Paragon

Paragon alternated between eating and sleeping. Each time she woke up, the space she was sleeping in was cramped, so she ate the surrounding wood until her hallow was spacious and her stomach was full. She could feel the knowledge from the wood entering her mind, though much of it had no seafaring memories, as the wood was freshly cut from a tree, then was deemed unusable for one reason or another.

Paragon knew she would put all the wood to good use. The new memories occasionally dotted her dreams, but the subject usually focused on her memories of her two captains. Her sleeping mind was filled with mental images of the open ocean, the wind, Travis, and the rest of her crew. It helped clear her mental fog and slowly regained mental clarity.

At one point, the woodpile suddenly shifted and briefly collapsed on her. She tiredly placed her paws on the nearest reachable piece of wood and willed it to move.

To her shock, the material bent to her will and moved with the same smoothness as she could move the wood that made up her ship.

Paragon paused, then focused on the wood. She could sense the contents of the pile in intricate detail. Have I always been able to do that?

With a thought, she made all the pieces of wood fuse together. That will stop the pile from shifting and collapsing again. Her immediate issues were solved, and she succumbed to sleep once more.

One of her later dream cycles contained Travis calling her name, and then a sense of danger. Fire filled her dreams, threatening to burn away all the memories she had regained. Paragon woke with a start, then blinked in surprise as she realized the wood beneath her was wet. Her scales were also damp, and the cool water felt comforting on her scales. With a pause, she realized that she had magically made the water.

The liveship figurehead stared at one of her paws, then blinked as she felt her magic activate and a sphere of water appeared in her hand. With a shock, Paragon dropped the bubble. The liquid splattered against the wood under her feet. I can control water? She willed the water to rise out of the wood just like she would do with any other material. The water obeyed, and the wood was no longer wet. What else can I do? Before she could attempt to answer the question, her stomach growled and urged her to eat the delicious wood around her. She obeyed, and afterward, she slept.

Eventually, she ate the last of the pile, including the bits that were scattered at the base.

She stretched once she was free of her wooden hollow. She felt big and powerful again, rather than the tiny being she was when she entered the pile. As Paragon relaxed from her stretching, she glanced up to the sky and tried to note the time. It was dark and the stars were bright, but there was a hint of light in the eastern sky.

'Travis?' Paragon called through their bond, but she could tell by the resonance he was asleep. Paragon paused, then curled up and decided to sleep a little more until morning fully arrived.

After what felt like only a second, a scream brought her into full wakefulness. Her sapphire eyes looked at the young male, and she lifted her head in confusion. She blinked as the young human stared at her in fear. Were humans always that short? I tower over him. Did I get bigger? She paused. In her old form—if she could call it that—the figurehead never got bigger, the ship did.

She paused as the man ran in fear. Should I move and hide? She glanced in the direction the man disappeared into, then stood and followed her nose to the ocean. She didn't know if more people saw her as she gracefully slipped across the shipyard and dove into the ocean.

Her gills opened and she breathed, the familiar feeling of water around her relaxing her mind, but breathing an unfamiliar experience outside of memories. However, she smelled metals and rope nearby and focused on the delicious treats. The serpentine figure quickly swam to the source to eagerly eat the dropped scraps under the docks while she waited for Travis to wake.

Author Notes!

Paragon has some cool new powers! What do you think of them?

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!