The Seventh Voyage

Chapter 2 Colliding Dreams

Whoosh!

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Whoooshh!

"Ha! I win! Pay up, Fisheye."

Boisterous laughing ensued as The Lonely Whale sailed steadily into the horizon, the setting sun casting a gentle orange hue on the pirates' ship.

Whoosh...Crash!

Laughter. Taunts. Threats.

One of them even called her a weirdo...

Even in sleep, Yeo Wol's hands had clenched tight around her dagger, that pirate within her surfacing to eliminate those who dared to cross her.

Pirates do not have many enemies, because those who dared defy them or the laws of the sea was delivered back to nature. Of course, it was also because they couldn't give a damn, to begin with.

CRASH!

The Lonely Whale surged forwards, naturally moving, and flowing with the waves in their undulating pleats, much like curtain folds on the world's grandest stage.

The rhythmic percussion of waves did nothing to soothe the deep-seated anger in a certain Captain's heart as she instinctively slashed at thin air, sitting up from her resting position in her cabin.

Eyes closed, Yeo Wol never once relaxed her position, her right hand still clenching hard around the base of the dagger, raised against the invisible threat in her mind.

And through the thin sheet of a metal blade, sharpened to perfection, eyes snapped opened, to reveal a fierce fire that seemed to burn a hole through the ship's walls.

Who dares to cross the Captain of the Southern seas?

Yet, there was no clear threat in the captain's cabin.

That did nothing but set Yeo Wol on edge as her heavy calfskin boots met the ground with a loud thud.

It was a dream.

An oddly twisted, disconcerting dream.

It was a dream, far different from her usual nightmares spelt out of blood and gore but it was still a dream. Her dream. But none of what she dreamt of made sense to Yeo Wol. She was oddly detached from that dream yet involved.

Yeo Wol has never been this troubled by a dream before.

"Avast! You scurvy buccaneer! Wait until I get my hands on you!"   

The f*ck was going on?

Face impassive, the Yeo Wol shook off the stress on her shoulders, ignoring to biting worry in her chest to shoulder the responsibilities as the captain of her ship.

In front of her pirates, Yeo Wol was like a stronghold, fortified to protect. Unbending, sure, merciless, but most importantly, trustworthy.

Because even pirates had to trust one another to live. If there was no trust, there would be a new leader, one worthy of their collective respect and loyalty.

And so far, Yeo Wol has not given anyone on board her ship any reason to throw her off. She was a major upgrade from their past captain, an imbecilic who only knew how to say "Arr" and keep the goods to himself.

Under their past captain, the pirates were starving, too weak to even collect the bounty from a mere sailing ship.

But with Yeo Wol, they were thriving. And because of that, they had forgotten what it felt like to be poor.