Citizen 654 Harper

The storm came in fast, and the sky darkened from a crisp blue day to a ominous dark grey in minutes. The winds kept picking up, until they were tossing around any item not tied down in the little hamlet. Harper peered up at the sky anxiously as he packed his fishing gear away. The storm had come on too fast; he had been eavesdropping on sailors in the tavern for long enough to know what they call these kinds of storms: ship killers. “Good thing we aren’t out there,” Harley peered over her brother’s shoulder towards the village, watching as an empty barrel tumbled down the docks. “Our ship wouldn’t like being tossed around like that.” Harper nodded absently, looking out at the ocean and squinting at the horizon. He snapped up, suddenly on alert. “There’s a boat coming in.” Harley wound around to match his gaze. “Looks like a merchant vessel; bad luck to come in during this. I wonder if the captain can wait it out.” She observed for a moment before turning to leave, but stopped when she realized her brother wasn’t following. “What are you waiting for, an invitation? Let’s get out of here - I am not enjoying getting tossed around like a flag.” Harper continued to watch the white sails get bigger as the ship continued its course for the island, not quite listening. “Either the captain makes the right move and circles the island until the winds have died down enough he can control his boat, or he crashes that beauty. Do you want to stay and watch?” Harley couldn’t contain her skepticism. “Either nothing happens, or something happens that gives you nightmares. Let’s go.” The younger rex didn’t move despite the firm tone. “They aren’t turning, they are coming straight at us. Why aren’t they turning?” he muttered, his brows furrowed. “Because the captain is an idiot or he can’t control his boat - either way he deserves whatever is coming for him. You don’t need to sit here and watch it happen.” A hand reached up and forced Harper to look away from the ship, and into eyes that matched his own. Her eyes are softer than he expected, and her tone softens to match them as she says, “You don’t need to punish yourself like that.” The two stayed like that for a time, until Harper eventually melted into his big sister’s hold and let her keep him from watching the coming carnage. It didn’t stop the sound of splintering wood and rexals shouting from destroying the moment between them. Harper pushed away from his sister, swinging around to see the chaos just outside the harbour. Clearly, the ship had come in too fast and crashed on the rocks outside the harbour mouth. Floxen is a difficult harbour generally, but in these conditions it is almost impossible to navigate. The churning water was filled with floating wood, cargo, and struggling rexals. He jumped into action right away, diving into the water and propelling himself into the melee. It was hard to triage who to help first; now that Harper was in the thick of the disaster, everything seemed to be happening all at once and it was impossible to tell who was in the most danger. A massive sail was slowly sinking in the middle of the wreckage, underneath which something was wriggling; a rex was trying to free themselves from being dragged below the surface. Harper dove under the fabric, careful to not get caught in its weft as he dodged the heavy folds. He spotted the glow of the rex’s magic before he saw their struggling body. They were clearly in a panic, frantically clawing at the canvas above them as they ignored the escape route below. Their magic was flickering, and they were rapidly losing air as they let out desperate cries that were swallowed by the ocean. As Harper grabbed hold of them and pulled them down, they struggled, imagining he was some greater threat pulling them into the depths. Once he began rapidly propelling them sideways, swerving to avoid the now quickly sinking sail, the other rex started to lose their strength. They both gasped when they reached the air, adrenaline powering Harper to haul the feeble rex to shore and out of the stormy waters. As he dragged them onto the beach, movement across the water caught his eye. He watched in disbelief as his sister dragged a crate onto the rocks opposite him, ignoring all the rexes struggling in the water. Instead, she was almost gleefully inspecting her find. The next rex Harper pulled out was sluggishly bleeding from his head. The third appeared to be incapable of swimming. The fourth had a broken arm; she screamed whenever it was jostled and Harper was guiltily glad when he could finally drop her on the beach and stop causing her increased pain. The sixth wasn’t breathing. It wasn’t clear why - maybe she had inhaled water on the initial plunge, maybe she broke her neck on impact, or maybe it was something else, something that Harper could have saved her from if he had been just a little bit faster. Maybe it was something that Harley could have saved her from, if Harley were helping him instead of getting her next score. Some of the sailors were able to get themselves to the shore once the initial shock of their plunge wore off. Some helped their comrades out. Harper couldn’t stop now though, because if anyone had managed to hold their breath through the tumble into the water and any impacts with ship debris, they could still be alive under the water - and they would need his help. The cavern rex scoured the bottom of the ocean below the wreck, cutting through pieces of sail, and then he saw them: a little green rex, weakly struggling to move a mast off their tail. Harper was by their side in an instant, his claws already scrabbling at the beam trapping them. It was difficult to get leverage on the slick wood, particularly with the uneven terrain at the bottom of the ocean working against him. The pinned rex pushed while Harper pulled, and as the mast slowly released them, Harper could tell it was immensely painful as it rolled over the rest of their tail. They shot upwards, their momentum driven predominantly by Harper. As they approached the surface, the rex became heavier and heavier. When Harper looked at his charge, the rex was limp in his arms, mouth open, eyes closed, the last of their air gone. By the time he made it to shore, some of the town rexals had arrived to help those on the beach, including the doctor. Harper dragged his rescue up the bank, pushing past the spectators, and yelled, “They need help, they stopped breathing just a few moments ago.” Once he was sure the green rexal was in good hands, Harper turned towards the raging sea; its temper only inflamed since he had rescued its prey. None of the other townsfolk had touched the water, opting to help those that made it onto the beach instead. It was probably for the better, as a storm like this made for deadly conditions even without debris in the mix, and the average rex would have a low chance of making it through alive. It was time to give up, if he was going to ensure that he wasn’t the last body pulled out of the ocean once the storm ran its course. He gazed across the water resigned; it wasn’t surprising, he could see the remains of multiple crates, left behind and emptied of their valuable contents. If he’d had someone with him to help, would he have been able to lift the mast, save the little green rex a great deal of pain, and get them out of the water before they were on the brink of death? Harper had always thought he could accomplish anything with his sister by his side. Sometimes she wouldn’t be at his side, sometimes she would be on her own path, one where she was happy. Maybe, he should take a step towards his own. After the sky cleared, Harper was on the ridge above the harbour mouth, carefully pacing the cliff. He eventually stopped, his heart finally coming to terms with the fact that his future was diverging from his sister’s, and set down the first stone that would soon become the foundation of Floxen’s lighthouse. Carefully, with his magic, he carved into the new cornerstone, to light the way home, for all those who are lost.