As dawn once again crept over the horizon of Giantrock Lake, masts creaked and sails unfurled while shouted commands echoed across the ship and waters beyond. Captain Clement stood at the helm, customarily steering the ship for the start of its next journey. The sails bulged as they caught the wind, and soon a wake was forming behind the ship as it sailed towards the rising run.

Iris blipped around the main deck to stay out of the way. She didn't dare touch the ropes, sails or masts while they in such frequent motion, and she wholly avoided the quarterdeck where the captain stood. Instead she lingered mostly around the port side railing, blipping along it whenever she found herself about to be in someone's way. Ostensible she was supposed to be observing to learn the ways of sailing, but she stopped wherever she could for a moment to watch Giantrock City – her home for the past two months, and the only one she had ever known beyond the valley she was born in -- shrink away behind them. The first tinges of red were striking the understory foliage of the forest, hinting at a red border that would soon envelope much of the shore. She promised herself she’d come back one day to see these lands in the true fall, and perhaps even winter.

High above the main deck, Eli was completing his morning climb to the crow's nest. He had been on ships before, and the crow's nests had been shaped simply as large buckets one could stand in with relatively low risk of falling out. On the supersized Gaping Maw, however, the crow's next was appropriately large as well. It was built around the wide central mast with walls and a ceiling, resembling something of a treehouse with a trunk through its center. All four walls included wide open air windows, and the only doorway faced the stern in front of a thin post that extended out beyond the crow's nest a short distance like a gangplank. Eli used the post as handhold as he hoisted himself up and through the doorway to the crow's nest. Inside, his new mentor, Hedley, was waiting for him.

"You're late," the man spoke in a high pitched voice from a short, curved beak.

Until the previous day, Eli had never met a man like this. He had a short and frail frame covered from the head to approximately the knees in feathers that were various whites, greys and browns. His face was that of a fierce bird of prey, perhaps a hawk or eagle, his feet were shoeless and wielded large, curved talons and his arms were wings that ended with long, feathery fingers. Propped against the wall in its usual corner was the man's staff, a particularly gnarled branch of wood with unusual bends and crooks. It was modified in much the same way as Eli's, having a concave curve carved into the non-shooting end to serve as a butt stuck for shouldering the staff like a crossbow, along with intricate patterns of sigils carved along much of its length for regulating its output.

"I'll start the climb even earlier tomorrow," Eli promised.

Hedley squawked in a manner that Eli interpreted as annoyance. He'd spent a lot of time with Glimmer, and assumed he was more practiced in interpreting bird sounds than perhaps most people would be.

"What are we on the lookout for today?" Eli asked.

Their task the day before had been simple, use the pair of large spyglasses mounted on tripods to closely inspect any approaching boat and keep a close eye on the docks to ensure no agents of Morose were approaching the ship. In one corner of the crow's nest was a small desk with a large log book open atop it, where they documented anything of note that they witnessed as well as significant events that occurred aboard the ship. It had been a slow, methodical day, during which Eli felt like he had learned very little.

"Much the same as yesterday," Hedley said, "except in all directions. You take stern and starboard, tell me everything you see that ain't water or the land we're leaving. In fact -- keep a close on the water, we had some trouble with mermaids on the way in."

Down below on the third deck, Autumn was fast at work in the kitchen alongside her assistants Killup the gargoyle and the surprise addition of Adan the metal man. They had finished serving breakfast to the crew about an hour prior, during which they had wheeled a large pot of soup out into the crew quarters and allowed the crew to fill up their bowls to their heart's content. Rationing would be important in the long term, but it was the first of many meals on their journey, and she believed it should be a hearty one.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Much to Autumn's relief, the crew were responsible for maintaining their own bowls and cutlery, which meant there was much less dish washing to be done in the kitchen than there otherwise might have been. There were still dishes to wash, however, and Killup was currently balancing on the thin edge of the basin with his feet and using his extended leathery wings and tail for balance as he hunched over and scrubbed away at a large pot. Meanwhile, Adan was precisely placing each clean dish exactly where he deemed to be the most optimal position. Autumn found this to be a delightful contrast to Killup's haphazard approach of placing objects wherever he could balance them. Adan moved to hang a ladle from a high up peg on the wall, then paused to look at Autumn for a moment, and moved it a few pegs down where she would be able to reach it.

"We have a whole of bunch clams to get rid of before they go bad,” Autumn thought aloud as she tended to the central firepit of the galley, “I'm thinking a chowder for lunch."

"That sounds like an appropriate choice, ma'am," Adan said.

Killup made a gagging "blegh!" sound and shook his head.

"What's wrong with chowder?" Autumn griped.

"Slimey, soft, and gross," Killup complained, "shells get thrown away. That's all wrong. Shells are the best part."

Autumn was speechless, and merely stared at the back of the gargoyle's head in disbelief.

Across the crew quarters, Titus was seeing to a short line of injured of crew members. His current patient had severe rope burns along much of his right arm, accompanied by a dislocated shoulder and a sprained elbow.

"Did we learn anything?" Titus asked.

"Wear sleeves next time?" the pirate suggested.

Titus sighed, gripped the wrist and upper arm with other hand, and pumped healing magic into the limb. The pirate gritted his teeth and scowled as the pain rushed through him, but smirked when he saw the rope burns heal.

"Thanks doc," the pirate nodded.

"One more thing," Titus said before promptly twisting to position the arm and jamming his open palm against the pirate's shoulder to reseat the bones.

The pirate shouted a grunt and scowled again, but nodded in appreciation as he rolled and stretched his shoulder.

The next pirate stepped up, this one with the hilt of a knife extending from his upper chest a few inches from his heart. Titus looked up at him from his stool with a tired expression.

"I fell on it," the pirate lied.

Victoria poked her ghostly head through the exterior wall of the infirmary, "Titus, did you know you had a crack in the hull out here?"

Titus glanced at the small porthole window beside Victoria, which offered only a narrow view of the distant waters, "how would I know about that?"

"Just making sure, you have to report those things, you know. We'll be working out here for a while to get this patched, don't mind the noise."

She retreated back through the hull without a goodbye.

In the evening, after the sun met the horizon and the long day's shift finally ended, the party gathered beside Eli's bunk on a ring of upturned buckets. It was quickly becoming their new equivalent to sitting around a campfire, though with the added additions of Cameron and Killup. Autumn had invited Adan to join them, but he had insisted it was best he didn't leave his father alone during off time lest he get bored and find trouble.

"He's a bird?" Autumn gawked.

"Yep," Eli said, "wings, beak and all. Never seen anyone like him."

"He might be a Koa," Victoria said, "one passed through Everveil when I was young, before you came along Eli. They're a reclusive bunch, and most don't leave their homeland."

"Wait," Autumn said, turning to Eli, "I thought you were born in Everveil?"

"Nope," Eli shook his head, "my father and I moved there when I was young. Before that we just traveled. Come to think of it, I don't actually know where I was born. Nevermind that, though, how was your day, Iris?"

Iris narrowed her eyes at Eli, "you are still keeping secrets from us, aren't you?"

Eli looked appalled, "what? Why would you think that? You literally already knew I wasn't born in Everveil"

"No, she's right," Autumn accused, "you've got mysterious backstory written all over you."

Eli dropped his shoulders and rolled his eyes, "there's nothing mysterious about me."

"Oh yeah?" Autumn asked, "then why did you try to change the subject?"

"I just thought--"

"You basically never talk about your childhood before Everveil," Titus observed.

"That's because--"

"Yeah," Iris jeered, "and why do you always hide your ears behind your hair?"

"Okay!" Eli said loudly as he slapped his knees and stood from his bucket, "I'm taking a walk around the ship before bed. Goodnight everyone."

Iris, Autumn and Titus eyed Eli suspiciously as he walked away.

"That man's not telling us something," Autumn said in an exaggerated conspiratorial tone.