Tidal Changes (Koti~xAshen){M}
(Rated M for gore, violence, adult language stuff, and alcohol)
The scarlet songbird pulled slowly up to shore, the seas calm after the long night of the storm. Several crew members hung about the deck, slumped against the railing, save for two of them. The stout Baroc, easily the strongest member of the crew, stood in the center of the deck, rope burns crawling along his skin. One could easily see both the joy and exhaustion from having battled the storm as they ran from the galleons that had chased them. He finally let out a grunt of pain as he allowed the ropes to drop to the deck, the sails unfurling their entire length to flutter carelessly in the breeze.
“WHOO! We conquer the storm!” Baroc cheered, grunting in pain as he raised his arms in triumph, to only feel a mug bounce off the back of his skull. He turned to look at the direction, a mixed snarl sprouting on his lips before spying who had tossed the mug. Maralynn pulled herself up off the wheel, her face ashen as she kept the grip on the wheel, her knees threatening to give way beneath her. She had been the second to remain upright during the trip through the storm, though was more than ready to drop to her knees. Taking a deep breath, she finally moved towards the bow of the ship, letting the gentle waves echo the misery of her men about her.
*Ya know, we should have avoided that storm. We knew it would be bad* Caesar whispered to her, the glowing orb twirling around her head in mild agitation. She wanted nothing more than to shove her other half into a glass bead and chuck it into the ocean. He had yet to finish nagging her after they had escaped the storm, and been hounding her since she made a line for the island they now harbored in. Walking around, she began checking who all was still alive, who was dead, and how their supplies fared from the fight and storm.
“Alright rotworms, lets get things back in order. Anyone still alive, let's figure out what this island holds, and start working on repair. Anyone half dead, get working on getting Scarlet back into shape.” Maralynn spoke, pulling off her hat and dropping it onto the bow, letting the crew know they would be beached for a while. She and Caesar listened as the crew began grumbling and complaining, several still sore from the night.
“Oi, shove it lads. If ya need to fix your wounds, shove off onto the beach and lick your wounds, then get to work.” Maralynn ordered the crew, stomping her foot to silence the complaints. She herself moved to the beach as Baroc followed her, one of the very few eager to explore the island and check out the wildlife, to either hunt it, or wrestle it. Maralynn brushed her scarlet hair back to help dry it off, wrapping a simple bandana to keep it in place.
“Baroc, you hunt for food, I’m gonna search for some fresh water. Gamoul, you keep an eye on the ship and make sure people keep working. Scare ‘em straight if they slack off.” Maralynn shouted up to her crows nest, getting a shaky thumbs up from her first mate. With that, the woman finally took in the island before her. Palm trees decorated the land, thin enough to allow the sun to pierce through the leafy foliage, but dense enough that she couldn’t view the entire expanse. The clear waters only bothered her from the reflected sunlight that added to the overall ache in her body, which the chirping birds didn’t help with either. Her eyes scanned the growing mountains that promised a hopefully large game, and she prayed for water among the ground. Looking to Baroc, she nodded to send him off, watching the orc gleefully head into the foliage, his bone hammer swung across his sun black skin.
*Guess we better get on with it* Caesar reminded her, signalling the two of them to set off, the sun warming her heavily tanned skin. Her gold irises scanned the foliage, combing for both water and threats, and maybe even locals and possibly sources of food. Already she had her hand resting on the hilt of her weapon, Caesar scanning ahead a fair distance ahead as fair warning.