Guardian
A week passes by and Draven works to get used to the schedule on the ship. He learns how to use the knives appropriately and has worked at the various workstations in the kitchen becoming very adept at the art of cooking. One day Draven gets lost on his way to the kitchen and arrives late. Twise, upset that after a week of good performance the best helper he has had in a while gets lost when he shouldn't have, tells Draven that he has to butcher a full sized cow as well as clean the kitchen after the midday meal. Draven, thinking that he has to miss his midday meal, sighs softly and gets to work on butchering the cow. It takes him nearly two hours to get the full cow butchered and stored away, by the time he is done the rest of the crew have left the kitchen.
Getting to work on cleaning up the mess that was left behind, he puts the roots in the storage below the floors, the scraps in the waste buckets to be dumped in the sea, and as he turns around he sees what appears to be a large rat that was bred with an equally large dog. The tail is long and thin, hairless and the snout is narrowed like a rats features, but the large stocky body and the sharp teeth are clearly canine. It growls and snorts at him and he stands on the opposite side of the large butchering table. He raises up his hands and tries to pacify the animal, but it only seems to anger it more than it already was.
The beast launches itself at Draven, rearing up and aiming its claws at his chest. Draven calls for his swords, but he reacts too late as the claws tear through his shirt and gouges into his chest. Stepping back quickly Draven takes one of his swords and aims it at the animal, swinging for its side. The sword grazes the thick fur and infuriates the animal. It launches itself at Draven's legs, but Draven leaps onto the table and vaults over it. As the animal turns, it scrambles under the table once more and gets stuck under the low height. Firming his lips into a tight line Draven takes his sword and stabs the animal repeatedly until it dies in a flurry of dark silver dust.
He cleans up the mess from the fight, and adjusting his shirt he walks to the mess hall. Twise and the rest of the crew are no longer there so he sits and eats alone. When he stands he feels disoriented and he stumbles across the mess hall. The rush of feet sounds as if it came from a distance and as he falls to his knees the door to the mess hall bursts open and the Captain comes striding into the room looking furious. He can hear her shouting commands and more feet hurry to obey her orders and someone lifts his body up and rushes him out of the room.
He wakes up a week later in the Healer's room. Frowning in confusion he looks around at the many odds and ends of the mans' room. Seeing jars of things that he prefers to not know the description of, he tries to rise up only to be held down by a strong yet old looking hand.
"Not yet young man, let me take a look at those wounds."
Draven looks to his right and sees a mid-aged man frowning over him. "How…how long have I been out?"
The man hums as he continues to look at the bandages on Dravens' chest. "Oh, 'bout a week now. Good thing you pulled through though. Guardian poison works fast and is in their nails and teeth. If the beast had scored a hit on you with both you would have died." The man replaces Dravens' shirt and looks at him. "Now, did you kill the beast or is it roaming the ship?"
Draven frowns at the question before rising unimpeded on to his elbows. "I killed him, the thing attacked me and I killed it. I…. Are you saying that that THING I fought was a Guardian?"
The man nods and turns away, gathering up bits of pottery and lengths of cloth and placing them in a basket. "Yep. That was one of the creatures that ensures that everyone is where they are supposed to be and doing what they are supposed to do. But if you were attacked then that means that particular Guardian was rogue. Good thing you killed him, otherwise he would have been looking for revenge and may have come after you."
Draven sits up fully and winces as the room seems to spin. A small groan escapes his lips and the Healer turns around quickly. "Whoa young buck. You can't be sitting up so soon. You need your rest."
Before Draven could protest a feminine voice sounds from the doorway. "I agree. That is why he will be in his room for the next week until the poison works its way out of his system."
"Aye aye Captain." The Healer takes the basket and hands it over to Draven. "There are ointments to help with the burning, creams to hurry the healing and bandages to keep the wounds covered until they heal."
Draven reaches out to take the basket but before his fingers can even graze the woven material the Captain's hand reaches out and snatches the basket. "As he was injured by one of my creatures, I'll see to it that he is returned to health. Personally." She steps back and a large man enters the room and scoops Draven up and carries him out of the Healers' room. Tossing her head back she calls out to the healer, "If things get too bad I'll send for you, thank you for your quick aid Healer."
The man who carries him is extremely gentle, but when they arrive at the room, Draven is feeling so tired that he is nearly asleep when the crewman lays him down on his cot. The Captain sits the basket down on the table in the room before settling down on a chair. He falls asleep as she turns towards him and looks at his sleeping form.
All he feels is heat, heat and the touch of a cool hand. Whispers that he can't understand fills his ears and calms him as he tries to fight the heat that seems to surround him like a thick blanket in the middle of a tropical summer. He tries to complain, to voice his desire to not be covered as he feels a thin sheet like material cover his body. Another week passes before he wakes and sees the Captain lying on the cot beside him. Her sleeping form shows shadows under her eyes and her cheeks look wan and hallow. He leans up on his elbow, reaching out slightly he caresses the skin that he hasn't seen since the moment of his arrival on board.
The scars on her face were raised slightly, woven together with thin spider-web like lines that crisscross her flesh. She wakes up as soon as his fingertips touch the unscarred section of her face. She sits up sharply, narrowly missing his jaw with the top of her head though her fist connects with his ribs; causing him to gasp in pain.
"Oh, I am so sorry! You're awake!" She looks at him and frowns before slipping off the cot and turning quickly away from him. "Why were you touching me?"
He rubs his jaw and looks at her thoughtfully. "You were asleep, and I have never seen you with your mask off. You're beautiful you know."