Smell Of The Ocean
Stories similar to this that you might like too.
The morning was a bit overcast, which suited the mood of those in it. There were no cheers, nor even any smiles. This was just another day at work for them now. They didn’t mind. That was what they had wanted, after all.
A quiet life, away from the war, with their loved ones nearby, and the sun shining down on their heads. It would have been perfect if only it wasn’t for one thing; the smell of seawater.
There’s always some sort of breeze blowing along the coast, and this one was particularly strong today. With it came an overpowering smell that made everyone in sight want to be as far away from it as possible. The people working there looked miserable, but at least they hadn’t got used to its stench yet.
Those that hadn’t already left the area weren’t doing so just because of the scent. There was something more important on their minds. Something else about this day was bothering them quite significantly. It could wait until later, however. For now, they needed to concentrate fully on what was ahead of them. And that meant getting ready to leave for good.
The air was filled with the sounds of people talking and the clatter of machinery being dismantled. People were busy moving around the base as they prepared for the big move. It had taken a while before they had been able to get things going again, due to all the damage sustained by both sides during the fighting. But finally, it had happened and they were ready to leave.
Most of the base personnel had already departed; some had gone home or found themselves jobs elsewhere, and others were simply waiting patiently at the edge of the town in hopes that someone would show up who needed them. They had come back once to check whether there was anything they could take with them, and they’d managed to do just that.
The most valuable thing they’d found was the radio equipment. That was why they’d left it behind. If anything was going to save them when they got out onto open seas, it’d be that set of devices. They didn’t need much else right now. Just the radio to warn them if anything untoward came their way.
A small group was still remaining within the perimeter of the old base; those that weren’t quite ready to go. Among them stood an elderly man who had a large bag in his hand and a map rolled up and stuffed into one of his pockets. He looked like he was ready to make the move but not without giving everything one last thorough inspection.
The others standing next to him looked equally determined to find nothing wrong with it all either, despite having already done so several times before. There was no point in doing that again; these men had seen every inch of the place by now, and they knew what was where.
They’d inspected the place so often they could probably tell you exactly where each piece of junk ended up. No doubt about it: they were a strange bunch, to say the least.
It was hard to believe that just two weeks ago, none of this place existed anymore. It had been wiped off the face of the planet in a matter of hours, leaving not even a trace that it ever was there. The same had happened to almost everyone involved in this project, except for this group.
These men had seen everything unfold with their own eyes. They were the ones that had been responsible for turning a barren wasteland into an island and then filling it with a whole bunch of buildings and machines designed specifically for this purpose. They had built the foundation of this new world, and now they were ready to take it apart and walk away from it forever.
They weren’t sure how long it took to turn an entire continent into dust, but judging by the look on their faces they seemed pretty confident that it couldn’t have taken longer than three days. That’s what they told themselves, anyway.
Their leader walked across the ground, looking around for anything that was worth keeping. There was little here to be proud of, but they did manage to find a few items that would prove useful. Some of the metal pieces wouldn’t survive the trip, but that wasn’t a problem.
They had enough spares to use in place of them, so nobody would miss anything too vital. Everything else was going to be packed inside the bag belonging to their leader. He would have no use for it once he stepped foot outside the base; he’d only need it if and when they returned.
The others stood around watching him as he went about his business, occasionally offering help whenever he looked like he was in need. They knew better than to interfere; their leader was perfectly capable of doing this on his own. They didn’t need to give him a hand. It might take a while to get through, but eventually, they’d be out of here and on their way.
That’s what they kept telling themselves, even though they didn’t really know. None of them had any idea what lay ahead for them; it was possible that they’d all die out there. And if that wasn’t the case, maybe something else would happen, because there was no telling what would happen after they set sail.
***
I woke up feeling strangely refreshed; my muscles hadn’t felt this relaxed since I had arrived at the base. The previous night had been fun, and it had been good to see all of them together again. Even the quiet, shy boy had been able to relax a bit and let his guard down a little.
It was funny to think that he was the one who had started all of this; it seemed like ages ago that he had first shown up. It made me wonder where he had gone off to when we left the town, and how he would react upon seeing us again.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” said a familiar voice as I opened my eyes. Everyone in our group was sitting around a small campfire at the edge of the clearing, preparing breakfast. Most of them had already finished eating, but it sounded like they were waiting for everyone else to finish cooking before starting to eat theirs.
The quiet boy sat next to me, staring at the fire with an expression of deep thought on his face. He was a lot more talkative than he used to be, but he still had a long way to go before he was as comfortable with others as some of the other members of our group had become.
He turned towards me and gave me a friendly smile. “Morning.”
I smiled back at him, and reached over to pat his head as he leaned forwards. His hair was getting longer since I last saw him, but it was still soft and short enough to allow him to easily run his fingers through it without any trouble. A couple of strands were falling into his mouth, and he brushed them aside without noticing.
That reminded me: I hadn’t seen anyone else in the village with their hair down yet. It was still a little chilly outside during the night, so most people kept theirs tied up in a ponytail or bun. I wondered if he was planning on letting it grow out soon, or if he wanted to keep wearing it the same way.
I looked around and saw that all of the girls were sitting closer to me than they had been yesterday. It wasn’t surprising that they would want to hang around me, considering how much easier it was to get attention from boys when you’re sitting next to one.
I wasn’t exactly sure how they had found out that they could do this, but I decided not to worry about it too much. If it worked, then I was just happy to let them use it whenever they needed to.
A few others were standing near the campfire as well, although most of the guys seemed to be off exploring the woods for something to use as fuel. We didn’t have much left now that we’d burned through everything in the kitchen, but we should be able to find plenty more in the surrounding area.
There was a lot of wood scattered around this forest, so I figured that finding enough to keep the fire burning shouldn’t be too hard. As long as we kept looking for new stuff as it got used, it was unlikely that we’d run out anytime soon.
It was a good thing that I wasn’t worried about it anymore. After we had left the village, we’d had several opportunities to replenish our supplies, and we had always managed to find enough of whatever we needed. The forest didn’t seem to have any real shortage of trees; there was plenty of wood around for those who were willing to look for it.
The only issue that we had faced thus far had been the amount of grass we’d had available. But the girls had managed to turn the plants growing along the road into some decent-sized mats that were almost twice the size of what I had been making before. With a little effort, we were even managing to make bigger ones now, which would help us to feed the whole group a lot easier.
“Good morning.” Another boy stepped up from behind the rest of the girls and sat beside me. He was tall and broad-shouldered and looked a lot tougher than the quiet boy. Unlike him, he was clearly ready to fight if anything ever happened. In fact, it looked like he was itching for a battle, although I didn’t think that it was just because we were out in the open.
His body language suggested that he had been expecting trouble at some point, and he had probably planned on taking matters into his own hands if necessary. It wouldn’t have been unusual for a member of our group to feel that way, given all that we had been through and what had happened at the beginning of this journey.
And it was true that it was possible that there were people looking to kill us. They might even have done so already. But I doubted that there was anything to be gained by worrying about it while we were still alive and well.
I was confident that we’d manage to handle whatever came our way, whether it was a group of men trying to capture us or an army that wanted to destroy the world. Whatever was coming our way, we were going to face it together. And after all that we had been through, I had no doubts whatsoever in my mind that we would succeed.
The tall boy nodded his head in acknowledgment to the quiet guy, which was probably how he learned his name. “Morning.”
My new friend turned his gaze onto me. “You look like you’re having fun.”
There was nothing wrong with my smile. The only problem was that I couldn’t quite read it properly. Maybe he meant something entirely different. “Yeah,” I answered, unsure about how to take his words. “It’s nice to see everyone smiling again.”
He laughed and leaned over so that he could whisper in my ear. “You don’t look like you’ve had much fun yourself lately. Are you alright?”
It sounded like he really cared, and I felt bad for putting him in that position. It must have been awful to be the reason someone else was unhappy. So I tried to reassure him. “No worries. Everything is fine now. We’re doing great.”
“That’s good to hear, I guess.” He sighed. “You know what? You need to go sit with the other guys. This place is starting to get pretty full.”
I wasn’t sure what he was getting at first, but then I remembered that he was the one who was sitting beside me yesterday. It was weird that I hadn’t thought of it sooner, since he would certainly be able to remember where he had come from. But perhaps I had been too preoccupied with everything else to pay any real attention to what was going on around me.
“Sure, okay.” I stood up from my seat and made my way over to where everyone else was gathered. My friends greeted me with smiles, and the other boys looked relieved that I wasn’t going to start any fights. That was exactly the kind of reaction that I had expected them to have, but I still didn’t know if I should have told them my secret or not.
They didn’t seem to care one way or another though, which gave me some peace of mind. There had never been a reason to hide it from them, and I was grateful for their understanding.
As I took my seat next to the fire again, I started to wonder when we’d be able to leave these woods. Our destination was still a few days away, which seemed like a lifetime compared to how long we had spent trapped inside a prison camp. I didn’t want to be stuck here forever, and I figured that the others felt the same.
But I wasn’t sure if we were capable of leaving the forest without the aid of some sort of magic spell. Even if we found ourselves in a situation where that was possible, I didn’t think it was worth the risk of using it. If there were any traps waiting to catch us as soon as we left the safety of our hiding spot, we’d be screwed.
But maybe there was a way to get rid of the tree that was blocking our exit before we left. It was impossible to imagine that there were no other ways out of these woods besides that one, so perhaps there were other paths that weren’t blocked off.
But it would have been foolish to assume that it would be easy to find, especially if the trees themselves were protecting it against outsiders. It didn’t seem like they would give us anything so easily.
The sun was high overhead now, and it cast its warm light upon our faces. The heat was welcome in contrast to the chilly weather outside, but the sun would surely bring more problems in time. Without being able to use my wings, the constant exposure would make me feel sick and lethargic in no time.
It was something that I had gotten used to, but the rest of the group had no such luxury. They might end up getting dehydrated, and they could become weak as a result. It was important to drink water regularly, and if I had been alone, I would have taken advantage of every chance to rest.
But if everyone else needed me to keep up with them, I couldn’t afford to lose energy by taking breaks.
So instead, I sat back and watched everyone move around, trying to figure out their habits and patterns. There was no need for anyone to worry about me; I knew how to handle myself better than I had ever imagined. All I needed was to stay focused on whatever task I had ahead of me.
If I had done that already for an entire day, there was no reason to believe I wouldn’t be able to do it again for the next few weeks. It was just a matter of staying alert, and keeping my eyes peeled for any potential dangers.
We ate lunch at midday, after which we continued moving forward until darkness set in. We stopped briefly at dusk and stayed near enough to the campfire that we could be seen from where we hid. Then we waited for nightfall before we continued walking deeper into the forest. When morning came, we moved once again, following our original path in the opposite direction.
By now it was obvious to me that this forest was much larger than the ones we had previously walked through. The terrain itself changed almost instantly, and there was no sign of any animals aside from birds and insects. It was a different world from where I had grown up, but one that felt familiar all the same.
It had the same kind of atmosphere as the mountains, and it reminded me of the forests that I had traveled through while on patrol with the army. In fact, the entire forest felt like an extension of those vast, barren landscapes.
The trees were much taller than anything that I had ever seen before, and they grew in abundance throughout the landscape. Every branch stretched far into the air, and each trunk was as thick as my waist. The branches swayed gently in the wind, while leaves fluttered down to the ground to form piles of yellow-green leaves.
As we made our way deeper inside the woods, I began to hear the sound of a stream nearby. It was loud enough that I could hear it even from a distance, and it sounded like it was coming from somewhere to our right. But I didn’t dare move closer for fear of being seen by the other trees.
It was too easy to imagine them turning toward me and noticing something that I wasn’t supposed to know about yet.
We had gone on like this for several hours when we arrived at another fork in the road, but this one didn’t offer any indication that it went anywhere special. There was nothing to mark the point of division except for some moss-covered rocks and dirt, which suggested that it had been here for a very long time.
At this point, we didn’t have any choice but to take whichever path we saw first since there were no landmarks nearby to indicate that we were heading the wrong way. So we turned right.
I followed behind the group as they walked slowly along the trail, making sure not to let them see me as I looked around. After a few minutes, I realized that I should have chosen either path before they did; there seemed to be no way we could go the wrong way. It was just like a real forest, and we were bound to encounter something eventually.
But as I watched them walk farther away, I became increasingly nervous. What if someone noticed me? How many people were looking for us? Could it really be so dangerous to wander around alone in the middle of nowhere without even wearing armor? And what if we ran out of food before reaching any kind of town or settlement?
It was clear that I was feeling more anxious about this situation than I should have been, but then I remembered that I wasn’t really alone anymore. The rest of the group was only a stone’s throw away, and I could always count on them to protect me from anything that might come after us.
So instead of worrying about whether they would find me, I decided to focus on doing my job and keeping them safe. They were relying on me now, and they wouldn’t get very far if I failed them.
But despite my efforts, there were still times when I caught glimpses of something out of the corner of my eye. It was hard to tell exactly what it was since everything was covered by leaves, but it appeared to be a dark patch of shadow in the distance.
It didn’t look like anything dangerous, but I kept my head lowered and tried to keep as quiet as possible in case it was hiding some sort of danger. Even though I knew that this wasn’t the right time for me to start thinking about the dangers I faced, I couldn’t help but worry.
Then I heard an animal cry that sounded like nothing I had ever heard before. It was loud enough that everyone froze immediately, and they stopped walking altogether. Everyone except me that is since I continued to watch the forest as best I could from behind a tree.
It took me a few moments to realize that this sound was coming from above us, and not from any animal that I knew about. A second later, a massive bird swooped overhead, flying low enough that I could hear its wings beating against the air. It didn’t make any attempt to hide from me, nor did it seem to care about me at all. Then I saw why: it was completely black, and it had large, red eyes.
It landed on top of a nearby tree and looked directly at me, which sent shivers down my spine. This bird was definitely not normal, and it didn’t appear to recognize anyone in the group. It stared at us for a few seconds, then turned and disappeared deep into the forest, leaving us all alone. No one spoke for a long time after that until a voice finally broke the silence.
“That was a raven,” said someone, which sounded like the man that had spoken earlier. “They’re usually quite friendly towards humans.”
I thought for a moment, then decided that this statement was probably true, even if it didn’t apply to this specific raven. Still, it was difficult for me to relax once it was clear that this giant bird wasn’t going anywhere. If it were going to attack us, I felt like we were too far from any shelter to run away effectively, and there were too few of us for it to make much difference anyway.
We would probably all die if we let it attack us. And yet, I felt helpless. My only weapon was magic, and the idea of using it in front of others made me feel uncomfortable. I had never used it outside of school in a real situation before, and even though it was probably the right thing to do, I just couldn’t bring myself to use it now.
I knew that I needed to protect them somehow, but I just couldn’t imagine how I could possibly manage that without hurting them somehow.
After a little while longer, I spotted another creature that looked like a dog moving quickly through the forest, sniffing around and searching for food. This animal was bigger than a wolf but smaller than a bear, and it reminded me of the kind of animals that lived in the wild in my world.
I wondered if I should try talking to him, but I hesitated when I remembered what happened with the raven. Maybe I was overthinking things; maybe he wouldn’t attack us if I approached him carefully. I waited until the beast had moved far away before approaching the tree where it sat.
The closer I got, the more nervous I became, but the creature didn’t move at all, and soon I was standing beside it. I was careful not to make any sudden movements, but still, I couldn’t help feeling a bit relieved when the big dog turned to face me. He didn’t bark or growl, either, so that helped.
“Hello there!” I said, trying to sound as friendly as possible. “I’m looking for someone who looks like you.”
The dog looked at me, his ears cocked and tail wagging slightly. After a couple seconds of staring into my eyes, he started panting heavily and licked my hand. For a moment, I was worried that he might bite me, but then the dog let go and turned back to continue sniffing around the forest. As I watched him leave, I couldn’t help thinking that I was lucky not to have been bitten.
“Do you know why those ravens attacked us?” asked a woman’s voice, making me jump. She was leaning against a nearby tree, watching me closely.
“Because they’re dangerous and unpredictable,” I replied, hoping she didn’t see the fear in my eyes. “I don’t think they’re really capable of deciding whether to attack or not.”
“You mean, because their instincts told them to? That’s strange…” The woman sounded skeptical. “Well, it’s true that they aren’t very intelligent, but I can assure you that it isn’t always instinct that causes them to act aggressively. Sometimes there are people here who feed them, which seems to make them angry.
Or maybe they simply get upset by the sounds we make and the smells we put off. They’re not all that smart, so it makes sense that their first reaction will be to attack anything new. It’s not a bad thing that they’re aggressive, though—it keeps other monsters away.”
I nodded and tried to look relaxed even as I kept scanning the forest for any sign that the ravens were returning. I was pretty sure the birds weren’t going to hurt me now, especially since they seemed to prefer attacking small groups, but I still needed to stay alert for whatever else might come our way.
There were plenty of trees and bushes around us, which made me wonder how we were supposed to find food if we couldn’t even walk a few steps without having something leap out of the brush at us. It was hard enough for me to understand the logic behind what happened during the test, but it was even harder to accept that there was no real purpose to any of this.
I didn’t want to spend my life wandering the wilderness just to keep getting killed by ravens every week, so I was going to need to figure this out soon, or I would end up leaving with a different group altogether. But how could I ask questions if they didn’t seem to care about answering them?
“How did you get your clothes dirty in the first place?” asked a woman’s voice from behind me. “It must’ve been an accident because otherwise, you’d be wearing them instead of the ones you took from the other girl.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied, trying to sound casual. I wasn’t sure why the woman suddenly cared about my clothing, but it felt safe enough to answer her.
“Oh? Then maybe you shouldn’t try walking through the forest again without taking some time to clean yourself up. You know, if you want to live past your thirtieth year, that is.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because people who get sick on the way die, and they always end up alone.”
That was enough for me, so I decided not to argue further. Even if one of the girls here was telling the truth, I doubted that she would tell me the whole story. Besides, I was already covered in so much dirt that nobody would notice anything unusual unless they stared at me for several minutes.
The only problem left was finding the right tree to use as a changing room, so I headed straight for a large oak and pulled out my dagger. When it was sharpened enough to cut paper, I ran the point through my clothes and then wiped my blade clean on the ground.
I was about to climb up the branches to start cleaning myself when another voice interrupted me.
“You’ll never be able to wash all that filth off of yourself, even if you scrub until you turn blue. Why not just stay here and wait until someone comes along?”
A man stood at the base of the tree, watching me closely. He was tall and lean, with long dark hair tied into a ponytail. His face was handsome in a classic sense and he had strong features, although I noticed that it was starting to show signs of age.
If I remembered correctly, his name was Tiberius, although that wouldn’t help me much since I didn’t have any idea what it meant. I also knew that he was an adulterer and a liar, so I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be near him.
“I’m going to wash in the river,” I replied. “The water’s clear and fresh, and it should do the job. It won’t take more than ten or fifteen minutes, and then I’ll return.”
Tiberius smiled. “If you say so…but remember, you’re not allowed to go back inside the village until after lunchtime.”
With that, he turned and walked away, so I climbed down to head toward the shore. I couldn’t imagine any reason for him to lie to me about such a basic rule, and I assumed that I would be given the same warning each time I returned.
After all, it wasn’t like we could stay outside forever—there had to be limits on how much time we spent in the woods, and it might as well be a rule that everyone followed. That being said, I wanted to make sure that nobody else would interrupt me, so I kept a tight grip on my weapon and watched the area around me while I waited for my clothes to dry.
The last thing I needed was for one of the ravens to jump out of the bushes at me, but I couldn’t think of any other way to avoid getting attacked. In fact, it was almost impossible to walk quietly in this part of the forest without attracting the attention of the animals.
A pair of deer ran across my path, and a group of squirrels chattered at me from the trees while they chased each other around. I tried to keep calm, hoping that no one would decide to attack me before I could wash myself and change.
The End