Birds chirped loudly overhead as they circled the mast of the Shellshock, looking for a quiet place to land before they flew off on their long journeys out to sea. Looking up at these curious creatures, Pip sat alone on the warm sunlit deck, using another large pirate's hat to shade his sensitive eyes. After many minutes of staring in silence though, he heard the creak of the stairs nearby, and turned to see who was joining him.
"Goodmorning," Elez yawned, stretching out his arms and smiling happily at the small boy who sat down on the wooden floor nearby. "You're up early." He said, walking over to sit beside him.
"I was making sure the birds didn't eat my raspberries." Pip mumbled, pointing slowly towards the luscious green plants that were growing in the flower beds outside the Captain's quarters. The plants themselves looked extremely healthy and well grown, with large delicious raspberries laying ready to pick atop their stems.
"How about I get you some nets to put over them?" Elez suggested. "I could build small tents over all of your plants." He smiled, pulling out a small notebook as he scribbled down his ideas into drawings.
"Nets sound good." Pip nodded softly, taking a peek at Elez's drawings and smiling a tiny bit at the detail which he added to them. "You are very good at drawing." He said, pointing at the armour which Elez had sketched on the previous page. "But what's that?" He asked.
"Oh, that's something I wanted to build for myself. Like an extra power boost to my punches." He smiled, moving the book closer to allow Pip to look. "If I can find the right materials, it'll be like wearing a powerful magic gauntlet."
"So cool." Pip muttered, his eyes filled with wonder and amazement.
"Oh yeah!" Elez smiled, catching Pip's attention as he began reaching inside the small leather bag which he carried about almost everywhere. "I made you something." He explained, pulling out a pair of darkly shaded glasses, before gently placing them atop the small boy's features.
"What are they?" Pip asked, reaching up to feel the cool metal frame and thin plastic lenses, before sliding the glasses slowly up his nose in order to fit them properly.
"They're modified sunglasses." Elez smiled, pulling the Captain's hat off of the small boy's head, and watching as he flinched and braced himself for the bright lights above, only to stop and stare around in confusion.
"It doesn't hurt." Pip muttered, staring up at him through the dark polarised lenses of the sunglasses. "I don't understand." He said, confused why the light no longer affected him.
"Just call it a gift," Elez smiled, far too tired to explain the laws of physics to an eight year old. "Now, go hug your dad and tell him all about it, I'll go make some nets." He said, petting Pip's hair before standing up from the floor and walking off into the cabins below deck.
Immediately, Pip jumped up with a sudden burst of energy, looking around at the sea and the sky with a wide and happy smile. He was overjoyed to finally be able to see without the confines of heavy materials shading his eyes. A massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and it filled him with a new childlike love for every single thing that he came to see.
"Dad! Dad! Dad!" Pip yelled, running down the hallway of the first floor as he bounced excitedly and twisted the handle of Zenith's door, before rushing inside and jumping atop his bed, filled with joyous giggles of laughter.
"Something wrong, bud?" Zenith yawned, sitting up within the comfortable blankets he had slept beneath and looking towards the overjoyed child before him.
"Look! Look! Mister Elez made me these!" He grinned, pointing toward the darkened shades as they lightened up into an almost see through colour in the barely lit surroundings of Zenith's room. They were coated with a photochemical paint, so their darkness adapted to the surroundings, allowing Pip to comfortably see within all levels of light.
"Amazing," Zenith chuckled, ruffling his hair as he sat up straight and stared closer at the carefully crafted frame. "Elez really has a knack for inventing, does he?"
"Yeah!" Pip smiled, his delicate orange eyes filled with new found happiness. "He's making me nets as well." He explained, causing Zenith to gasp in an exaggerated surprise.
"Is he trying to compete with me for best dad?" He asked, acting upset as he pouted strongly at the thought.
"No," Pip giggled, causing Zenith to smile back at the sight of the boy's happiness. "He's just helping me protect my plants." He explained, before gasping loudly and preparing to run to the door. "Oh no! I left my plants alone up there with all of those birds!" He cried, jumping down from the bed and rushing back towards the door, only to be picked up as Zenith ran after him, holding Pip happily in his arms while he grinned and leapt up atop the deck.
"We shall fight off those birds together!" Zenith grinned, looking up towards Pip's fruit trees with an attack ready smile, only to see Haylee standing there alone with a bowl in hand, collecting an assortment of berries into a bowl while she hummed And mumbled a tune.
"Sat down by the river, humming a simple song. One can see the cherry trees - gently swaying along." She sang, her voice a gentle and smooth mix of sweetness and light, combined with the lyrics of a song Zenith had never even heard. "And there I stand, and there you'll stay. Sat down by the cherry trees - watching life fade away."
Slowly, her humming stopped as she turned back towards the others, holding a bowl of fresh fruit within her hands, along with a leather backed book that she had tucked carefully between her underarm for support.
"Oh," she gasped, finally realising that they were there. "I'm so sorry, was I not allowed to pick these?" She asked, looking towards Pip with a gentle questioning stare.
"They needed to be picked," Pip replied. "I just didn't want the birds eating them."
"Oh, of course." She giggled. "Well, it's good I came up here then. I kept all of the birds away." She smiled, stepping up to Pip and Zenith as she passed them both one of the finest strawberries she had found. "Eat up, they are extremely delicious." She said, picking up one of her own and biting down into the fresh fruit.
"Yeah," Zenith smiled, taking a bite of his own while Pip smiled and ate his whole.
"Yummy." Pip grinned, wiggling about in Zenith's arms while he reached out to steal a few more from Haylee's collection. While the young boy nibbled away at the berries though, Zenith noticed the small glass vial that was looped gracefully around Haylee's neck.
"What's that?" He asked, nodding towards her necklace. Immediately, Haylee followed his eyes and smiled at the sight of her own jewelry.
"It was a gift from my father," she replied, motioning towards the book that was held at her side. "This was as well, it has documents and passages all about the oceans and islands that he had visited." She explained, humming at the thought of her father's discoveries, and hoping to live up to his name in the future.
"Well, it's a beautiful necklace." Zenith smiled, before stepping back and pulling Pip away from the diminishing bowl of fruit. "But let's go make some breakfast, yeah? And save some fruit for the others." Zenith laughed, noticing the bright red colour of Pip's cheeks thanks to the fruit juices which he had covered his face in.
"Sounds like a lovely plan," Haylee smiled, walking off below deck with Zenith at her side. "And then we shall set a course for Mavey, an island just outside of the red circle."
"Sounds cool!" Madison smiled, appearing behind them with a handful of strawberries. Naturally, her sudden appearance caused Haylee to jump and squeal in fear, before calming down and laughing at her captain's surpringing nature.
"Where did you come from?" Haylee laughed, making sure that she didn't drop any fruit during her panic.
"I was exploring," Madison said, tossing another large berry into the air before catching it in her mouth and smiling happily at the others. "Oh hey," she grinned. "Pip had glasses."
"Do you like them?" The fox boy asked, smiling up at her with a happy grin.
"Of course I do!" She giggled, reaching out to snatch him away from Zenith, before she danced around and laughed with Pip in her arms. "You're my cute and adorable little boy." She said, not even noticing the smiles that she received from Zenith and Haylee as a response to her love and happiness.
"About that island though," Zenith said, turning his attention towards Haylee. "Why do we need to make a stop? We have enough food to last us many months." He explained, only to watch as Haylee giggled and smiled up at him.
"We don't need to stop for food. We only need to go there to pick up an enchantment on the ship." She replied.
"And enchantment?" Madison asked, immediately stopping his dancing in order to stare at Haylee with curiosity and wonder brimming in her eyes.
"Indeed," she replied. "It's the only way to enter the Red Circle."