STORMS OF DISCOVERY 5

Chapter 5
"You seem to be feeling much better today, Titanic." QE2 said as she sailed up to him. "Yea I haven't slept like that in a long time." Titanic said with a yawn as he stretched out in the dry dock, "But I'm still not comfortable sitting in dry-dock I'm afraid." "What ship is?" QE2 laughed. "Well today's the day, old fella!" One of the dock workers named Phillip said as he walked up to him. "Old Timer!" Titanic growled out, "I may not be a young buck, human, but I can still hold my own in a fight and I'm still more than willing to point that fact out to any human or salvager who whishes to challenge me." "Easy, easy, I'm sorry Titanic. I meant no offence by it." Philip said but only received an indignant snort from Titanic as he shifted in his dry dock a little. "Just tell me when I can get out of this stinking dock." "Well that's why I came out here; I have some good news for you." Phillip said, "You are being released today. Your two friends are in the way over, along with QE2's mage, to pick you up and you'll be staying with them until the Rift-Storm appears again next year." "Oh good." Titanic said as he yawned again, "Another day in here and I swear I'm going to snap." Philip and QE2 laughed as Nimble, Herman, and Krela all walked out onto the dock. "NIMBLE! HERMAN!" Titanic said happily, "Aside from the fact that you seem to look like something out of a bad mummy picture, Nimble, you two are a sight for sore eyes." "It's good to see you too, Titanic." Nimble said as she rushed up to titanic and leaned against his bow as if she were trying to hug him. Titanic chuckled and nuzzled her for a bit. "You can let him go now." Philip said to a couple of dock workers. Within a few hours, the padded supports we're taken off and titanic was relocated. "Come on." Krela said as she walked up to qe2's gangplank, "I'll take you three back to my place where you can rest for tonight and tomorrow I can talk to my boss about getting you work." "Sounds good." Nimble said with a yawn as she and Herman both headed up Titanic's gangplank. Once they were both aboard, Titanic slowly followed QE2 back to Krela's home.

"Welcome to Peregrine Harbor!" QE2 shouted back to Titanic eagerly as they pulled up to the port. "It's nice." Titanic said as he looked around, his mind still drifting back to his home port and what his fleet was doing right now. Once the two ships weighed anchor, Nimble went back to the cabin Titanic allowed her to use on A Deck when she and Herman were traveling with him. She grabbed her small bag that she had ever since she first arrived at Zoith's temple when she was five and started to load it up with her few meager possessions. "Is it just me or does this harbor seems to remind you of Ceolman Harbor?" Herman asked as he rolled in and laid down next to the closet, now shrunken down to the size of a Great Dane thanks to a power Zoith had given him.  "Aye, I've noticed that myself." Titanic said quietly, his mind obviously still on his fleet and home. "And so quiet too." Nimble said, "This should make my research much easier. I just hope we really can get back when the time comes." "Is it really going to be a year before the rift storm shows up again?" Herman asked as nimble had just finished packing the rest of her things. "Yea, that's what Krela and Stan's reports both say." "Then that means…" Titanic said as the words seemed to stick in his throat and trail away. Nimble and Herman looked at each other as nimble slowly said, "Go on, Titanic, what were you going to say?" "It  means that by the time we get back, Carpathia, Hersheanna, and everyone that we know and love are going to believe that we died in that storm."  Titanic said as nimble and Herman's both widened, "When they see us, they'll swear they are looking at ghosts." Nimble and Herman both felt so deflated at hearing this. "Hersheanna, my dear Hersheanna." Herman said in a distraught voice, "She'll have to raise our cubs all on her own; hearses never take another mate once theirs dies." "Not to worry." Nimble said, "It's only for a year." "Nimble is right." titanic said, "You two run along now, I see Krela waiting by the docks for you." "Yea, you're right." NNimble said as she grabbed her bag and the Phantasm Scythe and walked out onto titanic's deck with Herman following close behind, "Are you going to be okay, Titanic?"  "Aye, I'll be just fine." Titanic lied, "I could do with a spot of rest anyhow." "Okay, we'll be back in a bit." Nimble said as she and Herman both glided down to the dock. "Come on, follow me." Krela said with a smile as she then looked back at QE2 who was docked at her usual port, "Have a nice nap QE2." "Thanks, I will." QE2 said with a smile as Krela, Nimble, and Herman headed off for Krela's house. QE2 settled into a nap as Titanic looked around thinking, "It's just too much like Ceolman Harbor. "…