Ocean salt infested the air. They have been out at sea for weeks now. Sun can't remember what they were searching for so fervently. His current Captain barked orders across the deck. The graining pitch of his voice was swallowed by the waves. Sun turned its small frame from its work and gazed at the dark horizon. The day was bright but he knew that would change with the mast aimed directly at the deep purple clouds cutting into the vibrant blue. The light's heat beamed down on everyone, the humidity clinging to skin and fur. A peculiar scent was on the wind. It tiptoed its way around Sun’s olfactory perception. A pit dove deep into the little monkey’s stomach. His instincts told him this storm was going to be bad. Worse than the last one his Captain drove into. Whatever he was looking for required very specific and curiously ridiculous circumstances he couldn’t bother to remember. Every voyage was more dangerous than the last. He must not show fear. No matter how bad it got. This ship's Captain was not kind to those who showed even a second of vulnerability but those clouds felt ugly and wretched. They felt worthy of someone so small’s fear.
Something felt different about this storm but he couldn't lay his paw on why that was. The gulls that normally use the ship as a perch were nowhere to be found. Nowhere to be heard. It was an eerie sound. The primate was startled from his thoughts by the sound of a shrill shriek as the Captain threw a crewmate overboard laughing so loudly the harsh sea drowned in its echo.
“LET THIS BE A LESSON MEN. NO STORM CAN TOPPLE MY SHIP and anyone who thinks differently CAN TAKE IT UP WITH THE WATERS BELOW!” The Captain's voice bellowed as he turned on his heel to return to his quarters.
“AYE AYE SIR,” the crew responded in a chorus of cacophony. Sun took this warning for what it was. A threat if Sun defied his authority. He crawled up the ropes to the crows nest where he had his little hideout and hammock. He chittered to himself and cooed as he snuggled into his bedding. He decided to rest while he could. This storm was going to need all he had. He drifted off to the subtle sound of thunder in the distance.
Sun woke with the loudest crack of lightning he ever had heard. His beady eyes shot open filled with panic. He tried to blink rain from his sight the best he could. The storm was here, there was no turning back. Other sapiens of all sizes scattered across the deck yelling to each other, secured ropes and tied down equipment. Many voices carried up to his crows nest but the Captain’s tone stood above it all like the lightning against the pounding rain. The sky had gone from a beautiful blue to a color he had never seen the sky reflect before. A horrid green conquered the blue and Sun thought he would never see the light of day again.
He hurried into action to help the crew. The cackle of his Captain did not reassure Sun as he moved swiftly, without thought. Move the equipment below deck, tie down the sails so they don’t tear, secure life ropes, keep going, keep moving, don't think, not even for a moment. Sun knew if he stopped he would break down. Not like he could've heard any thoughts over the terrible rain. It felt more like ice bullets soaking into his fur leaving his skin raw, red and bruised. He couldn't let the horror seep into his soul, he could NOT falter. He must keep moving.
Sun didn't even notice when his crewmates were washed overboard by the flood walls spilling over the deck. He didn't even recognize the steep walls of water that began to morph into a cage of tentacles rising up from below the depths. Sun needed to keep being useful so desperately that when his ships Captain screamed out only to be choked out by the writhing limbs. He did not stop. Sun scampered and climbed, he swung from rope to rope, doing what he could to keep things stable. When he finally heard nothing but roaring and storming but no Captain’s orders or maniacal laughter. The crunching of wood and ripping of sails cut through all other noise and shook him from his pattern. He whipped his small frame to see the wheel rolling back and forth with no one at its wake. His heart and hope fell overboard. The horror consumed him as he realized none of his crew was around him. He was alone. The masses of simians had been replaced with slimy thrashing tentacles riddled in teeth and suckers.
Frozen in fear, his small monkey body clung to the nets that were tied weakly to the middle pillar of the boat. He tried to tear his eyes away but he could not close them as one extremely massive optic focused on his tiny insignificant vessel. Its one eye was ten times bigger than the biggest giant. The imperfect odd shaped iris was trained on him. Sun caught a glimpse of the Captain’s mangled bloody corpse in the creatures gaping maw amongst his dead dismembered crew. Puke green sea churned into a more disgusting brown, the iron of blood invading his nose to join the peculiar smell he had sniffed earlier.
What was he looking at? What was this thing? It was too big. Way too big to be any fish he had seen, way too big to be a whale or a shark. It was going to swallow him, he thought. His heart pounding in his ears more blaring than the storm, more reverberant than the cracking mast and more ear-piercing than the enormous noise coming from that thing. He didn't think the word ‘mouth’ did justice for the eternal darkness that was widening around what was left of the boat. This creature was celestial, it was divine, it had to be there wasn't any other explanation. Sun had not known what the word God meant until this moment. He did not know true despair until this moment. Until he was staring into despair-incarnate’s ugly, writhing face. It's disgustingly knotted slimy flesh wrapped around each pillar dragging it down. This creature didn't make sense. It opened up like a black hole drinking up tons of water and splintered mast. This was it. He couldn't watch his own death after witnessing the deaths of his friends. He squeezed his gawking face shut while still grasping what he thought was rope and curled into the smallest ball he could. He imagined his crew's faces, his friends laughing and singing together only hours before. Only for the image to be ruined by the image of their mangled empty anatomy and their fear filled voices screaming for help. They were gone and he was not far behind. Behind the imagined voices was a quiet, unintelligible whisper. Was it the beast? Then silence as Sun lost consciousness and fell into a dreamless sleep.
Sun did not wake immediately but he felt warm sand underneath him. It was soft and peaceful. For a moment he enjoyed the sensation. The sound of gulls far off echoed low and soft. Flashes of tentacles, teeth and one distinctly huge eye split through his peace, jolting him into the waking world. Fear escaped his throat with the most genuine fearful squeak he could muster. Eyes darted across the powdery, yellow sand and the gurgling waves as he clambered away disturbing smooth beach.
What happened? Where am I?
He then realized he was death gripping something squishy, wet and moving. He uncurled his terror filled grip to reveal the tip of a fat squirming sucker covered tentacle. He practically threw it with wide eyes as if trying to reject his memories.
That thing. It was real. He was alive. It didn't kill him. It… It spared his life.
The image of that massive eye would never leave him and it would forever change his life.
(notes: I dont usually post my writing but i'm so very happy with this and how it came out. this is my background story of my Seraph Seaborne Simian called Sun Lu from Daggerheart. and believe it or not that alliteration was all accidental. i absolutely recommend Daggerheart. combat has never been more fun for me in a table top RPG)
My spread for Seaborne: @voltronmerzine! ♥
I was a part of this project as both a contributor and a mod, and I had so much fun! Everyone was a delight to work with and the final product is amazing!
We still have some leftover zine copies and merch in our store so please check it out~ https://voltronmerzine.bigcartel.com - all proceeds go to charity! ♥
This is actually an older drawing I am so excited to share! (hence the ‘18 in my signature) This is my piece for @voltronmerzine which was so fun to be a part of because MERMAIDS.
Their extras sale is currently going on so be sure to check it out if you missed out on getting the zine during preorders!
This was my piece done for the @voltronmerzine. It’s an absolute monster of a zine! More like a large novel. So many fantastic pieces in there and I am thrilled to be a part of it.
Oh! And they still have a few left! Check out their store for details!
