Linewalkers

24 | Rancor and Anger

Not Edited

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They were floating in the middle of nowhere. There was no land within sight and the ship they had jumped overboard from was long gone on the horizon. Her mind was instantly filled with dread at the thought of spending a night in the water. Were there sharks? Would they be eaten alive? She understood nothing of this world. 

"Where is the burlap?" Kreve suddenly asked. 

Her stomach felt heavy, she had totally forgotten about it, "I..I dropped it." 

Kreve's eyes flashed to her, "You mean you don't have it?" 

"No." 

"Can you do anything right for once?" He snapped. 

She shifted her fingers on the barrel and glared his way, "Sorry, must have slipped my mind when I was thrown overboard. Without any kind of warning." 

"I saved our skin." 

"Sure," She replied sarcastically, "Now we're shark-bait adrift on a barrel." 

Kreve snarled, it was a purely animalistic noise and it sent shivers down her spine, his fangs slightly elongated with his anger, "All of our supplies are gone! All of the items I bartered for, which could have gotten us some money at the market! And you just lost it!" 

She shrunk, "I didn't mean to." 

"You're useless!" He shouted. 

She let go of the barrel, afraid of what he might do. His eyes were flickering with his anger, his fingernails sharpening into the wood of the barrel and chipping away pieces of it as he flexed his hands. She kicked her legs to keep her head above the surface but she put distance between them. He had never shouted before, it made her extremely nervous. 

Kreve's head snapped towards her, his eyes ablaze, "What are you doing?" He hissed. 

"I-I..don't know." She hated how her voice cracked. How helpless she felt. 

He sighed, leaning his head against the barrel. Maybe he sensed her fear, heck he probably felt it, and that was probably why he chose to stop talking. They were engulfed in silence. She didn't know what else to do. She turned and faced the water that spread far beyond. There was still nothing. It was as if the sea met the sky in a neverending kiss. Eventually, she paddled her way to the other side of the barrel and grasped its opposite side. She breathed a sigh of relief, her muscles weren't used to vigorous activity. 

She didn't know how long they were adrift but it was long enough that the sun was slipping closer and closer to the water's edge. Soon, it would be dark. She shivered unconsciously. Her clothes were plastered to her body like a second skin. She was uncomfortable with the way her skin itched from being submerged in water for so long. Her fingertips were horribly pruned and she could hardly feel the rough surface of the barrel. 

She heard Kreve sigh. It was a heavy exhale and she tensed. 

"I wasn't going to... do anything. Earlier, I mean," He eventually spoke, "I just got lost in my own annoyance. I hate the water. A lot, actually. It makes me edgy." 

She nodded even though he couldn't see her. It made sense. He was part feline and cats hated water. She couldn't imagine how irritated he felt. Some part of her was glad it wasn't all frustration caused by her. She knew she messed up losing the burlap. 

"I'm sorry I lost the burlap." She voiced. 

"Most of it was ruined the second it hit the water," He said, "It doesn't really matter, I was just angry. I shouldn't have stolen that bracelet so soon, I should have waited until we were closer to shore." 

She stayed silent. 

"The crewmembers were getting curious and as much as they are rowdy, I was worried something would happen." He continued, quieter. 

She stared hard at her hands. She didn't think Kreve ever got worried. He was an emotionless facade, except when he was showing his annoyance, and he seemed to predict everything before it happened. Except for Captain Hawkeye. She never would have guessed he would become such a vile being over something as little as a bracelet. What was its use to him anyway? 

"What do we do now?" She asked, just as quietly, as she sensed he didn't want her pity. Not that she was going to give it to him anyway. 

"I don't know." 

"Are there sharks in these waters?" She blurted. 

Kreve chuckled a little, "They won't bother us." 

"How are you so sure?" She queried. 

"It's my world, remember? I think I would know what's dangerous." 

"Right, right." 

They fell into a comfortable silence after that. Her fingers ached from holding onto the barrel so she had to readjust her grip every half hour or so. She tried to rest one hand and only use one but that proved exhausting and it put a lot of tension in her shoulders. She watched with dismay as the sun practically disappeared in the ocean, leaving behind streaks of red and orange. 

It wasn't long before night befell them. She felt extremely exposed out in the open waters, knowing that any kind of sea creature could lurk below her feet without her even knowing. She tried not to think of the miles of depth below that waited to make a watery grave for her skeleton. Those thoughts didn't help anything. 

She glanced up at the sky and then her breath caught in her throat. A million stars beamed in the dark, a heavenly dark blue swarming their sparkles, and she could see the milky way adding a dash of mystery to the canvas. It looked incredibly similar to her world, except she thought the stars were closer. They were almost twice their size than on earth. She saw other stars that didn't twinkle and she figured those were planets. Which one was earth? 

She hadn't realized how still the water had become. She was afraid to move as she took in the crystal clear reflection that the ocean produced. As if it had long lost dreams to become as beautiful as the sky. Every single star reflected on the surface of the water and she felt like she was looking into two universes in the same reality. 

"It's absolutely breathtaking." She barely whispered. 

"Make a wish." 

Her eyes flickered to the sky above. She saw the flash of a star falling from its place and she quickly closed her eyes. She had many things to wish for, mostly that she could get home, but one thing prevailed over everything. It was the whole purpose of this voyage gone wrong and she was determined to find him. 

So, she wished they would find her best friend. Soon. 

.        .        .        .        .        .

Thoughts? 

I had originally planned for Kreve to say much harsher words to Cariba but then as I was writing it... it just didn't feel like his character. He's always composed. So, I wrote it like the characters are telling their own story.