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━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ 🏴☠️ S T U R M H O N D 🏴☠️ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
The journey back to Novy Zem didn't even take half of the time with more Grisha on board. The fleet shot over the water like no other ships before them, day and night. They arrived at the late afternoon in the harbour of Weddle and asked around what had happened while they were gone. Fishermen told them that Bassim had already left south, sailing towards the Undead.
Nikolai walked around the town while the crew was preparing for another journey. The city seemed dead, nobody was out on the streets, doors and windows were closed. Even The Crying Raven was locked. And it never was, no matter what time it was. The people were scared from what was coming their way, hiding in their houses and prayed to the Saints to save them from the Sinners.
He strolled back to the docks, remembering that everything had started at this harbour. Here was where he met Teuta, build a crew, talked to the messenger from the Darkling and sailed off to yet another adventure. When they returned, everything had changed. They had celebrated and had drunken a lot, he had fought with Teuta - although it had nearly been a love confession from both sides - and Cassian had nearly killed him. Everything changed again after his death and it felt odd to walk through the streets, knowing he wouldn't just sit outside a bar and greet his blood brother.
He shook his thoughts off, they belonged to the past. He was in the present now and needed to think straight. If not for the war, then for Teuta. She had helped him once again and now he was here to help her. Besides, the problem concerned him as well, the Buzzard would come for Ravka if they wouldn't be able to stop him here.
Teuta was knocking on the front door of a house when Nikolai turned around the corner to go to the ships again. A woman opened, they exchanged a few words and Teuta gave her money. What is she doing? Some secret business again? But then he laughed when he heard noises coming closer. Three dogs came running outside and the woman closed the door again when the animals were barking loudly through the empty street, their tails waggling away. Oak and Thorn nearly threw Nikolai to the ground while Ash licked Teuta's face.
"I thought they would forget about me!" Nikolai laughed as he hugged his pets.
"No, they would never." Teuta replied with a smile and gently pushed Ash over to him, so the animal could greet his owner. "Although your doppelgänger has looked like you, they were always suspicious, like they knew something was up. They never trusted the false Sturmhond and after a while, they behaved like I've saved them from the butcher and not you. Even Thorn likes me now."
He raised his eyebrows in disbelieve and looked over to her. "Oh, really?"
"Yes, watch." She got the attention of Thorn and raised her finger. The dog sat quietly down and watched her for further introductions. "Play dead." She flicked her finger to the side and the dog dropped to the floor, not moving anymore. "Good boy, Thorn!"
