It was just over a week after the trio had returned from their first journey that they set out once more on a much longer, more precarious undertaking. Upon departure, Damica had made it absolutely clear that she was not to be left behind. She didn’t dare leave the two of them on their own; without her, they’d surely not last a fortnight!

As they traveled southeast across the land some called England, the terrain was easy and the expedition pleasant. Often there were villages or lone homesteads willing to sell Andy provisions, and he had no need to hunt. (Y/N) taught him to gather foliage underneath his bedroll, to help keep his body heat from leeching into the ground while he slept. A handful of times, they even came across abandoned structures that still had enough integrity to serve as shelters. Each time it saw fit to rain, they were lucky enough to find refuge from the elements.

When, at last, the party reached the oceanfront, all three gaped in wonder at the sea below from atop the massive, white cliffs that stood facing the opposite shore. A bed of glittering jewels, the sight was completely foreign to all of them. Though, when the weather finally cleared, they could see the other coastline to which they needed to travel, they still knew they would need a boat to make the passage. It was obviously too far for all but the most talented of swimmers.

Together they debated the options. It was quickly decided that trying to disguise (Y/N) and take some manner of ferry would never succeed. Likewise, it was agreed that hiring a private party to transport them could only result in disaster. This left the group exclusively with alternatives that required they pilot a craft on their own. Luckily, Andy had been on small boats a few times before, when visiting relatives as a boy. He had watched the adults fishing, but more importantly, he knew how oars were used for propulsion.

That narrowed the decision down to either attempting to build a boat or raft of some sort or purchasing one. Though they had a limited amount of funds, Andy pointed out that the lands through which they had yet to travel might not even accept their currency, so excessive thriftiness might not serve their interests. Thus, given that none of them really had any idea how to build a seaworthy vessel, Andy left (Y/N) and Damica at a campsite under tree cover and set out to purchase what they needed.

He grew frustrated when his attempts to buy a boat at the nearest village weren’t successful. While there was a man there who crafted ships for a living, he wasn’t able to help Andy transport a craft to the water. Consequently, he turned his sights towards the various docks that lined the shore. He had to travel almost 15 kilometers until he came across an old, crippled man who was no longer able to fish and was willing to sell.

Andy was nervous when he first rowed the small boat South along the coastline to return to (Y/N) and Damica, but he gradually relaxed and began to enjoy the experience. Though it was a decent amount of physical labor, he liked seeing the new sights, and enjoyed the salty smell to the air. Once he found an isolated spot on the shore, just before the massive, white cliffs began to rise up out of the ground, he hauled the boat away from the water, far up the beach. That was incredibly taxing, but he’d heard stories of how the water in the ocean rose and fell, and he was terrified that the boat would be carried away before he could return with his friends.

It made him anxious, leaving the boat unprotected on the shore, but there was nothing for it; he had not brought anything with which to disguise it from prying eyes. Even traveling as swiftly as he could, it took him until nightfall to find his way back to (Y/N) and Damica’s camp.

Andy was beside himself at the idea of waiting until dawn to begin the return journey to the boat, but (Y/N) helped him see reason. Were they to travel in the dark, they’d be too exhausted to cross the strait while it was still light out the following day. Reluctantly, he agreed to wait to return to the boat until early the next morning.

With the advent of dawn, the trio set out along the strand. Setting a brisk pace, they managed to reach the end of the cliffs in three hours. To everyone’s relief, the boat was still there, appearing untouched. Andy took a moment to explain the use of oars to (Y/N), on the off chance his arms grew too tired.

(Y/N) helped Andy carry the small vessel to the water. As they labored, Damica dodged each incoming wave after testing the water with her paws and finding it far too nippy to be to her liking. Unwilling to paddle in such frigid waters, she insisted Andy carry her from the waterline to the boat.

(Y/N) had trouble lifting herself from the water into the vessel, as she had such a long tail to counterbalance. When Andy jumped out and lifted her the rest of the way, both of them blushed furiously. Damica just rolled her eyes.

As Andy began to row them over the calm sea, the weather was pleasant, with a beautifully clear sky. None of them had any inkling of the sudden, sharp turn for the worse that their crossing would take.

Notes

Let me know how I'm doing! Rate, comment, subscribe! :3

This story just tied for 3rd Place for Best Book in the most recent Diamond Star Awards on Wattpad! Yay!