Drifting

The green grass waved in the wind, rustling and whispering, driving white clouds across the azure sky. The Rapid River raged not far away its rumbling gurgle could be heard by the man as he sat sapphire pools watching a line of ants as they want along their way intently. Leaves bits of plants, seeds, even other bugs larger then the small insects passed by the man large boots as the ants carried their food to their hole. It always astounded the Captain, how something so small carried objects ten times larger then themselves? The sheer determination and will to survive along with they way they worked with one another reminded him of a close ship crew. Together like the larger humans and their ships the ants took down prey bigger then themselves dragging them back to their home under the earth, where they would share with others.

He wondered how their home looked beneath the earth, was it a network of tunnels and passageways one sees carved out as caves by water and wind? Or was it something entirely different, an intricate structure so unlike anything the Captain had ever seen. Alas he would never find out, for even his smallest was too large to fit within the confines of the ant’s burrow. Like the depths of the ocean these tiny creatures’s home deep under the earth would forever remain a mystery to the young man, only the trails carved out of the trunks of fallen trees gave him an idea as to how the ants may structure their homes. As for their social structure, that would never be solved unless he developed a way to communicate with the insects he had little hope of finding out anything about them; if they were capable of intelligent speech that is.

After staring at the insect for a time the captain of the Stargazer shifting his gaze toward the sky to watch as the wind pushed the clouds along, it too seemed to be over looked by others. Like the ant humans simply went about their lives with no regard to the wind and its purpose. It carried scents, seeds, and sent the clouds filled with rain to various parts of the land, it even helped the birds soar high in the sky. There were so many simple wonders of the world that were often over looked, but all were necessary for their survival. As he watched the clouds Tray noted how the wind caused the tall grass in the clearing to sway, like the waves of the sea crashing toward him before the invisible force hit him, toyed with his black hair tugging at his cloths before playfully scampering away to play with the leaves in the treetops.

Just up river from Drycreek where his ship was docked Tray could see the tops of buildings towering over the trees he knew that if he were to travel up river away from the bustling town he would reach the village of Vail by nightfall, so close were the two towns and yet so different, the one a thriving trade industry while the other remained a small poor farming community. Looking down at a piece of grass he had picked recently and had been playing with the man twirled the thin green blade, it was a stark contrast to the blades that rested on either hip yet the man preferred the peaceful grass over the tools many used for violence. As he sat there leaning against the large stone lost in his pondering, Tray became aware of a sound that was far out of place, the sound of something moving through the trees of Firefly forest; who or what ever it was it was approaching rather fast. Shrugging the man tossed the blade of grass back among its companions as he rested his right hand lazily on the hilt of one of his swords his head cocked to the left his eyes scanning the area where the sound was coming from.

(All who are interested are welcome to throw their character in with Tray.)

Tray watched flabbergasted as the young mechanic came tumbling out of the brush, an eye brow rising as the young boy picked himself up off the ground and hurriedly muttered a greeting to his captain. Suddenly the captain became aware of a loud buzzing sound that seemed to caused the entire air to vibrate with the angry noise, the air on the back of the man’s neck rose as a swarm of bees burst from the brush charging toward the two man. Jacob gave a scream as he attempted to flee from his pursuers, only to trip over a rock face planting in the dirt. Not missing a beat the captain gripped Jacob’s collar and heaved his young charge to his feet, dragging more then steering him to a calmer portion of the river. Not hesitating for a second he shoved his young friend into the icy cold water before diving in after him, the chill nearly knocking the air from his longs. Keeping a firm grip on Jacob with one hand incase he attempted to resurface while whole onto an underwater bolder with the other Tray kept the two of them underwater, it wasn’t a moment to as a dark shadow passed over them, hovered there then dispersed when they realized their target had alluded them. Allowing his head to break the surface of the water Tray gulped in a fresh lungful of air as he hauled himself and then Jacob out of the water, even in this calm area the pull of the river was strong, he didn’t want to loose the young mechanic its current. Slithering farther up the bank Tray let out a choking laugh as he spit up some water that he had swallowed, patting Jacob vigorously on the back he spoke.” Next time you decide to run into your captain be sure not to invite the bees!” he said, shivering as a breeze cut through his wet cloths. Giving his head a doggish shake he stood, offering Jacob his hand. “What did you do to get those bees so railed up, I’ve never seen bees so determined! Out for a man’s blood what was they were, you’d thick their entire existence rested upon attacking you.”

Giving a clear bought of laughter the captain sat atop the large bolder once more, removing his jacket he began wringing out the piece of paternal before donning it one more. Once finished with that he skillfully drew both his swords in a single motion, he carefully inspected the blade for any since of moister, but the well crafted sheaths and layer of oil applied to the blades had kept all but the exposed handle dry. He would have to carefully clean them once he had dry materials or risk rusting and wearing of the supple leather that bound their handles. Re-sheathing his swords he did not bother checking his other blades that he carried on his person, all of them including his swords word be thoroughly cleaned from tip to tip. For now he would worry about his companion’s well being, he must be quite shaken after such a strange and frightful experience. Remaining silent the man watched Jacob, his crystal clear blue eyes taking in every detail, from the dripping wet cloths to the tiny scraps and bruises left from his mad dash through the forest before finally settling on his young face. He was still only a just a lad, yet he had been dragged into the world of piracy and outlaws. Before he was twenty he would witness countless crimes, war, and bloodshed. The idea caused Tray’s heart to break, he should have never accepted his please to allow him to join his crew. But he knew that if he hadn’t the determined boy would have found another, he couldn’t take the chance of him finding someone less merciful then he. So he set him to work as a mechanic, not just because his talents shown in that area, but because he wanted to keep him out of as much battles as possible. He was so different from the normal pirates people envision, if anyone were to meet Tray on the street they would think him a friendly fool, innocent and harmless. They would be shocked to find that he was in fact an infamous pirate leader, the head of the clan known as The Jayhawks; The Phantom. Owner of the mysterious ship known only by The Ghost, a stark contrast to the friendly captain and his happy looking ship The Stargazer. A rue smile touched the man’s lips, fate had been cruel to the both of them.

-OOC: Still open for one more character to join in!-

Jacob looked up at his captain as he spoke, saying that he could talk to him about anything. He sighed again. He thought about it for a good long while. After a while, he looked up at the buildings, which were growing larger by the moment. The boy made a decision. He would do something he had never done before. He was going to tell someone about his fear of water. Tray probably already knew by the stunt that he pulled when his captain dragged him into the river. The young mechanic looked over at the rushing water, which, he decided, was far enough away. He swallowed and began slowly. “Captain….I’m uhhh… well, you can probably… you can probably tell, but…” He looked for the right to say it, and decided to just say it short and get it over with. “I’m afraid of water.” The boy fell further behind his captain and hung his head as he walked.