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Part 2

It has been two months since our departure from the shady Adaline harbor, on the big steam ship called Ice Breaker by the old sailors. James renamed this ship after 'acquiring' it from the shady groups, which for me, that's the first time I knew about the dark underground business James fell into. What in bloody hell have I fallen into?

Anyway, despite of the rocky start, our journey continues without further delay. True, we work as the ship's crew hand, but because the Ice breaker is a steam ship, there's nothing to do except working in shifts. My days are filled with watching the sea and the turning turbines on the sides of the ships. It is obviously only for gaining a faster speed, since the ship still has three masts for sails. Talk about multiple power.

Days go by with nothing to concern for the last two months. I happen to meet more friends in the journey, most of them seasoned sailors. But the one that actually fascinate me is how the humans don't mind having a Lycan working beside them. Back in Tragoria, while we were not being segregated from the humans, many of the Tragorians, up until this day, are still not ready to trust anything to a Lycan. The law forces us to live as humans, despite of the fact that once every full moon we are forced to become a man-wolf. The humans try to find any reasons to make us far away from the humans, despite of the law trying to stop that kind of behavior. Still, money talks, and everywhere, a little coin to a law enforcer can turn some eyes away. It works like that.

But here, on this ship called Ice Breaker, there is no such thing. The relationships between the crews are as transparent as normal. Even, there are many activities involving both races. The Lycans are strong drinkers and are mostly assigned to quickly do anything involving climbing the masts since they are faster. The humans help from the deck, but some are also climbing up, sometimes challenging the Lycans to race, despite losing. At night, the Lycans take watch since they have keen eyesight during the night. Those who don't have a shift take a nice break in the atrium below deck, as the steam ship is a decommissioned cruise liner.

As I contemplate on human-Lycan relationship on the ship, James approaches me from the side. Because of my muscular build, I hardly notice him before he leans on the side, smoking a cigarette.

"Nice breeze, eh? It means the sea is still okay, and we are travelling on the right track," said James. "Don't you think, so, Hans?"

"Oh...pardon me...but, I don't usually go to the sea, Jim." I am close enough to James that I am comfortable enough to call him Jim.

"For me, the sea is my calling. True, this is the first exploration for all of us to be so far away from the land. I cannot see the continent on the horizon anymore. Exciting, isn't it?"

"About what?"

"To see what's beyond our land. To be honest, this is the first attempt to cross the big sea, and many of my friends thought I'm suicidal. Hell, I've been on the sea for 20 years, and I always dream on crossing the sea to find the unknown. The new land will be an exciting place, don't you think?"

I don't know what to say at the time. I just nod and make a grin to the human. He smiled back. After lighting another cigarette, he asks, "Hans, do you ever want to find a new life. I mean, beside of being a werewolf, do you dream of something impossible that you want to do?"

Caught off guard by the question, I don't know what to say. He sighs. "20 years of becoming a seaman, I always dream of seeing another land. I will gladly retire after seeing the port of another civilization. I have a son that will continue my journey back to Ternor. You're still a young werewolf, Hans. You gotta find that dream before it's too late."

"To be honest, Jim, I never know anything beyond my village. I don't know what to do now, I can't even help with the ship, and I can't even swim. In my village, Lycans are not accepted well with the humans. They still think we are savage beasts."

I hesitate for a moment. "I have a sister," I say. "She's also a Lycan, and we live together for many years since our parents died. She is still a young cub, and I promise her treasures beyond her wildest imagination. My journey is also partly fueled by my desire to find the unknown land, and to prove that, as a Lycan, I can do anything good for my family. But, seeing how Lycans are accepted as equal on this ship makes glad."

James them put one of his hands on my arm. "Then, when you return to your village, give the something that'll make them sorry for making you down. I've heard about the racial tension between the humans and the werewolves from Spencer. Don't worry. In Adaline, you're free to be a wolf or a human, and we will always treat you like equals."

I smile to him. "Thank you, Jim."

"My pleasure. Now, enjoy the trip while it lasts...."

Suddenly, James turns his view to the sky, then back to his cigarette. He made a slight grunt, then say, "There's no wind..."

"What?" I say.

"Son of a bitch, there's no wind! All hands on deck!"

The bell starts ringing and the crew starts to work. I see there's no wind helping the sail for a wind power, but we're still steadily making the journey by turbine. One of my friends, Harold, walk to me and say, "Hey, Hans, what are they doing now?"

"I don't know. I was just talking with Jim when suddenly he shouts there's no wind and making the ruffles."

"My father was a fisherman, and he always told me that when there's no wind in the sea, always expect a change of weather, which is...bloody hell, I just remembered!"

"What is it?"

"If the wind starts changing direction, there's a storm coming! Hurry, friend, into the deck below!"

I follow my friend as the wind starts catching up and rain starts pouring down. The crewmates are struggling to tie up the sails as the small wind suddenly turns into a gale. All hell breaks loose when the wave starts to rise and the deck starts to get flooded. I barely reach the door when a barrel knocks me off my feet. I lose my balance and if it's not for a nearby rope, I will fall into the water and drowns. I try to get on my feet, but having a gait instead of a normal leg can be troublesome. I try to turn back into human, but it is useless. I am too panicked to turn, and at this point I need someone to pull me back up or I'll fall into the sea.

Just at that moment, a hand is in front of me, offering help. Without thinking more I pull it up and I find James, smiling to me.

"Never talk about a nice weather to a greenhorn, huh?" said James half-joking. "Don't worry, this ship is specially designed to not capsize that easily in this storm!"

"How can you be so sure?!" "Son, this ship is equipped with turbines to break the sea wave. Though the idea of breaking any ice is not an option right now, the turbines should be enough to steady the ship. But there's a problem."

"I don't want any problems aside from this one, Jim, and you bloody know it! My group is useless in this situation!"

"I can't guarantee the turbines will hold. This old lady is crippling apart and I can't tell you when the turbines will break!"

Now that's something bad I should be aware of. Destroyed turbines will halt the journey since we need winds to go. I can't do anything but wait below deck while James goes to the engine room to take command. I just curse to myself, thinking that my act of courage would impress Lilac. Instead, I get into something that's out of my bloody league. Very clever Hans. Very clever, indeed.

Just then I hear creaking sound from the engine room, and I realize that the trouble has just started. Jim goes out from the door with panicked expression. His face is just like someone seeing a ghost.

"What happened, Jim," said Spencer beside me. "What happens to the engines?" "There's nothing wrong with the engines, but...one of my crew...lost his hand..."

As a Lycan, that's normal and not very terrifying, but, for a human sailor who never has seen someone lost a limb might be overwhelming. I quickly get into the engine room and see the damage for myself.

The human's hand is crushed between two gears, and it is not on his arm anymore. It breaks, with the sailor passed out and still bleeding. I quickly carry him out and found Timothius near the door.

"Where the hell is the infirmary," I shouted. "Tim, this man is bleeding!" "Don't worry, I'm the doctor," said Tim. "Spence, find me a towel and a bottle of scotch."

"This is not the time to drink, mate!"

"I know what I'm doing! Make it double, Spence."

I don't know what to do. I just watch and try to calm James. He obviously never sees someone's hand got crushed before, but after a while of talking, he return to his senses and patting my back, smiling to me thank you. He quickly runs to a direction and turn to another corridor. I help Timothius to treat the wounded, and after a while, he stops bleeding, which makes me exhale in relief.

"Damn...what a waste of good scotch," said Tim panting. "Hey, want some drink?"

I snatch the bottle of strong scotch and drink it, feeling the heat building up in me, calming me up. I pat Tim on his back while I help carry the human sailor to the infirmary. When I am there, I see the sky. It's still raining hard, and the sea is still raging, but not to the extent of a damage. I sigh in relief.

"I need a nice bottle of whiskey to spend my day with the storm. Are you coming, mate?"

"No, I'll go back to my room. What a day..."

I don't need more time to get drunk. I quickly return to my room and take a nice lay on the bed, occasionally watching the porthole, hoping that the storm may pass.

I don't know how long I slept, I must've been hours. When I wake up, the sky has cleared and the sea has calmed. I yawn a little and start walking to the top deck. What's weird is that there are many people on the deck. I find Spencer near a Lycan. He notices me and said, "Hey, you're late, mate. Come look at that."

When I walk to the position Spencer asks me, I gasp. Before me, the sight of a discovery stands like a golden stash, shining bright on the crew.

At last, after two months of journey, we have finally found a land, where we can finally stop and refill. Finally, I can touch the land again, finally out of the sea sick for a while.