The Raptors

A fire crackled nearby. It was not the sort of fire you heard when you sat at home in front of a stone hearth with tea or coco and a good book, no this was a raging inferno that swallowed Welvarin’s vision. The heat was intense, making his scales seem like they were going to pop off. He didn’t know what to do. He was staring wide eyed at a fallen beam, a beam that had landed on a body. The body had been carrying him, running from the heat. The fire was nice enough, it had not done anything to him yet, and it allowed him to see everything around him, even kept him warm. The body had always said that a fireplace was the best thing ever; it kept you warm, and allowed friends to chat in comfort. But this was not a hearth, and it was keeping him a little too warm.

Moving towards the body, he recognized it, but it was hard to depict, for the face was all burnt up. It looked like… He knew that body.

…

…

“Mommy?”

There was no reply. It was mom, the one who taught him all the things, the one who fed him all the tasty treats, the one who told him about the hearth, about how fire could be warm and soothing.

She never said that fire could destroy a heart.

He began to do the only thing he knew what to do when he was alone, he wailed. But this was no mere wail of a lonely toddler; it was as much that as this was a campfire for a mouse. No, this was the cry of a creature that had just lost his mother, caretaker; his hearth of warm fire. As he cried, his tears dried on his scales, and he crouched down to the body, shaking it. It hurt his hands to touch her, but he didn’t care, she said that she would always be there.

“Mommy, we have to go! We gotta go mommy! Come on! You said so! You said so!”

He continued to try and get her up, but the body would do nothing but burn his hide. He continued to cry, even louder this time, outdoing the raging flames in their intensity. There were voices now, and the hissing of fire like a snake that had been struck. Again the hissing came, and Welvarin looked to the source. The voices were louder now that some of the fire had been silenced, and there were men. They rushed around the dancing fire, though the dance was more of a defensive barrier than a display of beauty. He shook the body again, but she wouldn’t move.

“Come on mommy! You promised me that we were going to town tomorrow! I wanna see a Draco mommy! You gotta get up!”

The voices were more prominent now, orders being given, the hissing of the snaky fire as it was beat back by its old rival water. Finally the fire had to retreat to the center of the old home, and towards Welvarin. He felt it creeping upon him as the dry wood floor allowed the spread of the flame like rain on a rock. Suddenly the hissing was directly behind him, he even felt some of the freezing water touch his tail. A large arm wrapped around him, and he began to cry again as his mother became smaller in the distance. As soon as they were out though, a loud crack sounded and the old home collapsed, sealing the fate of Cervanha Sacred Claw. He was set down by the thing that had picked him up, and shaken loosely by it.

“Wake up Welvarin! Wake up!”

The words echoed in his head, “Wake up Welvarin!”

Welvarin’s eyes shot open, and he drew his dagger, instinctually driving his would-be assailant into the wall, holding his dagger firmly at the Raptors neck.

Soonen raised his hands in defence, “Welvarin! Calm down man, it’s me!”

Welvarin began to slow his rapid breathing, slowly drawing the dagger away and storing it in its sheath, “What is it Soonen?”

Soonen had a claw on his chest, and was breathing hard, “The men… it’s been too many days now, nearly a full moon cycle…”

Welvarin heard the sound of creaking boards above them; no one was supposed to be on the deck at this hour.

“I think… I think they’re planning a mutiny,” Soonen finally finished, looking up at the roof.

Welvarin snarled, “A mutiny?! Don’t they know that we’re only a few hours off of shore?”

Soonen nodded, “Yes, I told them the amount of time we we’re going to need in order to get to the new land, but none believe me. They all think since we’ve reached our halfway point in food and water that they should cut their losses and turn the ship around. Worst of all, I think the captain may finally agree…”

Welvarin looked up again as more creaks sounded, undoubtedly the men getting ready, “The captain has been loyal this entire time, what makes you think that he’ll surrender his ship to them?”

“I don’t think he’ll surrender it, but he’s become less and less convinced each day we have gone without landfall. We haven’t even seen a single island or land fairing bird, let alone a bird at all. He knows when land is near, and so far, the signs have not shown themselves to him.”

Welvarin sighed, tapping his dagger, “Then what do you want me to do? Slaughter our only way home? I trust you Soonen, but I will not doom us.”

Soonen shook his head, “No no no, but try to convince them, you are a strong Raptor, and have seen many places, they seem to respect you for your wisdom on sailing, and all manner of things for that matter.”

Welvarin opened his door, looking down the hall, “Very well, but if that does not work I will not wound them, a single man down could doom a vessel to any degree.”

Soonen nodded, “I had hoped as much from you, take care Welvarin, I’ll gather some things in case you fail.”

Welvarin did a two finger salute, and creeped down the hall. The old ship creaked and groaned as the sea had her lulled to sleep with its gentle rocking. Welvarin did well to stay light on his feet, for the ships slow swaying could easily topple an unprepared Raptor. He found his way to the steep stairs in the dark, musty belly of the boat, and began to climb it, slowly as to try and stay quiet. He reached the top with squeaks even a mouse could not hear. He made his way towards the captains quarters, already seeing a single Raptor outside the small room. He made his way up, but was stopped by a blade, shining silver in the moonlight.

“What business do you have with Mister Draco Hide?” the guard asked, no emotion in his voice.

Welvarin eyed the blade, “I wish to speak to him about what may happen, if it isn’t already underway.”

“It is, and I hope, for your sake, that you’re on our side,” said the guard, opening the door for him.

Welvarin made no notice to the guard’s simple kindness and entered. Inside the quarters the meeting had just began, and he was the last attendant. A half circle had been formed around the captain, who sat at his desk, the grizzled sailor eyeing each of the men with curiosity.

“Gentlemen?” the captain asked, keeping watch on everyone in the room, save for Welvarin, who he had yet to notice.

A single Raptor stepped forward, “You know why we’re here. You’ve had to heard that there is no land out here.”

The captain nodded, “Yes I have, and they are false. I believe in Mister High Tide, he is an excellent scholar and has made double sure that his co-ordinates were correct.”

“To hell with the scholar!” bellowed the Raptor, “I have a wife and children at home, yes we all need the money, but no they do not need a widowed mother!”

The captain’s eyes began to scrunch, “If you think you are getting hold of this ship, then you have another thing coming… Welvarin, is that you? Don’t tell me even you have false thoughts?”

Welvarin made his way around the desk, “That I don’t, I’ve worked with Soonen many times, and not once has he ever made a mistake translating an ancient text or misread a map. What he found is proof that there are other lands out there, we must simply find them.”

The same Raptor snarled, “To think that even a Sacred Claw would believe a simple old scholar, is it not your family home that was burned to the ground by scholars because they refused to let them search your basement for artifacts? I hear that the Sacred Claw family had been holding that home for generations.”

Welvarin grabbed the sailor by the throat, slamming him against the desk and holding his dagger to the back of his head, “Speak of my family as if they were fools again and I’ll kill you.”

The captain looked up as the rest of the men drew weapons, pointing them at Welvarin.

The merc chuckled, “I’ve faced down a herd of Draco’s before with nothing but this dagger I have in my hand, and fashioned this custom armor from their hides and you dare to challenge me? I’ve sailed more into the unknown than any of you will in a lifetime and you dare challenge me? I’ve climbed mountains as tall as the mighty Moonstone Tower and you DARE challenge me?!”

The sailors looked at each other, knowing of his feats, and now wondering just who they were dealing with.

“A Sacred Claw does not make money like just any other family, it is in our tradition that we must do something outstandingly courageous or we must leave the family home. Do you wish to know my trial?”

The men backed off a little, and the one beneath his knife began to quiver, “I climbed Mount Char and fought off the dragon Sear Wing.”

A single blade dropped, and a younger crewmember ran out of the room, leaving them all a little confused.

Welvarin threw the member he had held beneath his blade back to the crowd, “But I will not attack any of you. We need a full crew in order to get to Equestria and back, even a single man down could doom us, that’s what I say.”

The men looked at each other, the one who had been spared joining them. Welvarin watched as they huddled together, muttering beneath their breath to one another. Both he and the captain looked to one another, then back to the group, awaiting a response.

They broke apart, their supposed ringleader sighing, “We have decided to postpone our mutiny… We will allow one day for this land to appear, and then we are forcing this ship around.”

Welvarin looked to the captain again, who chuckled at their sudden change in heart, “Heh, I will still not allow it, but good you are able to see reason to an extent.”

It was then that the ship made a larger than usual lurch, the boat creaking as it nearly capsized. The men looked at each other in panic, and again the boat lurched, but this time with a deep rumble beneath them that sounded awfully like that of a monster.

They all raced out of the room, captain included, and looked over the sides, catching the glimpse of a massive tail. Beneath the decks Soonen awaited Welvarin, spending his time translating more of the book. As he looked over the map again, he saw a few symbols he had missed. Scolding himself for being so irresponsible, he began to translate them. Writing it down slowly he began to decipher the message on a separate piece of paper. As he finished, he felt his heart skip a beat and began to race to the stairs, the paper falling to the floor with the words “Beware the Leviathans”.

As he reached the top, he spotted the men looking over the edge and joined them. He watched as the water seemed to froth a little from recent activity and took a large gulp. He wasn’t able to see a thing in the dark water, and so was about to go and warn them about the beasts that roamed this area before a massive eruption of water and hollers of surprise caused him to turn around… and the huge sea creature to look at him. It was mostly green, with a white underbelly and was about three stories tall, wide as a house and with teeth the size of greatswords. It grumbled deeply before letting out an ear piercing screech. As it eyed them all, trying to decide who would make the best meal. Then another noise sounded from deep below, a low rumble that shook the boat with its very presence and made the Leviathans eyes widen before it tried to swim away.

The rumble sounded again, but it was so intense now that Welvarin could feel his armor rattling and his head hurt. The Leviathan dived beneath the waves, only to have a second creature emerge from the waves… only this one made the Leviathan seem like a Perch. The head alone was easily twice as large, if not larger, and its eyes alone looked like they could swallow the ship whole. It continued its path upward, and even made its tails leave the water for an instant. It had two tails, and was at least forty stories long, taking the Leviathan in one gulp. As it descended it dawned upon all of them how a big of a splash a monstrosity the likes of that could make.

“Brace yourselves!” The captain commanded, grabbing hold of the thick railing.

The others obeyed without hesitation, and looked up as a huge crash akin to that of thunder pounded their ears, and a massive wave began to form. Welvarin watched and gulped as it rose thirty feet high, and cast a shadow using the moonlight. He felt himself pretty much attaching his body to the railing as the wave smashed into the boat, easily ripping away at the mast and cabins as if they were tinder. Welvarin heard the railing creak, and crack, groan and bend, but not break. He sighed in relief as the boat began to settle. Looking to the other sailors, a slow chuckle began to break out among the men. They did a few high fives and quick hugs until another shadow loomed over them. Looking up Welvarin saw the tails of the massive fish looming over the boat, at least twice as long each. He began to run towards the railing again but the tail was faster to come down than up, and the boat the flung into the air from the proximity. Welvarin felt as if he was weightless for a moment, and then looked down as the water began to fast approach.

He straightened his legs before crashing beneath the surface of the water, feeling the shock of the near ice water. Welvarin slowly opened his eyes to try and see, he looked around the dark water upon success, unable to see much of anything. He heard the faint sound of something else crashing in and turned to see another body, only this one was impaled on a long stake of wood. He felt the current change very rapidly, and looked around as the water began to beat on him. He swore that a section of the water seemed darker than the rest, which was until a massive glowing yellow eye opened mere meters away from him, revealing the monstrous fish’s elaborate reticle. A single blink happened slower than he thought possible, but still managed to push him back. He began to surface as the great beast accelerated. He breached the surface of the frigid water, feeling himself shiver as the cold water soaked his undergarments. He felt a change in the waters current again and sighed as a shadow loomed over him. Not even caring anymore, he allowed the great fishes tail to fling him into the air with a thunderclap, and was soon above the clouds. He blinked upon realizing how high he was, looking around and finding himself at the moot point of his flight, hovering above the cloud bank.

Despite feeling a trickle of fear take root in his heart upon beginning to fall again, he couldn’t help but find the view more tranquil then even the sunset on Moonstone Tower. He felt a feeling of longing as he sank beneath the clouds. As he fell, the cloud began to cling to his body, wetting his scales again and chilling him more than the water ever could. The air rushed past him as he tumbled back to the sea, sounding as if there was a cyclone surrounding him. He spread his cooling limbs out, trying to slow his fall and squinted his eyes as the wind clawed at them. He aimed for the sea again, and could see the huge wake left behind by the fish. Sighing with relief, he fell the last few hundred feet as peacefully as possible, again straightening his legs and taking a deep breath before landing feet first in the water.

As soon as his momentum lost its energy, he began to swim to the surface. He was a lot deeper than anticipated, and began to feel light headed as the icy water chilled his tiring muscles, his air supply diminishing. Spots began to enter his vision as he rose, and he felt his limbs go numb. He never gave up in his struggle though, and breached the surface gasping for air like a fish out of water. Barely able to stay above the waves, he looked for anything to rest on. Lady Luck smiled upon him at least once this night as a large section of the boats hull floated near him. He clambered onto its inviting wooden frame, collapsing as soon as possible, and felt unconsciousness creep into his body. Numbness fell over every inch of his flesh, and his vision finally fell to absolute blackness.

A large boat baring the emblem of the Sun Cult upon its main sail soared through the water. It was followed by two other, a supply ship, and military class ship. A Raptor in a white cloak watched as the water was littered with boat pieces, random Raptor corpses and barrels. He stared forward with an absolutely static expression, never blinking and gaze never wandering from their current course.

A Raptor in black approached from behind, falling to one knee before the white cloaked Raptor waved for him to rise, “Sire, the ship was destroyed by unknown forces.”

The white cloaked Cult Priest nodded, “I noticed.”

The lower ranked Brother blinked, “But of course sire; may I know what we are to do now that the Heretics have been vanquished?”

The Priest sighed, “You have obviously not gone over the list of Raptors as I instructed.”

The dark cloaked Raptor shuddered from the ring of a blade as it pierced his stomach, “Perhaps I will find another more competent than you. Welvarin was on that list, which alone makes their operation a threat.”

As the body dropped the Priest cleaned his shining dagger on his corpse, “Along with the blasphemer Soonen, who have already attempted to beseech High Priest Reveta’s power. Welvarin Has escaped countless assassination attempts, and Soonen has being searching for a way to topple us for cycles. The chances of them being dead are minimal at best. Reveta has ordered me specifically to comb the beaches or continents of Equestria thoroughly, until the bodies are found… or made… We do not need more of our precious information revealed. The sun scorched Raptoria for seven days without end as the moon stood still 1000 years ago, if not for the Cult, we would be ash.”

He stepped away from the corpse, which was thrown into the ocean by two other black cloaked brothers. The white cloaked Priest returned to his luscious cabin, “We would be nothing but ash…”