Night enveloped the ship like a black sheet, on which the silver reflections of the moon danced to the rhythm of the waves. The sea was calm, but the captain felt that this was just an appearance. He knew that somewhere, beneath the surface, something was lurking, waiting for the right moment.

The captain stood on the bridge, his hands clasped across his chest. His gaze was fixed on the distance, as if trying to see something more than just the moving reflections of light on the water. He mentally composed possible scenarios – he knew that they could not afford to make a mistake. Cat sharks were not ordinary predators. They did not attack immediately. They waited.

On board, most of the crew was still unaware of the threat. Some were joking, others were sleeping, and a few were busy with routine duties. Olivier, however, noticed the tension on the captain's face. Although he said nothing, his posture revealed more than he would have liked. Olivier came closer.

-Is something going on? - he asked quietly, so as not to arouse anxiety among the crew.

The captain looked at him, weighing his words.

-Nothing we can't control - he replied after a moment.

Olivier wasn't convinced. He looked at the horizon, then at the water under the rail. Then he noticed something that made his heart beat faster - in the distance, on the silvery surface of the sea, dark shadows were moving. At first he thought it might be a trick of the light, but their movement was too deliberate, too synchronous.

- Captain...

- I know - the captain interrupted, as if reading his mind. - But it's better that the rest don't know yet.

The night passed slowly, and the dark shapes in the water didn't disappear. On the contrary - it seemed that there were more and more of them. The ship moved forward, and they followed it, as if waiting for something...

When the first rays of sunlight illuminated the horizon, one of the sailors shouted, pointing to the water. Fragments of wood were drifting there - the remains of some wrecked ship. But it wasn't the wreck that was the most terrifying – something was moving among the wreckage. Something that could have been part of the crew of that ship not long ago…

- By all the devils... - Jack, one of the older sailors, croaked, clutching the amulet he always wore around his neck. - This doesn't look good.

The captain immediately ordered harpoons and boathooks to be prepared, although he knew perfectly well that they would be of little use against the cat eaters. Olivier continued to stare at the water, feeling a cold shiver run down his spine.

Suddenly, the ship's hull rocked slightly, as if something had touched it from below. Then again. And then they heard a strange, low-pitched sound coming from the depths – as if something was calling to its brethren.

The crew looked at each other, their previous calm giving way to fear. Whatever was lurking in the water was just letting them know it was time…

Suddenly, water splashed right by the ship’s side as the first cat shark leapt into the air, revealing its powerful, toothy jaws. The sailors screamed, retreating in panic as the beast struck the deck with such force that the wooden planks were torn apart. Harpoons flew – one of the sailors managed to hit the monster in the side, but it only howled before slithering nimbly back into the sea.

- Get ready! - the captain roared. - They’ll attack in groups!

More dark shapes broke through the water, surrounding the ship. The crew knew that this was only the beginning of a real fight for survival.

Suddenly, a mighty crash rent the air as one of the cat sharks struck the ship’s side with such force that the wooden planking creaked in protest. The ship rocked violently, and the sailors struggled to keep their balance. One of them, a young cat named Finn, lost his footing and fell straight into the water.

- Finn! - Jack yelled, throwing himself towards the side.

But it was too late. The water around the boy churned, and a moment later a piercing scream rang out. Red streaks spread across the surface of the sea, and Finn disappeared into the depths.

- On deck, everyone to fight! - the captain roared, grabbing the nearest harpoon.

One of the sharks jumped into the air again, but this time Olivier had time to react - in one quick movement, he plunged the harpoon straight into the monster's throat. The beast howled, thrashing in agony, then crashed down to the deck with force, hitting barrels and ropes.

However, the rest of the sharks did not intend to give up. They attacked one after another, hitting the hull, jumping onto the deck, and sowing chaos among the crew. Wooden planks were cracking, water was rushing into the ship, and the sailors were fighting with terror in their eyes.

The captain knew that if they didn't think of something quickly, their journey would end here, in the jaws of the sea beasts.

Will the crew manage to escape unscathed?...you'll find out in the next episode.

To be continued.....😻

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