Waves gently rocked the small ship. The deck rocked back and forth beneath the young girl’s feet and the image of a cradle appeared in her mind. The Wind Dancer silently cut through the small waves, leading its crew towards the far shore of the enormous lake. She stood at the bow, her moonlight colored hair tickled by the breeze and sea spray, staring silently into the distance as if she could already see their destination or even further.

The silence encompassing her was interrupted when a young sailor approached from behind.‘’The Captain is asking if you want to eat with her later,’’ he said in a monotonous tone.

For a moment, the young girl kept her silence before responding. ‘’I will... But tonight, there will be a storm,’’ was the answer she gave him without looking back at him.

‘’Nonsense. The weather is clear and was predicted to stay like that, don’t lie just because you are bored, brat,’’ he said, annoyed.

She sighed quietly while watching the waves. After that the young man left to continue his duties. ‘’A storm will come…’’ once more, the little girl whispered to herself.

The sun was already at its zenith when the silent one finally left her spot at the bow. Slowly and with steady steps, she gracefully made her way across the quarterdeck. After going down the stairs and towards the main deck, she moved in a zig-zag with sliding steps. The sailors below were busy working the ropes and scrubbing the deck.

The young girl now stood before two doors. The left leading to the dining room, with the right one leading to the captain’s quarter’s.Three times she softly knocked on the right-side door, awaiting an answer. No answer came, yet after a moment, the door was opened by a female in her mid thirties. Brown hair bound in a ponytail, and black eyes. Her face was weathered, and she was wearing a white buttoned shirt. Breeches hung just below her knees and leather boots reached up to her pants.

‘’Aria, it’s nice to see you.” The Captain said in a soothing and clear voice.

“Good afternoon Miriel~,” Aria tuned as she greeted her.

“So, have you decided to eat with me?” Her tone soft and inviting.“ I was getting lonely from being accompanied by nothing but books.”

“Aye, Miriel, I’ll keep you company,” Aria said with a bob of her head. Then as if remembering something she added with a bright smile, “Thank you for the clothes! They’re very nice and comfortable!”

Miriel chuckled at Aria’s enthusiasm about such a trivial thing as some old clothes. “Don’t worry yourself over it, child. It wasn’t - Ah, let’s not talk here. What kind of a hostess am I, keeping you outside the door.” She then proceeded to usher Aria to the cabin and followed herself after closing the doors shut.

The girl looked over the cabin to find it very small, smaller than hers. A bed filled half the room. A chest next to it acted like a nightstand and a small hardwood desk sat beside that, two chairs hiding underneath. The only light source was the window just behind the desk. A caravel was no big ship after all, quickly the two sat down at the desk facing each other.

‘’You came a little early, lunch is still a ways off. So how about we talk for a while?’’ Miriel asked Aria.

‘’That is fine, I have something to tell you anyway. But could you stop staring at me like that first?’’ The young girl asked still smiling.

It did not slip Aria’s attention that Miriel visibly blushed upon hearing her words. ‘’Sorry... It’s just... Your eyes are so beautiful, so different... They keep drawing me in.’’

Aria frowned upon hearing that remark, so her response was a bit less cheerful. ‘’Beautiful? This blue color is annoying, it just makes me different. Everyone keeps staring at me because of them.’’ Miriel could only sigh upon hearing those words, it was true that her eyes made Aria different. Half of all humans had black eyes, while the other half had yellow ones. Only Aria had bright blue and very beautiful eyes. That had led to her being stared at, and being teased a lot by other children.

‘’Anyway, that is not why I am here,’’ Aria said, her angelic smile returning. ‘’I already said it to the one you sent for me earlier, but tonight there will be a big storm. The ship should probably anchor at a protected spot near the shore.''

‘’What? Are you sure? And why didn’t that fool give me the news earlier?'' Miriel snarled.

“The waters are murmuring in strange ways, something big is coming from the ocean. When I told him, he got angry at me, calling me a lying brat.''

The Captain just nodded a few times before rising up from her chair. ‘’Follow me, if there is a storm coming then we have to prepare.''

With quick steps the duo approached the door and entered the main deck. Swiftly they took the stairs to the stern quarterdeck where the helmsman was steering the ship. ‘’Hard to starboard,” she demanded. “Bring us to a protected spot at the shore!''

‘’Aye aye captain’’ the helmsman responded.

After instructing the helmsman Miriel walked to the railings looking down to the main deck. ‘’All hands prepare for a storm!”She shouted loud and clear. “We’ll anchor near the shore for tonight, no lollygagging!''

Aria stood a bit behind her, silently watching the happenings.

‘’What do you want to do with the new guy?’’ she asked Aria.

Aria tilted her head and folded her arms. After a moment she did respond, ‘’I am not angry at him, I just did not like that he ignored me.''

Miriel nodded before responding, ‘’Fine, but he still has to report to me. If someone tells him there might be a storm coming he has to tell me about it, nobody else here would have ignored you, you know that right?.'' Instead of answering Aria simply shrugged, it was way too bothersome to tell someone else when the first refused to listen.

So instead of saying anything else Aria simply turned around and walked to the railing on the stern quarterdeck. Once again she fell into silence, staring at the waves the Wind Dancer left in her wake. While the sailors worked under Miriel’s strict orders. Aria was listening to the soft murmurings of the lake below, the whispering of the winds and the cries of the birds above.

For a while she simply stood there at the railing, watching the lake. Afterwards she reached into her collar with a careful motion, to pull out a small horn that dangled on a cord. For a moment she held the horn in her hand before raising it to her lips, three very deep sounds rang out. One long and drawn out, the next higher and shorter, the last was deep and long again.

The small horn’s sound was heard by everyone on the ship. So it brought attention to Aria from everyone, but only Miriel came over to her. ‘’What is that horn?’’ she asked with a curious voice, tilting her head a bit.

‘’Nothing~’’ the young one answered with a mysterious smirk on her lips. Before Miriel could ask another question Aria began to unbutton her shirt where she stood, in plain sight for everyone.

‘’Stop! What are you doing?!’’ the captain interrupted a bit panicked, Aria turned around looking at Miriel a bit dumbfounded.

‘’It’s obvious no? Stripping’’ she said with a face like it was the most natural thing in the world.

‘’No no no no no, you can not do that Aria! Do you even know what the boss would do with me if she ever hears of that? And why would you even strip right here and now?''

Again Aria just looked at Miriel with a completely blank gaze, ‘’swimming.'' That was all she said before continuing to unbutton her shirt, but Miriel reached out and grabbed Aria’s shoulders this time.

‘’No swimming, firstly I won’t allow you to strip and go swimming without wearing anything. Second there are dangerous things in this lake. If anything happens to you the boss will skin me.'' But the only answer she got was a big sigh from Aria.

‘’Then how about… how about I wear some bandages? And nothing will happen to me, it is safer in the water than on the ship.''

This time Miriel could only sigh, ‘’even bandages are way too indecent! And how would you be safer in the lake than on MY ship?’’ Miriel said. But Aria didn't even deign to answer, she simply turned around with her half unbuttoned shirt and went towards the stairs.

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‘'Where are you going? I'm not finished talking yet.” Miriel yelled after Aria, ‘'...at least button up!’' but the captain's words fell on deaf ears. The girl simply walked down the stairs and passed through the main deck, while ignoring the curious gazes of the crew. She then took the stairs that led down to the lower deck.

Her quick steps lead Aria to one of the five doors on the lower deck. With a swift motion she pulled the key out of her pocket and unlocked the door. Upon entering the small room the first thing which happened was her shirt coming off, and being thrown on her bed. Then she moved over to the Chest, one of the four furnishings in her room. Besides the bed, chair and desk.

As Aria did not bother locking the chest she simply lifted the lid, to reveal the few items inside, lit by the sparse light coming from a small window above the desk. A change of clothes, a backpack, and a simple spear with a length of seventy centimeters, half as long as she was tall. She reached first for the backpack, after fiddling with it a bit she pulled out a long bandage, something the boss had made her take simply as precaution.

Now they came in handy for another purpose, quickly and with practiced ease the bandage was wrapped around her chest. Next she grabbed the short spear; it was nothing fancy, just a wooden shaft with an iron spearhead. Before closing the chest again Aria took a short string out of the backpack’s side pocket.

Only then did she close the lid, next she used the short string to bind her hair into a long ponytail which reached down past her shoulder blades. It simply turned into a mess otherwise when diving, the hair would go everywhere and sometimes even block her vision. With those things taken care of the last thing she did was to slip out of her boots and throw them over to the bed.

Now, while wearing the breeches that reached below her knees together with the bandage she left the room, again she locked it before turning towards the stairs. As she ascended them carrying her spear the cool air outside hit her body, the feeling of the gentle wind on her skin was pleasant in the warm sun. When she stepped onto the main deck once more many gazes came to rest upon her. Yet again the young girl did not care for it. With sliding steps that easily allowed her to pass along the working sailors unhindered, she reached the quarterdeck and went to Miriel again.

As soon as Aria had ascended the stairs to the quarterdeck though, there was a big sigh to be heard. ‘’Did I not tell you that it is indecent to walk around like that? And I still will not allow you to swim! It’s too dangerous.'' But Aria did not respond, she wanted to swim and that’s what she would do.

‘’Miriel, catch!’’ Aria called out before throwing her rooms key towards the captain. Miriel was a bit flustered from the sudden action but caught the key anyway.

In the moment in which Miriel was distracted, Aria began to run towards the railings at the stern. With a quick jump she landed on the railing, turning a last time to the young captain. ‘’I am going, don’t worry I will find you at the shore!,'' with that said Aria jumped. Just before she dove gracefully into the water without a splash, she could hear Miriel shout her name.

When Aria dove into the water a veil of bubbles surrounded her. Only as the wall slowly faded, turning into a deep blue did her surroundings become visible. Aria did not move, she did not swim up or dive down. Her eyes simply closed as she slowly floated back to the surface while enjoying the gentle, cool embrace of the water.

Yet it took only a short amount of time before her head broke through the waters surface. Only then her eyes opened again and looked up at Miriel now standing at the Railing. ‘’Come back up right now Aria! You better listen or I will get angry!’’ The captain was grabbing onto the railings and shouting those words with everything but a gentle voice now.

‘’I won’t! You should stop worrying and just wait a moment then you will see that I am safe.’’ Aria answered while she was treading water. Not waiting for the woman to speak again Aria reached for the small horn that was still dangling from her neck. With ease she shook the water out of it before setting it against her lips.

Once more the three low sounds arose, spreading across the vast waters. As Aria let the horn fall back to her chest Miriel called out again, ‘’Stop playing with your horn! Come up right now or I will tell the boss about this!’’ But again she was ignored by Aria, the young girl just stretched her arm forward and began diving towards the water.

Without creating a ripple Aria descended into the water again, diving down. Still carrying her spear she swam in a wavy motion not restricted in the slightest by the object she carried. She only stopped for a brief moment after she dove around five meters. There she pinched her nose with her fingers, blowing air through it to relieve the pressure building around her.

Then she continued diving down and moved her body in dolphin like motion After roughly ten meters and two more brief pauses she reached the bottom of the lake. It was sandy with few rocks and a few greenish-brown, long, thin plants growing towards the surface. Small fishes were swarming and zooming around everywhere in the gentle sunlight that reached here and colored everything in a blue hue.

Soon after arriving at the lake floor she grabbed onto one of the rocks lying about. While holding it she stopped moving and enjoyed the gentle currents surrounding her. She watched the fish swim around, and the light rays which gently fell while she was waiting.It took only about twenty seconds until something changed in the distance.

First it was but a small dot but it quickly changed into two emerald green eyes. Then the body became visible, its color was the most majestic deep blue one could think of. A pointy rounded snout, big curved side fins growing smaller towards the back, and two big curved fins on its back. A elegant long body with a crescent tailfin.

But the most prominent feature was the color of the front of each fin including the tail which carried a hue of glittering shining skin of the most opalescent color. One such waving line went from just below its eye up to the tail on both sides. Yes, what was coming towards Aria was the most regal shark ever born.

But for Aria that shark was nothing to be afraid of, as she was the one who called him. ‘Specter, I missed you’ she thought while watching him close in with unsurpassed speed. Only a moment later and he had arrived in front of her, looking at her with a calm gaze. Aria watched him too, they watched each other for a moment before Aria let go of the stone and swam to him. As she reached him her hand gently moved over the side of his head, petting her lifelong friend.

Then she grabbed his dorsal fin while straddling his back and softly nudged him which spurred Specter once more to move. They had been together for a very long time now, wherever Aria was there he was too. He had never left her side in the water since they had met, and over the years he had learned many commands from her. Like the one she just used, a small tug at his fin telling him to surface.

No words were needed between the two of them, upon the tug he simply began to ascend in a slow and elegant manner. Only when they were very close to the surface did Aria give another command, upon which the regal shark began to circle and speed up. As they passed close to the ship she gave the next command with a smirk. With an abrupt motion Specter descended for a bit, just to immediately turn and ascend again with zooming speed.

With a big splash they broke through the waters surface, jumping up into the air. When they reached the zenith of their jump Aria was level with Miriel, who was still standing at the railing. A gasp was heard from her and many others on the ship, ‘’Aria!... What... Ocean cloud…’’ was all Aria could hear before they dove into the waters again.