Serious: Seasick!

East Blue, unknown::.
10:35 AM::.

Waves of blue as far as the eye can see, clear skies littered with cotton candy clouds and a dash of sun which shines over it all with such glory. The seas feel endless and fish which can be seen swarming beneath it's waves limitless. If only there were. One for each fisherman his wife and children. World hunger problems would vanish in almost an instance and becoming a fisherman would be a lucrative job. 

Unfortunately it isn't just food & water. Money must be made in any other way possible, just like freedom they both come from long hard work and one hell of a journey, which sometimes we're not so sure its worth taking some of the time. A wise man once said 'Anything which is hard to do isn't worth doing. But he was clearly an idiot and more so, he never did anything nor did he ever get anywhere except for a quick coffin and even faster burial since people had just been waiting. 


The right man says 'Let adventure take me by the horns and ride me on into the oblivion that is life.' Ok by right man I mean Josh Wynter. The young man whose currently lying on his floating wooden raft adrift in the ocean without a single clue. He'd been so eager to leave the island he'd been on he'd set straight out without asking or trying to figure out which was the right way to go. With his buttons undone and tie loosened he lay on the raft staring into the sky with a hand of his face. It wasn't every day you found yourself struggling with finding an island, but that was because most people had a navigator or were one themself.

Sadly not this boy, he was lost and under the eyes of a set of hungry birds. Circling his almost lifeless corpse the birds were ready for a feast. 

Since leaving the island he'd learnt a great deal. The day was growing old and the sun dimming a little. 

It was time Wynter's journey begun and first things first, he was in great disposes struggling far too much.

Annie sighed happily as she stares out the oceans waves,she had gotten a free ride to another Island after the crews cook "mysteriously" disappeared and she had offered to cook for the crew in exchange for safe passage to the next Island. While many of the crew was put off by her happy go lucky attitude and her full body bear suit. But they all had to admit her cooking was the best any of them ever had so in the end they put up with her strangeness. So here she was enjoying some fresh air and watching the waves when she noticed something in the distance "A..raft?" she asks herself before taking off her bear head to get a better look and noticed some birds circling it. "hmmm guess I should tell the captain.." She says before putting her bears head on and goes to talk with him.

Feeling the sweat over his brow begin to grow only more moist with each passing minute the young man on the raft recognized the sudden sounds of birds in the blue who just wish to feast.

Opening his eyes to take a quick peak the bright blue sky lay before him with not a single cloud in the sky but as much sunlight as could be blinding him slightly. Feeling the rays burn away at his retinas Wynter rolled to the side shielding his eyes as the cries of three more birds rose high into the heavens.

Groaning at the slight irritant the birds ha quickly become and the lack of energy, the young man picked himself up to a rest on his knees. Sighing as his vision was once more restored and the graceful and harsh mistress known as the almighty east blue flooded his sight the birds had begun their descent.

Swooping down towards the raft and single bit of food which awaited their hungry jaws a gentle breeze brushed through their feathers and the hair of the young man whose energy was beginning to run so low.

As the four birds shot down like bullets from a flintlock pistol or Wynter raised his head slowly allowing himself just enough time for his eyes to adjust themselves to the blinding light from high above.

The raft wasn't the perfect form of travel especially to a proper island but it was doing the job and with these birds sweeping down it most likely wouldn't hold together.

Pulling his fingers into to form a tightly clenched fist Wynter felt a tiny breeze brush his hair aside and lifted himself to his feet.

The birds had grown closer revealing their true size. They were big. Almost as big as he was but that wouldn't deter him. Wynter had been in search of an adventure and by the looks of it that was exactly what he'd found.

As the leader of the pack or so he assumed almost met with Wynter, the young man crouched down slightly before using it to try and help him reach greater heights with his leap.

With the large aviary creature before him Wynter drew back his fist and launched out mighty blow towards the monstrously sized bird.

Fist collided with fleshy face and the creature found itself thrown off course and instead of the raft claiming a new friend the blue had wrapped its heavy waves over the wings and was dragging it under.

Watching as the creature fought valiantly to escape Wynter heard squawks from above. The kind which indicated not only had he proved his dominance over their kind but that they simply wouldn't be up to the match even with the three of them.

All three had momentarily paused hovering a few feet above. Shaking his head Wynter's eyes connected with the birds which quickly made a point of leaving him for a potentially greater threat.

Smirking to himself Wynter sat back down and cast his gaze towards the bird which now looked to be struggling among the waves. As bad as he felt it wasn't his fault the bird had come to such a situation.

With a few extra flaps out of fear and the occasional splashes in his direction Wynter watched the bird escape mother blue's grip and allow him to fly into the sky to rejoin his breed with a warning not to mess with her anymore. A warning that would clearly be ignored by the dumbfounded creature that saw life on the seas as easy prey.

Returning to his original state lying back down on the raft Wynter closed his eyes. He needed to find an island or some source of food and if his nose wasn't playing games with him it smelt as if there was some food in the vicinity that wasn't fish.

Inhaling deeply he struggled to get a good hold on the scent. Wynter thought about what the old man on the island had told him about life return. The ability used by Ciper Pol agents to enhance the bodies natural abilities. He tried deeply to focus on his nose and the olfactory receptors in his nostrils, but alas nothing came to be other than a sharp pain towards the top of his nose and a tingling sensation in his nose.

Putting an immediate halt to the attempt he opened his eyes and rubbed his nose a few times. Sitting he spotted it.

A merchant ship making its way lazily through the waves of mother blue.

YES!

A slow smile started to form over his face and some of the back up energy he'd not had access to earlier found its way back into his body. Rushing around his system he started to wave trying to flag down the ship and get a little attention. And maybe if he was lucky some food.

As the ship approached getting slightly closer Wynter stood up and started waving both arms. Surely they'd see him. And hopefully they'd stop.

He couldn't go another day on this miserable blue without food, water and someone to talk to other than himself.

As The ship pulled up be the raft Annie watched as the crews ship threw a rope over the side for the young man to climb up. Looking  over the side at him she frowns inside her suit at seeing the state of him "Oh you look like you could use some food dear...forgive me for saying but you look terrible" She says before offering him a paw to help him up. Her voice although full of worry had a bubbiness to it only she could have. "Why are you trying to sail on this raft?"

Feeling the waves shoving his raft slightly to the side as the ship came his way Wynter tried to steady himself a little by re-adjusting his feet on the raft. Feeling his feet slipping due to some of the water which made its way aboard he placed a hand down and waited as the ship came close enough. 

With the raft and ship now touching and himself a little more steady Wynter looked up to see a member of the crew, or at least he hoped they were a member of the crew. A pink bear type creature was staring back down at him and a paw extended over the edge towards him. 

He could hear a feminine voice coming the beast along with a smell of good food. Although after a few days on a raft any food smells like good food. 

Taking the hand and using it to pull himself up towards the ship Wynter left his little home made raft behind. He had been grateful for the help it had been to him for his small journey but now it was time to move on up and on to bigger and better things. 

Falling over the edge and on to the deck of the merchants ship Wynter lay on the ground with a sense of relief that he no longer had to worry about such small things like food & drink or rolling off the raft in his sleep anymore. 

Looking up at the individual who'd helped him aboard Wynter saw that the person who'd given him a hand was a a young girl in a bear suit. Without questioning the peculiar attire he simply picked himself up and smiled back at her as he brushed his head of messy hair back. 

"Thanks for stopping. I don't think I could've stood another day on that thing. It was driving me mad. I'd love some food, then maybe a nap then maybe some more food. Don't worry about using up all your food either, I can get some fish from good ole mother blue."

As Wynter stretched by turning his torso left then right and stretching out his arms he replied to the second question she'd asked.

"It's a shame seeing the old girl go but I can't hang about on it. It's carried me for 3 straight days I think. Built it on some desolate island where it was just me and some old git. Apparently he used to work for the World Government or something. He told me how to get off the island so I was all about getting out of there. Just a shame it had to be on a raft and not some luxury cruise liner like this bad boy."

Hearing a series of foot steps rush down the stairs Wynter turned to see just who it was only to catch sight of three fisherman. 

The short stumpy one with shorts, no shirt, a chinstrap and bandanna was Oppie, next to him with a white vest, black shorts a goatee and long hair was Oswald also known as Stretch by the crew and lastly was Greg, short, skinny and rough around the edges. With cuts and bruises all over his body which was barely covered up by only a set of red shorts. 

"Whose this guy?" Oswald asked with a raised finger pointing to the man in a rough dirty looking shirt & tie. 

"Names Wynter guys, nice to meet you."

"Win - ter" Oppie repeated slowly breaking up the name. "Like the season?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

Stepping forward with an arm extended Greg offered him a welcoming handshake. Noticing this Wynter stepped forward to shake his hand with a smile.

"Why you named after a season?" Oppie asked once more his brain not quite comprehending the situation about names, people and seasons. 

"Shut up Oppie!" Greg replied before turning to Wynter and resuming their hand shake. "Don't worry about him, that's Oppie, the skinny one's Oswald and I'm Greg, It's nice to meet you too."

After a nice warm welcome Wynter looked over each fisherman trying to remember their names in his head. This is when he realized he hadn't caught the bear's name yet.

"I see you've already met Annie, just a nice heads up she makes a mean pea soup, but I bet you'll probably settle for just about anything, you look a bit rough."

Nodding Wynter noted down the name. It would be good to remember these names in case they came in handy later. 

"Anyway we'll leave you to rest up, Annie can you take care of him? Give him a bit of food and a place to rest up?" Greg asked before turning around to Oswald and Oppie. "Alright, c'mon boys, them fish ain't gonna catch themselves. We've got a new member so more fish to be caught."

"Right boss." the two shouted as they headed towards the edge of the ship where they could dangle their feet over the water and their rods in hopes of catching dinner. 

Facing Annie with a gleam of hope in his eyes that his insatiable hunger would soon be put to rest and then him after Wynter opened his mouth to speak.

"So Annie, nice name, looks like you've got yourself a nice little crew and some good friends. And I hear you make a mean pea soup."

Hopefully she'd catch the hint.

Annie claps her paws together happy to see he wanted some food before she heard how long it had been since he had seen land and eaten "Oh you poor dear..hmm then I should make something gentle if you eat to much or too quickly you could get sick.." she says before rubbing her "chin" She barely noticed the fishermen come down or their conversation until she heard her name being spoken "Huh? Oh sure Sure Gentlemen don't worry I'd never turn away a starving man after all I feed you well don't I?" She says laughing softly before watching them go off. "And make sure you wash up before dinner I won't have you eating my food with your hands all covered in dirt and fish guts!" She calls after them before turning back to the new guest "My crew? Oh no dear I'm just here until the next Island,I cook and i get a free ride don't get me wrong they are all good men a little rough around the edges but still sweet enough" She says as she walk him into the kitchen "Pea soup huh...yes I think that will work filling enough but gentle on the stomach..." She says before filling up a large pot with water and slowly starts making the soup with speed but grace deciding to add some ham in to make it a bit more filling. "So Mr..Wynter was it? Where are you trying to get to?"

As Annie spoke about how he should eat something simple to avoid agitating his stomach Wynter nodded. He didn't like being told to eat something so simple but he'd do it if it would be best for him. He couldn't become king of the pirates if he couldn't even handle a simple meal or look after himself properly. Watching the fishermen return to their post as Annie called to them about washing their hands Wynter looked at his own.

There were probably worse and he realized washing his might be a good idea too. Hiding them behind his back for the time being he looked Annie in the eye.

She mentioned how she couldn't turn away a starving and he was just that.

"You have no idea how happy I am to hear that, cause I am indeed starving. You can probably hear my belly growling if you listen close enough." Wynter replied hoping she wouldn't try and listen for the growls that probably wouldn't arise now.

Leading the way Annie seemed to be quite comfortable on the ship and despite not being a proper crew mate which she mentioned she didn't seem the slightest bit bothered about leaving these guys once they hit the next island. Which was a good thing Wynter thought to himself as no attachments that way. No teary goodbyes.

She had a pretty sweet arrangement with the guys and kinda wished he had one similar. Maybe if he was lucky he could wrangle one or he didn't need to. He wasn't quite sure but knew he'd find out at a much much later date.

Surely the captain would make an appearance and inform him that if he were stay aboard he'd have to help out in someway. As Annie mentioned she was headed to the next town Wynter's brain begun trying and failing to connect dots to what the next town might be.

"You've got things pretty decent then." he replied about the deal she had with the men before continuing. "What is the next island?" he really didn't know what it was to be, but as long as they were still in the East blue then all would be well.

The kitchen looked to be rather well laid out neat and tidy fitted with a dinning table which Wynter quickly made himself comfortable at sitting down.

Annie questioned where it was he was looking to reach and a smile begun to stretch over Wynter's cheeks. It wasn't often people wanted to know much about you. So this was rather nice.

"In the long run, Raftel, short run, just the next island like you I guess. I want to become the next pirate king."

Realizing he probably shouldn't have mentioned that so loud Wynter looked in all directions trying to remain vigilant before he returned his gaze to Annie.

"What about you?" Wynter asked Annie as sat forward and begun resting his face on his hands.

Annie swipe the last of the chopped ham into the pot and put the lid on the pot and goes to sit across from him. "it shouldn't take too long before its done." She says before reaching up and pull off her bear head revealing her face for the first time to him,her short blood red hair stood out against her porcelain skin as her eyes sparkled blue like the waves on a clear sunny day.  "The next Island? Why countless adventures of course!" She says spreading her arms wide and as a grin spreads across her face showing of impossibly white impossibly sharp teeth. At hearing him wanting to become the next pirate king her large smile grow somehow even larger. "A good dream if ever there was one I'd say,mine are a bit more simple though find love,become a better chef then my mentor along with a few others. Dreams countless others must have but it doesn't make it any less important,after all one simple dream can lead you in a life of adventure. Like this one time back in west blue.." She started a tale how a day starting out playing make believe with some kids with her being the tyrannical monster,and had ended with her being a hero as she had helped save a village from a giant creature. "That was one of the craziest days I ever had.." She says with a nostalgic look.

Feeling the very slow rocking of the ship Wynter watched as Annie slipped some ham into the pot and sat opposite him. She mentioned how it wouldn't be too long before the food was ready and the next island would be full of countless adventures which sounded right up his street. What better way to spend time sailing the seas than enjoying adventures which may or may not come sailing your way. 

Smiling Wynter watched as she removed her bear head and revealed her own face. With red hair and skin which contrasted so much he grinned. She wasn't quite what he'd picture she'd look like beneath the bear head.

"I hope the next island holds some adventures. I wouldn't mind having one of my own."

Listening to Annie speak about her dreams and how they were much simpler compared to his big dream, Wynter reached across the table for her hand. 

"Promise me this Annie, you'll fight for your dreams no matter what because a dream without someone to achieve it, is nothing but a lost cause." the action and saying may have seemed misplaced and perhaps even a little bit weird but it's truly how he felt about dreams deep down. 

Without someone to pursue it, the dreams was doomed from the get go. He'd already witnessed one person who hadn't reached that almighty goal and wasn't looking to end up much the same way as his father. Even if he did seem pretty content. 

Breaking out into a story of playing with children and saving a town from a giant creature Wynter listened intently with intrigue eagerly awaiting the ending. He loved the sounds of these adventures and just wished so hard he could have some of his very own. 

"See, it's that kinda thing right there. I want that. I want to have adventures like that. Not to be a hero but to beat down anyone who gets in my way. I want to be the king of pirates. The very best one."

With Annie explaining how it had been a crazy day, Wynter smiled back at her looking into her eyes. 

"I kinda wish my days were as fun filled. The most adventurous thing I ever did landed me right here." sighing and dipping his head he continued thinking about what had led him here. "I stowed away on a ship before being discovered an left for dead on an old island."

Feeling his belly rumble once more Wynter clutched at it and made eyes at the pot. 

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but is the soup ready yet? It's just I'm a little bit . . . "

The door to the kitchen opened up revealing the merchant ship's captain who entered on legs made of steel. Crafted by a blacksmith he stood before the table to make an announcement. 

"Annie, young male guest, just thought I'd let you know we'll be arriving at Glottlestopple Island in about two days time. So in that time if you wouldn't mind helping with the fishing that would be fantastic, especially you guest.[/color]"

Nodding Wynter replied with a quick question about the legs. 

"Sure that's fine, but do you mind if I ask, what's the legs?" Sighing the captain shook his head before raising it once more and replying. "What's with the legs?"

"Unfortunately the legs came from an encounter with a fierce creature of the sea. Old Meredith. She used to be a glorious sea king who swam in the calm belt before she decided to start terrorizing the ships. And wouldn't you know it mine was one of them."

"Well that sucks."

"You're damn right it sucks. I would've loved to keep me old legs, but when they're in the belly of a sea king, there isn't much you can do. Anyway, I'll leave you two kids to it and remember. Couple of days we'll be back on land.