– POV General –

Fifteen days had passed since Lucas' misadventure at the White Cat and Hestia's decision to finally leave the island. Thanks to everyone's participation and seriousness, the preparations were going well, each one knowing perfectly what they had to do. There were two priorities: to earn money during the day and to repair the ship at night, and everyone was working very hard in secret for these two goals.

To the west of the forest, 10 minutes from the future crew's home, was a small cove that was hard to find, surrounded by trees and rocks. In this corner, the waves were beating more violently than in the village harbor, due to its narrowness, causing shipwrecks to be washed up by the sea. It was here that Joe had discovered a damaged but repairable wreck that had been unanimously chosen as the first ship considering the situation.

The sun was just rising on Coven Island when already five people could be seen bustling around a sloop under repair. Edward, Kali, Mysie, Joe and Lucas had all risen at the crack of dawn, the week being over they could devote themselves fully to helping Edward who was managing the ship. Wooden boards, nails, tools and various materials were spread out all over the small white sand beach.

"I need three semi-long nails !"

"Yes !"

"Here I need two boards !!!"

"Right away !"

Edward upstream had spent sleepless nights drawing plans after making a very accurate estimate of the repairs they needed to make. Dozens of scrolls lay on the grass a little ways away or recently cut trees lay. On these pieces of paper everything was written, the materials needed, the angles, the major repairs, the ones that could wait and even different sections of the ship.

In 15 days, the wreck that had washed up on the small beach already looked like something interesting, although it was still being repaired. For the moment, the group was concentrating on the hull which had to be as solid as possible to resist the sea and its whims. The sloop they were repairing was one of the smaller fighting ships, generally very popular with pirates, especially when the crew was not very large.

Thanks to Edward, who had planned everything to make it easier for his friends, they all had an idea of what their ship would look like when finished. The sloop was to have a single mast with square sails made of strong canvas called "sailcloths" woven from hemp, cotton or linen. A set of small triangular sails at the front and another square sail hung on a yardarm at the back.

The internal framework was already built, so all they had to do was replace the damaged and rotten planks following the pattern. Lying on its side, the little ship was 60 feet long and would weigh close to 100 tons when repaired and equipped. The work involved was enormous, but motivated as ever, the group of friends had already done the work of dozens of men in 15 days.

The day had not even begun when the five friends were already soaked in sweat, dirty, tired but still determined to accomplish their important task. Lucas, Edward and Joe were busy fixing the boards while Mysie was running around bringing them what they needed. Kali, on the other hand, was busy with the sails, which were a challenge in themselves due to their size and the time it took to get them sewn.

*BAM BAM BAM*

In this small cove lit by lanterns and a fire, various sounds both soothing and loud were rising in the still dark pre-dawn sky. The pounding of the planks, the lapping of the waves, and the whisper of the cool morning wind all blended together, creating a very special atmosphere. The glow of the flames danced magically on the white sand and the faces that were at that moment were all closed because they were far too focused.

"Aaaaaah~ I-I...can't...take it anymore !!!"

Suddenly, Mysie who was running all over the beach, began to scream in an exhausted voice as she slumped down near the fire where Kali was quietly sitting. She had dropped her body on the still cold sand while she put a hand to her sweaty forehead while closing her eyes. The young woman was sore from running so much for hours and didn't seem to want to move at the moment.

"Tired ?"

"Yes ! But more than anything, right now I'm h...

*GROOOOWL*

Mysie didn't even have time to finish her sentence when her stomach was already speaking for her, growling like a hungry animal. At that moment, all the construction noises stopped as everyone turned towards her. Surprised and betrayed by her own body, Mysie's eyes widened as her face turned red with embarrassment. As Kali giggled, she couldn't help but puff out her cheeks, rushing to explain.

"D-Don't look like that and you Kali a-stop laughing !!! I-I'm hungry, okay ?!"

"Hahaha~ patience, I think we're all hungry."

"Damn Hestia where are you ?? Where is my breakfast ?? Raaah !!!"

Mysie now taking on a falsely annoyed look, began pounding her feet and fists on the sand to show her displeasure. As the first light of day appeared, a bit like a child having a tantrum, the young woman could not stand to be so hungry anymore. Rolling his eyes, Lucas raised his voice to answer her without even seeming to joke.

"Eat sand"

Kali who had heard everything started to laugh again while Mysie beat the sand more and more dissatisfied with the proposed solution. Grains of sand flew everywhere and especially in the face of the young woman busy sewing the sails who began to be unable to bear it. Taking a small handful of white sand in her hands, Kali suddenly threw it in Mysie's face to calm her down.

"Here, this will do you good ! If you don't shut up and stay still, the next fistfull of sand will go straight into your mouth !"

"Meanie.."

Mysie widens her eyes and covers her mouth both to not let a sound out and protect it at the same time making her friend smile. Of course Kali wasn't really going to do it but seeing her work sabotaged by grains of sand was far from pleasant. Suddenly, footsteps from the forest could be heard along with the sound of bushes being pushed aside to pass.

As the wind brought the smell of vanilla tobacco, a huge shadow appeared among the thick, exotic trees. Hestia had emerged from the dense forest as if she had heard Mysie's complaints, startling everyone. She had blood on her clothes, her hair, carried on her left shoulder a huge deer and on her right shoulder two large canvas bags, one of which seemed to be moving.

"Hi~"

As usual, the young blonde woman was accompanied by her beautiful white snake Seth gliding silently across the floor. She had greeted the whole little group with the same haughty little smile at the corner, still a cigarette at the corner of her lips but seemed more excited than usual. Without even giving anyone time to answer, she dropped her prey before approaching the beach fire.

Kali was sitting on a log and Mysie, who was lying across the fire, was hurriedly getting up to let her pass. Everyone had noticed that there was something special going on and were patiently waiting to figure out what it was. Joe, Edward, and Lucas would drop what they were doing to join the three young women and sit around the fire that was about to serve them food.

"As you know, I went hunting early this morning to bring some prey back to the village for some money and our breakfast..."

"And ? Tell us !"

"Aye aye~ aaaand I found these two.."

As she finished her sentence, Hestia opened the large bag at her feet revealing what had been moving it all this time. Two little white heads were coming out of the bag, curious and fearful, sniffing around with interest. Two small white tigers with black stripes appeared before the stunned eyes of the five friends who did not know what to say, hypnotized by what they saw.

The two animals were incomparably cute, as great as the natural nobility and beauty of their breed. The two tigers had golden eyes and two long saber-like teeth on each side of their mouths. They were tiny and as they tried to move across the sand, their staggering, hesitant and awkward gait could only melt hearts.

"They were crying next to their mother who I found dead near the northern swamps, probably due to poisoning. I thought it would be a good idea for me to take them with me and take care of them."

"And you put them in a bag ????"

Kali, who had been speechless from the beginning in front of her two little baby tigers, came out of her contemplative state at the words Hestia had spoken. She looked at her friend with big eyes, unable not to feel sad for them. The beautiful blonde, on the other hand, was getting up from her log to walk towards the deer a little further away while answering. Her tone was calm but firm as she grabbed the inert body of her prey.

"I didn't have anything to take them with me, I still wasn't going to let them starve in the forest, was I ?"

"T-That's right..."

"Oh and be careful...

*chomp*

"AOUTCH !!!"

...they bite fufu~"

"PFFFHAHAHA~ !!!"

Kali had brought her hand close to the two little tigers to pet them but one had bitten her hand causing Mysie to laugh uncontrollably. They were not older than a month but already had a defensive and aggressive character linked to their race. The animals of the world in which the six friends lived had a lot of mystery and incredible things like animals that were closer to fantasy than to reality and those two tigers weren't an exception.

"When I dropped the game off at the butcher, I took the opportunity to get some sheep's milk, which apparently has the most protein. Given their size, within 10 days they will most likely be able to eat meat, but until then..."

Dropping the deer near the fire, Hestia rummaged through her second bag before pulling out two animal skin gourds that she tossed to Kali. They were warm because they contained milk and while her friend was catching them, the young woman grabbed the hunting knife she had on her belt to start butchering her prey.

The next moment, as if attracted by the strong smell of the white beverage which escaped from the two gourds, the two small tigers started to stagger towards Kali. Again amazed by these two little living stuffed animals, kneeling on the sand carefully, the young woman prepared to give them food. As Hestia fussed with the deer, covering herself in more blood, Joe finally raised his voice for the first time since he arrived.

"Boss ? If I understand correctly you...wish to take them with us on our adventure ?"

"Of course, no one can take care of them and I don't want to leave them in the wild. They will be weaned for our departure and I also find it exciting to have tigers hehe~"

Hestia's eyes began to glow with her last words as a whole bunch of wild and bloody scenarios involving tigers ran through her mind. However, it was easy to understand that she was sincere and really wanted to adopt these two unexpected little felines. Lucas, who had been listening to everything from the beginning, shrugged his shoulders before saying out loud what everyone else was thinking.

"Well it's official, you're much more caring with animals when you're not busy hunting them than you are with humans."

"Haha~ Because humans can be a lot worse than those who walk on all fours. Deep down, the real animals...are us."

*CRACK*

As she finished her sentence, the young blonde woman thrust her arm into the beast's rib cage, into the opening she had made with her knife. Her gesture had provoked a huge shrill crack which at this moment filled her with satisfaction but left her friends unmoved. While Hestia took out the huge and still warm heart of the deer with a smile, she wiped her forehead before turning back to the others.

"Good ! I told you about my little find this morning, but now it's time for an update on our progress. I see you've already made a lot of progress on the ship's repairs since this morning, congratulations."

Hestia smiled for the first time fondly which didn't happen often but seeing the hard work of her friends made her so proud of them as they neared their goal. They only had 15 days left and being halfway through the time limit, a discussion about their efforts so far was in order. At that moment, Kali who was feeding the suddenly very calm tigers, spoke up followed by Lucas and Joe.

"Well, as you know, we already have our next three destinations if we follow the directions in your mother's notebook. We'll have to find a map, but the first place takes us to a fairly large city, so it won't be too much of a hassle to get one. I've listed everything we'll need, the sails should be finished in a week as well as the flag design."

"As far as money is concerned, counting our previous savings, we have enough silver coins to sustain us for 2 weeks. Since we will also have to buy a lot of material, tools, not to mention the cost of repairs, we will still have to find a way to get more. However, the money from the jobs we have, combined, is not nothing since we work tirelessly."

"Lucas is right, but if we want to be able to bring weapons, spare ropes, furniture and everything else, 15 days remains to be a bit short. No one is really sleeping, everyone has their role to play, but I can't help but think that we need a little more time. Based on the current state of the ship and Edward's indications, 20 days would be more appropriate for a complete repair, Boss."

As her friends recapped the progress of their project, Hestia nodded, one hand to her chin which she stained with blood. Ultimately, their goal was to raise as much money as possible, repair the ship, and take everything they would need with them once they were on the water. Of course, they didn't have to leave in 15 days, but time seemed to be running out for Hestia and her friends.

The young blonde woman thought as much as she could because she didn't want to waste any more time, but venturing off the island was out of the question without borderline perfect preparation. They did not know the outside world and were still unaware of its dangers and reality. While Hestia and the others continued to think, Edward, who had sensed his friend's dilemma, spoke up in a firm voice.

"Boss, give me 15 days as planned...

"...."

....in 15 days the repairs will be finished, I can assure you. Trust me."

At his words, the leader of the group lifted her chin slightly before smiling without saying a word in return, totally satisfied. She didn't even need to do that because her confidence in him was unshakeable and if Edward himself declared a 15 days, then it would be 15 days. The redheaded young man became silent again but his sparkling eyes spoke for him, excited about this challenge he wanted to succeed on his honor.

*Burp*

*Burp*

As the whole group noted the information that had been given, two little burps that were cuter than disgusting, echoed at Hestia's feet. Without even realizing it, the two baby tigers had come down from Kali's lap to go towards the one who had saved them. Instantly stopped by Seth who began to whistle softly, the two living stuffed animals were about to slip back into the bag to fall asleep after eating.

"fufu~ in the end, they like this bag"

Spitting her cigarette into the sand, Hestia giggled at this unexpected action raising an eyebrow and smiling at Kali with a superior air. Turning her head away instantly, the young woman blushed again, unable to answer anything too busy calming her heart. Hestia was now covered in blood, the sun had risen and soon announcing the taking of their breakfast they were all waiting for.

"Ahem ! Huuuuuh....excuse me ??"

Suddenly, Mysie who had not spoken and instead listened to everyone raised her hand innocently with a hesitant face. As everyone turned to her, the young woman fidgeted on her log as she turned and turned her foot in the sand shyly. Her five friends looked at her with amazement waiting to hear what she had to say silently as she continued.

"Y-You don't seem to care but since no one asked, I'll do it. H-Hestia...what are their names ?"

At her words, Lucas, Kali, Edward, and Joe's faces almost all lit up at the same time as if they had forgotten the most important thing. Smiling again at the young Mysie's question, Hestia slipped a piece of raw meat to Seth who pounced on it like a helpless prey. Then, looking at the two little furry heads sticking out of the canvas bag, she would answer proudly, accentuating each of the two names.

"Loki and Azeil~"