Luky and the Birdmen

After he’d finished eating and his stomach had finally stopped growling, Luky stepped out of his hiding place. He’d spent the last few minutes behind a crate on the main deck.

From where he stood, he could hear voices of the men perched on the forecastle. He was curious what they were saying, so he snuck closer to them and listened.

Most words were in a foreign language, but he was able to confirm that this galley was headed south toward Indus-Kali. This was the archipelago also known as the Spice Isles.

Luky had never set foot there, and he was excited at the idea that he would soon see this faraway land.

Luky had spent the few days leading up to his great escape with his father in Shelb, the harbor city of Vanhaui. Luky had begged his father to take him on his diplomatic journey overseas.

Bravoure, his home, and Vanhaui had become estranged allies over the past decades. It was time to restore the broken links. His father played a part in this political matter.

What part exactly, Luky had no idea. He didn’t really care. It was boring anyway.

Luky was never allowed to go anywhere, never allowed to see anything. His father always said: “If you go too far, you’ll break a bone, tear a muscle, or worse, lose...a whisker!”

Luky hated when his father said that. He was a grown cub now—he could take care of himself! It was like his father belittled him every time he wanted to go somewhere and explore.

He and his father stayed in Shelb at the L’Ours Clam tavern by the sea, the town’s fancier inn. His father would spend his days at the town hall and his nights with other officials. It was all boring.

Luky had taken his chance sneaking out of the tavern that night. He had run to the harbor just so he could see the boats and dream about the countless adventures they held. But when he noticed a crew of men and women boarding a galley ship, Luky saw an opportunity.

He would set out, head off in the night. It was his turn to experience an adventure. The fact that this galley was ready when he’d arrived was a sign of the gods.

Overhearing a conversation between a few passengers, he learned that the boat would be back in Vanhaui within a week or two.

His father would still be here. The other council members would still be here. It’d be fine!

Maybe his father would scold him for running off like that, but Luky would survive. At least he would have seen a bit of the world. More than Bravoure and this boring harbor city.

Luky caught himself frowning.

He was on a ship now headed to a new land; he shouldn’t be frowning. Luky inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with the scent of the sea.

The sun was higher in the sky now, and the heat was like a warm blanket covering his red fur. More and more people were coming to the deck.

They didn’t look like crew members. Perhaps this ship also took regular passengers.

Luky observed them from a corner, leaned against the railing, fusing with the ship’s color. They didn’t see him because he was so good at blending in.

One woman wore a long purple gown and a hat that made her head twice as big. She carried one of those paper umbrellas that protected her from the sun. She was definitely a passenger and not a regular one.

A necklace of deep blue pearls was fastened around her long porcelain neck. Luky could see their glimmer from where he stood.

Maybe the guards he’d seen earlier were hers. The woman was speaking to a man wearing a rider’s outfit. An olive-green tunic, brown leather breeches, and dark leather boots.

Luky rotated and adjusted his pointy ears to hear better. He heard a few words, like trade and appointments. Something about a contact in the Spice Isles to expand their business.

This lady must be a high-class businesswoman to wear those clothes and be escorted by these guards.

When Luky flicked his ears back to their normal position, he caught another sound. A low and gravelly man’s voice echoed further away. That voice was followed by a light woman’s sigh.

“Once at Taj-kaa-Port, we’ll find a ship,” the distant woman said. She sounded like she was trying to convince the man beside her.

“Is that your grand plan, finding a ship?” He sounded annoyed.

Luky looked over his shoulders, and his eyes met the woman’s.

She was beautiful, which said a lot because Luky had no idea what human beauty was. He saw her bright blue eyes from where he stood. Her very light skin shimmered in the sunlight.

Even though she wore a crimson cloak that covered most of her hair, he could see long and smooth blond locks falling over her chest. She briefly looked confused when she noticed Luky but turned her attention back to the man.

He, on the other hand, wasn’t as graceful as she was. But one particular detail caught Luky’s eye. That man looked like a magic shop!

He wore a long leather jacket torn on the ends but filled with a dozen pockets on the inside. Chains and trinkets dangled from these pockets. Hooked to his belt were a red leather scabbard, a tiny satchel, and a garland made of three clinking vials.

Luky decided to come closer.

The man’s boots were thick and looked like they had endured many hardships. Looped over his left shoulder was a backpack that probably contained many more of these trinkets.

His skin, dark brown like the bark of a sturdy oak tree, gave off a warm aura. His eyes, black as coal, crossed Luky’s as the boy-lynx came within human ear’s reach.

“And what are you supposed to be?” the man inquired.

Luky froze, half walking, half standing still. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do with his forepaws, so he hung them in midair. He’d not expected being detected so quickly.