Artwork by  Skyox Thank you so much!!

Story/Callum are  hdalby33

Lexal/Sark/Hiro  Lxlhunter

Go Fave the original story here!

Callum and Lexal are setting out from Larbordale harbor with a map they received from a mysterious figure. Sark is the captain of the vessel, The Flying Flounder, and none of them are aware of just how much impact this adventure will have on their waistlines. They're embarking into the unknown, on a Quest for Corpulence.
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Part I
A dense mist clung to the surface of the harbor like a blanket of fresh snow. The gloomy atmosphere of the Larbordale port creaked and swayed with the rigging of anchored ships and galleys and trawlers, each bumping and rubbing the next one in the early morning light.

Callum yawned wide and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, watching as Sark commanded his crew in the preparation of getting their ship underway. The three-masted galley was pierced on either side by twenty oars and painted in shades of steel and silver. Its nickname, the “Flying Flounder,” was scrawled in fancy blued etching along its prow. Sails of soft purple and crimson dangled loosely on the windless morning, hanging as heavy as the dragon’s eyelids. Groaning again, Callum nudged his companion with his shoulder. “When exactly was this mystery guy supposed to show?”

Lexal smiled with an annoying chipperness, and rocked back and forth along the heels of his leather boots. He was surprisingly light on his feet, despite a stout, well-muscled build and being taller than the average fur. Years of practice had conditioned the brawny fish to move without so much as a creak onboard. Outfitted in a tight fitting leather hoodie, light brown shirt and airy gold pants, the broad shark looked dressed for an adventure. They just had to wait for some cryptic fur with a map to show and then they’d be underway. “Your guess is as good as mine,” Lexal chirped. He scanned the docks as the drake sighed again.

The mists made it hard for the pair to discern anything from their surroundings, save for the distinct outlines of the ships and muscular form of Sark as he stalked along the decks with his instructions. Callum dug one bare-clawed foot through the rough wood of the dock, still amused by the fact that he could see his feet without having to bend over. He was slender as a whip, corded with hardy muscle that lacked any baker’s softness and outfitted in a tan vest lined with a red tapering, a white cotton shirt and a pair of black pants held up by a length of rope. He stood a head taller than his companion, height making up for absent brawn. A couple of totems and a frying pan hung from his belt, jingling together softly as his thick tail flicked behind him.

After another half hour’s wait, just as the sun crept over the lip of the horizon, a hooded figure seemed to melt out of the half-light. Striding along the docks, they came to a smooth stop and presented a rolled piece of parchment. Lexal and Callum eyed one another as the figure remained still for a moment. Then it slowly extended the map forward while the other paw, grey furred and empty, rose with it. Lexal slipped a pouch of crystal weights from his hoodie and plopped them in the figure’s outstretched hand. The figure released the parchment and slipped from sight, leaving the pair in the clutches of a map that looked as old and weathered as the dock they stood on. Shrugging, they headed down to the ship where final preparations were just winding down.

***

“Alright,” Sark spread the map out on a large wooden table, weighing it down with a couple of lead lures. “Looks like we’ll be heading down along the coast to the Spine.” He pointed the outline of a sea creature, where the dotted line passed through on its journey south.

“Looks good,” Lexal agreed. The shark’s thick grey tail swished back and forth, rustling his clothes amid the soft breeze. They’d been sailing for almost an hour, venturing out of the harbor and into open water where the coastline became a thin green thread along their starboard side. Sark reckoned it’d take a full day’s journey to reach with a good wind in their sails. They’d reach the checkpoint by dusk at this pace.

Callum observed the map, his insides dipping and swaying with the keel of the ship. The movement didn’t bother him, but he was aware of it at all times and it’d taken a little while to adjust to the change. Just has he had with the absence of weight along his midriff. “What’re we looking for, exactly? I mean sure it’ll be shiny and worth a couple donuts, but how will we know?”

Lexal and Sark shrugged. “We don’t,” Lexal admitted smilingly, “But that’s part of the fun, right? Adventure into the unknown?”

“Of course it is!” Sark wrapped his thickly muscled arms around Lexal and Callum’s shoulders, squeezing them tight and turning toward the horizon, “Adventure’s part of any explorer worth his salt.”

Callum groaned, certain his rib cage would shatter if Sark’s friendly grip around him tightened anymore. “Right,” he rasped, “We’re…erk…explorers!” He turned a pale shade of blue and Sark released him, slapping the reptile hard on his lanky back and sending Callum stumbling against the railing of the ship.

The green water shimmered below, racing by in dazzling fashion. Lexal’s reflection, fractured and broken by the waves, materialized next to his. The shorter shark offered a comforting smile, “We’ll have each other’s backs the whole way. It’ll be fun!”

Callum nodded mutely, staring up the coastline. He wasn’t sure to feel fear or exhilaration. It seemed to be both. ‘The elixir of a true explorer!’ Sark would’ve said.