Chronicle XVII

Seven Seas vanished without a trace, swallowed by the ocean he was once to be the captain of, his hat resting on the head of his furry companion, his ship beneath her. EmBark recalled the years together, searching for the very hat that allowed her to sail the world. There was no way she would leave him without his power. She searched on the water everywhere for him before realizing that he may very well be on land, living a new life away from the ocean. As this thought struck her, she headed to the port he rescued her from, inside Big City’s bustling bay.

The dog captain approached gradually, various massive ships yielding to her, respecting her ability to command the ship whilst having paws. When she stopped to dock, she was approached by the captain of another vessel, a frail old man with a long white beard similar to hers.

“'Yer’ hat…. I knew it once.”

EmBark turned her head adorably to listen.

“Everyone knew it.” He hobbled over to lean on the railing. “Seven Seas, eh?”

EmBark barked in an enthusiastic response and the ship underneath her rose with the ocean below, called by her.

“I heard speak that he’d been spotted far north. Heard he wasn’t what he used to be.” He drew an ‘X’ on a map and put it between the pup’s teeth. “Try here. If he’s what yer’ after.”

EmBark nodded gratefully and quickly took to the ocean. The old man hobbled back to his own boat, stroking his beard as if he didn’t just have a conversation with a dog.

The water expedited EmBark’s journey north. A wild current provided rapid passage across the globe to where the map indicated. Weather cleared in her path, an unusual occurrence in her experience. It was as if the ocean shared in her excitement to reunite.

Close to the harbor, she carved through ice on the surface of the water and breathed in crisp, dry air. Her nose picked up the scent of Seven Seas. Her ship rose from the sea, water and ice beneath her as she followed the familiar smell. People working on the docks took their hats off and stared as the boat sailed above the ocean.

To her dismay, EmBark found a small, decommissioned dinghy resting off to the side of the harbor. She couldn’t imagine Seven Seas would captain such a poorly kept boat. She hopped off her ship onto the shore, causing it to crash down into the water. Inside the dinghy, she overcame the smell of spoiled crab and noticed a picture inside. Seven Seas faced away from the camera, but there was another man with him. She hurriedly ran out and brought it to one of the dockworkers.

“Him, yeah. We kept in touch a little. He’s retired now, living in Big City. Name’s Damon. I got his number, but not much good that’ll do a dog. Good luck.” He pet EmBark’s head and resumed his work.

EmBark summoned her ship to the dock where she stood and boarded, thrilled to have a lead. Back to Big City she rushed.

The ocean again supported her quest and she was back in no time. EmBark knew that she’d never get anywhere on foot, so instead of docking at the harbor, she rode the wind. The boat lifted from the water and sailed the sky. Seven Seas had done so many times with her aboard, but it was her first time. She struggled to maintain forward motion, controlling the ship entirely with her mind; it was much more important for her to use her focus to keep it afloat. It felt unnatural, however. She and the boat both longed to return to the water.

In the distance, fate flagged EmBark down. A trail of ice formed and fell as a figure slid on it. Another figure flew beside. She focused her energy on speeding up to catch up. Soon, she met where the trail dissipated and her ship, of its own will, gravitated towards it, using it like the ocean. Her speed increased tenfold and soon she was right behind the pair.

All of a sudden, the ship halted in midair, as did the figure on the ice. The man flying, however, was moving freely, and began to inspect the EmBark’s boat. She looked down and saw that not only were her and the ice man stalled, the entire city was.

“What is this.” the red and white clad hero asked, allowing slow motion as a light on his arm turned from red to yellow.

“Woooooof.” EmBark tried to reply, grabbing the picture and presenting it to him.

“Oh. Thought you were here for me.” he turned his light green and instantly everything was moving forward again. “Damon, this is for you. Dog, this is Daddy Chill. He’s your man. I’ll go on ahead, catch you another time.”

“HardStop, wait up.” DC shouted at the stop sign man. HardStop did not wait up.

Daddy Chill looked back and saw the picture. The two of them relocated to a nearby rooftop to talk.

“You’re looking for me?”

EmBark shook her head in reply.

“You’re looking for Silas then. Why?”

EmBark pointed her head up to point to the hat. She then showed him the picture of Seven Seas in his full glory wearing his captain’s hat.

“I see. Always knew there was more to old Silas. Lucky for you, I know exactly where to look for him. I’ll have to let the family know I’m going on a trip.” DC said, pulling out his phone to send the text. “Let’s go find your captain.”