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fandomweekly2020-06-22 08:58 pm
autobotscoutriella) wrote in fandomweekly2020-06-22 08:58 pm
Entry tags:
[#056] Storm Breaking (Redwall)
Theme Prompt: 056 - High Seas
Title: Storm Breaking
Fandom: Redwall
Rating/Warnings: G / None
Bonus: No
Word Count: 802
Summary: Mariel still isn't a big fan of storms. (Written for a longer fic, which I may or may not ever actually write more of.)
Beneath the hull of the ship, the sea lay almost perfectly still, broken only by the occasional flutter of a tiny wave. The wind had died sometime in the night, leaving the Pearl Queen floating in what appeared to be the center of a giant sheet of blue-green glass.
Mariel leaned out from the mast, squinting at the distant hazy horizon. The sun was just rising, turning the sea into a shimmering carpet of red and gold that faded into purple-blue the more she turned toward the west; tiny swirls of silvery glitter broke the surface here and there, indicating small schools of fish and shrimp rising from the depths one last time before day fully broke. The sun's warmth already beat down on the back of her neck, without a breeze to cool her; if no wind rose, the temperature might be unbearable by noon.
Was that a cloud bank on the horizon, or an island? Mariel leaned out dangerously far, supporting herself with one paw wrapped securely into the ropes, and peered at it. It could have been either, or both. Either one would have been welcome, but Mariel hoped it was clouds. Storms came with wind, and plenty of fresh water in the form of rain, and Pearl Queen would need both sooner rather than later.
"See anything?" Dandin emerged from the lower decks, still looking somewhat rumpled from sleep. "We lost the wind a bit after midnight. There doesn't seem t'be anything to worry about besides that - 's deep water here, no reefs in sight, and we're not short on water yet. But this heat's something else."
"They said it would get hotter the further south we sailed. I didn't know how much hotter." Mariel pulled herself back into the rigging and wiped a free paw across her brow. "We might have to sleep during the day at this rate. Where's Bowly?"
"He's taking stock of the hull patches. Says he can feel a storm coming in his spikes."
"He's probably right." Mariel scrambled down from the mast and stretched. "There's something off to the west, but I can't make out exactly what it is. Could be a storm or an island or just a fog bank."
"No sense taking chances, then. Let's get everything locked down." Dandin was already headed back below deck, looking considerably more awake now.
By the time everything below deck had been secured and the hatches battened down, the haze on the horizon was visible from the deck. Bowly scaled the mast this time, and reported back, "'Tis clouds, all right, dark ones too. Should be on us by noon."
Mariel tilted her head back to stare up into the crystal-blue sky. The sea still lay treacherously calm, without even the slightest trace of wind to ruffle the limp sails, but she didn't question Bowly's assessment. The young hedgehog had a sixth sense for weather; both she and Dandin had learned that when Bowly thought a storm was coming, it probably was. A slight chill ran down her spine; no matter how many storms at sea she lived through, she could never forget the worst one.
"Let's furl most of the sails," she said decisively, trying to keep her mind busy. "Even one might be too much, if it's a big storm, and we can't do much to avoid the brunt of it until the wind picks up."
"Aye, wouldn't want the sails to pull us over." Dandin's expression said that he understood the thoughts she hadn't said aloud, but he was kind enough not to mention it. "Bowly, you're already up there. Help me with the sails and then we can wait for the storm on the deck."
A distant rumble marked the first hint of thunder, and Bowly scrambled to obey. Mariel leaned over the rail, watching tiny waves lap against the side of the Pearl Queen. The sea, so beautiful only a few hours before, suddenly seemed darker and far more ominous. She could too easily picture those tiny waves as towering behemoths, sweeping away the Pearl Queen, her crew, and everything else in their path.
The sea was beautiful, and worth the danger, but its storms would never again quite hold the same appeal for her.
A breeze ruffled her fur, and spurred her into action. It was only the slightest hint of wind, nothing near what the ship would need to sail away from the storm - but they could still use it.
"I'm taking the tiller, Dandin," she called, and waited for him to wave an acknowledgment before untying the rope that had held them on their current course for the previous hours. "Going to try to align us with that breeze."
If nothing else, she reflected, the storm would make for a much cooler afternoon.
Title: Storm Breaking
Fandom: Redwall
Rating/Warnings: G / None
Bonus: No
Word Count: 802
Summary: Mariel still isn't a big fan of storms. (Written for a longer fic, which I may or may not ever actually write more of.)
Beneath the hull of the ship, the sea lay almost perfectly still, broken only by the occasional flutter of a tiny wave. The wind had died sometime in the night, leaving the Pearl Queen floating in what appeared to be the center of a giant sheet of blue-green glass.
Mariel leaned out from the mast, squinting at the distant hazy horizon. The sun was just rising, turning the sea into a shimmering carpet of red and gold that faded into purple-blue the more she turned toward the west; tiny swirls of silvery glitter broke the surface here and there, indicating small schools of fish and shrimp rising from the depths one last time before day fully broke. The sun's warmth already beat down on the back of her neck, without a breeze to cool her; if no wind rose, the temperature might be unbearable by noon.
Was that a cloud bank on the horizon, or an island? Mariel leaned out dangerously far, supporting herself with one paw wrapped securely into the ropes, and peered at it. It could have been either, or both. Either one would have been welcome, but Mariel hoped it was clouds. Storms came with wind, and plenty of fresh water in the form of rain, and Pearl Queen would need both sooner rather than later.
"See anything?" Dandin emerged from the lower decks, still looking somewhat rumpled from sleep. "We lost the wind a bit after midnight. There doesn't seem t'be anything to worry about besides that - 's deep water here, no reefs in sight, and we're not short on water yet. But this heat's something else."
"They said it would get hotter the further south we sailed. I didn't know how much hotter." Mariel pulled herself back into the rigging and wiped a free paw across her brow. "We might have to sleep during the day at this rate. Where's Bowly?"
"He's taking stock of the hull patches. Says he can feel a storm coming in his spikes."
"He's probably right." Mariel scrambled down from the mast and stretched. "There's something off to the west, but I can't make out exactly what it is. Could be a storm or an island or just a fog bank."
"No sense taking chances, then. Let's get everything locked down." Dandin was already headed back below deck, looking considerably more awake now.
By the time everything below deck had been secured and the hatches battened down, the haze on the horizon was visible from the deck. Bowly scaled the mast this time, and reported back, "'Tis clouds, all right, dark ones too. Should be on us by noon."
Mariel tilted her head back to stare up into the crystal-blue sky. The sea still lay treacherously calm, without even the slightest trace of wind to ruffle the limp sails, but she didn't question Bowly's assessment. The young hedgehog had a sixth sense for weather; both she and Dandin had learned that when Bowly thought a storm was coming, it probably was. A slight chill ran down her spine; no matter how many storms at sea she lived through, she could never forget the worst one.
"Let's furl most of the sails," she said decisively, trying to keep her mind busy. "Even one might be too much, if it's a big storm, and we can't do much to avoid the brunt of it until the wind picks up."
"Aye, wouldn't want the sails to pull us over." Dandin's expression said that he understood the thoughts she hadn't said aloud, but he was kind enough not to mention it. "Bowly, you're already up there. Help me with the sails and then we can wait for the storm on the deck."
A distant rumble marked the first hint of thunder, and Bowly scrambled to obey. Mariel leaned over the rail, watching tiny waves lap against the side of the Pearl Queen. The sea, so beautiful only a few hours before, suddenly seemed darker and far more ominous. She could too easily picture those tiny waves as towering behemoths, sweeping away the Pearl Queen, her crew, and everything else in their path.
The sea was beautiful, and worth the danger, but its storms would never again quite hold the same appeal for her.
A breeze ruffled her fur, and spurred her into action. It was only the slightest hint of wind, nothing near what the ship would need to sail away from the storm - but they could still use it.
"I'm taking the tiller, Dandin," she called, and waited for him to wave an acknowledgment before untying the rope that had held them on their current course for the previous hours. "Going to try to align us with that breeze."
If nothing else, she reflected, the storm would make for a much cooler afternoon.
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