there are only three major werewolf packs. Accalia runs one of them. And...well I forget the other guy's name. But they are on civil terms and trade every now and then. But that third pack, they keep to themselves."

She would begin walking and talking, not necessarily in August's direction but his vampire hearing wouldn't make that an issue. She almost forgot he was there for a minute while trying to head back in the direction they'd come. "So Accalia knows just about everyone from the other pack, and obviously she knows her own. She would know if there was a human living with them. Especially a pirate. Though, maybe they were keeping it quiet so that could always be a problem too. Anyways! If this third pack is out there, maybe SheBlade is with them."

"Then again," she started and turned randomly to walk a different path through the market. "There's no guarantee she's with them either. SheBlade could be with some smaller pack on some random island somewhere who keep to themselves. If that's the case then we honestly have no idea. We can't search every island up and down the coast for them."

Turning around then she looked back for August -who was hopefully still behind her, "So it's up to you. Either we risk it...or try a different path? If you want to find them, I can look at a map. I have a general idea of where they are. I know they're North and roughly about the right place. They control a lot of territory up that way so finding them won't be an issue once we're close enough." Putting her hands on her hips she gave him a cheerful smile. "So what's it going to be, Cap cap?"

 

[KinkyPrawn]

August followed closely as Evelyn spoke...but he barely listened. He didn't care about the 3 packs, or Accalia, or anything. His hatred of werewolves was deep and rooted tight. Evelyn was on the right track. She had a plan...a plan he barely cared about. The only reason why he was still paying attention was because of her. He made a promise and he was dead set on keeping it, no matter his history with those mongrels.

She finally turned to him and asked him what approach they should take. He came to a halt and looked down at her, his frown over his thoughts still visible. "If you say you have a general idea of where they are, let's go with that...I just hope we don't have to deal with those mutts for long." he said rather irritably. He walked past her towards the ship, making sure she followed. "Let's get you that map for a heading, then I'll get the ship stocked up for the journey." he explained.

It should be clear by now that he was not looking forward to this journey...or the people they were going to meet.

 

[EmilyHuene]

It didn't seem like her vampire captain had much of an opinion on the matter and that was fine with Evelyn. She trusted her gut. Something in her knew that her real mother was closer than she suspected. And if that meant traveling to the colder parts of the earth to find her, then so be it. Eve would not give up. This was the question to everything about her. She wouldn't rest until she found those answers.

August would start heading back to the ship and she would follow with a skip in her step. The mission carried on; they were on the right track. That was all the motivation she needed to get that fire in her eyes. He explained he needed to get her to a map to which she'd nod and agree. Once on the ship, she made her way quickly to the map on his desk and drew out their course. It would take some time to find the wolves' home, but she was confident when they got to their territory the wolves would find them first. Then, it was only a matter of time.

It would take another couple of weeks on the sea to get there, and not much changed save for the weather. Evelyn was still her usual annoying self. Sylvia would train with the crew while performing the occasional chore. Nuahki became more and more friendly to the crew as they in return fed her more of their food. And Eden...continued to be anti-social. As the weather got colder, everyone would start to add more layers except for the raven demon. He at best tugged his cloak tighter to him, but still kept his sleeveless attire as if the cold was something he'd just tough out. As a man naturally would be stubborn to do so.

Evelyn would on the other hand, adapt to the weather by making her clothing thicker and longer, while also adding a long red cape to cover up with. The black haired demon would also attempt to recreate Sylvia's original uniform back when she'd first met the assassin. Members of her order wore full leather outfits that were slim and sleek to help with mobility. On the front was a design of a bleeding eye representing their mistress' ability within her witchcraft. Evelyn offered to make her something warmer, but she told the teen that this was enough.

Now on the frigid waters of the Northern hemisphere, August's ship would soon be noticed by patrolling vessels. The crows nest spotted one almost as soon as they'd crossed into the large circle Eve had drawn around their potential territory. Moving to the deck she got as high as she could on the main deck and peered out across the water. She turned to August to see what he wanted to do next....

 

[KinkyPrawn]

Evelyn provided a rough heading and that was enough for August. The ammo was restocked and supplies were replenished. The August Rain was ready to cast off once more. He also made sure to prepare for a journey so far up north. A sturdy ice ram was fixed to the bow of the ship and they made sure to stock up on oil for the lamps and extra thick jackets. His crew were used to tropics, no shivering northern waters.

The were off and for the next couple of weeks things went smoothly. Evelyn didn't change at all, Sylvia was warming up to the crew and Nuahki was being treated like their own little pup. Of course Eden wouldn't do anything but August just gave it up for a bad job in getting him to work. Everyone knew when they reached the northern waters. The winds were icy and every morning a fine layer of ice or snow would line the deck. The crew started dressing warmer and thicker and even the passengers had to conjure up some thicker clothing for themselves. The only one who tried to tough it out was Eden but that was his problem. August decided to mess with the crew and spent an entire day simply dressed in shorts and a thin shirt. He couldn't feel the cold but he knew an action like this would get a few reactions. Safe to say he enjoyed that day.

When they finally reached Evelyn's circle things were getting worse. Snow was moving in and they had to plow through a few layers of ice on the water. Every now and then a sail would be spotted. They were being watched. After almost a day of this strange behaviour August had enough. "Sam, ring the alarm. Beat to quarters. Don't run the guns out just yet but make sure everyone's at their stations in case push comes to shove." he spoke to he first mate as he steered the ship. The alarm was rung and crew members were running all over, manning a gun or getting into the rigging. August spotted another sail off in the distance along with a feint glimmer of a spyglass.

He brushed it off. If they attacked, August would be ready. If they wanted to negotiate...well he would be ready for that too.