What would you do if you were given a chance to be a part of history, no matter how dangerous and how deadly it would be?

For Hans Rezmirn, that question was a chance to let himself know what he was going to get himself into. If the chance involved something to be proud of like discovering a new continent, then he would not refuse. But if it involved conquering said new continent, he would not want to be a part of it. He wanted it to be something that would inspire, not cause a debate.

Then again, when he read that question on a flyer posted in his village's board of notice, it sounded almost like the opening passage of a book. It was great, but not something he would think. That was, of course, if he did not examine the flyer in detail.

The paper was already worn out and yellowed by the sun, but the letters were still legible. Since he did not really have something to do that day and he wanted to read something amusing, he took the flyer and read it on a nearby bench. As he read it, he started to think why no one seemed to care about the flyer and left it on the notice board to rot.

Hans started to get ideas that he knew was stupid and dangerous, but he did not care. Rather, he felt that it was a good way for him get away from the peaceful, yet stagnant village. He felt isolated. Stopped in time. It was as if the village was his prison, even though he made several trips to nearby towns. He wanted to go on an adventure. A travel. However, as a hunter, he had no money to go beyond the nearby towns.

The things written on the paper was the thing he needed: a chance to travel without paying a coin. But as a decent person, Hans knew that it was too good to be true. Fortunately for him, the steward who maintained the notice board knew who posted that particular flyer, and he could confirm it.

"It was a representative of the de Rochefort company," said the steward. "They said it's a job opening. Maybe you should go and find them, lad."

Taking on the kind steward's suggestion, Hans quickly packed. The flyer mentioned a job that required a good amount of travel, maybe even longer than just a day trip. In fact, it was not just any trip.

It was an expedition. A journey to the unknown. The job detailed an expedition to cross the uncharted seas beyond the island near their continent. As he contemplated on the words, however, he found that it might be too dangerous a job for him, even if it involved travelling. The thoughts, and his concerns, made him doubt if it was a legitimate job opening. He soon lost his cheery mood, and this became quite apparent when he returned home for dinner.

His sister, Lilac Rezmirn, was as fair as she was beautiful. She had a black, straight hair and bright blue eyes. Like many young maids of the village, she had many people asking her out or simply to ask for her hand in marriage. She still had not found someone she would love, which made Hans worried, especially when he was going to tell her what he had in mind.

Lilac noticed something different on Hans' face during dinner. He hesitated to say something and seemed to be contemplating on his decision. Lilac knew it would not be good for her when he said it, but she wanted him to at least lift the burden in his chest.

"I know that face, Hans," said Lilac. "You have bad news."

"No, not bad news," said Hans. "Hesitation, more like."

"Hesitating for what?"

"I've been thinking about that poster near the tavern," said Hans. "I wonder. Is there a world beyond Ternor out there? Like, beyond the horizon where we saw the blue sea apparently ends? I want to know about it."

"And a posting in the tavern inspired you to do that? Do you know how expensive it is to travel? We can barely travel beyond Wayfer with our own money!"

"They are hiring sailors."

"And you claimed to be one?"

"They did not expect skill, just strong heart and a taste of adventure. I'm paraphrasing what's written."

"Hans, listen to me. You don't need to do this to prove yourself," said Lilac as she held Hans' hands. "No one asks you to do this."

What she said made Hans realize that his decision to travel was in fact because he wanted to prove himself. He wanted to prove that he was not just a village hunter with limited horizon. He wanted to tell everyone that he was someone special.

But even so, he was already special, just like his sister. They were not ordinary humans, after all.

"I am...well, you're right. I am trying to prove something. I want the humans to know that Lycans can be themselves and still mingle with society without suspicions. We are not animals, Lilac. We are our own kind."

That statement did not come out of Hans' mouth lightly. Both he and Lilac were Lycanthropes. Werewolves. He walked the path of a man and a wolf, and that's what made his kind very dangerous in the eyes of humans. The ferocity of a wolf, combined with the resourcefulness of a human, made a dangerous kind that could even potentially surpass humans, if only they could control their bestial nature under a full moon.

While werewolves were common and mostly accepted in Hans' time, he was once told by my parents that werewolves once shunned upon by society, especially during the full moon when they had no choice but to show who they really were under their human masks. All the visages of their human appearance were replaced by the appearance of a humanoid wolf, and the uncanny appearance of it made the humans scared, and possibly even jealous, that they were just humans.

"I know what you mean, Hans, but consider your sister, too. You're the only one I have left and I...I can't bear to be the only Rezmirn around."

Lilac tried to act strong, but in the end, she could not keep her emotions. She stifled as tears fell down her face, which caught Hans' attention. Hans realized and started considering that he might be a bit too overambitious. Just as he started to have second thoughts, Lilac shook her head and wiped her tears.

She chuckled. "Funny. Why am I thinking so much about this? I'm a bloody adult. I can take care of myself."

"Li..."

"It's fine. Do what you need to do," she said. "Just promise me one thing. Don't forget your home. Don't forget Sidve. You started your story here. You cannot let the glory of your success clouded you from your past."

"Will you be alright, though?"

"I have known that you like adventures. I remembered you liked to race with me through the forest as werewolves and we both got lost. You kept calm and howled until the villagers found us while I cried myself to sleep. You still like it, and I know I can't stop you."

Hans was still unsure. Good thing it wasn't really a rush, and he let Lilac know about it.

"They plan to leave in about two weeks," he said. "There's an expedition team that will escort us to the ship when the time comes. They are mostly Tragorians, so I might not feel out of place. During that time, I think I'll consider learning how to swim."

"You can't swim? Even in human form?" said Lilac, surprised.

"I lived my whole life on land. Swimming is the last of my concern," said Hans.

Lilac sighed. "Do what must do, then. Remember your promise."

"Hey. I'm still here, you know."

"Just keep that promise in mind."

Hans smiled, silently assuring Lilac that he would keep his promise. Lilac herself had a more realistic expectation, knowing that he might not return until at least one year had passed. So, even if Hans did not return, she could at least know the fate of the expedition, and that's what she did, first by knowing the ship that Hans would use as his travel, which was called the Blackjack.

The two weeks before his departure felt slow and dragged on. Part of Lilac did not want to see Hans leave, but it must happen. Hans did not change his mind when he packed his bags on the fateful night and went to the tavern to meet the expedition team waiting for anyone who accepted the job.

"Remember your promise," said Lilac as Hans readied himself for a long journey to the harbor.

"I will," replied Hans. The expedition team told him that it was time, so he got to the carriage and closed the door. He turned back to see Lilac, who put two of her fingers on her nose, then her mouth, then her chest. Hans did so, too. It was a silent gesture of promise, one that she made so both of them would always be honest with each other.

"He'll be safe," she murmured, hands clasped together.

"I won't let her down," said Hans to himself. "I won't.

***

If his parents were still alive, they would not agree with him traveling, especially to the unknown east beyond the familiar lands. But he knew they were no longer part of his story. This was the time when I wrote a new chapter in his life. He knew the expedition was too good to be true, but the expedition team seemed legitimate in his eyes, considering that they did not try to make it seem like a grand adventure.

However, for Hans, there was one other challenge that he must overcome, and that was his appearance.

On the day he traveled in the carriage, the full moon shone brightly in the night sky. As night came to the port town of Angla, his destination, the wolves howled to the night sky, and Hans began his transformation as he stepped off the carriage.

He thought it would be a challenge to keep it in check, but one of the team members in the carriage patted his back and said, "Just let it all out, lad. We won't judge."

And he did so. He wasn't sure why, by the words of a human telling him to let it all go and let himself be a werewolf that night felt soothing and reassuring. Thus, he let it all out, and soon enough, under his cloak was a black-furred werewolf with a prominent snout that was not obscured under the cloak, with a tail that came out of his pants and his transformed legs, which was now paws. He made sure to take off his shoes before the night came on, knowing that if he ripped his shoes off, he would not be able to buy a new one.

"Wow," said another. "Black furs. Haven't seen that kind of coat before, good wolf."

"G-good...wolf?" said Hans, taken aback by it.

"Oh, I see," he said. "You came from the inlands, right? I heard it's hard for your kind there. Well, you don't have to worry about us and the people of this little town. Angla's open to everyone, be it wolves or humans."

"I...suppose that is a good thing?" said Hans

"It is a good thing. The captain of the Blackjack is a Lycan, too. In fact, half of the crew are Lycans. I mean, isn't it obvious enough? Our sponsor's an old Lycan family, after all."

"Wait. The de Rochefort family is...a werewolf family?"

"Wow. Guess you lived a sheltered village life. The sea's not going to take you as lightly as the beasts in the forest or plowing the land, y'know."

Hans started to think that maybe being a sailor was not a good idea, especially when one of them already told him that it was completely different from being a farmhand or a hunter. Nevertheless, he had gone that far. Turning back would just make him an embarrassment for his sister, and after what Lilac told him, he really did not want to disappoint her.

Hans followed the team towards the ship, named the Blackjack. Hans wasn't sure why it was called by that name, though he assumed that it was due to this expedition being a gamble, like the game that the ship was named for.

"It's currently the talk of the town," he said as Hans followed him into the quiet town. "The captain's serious, even more so now that the ship's being sponsored by the de Rocheforts. No one is going to laugh at a noble family, especially one with no reputation of being eccentrics, like many nobles out there. Well, except the fact that it's an old family of werewolves."

"You know, now that I think about it," said Hans. "Do you think it is wise to recruit me into the ship? I don't have any experience in sailing at sea or anything navigational. The best sailing, I did was on a boat fishing on a calm lake."

"At least you get to be on a proper boat," said the sailor with a chuckle. "But no matter. The ship is better than those old wooden hull ships. I can tell you everything I know about the ship, but I prefer a pint or two. Makes a good convo, innit?"

Hans smiled, knowing that the sailor was, in fact, a Tragorian if he offered a drink. Even so, this would be the first time Hans ever drink as a werewolf, and he wasn't even sure if he could stay in control if he was drunk. Of course, he wasn't really a lightweight. To be drunk after only a pint would not make a good Tragorian, after all.

The pub the sailor took Hans in had quite a fitting name: Sea King's Bane. Hans felt that it was very explanatory, given how it was a port town with sailors. Due to his limited, almost romanticized interpretation of sailors, he expected sea shanties being sung and rowdy, drunken sailors being lively. He soon regretted ever expecting those, knowing that it was a bad stereotype.

The pub was old with a lot of history in it. Like most old pubs, the flooring was made of wood and the building itself still had thatched roof, which was something that felt so old-fashioned in the year 1911. The pub of his village, Sidve, was established in 1777, more than a century old. Like the Sea King's Bane, it also had thatched roof. But the thing that actually made it old was the fact that the floor felt sticky on his paws due to the years of spilled drinks and food being improperly cleaned. This was the first time he went into an old pub bare-footed, and the sensation was unpleasant.

The interior was dimly lit by several lanterns. Due to it being in the middle of the night, the pub had almost no patrons except a group of men, women, and werewolves. Hans was amazed on how the humans and the werewolves did not seem to be at odds to each other, or even show any signs of fear. In fact, they seemed to be very cordial with each other. It simply justified the team member's claim about Angla being a more receptive town.

Hans was quickly drawn towards one of them: a brown-furred werewolf who looked older. Parts of his fur was already grayed due to age, and his physique was evidently different from the slim and muscled look Hans had. His burly appearance made him look more like a werebear (if it existed) than a werewolf.

"Oi, cap!" said the human escorting Hans. "He's one of the last. From Sidve, he was."

The werewolf growled in confirmation as he stood up and approaching Hans. The smaller werewolf felt a little disheartened by the fact that he stood taller than Hans. He was aware that, as a werewolf, he was taller than his human form. The captain was clearly much bigger and much taller. If he were to get into a fight with him, Hans would surely lose.

Hans and the captain stared at each other in silence. The black-furred werewolf wanted to say something to ease the tension. To his relief, the werewolf captain's lupine face softened. He relaxed and, with a gruff, deep voice, said, "Yer a brave one, laddie. Sidve's an inland village, right? Not many from that part of the region's want to even go to the sea. I can tell from experience. I know farm lads don't like the salty air, especially if they're werewolves. Yer out of your elements out here, lad."

"Q-quite so," said Hans, sheepishly. "So..."

"So, try some of our brew, then!" He let out a hearty, booming laugh befitting his size. "Hope you know how to drink with that small body of yours!"

Hans was a little put off by the werewolf captain's thick accent, but after drinking a pint of beer and having a supper of meat pie, he felt quite at ease. For him, it was weird talking to a fellow werewolf in beast form other than his sister. In fact, he never thought he would meet so many seafaring werewolves in one roof. It was uncanny, but a refreshing change of atmosphere. It made Hans felt...less constrained.

"So, what can ya offer for us? Farming?" asked the captain.

"Uh...hunting," said Hans as he took another gulp of the beer. "Haven't had much luck farming, but I do help when harvest comes."

"Ah," he said. "A forest wolf, eh? I'll be honest with ya. It's not like a forest where you feel more free among the trees. We're going out there, to the unknown. Also, I can tell you are here thinking you are going to be a sailor, but you won't gonna be one. You're gonna be our passengers. With benefits, of course. We do the sailing for you."

"So, what's the notice for, then?"

"For someone daft enough to risk it all, of course! This is the end of the known world we're talking about, not some deep forest where you hunt! You must've known that, right?"

"Yes, I do. I read the notice," said Hans with a certain degree of confidence drawn out from the alcohol in the beer. "But why Sidve? You could've gone to someplace bigger like Wayfer."

"Well, to tell you the truth, laddie, the city folks don't really want to lose what they already had," he said. "We got interested travelers, of course, but yer the first from an inland village. Been waiting for two months for all the supplies to come while waiting for anyone else. With you, that makes seven passengers."

"You really need a better way to promote this...untested journey of yours."

"Perhaps when we get back with proof that this isn't some fool's gambit."

"Is it, though?"

"Fuck no! This is part of the reason why the Blackjack was made, and we are going back with definite results!" His lupine expression turned serious. "I am a sailor, laddie, not some rambling old fool who still thinks we are travelling solely on wind. Oh, no."

"Not travelling on wind?"

"Steam turbine's the future of ships, laddie. Might as well use the best technology has to offer."

"Steam? Ship? Wait, is that what I think it is?"

"So, you've heard of it. Guess that village's not as close-minded as I thought," said the captain

Hans had heard about it, but he never knew it was possible. With the dawn of the 20th century, there were talks about expanding the use of steam technology beyond the confines of factories. Hans read the articles about steam-powered vehicles that the neighboring region of Dusdolf pioneered, and also talks about Dusdolfian rail engine (a steam train) being expanded to the big Tragorian cities near their region. However, with Sidve being so far from those technologically advanced industrial cities, and the neighboring town of Wayfer was not industrial in the slightest, the werewolf did not really think that it had advanced so much that it could power a ship.

That night, he was made to believe that it was possible.

"Tonight," said the captain. "Is the night where we start our voyage beyond the limits of the known world with the Blackjack. Everything is set and we are ready to sail once we confirmed the coal supplies. With the help of our sponsors, it won't be too hard."

"But are you sure it is perfectly safe?" asked Hans. "We might not even see any land out there."

"I already conducted a test run. It was good enough for the engineers and the lads reported smooth sailing."

"And do you know what we're going to deal with out there? Any route we can follow?"

"We do have a route," said the captain as he took a rolled up map nearby. "I'm no greenhorn, laddie. I know the sea like I know myself, so put a little more trust, will you?"

Hans would, if only the stakes weren't that high.

"Right," he said as he opened a sea map chart. He pointed his claw at a point at the tip of the land mass. "This is Angla, where we are now. We depart tonight. Then, we are going to the uncharted island two days sail from here. I've tried the ship and have checked its shores. We might be able to rest there for a bit as we prepared for the long journey ahead. The weather's going to be bad, so I hope you won't get seasick, which I know you will."

That's not helping, Hans thought.

"So, that's that," he said as he rolled the map once more. "Also, let me tell you something. wolf to wolf."

He looked and turned towards some of the humans in the pub before returning his gaze back to Hans.

"I have been a sailor for so long to know the symptoms of panic. I ferried people from Angla to ports of Southern Tragoria almost all my life, ever since my da's time. The first thing they do, unfortunately, is blaming the werewolves, so don't get too riled up if they just blame you for their misfortune. We're the beasts, after all. Right now, they're calm, but when everything's gone to shit..."

"I understand," said Hans. "That part is nothing new for me."

"That is why we don't get many passengers. Not many want to trust their lives to a bunch of Lycan sailors. Believe me when I said that no one with a strong prejudice against our kind will even consider boarding a ship commanded and crewed by what they feared."

"I get what you mean."

"And I will not tolerate that behavior, or any kind of behavior. This goes to you too, lad. No privileges, even if you are a Lycan. You either stay on board or I'll kick you out."

"Not going to be a problem," said Hans, which gave the older werewolf a smile.

He then held out his hand and said, "Jamie Hines. Call me Jim."

"Hans Rezmirn." Hans then accepted Jamie's clawed hand.

"Welcome to the Blackjack, Rezmirn. Now, I hope you're ready, but it's time. Let's go, shall we?"

"Let's."

The handshake with Jamie cemented Hans decision to board the ship and be a part of the crew for quite some time. He knew in doing so, he would leave behind his only family, and also the village he grew in. It was hard for him to do, even after telling himself that this was his choice.

But he chose not to be burdened by the indecision. Hans made a choice when he said goodbye to his sister and to his village. Now, it was the time to prove that it was a good choice.

And with a crew of werewolves on a steam-powered ship, he was confident that nothing could go wrong. At least for a while.