Motley (#Wattys2016)

*Author's Note and Sneak Peek*

-the pictures of Tetsuya Kazuhiko (rip) and Nori Akagi were done by Kameharu. She isn't a very good artist but she wanted you to see the characters in their "natural state" or whatever. She hopes to illustrate the rest of the book very soon.

You made it to the end! I'm so proud of you!

I hope you enjoyed reading Motley. I enjoyed writing it.

But maybe you're hesitant about reading Gold, the ongoing sequel to Motley. I can't imagine why, but not everybody has good taste. So I've decided to put in part of one of my chapters to convince you. Go ahead, read!
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The storm was worse than ever. Now that Nori was standing upright, she needed to spread her feet apart to keep steady on the rocking deck. Each wave was several feet high. The rain didn't seem like normal rain; each drop was like a small bucketful of water that was impossible to see through. Clouds above swirled like a black vortex. Nori had lost sense of time now that it was so dark. The Oxblood suddenly flew upwards on a particularly large wave, and she bounced into the air. Kei grabbed her arm and pulled her down. His hook was around one of the masts, so he was firmly attached to the ship. "Where's Reiko?" Nori bellowed over the howling wind.

"You called?" Reiko asked, but Nori couldn't see where she was.

"Reiko, good. Make sure the rest of the crew is in accounted for. I want everyone tied to the mizzen mast," Nori shouted. She felt around for a coil of rope and tied it around her waist. With a dagger from her belt, she sliced the rope and handed the remainder to Kei while she attached the end to the mizzen. Through the haze of rain, she saw other figures following her lead and attempting to tie themselves to the mast.

"What now?" somebody yelled.

"Keep the rudder steady! We have to get to Jete and ride this storm out!" Nori said. "I'll be at the helm. Everybody else, hold on tight and make sure we're still on course. Got it?"

Everyone scattered. Nori ran to the helm and stopped the violently spinning wheel, holding it still with difficulty. The wheel tried to jerk out of her hands every time another wave hit the side of the ship ferociously. Nori had trouble gripping it; the wood was slippery and her fingerless gloves were the texture of fresh fish. She pulled the gloves off with her teeth and grabbed at the wheel again, determined not to let it go. Lighting crashed overhead. For the first time, Nori was terrified of the storm. Seawater was sloshing onto the deck. Faint yelling could be heard, but it was all muffled and Nori couldn't understand any of the noises except for the screeching wind and ear-deafening rain.
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Wow, it's so exciting, right? So cool!

But wait, there's more. You lucky, lucky reader get yet another excerpt, because I'm nice like that.
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"Now why don't you tell me who else is here?" Nori asked him as he took her through the jungle. She was surprised he knew his way around so well. He didn't seem lost at all, he was quite at home. Unlike her straight-backed marching, Akira had a kind of loping grace when he was walking. If Nori could tell anything about him, he seemed- how would she put it- elegant. Even his speech was pleasant.

"Well, captain, there are lots of savages on the island. Those are the only people I've seen for a while," Akira told her. "This way."

"Savages?"

Akira nodded fervently. "You know, cannibals."

"Cannibals? You're kidding, right?"

"Nope. They might have found your crew first. At least, I hope not."

Nori's heart plummeted. "Yeah, I hope- hang on!" She stared at Akira in amazement. "You called me captain! When did I tell you my name-"

"Here we are," Akira said, pushing a few leaves out of the way, revealing a sparkling freshwater spring in the middle of a small clearing. Nori was distracted and ran to the spring. She cupped her hands and drank deeply. It was good as any water she could have gotten on the ship, perhaps better. "So what were you saying?" he asked.

"Hmm?" Nori swallowed. "What do you mean?"

Akira adjusted his hat smugly, his violet eyes glinting. "Nothing. Go ahead, you look parched." While Nori drank, Akira sat down next to her. "Listen- if you want to find your friends, I'll help you look for them. You can stay in my house."

"You have a house?"

"Of course. It isn't very big, but it's a house at that. We'll go there after you're done. I built it on top of a hill, so it's a great viewing point."

"So I can see the entire island? That's brilliant!" Nori smiled for the first time, splashing some more water onto her hot face. "Thanks, Akira."

"Don't mention it, Nori," he said, tipping his hat to her and grinning.
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How MYSTERIOUS! So much INTRIGUE! You want to know more, don't you? Then read Motley 2!

Okay. The sales pitch is over. Thanks for reading all the way to the end. (^_^)

And if you haven't followed me yet, you really should. All my books have #flawless grammar, if you're into that sort of thing. I even tried writing a romance book. Seriously, do you know how hard I work for y'all?

See you later!

-Kameharu_X