We have a cabin filled with maps, navigational charts, and all manner of nautical doohickeys… and we still managed to get ourselves lost! One would think that having a dragon about would count for something. Not when he can’t fly out and search for our landmarks.
Currently, the dragon is grounded to my cabin… well, not really grounded. It’s more like seclusion for his own safety. After the incident we had the other day, it’s best for everyone involved that the dragon not be out and about, right now. Maybe I should back up a bit…
It all started with a storm, and a mighty one it was…
This old ship groaned, creaked, and sprang leaks from stem to stern, but she held! Thank goodness for the workmanship of those old time craftsmen. Truly, this ship was built to withstand the seas cruelest of winds, and most powerful waves. The problem, however, wasn’t the wind nor the waves. It was the rocks…
It was good that the ship could hold out the water, but I was more worried about the wind and where it was carrying us. We were utterly helpless and at the mercy of the fierce winds for hours, while they ruthlessly pushed us toward destruction…
We never had a chance to safely stow our sails before the storm hit, leaving useless and in tatters. When I didn’t things could get any worse… they did! We found ourselves under attack from pirates…
Our attackers used large grappling hooks to tear into our ship’s timbers, locking onto her sides like hungry eels. Just as they began to board us Brutus came roaring out of the galley with mouth open and teeth bared. The dragon’s sudden intake of breath sent the pirates scrambling back over the edges of the ship in fear for their lives…
I’ve told you that Brutus is a big boy… well, maybe that wasn’t the truest description…
When the dragon is at his full size, he towers over our very ship like it were a mere plaything. That’s the reason for his usual doglike size. Otherwise, the ship would simply sink under the weight of a mighty dragon.
Anyways, back to our pirate predicament…
Depending on who you ask, Brutus may or may not have, kind of sort of, lit a good number of pirate ships on fire… well, it all happened so fast that I can honestly say that I didn’t actually see anything happen… honest! I was so busy collecting crew that were scattered about the ship, I didn’t know the ships were on fire until I smelled the smoke in the air.
At first, I thought it was our vessel burning, and nearly dropped Bailey over the side of the ship when our sails miraculously caught a gust of wind, propelling our ship away from the flames as if we’d been shot out of a cannon!
With ships burning in the distance that grew between us, I looked to see that our sails were being filled by the breath of a familiar dragon. Brutus was using his mighty lungs and wings to push us to safety!
Somehow, the dragon managed to direct our ship toward a gap in those islands we’d been crashing towards, just before the pirates attacked. There, we made anchor in the dark, to simply wait out the storm and pray for dawn.
Dawn’s first light saw us making a hasty retreat into deeper waters, hoping to put as much distance from our adversaries as possible, though we saw no trace of our pursuers, nor any evidence of the battle that had taken place, only the night before.
The waters didn’t say empty for long, however, as I’m certain that there were survivors… and I’m sure they told tales of a mighty dragon. By the next day, there were numerous ships of varying allegiances. I could only presume that they were searching for this so called dragon…
My only option was to flee into uncharted waters, seeking to lose ourselves within the sea, itself…
Sometimes, getting lost is actually the best way to get where your going… at least that’s what I’m learning.
So, now you know why Brutus is sticking below decks for the time being. Now is not the time for having a massive dragon flying around your ship, you know? We’d stick out like a sore thumb, if you know what I mean.
For now, if you wouldn’t mind, I’m going to stay lost, I think…
Journey With Me! 