The Dawning

Waves are crashing around the shore, the wooden sloop scraps her hull against the rocks. The damage isn't severe but the ship is violently jolted, causing several crew to be thrown overboard.

The storm overhead makes it impossible to retrieve them. The rogue waves continue to push The Crusader forward, causing the rocks to grind against the hull once more.

After several minutes of being thrashed, The Crusader finally reaches calmer waters. The captain and his second count the crew, and are surprised that the amount is lower than expected.

They then begin to assess the damage of the ship itself. Upon inspection, they are quick to pause as an eerie hum starts to be heard from around the ship. The crew rush to either side to attempt to find the source, to no avail.

With the crew distracted, the hull damage starts to take a toll on the ship. The scratched wood now creaks and groans, stretching, trying to hold the cold waters at bay.

The ship drifts alongside the rocky shores, causing further hull damage. The crew frantically start to rush below to patch the hull. Immediately upon arrival, they discover a scaly creature inside the ship. Her scales are smooth and her wings are bat-like and pointed.

There is a certain beauty about the siren's existence. The men pause, unsure of the creature's presence.

The siren is quick to end their confusion, as she extends her wings and charges the men.

They are quick to reach for their sidearms, to no avail.

Her speed is unlike any solider they've faced...

After several minutes of the hull leaking, the co-captain goes below only to discover the drained men floating in the quarter flooded cabin: the room filled with part water, and part blood.

He can either give the command to abandon ship, or to try and fix the hull.

Several other crew members follow and after just shy of an hour, they are able to not only patch the hull, but dump virtually all of the water out.

They toss the bodies overboard, their fates sealed.

The men look up and take in the night sky illuminating the vast ocean. Losing comrades, the beauty of the sea almost makes up for the loss.

The closest to the wheel hears a humming emitting below. He peers over the railing only to quickly be snatched by a siren's wing.

The wing pierces the man's shoulder and he is quickly pulled into the cold salty water.

After two crew ambushes, the captain tells his men to stay alert and shoot anything that moves.

The humming continues and the men frantically look around for the source with their weapons drawn.

Coming from all sides, they are unable to find anything to shoot at.

The sirens decide to toy with their prey, as they now pierce the men's eardrums with inhuman screeches.

The men hear chuckling as the ship gets rocked back and forth from the creatures ramming it.

They then swim around The Crusader, causing the ship to topside inside the whirlpool.

As the last remaining crew members fall into the cold, salty water, they see the creature's wings fully extend.

Fully submerged, they are still able to don their wings, their talons still visible, their claws weightless, hovering in the water.

The teeth are the last thing the men see...

The fog lifts and reveals the path clear. If they hadn't been distracted by that ominous tune...

As the captain of The Crusader goes down with his ship, he peers at the shore to see dozens of ships led astray, their wood rotted and splintered.

They decide to take their time with the captain, sharing their breathing capabilities with him.

They continue to hum and enchant him deeper below the cold waters, following them inside a grotto. Upon arrival, he is met with several of the creatures encircling him.

Unsure if it is a dream or not, he begins to let the cold waters fill his lungs.

He is then met by the rows of teeth from the siren's, quickly ending his reign.

A chest filled with gold, silver, and jewels sinks to the depths of the salty water, the deceased king's crown falls slowly to the bottom along side the chest, now part of the siren's domain...