Torin

"That is a big boat." I said

"You aren't even looking at the right one." Jingles said with a laugh

"Well what is the right one?" I said with annoyance

"Well, the boat your looking at is a lighter it just loads and unloads real ships." Jingles said before pointing further out. "That is a real ship."

The large ship cut an imposing figure, towering over the rest of the ships at port as it sat at anchor in the protected bay. From where we stood, I could see three large masts reaching skyward with a few tiny figures scurrying among the rigging. I turned to Jingles "How many people live on that ship." I asked in awe

"Trigin's Pearl houses 68 souls including my father who is the first mate and my mother Vessa the ships cook." he replied before adding with a smirk "Don't make her angry, everyone knows who really controls the ship, captain just pays them, she feeds them."

"How get there?" Ozias asked and I relayed the question "Ozias want's to know how he is supposed to get there, the lighter looks too crowded."

"He can speak?" Jingles said looking at Ozias with surprise. "And you can understand him?"

"Sort of." I said before continuing "I mostly get feelings but if he wants to say something, it changes. I don't know how but I understand the difference and I know what he wants to say or do."

"That sounds confusing." Jingles began as he pulled out a pair of coins "Either way there is plenty of room on the lighter, it's actually less crowded then normal." Jingles said fiddling with the coins

"I still don't see how we are supposed to get up there." I say in confusion

"Well ya just had ta wait fer me." The gruff mans voice came from behind, I turned to look at him but he was already shouting up at the people onboard "Wake up lads, we have our passengers!"

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Soon an older man came to the side, and I noticed him glancing between the gruff man and Ozias with a questioning look.

The gruff man added "Ya, we bring ta scaly one too, make room ya blatherin old coot!"

"I thought I smelled somethin rotten Einvar, which latrine did ya crawl out of this time!" The older man shot back with a grin

"We both know ya showed me all ta best places ta dive pa, now get ta board fore I have ta drag em up ta side!"

"Don get yer knickers in a twist boy, they are gettin it!" He called as a thud sounded out behind him

Before long a thick plank was lowered to rest against the pier and Einvar motioned for me and Jingles to go ahead before he followed us up. As I started to look around the boat. Soon I began to notice Ozias's increasing frustration, and turned to see why. Ozias had waited patiently until we were all finished climbing before he began to test the plank, and the way it was bending under the weight of only one of his paws led us both to the same conclusion, it would not hold him. After a moment of further testing I could tell he had decided on a course of action, backing up and reading his wings.

With dawning horror I realized what he was doing and shouted a warning. "Everyone back, he's going to jump!"

Taking my own advice I leapt off to the side as chaos reigned on the rest of the ship. My position on the deck gave me a perfect view as he gracefully soared straight from the pier onto the ship using his wings to slow his fall, a soft thud and slight rocking were the only indications he had landed. "Well that was anticlimactic." I said picking myself off the floor

"Be glad it was." Jingles says shakily "A capsized ship will pull you down as surely as a kraken."

"Please tell me we won't meet one." I pleaded

"Lucky for you the route we are traveling is shallower then they tend to like, and we are unlikely to see any." Jingles replied with a laugh

Soon the shock wore off and the crew got to work untying the mooring lines holding us in place while directing Ozias and I to a relatively clear area where we wouldn't get in the way. Almost as soon as the last line was removed, we started moving towards the larger ship under the power of oars. The trip did not take too long and the closer we got to Trigin's Pearl, the more imposing it looked with it's dark wooden hull glistening from the sea spray, and myriad ropes stretching from the sides of the ship up to where they were tied to one of the three mast's.

Einvar came up to me as we neared the side of Trigin's Pearl, he stood in silence for a moment before saying. "We are going ta be receivin ropes from em soon, an we want ta use the freight pully ta lift yer scaly friend here so he won't get tangled up in ta rigging."

"Does that sound good Ozias?" I asked as he lazed about on deck and all I got back was a mixture of nausea and annoyance.

"Well I think he's seasick but I don't think he's against it." I told Einvar as the first ropes started to land and get tied off.