The Path to Dreams: Past Choices

While many people throughout her twenty-five years of life had tried to kill Pen, but this time was different. Pen had never really felt bad for a person trying to kill her, she had never needed to protect someone while fighting for her life, and Pen was not trying to kill her attacker this time around which was actively working against her muscle memory. Oh, and the girl attacking Pen was currently a bear. How did this happen? Let's turn back the clock to early that day.

Pen wakes up from a bad dream curled up in normal wolf form near the end of her bed. She morphs back to normal, stretching as she looks around the girls' cabin:

Edith's bed was empty and made (Must be already up), Ash was asleep at her desk using the open log book as a pillow with a quill at her feet (Late night writing), Louisa was sleeping army-style with her area of the room being the neatest (Old habits die hard), Luna was halfway out of bed face flat on the floor snoring loudly (Can she sleep through everything?), and of course, Luna’s glow pig Stubbie right next to her on the bed made out of cloth he stole from the crew’s laundry (So that’s where that top went. I am not getting that back, am I?). The room was full of gray light from the window and pale yellow light from Stubbie. Pen rolls out of bed and heads toward the bathroom to get ready for the day.

As she is about to knock, the door opens as Walter steps out with the small yellow bird Twees on his head.

“Good morning Walt, I am on your left,” she says giving him space to pass.

“Oh thanks, Pen,” the blind detective shifts his walking stick to not whack her in the shin, “Good morning to you too.”

Pen steps into the bathroom after him. After brushing her teeth Pen examines the mangled left side of her face. Her mouth and cheek had been torn up leaving that side in a sort of twisted smile. Sure it had been healed for years at this point but so have the rest of her scars does not make it any less weird to look at. Then her attention turns to the claw mark across her right eye. (The werebear) Pen remembers the nightmare that had woken her, it was more of a memory than a dream:

It was several years ago, that Pen was sent on a job to assassinate an intel gatherer for the revolutionary army who happened to be a werebear. She arrived at the small warm cottage in the night breaking into the place, but the informant would not die lying down. The fight was hard but Pen won leaving with mauled left, almost losing an eye, and with her pockets a little heavier. The small home was left quiet and cold. His brown eyes of her target inblazed into her mind. While she did not know why Pen feels a growing sense of uneasiness over teens years later.

Splashing water on her face Pen tries to ignore it: she had taken a lot of lives in her year of being an assassin it kept her fed and housed look there is not much work for werewolves (legal work anyway). She left that life and joined the Moon Swallow Pirates. Yes, they are a group of strange crazy idiots that five months ago she would have avoided like the plague, but now they are her crew, friends, and family. Pen gagged on how mushy that was, but it is true and none of them seemed to mind the fact that she was trying to kill them when they first met, but then again so were Jesse, Edith, and Louisa.

After finishing getting ready Pen heads above deck hearing cussing. Walking out on to the main deck where most of the is.

Pen joins them leaning on the port side railing, “What going on exactly?”

“Morning Pen,” Ash yawns, “Arthur is whining because today is a Lost day. Is the bathroom free?”

“Oh that’s it?-” Pen rised an eye brow at Arthur “-Yeah it should be.” Ash gets up from her seat and went below deck.

“Why are all of you taking this so lightly!? Today is a Demon Day!” Arthur bawls in his usual ‘we are all dead tone’.

“Stop making such a big deal out of it,” James says exasperatedly (clearly is conversation had been going no), “The Lost Days just affects magic everything else is just a superstine.”

Edith looks up from her, “I would be too sure of that. The Void Days throughout history have marked many massive events, both good and bad. They all are omens and have means, each has a separate name for that reason.”

“Today’s the fourth right?” Cray asks not even pausing in his morning workout.

“Yeah, the third day was back in Gnutuxis,” Walt agrees. “Today is the day of doubt, loss, and victory, right?”

“No that the second day, the fourth is dreed, longing, and vaniching,” Edith corrects.

Louisa sighs, “I can never keep any of those straight. Is this a year where there is six Lost day instead of five?”

Edith nods, “I beleave we do.”

“What is the difference between these day every all the other days,” Saul asks popping out from behind a book, as he is much smaller then the average kobold (1 and a half feet tall) the massive medical book he is reading is almost the same height as him. Despit being brilinten medical expert Saul was lacking in knowlege in other fields.

“Well-” Edith become to explain.

“The days are cursed!” Arthur interupes her.

“Wait really!” Saul dives under his book using it as cover looking at the sky as if it would start falling.

James picks up the book and Saul carefully, “Saul, Arthur is only joking, right?”

Pen jabs Arthur in the ribs with her foot at the small time Walter whacks his face “lightly” with his walking stick.

“Ou!” Arthur grabs is throbbing noses, “Yep I was joking. I was completely joking. Edith you were saying.”

“Oh yes well, Saul the Demon days also know as the Lost days and the Void days are day that are not on the calendar. Most year there are five of them other times there are six, this happens every four years. These days happen randomly throught out the year, while the order of the days stay the same the timing don’t. It is commonly believed to be an omen if many happen right in a row aswell. Magic is normal sterghned during these days. Any questions?”

“A few,” Saul say now standing on James should. “Pen are full moons effected at all during Demon days?”

Pen nods, “Yeah, the moon light normally does change during the days.”

Jesse lights a cigar using his gun hand. “Accordin’ to my built in almanac its a triple full moon to night.”

“Welp that sucks,” Cray sats flatly.

Pen shrugs, “Ill just drink a lot extra of strength wolfsbane tea. This is not my first triple full moon.”

“Fair,” Walt says. “Saul you have anyother questions?”

He thinks for a second, “What happens if someone is born on one of those days?”

“Well because of how magic is effect on the days, most children born on these days have very powerful magic.” Edith finish with a smile. 

“That sound really cool, but how does someone know when to celebrate.”

Luna who was playing with Stubbie an whole time looks “Me and Vic normally just pick the day we would have been born on.” Then she goes back to playing with her pig.

Everyone (incluing Ash who just arrived from blow deck) pauses from a moment staring at her before saying in in unison “Hold Up What!”

Luna looks up again, “Me and Vic were both born on Demon days. Also James is breakfast almost ready.”

“Why does that make way to much sense,” Pen sighs. She had know Luna’s older brother Victor for years before meeting Luna. He is a high ranking commander on K.E.J ‘The Ironclad’ Jacobson’s crew and almost as much of a pain in the neck as Luna. Pen meet him the same way she meet Lune, by try to kill him, that did not work and for some reason Victor what to be her friend (Is being a chaotic idoit geneatice or something).

“Yeah honestly at this point we should have assumed that,” Arthur pinches his temple.

Walt nods in agreement, “Which days?”

Luna frow her brows, “I was born on the third and Vic was born on the the first. I think.”

“The day of dreams, legends, and venturous how fitting for our captain.” Edith smiles at how well that fits. “The first day is danger, legacy, and valor.” The crew counties to talk about a range of topics and go about normal day activities on the ship.

Once they arrive on an island everyone is split up into different groups to ethier gather supplies, watch the ship, or explore. Pen is on a team with Walt, Ash, and Arthur to explorer.

Arthur clutches his stomach. “Oh I think my ‘I will die if I leave the ship during a Demon Day’ deasie is acting up can I switch groups?”

“Stop your whining,” Ash grabs him by the ear and start pulling him down the gang plank. “We have to go and explore this island so I can make a sea chart later.”

“Then why don’t you go by yourself,” Arthur protests trying pull himself free.

“Who knows whats in the wilderness of this place, I need protection,” she says in a fake pitiful voice with a quivering lip and puppy dog eyes. Arthur call bullfish crap and the two start loudly arguing about who needs a more protection as they walk into along the coast while Walt and Pen trail behind them.

“Are they really arguing about who is more pathetic?” Pen asks spilling on her large travel mug of wolfsbane tea.

Walt laughs. “Buisness as usally for us. We are definitely not going to finish exploring this island today.” Twees chirps in agreement.

“Yeah and we probably won’t want to be out here when the full moons comeout.”

Walter rise a eye above his blindfold, “I thought you where getting better with your full moon transformations?”

“Yeah, but triple full moons are bad even with plenty of wolfsbane, plus I would prefer to transform on the ship just to be safe.”

“Makes sense-” Walts stops when his walking stick hits something. He bends done and digs up a intacked calico scallop shell. He runs his fingers over it. “- it whole that’s luckly.”

“It sure is,” Pen smiles at the small shell.

Walt holds it up to her, “You want it?”

“You found it we should keep it.”

He laughs, “Something like this wasted on someone who can’t even see it. Take it.”

Pen carefully takes the shell it is beautiful. “Thanks Wal-

“AAAhHHh,” Ash screems from ahead. The two run towards the noise to see a bear standing on two legs holding Ash by the throat and Arthur unconsce at the nearby.

“Whats happening what tacking us?” Walt ask his walking stick at the ready.

“A werebear has Ash at 12 o clock and Arthur is outcold, about 10 and 12 feet away respectably,” Pen describes bracing her dual takko-kagi.

The werebear turns to them focusing on Pen, dropping Ash who grabbs at her throat and scrabbles over to Arthur trying shack him to awake. The attacker shinks into a small girl of about fourteen or fifthteen, Pen’s heart drops as she looks into the same brown eyes from that night.

“Pen Dragon! The Huntress!” the girls shouts with her voice quivering.

“No…” the realizistion flashes throught Pens mind. The table set for two, the toys scattered around the house, the small shoes next to the massive boots by the door.

“You are the one who killed him! You kill my dad!” Tears started to fall from her eyes, “What did he ever do to you!?”

“Walt, get Ash and Arthur. This is my fight,” Pen whispers to him. “I am sorry for draggin you guys into this.” Walt nod and dash over to the two with in a flash of yellow light.

The girl seems not the noticed or care. “I don’t care what right you throught you had! Or Why You killed him! Because I am Going To Kill you!”

Pen lowers her head and breath heavly, “You have every right it try kid but I am not going to let you hurt my friends for what I did.”

As the colors of the sunseting over the ocean shifts to night the to fight. Pen ducking, waving, and deflecting the blows of the girl trying to pervent her from turning on her crew mates. While the girl fights frantically without anycare for life or limb. The two fought so hard that neither of them even noticed the hours that past with there three full moons rising fulling the night with bright sliver light. The two fought until the sun began to peak rise which is when the two finally shift back to normal and colpsing from exhaustion.

“Pen!” Ash runs next to her.

“I am fine, I think I just need a twenty hour nap. Are you guys okay?”

Arthur looks at her like see is insane, “Pen have you just fought from dusk to dawn! Whats my little bit of head trama compared to that.”

Walter offers her a hand up, “Can you walk?”

“Yes, but there is something I must do first.” Pen focus herself up on to her feet walking over to the girl and sitting down next to her, “You just gave one heck of a fight kid. You have every right to want me dead but you should want to live.”

The girl become to cry, “What do you mean!”

“With how you fought just now there is no way you where planing to live past this. Look I know sorry won’t make up for what I’ve done. But I am sorry. I’ve changed and I know what it is like to hate someone with all my being. I know that I am not worthy of your forgiveness but can you find it some-”

The girl wraps her arms around Pen sobbing, “Miss Dragon… I… I forgive you… not for killing him… but… but for who you where. You… you weren’t much older then me when you took his life, weren’t you?”

Pen nods, “I wasn’t but your better then me kid.”