The Wolf Girl

[EmilyHuene]

[fancybox2]

The Middle of The Blue Line
1200 Hours

@EmilyHuene ; @KinkyPrawn [/fancybox2]

"ENEMY SHIP!!"

Just when she thought she was getting away from trouble it came back to her. A cannonball was heard sailing through the air until it crashed into the wooden sides of the sailing vessel that Evelyn Tenebris and her two companions were currently aboard. The ship rocked from the impact and the black haired girl topped over from losing her balance. Beside her, Evelyn's loyal companion, Nuahki, fell to all fours. The creature looked like an ordinary dire wolf, but was in fact a Braghest. Practically run out of existence by demons, the wolf species made of darkness come few and far between. The fact Evelyn not only tamed one but keeps as a familiar spells all kinds of potential as a warrior.

"EVELYN, SYLVIA, prepare to fight!!"

The words overtaking the chaos were that of a blue haired woman named Charlotte. Evelyn didn't know much about this girl, only that she seemed to posses some kind of alter ego who controlled fire. Weirder yet, Charlotte herself had no memory of this. It was something Evelyn wanted to know...but also wanted to get far away from.

The other member in Evelyn's strange company was an elf by the name of Sylvia. The white haired elf was a daughter of a horrible witch who went by the name of Sybinthe. She at one point captured Evelyn due to her heritage and rare blood type that was rumored to have extraordinary healing factors. She was rescued by Nuahki along with the help of a demon from Eve's past she wanted nothing to do with; to which she sent him packing the moment they were out of danger. But in the battle, Nuahki used her invasive mental powers to get in Sylvia's head and turn her against her own mother to save them. The witch never saw it coming.

So here they were. The small group of unlikely heroes had just escaped danger and were now sailing towards Evelyn's home only to find themselves mixed in a new kind of danger. Evelyn looked around to find the ship and heard Charlotte calling to them. Sylvia would jump up over the railings and land on top of one in front of Evelyn in a way only a ninja could do.

"Miss Evelyn. I need a weapon."

Evelyn would nod and look around. No one else was on the upper deck with them, so she decided now was the best time. She moved away from the railing and knelt down in the center of the floorboards. Her shadow would extend around her and become pitch black like dirty water. Evelyn raised her hands like she was pulling a marionette doll and the shadow would start forming into a flat circle. She pulled some of it away and molded the rest until it spun into a very similar resemblance to the circular blade the assassins had been using known as chakrams. She’d then split the very thing apart making it smaller and flatter, while simultaneously making a second one from the shadow.

“Here!” she’d call to Sylvia.

The woman took them and weighed them in her hands. They were surprisingly light, and the white haired woman wondered if they’d do any real damage. She just had to trust Evelyn’s crafting abilities.

“Thanks!” she’d call back and step back a few spaces to swing them back and forth like she was fighting something.

Evelyn then stood and looked to Nuahki, “I want you to go below deck. You can’t help us right now, and you’ll only get in the way. Do as I say, girl. Go.” Her voice was very stern, and the look in her eyes said she wasn’t messing around. She’d continue glaring at Nuahki to make sure she obeyed.

Of course the canine warrior would feel betrayed at her master's command but she did as she was told and scurried away. For not but a few hours ago her powers were temporarily taken away thanks to Charlotte's alter ego; another reason Evelyn didn't trust the b*tch. Evelyn would then stand and sigh. She knew she couldn't just leave her friends to get hurt and if they were going to be in a fight then so be it. Evelyn reached up and pulled off her cloak which was also covering her head and her curved demon horns that came out from above her ears, bent down around the back of her head, and then ended by her chin. In the light of day her black and gold eyes were now clear as crystal. There was no hiding the fact now that these pirates had picked themselves up a demon. And whomever these attacking pirates were...they were sure to find out just how foolish that was to engage her.

 

[KinkyPrawn]

August Valerius had his right hand at the wheel steering his ship. His sources told him that this merchant vessel was carrying valuable cargo as well as passengers. As long as the passengers stayed down and out of the fight he would spare them. He checked himself over, making sure all 4 pistols were on his belt and everything was in its place. His outfit was as typical of a rich pirate captain's outfit as one might find, with the large feather in the hat and the expensive black coat, he was living the pirate's life to the fullest.

They had fired a warning shot at the ship, but it seemed that its crew would rather fight than roll over. His ship, the August Rain, was both a technological marvel as well as a terror of the seas. with no less than 70 18-pounder cannons and its 2-foot thick English Oak hull, anything less than a man-o-war wouldn't even be able to dent her while she could tear anything apart outside of range of most ships, although August did still enjoy a good fight up close and personal. While ships this size would be slow and sluggish, this frigate was designed to combat pirates directly. Made by the British to be used as a pirate hunter, she could reach 12 knots easily with the wind on her side and handled like a small sloop rather than a massive ship-of-the-line, allowing her to keep up with anything else in the ocean while carrying enough guns to sink a ship in a single broadside.

While August was a pirate, he still had a sense of honour and some semblance of morals. He hoped that the poor crew of that ship would come to their senses but it seemed that blood had to be spilled. He drew his sword, a treasure in and of itself. The steel was forged from meteoric iron and the blade was made undervthe light of a blood moon. The enchantment on the blade not only allowed its wielder to slice through magic, but it also prevented creatures with regenerative abilities to not heal up for several hours. A dangerous weapon and quite effective against supernatural creatures such as himself.

He spun the wheel to the right, turning his ship to starboard and bringing his port side guns to bear. His first mate, Sam, was a giant of a Zulu warrior and former slave that August rescued. With a booming voice Sam gave the order to fire as August watched the other ship, scanning its main deck. White smoke filled the air as hell was unleashed from all 31 guns staring down the enemy ship. The 2 gun decks blew through the hull of the enemy ship, neutralising all its defensive guns and a good chunk of its crew. The main deck fired grape shot at the enemy's main deck, peppering it and tearing apart most of the crew. "You should have surrendered when you had the chance." August spoke to himself, his accent mostly high British, but with a hint of Italian in there as well which created quite an exotic accent. All in all, the enemy ship was in way over its head.

When the enemy ship was barely staying afloat, the August Rain threw its grappling hooks and reeled the merchant ship in. It was then that both August and Sam spotted a curious life form on board. "Sam, you take care of the rest of the crew. I'll take care...of the demon." August called out with a grin forming on his face. It's been a while since he had the chance of taking on a demon.

@EmilyHuene

 

[EmilyHuene]

There was nothing worse than being on he losing end of a cannon fight. Especially when you couldn't fight back. Evelyn was about to show that ship exactly what she was made of when a hail of cannon fire broke lose. Turning swiftly to Sylvia Evelyn would wrap her in a hug and the two crouched low. A done of shadow surrounded them and they shrank into the woodwork. The volley of iron and metal blew holes and chunks out of the simple merchant vessel and it was unclear how many of the minimal crew they were already running with had survived.

By the time it was over there wasn't much left. In reverse, Evelyn and her ninja partner would rise from a shadow somewhere else on the barge as it struggled to stay afloat. She had to trust that Nuahki had survived, but she was scared for the possibility otherwise. She didn't have time to go and find her. But, now she was angry.

The ship would turn to face them when Evelyn held her hand out beside her. Sylvia would jump from their spot to a higher one while also making room for Eve. Black smoke would spill out of Eve's hand forming into a long pole staff, only it wasn't so much a perfect straight beam as more like it was curved and bent like a branch from a tree. Two blades then formed at the end of the staff each one facing the opposite way. The first one was the dominant blade and clearly the more dangerous of the two. Curved and wicked looking, it was instantly clear what kind if weapon this demon fought with: a scythe right out of legend. The other blade curving from the back of the larger edge was more bent and curved like a hook. It wasn't actually a hook, but it's shape at least from on side was very much like a cane ('J') while the other more like a scythe giving the whole edge the shape of a cursive ('T').

Evelyn spun the immposibly large blade in her hands for a moment and then vanished in a poof of smoke. Simultaneously another cloud of her demonic vapor would appear behind August. The only sound a sudden cracking in the air. Even with his vampire speed it was unlike August would turn in time for Evelyn was in midair and swinging that blade right for his neck. Apparently this demon could teleport.

 

[KinkyPrawn]

Odds of the other ship's crew still being intact were slim to none. At least the passenger quarters and cargo hold was relatively untouched, so that was a good thing. Of the 320 crewmates on his ship, just under 200 charged over to take over the ship, all armed to the teeth. Sam followed along to lead the charge and, if the option arose, offer a chance at parlay for the other ship. With such an overwhelming force attacking there was no chance in hell that the other ship's crew, or what's left of it, could hold the ship.

But August had his own problem right now. He saw the demon materialise a massive scythe and disappear into a cloud of smoke. Oldest trick in the book to use against a 1700 year old vampire who had faced hundreds of demons in his time, if not thousands. As soon as the crackle behind him erupted he moved in the blink of an eye, spinning around and parrying her blow. He used his strength to drive her scythe into the solid wood quarterdeck and countered with a swing to her chest. Even if she tried to turn into smoke to evade, he would still cut deep enough to break the skin and cause her to bleed slightly just enough to make her feel the cut. He was toying with her.

"You think you're the first demon I've faced? You clearly don't know who I am." his voice boomed as he stared right through the girl with blood red eyes. "Surrender now, and I'll let you live." he said as his fangs extended, betraying what he was, and he levelled the tip of his blade with her throat, ready to counter whatever she might try by simply flicking his wrist and cleaving her throat wide open.

@EmilyHuene

 

[EmilyHuene]

The man was clearly much faster than Evelyn expected. She also hadn't taken into consideration that a vampire would be out in broad daylight. She heard of daylight rings being a thing, but she'd never seen one in person. With reflexes her seemingly mortal body could not keep up he pushed the edge of her blade into the deck and then swung his blade at her. She reacted as quick as she could, shadow stepping once more to appear off behind him; her scythe followed her and appeared in her hand just as it had.

But as she raised the blade to swing it again she felt herself in pain. When had he hit her? She fell to a knee and put her hand on her chest before bringing it away from her dress and seeing her black blood smeared on her skin. She wasn't healing...? Suddenly there was a sword tipped to her chin and she was forced to look up at the man. He demanded she surrender and she'd hiss at him while showing her pointed canine teeth (they were not as sharp as his most likely, more like that of a wolf).

"I haven't spent five years a prisoner in Hell to surrender now."

Evelyn would push her hand back to her chest trying to heal the wound. A gust of wind would breeze by them and August would be hit with the sweet scent of her blood. It wasn't just that it was his drink of choice, it literally smelled like sugar.

 

[KinkyPrawn]

August wasn't amused at all by her response. What amused him was that she tried to heal her slight wound, not knowing at all that it won't heal for at least a couple of hours. "You can try all you like to heal up, that won't happen any time-" his sentence was interrupted when a gust of wind blew her scent towards him. His eyes went wide as the sweet smell of her blood hit his nose. He had slaughtered, stabbed, shot and tore apart many demons in his time and never had any of them smelled like this. Usually they reeked of sulphur or some other terrible smell. Except for one time.

He only smelled this once in his life for a second, many centuries ago.

The scowl returned to his face as he pressed his blade slightly harder against her throat, holding her in place. "What are you? No normal demon's scent is like that. You better start talking." he spoke harshly and coldly as his eyes were locked on her. Meanwhile things were going great on the other ship. Sam and 20 other pirates all had pistols aimed right at some strange ninja-looking girl on the main deck and on the lower deck another firing line was trained on a massive wolf of all things. Any sudden moves and the entire enemy ship would be killed in a quick series of gunshots. The ship was theirs.

August quickly looked over to the enemy ship underneath him then back to the demon. "You could be a prisoner for 500 years for all I care, you don't have a choice...unless you don't mind your friends looking like a cheese grater." he said with a smug grin as he pointed behind her with his blade.

@EmilyHuene

 

[EmilyHuene]

August would smirk with victory as he explained to the demon that her healing powers had been taken away. By what magic was this possible? Even a Lord of Hell hadn't been able to seal up that ability; her other ones were child's play to the dark prince. She scowled at him while trying to piece together another plan. She couldnt go back to being a prisoner again. She just couldn't.

She gave a slight whimper then as the blade pressed further into her neck and spilled a tiny drip of her blood again down her throat. His voice was full of anger as he demanded once again something of her. He asked her what she was and she'd merely smirk.

"That's what I'm trying to find out, bleeder. Why don't you let us go and we'll be on our way?"

On the other ship the pirates had easily managed to subdue the powerless wolf and above that surround the Ninja. She could only do so much, and was poised to go out fighting. But she wouldn't make a move unless they struck first. And Evelyn hadn't called her off yet. August would warn her if she didn't surrender that her friends would die for sure. Carefully, she raised her right hand and snapped her fingers. Her scythe would vanish in the same cloud of smoke as well as the two chakrams that Sylvia was carrying. They were both unarmed now.

 

[KinkyPrawn]

August looked down at the girl with a smug grin. He let out a loud whistle and his men moved with precision. All the gold and other valuables were plundered and stored in their cargo hold while all the survivors were shoved into the brig. As all this was going down, he didn't move a muscle, merely staring down the girl in front of him.

When Sam was back on the ship and giving him the word that the merchant ship as emptied of anything of value from bow to stern, August sheathed his sword. "Sam...sink the ship and escort this one to my quarters. If she gives you trouble, order the men to execute the ninja and the wolf." he said sternly as he turned to walk down the stairs and disappear into his quarters.

The August Rain released another full broadside, tearing apart the simple merchant ship and sending it down into the abyss in splinters. The haul was good and their prizes would fetch a nice price on the market.

August collapsed into his big, comfy chair behind his desk. Aside from the mess of maps, books and weapons on his desk, it was very clean. Not at all what one would expect a merciless pirate's cabin to look like. He poured a mug of rum as he waited for the demon to come through his door.

@EmilyHuene

 

[EmilyHuene]

She was at his mercy. And aside from the fact that it annoyed the every living piss out of her, she really wasn't afraid. Sure he could stop her from healing. But these past five years in Hell proved there was no killing her. If he thought he'd get a reaction out of her from sinking he ship or taking the loot he was sorely mistaken. None of that was hers. She literally owned nothing save for the clothes on her back.

But Evelyn would bide her time. Like she did with the witch, she'd wait for Nuahki to come save her. The girl's abilities would be unlike anything the vampire had seen so he couldn't possibly contain her. He'd never see it coming.

Sam would yank Evelyn off her feet and pull her away while leading her to the cabin. Once in his room she'd move over to his bed like she owned the place. She plopped down onto the mattress and kicked her feet up.

"So what do you hope to accomplish by keeping me here?"

 

[KinkyPrawn]

August sat back in his chair, eyeing her as she plopped down and kicked back comfortably on his bed. He blinked a few times before opening a drawer next to him, took out a pistol and shot a pure Macedonian silver round right through her right leg. That wound would heal, but the pure, silver would hurt a hell of a lot more than a normal bullet. "I'll have none of that. Just because I didn't lock you up doesn't mean you're free to go about my ship as if it's yours. Also no shoes on the bed, I had it washed this morning." He rose from his seat as he spoke in a flat, bored tone. He walked around his desk, dragged a chair along to the side of his bed and sat down slowly, not taking his eyes off her.

"Now, let's start from the beginning. Who are you, and more importantly, what are you. I've been around on this earth for longer than most and I've only seen and smelled blood like yours once in my life and that was a long time ago...and don't worry about that cut I gave you. It'll be good as new after a couple hours or so. For now you can use bandages like a normal person." he spoke casually as he dug through his pocket and handed her a bandage roll that was somehow still clean and safe to use.

"Let's make something very clear here. I don't give a damn about your overgrown mongrel or your ninja friend, but you are a different story entirely. So if you cooperate then I'll let you go and release you and every other prisoner once we make land. If you don't, I'll keel haul both your companions and cut you up piece by piece...and my blade can kill anything, so keep that in mind." he spoke casually, threat and all, as if he was having a friendly conversation about the weather. If she merely stayed down and didn't try to cleave his head off then he would have treated them a lot better. "Oh but where are my manners. Captain August Valerius of the August Rain." his Italian coming through a little stronger as he said his last name and held a hand out for her to shake.

@EmilyHuene

 

[EmilyHuene]

Evelyn watched the vampire pull out something from his drawer but by the time her brain registered what it was the gun had already gone off. She screamed in our agony and grapped at her knee because that was the only thing she could hold to soothe the pain. Her body rolled more onto her side as tears of pain flooded her eyes. Black blood poured out of her wound and onto the bed.

What he said next she missed because she was too busy screaming her lungs out. When she managed to open her eyes again -her breath heavy and full of hatred- she would glare at him while clutching her knee desperately. He would had moved closer now and began demanding her story from her.

He would take a pause from his little speech to hand her a bandage which she looked at for a moment before throwing it back in his face.

"No thank you, Augusto. I'd rather bleed on the duvet."

 

[KinkyPrawn]

August wasn't amused by her action at all. To make matter worse, the scent of her blood was becoming quite unbearable and composing himself was getting harder with every second. He coughed and turned his head to try and get his nose away from the sweet smell. He stood up and took a few steps away from her. "Very well, have it your way...SAM!" he called and waited for his first mate.

"Aye, sir?" Sam spoke as he opened the door to the captain's cabin. August didn't take his eyes off the demon as he spoke. "You know those fancy chains we got from that church a while back? Tie the wolf down with it, in case that magic mongrel gets any ideas. As for the ninja, tie her up and get her prepared for a keel hauling session." he spoke flatly, staring right into the demon's golden eyes. Sam nodded and closed the door once again as he went about his orders.

"You thought I was joking? That dire wolf of yours is clearly very special, so I'm just going to take an extra precaution in case him or you try anything. As for your friend, you better start talking otherwise she might have a few pounds shaved off." he said with a smug grin. The chains were thrown over the massive beast and locked down, blocking it from being able to use its powers. The elf was dragged onto the main deck, tied by her hands and feet and hoisted up over the starboard side of the ship.

"Last chance." he said coldly as his eyes glowed red.

@EmilyHuene

 

[EmilyHuene]

Evelyn would sit and watch as he called her on her bluff. He'd call in his first mate and explained that he was to keel haul the assassin while also making sure that the wolf was restrained. While he was talking to Sam, Evelyn's shadow would start to creep away from her and a piece of it broke off and vanished under the bed. The rest then returned to normal. Not to arise any suspicion, she'd adjust herself on the bed moving further onto it which by result also spilled more blood on his sheets.

The wound was healing though already. If August looked close he'd see the blood was stitching the skin back together and closing the hole. The mark would be gone in minutes leaving nothing behind but the spilled blood. Though, something strange was happening to it. It was beginning to smoke and fade away (it wasn't too noticeable so he wouldn't have to fear the place would catch fire). All that would remain of the blood was the stain.

"You want me to talk. Fine. I'll talk. But you won't like what I have to say. My name is Evelyn Tenebris. My mother is a witch and also not actually my mother. My father is apparently a demon well. So there's that. I don't know. I was on my way home to talk to my mother and find out the truth before you and your merry band of as*-hats came and blew up my ride."

 

[KinkyPrawn]

August folded his arms over his chest as she finally decided to talk. He walked over to the door and opened it. "Sam, hold up! Take the girl back to her cell, but keep the wolf chained down!" he shouted and closed the door.

He walked over to her and leaned over the back of the chair with a smile. "See, now was that so hard? I'm a man of my word, Evelyn. You just keep cooperating and you might just find me to be a lot more merciful than the other cutthroats that roam the West Indies." he spoke as he walked over to his desk and motioned for her to have a seat in front of the desk. He took another sip of his rum as he looked at her. "Now, who's your father? I have experience in dealing with demons, so I might be able to aid in this endeavour of yours...for the right price." he spoke casually as he played with the engraved silver ring on his left ring finger.

This girl was already proving to be more trouble than he expected and the thought of dumping them at the next port actually sounded like a plan, but depending on who her family is, he might just be willing to help her out if she could afford the expenses. At least the scent of her blood didn't reach all the way to his desk so he managed to think straight once again.

@EmilyHuene

 

[EmilyHuene]

Evelyn would let out a sigh of relief as August called to Sam to hold off killing her friend. Though she had no idea if that was actually happening or not to Sylvia, she didn't want to risk it. But she had a horrible poker face as well by showing her friends meant that much to her. Now August would know he had that leverage.

"Yeah yeah yeah," she'd reply sarcastically.

August would then gesture for her to sit in the desk chair to which she spitefully declined and instead would stretch out along his bed. The blood from her chest wound still stung and it made her wince. She looked down and saw a line dripping down her chest to the bed from the side. Oops. Well, it was his fault. The vampire then asked who her father was and Eve scoffed.

"Please. I don't have the slightest clue. My mother lied to me about everything. And I can see why. She didn't want people to find out I was a demon. She didn't even want me finding out. Tough love, am I right?"

 

[KinkyPrawn]

The idea of hurling the spiteful girl out of the window behind him looked all the more appealing. The only thing stopping him was the thought of having his whole room wash away in the next storm, especially his books. He was rather proud of his collection that was hidden in a big chest off to his left.

Her story, despite being on the more supernatural side, was not at all unfamiliar. It reminded him of the street children on Nassau that were the result of girls spending the night with a stranger and ended up with a child they didn't want and no way to provide for them. while probably not entirely the same story, it did have the same effect on him. He felt sorry for her. But one thing remained in place: He didn't know her from any point at all. but he couldn't just leave her like this. "Where does your mother live? If its on the way to Nassau then I might be able to drop you off." he said with a sigh as his nicer side took over.

Hopefully he wouldn't regret the decision of extending a helping hand out to this girl.

@EmilyHuene

 

[EmilyHuene]

Turning her face in the bed to look at him she'd bring her arms up and put them behind her head like a pillow, "My mother? You mean the one who raised me or the one who probably gave birth to me? I assume you mean the.....opposite of latter. The first one." Evelyn gave him an akward face as the word 'former' was lost to her and then continued. "You ever heard of the Sanctuary?"

Any downworlder of course knew about the Sanctuary. Although not all of them knew where it was, and some believed it was just myth, the tale was known throughout. Sanctuary was an island somewhere out at sea that housed all kinds of downworlders. Werewolves, vampires, fairies, Elves. Even Demons. It was a safe place for all to live away from the humans and at the center of the place was a witch who proclaimed to be one of the original witches. Rose was her name, for any who knew more to that story.

"That's where she is. That's where I'm going."

 

[KinkyPrawn]

August chuckeld as the girl stumbled over her words, forgetting the word 'former'. his eyes went wide when she mentioned the Sanctuary. He knew it existed, but never had he set foot on the island. The thought of holding hands and making peace with the natural enemy of his kind didn't exactly sit right with him, especially if they were in their more...furry form.

"The Sanctuary? Are you serious? he said with a laugh. "Not only do me and that place not see eye to eye at all, I don't even have a map to get there. So unless you know the way, doing that stop might not go down so smoothly." he spoke as he sat back in his chair. The last part was a lie. He had a map buried somewhere along with all his other charts right in front of him, but going to that place was something that he tried to avoid as best he could. Odds of people recognizing him there as well were pretty big, given his history with other creatures and his 'mission' of keeping the supernatural hidden from the human world.

@EmilyHuene

 

[EmilyHuene]

Trying to act all cool the girl would smirk and flash her teeth, "Shaahh! Don't go getting jealous on me now."

But August was far from jealous as he explained that he did not get a long with the members of the Sanctuary. Which she figured was his own problem. Her mother would make sure that everyone got along. Maybe he'd never met her in person. He'd then explain he didn't have a map (though that was a lie) and they had no way of getting there.

"Obviously I know the way. I grew up there. Plus, I'm a witch. I can just use navigation spells to find home without some piece of paper. But that's not the point."

Evelyn would sit up and wince as the pain struck in her chest again. She'd forgotten about that. It was weird not healing. She gave him a look of annoyance and then continued her story. "So tell you what. You let me and my girls go and I'll draw you a map. How's that?" Her bravery was either to be commended or she had clearly lost her mind because now she was making deals like she was in charge.

 

[KinkyPrawn]

August stared at her, listening to her weak attempt at a business proposition. He looked down at the mess of maps, charts and papers on his desk, pushing some papers aside to look at one specific map. The paper was extremely thin, almost transparent, meant to be placed over another map to reveal its secret. His mind was a mess of thoughts. On one end they could easily make the trip, they had the supplies and quite a number of his crew would like to return there...

On the other end, him turning up there would most likely cause some trouble, peacekeeper witch or no. But they needed to stock up on their food, water and ammo stores so resupplying there won't be the strangest thing to do...he could even use it as an excuse instead of admitting that he was actually soft and took pity on a little girl. After sitting and staring at his desk and the special little map, he ended the silence loudly and abruptly.

"BLAST IT ALL TO HELL!" he yelled out as he shoved the heavy, massive desk away from him with ease. The desk skidded across the floor, past his bed and stopped a foot or two from his door. August stood up and picked up the various items that fell off before dragging the desk back effortlessly. When everything was back in its place, he took a map of the West Indies along with the special smaller map and made for his door. "Come on, follow me." August spoke to Evelyn as he opened his door and walked up to the quarterdeck where Sam and the helmsman were trading tall tales as always.

August placed the two maps on the flat space in front of the helm for Sam to see. Sam stared at the map and the new location that was being shown, then looked August in the eyes. "Captain, I thought you hated that place? Why on earth would you want to go there?" Sam spoke slowly, his African accent thick with every word. "We need the supplies, and some shore leave could do the men some good. We've had a good haul from our catches this month, so stretching our legs and moving the cargo for a quick profit is rather necessary...besides I have some personal business to attend to." August spoke confidently with a hint of annoyance in his voice. Sam knew better than to question his captain's orders and soon they had a new heading.

August looked back to Evelyn, and in the blink of an eye he grabbed her by the neck and they stood in front of her friends' cells. He held her by the throat as he spoke softly. "You're lucky I have a soft side. I'll release both you and your friends on one condition: You all listen to me when I speak and you stay out of the way of my men and I." His voice was cold and harsh, bordering on outright threatening the little girl. He released her and took the ring of keys against a nearby pillar and unlocked her friend and the wolf. "Don't make me regret this." he said as he hung the keys back up and walked up the series of stairs, all the way from the stern of the second gun deck up to the quarterdeck. He took control of the helm and whipped out a compass. Its needle clicked a few degrees to port and he corrected the direction of the ship, showing a lot of trust in the simple instrument without any proper coordination being made beforehand.

The August Rain unfurled all her sails, blocking the sun from almost the entire ship as it lurched forward. They have the wind on their side and quiet seas in front of them. The crew sang a shanty as they worked and their captain sang along softly to himself, careful to not let the rest of his men hear as he steered the ship.

They were off to Sanctuary.

@EmilyHuene