//------------------------------// // The Southern Barrier // Story: Carnivore // by Recteik Shade //------------------------------// To Adamant Sparks, the small and cramped apartment his family currently resided in was a palace. At least, it was when compared to the dank stone cells of the Crystal Empire mines. Even the lumpy couch he was currently lying on was a vast improvement over stone floors. He turned his eyes to the living area, most of the space filled with their luggage. He heaved a heavy sigh, letting his head fall back to the arm of the couch. Even though this was a new beginning for his family, he could not bring himself to be happy. Although he had circled several promising openings, he still found himself unable to find any gainful employment. Though, with the way things were in this city, he had to find some kind of a job sooner rather than later. Fortunately, the apartment was covered by Gypsum’s tuition, but that was all it could cover. He wearily tossed the newspaper onto the coffee table in front of him. Most of the jobs in there were on the docks or in the warehouses, which wasn’t the problem so much as the hours he would be expected to work. They also required him to be away from Gypsum and Pearl. Both his mare and filly would be starting school soon and, while his wife could take their daughter to kindergarten, her own schooling would prevent her for being there for their filly. Seeing as they couldn’t afford the luxury of a sitter, Adamant had to find some job that would allow him to be there for his child. “ Go for a walk and clear your head,” he said with a sigh, getting off the couch. Seeing as how Gypsum was taking Pearl to register for school, he locked the door as he exited. Looking out at his new neighborhood, he couldn’t help but smile at the picturesque scene. It wasn’t as glamorous as the Empire, but he could appreciate the ascetic quality set by the white stone buildings. Cumulus called this city beautiful and Adamant agreed with him. With a newfound skip in his step, he set out to survey his new city. During his jaunt, he noticed several pleasant facts about his new home: the air was thick with the smell of the sea, the weather was pleasantly warm, and everywhere he went he ran into polite ponies. As he returned the greeting that were given to him, he found a wide grin had taken residence on his face. As he rounded one particular corner, his smile faltered. ‘ See the World! Join the Royal Navy Today!’ the sign in front of him read. This only served to remind him of his current troubles. He knew that the starting pay for an Ensign would be more than enough to not only stock the pantries, it would also pay for a nanny to watch over Pearl until Gypsum returned home from the University. However, it was dismissed almost as soon as it had been suggested due to it requiring him to be away from his family for too long at a stretch. Passing by the recruitment building, he noticed several officers sitting behind desks looking monumentally bored. ' Guess I'm not the only one who thinks the Navy is a bad idea,' he thought whimsically. Hoping to put those thoughts behind him a while longer, he continued along his way. As he continued to marvel at the towering architecture, he noticed the time at the local courthouse. Mentally retracing his steps, he came upon Gypsum and an excited Pearl rounding the corner to meet him. “ Adamant!” Gypsum said happily surprised to see him, “ What are you doing here?” “ Went out for a walk to get some air and got a little turned around,” he replied sheepishly, an embarrassed blush creeping along his face, “All these buildings have a tendency to look the same, you know.” Gypsum only smiled and shook her head in response to that. With that, the Crystal Pony family set off for their apartment. “ So is everything set up at the kindergarten?” Gypsum nodded. “ She’ll start next Monday.” Adamant turned his gaze to his daughter, who was bouncing along side of them. “ What do you think, sweetie? Will you like your new school?” “ YES!” the filly squealed happily, beaming at her father, “ There was games and toys and so many other ponies and they were all having so much fun! And you know what Daddy? Miss Flora is so nice! I just can't wait till-” She stopped her bouncing and looked up towards her mother. “ Mommy? How long till Monday?” “ Four days, honey,” Gypsum answered, smiling at their daughter’s antics. “ Four days?!” Pearl whined, her head drooping, “That'll take forever. I wanna go tomorrow!” Adamant leaned down and nuzzled Pearl’s mane. “Don't worry, Pearl. Monday will be here before you know it.” “ Dear, there’s someone at our door,” Gypsum said, drawing Adamant’s attention. Much to his surprise, he saw a Pegasus mare staring at a clipboard and eyeing the address on the door. She wore a grey shirt and was toting a massive canvas bag. He saw her frown and ring their bell in an insistent manner. “ Were you expecting any mail, love?” he asked Gypsum, “ I thought we hadn't filed our change of address yet.” “We haven't,” she said with a puzzled expression, “ She must be looking for the old tenants.” “ In that case, we might as well set her right then,” Adamant stated, trotting forward to meet the mare at the door. “ Afternoon, ma'am. Can I help you?” The mare spun around and gave a relieved sigh. “ Oh! Thank the stars! I was worried I'd have to wait all day!" Her smile grew wider. “ You must be Adamant Sparks.” Adamant felt his jaw slacken. Glancing over to his wife, who had caught up, he saw her reaction was identical to his. The mare seemed puzzled by this reaction, even voicing a confused, “ What?” “ T-t-that's impossible!” Gypsum stammered, confusedly, “ We only arrived yesterday! We still haven't filed the paperwork with the Post Office yet!” The mare gave a knowing look toward her and giggled. “I see. Well, I'm not a mailmare, miss. I'm a courier from ‘The Swiftwing Messenger Company’. I was hired to deliver a parcel to one ‘Adamant Sparks’ at this address.” She squinted at her clipboard again. “ It even said you would be a Crystal Pony in the ‘Additional Info Bracket’. Seeing as you three have been the only Crystal Ponies I’ve seen all day, I took a guess.” “Who sent it?” Adamant asked, still somewhat dumbfounded. Looking down at the clipboard again, she answered, “ Lets see... ‘Dr. Cumulus Granted.’ Wow, that's some ego, huh? Had to write in that he was a doctor.” She tittered until she realized that no one else was laughing. Clearing her throat, she continued, “ Er, that is... Sign here sir.” After Adamant scribbled his name down, she passed him a box. Flaring her wings and lifting herself into the sky, she gave a small wave. “ Hav'a nice day.” " What a rude young lady,” Gypsum snipped, receiving a disapproving look from Adamant as they entered the building. When they entered their apartment, Gypsum continued. “ So, what did he need to send that was so important it couldn't have waited until this evening?” Opening the box, Adamant answered, " Two letters and a lock-box." The first letter sat on top of the box and had the words 'Read First' hastily scratched on it. With his curiosity piqued, Adamant promptly ripped open the envelope and began to read the contents out loud. ‘Dear Adamant and family, ‘I am sure you are wondering why I am writing to you rather than waiting until this evening. I am sorry to say that I will have to cancel. Yesterday, I learned that the funding for my research was cut and that I am no longer employed by the University. ‘While this terrible news for me, I have already joined an expedition heading south. In truth, by the time you receive this letter, I will already have left the city. However, I promised you the best chowder in the city and I intend to deliver. ‘Inside the lock-box, you will find the recipe for it and some bits for ingredients. It is not the same thing, I know, but it is the best I can offer under the circumstances. Tell Pearl that I promise to bring some souvenirs for her when I get back in a few years. ‘Adamant, while it may not be relevant, an old friend of mine mentioned that he needed some help with his tavern. On the off chance you find yourself in need of work, tell him I sent you and he will help you. I have left directions and a reference that Stout cannot dispute. I hope this helps a little. ‘Gypsum, I would ask a favour of you: Included in this parcel, you will find a second letter. Would you please take it to Professor Thatius Snapper at the University. It contains some details of my expedition and is meant for him alone. I am very sorry for being so rude as to extend an invitation and vanish, but the ship left early this morning. ‘I look forward to seeing you all again, ‘Cumulus Granted’ As Adamant finished reading, he turned to Gypsum with a strange smile upon his lips. " Well, how bout that? Managed to get a new job on the same day he was fired." In the meantime, Gypsum extracted a key from the envelope and opened the lock-box with it. When she pulled out a small stack of papers, she gasped. " ADAMANT! LOOK!" Looking inside the box himself, he felt his jaw drop for the second time today. The inside of the lock-box was filled with bits. It was easily more than a thousand. Along with it were two slips of paper: one being a recipe for chowder and the other had a smiley face with a single word written on it: 'Enjoy.' Cumulus stood aft of Jaffar’s ship, staring at the horizon with a strange smile on his face. So far, he had spent the journey watching Equestria as it disappeared from sight. Now all that was left of it was a blueish smudge on the edge of his vision. He had left Equestria once before with his mother and father to Saddle Arabia to witness the Rite of the Sun Festival. However, he had only been a colt at the time and didn’t remember much aside from the fact that it was much too hot there. So he content himself to watch his home as it shrank in the distance, burning the sight into his memory. He wiped his eyes, unsure if the tears were the result of his homesickness or the salty sea air. Once he had contented himself, he turned to see the rest of the ship stretching before him. He wasn’t familiar with engineering, but he knew enough to know the ship was of Saddle Arabian origin. He knew that due to the fact it was an amphibious air ship. Its keel was sixty feet in its entirety, the hull made of wood and white aluminum. It had a single collapsible mast, which was void of any kind of sail at the moment. In spite of this, the boat practically skimmed over the magnificent blue sea with a power engine of Saddle Arabian design. Cumulus glanced overhead, squinting at the the sun which was just reaching its zenith, at the overhanging compartment. It would be filled with the deflated balloon, or ‘Flight Bladder’ as Ad’e affectionately called it. In the meantime the scaffolding, which was meant to give the Flight Bladder a ‘skeleton’ to help retain its shape, was folded up. Doubtlessly another Saddle Arabian invention. Now that Cumulus thought of it, it was rather humbling to realize that his homeland had fallen short in the way of industrialization. It wasn’t primitive by any stretch of the imagination, however it did nothing to change the fact that Equestria’s greatest mechanical achievement was its railroad and it was already outdated. Most of its achievements were in the entertainment industry, namely in photography, movies, and (much to his dismay) video games. He never for the life of him understood pony’s interest in video games. His father bought one of the early systems and, unless his parents had done something with it, it was still sitting on a shelf in his closet. “ Outta the way, Pony!” a gravelly voice snapped, causing Cululus to turn towards the hulking figure of a Diamond Dog. Cumulus eyes scanned up towards his face, passing over a steel drum that read ‘Inflammable.’ When he met the canine’s face, Cumulus noticed the ever present scowl upon it as he was glared at. “ Some actually have work to do on this floating deathtrap.” Cumulus gave a sheepish smile, fluttering into the air as the dog passed under him growling. Unfortunately, he fell behind the ship due to the ‘Laws of Motion’ taking effect. With a few flaps of his wing, Cumulus caught up and and touched down onto the deck. The deck was filled with Diamond Dogs, all of them working either securing cargo or stowing provisions and equipment. They came in all shapes and sizes, but most of them were on the smaller side. They seemed to echo the appearance of different breeds of canine: namely snub-nosed pugs and bug eyed chihuahuas, however there were small groups of bulldogs and pitbulls present. As Cumulus watched them work, he noticed that every one of them had their tails tucked firmly between their legs. Every so often, one of them would look to where Equestria sunk below the horizon with a whimper or a whining noise. After seeing this for what must’ve been the fifth time, Cumulus got the distinct impression that none of them wanted to be on this ship. Hearing the thumping of paws behind him, he turned and found Dende strolling towards him. " Afternoon, Denda." He was easily twice Cumulus’s hieght, towering over the already short pegasus. As he looked up that the Jackal’s face he realized that if he and his brother had the same hair one would not be able to tell the difference between them. Denda’s hair was a tangled mess of dreadlocks that hung down almost to his shoulders, it was also decorated with silver beads and brightly coloured feathers that he suspected had once belonged to other pegasia. While his brother Ad’e had shaven much of his hair, and grown the remaned out in a long pony tail, which he claimed was a ‘Wolf’s Tail’ and the mark of a warrior. “ Gud aftanun, Doc,” the Jackal replied with a nod, “ How ya been holdin up?” He turned his attention to the Diamond Dogs. " Oy dere, ya filty mutts! 'Andle dose crates wit care! Dey worth more than tha lot o’ ya combined!" " Yessir!" one of the bug eyed chihuahuas yelped. " Lousy scabs," the blue-eyed Jackal growled," Ah'd trade all da gold in Gymkhana fer a real crew 'o sailors." Not being one to pass up a line like that, Cumulus shot a smirk to the Jackal. " I was not aware you owned all the gold in Gymkhana, Denda. Whatever are you doing aboard -" he paused for a moment thoughtfully " -What was the name of this ship? The Horus, wasn’t it?" For his his part Denda just laughed. " Well, maybe not yet dere, Doc! But who knows? By da time we git back, we could be as rich as kings." Cumulus looked back towards the dogs, gesturing towards them. " I take it you’re not thrilled with having a canine crew?" Denda just a harsh laugh. " Ya callin’ dese drooling idgits a crew? T'ain't nutin more den teives dat was all lined up fer da headsman." He shot a scowl towards the Dogs again. " Ya flea bit'n mutts best get back ta work! Ah 'till see plenty dats gotta go inta hold! As far as Ah'm concerned, ya can rest wen ya dead!" He turned back to the pegasus. " Dis lot was attackin trade caravans and got demselves caught. Da Cap'in was lookin ta hire a new crew fer dis here voyage wen he saw dese dogs. Tinkin dey'd be cheaper den hiring a real crew, he hired dem. Suppose he's right in da end d'ough. Dese mutts don't eat real food like ya and Ah do. Dey suck energy from da gems on deir collars like sum kinda nasty leeches." Cumulus turned a wide eye stared to the dogs. " They what!?" " Don' rightly know how dey do it meself Doc," Dende replied, staring untrustingly at the Dogs. " T'ain't natural d'ough. But, it saved da Cap'n a fort'in in rations. A few crate 'o cheep amethysts will feed dese mutt round trip. Not mentionin’ da fact dat now we got more space fer da water stores." " So they’re a blessing and a curse at the same time," Cumulus replied, seeing the picture. " Aye Doc, da hole lot of um t'ain't got half a brain ‘twixt dem, but dey cheap ta feed and dere's plenty 'o dem." He then made a motion for Cumulus to follow him, which he did more than happily. They ascended a staircase that led to the bridge. It was an enclosed space with windows all around it. To the left of the staircase was a door which led to a cabin that served as the Captain’s Quarters. It had a certain elegance to it, in spite of it’s simplicity. Entering the bridge, Cumulus saw Ad'e at the helm while Jaffar was looking towards the horizon through a brass spyglass. “Hey Boss,” a feminine voice from the corner said, “why did we have to bring this flighty Pony along?” Turning his eyes to the voice, Cumulus was surprised to see a particularly beefy looking Diamond Dog standing in the corner. Finding out that she was a ‘she’, he began looking for differences between her and the rest of the Dogs. One thing he noticed that her coat was a dirty grey like the others, but was longer and more matted. Another notable difference between her and the other Dogs was that while they had smaller amethysts hanging from their collars, she wore a brilliant blue sapphire with amethysts inlaid in the collar. Her face wore a scowl that seemed match her face perfectly. Jaffar rounded on her with a glare of his own. “ Sappra, I will only tell you this one last time: You and your Dogs are to refer to me as either ‘Captain’ or ‘Sir.’ As for the other officers on board, you are to refer to them as ‘Sir’ as well-” he motioned to Cumulus “-and Dr. Granted is to be treated with that same level of respect. Remember that or I’ll start holding back on your precious gems. Do not forget the only reason you and your ilk are alive at all is because I pulled the strings to get you on as my crew.” The bulking Diamond Dog folded her ears back at this, turning to the forest green Pegasus. “ Beg pardon, Doctor. I’m not comfortable at sea. Nodog is!” Cumulus gave the Diamond Dog an uneasy smile. “ No harm done, Sappra wasn’t it? I’m guessing you lead this clan of dogs.” “ Yes, I am leader of the Snapjaw Clan, pon-” Sappra cringed as Jaffar turned an ear in her direction ‘-uh, Doctor!" " Don' ya got sumplace else ta be dere, Sappra?" Ad'e snapped from the helm," Like, bein off chewin yur ass?" She glared at the Jackal’s back and growled lightly. " Yessir, I'll go see to my clan." She stomped out of the room, slamming the aluminum door behind her. Cumulus could hear her as she started barking at the other Dogs that had started slacking again. " I may not be a psychic, but there seems to be some tension between you and those Dogs, Captain," Cumulus said, stepping next to the taller horse. Jaffar laughed. " What gave it away!? The insults, the growling or, the threats?" " All of it I guess." " These Dogs are criminals, Doctor. I would not let yourself be caught alone around them. A lesson I am certain you learned during your time in the Everfree." He looked down at him. " Which reminds me. Denda, fetch the good Doctor one of those whistles." Cumulus watched the Jackal unlock a drawer, pull out a slim black tube on a string, and pass it to him. " What's this for?" he asked, examining it from various angles before slipping it over his head so it was in easy reach. " It called a Sonic Whistle. Blow on it an’ ya won' hear a damn ting, but every Dog on dis tub will hit da deck howlin in pain," Ad'e explained, never taking his eyes off the sea. Cumulus looked between Denda and Ad'e. " It won't hurt you two, will it? I mean, don't Anubis have extraordinary hearing as well?" " It creates a frequency just out of their range of hearing, but that those Dogs are vulnerable to,”Jaffar supplied, his tone lacking any kind of inflection, “ Hopefully, we will not need them, but better safe than sorry." It was clear to Cumulus that the thought of having to fight his own crew didn't bother him in the slightest. " But enough of that. I could not help but notice you lingering back there watching Equestria. You’re not regretting coming along, are you?" " Absolutely not!” he answered with a laugh, before it fell with a tinge of sorrow, " I just figured that, when I left, I would be heading North, not South." " Ho oh," Denda said with a sly grin, " If'n my ears ain't deceiving me, ah'd almos say dat was da voice o' sumone who is a long way from deir luva." He lightly punched Cumulus in the shoulder. " Ya got yurself a lady waitin up in da ice, Doc?" 'Is he actually teasing me!?' He thought wincing a little at the light slug to his shoulder. He coughed into his hoof, hoping it would hide his blush. " Of course not! My research is the only thing that matters. I had just hoped to catch with an old friend from my foalhood. Certainly nothing romantic." " Ya blush says sumting else dere, Doc!" Ad'e laughed, looking away from the sea to laugh at him, " Don' be shy! Wats her name? Did ya ever git lucky?" Cululus felt his blush spreding, much to the Jackals’ amusement. Cumulus looked over at Jaffar, who was grinning and chuckling himself. " I see why these two annoy you so much now." " It is all in good fun, Doctor. Besides, these two never take anything seriously anyway." He brought his spyglass to his eye again. " If nothing else, it will make the next week interesting until we reach the southern continent." " So tell us bout Dis lady o' yurs, Doc," Ad'e pressed, " Was she one o' dose sexy runway models?" Cumulus started laughing. " Valerie on a modeling runway!?" He went wide eyed, cramming his hoof in his mouth. 'Damn!' " Oh, we got a name name outta 'im, brodda." Denda said tauntingly, " So Doc, tell us bout Miss Valerie. Was she at least a good kisser?" If Cumulus had to describe the last three days aboard The Horus in one sentence it would probably be along the lines of ‘A pain in the ass.’ The Jackal twins spent every free minute they could find pestering him about Valerie. Even though he remained resolutely tight lipped about her, he found himself thinking about her again. The curious thing was she hadn’t crossed his mind in years, but now he was thinking of her nearly non-stop. Mostly he thought on the days when they used to play in the woods outside San Pransisco. Generally, this was ruined by one of the Jackal brothers sneaking up on him to slug him on the shoulder and laugh like idiots. However, this morning had reached a whole new level of immaturity. At some point during the previous night, Denda and/or Ad'e had crept into his rather cramped cabin to pin up some exceptionally detailed charcoal drawings of mares pleasuring themselves in erotic poses to his walls. He was carrying the pages with him when he casually strolled into the kitchen and sat across from the two Jackals. Dende tried hiding his grin while Ad'e was biting his lip to keep from laughing. With a smirk, Cumulus laid the stack of pages on the table and pushed it towards them. " Nice try," he said with no small amount of smugness in his voice, " I pulled the same prank in college." He saw the glee drain from Ad'e's face. " Aw, com'on, Doc? Nut'in? Ya know how hard it was not ta wake yur feddery butt up while ah was hangin dose tings? By da way, ya snore lika chainsaw." He smirked at the helmsman. " I do not recall asking. If you two really want to get a rise out of me you will have to do much better then that." The Pegasus promptly smashed his forehead against the oak table. " Ow, and that's what I get for being cocky." The twins laughed. " Ya know ya could 'void all o' dis if ya jus told us a lil story." " You have a better chance of sprouting wings and flying south." He ignored Ad'e's laughing and gave Denda a serious look, " I will admit you are quite the skilled artist, Denda. How long did it take you to draw these? There’s more than a dozen of them." Cumulus never had many dealings with the Anubis, As far as he knew none called Equestria home. So he was genuinely surprised when he saw the blue eyed Jackal blush and start staring at a knot in the table. " Dats kind o' ya ta say, Doc, but dese are rubbish at best. Only had a few hours ta do um." He smiled. " You are too modest, Denda. Considering the nature of this... art, it is surprisingly well done. I bet if you were truly inspired, you could have have your work in several museums. Where did you learn to draw like that?" The Jackal gave a mischievous grin. " Swap ya my story fer yurs, Doc." " Wherever is the Captain?" Cumulus asked, anxious to change the subject. The twins laughed at his expense again before Ad'd answered, " Steerin’ dis tub, o'course! Ya tink we would let one o' dose mutts at da wheel? Dey'd beach us on da first strip o' land dey saw." Cumulus nodded in agreement. " Fair point." " Ad'e! Denda! Get up here now! And bring Dr. Granted, he will want to see this! Oh and Sappra you should probably get up here too." Although it had not been the first time it had been used, it still caught Cumulus off guard when someone’s voice randomly sounded throughout the ship. Ad'e however only grinned wildly. " Guess dat means da Cap'in sighted it." Cumulus raised an eyebrow at that statement. " Sighted what?" " Da Barrier, o'course. T'is a awe inspirin’ ting ta see." Realizing this was an important milestone in their journey south, he was eager to get a good look at the perpetual storm system. Following Ad’e and Dende, the three of them rushed to the deck, finding Sappra already ahead of them staring wide eyed at the horizon. Following her gaze, Cumulus froze at what he was witnessing. The whole edge of the world was filled with angry black clouds. They swirled and dipped low, as though it were part of some great beast. Every few seconds, a vivid arc of lightning would streak across the air or down into the water. Although they were still a fair distance from the storm itself, Cumulus could still feel the wind whipping around him, tugging at his feathers. The Horus began to pitch as the waves rose and fell, occasionally raining seawater on the deck. During this display of raw power, Cumulus came to a realization: he had no sea legs at all. Much as he tried to avoid it, he found himself stumbling with the ship as it rocked to and fro. This continued for several minutes until he finally felt a strong presence grasp onto him. “ Gotcha, Doc!” Dende yelled over the storm, scooping Cumulus up in an arm and hefting over his shoulder, “ Com’on, let’s git ya ta da helm! Dose wings o' yurs is only gonna cause trouble out here!" Without another word, the Jackal bounded towards the helm at a breathtaking pace. By the time they had crossed the deck, a light penetrating rain had began to fall. By the time they got to the door, Cumulus was soaked. A’de was already at the wheel, a fierce grin plain upon his face. When Dende released Cumulus from his iron-like grip, he unceremoniously shook off the droplets of water that accumulated on his coat. Cumulus might’ve been annoyed at getting wet from this, however he was so wet that it only made him drier. Fortunately, Jaffar appeared with a thin towel and offered it to him. After thanking him, he dried himself off as best he could, but it was not long before the towel was practically as wet as he was. However, now that he was dryer, he gave himself a once over. Tiny droplets of water clung to his feathers and several of them were misaligned. After fanning them a time or two, he began to preen himself. He used his teeth to wring the excess water from them and set them to their proper places. " Brodda ta starboard!” Dende cried, “ Deres a biggun commin!" Cried Denda. " Shit!" Ad'e hissed as he spun the wheel. When Cumulus snapped his gaze to the right hand side of The Horus, he gasped at what he saw. A massive swell at least thirty feet high was baring down on them. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he came to the conclusion that it had been cast off from deeper in the storm. " This is what you call safe passage?!" he barked at Jaffar, half amused and half scornfully. The roan refused to meet his eyes. " Well, we might be a touch on the late side!" Before Cumulus could start screaming at him, gravity, or rather the ship, chose to angle itself in a new direction and they began to slid toward the back wall. The pegasus managed to find enough room to spread his wings and hover, while the horse, Anubis, and Diamond Dog all collided with the back wall. He turned and saw Ad'e still holding tight to the wheel as The Horus crested the thirty foot swell. " We're gonna die!!!" Sappra screamed, “ We're all gonna d-" She was silenced as Denda slapped her muzzle. " Git 'hold o' yerself ya mutt! T'ain't fer nut'in dat Ad'e is driv'in! Me brodda could sail ta Tartarus an' back!" " Convenient," Cumulus replied with a humorless laugh, " cause that is probably where we are heading." " Have some faith, Dr.Granted," Jaffar said, climbing to his hooves, " Ad'e is the finest Helmsman I have ever sailed with. We will be fine." Cumulus had to admit that the Roan’s confidence was inspiring, if nothing else. When Cumulus heard sobbing, he turned to see Sappra curled into a deceptively tiny ball in the corner. He was about to reach for her when Jaffar slapped his hoof. " Leave her be,” Jaffar said, not looking at either of them, “ She is of no use to anyone right now." Cumulus gave her one last look before he continued to watch their progress into hell. The rain had been getting harder and harder as they advanced into the squall. Now, he could barely see more than a dozen or so feet ahead of them. He turned Ad'e, outraged to see the Jackal had his eyes closed. Cumulus was seconds away from screaming at him to watch where he was going when a claw touched his shoulder. He turned, finding Denda bringing a digit to his lips to shush the stallion. " He's feelin da sea now," he whispered, " His eyes is all, but useless in dis squall. So, he trustin’ da compass and da way she pitches herself in da surf. It how we got through dis monsta da las time." Cumulus stared silently at the artist unbelievingly for a moment before he spoke. " Denda, I will make you a deal: If your brother can get get us out of this alive, I will tell you all about Valerie."