The Tale of Henrietta, my first and best First Mate.

  • Wind back the clock only mere hours ago. My first and lone foray into Sea of Thieves, wracked with anxieties for a a great many reasons. In spite of that, onward I sailed, a few simple quests in and I get adventurous, I take on an Order of Souls Voyage, feeling confident. My first stop? Crook's Hollow, not far at all. I park my ship about as smoothly as a rookie might, by failing to slow fast enough and running aground. Unamused, I dropped anchor and repaired the damage before hopping down to the shore, dealing with a pair of skeletons before noticing a lone chicken coop, sitting near to the cave entrance. I pick it up and look around, hearing the nearby sound of wandering wild chickens. I spot one, white and fluffy, not even having to chase it before catching it and stowing it in the cage. As I walked it back to stow on my ship, it poked it's head out and gazed at me with those small, beady eyes, unafraid. That's when I felt it, this chicken was special, it was too adorable to simple stuff into the hold and sell. So I placed her beside the helm, facing out over the deck, to help survey the waters ahead as I traveled.

    I finished up my objective on Crook's Hollow, taking down the skeletal captain and grabbing the prized skull with relative ease. I returned to my ship once again and shelved the whispering skull, only returning to land to make use of a few snake cages I'd spotted while looking for the skeletal fiend. Being sure to store the snakes down in the hold away from my new First Mate, And away from me, of course, on we went to our next target: Castaway Isle. The rising sun was met with some light crowing from my new best friend, heralding the journey ahead. Two captains to slay there, were it not for cruel fate.

    I stopped at a couple points of interest along the way, finding some nice items, a chest, a goblet, some food and wood to reinforce my stores. Henrietta's soft clucks and cute head-peeks from the coop always made me smile. But it was all for naught. As I walked an uncharted group of tiny cays, in view of Castaway Isle, gathering some wooden debris and mangoes, suddenly a volley of canon fire rang out, decimating my poor, young ship! It rapidly began to sank, and I couldn't make it back before it was submerged into the depths. A massive Galleon, not even flying colors of hostility, sporting a crew of at least four men, continued firing while two of their team swam toward me, as I was now ship-less. I felt far more fear than I would have simply being alone, my precious Henrietta had been aboard! Swimming away from my attackers and toward some cargo in the water, I got one single, horrified look at what remained. The coop....was empty.

    My poor, poor chicken. She'd either drowned or been blown free and floated away. I am not sure which is worse for my heart. The attacking pirates spoke with me, and didn't immediately kill me too, though I wouldn't have been too upset, given I'd have perished with my dear pet. They seemed to be feigning mercy, putting a few of the items salvaged from my ship into a rowboat sitting there, though the gunpowder barrel they also put in gave away potential mischief. Instead of taking the obvious trap/humiliating, depressed long-row to port, I simply swam to the mermaid, reacquiring a ship far further south and returning to Ancient Spire outpost, defeated, heartbroken, and voyage very unfinished as I resigned to bed.

    Perhaps someday I'll have her back, if Chicken pets are ever introduced. Open PvP cost me not only the loot and voyage, upsetting as that might be, but it cost me a new friend. I am uncertain I shall ever be quite the same.

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