Sammy's walk was slow as he stared up at the beautiful sky above. He couldn't see a cloud in the sky and the sun was shining brightly down onto his face. A strong breeze brushed passed his skin, taking the heat of the morning away from his skin and leaving him bright and happy for the day to come. His feet were bare and shoeless as he walked down the sandy beach. The sand was warm and the sea threatened to lap at his toes if he came any closer. He spotted something darkly coloured on the surface of the sand but he didn't increase his pace. It may have been a chunk of corral for all he knew. He slowly approached it, his eyes slightly squinted as the sun rose into position, right in his face.

Soon enough he was in front of the oddly shaped thing and recognised it as a bird. He squatted beside it, trying to figure out if it was alive. Sammy tilted his head as he watched it breathe, having never seen a bird sleep like this. He immediately decided it must be hurt. He knew that Roland would never sleep like this, especially out on the beach where a bigger predator could eat him. Sam shook his head, removing his tunic, leaving a thin singlet underneath. Slowly and careful his placed the tunic around the bird, trapping it's wings to it's body and making sure that it's beak couldn't touch his hands.

With the bird secured, he began to pick it up. The weight of the bird was quite heavy when he picked it up but he supposed that he didn't have much experience with birds. Sammy supposed he could convince Roland to teach him how to look after a bird of prey and the doctor on board to help him fix whatever was wrong with the sleeping bird. If the bird didn't turn out to be sick or injured, he could just release it and all would be fine. His walk was a little fast now and he made his back to the ship. He tried to keep himself from jostling the bird as he climbed his way up to the ship. He smiled politely at one of the crew members and walked to his rooms. He knew that they would be setting off in a matter of minutes, so he just closed the door behind him quickly and placed the bird on the bench.

Sammy left the bird on the bench, turning a curious eye towards anything he could use as a bird perch and frowned as he realised he didn’t have anything. He glanced at the bird, but it didn’t seem to stir. He worried his lip through his teeth, and he tapped the side of his face with his left hand as if to encourage ideas. Finally, he shook his head. There was nothing but the bare minimum, he’d have to ask Roland if he had one. This decision made, he was pulled out of his thoughts as a crew member knocked on the door. It was time to set sail and he was needed by the captain to help teach a new member how to hold the ropes without injuring his hands. He thought it was a trivial thing that should be known by all, but he reminded himself of his first years of struggle and left the room. His mind was so consumed by what he needed to do on the boat as it left the harbour that he didn’t double check that the bird was secure.

He did his duties with care and by the time he returned to the cabin, he was ready to nap for an hour or so. He had forgotten to ask Roland for a perch but he didn’t want to go out to the waves again as he was tired. He blinked warily and eyed his hammock thoughtfully, but he already knew that he had to be awake and aware for any emergencies and the rounds he would need to do in a few hours. Sammy’s feet seemed to drag as he walked across and sat on his chair, opposite to the bird. He was surprised it hadn’t woken up before now, but he seemed to speak too soon. The bird moved and then began to squirm. The pirate stood up and approached the distressed osprey. His fingers were about to graze the shirt that was wrapped around the bird when he heard the strong mental voice. He staggered back, his eyes wide as he realised his mistake.

He snapped out of it and quickly but gently unwrapped the werebird. His heart was beating very fast and his tongue seemed to all dried up. He had accidentally kidnapped someone, and he knew that the captain would be furious. Sammy’s hands shook minutely as he took the shirt away and threw it on the floor. He knew that he would be able to defend himself if the werebeast was angry. He had a dagger in his boot and the wind at his beck and call. He’d prefer not to use it while on the ship as it would influence the winds but he knew that it wouldn’t be too dangerous. Sam refused to take his gaze off of the bird, shocked and annoyed with himself. It wasn’t like there was any telling signs but he was sure that Roland would have been able to tell.

“I-I am so sorry.” His voice was apologetic and true to his emotions. “Are you injured?” he inquired, keeping any nervousness out of his voice as he faced the werebird.

Sammy visibly wavered at the loud cry of the bird, his expression wide and alarmed. He wasn’t scared of the osprey, but he knew that his captain would be furious and Rolland would be inconceivably insulted if he found out. He glanced to the door and shook his head, licking his lips. “P-please be quiet,” he hushed, making silencing motions. Sammy then nodded as she told him that she was just hungover, wincing as she asked where she was. His eyes darted to his hanging hammock and he stepped back from the bird. He looked around for something to defend himself with if the werebeast decided to attack. He reaffirmed his decision to use his handy dagger if worst came to worst before replying.

“…I’m glad you’re not injured. I picked you up from the beach, thinking that you were just a hurt bird.” He grimaced at her, “We’re about an hour from the shore. You’re onboard the Hollow Heart.” He was not sure how much he should admit, so he didn’t tell her where they would be going. She still may be able to fly back to the beach in time but he was almost certain that the wind would be fighting against her wings on her trip back. The most likely outcome of him kidnapping a werebeast would be that she would have to be dumped on the next bit of land they came across.

Sammy bit the side of his cheek as the werebird got agitated and walked towards the window. There was nothing he could think of that would calm the situation down. He had kidnapped a person! It wasn’t the first time in history that he had participated in a kidnapping before, but he had never been the main perpetrator and it had always been on purpose. The lack of control of the situation was throwing him off a little, but he would deal with it. Things weren’t always going to go his way and this could be a good learning experience for him. These thoughts didn’t ease the anxiety that was rolling in his stomach.

He grimaced as the osprey asked if he was a pirate, pulling a breath through clenched teeth. As he answered, he gave her a pitying look. “Yes. I’m Sammy, the Hollow Heart’s first mate. Please- Please don’t freak out.” His last words were said with a little of frustration. He didn’t want have to take the bird out, but if she panicked he would have to knock her out. Maybe he could just cover up her eyes to calm her down like a normal bird- but he threw that idea out of his mind. Rolland would stage a mutiny if he ever thought that Sammy was trying to treat another bird-person like an actual bird.