by allynabean » Mon Feb 26, 2024 7:07 pm
๐ ๐ ๐ The Waveriders, as they collectively decided to call themselves, sailed with little issue for many moons. One of them would dive under the waves to hunt for fish when needed- Usually Orca, as he was the most dextrous swimmer and had a knack for catching fish before they even knew he was there. They would share stories under the light of the moon, curl up in their nest at the bottom of the boat, keeping each other warm. It was kinship like Orca had never known before, and he reveled in it.
One summer afternoon, the Waveriders were setting out from the last port-town they visited- the land had just disappeared over the horizon, and it was blue skies and blue waves as far as the eye could see.
Orca decided to take a dip, hunting for some fresh fish for his crew to eat. The same as always- dive over the edge, feel the ocean envelop him, let his lungs adjust to the water. Under the water, it was less a sense of smell and more of taste- still though, he could follow the trail a little ways down to where a school of silvery fish swam.
Catching two or three before they scattered was easy work, between his claws and fangs. He didnโt see the massive shape below him until it was too late.
Back on the ship, Shrimp and Skipjack lazily made shapes out of suspended water, trying to guess what the other was making. A common game between the waterweavers. Selkie, however, was focused on the stretch of water where their captain had gone under- it never took him this long.
Then she saw the blood drifting through the waves, staining it red. Without a second to think, she dove down after Orca, following the trail of blood deeper and deeper.
Whatever had attacked him was gone by the time Selkie got there. Not all the blood was his, though, by the distinctly fishy tang in her mouth. Orca was barely conscious, deep gashes dug across half his body. Selkie dragged him upward to the boat, launching them both back onto solid wood.
The three tended to their captainโs wounds as best they could, but none of them were healers. Skipjack, the best navigator of them, set the course for the nearest land, coaxing the ocean to pull them as fast as the boat could handle.
They landed on a beach, relatively empty of human activity. At this point Orca was barely hanging on, and even human intervention would have been appreciated- they just didnโt want Orca to die.
The beach wasnโt empty pf cats, though. They stumbled upon a tribe of cats who called the sand dunes and rocky cliffs home, who allowed them to take Orca to their healer in exchange for some of the fish theyโd caught.
The healerโs name was Coralโs Edge. She was a brown-golden tabby, with odd, almost glowing eyes and a knowing demeanor. She took one look at the heavily wounded cat the Waveriders brought forth and ushered them out of her workspace. She needed to be alone with Orca to do her work.
Coral was blessed with magic as well, but not by the Sea- she could manipulate life itself, and had been practicing healing magic since she discovered it as a kit. She was one of the few in her tribe to be moontouched, and another young kit just presented as a lifebringer, giving her an apprentice to train up.
Orcaโs wounds were lasting, though Coralโs Edge was able to quicken their healing. She couldnโt save his left eye, and some of the movement in his left foreleg might be stiff for a long while, but the older black and white tom was alive and breathing.
Leaving the Captain to rest, the other Waveriders told Coral their story. It was clear this cat with life thrumming through her fur was the missing link in their crew, the final one the Captain talked about.
The Waveriders spent almost three moons there while Orca recovered. The Tribe was kind enough to lend them a place to stay, and temporary companionship, as long as the waterweavers used their skills to help hunt and protect the Tribeโs camp. Coral and Orca spent much time together, tending to his wounds, and Orca regaled her with tales of their travels, of the sea monster he fought.
Orca swore it was a kraken, or something of the like. Huge and sharp, with countless grasping tentacles and teeth that split skin with the merest touch. Coralโs tribe had tales of such a creature, and recently cats had been going missing- the superstitious believed it was the sea monster, eating the kits who wandered too far from the tribe. Even so, nobody but Coralโs Edge seemed to truly believe his tale of the creature that attacked him. No one had ever seen the thing and lived, of course,
The name Orcaโs Bane started as a joke of sorts, at first. All the tribecats had two word names like that- Coralโs Edge, Bright Eyes, Shattered Shell. Coral playfully called him Orcaโs Bane one night, โEach time you tell the kraken story it gets more outlandish! Next time thereโll be a killer whale in the mix too, and weโll start calling you Orcaโs Bane!โ
The name stuck, and while the tribe never officially gave him the name Orcaโs Bane, the Captain never needed someone else to name him. Orcaโs Bane fit like a glove, the name and title settling onto his scarred shoulders with a warm familiarity.
He was Orcaโs Bane, Captain of the Waveriders, blessed by the Sea.
๐ ๐ ๐
Last edited by
allynabean on Sun Mar 10, 2024 4:14 am, edited 12 times in total.
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