Epilogue

The bowsprit pointed towards the horizon, the sky plastered with warm hues of orange and pink as the sun bobbed low in the cold abyss of the sea. A spray of familiar salt and moisture splashed welcomingly on Aerrow's face, where his new tricorne nestled in his crimson locks prevented additional drops from damaging his hair. He pulled out the spyglass from his coat pockets, and extended the golden contraption, pressing his good eye against it. The low hump of land emerged into view, with the fluttering dots of migrating birds haloing their target. Returning it to his coat, he squinted once more into the skyline, watching the waves bordering the bottom edge of the colourful canvas. Wisps of wind whispered in his ears and threaded through the untamed fringe that peeked from beneath the hat, wriggling in attempts to free itself from the restricting brim. A stray dolphin emerged in the distance, and Aerrow leaned further forward on the gangway to capture the sleek shimmer of its silver body, weaving in and out from the dark fabrics of the water. Familiar steps clopped closer to him and he swiftly turned in response.

"Captain," Finn addressed with a firm nod. Aerrow nodded back.

"Dude, what's wrong? You've been quiet all week, except for the usual orders." The sharpshooter crossed his arms. "If you wanna talk, I'm here man. Always will be."

"Finn, it's nothing you can fix. This is my own problem." Aerrow murmured, mostly to himself.

"Hey, maybe if you, I don't know, talked about it out loud, it could release some of the stress. I can lend an ear or something," Finn shrugged with a smile, untangling his arms and holding them outward.

"Yeah, I'll think about it."

"Cool, I'll give you some time. But hey, is it true? The bounty?" The blond gestured towards the blank horizon.

"Legend says it all, Piper has done the research and Stork isn't particularly apprehensive about it, so I believe so," Aerrow confirmed. He pulled his tricorne lower to shadow his gaze, and allowed his emerald glare to peek underneath.

"Sweet!" Finn rubbed his hands together. "I better clear out my cabin so I can load it up." He turned to go to the respective location until he felt a hand on his shoulder. Spinning back, the sharpshooter regarded Aerrow once more with a curious quirk of the eyebrow.

"Thanks," he said with a smile. "I don't know how you do it, but you always cheer me up, one way or another."

"Any time, man." Finn returned the smile with his signatory pistol fingers.

"Race you to your cabin?"

"You're on!"

The rush of footsteps hounded against the wooden decks as the duo ran. As they powered through the gangway and past the mizzenmast with rapid beats against the igneous polished surface, Stork sailed forth into the depths of the sky. His whistled a low tune as the brim of his tricorne was tipped low over his brow and his green fingers danced in rhythm against the wheel. The Condor crept closer with a steady pace as the night consumed the vivid sky. Like a ravenous monster with an unhinged maw, the slick tongue of darkness slowly devoured the sunlight, its glittering slobber painting the constellations that etched against the sky. As everyone slept, the blue sails continued to flap as the bowsprit was directed towards Xoam.

A/N: Yes, I am finished finally! That took way too long. Should I continue? Write a sequel to explore the fate of Cyclonis, the adventures of Xoam, and what becomes of the Storm Hawks?

Hmm.