The Protectors: Book 1: Reunion

Chapter 7: Gotta Be Wary

"Hey, Joseph!" Ishi yelped. "Why you all the way over there? Come over here we got breakfast cooking up!"

"Okay, coming!" Joseph yelled back as he walked towards them from the front of the ship along with Kuzo.

"Hey I like the new hairstyle," Ishi said.

"Thanks," Joseph said, chuckling.

"There's some oatmeal, and some leftover jerky we got in storage on the fire," Warah said as he walked out of the small room on the deck holding utensils.

"Okay sounds good," Joseph said as Warah handed him one of the bowls.

As he stepped up to the pot, he ladled out some of the thick gloppy oatmeal into the bowl along with some of the dried jerky and plopped it on the side of the bowl, giving Kuzo who was still perched on his shoulder a few pieces.

"Hey um, who made this oatmeal," Joseph said as he sat down, examining the goopy mess.

"Warah made it before you and Cap came up here," Ishi said as he picked up his bowl. "Unfortunately..." he mumbled.

"If you don't like my oatmeal, you should've made it yourself!" Warah yelled, his gut jiggling as he jokingly wound up his fist ready to fight Ishi.

"No no it's alright," Joseph chuckled.

"Hey, you laughed," Caius said, as he walked out of the kitchen with two bottles of sake.

"Yeah, I did," Joseph said, surprising himself.

"Looks good on you," Caius continued.

"I guess so," Joseph said, smiling as he bit into the stale jerky.

"Nice and rubbery ain't it?" Ishi asked as he sat down.

"Yeah, I just love it when my teeth break trying to eat," Joseph said, trying to crack a joke.

"HAHA!" Caius laughed out, slapping Ishi, who was closest, in the back.

"AYE!" he howled. "Captain, come on."

"What, it was funny, I love some sarcasm," he said, wiping a cheerful tear from his eye as the other hand held his stomach from the pain.

"We made that jerky over a week ago before we left Kaēn," he continued. "Probably why it's so tough."

"I was just kidding," Joseph said. "Plus, looks like Kuzo likes it so it can't be that bad," he said looking down as Kuzo chomped down on his last piece of jerky.

"See my jerky is better than your oatmeal Warah," Caius said smugly, pouring out the sake from the bottle.

"You know what, I'm done," Warah said as he untied the apron and threw it to the ground.

"Haha, come on Warah don't be childdish now," Ishi said laughing along.

"HEY, CAP!" Sensi yelled from the rudder. His voice urgent and cautious.

"What, what happened?!" Caius yelled back, as everyone's heads moved in unison to look at him. His right eye peered through a telescope as he pointed off into the distance.

"Northern ship spotted off the starboard side about two klicks, give or take!" Sensi yelled back, his eye fixated on the object in the distance.

"Almighty, what now," Caius said as he ran up to the rudder. Everyone fell silent as the joking vibe shifted to a serious cutthroat one.

"Are they heading towards us?" he asked, as Sensi handed him the telescope, stepping aside so Caius could see.

"No Cap, from the trajectory, looks like they're heading to Niloa," Sensi replied.