Citizen 740 Alcaeus

Rough hands poked at Alcaeus and dragged him out of his blissful sleep. He turned to snap at the Rex who dared to wake him up, only to be faced with his captain. He yelped, ears flat against his head, as he fell out of his bed and onto the floor. As he hurried to his feet, Killian’s rough voice cut him off before he could speak

‘Follow me.’ The dark Rex turned and left to climb to the deck above without another word. Alcaeus was left to swallow his nerves and ignore the eyes of his crew mates burning into his back. The green Rex had increasingly been on the captain’s bad side as his debt failed to be paid back. The money he owed, a debt left to him by his father’s failure, hung around his neck like a noose that grew tighter with every passing day. Everyone on the ship could sense the tension growing, a rope pulled too taut that was bound to snap, but none would lend a hand to help the green Rex, or even explain the change in Killian’s behaviour. Only a short while before, Killian had allowed Alcaeus to pay it back in his own time, as long as he remained dedicated to the ship. But ever since Ragnarok joined the crew…

An impatient bark from above snapped Alcaeus out of his thoughts and he scrambled up the stairs to follow his captain. As soon as he opened the door to the deck, rain pelted his face and he recoiled before pushing on. He squinted through the pouring weather to see his captain looking out into the wild waves. Wondering what had caught his attention, Alcaeus walked over to him and glanced out to sea. Almost hidden by the storm was an island, close enough for them to dock beside.

‘Captain?’ Alcaeus glanced to Killian with his ears low. ‘Why are we so close to that island? Are we stopping here? Its dangerous to hang around small islands without docking, even when its not storming-’

‘You will be hunting for treasure.’ Killian cut in. ‘You are behind on your debt. Do not argue with me.’

Alcaeus stared at him. Usually he kept his mouth shut, kept his head down and followed along. But this time, as Killian stood and began to leave him there, he couldn’t keep quiet. ‘No!’ He yelled at the Rex, fur bristling as his body shook. ‘You can’t be serious! I’ve only done short dives during calm seas! I’ll drown in this! And that’s assuming no sharks come to me as an easy meal!’

Killian’s head snapped back to the look at the younger Rex, who shrunk into himself under the glare. Alcaeus slowly backed away as his captain stepped towards him, fur bristling down his spine, until he was caged in against the edge of the ship. Killian’s metal claw scraped across the wooden deck, leaving grooves in its surface, and Alcaeus shuddered at the thought of it dug into his flesh.

‘Listen here, runt.’ Purple magic flared around Killian like flames. ‘I’ve been more than patient with your debt. I should have demanded it of you as soon as you joined this ship. Instead, I’ve given you chance after chance to prove yourself to this crew or give me the money. And you’ve gotten comfortable here instead.’ Killian snarled and bared his fangs. ‘Prove yourself. Or those sharks will be the least of your worries.’

Alcaeus swallowed, frozen in place, but nodded. His heart hammered in his chest, louder than the rain thundering down around him, as he watched Killian leave him alone on the deck. He took a long shuddering breath as he looked out to sea, at the churning and merciless waves, that would either prove to be his salvation or his destruction. There was no way out of the mess he’d gotten himself into, and no Harper to turn to for help. There was only the ocean and whatever treasure he could find deep below. Mumbling a prayer for anyone to save him, Alcaeus clambered over the barrier and plunged into the freezing depths.

As he hit the water, a wave crashed into the side of the ship. It scooped him up and slammed him into the ship’s hull, like he was little more than a piece of debris compared to its might. He let out a cry as he sunk, choking on the salty water, before he paddled with all his might towards the island. Being so close to the ship would only give the waves chance to slam him into the wooden hull again and again, and Alcaeus fought on what little oxygen he had to make it over to the shore. Gasping for air, his body shook as he dragged himself onto the rocks. He could just picture Killian looking over the edge of the ship in disappointment. An adult Rex, with piracy in his blood, unable to hold his breath in the water or swim through the waves like he belonged there.

Alcaeus scowled. No, he would not let Killian’s challenge beat him. He was better than that. He chose this life for himself and he would not let this be where it ended. If he was going to beat this test, he was going to succeed, not drown like a rat caught in a rainstorm. He heaved himself to his feet, shook out his fur, and ran into the waves to find the treasure that would buy him victory.

The ocean wasn’t cold as he dove in the second time. After steeling himself against the wind and rain, even the harsh waves were a warm embrace by comparison. As he dipped below the surface, everything grew quiet. The beauty under the water was haunting, with shadows dancing just out of Alcaeus’ sight. He had only the light from his apertures and magic to guide him, painting the area in soft red tones. A glimmer from deep below caught his eye and Alcaeus began to dive deeper to explore. Despite the darkness, the glow of Alcaeus’ magic was enough to reveal the source. A pearl, the largest he’d ever seen, tucked between rubble and debris. Perhaps it was from a long destroyed ship, or a merchant that dropped it off the side of their vessel. Whoever had left it behind was never getting it back, as Alcaeus ducked his head down down and kicked hard to swim to it. He ignored the ache in his chest and the shapes in the darkness as he dived down to his goal.

A hard shape slammed into his side before teeth sunk into his flesh. Alcaeus cried out, salt water choking him once again, and whipped around to kick at the shark biting deep into his flesh. His paws slammed down on its head again and again until it was forced to retreat. Vision blurring, Alcaeus swam up towards the surface in search of air. The pain in his chest now burned as his lungs screamed for oxygen but, despite his desperation, every movement felt too slow to save him. Blood clouded the water around him, he could see it in the corner of his eyes, and he could see the shark circling again for another attack. Blinding panic set in, his arms shook with the effort of every movement and pain consumed every sense. It was all he could do to focus on reaching for the surface. He reached for the waves…

And the shark slammed into him again. As Alcaeus breached the surface, he screeched as the jaws snapped around his leg. His screams ripped up his throat whilst the shark’s teeth cut through flesh and dug deep into bone, leaving the Rex to flail in its jaws in an attempt to free himself. His claws cut into its mouth and it released Alcaeus to flounder on the surface with weakening splashes. He panted as he looked around. There was no saving grace, he was too far from the island to make it to safety before the shark struck again. Alcaeus spared a glance at the ship before looking away. He could picture Killian pushing him back in the waves for returning with no treasure, for being a coward who fled from sharks. No, Alcaeus was alone, he would survive or die here.

Steeling his resolve, Alcaeus ducked under the waves. His eyes locked onto the circling shark as it returned for another strike. He held his hands in front of him as it darted towards him, jaws wide and ready to claim its meal. Though the water washed away his blood from its teeth, small chunks of his flesh and fur stuck between the rows of teeth. Alcaeus snarled as his determination grew. The creature would not get another taste of him. It surged forward and Alcaeus grasped its head and jaw in his hands, straining with the effort of holding it in place. Realising the danger, the shark began to flail in his arms to tear itself away but it only succeeded in ripping up Alcaeus’ palm as he held it firm. He snarled and pressed down on its jaw, widening it inch by inch until the ligaments snapped. Still refusing to let it go, Alcaeus kicked forward to dig his back claws into its belly. Blood clouded the water, to the point Alcaeus could no longer see, but he did not stop. He kicked until he had no strength left, then he let the body go and broke the surface for air. He didn’t watch to see if the carcass floated with him or sunk into the darkness.

Everything hurt. His limbs burned with exhaustion, lacerations covered his palms and he feared to look at the damage done to his side. With so much blood in the water, it was only a matter of time before another predator took their chances at having him as their prey, but he still has to retrieve the pearl. Despite the utter agony he was in, he could not face Killian with nothing. So he took a deep breath, and sunk beneath the waves.

Alcaeus took his time as he swam down to the pearl, he had no choice. One leg was too damaged to move without sobbing, and the adrenaline was beginning to fade and drain his energy with it. As he faced the shimmering pearl, its surface catching the weak light from his halo, he couldn’t help but wonder if Killian’s approval was worth this, if staying on the ship was worth this. He grasped hold of the treasure as he recoiled from the thought, but it persisted as he swam to the surface. Did he deserve to be treated as an expendable body? Alcaeus could have easily died on Killian’s assignment. The pearl in his hands felt like a heavy weight. If Killian accepted this, then his life was worth only a single pearl.

‘Hey!’ As he reached the ship, Alcaeus slammed his free hand against the hull of the boat. ‘Let me up! Please!’ His voice broke as tears bubbled to the surface. He almost died, he turned the thought over and over in his mind. As the ladder was thrown down to him, he wondered whether any of his crewmates would have given a second thought to his disappearance. Maybe he would be replaced with another scrawny Rex that would receive Killian’s ire without any protection, like he had.

Alcaeus flopped over onto the deck and the pearl slipped out from his hand. It rolled along the deck until Killian stopped it with his covered hand. The surface was smeared in Alcaeus’ blood and he watched for any reaction in Killian’s expression, but the Rex was as unreadable as ever as his eyes looked over the pearl then across the numerous wounds in Alcaeus’ body. He huffed and pushed himself to his feet, despite the cuts in his hands screaming as he put force on them. In a moment of exhausted boldness, he shouldered his way past Killian and walked below deck to get his wounds checked. If his captain shouted for him, he wasn’t listening.

He would not be a part of this crew for much longer. Not when his life was worth a single pearl to them.

~ paradoxspir1t