The Beacon of Eternity

Gentle waves fluctuated the ocean surface appearing calm and tranquil with as life hustled and bustled beneath the surface. Small fish would breach to catch insects flying just above the water, and more vicious fish would breach to chase after those fish. In the distance, one could see a great white launching out of the water as massive teeth caught the tail end of a bird flying above and dragged it down into the blue depths. It was high noon, as the sun beat down on the waters heating them up and allowing for life to be at its peak potential, something lurked beneath the waters. What was once a small innocent girl was now tormenting the seas of Lumos, patrolling it for human flesh. The beast had grown battle hardened seeing many ship and men fall before it. Due to many learning to stay out of the water the creature had taken to hunting other things, such as dolphins and other aquatic creatures.

Feeling the warmth of the sun, and the need to come up for air, the whale decided it was time to breach. Feeling it stir all of the other creatures scurried away, certain areas of the water grew less motion full and rapidly at that. That is not to include the fin of the shark who had caught the bird earlier. Happy with its catch it had been fat and met its quota for food. The whale, on the other hand, had not eaten today. It positioned itself, ready to launch up, having its trajectory to align itself with the shark. All beast that was once human often maintained two to five percent of their humanity which meant they had a slight advantage depending on what was maintained. As the shark came into alignment muscled surged, a tail violently flapped for speed, and the whale's body cut through the water like the finest blade cutting through butter. The shark could not have survived as the whale, and the shark came flying out of the water at remarkable speeds. The whale had missed catching the shark in its mouth and had flown past it. Though somehow it was able to maneuver its body to turn around. The shark startled was panicked but was falling back towards the water. One would assume that once it was back in the water, it could get away.

No.

The whale's fangs caught the shark on their decent as it tackled the defenseless beast back into the ocean, with enough speed and impact that potentially could have killed the shark upon re-entry to the oceans. The impact sent a violent torrent of waves to the shorelines of Lumos, rocking the boats nearby.

The sun's rays were finally spilling into the window of the room that the partially shifted wolf called his own. He stirred only slightly, just enough to tug a pillow over his face and ignore the coming of the new day. However, the flying fox in the room decided that that just wasn't good enough. He at least knew they needed to go and get supplies, that was the only reason they were docked in the first place. So the creature flew over to the bed and hooked his claws into the blanket. He dragged it off the man and dropped it to the floor, harping at him with his bat noises. The wolf sat up and glared at the bat, throwing his pillow at him. However, the creature did have a point and so he got out of bed and ready for the day.

He spent most of the morning in town, bartering for food and supplies. The bat carried a bag in each claw and the tug boat captain had a box full of goods. Not bad for a good morning's work. His plan for the rest of the day was to sit back and relax, maybe work on his tan? Clean off the sides of his boat? Make sure everything worked on the inside? The possibilities were endless! So once they arrived back to the boat, they went inside and started getting to work.

"Oh, thank the gods. We're done." That was a bit over dramatic considering all he did was put groceries away, but that was a lot of walking. He placed himself down on one of the deck chairs and happened to look out at the water. He just happened to glance over with enough time to witness something quite worrisome and very horrific. Did . . . Did that whale just do what he thought it did? The bat and the wolf stared at each other for a very long time before glancing back at the open ocean. They . . . They lived out there most of the time. Would they suffer the same fate as that poor shark? He hoped not.

"Nah, I'm sure we have nothing to worry about." He mused to the bat's unasked question. "Let's just . . . Let's just stay here for a little while longer. We don't have to leave port right away." And for once, the bat didn't argue. He just agreed.

Time was a strange thing, Gavin mused as he and his group made their way to the port. In one way it seemed a lifetime since they had left house Draconian and yet it felt like there had been no time at all. Not enough. He would have liked to plan things out better, but they had to make a move.
  With him was a group of 21 men and women, Phyn walking just slightly behind and to the right. Her eyes made people move out of the way, making it relatively easy for them to reach their destination.
  This was Eternity. Well, not all of it. There were other members, spread out, hidden in the area.
  Today was the day they would make a move to claim territory, a home for themselves. But they needed a boat for that and Gavin had done some research. There was a member of Mutiny who sounded promising. If nothing else, Mutiny was certainly his fist choice among the other houses when it came to allies.
  He felt a twinge of annoyance from Phyn.

Phyn's black eyes had been drawn to movement out in the water. She, too, saw as the whale caught the shark. She knew that whale.
  If we bleed it dry, do you think we could dye the ocean red? We could dye the ocean red, couldn't we? Let-me-dye-it-red. Her thoughts grew more frantic and chaotic. Her chest started feeling like it was too small, like she couldn't breathe. Constricted in her own body. Then... it was cut off and she no longer felt as trapped in herself. Gavin's thoughts and feelings had pushed aside the destructive urges of Jörmungandr. She shrugged, seemingly at random for anyone asides from her brother. But even as they reached the ship, her eyes didn't leave the waters.

Gavin stopped right before the boat. He didn't have much experience with ships, in all honesty, but he felt like it would be extremely rude to board without permission. It just seemed like there was an entire code of honour and conduct exclusive to boats. Another thing he would have liked to check more thoroughly before all of this, but...
  His eyes set themselves on the man on deck. There was no hostility in them, a stark contrast to Phyn, though her attention wasn't on the man. Luckily.
  "Pardon, but are you the captain of this vessel?" he called out while the group of people all came to a halt behind him. Most of them stood at attention, their rigorous training in house Draconian showing through. His surviving troops. A few others seemed to try and imitate them, with various degrees of success, they were other shamed whom he'd picked up along the way.

There was a constant trickle of agitation coming from Phyn. It wasn't just Jörmungandr who wanted that whale dead. Gavin didn't let it affect his own emotions or, more importantly, his exterior.
  He was smiling and even though he held his head high and carried himself with pride, he was careful not to make it seem like he was about to commandeer the boat. He had the look of someone approaching an equal, his blue eyes ever set on that future that only he could see.
  "We, of House Eternity, would entreat you to transport us to the lighthouse."

Cryptic had just gotten comfortable in his chair, tugged a dark cloth over his eyes, and was about to relax. He heard what might have been footsteps approaching, but who was to say they were for him? Maybe they were here for another boat. It sounded like a large group after all. Possibly just some family or a bunch of thugs looking for trouble. He wasn't sure how he was going to handle this at all, but there was always a chance they would ignore him. Noivern always seemed to put people off due to his size. That worked out rather nicely for him a lot of the time as a matter of fact. He just settled down and relaxed into the chair. Certainly he had nothing to worry about here.

Wrong.

"Yes, I am the captain of this vessel." He sat up, let the rag fall off his face. He blinked a couple times to let his eyes adjust to the light again and when he saw who was here, there was a few moments of internal panic. Was this a raid? Was House Draconian here to arrest him? He hadn't even done anything wrong! What was this even about? He was nervous, but he just smiled. He stood up from his chair, put on a brave face. He didn't have anything to hide here. "Is there perhaps something that I can do for you?"

The confusion was hard to mask when this man informed him that they were House Eternity. They were dressed like Draconian soldiers. Had something happened that he wasn't aware of? Another defection from the Sovereign? Oh, that poor boy, probably wasn't too happy about this. He took a moment to imagine that. Ahaha, fuck that guy. He shifted just a little bit, walking over to the edge of his tug boat. He looked over the man addressing him and the people behind him. Well, if this was a trap it was certainly a good one. He was tempted to say no, call them out, and prepare himself for a fight. However, Noivern flew over and rested on his shoulder. He would take the peaceful approach since the bat didn't outright attack the newcomers.

"Name's Cryptic. This 'eres Noivern, first mate of this ol' tug boat." He seemed really proud of this fact. He extended his hand as both an offering of a handshake and as a means to help the man onto the boat should he feel he'd like to step aboard. "Please allow me to be the first Mutiny member to offer my assistance to you in any way you would see fit." Though, hadn't the man mentioned he wanted to go to the light house? With that whale in the water, there was a chance they wouldn't make it . . .

"I can most certainly take you to the light house if that is truly where you would like to go. Doesn't need to happen right now, but we'll need to discuss payment at some point." He paused here, having an uneasy sort of feeling in his stomach. He shifted a bit, looking off to the side, "Although, I'm willing to negotiate on that at a later time. How about we make this first sailing free of charge, yeah?"

Gavin shook the captain's hand when offered and got on board. This seemed like it'd be smooth sailing, so to speak. At least as far as obtaining passage. The voyage itself might not go quite as smoothly, he knew.
  He bowed his head slightly, acknowledging both captain and first mate, during the introductions. "I'm Gavin, founder of house Eternity..." he paused for a fraction of a second before continuing. "formerly of house Draconian."
  While he was talking, Phyn approached from behind. He wouldn't have been able to see her and the sounds from the port and sea drowned out the sounds of her quiet footsteps, yet he extended a hand to help her up without looking away from the captain or pausing the conversation.
  Of course, Gavin always knew where Phyn was, unless she really, really didn't want him to know. But for others, unaware of their connection, their interactions could seem uncanny.
  "I'll see to it that the effort won't be for nothing on your end," he smirked with a glance in the direction the whale was last sighted. "provided we make it," in spite of the grim words he laughed. It was a genuine, reassuring laugh. In the end, worst case scenario, he'd let Phyn fight. He didn't like letting her transform and there were a host of snags to that plan, but in the end, he was confident.
  This would work.

He realised he hadn't introduced Phyn, and she had made no effort in introducing herself. Instead she'd gone over to the railing, leaning over it to look down at the water. Her face was as blank as ever, but Gavin could feel a sense of longing. She liked water. Or Jörmungandr did. It was hard to tell sometimes.
  "My twin sister, Phyn," he motioned towards the odd woman. It would be hard to buy that they were siblings, much less twins. The only similarity being their clothing, though it hadn't always been so. "she's better left alone." He didn't really think it needed to be said, but you never knew. It was just best if people knew from the beginning that it was better to talk to him. Much better, for everyone.

At this point Phyn was leaning so far out that her feet were no longer touching the deck, instead balancing with her hands on the railing. The waves felt like they were going to lull her to sleep, stirring something else in her but, again, Gavin was pushing it aside and constantly pulling at her attention and keeping her thoughts at least somewhat present in the here and now.

As they seemed to be reaching an agreement the rest of the group boarded the ship and Gavin whistled sharply, signalling for the people who had blended in with the crowd to gather up and join him.
  An additional 27 people broke off from various activities. Every single one of these looked rather worse for wear than the ones he'd come with. They were shamed, some former slaves, who had sworn to follow him in exchange for hope. The hope of a true existence. The hope of being human again.
  It was foolish to disregard the shamed, for many reasons. Asides from all of the reasons which were the foundation of house Eternity there was one thing Gavin knew for sure. You would do well to fear someone who has had everything taken away from him, who had nothing left to lose and everything to gain. Some of these people had had that look in their eyes and he'd given them hope. He knew they'd hold on to it and fight for it, until the last drop of blood left them.
  There was definitely something to respect in such determination. You'd have to be blind not to see that.

The wolf captain gave the hand in his own a little shake and made sure to help the other on board. There was plenty of room on deck for these people, he had glanced around at them and did his own little headcount. Yeah, he wouldn't have to open the downstairs. Not saying that he wouldn't per se, just that depending on how long this trip took, no one would really need to go down there. There was a kitchen down there as well as a bathroom. Several bedrooms that he was currently using for storage and then a vast empty space where one would have normally put large things. Why he wasn't using -that- as storage space was a mystery, but whatever. No one said he was good at organizing the lower deck. He lived mostly up on the upper deck anyway. 

"Pleasure to meet you, Gavin!" He smiled as his tail wagged back and forth. The whole bit about being formally house Draconian seemed to put him at east a bit. Still incredibly wary about this being a trap, however. He'd meant to say something to the man, but he lost all thought on what it might have been when he watched what happened next. That was . . . That was impressive to say the least. How had he kno- . . . No, better not ask questions. Focus on the task at hand. That was a much better idea. 

"Oh, I'm sure we'll make it," Mused the tug boat captain. Or at least, he hoped so. Could his cannons take on a whale like that? He wasn't sure. Even with as much as he would have liked to find out, he wouldn't try it unless it was absolutely necessary. Push come to shove at least on the battle ship there would be even more room for these people to stretch out on. "Its just a matter of aim." Bit of a joke there that he didn't expect anyone but the bat to get. He'd been about to ask Gavin another question when Noivern tapped him on the shoulder. The bat had been watching Phyn since she boarded the boat; he behavior was odd and it had intrigued the creature.

Gavin's timing seemed to align perfectly with the bat's and the wolf nodded a little bit. "As its just me and the bat, I can assure you her wish will be granted. I can't say for sure dumbass here won't approach her out of curiosity though. She doesn't, like, bite or throw things, does she?" The bat was capable of defending himself and whatnot, but he just didn't want a fight to break out. "I'll do my best to keep him in line, however. I wouldn't want to cause tense relations between Mutiny and Eternity." Although, just glancing over at her and seeing what she was doing now . . . If she fell in and this started some kind of war between their houses, he just. He wasn't prepared for that. He just smiled however, turned his attention back to the other man and continued this little negotiation. 

But then something happened.

Goddamn it, he knew this was a fucking trap. That whistle and the sudden amount of people that were now storming his boa- . . . Wait. This wasn't an ambush at all. He did a quick headcount and added the numbers together in his head. There were twenty-one to start with. It looked like there was at least another twenty-seven people approaching. That was forty-eight people. If he added himself and his companion, that was fifty people. Goddamn. Good thing this tug boat was so huge. He reached up and scratched the back of his head, turning to look at his friend, "Go and get the key off the table, unlock the door to the decks below." The bat nodded and he flew off, leaving his master to finish his discussion.

"Once everyone is on board, I'll give you all some time to adjust a bit. You know, settle in, get comfortable, relax. There's two kitchens, one up here and one down there. Help yourselves to any and all food I have available. There's plenty of places to sleep and there's a couple bathrooms, same as the kitchens, in case anyone wants to relieve themselves or get clean. Should be some spare clothes lying around as well in case anyone wants to change." He was going over a check list in his head, making sure all his bases were covered.

"If there's anything else you'd like or need, please don't hesitate to ask. I'm more than willing to help or accommodate."

Gavin's face took on a puzzled look for a second as the wolf captain made his Little personal joke, but it soon subsided. In these times, since the calamity, people were a bit different. Everyone had their own impossible realities and quirks. Odd jokes were to be expected and certainly was more welcome than a lot of other things that happened around him these days.
  As he mentioned that Phyn's wish would be granted he reflected on that statement. It wasn't so much her wish as it was his. She didn't mind being approached, as long as others didn't mind violence. But well... they tended to.
  To be fair, though, she didn't randomly attack people... often. But she was on edge. The whale was an enemy and in water as well. Jörmungandr wanted to kill and destroy pretty much Everything, but in this particular case her will was aligned with the serpent.
  That meant trouble, for everyone else at least.
  Holding her back from transforming was fairly easy these Days, as long as she didn't feel strongly one way or the other. When she wanted something or someone dead however... fortunately she didn't react as strongly to animals as she did to humans, so hopefully the bat wouldn't be a problem.
  He seemed to consider the captain's Words when he asked if she would bite or throw things and Phyn laughed over by the railing. She shouldn't have been able to hear him, but she was fully aware of the conversation via telepathy. "She could bite, technically. As for throwing..."
  I could throw the boat itself if I wanted to, but I'd be more likely to smash it! he heard in his mind. Once upon a time it had been confusing, having her toughts in his head like this from time to time. It had been hard to tell if they were his own.
  "No. No, she wouldn't do that," he decided with a smile. "But we also do not want to cause trouble between our houses, so I'll do my best as well," implying that he'd try and keep her in check.
  'We' don't want to cause trouble? there was a bit of a bite in that thought coming from her.
  No, 'we' don't. Could you please consider my position for a second?
  To his surprise, she did. Whatever the result of that, however, she kept to herself.

He regarded the man in front of him with some admiration as the rest of house Eternity boarded the ship. He was handling all this rather better than Gavin had anticipated. Adaptable and capable, at least this was the impression Gavin had of him. Someone like that would make a valuable addition to their house and they were going to need a means to get to and from the lighthouse...
  Well, well, wasn't that a thought? Of course, there were other things more pressing to take care of, but he'd certainly have to give it consideration. Though he wouldn't want to... steal a member of house Mutiny. That might make for bad blood, but... perhaps there were other, suitable arrangements.
  He put a hand on the other man's shoulder, briefly, in a friendly gesture. "You've been very accomodating, captain. We'll try and be as unobtrusive as we can and if there's some way my men can make themselves useful, you have but to say the word." he laughed and turned towards two of his men as they came up to him. One was carrying a sword and a Heavy looking shield and the other had two slender-looking swords.
  Gavin had made a Point of approaching unarmed to further avoid conflict, so he'd left his own and Phyn's weapons with some of the men. He accepted the shield and sword, carrying the sword at his hip and the shield on his back. Once it was all in Place he accepted the two swords.

Phyn was still leaning out over the water, balancing on her hands but gavin threw the swords, in their scabbards, towards her. She slid down back on deck and caught first one and then the other, picking them from the air as though they'd just been waiting there for her.
  She didn't actually need them, but since Gavin didn't like it when she transformed it was good if she had some other means of killing. He could be persuasive.
  The thought made her give her brother a stare as though she might kill him on the spot, but then she merely occupied herself with making sure the swords were securely fastened at her belt.

Meanwhile, Gavin gave the rest of his people some Quick orders, but mostly he just instructed people to keep out of the way and to make themselves useful, if they could.
  He gave a satisfied sigh "I think we're ready."

It looked like Cryptic's job was cut out for him this time. He was in charge of vastly more lives than normal and he had to get them from point A to point B with relative safety. He was envisioning the route in his head, trying to plot the best course of action. He would need to look at his map once he got inside just to make sure though. He had sailed all over these waters for quite some time, he had one of the most detailed hand drawn maps around. He debated bringing at least Gavin into the control room just so he could help him set a course. His tail swayed gently back and forth as he thought, ears twitching at just about every noise around him. Things were louder than usual, but he was trying his best to adapt. He almost felt like he should ask Servo if he was even allowed to do this. But why waste everyone's time? He'd rather ask for forgiveness than beg for permission anyway. Alright, he had to set up a few things and get them on the road so to speak.

Let it be known that this man was basically harboring a fucking fortune of shamed that would make him a living legend in Discord if he turned them in, but was instead doing exactly as they asked him to and was taking them to the light house. That thought never crossed his mind, nor did the fact he could have been revered in the same light should he return all these people to Draconian. The Sovereign would probably have rewarded him quite handsomely. But Cryptic just wasn't that type of guy. He was tasked with a job and this was something he was going to see through to the end.

The hand on his shoulder startled him a moment, dragging him out of  his thoughts about the route he was going to take. His eyes had widened only or a moment before settling back down. "Oh, its cool. Its the least that I can do in these troubling times. Scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. Get me?" He shifted a bit on his feet and made to turn and stretch. He caught the weapon exchange out of the corner of his eye and subconsciously swallowed the lump that appeared in his throat. He suddenly became aware of the fact these men and women were probably all armed to some degree and all he had to fight with were a pair of knives. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Now was not the time to show any sort of fear or weakness. He had a job to do and he'd be damned if he let his own feelings get the better of him.

Noivern came back to him, the key hanging around his neck. He left it there, smiling to himself. He knew the bat liked to wear the key because then he had something that matched the tug boat captain. "Careful with that, okay? See if you can untie some of the mooring lines in the back. I'll get the ones in the front." The flying fox nodded and took flight again to prepare the vessel for departure. It didn't take very long and they were now sort of free floating there in the water. He just had to turn the boat itself on and get them started. He stood somewhere out on the front desk, glancing out at the open water. There was a very scary fucking whale out there and he was about to set sail potentially in its path. He didn't want his first impression to be ruined because he all of a sudden was forced into battleship mode, but hey. Someone had to find out what he could do eventually. 

"Understood there, Gavin!" Cryptic whistled and the bat flew back to his shoulder and rested there. "We've got to head to the light house. Go be my eye in the sky for a bit. If you see something that needs my attention, make sure you come tell me immediately, understand?" The bat squeaked at him and took off again. He walked into the control room and flipped a switch, starting the engines. He gave a few minutes for things to wake and warm up before he started to turn the ship into the open waters. 

Pulling away from the pier, the tug boat began to enter the ocean once more and into potential danger.

As the boat unsettled the water around it, the bones and remains of dead fish washed up on shore. It appeared to be a death stranding other whales washed up on shore, some still breathing but massive chunks of meat missing from their bodies. Bones had begun washing up on shore as if some ancient cave had allowed all of the whales catches to come floating up to the surface. A wind current picked up, and it carried the sounds of an elegant yet bone-chilling moan. It was followed by a splash of water as a tail smacked the ocean surface.

Hard shiny metal skin rested just above the water as a spout of water came bursting out raining down on the immediate area. The beast then plunged back down, curling what appeared to be its back and angling its head down as fins allowed it to maneuver. Piercing innocent eyes stared up at the reflection of the sun waiting for another meal to cross by. The waters had grown more lonely, less noisy as time move on, which left a sense of yearning for something that it couldn’t kill and wouldn’t kill it, remnant human emotions that were faint and lost. “What…” A disturbance in the ocean waters. A form of rabid curiosity drove the beast to investigate, another thing to smash maim and torture was always welcomed, but there was another lingering thought an idea of belonging… a thought of wanting to return.

As the tugboat begin to leave the docks, it would dare not get too close or risk getting stranded on land, the one place it would not go. So it instead, it would wait… it had quickly forgotten why it had decided to hold on, it had even forgotten why it had ended up where it was in the first place, the only thing that remained was the rage and the eternal hunger. The small leak of intelligence peaked again, learning from past mistakes in other battles it had as a whale. Wait for the ship to be in the middle of the ocean before attacking. In the midst of these thoughts, another appeared a cocky, taunting thought. The whale swam back to the surface and blocked the ship's direct path. They would have to swim around it, or risk bumping into the beast entirely. Something told the girl that the members on this ship wouldn’t like that… something also told her that she was invincible.

As they set out and his conversation with Cryptic seemed to be mostly concluded Gavin turned his attention towards his men and inwards to his sister. He knew he had to be alert this time around, attentive to Jörmungandr's attempts to break loose. The boat was capable of taking their weight, but adding a gigantic snake probably wasn't a good idea.
  Another of his men approached him when he saw that Gavin wasn't busy. He was blonde and blue eyed. much more similar to Gavin than Phyn was.
  "Gav', some of us were talkin'" though he stood at attention, he spoke informally. "If this whale becomes an issue, some of us could create a diversion," he had a serious look on his face, but Gavin shook his head.
  "No, Eles. That's not how we'll do this," he smiled, as he usually did, but there was hard determination in his eyes.
  "But we all live for house Eternity now, we'd readily die for it, too!" the man protested.
  Gavin bit his lip and seemed to consider what to say. "You live for yourself. Not for me, not for the house and not for anyone else. Let the other houses have their pawns," he looked at Phyn for a second. "if the whale has to be dealt with, Phyn will fight. You'd only get in the way."
  The man regarded both twins, then saluted. He knew them both better than most. He was their cousin and the only member of their family which still recognised their existence.

Lofty words, the thought was sharp as a knife in Gavin's head. Do you live for yourself, brother? Or do you live for me? He knew Phyn was grinning. He didn't have to see her face to know it.
  There is no difference, he responded truthfully. From the moment this link was established, who can say where I end and you start? I feel your thoughts, your emotions as though they are my own. There was a pause during which they both seemed content to exist in the presence of the other.
  It's why I think that even if you have to fight that whale, the boat will be safe. I'm on it, and Jörmungandr can't kill me, because it'd be self-harm. It may be destructive, but it values its own life.
  There was no response from Phyn, instead there was a decrease in the flow of information. Stubborn, stupid girl who never wanted to admit he was right. Not that she could deny it either though.

When the whale surfaced in their path, however, Phyn ran up to the railing as close as she could. "You dare challenge me?! You are but an oversized fish! I am destruction itself!" she shouted at it.
  She felt the itch of fangs as they wanted to break out. Meanwhile, Gavin seemed to freeze. It wasn't as though he looked worried, he looked confident and friendly as ever, but he was almost unnaturally still. His face had, however, lost a lot of colour.
  It's actually a mammal, he jokingly reminded Phyn, though the thought was strained. The feeling of the serpent stirring was nauseating to him. He was used to it but... that didn't make it much better.
  She didn't have to transform, he told himself. It wasn't needed, not yet. He'd have to stop her, but her will was strong this time.
  He was so focused on her that he couldn't move. His own ears turned into fox-ears as he was both influenced by her will to transform and too focused on keeping her back to be able to keep his own shape under proper control. The ears turned from grey to white and then back again.
  Phyn... he pleaded.

"Alright, ladies and gentleman." Cryptic's voice would have been heard throughout the boat due to the loud speaker/intercom system that he had installed on it. "We are currently making our departure from the mainland, heading out into open waters." He paused a moment to steer them in the right direction to steady the boat a bit. "I know it doesn't need to be mentioned, but there's a giant fucking whale in the water somewhere. This baby can turn on a goddamn dime so if I have to swerve last minute to avoid an oncoming attack, you better be holding onto something. We're in for one hell of a ride!" He flipped the switch so his voice wouldn't transmit any further and began to monitor the ship's progress into the sea. 

Normally, he would have been able to talk to his bat to keep himself calm in a situation like this. However, Noivern was off being his lookout. The man didn't smoke, but he felt like he could use one. Instead he had taken to reaching for one of the carrot sticks he had laying next to the wheel and started to gnaw on it. His ears were constantly twitching, tail swaying back and forth a lot faster than it normally would have been. His radar was telling him that the whale was within range. His heart rate began to rise, the muscle beating against his rib cage it felt like. The way that he was feeling now, he only remembered feeling like this one other time. That was when this whole fucking Calamity happened in the first place. Why was he feeling that same level of anxiety now despite the fact this was just a whale.

An incredibly deadly, dangerous killer fucking whale.

Which he thought was being since it was a sperm whale as opposed to an actual killer whale. Haha, seafaring humor. He shifted a bit and set some dials and turned some knobs, poked a few buttons, then engaged the autopilot. He walked over to the map he had tacked on the wall and took what remained of the carrot stick out of his mouth. "If we just go straight for the lighthouse, that's the fastest way. Could get them there by the end of the day." He tapped the orange tubular vegetable against the map before putting it back in his mouth. "But if we go this way, that'll tack on another day possibly. I wouldn't want to do that to these people. They seem really nice." He bit into the carrot and started to chew it as he turned towards one of the monitors next to the map. Was that . . . Was that the whale? Right in the middle of his fucking . . . 

"Goddamn whale." Why was it doing this? Was it messing with him on purpose? They had just barely left the docks and now it was . . . Was it toying with him? No, there was no way. He wouldn't say that he was 'friends' with the whale, but he had seen if a few times even before this. Never too close mind, he usually turned the boat around and waited for it to pass. Out of sight, out of mind. That's what he liked to think. But this was . . . He sighed, hitting the button the the intercom. 

"Sorry folks. The whale seems to think its funny. We're going to have to take the long way as opposed to the short way. I'll keep you posted." He flipped the switch again and went back to the helm. He turned the autopilot off and started to steer the boat himself again. Turned it out of the way of the whale's path and more or less parallel with the island. Maybe if he just sailed along the coast for a bit before turning and heading towards the lighthouse, he would fair better against the whale.

He had no idea what that moan made the others on deck feel, but he knew it sent several shivers down his own spine. The wolf captain shifted on his feet and began to debate if it would be worth going into battleship mode. He was watching the radars to make sure the whale didn't get too close. But what was he going to do if it . . . Deep breaths, Cryptic. That's what he kept telling himself. He noticed the giant creature was doing something and he was trying to figure out what it might be. He kept glancing around just to make sure the boat was staying on course. There was a problem with being this close to the coast. His ship could run aground and that would be bad. He would have to pull out and into more open waters soon to avoid this. Grumbling, he drifted them further and further away from the shore. Figured now might be as good a time as any.

"Bit of an update. Whale seems to be following us. I've no idea if its going to do anything, but for those of you who think you might want to, there are harpoon guns on board." He detailed out the locations of them in case anyone thought the need to have one. He was damn glad that he had been born a fisherman's son and had these kinds of things readily available for situations like this. "Dunno what those'll actually do to this beast so I suggest being careful. Though, I probably don't have to tell you that." He flipped the switch and sighed, leaning against the wheel. "What am I going to do . . ." He trailed off if only to quickly grip the helm tighter. That goddamn whale rammed into them! His boat rocked in the waves as it tried to steady itself, he glanced at all his radars and various other monitors for signs of the whale. He didn't see it right away and struggled to get himself upright again.

"Uh, ladies and gentlemen," He began after flipping the intercom on again, "As I'm sure you noticed, the whale thinks its a battering ram. I trust you know how to handle the harpoons. Fire at will." He flipped the switch and focused all his efforts on keeping the ship afloat and on course. The constantly bumping was really agitating him. If this whale broke his boat, he'd kill it himself. He wasn't sure how he'd manage that, but he would certainly do it or die trying. He couldn't be certain, but he was almost positive there were going to be dents in his ship. It got so bad that he actually opened one of the windows and cried out, "STOP PUTTING DENTS INTO MY SHIP!"

But he had to focus. Now was not the time to get caught of gua- . . . Oh no. He panicked and started to frantically change direction of the ship. That goddamn whale had not only caused massive waves, but it was getting his passengers soaking wet. He didn't have enough towels to dry them off. Noivern flew in through the open window and rested on his perch. One more blast of waves like that and he would have no choice.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Began the wolf captain, "Due to some unforeseen circumstances, we may have to go into battle stations." He knew they wouldn't have any idea what he meant seeing as this was a tug boat and it had no such thing. But if he transformed the tug boat, and himself along with it, then it would become all too apparent what he meant. "I'm going to need you to either brace yourselves or get below deck. Things are gonna get messy."

As the whale kept messing with the boat a few of the men approached Gavin for orders. He couldn't remember what he said, but they took off and grabbed the harpoons to help fight the whale. Gavin was only half aware of this as he'd staggered to something stable to hold on to and was focused so much more on what was going on inside. In Phyn's head, to be more precise.
  Ever bump, every wave that the ship took further agitated Jörmungandr and as Gavin's mind came in contact with the beast it felt like venom was coursing, flowing in his very mind and thoughts. He knew they would not make it to the lighthouse before he lost control over snake and woman, but he still tried his best to delay it.
  Both twins had a very similar expression, though they were at different places on the ship. Gavin was trying to forcefully keep control over Phyn's body. Neither was able to move for what truly felt like an eternity, caught in a deadlock of the mind. Gavin's mind against Jörmungandr, Phyn's thoughts and feelings dormant in a corner, neutral.
  But it couldn't last.
  The voice of the captain rang out. Something about going into battle stations. Things would get messy, he said. Phyn's mind stirred, as Gavin grew fatigued. For just a while their internal world went still. It was a fraction of a precious moment as Jörmungandr was actually drowned out by his sister.
  Caring, gentle, the way she'd been before she first transformed.
  He knew she was always there, somewhere. Scarred and tired, invisible to the world but... every once in a while she'd find the strength to push the serpent out of her mind for a moment. Those moments were what he lived for.
  You're tired, brother. Rest and I will be your soldier of fortune.
  
Gavin felt as though he was gently but firmly pushed away from her. The few times she found strength she was so strong. So much stronger than him. He yielded, though the link between them was still there.
  Though his mind was utterly fatigued he shouted out orders for his men. Most of them were to go below deck and a select few others were to come with him to the captain. Without him, they'd all be doomed and things were indeed about to get messy.
  He had a very uncharacteristically grim look on his face as he and his men joined the captain.  "Today you'll have to prove your worth as a captain, I'm afraid."

Meanwhile, Phyn let Jörmungandr back into her mind. The serpent was surprisingly calm for once. He knew he would get his time soon and, whenever she did manage to completely reject his presence he always felt a manner of respect for the girl. They were two completely separate wills, almost always standing in opposition to one another, but when their decision lined up, they could reach a sort of acceptance for one another. Even though their motives were very much different, there could be occasional peace. So, for once, he did as she wanted and waited for a while. Let her be in full control over herself.
  Once Gavin was inside with the captain she braced herself.
  "There is nothing painful in this," it was both a thought and spoken aloud before she jumped up on the railing and off the boat. And that was when Jörmungandr took over.
  Physically she felt like she was about to be torn in a million pieces, breath pushed out of her as her body expanded rapidly. The transformation was a violent, out of control process. It took much less time than it did for her to hit the water, but it felt like an eternity. But she was at peace with it, she accepted the physical pain. The whale was a threat. And now Gavin didn't have to focus on holding her back... as much. He would have to keep the serpent from smashing the boat but with Gavin on the boat, that should not be quite as difficult.
  As she grew the fangs burst forth, potent venom all but dripping from them.
  Gavin, sharing the a part of the physical sensation barely managed to keep from screaming and instead gave a pained groan, looking like he was about to bite straight through his own lip.
  For a moment, the ginormous snake could be seen in the air, on the way down into the water. "That... is Phyn," he informed the captain, slowly regaining his composure as the pain of the transformation started to come to an end. "She'll fight and... try not to harm the boat," he said. Or at least I will try and keep Jörmungandr from targeting us... he corrected himself, mentally.

Phyn's now serpent head hit the water, the rest of the long body following, breaking the surface and entering favoured territory.
  This whale thought itself a hunter? They would show it a true hunter. No, not hunter, killer, destroyer! The waters would run red! Yes, yes, YES! They would finally get to dye the oceans red, taste the blood, smell the fear.
  The deceptively soft sounds of the snake moving in the water was a lullaby, whispered by death.

Cryptic found himself at a loss for words as the whale rammed his boat once more.  Honestly, he'd never expected this to happen. He'd never experienced this kind of thing on his own boat before. One of his families boats had done this before, but that was becuase his uncle had been a fucking idiot and up and capsized the entire ship in a storm. Everyone learned from that mistake and it was never repeated. At least to his knowledge. Everyone was dead now so its not like he could ask. Or rather, he assumed everyone but himself was dead. He could be wrong. He never really bothered to find out if anyone else in his family had survived. Why he was even thinking about that right now, however, was a mystery to him. He should have been far more concerned about the panicking bat and the fact the control room was slowly filling with water. But hey! At least the passengers that had previously been below deck were going to be okay! A bit jarred, but okay! Hopefully.

Yeah, he was kind of really upset the whale was ruining his first impression of his capabilities to House Eternity.

"Whelp. This was something I did not foresee." Mused the wolf captain who was now shifting around a little bit, picking himself up and straightening his clothes. "However, you needn't worry too much. I'm sure the whale will flip us back ov- . . ." Something else had popped up on his radar and he was staring at it, jaw dropped. There were two great beasts from what it looked like and he was certainly terrified. For his own life, not so much. But his boat. This was his baby.

"Please, don't panic." He said, somewhat panicking himself. The goddamn whale had dented his boat for sure. What else it had done he wouldn't know until he got her in port. Dock. Whatever. They had to survive this first. "I'm sure we'll be fine. If we can rock the boat we can set ourselves upright! Or, uh. That other beast can set us upright. Or we'll drown. But I mean, I'm being optimistic here." What was worse though, is even if he did transform the ship, it would still be capsized and they would still be in danger of drowning.

Some of the members of house Eternity had not made it below deck when the whale rammed into them a final time and they were thrown into the water, hopelessly lost.
  Most didn't scream, didn't flail their arms over the surface of the water. They were struggling to stay above water, struggling to catch gulps of air between the battering of the waves.
  It was futile, but the body refused to give up until there was no more strength left with which to fight death.

Gavin and the men who'd followed him all struggled to maintain their balance, some getting up after having fallen. They weren't men of the sea, but Gavin still recognised a bad situation when he saw one.
  "Is there a way we could hope to salvage this on our own?" he asked the captain. True, the whale might perhaps ram them again and maybe it'd end up helping them, but it might also just sink them. As for Phyn... they were lucky if she didn't just smash the ship...
  No, that was unlikely, he reminded himself. Still, at this point at most he could keep her from killing them or have her transform back. Making her help them... that was out of the question.
  "There has to be something," he said with some determination. In either case, he didn't like just waiting for others to decide everything about his fate. He wanted to do something himself as well. Unfortunately it wasn't like he knew much of anything about boats and ships, so he'd still have to rely on the captain for that. Nor could he fight under water, so he'd have to leave that to Phyn.
  It was frustrating, feeling like the most useless party around.

Meanwhile, underneath the surface, the serpent moved with purpose. There was someone here who thought themselves powerful. It would learn its place, briefly and swiftly, before dying.
  Phyn was in there, somewhere. She could see everything going on, she could feel everything and she could taste the blood in the water, but she was dormant. It seemed distant, like she was a passenger in her own body. In fact, she was as much in control of her body as she normally was over Gavin's.
  That was to say, not at all.
  As she pursued the whale she bared her enormous fangs. If she got in range, she would lash out.
  The green scales glimmered whenever the light found them. If it hadn't been such a terrifying sight to behold, one might have been able to appreciate the beauty of it.
  She bumped into one or two of the struggling members of her house, oblivious to them and their fight to survive. Under different circumstances she would have killed them, but she had bigger proverbial fish to fry. Or poison. Or dismember.

Cryptic was pacing around the control room, his gaze drifting over to the radar every now and then. The ship itself was slowly filling with more and more water. It reached up to the top of his boots right now. He didn't really seem all that panicked about it though. However, Noivern had other concerns. This fucking room was filling with water, his bed/perch was submerged, he figured they were going to drown, and he could not remain calm. He was flying around and screeching and just having a generalized panic attack. The wolf captain, not wanting this to leave a too terrible impression on his new comrades, walked over to one of the cabinets and opened it up. "Get in there, it'll be safe." The bat did as it was told in a heartbeat and relaxed once it was enclosed in a dark space. Now the man could think.

"Alright, I have a plan to flip the boat ba- . . ." A series of waves collided with the boat and rocked it terrible. A particularly strong one collided with the tug boat at just the right angle and seemed to grab hold of the vessel and flip it back over so that it was right side up. This rocked and tumbled and what have you to the people that were on the inside. Some might need medical attention while others would be just fine. The captain was one of those who was just fine. However, he was drenched in water now. Whatever, he ignored it. Shook his head a bit to get the water out of his ears, shook his tail violently back and forth to get the water off of it. He even remembered to let te bat out of the cabinet.

"Or that could happen and we can flip over on our own." He reached up to scratch the back of his head and tried to see what instruments worked and which ones didn't. "Okay, so we'll be able make it to the lighthouse with little problems now. I just gotta flip a switch and this sweet little baby will zoom off. I don't know why I didn't think of that in the first place, but honestly who does when a monster whale flips you over in the first place." He shrugged a little bit and glanced back over at Gavin though.

"However, there is the matter of your sister being in the water. We can solve this one of several ways. I can get your people to the lighthouse and I can come back here with you and pick her up. Or we can stay and take our chances with their battle and pick her up afterwards. I will, of course, default to you for the decision. I would, however, like for your people to get medical help as soon as possible if they need it though. We were flipped twice and I know someone somewhere alone those lines might have gotten hurt."

Serpent eyes fixed on the whale. Jörmungandr could have played with it, had he desired to. Prolong the suffering, toy and hunt. Let them taste the fear and terror for a while. Death was inevitable anyways.
  But he didn't want to. And just like so, like lightning he struck out, sinking large fangs into the whale, pumping potent venom into its body. It wouldn't take long for it to die.
  For Phyn the sensation would have been sickening. The scraping of teeth against bones, the feeling as flesh gave way and the taste and smell of blood, odd and alien through the senses of a snake.
  It would have been, but it wasn't.
  She had long since shed the part of her sanity which had spent nights in convulsions, crying and throwing up long after her stomach was empty just from the memory of the sensations the snake granted her.
  The serpent reveled in these things and part of that rubbed off, but most of all she was comfortably numb, almost asleep.
  Everything felt so distant.
  See, this creature was no match for me. And it isn't so bad, this taste... this feeling. Why should we go back? the snake tried to tempt her.
  He had only just been able to get through and he still wanted to play. A game of death and destruction.
  There was no response from Phyn. What did it matter to her?

As the boat rocked again Gavin had to find support against one of the walls to keep himself upright and even so he, too, was drenched in water and he had to pull a hand over his face to get the hair that was plastered over his face out of his eyes.
  The captain's voice reached him at roughly the same time as he sensed the voice of the snake.
  Leave Phyn here for a while so that the others could get medical attention at a more stable place, or retrieve her, but risk the health of the people of his new house...
  And he had to make the decision. His face darkened uncharacteristically. He certainly did not enjoy the thought of leaving her in the clutches of the serpent any longer than he needed to.
  Eles, the man from before, had come with Gavin into the cabin and approached his leader. He leaned in fairly close, the few others of house Eternity who were in there wouldn't have heard what was said, but it was quite possible that the captain could hear them.
  "Personal is not the same as important, Gav'?" it was said in the tone of a question.
  Over the years that phrase had become almost a catchphrase of his. Personal is not the same as important. Act rationally and calmly. 
  Thing about that was that Phyn would mock him, in his mind, every time he said it. Saying things like 'Personal is not the same as important, eh? Does that include me, hm?' knowing full well that it did not.
  Regardless, there were other, rational reasons not to leave her, which was a relief to him. It made explaining his decision easier... not that it ever would have been different.
  "Personal isn't the same as important, true. But Phyn is the other leader of this house. Important is important," he responded in a similarly hushed voice but continued in a voice loud enough to be heard by everyone present. "Captain, we need to retrieve the other leader of house Eternity before we can continue on. She will turn back into human in the water, but do you have a way to retrieve her? If not, I suggest we tie a rope to me and I will get her myself," this was said with a confident smile and the previous expression was gone as fast as it had appeared.
  But he still had one more hurdle to overcome, in the form of a ginormous snake.

Meanwhile the waters where the snake could be seen were indeed being dyed red with the blood of the whale. The serpent felt no need or desire to devour its kill.
  The main reason why it had wanted it dead was because it had acted as though it had some sort of regency over the seas. That, and because Jörmungandr wanted to kill things just to prove he could.
  It was what he did.
  Now that he had bested the whale he raised his huge head above the surface to look at the boat. He wanted to destroy it and he knew he could. It would be so easily. But there was that knot in the back of his head, a consciousness he could not get rid of.
  Gavin was there and killing him would rip away a part of this triad of minds. Once they had connected they could not be truly separated without pain to the remaining minds and, though savage, Jörmungandr had a strong sense of self-preservation. It did not want to inflict that manner of pain on himself, even if he loathed the man, for many reasons, but primarily because of the effect and influence he had on Phyn.
  He was, in a sense, a rival.

The bat had flown over to the window once he'd gotten out of the cupboard. He just wanted to look out the window and relax and have a nice time. He shifted into the window seal and used his tiny bat fingers to open the lock, pushing it open with his head. Things seemed to have settled down. He could look out onto the horizon, get a glimpse of a snake and his eyes widened. He had no idea what the fuck was going on, but he fainted. Poor little bat's heart couldn't take it and he fell backwards out of the window. No one noticed, it seemed. Not that it mattered, there was a cushion secured to the wall on the floor because this seemed to happen quite a bit. For different reasons, but hey, that bat still fell out of that window a lot. Sure, the cushion itself was wet and a bit soggy, but it still caught the small creature and made sure he didn't hurt himself.

Cryptic on the other hand was sort of just waiting for the other's decision. He was also watching the radar though just in case he had to do some really fancy maneuvers or whatever to get out of the way of the snake. He assumed the whale was dead since its blip seemed to disappear after awhile. Although, the whale could have just run away, too. However he was sure it was probably dead because there was no way it could have escaped that giant snake. Although, he was pretty sure his boat couldn't either. Even with as powerful as the tug boat was, he just didn't think it had the speed necessary to get away. So he sighed and flipped a couple switches, poked a couple buttons, tapped a few things and the boat managed to stop moving for the time being. He turned a bit and listened to what Gavin was telling to him and he nodded.

"I've never needed to use it, but there's an inflatable raft on deck in a storage box. I'll take you to it." A quick glance around and he couldn't see his winged companion. A glance to the ground showed him the creature was waking up a little bit. He shook his head and ran fingers through his damn hair. The bat would join him when he was ready hopefully. He waded through the water that was left in the control room and pushed open the door, stepping out and into a hallway. At the end of it he pushed open another door and was back out on deck. He stretched some more as he walked, letting the sun beat down on him in an effort to get dry faster. He wasn't sure it was going to work like that, but it was definitely worth a shot.

"I think we could still tie a rope to the raft just in case though." He was on his knees in front of the storage chest, tugging a set of keys out of his pocket. He inspected a couple of the keys before finding the right one, slipping it into the lock. He turned it slightly and the shackle popped open and he took it off and made sure to lift the compact, deflated raft out of its confined prison. Hm, how were they going to get this into the water and put the older brother (well, he assumed Gavin was the older sibling) into it? Idea!

"Alright, we just gotta attach a rope to this bit right here." He reached back into the storage and brought a rope out of it, unfolding the raft enough to find the loop for the anchor. He slipped a section of rope into it and tied it off, tying the other end of the rope to one of the metal railings. He tugged on both ends to make sure they were secure before walking the raft over to the edge of the boat. "There's a little ladder right here that you can climb down to get into the boat." He held the raft just long enough to tug the ripcord and watch it inflate and fall into the water with a splash. He made sure to tug it as close to the boat was he could, glancing back at the man.

"Its not as fancy as one of them big ships, but its enough to serve the purpose you need it to. We'll wait here for you and your sister to return."

"Well then, just get us back as soon as I get us both out of the water. Oh, and if there is anything that is not soaked for when we come back, I'd be in your debt," he said with a smile.
Gavin followed the captain and his gaze traveled between him and the giant snake which was watching him.
  It would have been hard to tell from the ship, as it might just have been looking at the ship in general, but the two were in fact looking at one another, both preparing for the mental battle which would take place.
  It's just a matter of time, the snake taunted, before she is mine. Why delay the inevitable. You only prolong the suffering. Allow her to let go, set her free, its thoughts felt deceptively soothing, but Gavin knew how it worked.
  It worked similarly on Phyn. It sort of put her mind asleep, made her listless. But he was cautious and would not listen. He had a reason to fight and he couldn't afford to lose.
  I know your tricks, you wear Phyn out with it, endlessly whispering and teasing. But you will not have her, I'll find a way... Gavin replied, simultaneously getting into the smaller boat.
  His clothes were still wet, but he struggled to get most of them off, keeping only his pants. He was a decent swimmer, but he didn't want to be weighed down, not knowing what else was in the water or how strong the currents were here.
  Besides, he'd have to drag Phyn with him, that'd be difficult enough on its own.

He let the small boat approach the snake. It could have swallowed him whole then and there, but he knew it wouldn't.
  Even Jörmungandr wouldn't know what would happen to Phyn if he did that. There was a bit of a risk for the snake that she'd awaken and either take full control or blame herself to the point where she ended both of their lives.
  No, as long as Phyn was even remotely herself, Gavin was safe from the snake.
  He breathed out and let his mind wander over to the alien body of the snake. The experience was too unpleasant for words. It never got easier and he didn't understand how his sister managed to retain a shred of sanity, having to live with it constantly.
  She was so strong. He'd find a way to help her.
  There was resistance. Jörmungandr did not want to yield and tried to keep Gavin's thoughts from reaching Phyn.
  It was a question of resolve and will. A battle the snake could not hope to win as long as Gavin was fighting for his sister.
  Every thought and impulse Jörmungandr threw at him made him shudder, but at the same time it did not quite reach him. He had a goal and while the snake wanted to destroy and kill, it had no true reason for it.
  Besides, he was not the only one it had to focus on.

Once Jörmungandr focused too much on Gavin, Phyn started to become more aware and she sensed her brother reaching out for her.
  Her body ached and hurt and she felt... so tired. But she could tell Gavin was worrying.
  He always did.
  What would happen if she just stayed like this? He'd be sad, wouldn't he?
  She remembered that one time, when she'd been so close to dying. Before he saved her. She remembered his pain and it scared her.
  If she gave in to the snake, but perhaps there was a shadow of a memory of her still there... would she have to live her life sensing that pain, for as long as he lived?
  She struggled and fought in a panic, trying to go back to herself, to get control over her body.
  It felt like swimming in glue and honey.
  The snake writhed and hissed as it started to shrink and turn. It didn't take long, though for all three who were involved it felt like hours passed. But eventually the hisses turned into one scream, cut short as a wave washed over Phyn.
  Jörmungandr was locked away deep inside her, but the struggle to return and the fatigue of transforming knocked her out cold, the last thing she saw was the light of the sun, warped as it hit the water.
  She started to sink.

Gavin had jumped just about at the same time as she regained most of her human form and hit the water close by.
  He had to dive down a little bit to catch her, but fortunately he knew exactly where she was without being able to see her clearly.
  A strong arm caught her under her arm and over her chest and he made for the surface again, swimming with her body over most of his, keeping her head above the water.
  The waves sometimes hit him when he wasn't ready, making him swallow water, but they still made it to the small boat where he could get a grip on it and push her up before hauling himself on board.
  As the other members of house Eternity saw their leaders back on the boat there was cheering and clapping. Most of them had survived the monster whale and from here on it was smooth sailing!

The first thing he did as he got on board was to check her breathing, making sure she hadn't breathed in too much water. It was hard to know for sure when she was unconscious.
  After he made sure she was breathing he took the coat he had removed earlier and wrapped it around her now naked form. She looked so small now, it was hard to imagine she and that snake shared a body.
  The multitude of scars which marred her body told the story of how her fate had been warped by the snake.
  While waiting for the others to haul them in he held her protectively and wondered if her skin didn't look just a shade more greenish, or was it just his imagination? What of her hair, was it any redder?
  After each time she transformed he looked for signs that she had lost another piece of her human form.
  He knew she did, too, and it made him want to cry. Or punch something.
  Instead he forced himself to look cheerful, as though they had achieved a victory.
  In a sense, they had, the whale was dead.
  But what of the cost? What of her humanity?
  Of course, no one else knew of the changes or the implications. If others knew, they would see her as a threat. Something to be put down now to protect everyone from what she might one day become...

Dry clothes. Had anything even survived being flipped and flooded? He supposed Gavin's men would watch for him and help him should he needed it. He shifted a bit and mumbled something to one of the men. Said he was going to see if storage had any dry clothes or towels or other supplies. He whistled for the bat and he came flapping over to him. He took the key off the critter's neck and advised him to stay with the men and help them should they need something. The Flying Fox was capable of opening the storage compartments and opening doors and doing pretty much anything because of his size. So with that handled he descended blow deck to look for supplies that might be able to help with the whole being wet issue.

He opened the door and descended below desks, being greeted by some of the people that were there. He smiled at them and apologized for the ship flipping around in the water. He assured them they were safe now and that he could get them to the lighthouse with ease now. They just had to retrieve their founding lady from the water and he had to see if he had dry clothes. Or towels. Whichever really. They said they would help, check some of the boxes and cabinets for him in the other rooms. He handed them the key and nodded, watching them disappear. He went to the first of many boxes, checking their integrity. They seemed fine enough, not too much had happened down here. Water tight down below, but apparently everything up top wasn't. Whatever, he could easily fix that when they were in port again.

He placed a box on the bed and emptied it, placing things along the counter that ran the edge of the room. He opened up more boxes, took clothing out of them that he thought might fit the others, putting the rest back in their boxes. His chosen items found a new home in the empty box he would be taking back above deck. He managed to find some towels, too. And that stupid bat thought it was a terrible idea to keep the things from his now long dead family. Pfft. He was something of a hoarder for a reason. Who knew that this stuff would come in handy, right? Pleased with himself, he went to see what the others had found. Not to his surprise, they had pretty much helped themselves. He wasn't annoyed or anything, some of them honestly looked like they had needed a change of clothes. He was more than happy to help. They handed him his key back and thanked him. He nodded and walked back to the other box he had filled up and retrieved it, heading back up to where he had left everyone else.

His timing seemed to be pretty decent. He managed to arrive back when the other's were getting Phyn and Gavin back on board the tug boat. His tail seemed to be wagging happily and his ears twitched just a little bit. Everything around him seemed to be so happy. That was . . . That was a good thing, right? God, he hoped so. He waited for a little bit longer, shifted around before he managed to clear his throat and bouncing a little bit on the balls of his feet.

"Glad you managed to get her back safe and sound!" He walked over after a few more seconds, shifting to his knees next to them. "I guess the bottom of the boat fared better than we did up top. I managed to find some clothes and towels for you guys. The others seemed to have liked what they found down there, a lot of them look a bit better to have a change in attire." He was smiling to show that it was okay, that he didn't mind. "I can show you to a room if you'd rather her rest in a bed. I can pretty much get us to the Lighthouse from here."