Pirates of the Caribbean: Scales of Avón

007

It had been a year or so since Archer made that deal with Gyre. He still didn’t know if he was proud of himself for doing what he did, but he was happy that he was free.

He was laying on a seastack in the middle of the Caribbean, far away from any ports. There were a few islands nearby, but other than that he was void of any human life, which made him feel at ease.

Archer couldn’t hurt anyone if there was no one to hurt.

His tail swayed as it hung off the side of the rock, occasionally dipping into the cool water of the sea.

His large reptilian head laid on his paws, his eyes closed as he eased into the rock, listening to the sounds of the waves lapping against it. A few seagulls flew overhead, chirping like mental.

Archer ignored them, as they posed nothing to him. His ears flicked when one of them let out a loud call, but other than that he was doing his own thing.

That was until he heard a ship approaching. His eyes widened as he picked up his head, eyeing the vessel.

It was a decent-sized ship of the British Royal Navy, based on the British flag it proudly flew.

Archer’s head tilted as he stared at the ship. He didn’t expect any ship to be out this far, never mind one of the Royal Navy.

The ship had a dark tint to the wooden build of it, followed by a gold-like trim to its edges.

Archer watched as it slowly got closer and closer, but it seemed like none of the sailors had noticed him.

He then felt a knot in his stomach as he recalled a conversation he had with one of the sailors in Mark’s parents’ tavern.

The British were apart of the slave business, and when they were transporting slaves, they would take routes that weren’t close to any shipping routes.

A growl left his throat as he thought about it. Forcing someone into slavery ain’t right.

Suddenly, he was snapped from his thoughts by a splash coming from the British ship. Angered sounds followed from the men still aboard.

Archer originally thought nothing of it as he thought it was just the loss of a loose crate they forgot to tie up. But that was until he saw a figure break the ocean surface.

They took a large breath before falling back under the sea. He grew nervous as he watched, as the figure looked to be just a young boy, about his own age. 

Archer quickly made the decision to help out. He rose from the seastack, briefly arching his wings out to stretch before pulling them back in close to his body.

Archer then dove into the water, hardly making a sound. Because of his other form’s build, he had the ability to move in a way similar to that of a dolphin’s tail, which allowed him to swim at really high speeds.

He also had the ability to hold his breath for a very long time, making him a perfect asset for undersea exploration.

Archer neared the underbelly of the ship, seeing the boy struggling to swim to the surface. His plan was to rescue the lad and bring him back aboard the ship, but it seemed like he was struggling to get away from the ship.

Archer noticed how there was an odd red hue surrounding the boy. As he got even closer, he realised why.

There was a large gash on the boy’s right leg that was bleeding profusely. The wound was the cause of the boy’s struggle, and he didn’t think he wanted to know how the lad got it.