[center][h1] SETTING SAIL [/h1][/center]

Uffr stood tall in the early morning sun, spread before him on the docks was the chaotic, loud, but carefully planned process of loading the Odin's Whisper. Uffr looked beyond the port to the sea beyond, it will be good to sail freely again. Suddenly a thought hit him, he hasn't checked the Whisper’s sail. Uffr scrambled into the fray leaping onto the deck, and quickly started checking the sail.

Aksel was whistling a tune that he couldn’t place when he saw one of the oars that weren’t locked in place slip into the water. If it had been the first time it had happened he would have chuckled but it was the third time and he looked at the man on that ship. [color=gray]“You there! Are the latches broken? Or is it you don’t know what you are doing?” [/color]

Aksel heard Reidun’s gentle laughter and turned and blocked the sun from his eyes. She was carrying some weapons on her back and hips but she was carrying a crate of food. There were a lot of men to feed for an unknown period of time.  Aksel gave her a lopsided grin. [color=gray]“And you? Do you have something to say Reidun?”[/color]

Reidun nodded playfully. [color=f49ac2]”Leave the boy alone or show him what he is doing wrong before he drowns from diving after the oars.”[/color] She reached over and tugged lightly on his braid when she boarded the ship. He laughed and pretended like he was going to knock her off of the boat, again.

After Uffr was satisfied with the sails, he went to his place by the steering oar and stood, watching his crew, the people on land, and the ocean. Uffr snapped back into reality with a yell coming from the docks, a crew member had dropped a heavy crate onto the docks nearly missing his friend. Uffr strolled to the man, picked up the box and walked on board. Now, with the supplies loaded Uffr jumped down to the docks, grabbed the gear that he had brought onshore and hauled it up. After he had returned to his position on the stern, Uffr made sure everything was there, Whetstone, check, he felt that Thunderedge, his axe, was at Uffr's right hip, and that the saxe was on the left. He looked for the helmet, he saw it against one of the crates, he walked over and retrieved it. Uffr looked and inspected his shield. Enjoying it's worn, darkened, and scarred wood. 

Aksel directed where he wanted things to go to the new members of the group and he hopped over to the other ship and showed the young man how to fasten the oars in place. He watched as the boats began to fill up with supplies and warriors and his heart filled with anticipation of their great adventure.

Isgred stood at the docks, watching the men and women load supplies onto the ships, nervous, but excited. She didn’t have much baggage herself – just her staff, little bit of spare clothes, long and heavy cloak and a large bag with healing supplies. And of course the small satchel with the bone scrying runes, safely attached to her belt, so she wouldn’t lose it even if she had to swim. She did hope it wouldn’t come to that though. She could swim, but it was one thing to swim in a river or a fjord and a completely different thing to swim in a middle of a deep ocean. She had a deep respect for the monsters, that allegedly lived in the depths, and wanted to at least have a layer of wood between them and herself.
 
She came closer and nodded at Aksel, who was overseeing the preparations, jumping from one ship to another. He directed her to one of the ships, so she went there and put her little belongings with the others’. Standing near the bow of the ship, so she wouldn’t get into anyone’s way, she watched the raid members haul the last crates of food aboard.

Reidun grinned when she looked up and caught him at it. She got back to her work and she brought more crates of food and then her own gear that she had to have such as her weapons, shield and other such items. Reidun had spent quite a long hour of braiding her hair. They went down and created quite a twisted updo locking her long hair into a wild looking creation. That coupled with her face painted with stripes gave her an intimidating appearance.

A cheer arose as the ships at the head of the fleet cast off their ropes and drifted free. Uffr, determined to be at the head of the group ordered the ship to depart. He watched in satisfaction as his well trained crew got the tasks done with ease. The Whisper seemed to Tug at her moorings, and once she was released, she glided across the glassy water. The men whooped and yelled insults at every ship the whisper passed. Uffr smiled, this was where he belonged… not in a crowded city, but at sea surrounded by his brothers. The Odin's Whisper's sail was down to allow the other ships to catch up, looking back at the masts rising like a forest, Uffr felt confident. 

Aksel’s boat was oared out to sea with the Whisper on it’s right. The others were not far behind and he looked around his boat to see Reidun and many others, some of whom he knew and others he’d just met. He saw that Reidun was sitting in the row behind him and so was a tall red haired man that he kind of recognized. When he spoke to one of the others he grinned. He recognized the voice. It was Reidun’s bedmate. Getting a chance to get a good look at him he realized the man was nearly a giant in height and he was sporting a head full of red hair.  Aksel grinned and turned back to the water.

When the ships finally set sail and left the harbor, Isgred cheered with the others, overwhelmed by excitement. She stayed at the front of the ship for a bit, enjoying the salty wind in her hair. When she turned around, she saw Aksel and most of the others were oaring. But since there didn’t seem to be a spot left for her, she just stayed where she was and watched the ships nearing the end of the fjord, staring at the distant horizon of the open sea.