Hours later, with no cargo left to move, Fievel ventured on deck. None of the sailors stopped him, most didn’t even give him a second glance, so he assumed it was okay for him to be up here. With night fast approaching, most of the crew was either down below, gambling or shooting the shit, or they’d retired for the day in their quarters. A solid dozen stayed up top to man the ship, but even they had a lazy look in their eyes. With the mainland out of sight, there was nothing to see but endless blue on all sides. Salty winds pushed at the Pearl Heart’s sails, making the wood audibly creek. Coming from the back alleys of cluttered city, it was almost surreal to Fievel. Surreal and sad. He ventured over to lean against the railings and set his chin upon his crossed arms. He wished the others could have experienced this as well. Wished that he wasn’t here alone…

Movement out of the corner of his eye made him look sideways. He wasn’t the only one who looked homesick. Another passenger, a gray-skinned female dwarf, had stepped up to lean against the railings and watch the waves crash against the ship. Fievel shrugged to himself and then slid over to talk to her. “Hey there, name’s Fievel,” he told her. “Is this your first time at sea? If you’ve got nobody to hang out with, I’m at your service. I’m good in a fight, and even better at conversation.”

The dwarf cocked her head, eyeing him, and then practically screamed, “You hitting on me, lad?! ‘Cause, let me tell, I’m just not that interested!”

Sleepy sailors jumped and turned to look at them, eyeing Fievel suspiciously.

Fievel quickly stepped back and showed his hands, showing he meant the dwarf no harm. “No, I wasn’t hitting on you, I swear! I just…” He lowered his hands and sighed. “Just…looking for a friend I guess.”

“Oh!” The dwarf expression immediately softened. “We can do friends.” She offered him a hand. “Name’s Ruby. Ruby of the Boulder Dwarves.”

Fievel hesitated but finally shook it.

The sailors quickly lost interest and went back to their duties.

“Fievel,” he said. “Boulder Dwarves?”

“My clan,” she said. They both went back to leaning against the railing. “I left them to see the world.” She waved a hand dismissively towards the deep, blue ocean. “But after thirty years, I’ve seen enough. Time to go home. Find me a man, make more, tiny Boulders.” Her expression grew serious. “But part of me still craves that adventure. Otherwise, I wouldn’t dare sail through the Serpent’s Spine again. My last trip was one of the most terrifying and exciting days of my life.”

“Serpent’s Spine?” Fievel asked.

“Oh, don’t worry about it. Blueford’ll get us through it.” Her face darkened and she leaned in. “Unless he’s a few rocks short of a full pouch now…If that’s the case, we’re doooooooooomed.”

Seeing the expression on his face, she then burst out laughing. She thumped his chest playfully. For such a stout women, she was terrifyingly strong. That simple tap nearly knocked all the air out of Fievel’s lungs, and he would have sworn he heard one of his ribs crack. “Just fucking with you, kid!” she giggled.

She glanced past him. Fievel turned and followed her gaze. It was Abalone. Somehow, the tiny girl had managed to climb up into the crow’s nest. Fievel immediately started towards it. Ruby scoffed. “Just like a man to skip out once he sees a prettier face.”

Fievel glanced back at her guiltily.

Ruby rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Fucking with you again, kid. Go. Break a leg.” She caught herself. “Er, not really.”

“Thanks. Good luck finding your boulder dwarf…man…guy!” Fievel told her.

He quickly slipped a copper in her hand in gratitude for her time. He then jogged over to the base of the crow’s nest. The beam was thick, and near twenty-feet tall by the looks of it. Fievel clenched and then unclenched his hands, making his claws extend. Sure, sailing wasn’t his thing. But climbing? Climbing he could do. He jumped and dug his claws into the beam. Without missing a beat, he swung his feet up and kicked the against it, propelling him straight up. He repeated the process twice more before finally managing to grab onto the edge of the crow’s nest. He then swung himself up and over and landed with style right next to startled-looking Abalone. Fievel cleared his throat and said, “Yo. How’s it going?”

“Mr. Fievel,” Abalone said, noticeably shifting away from him. “Why are you…Are you following me?”

Fievel’s heart sunk into his chest. “No, no! I just, I’m not stalking you or anything. I just, y’know, saw you up here, and I was, like, hey, there she is, wonder how she’s doing, if they’re feeding her, how did she get up there, well, better stand by in case she falls or somebody pushes her off and…”

He took a deep breath and sat down, tucking his knees under his chin.

“I am not good at this,” he sighed. “But, really, how are you?”

At first he didn’t think she was going to respond. But then, finally, she answered, “It’s like I can feel it calling to me.” He looked at her. She was gazing off towards the sunset, her mismatched eyes full of longing. “For once, it’s almost quiet. But the whispers are still there, always. If…if I can’t make the voices stop, I’ll never be able to live…”

She’s crazy, Fievel realized. Kind of…kind of like Seras.

“My little sister has this doll,” he said, staring towards the sky. With the sun quickly setting, stars had begun to appear. “Ugly fucking thing. Pillow shaped like a person, string hair, button eyes, a dress the ugliest of oranges, I swear. She’s had it since the box.”

“The box?” Abalone said, but he barely heard her.

“It creeped the hell out of all of us growing up. Gave me more than a nightmare or two. But Seras loved it. Couldn’t-Cant sleep without it. Says it sings to her. Tells her everything is going to be okay.” Feivel scratched at his chin thoughtfully. “She said it chose her. She’s probably right.”

“How do you figure?” Abalone asked in quiet voice.

“Two of my brothers are orcs and one’s a half giant. No matter how hard they try, doll won’t budge. But then itty, bitty Seras comes around carries it around like it’s nothing.” Fievel turned to Abalone. “Only the chosen may wield or whatever. Like you and your clam, right?”

Abalone blushed and looked down. Yet she then reached up and slid the clam out from under her hat. She held it reverently in both hands. “He’s been with me as long as I can remember,” she said. “Sometimes, when he’s loud enough, the other voices don’t seem so scary.”

Curiosity getting the better of him, Fievel leaned in to get a better look at the clam.

“What the hell you lookin’ at?” it suddenly snarled and then spat a jet of water into his face. Fievel was sent rolling off the nest. Abalone cried out and tried to catch him by the arm, but she just missed.

Next thing he knew, Fievel was lying flat on his back across the ship’s deck.

“Thought cats are supposed to always land on their feet. “Ruby’s face suddenly came into view. The Boulder Dwarf gave his shoulder a sympathetic path. Meanwhile, Fievel could hear crewmen laughing at his expense. “Sorry to break it to you, lad. But I don’t think she’s into you either.”

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