Foggy morning (in full colour)by
korpenComment by K3Master: As the voyeageur's canoe silently glided toward the distant shore, the fog settled in. It was already damp and cold, and the fog only increased the chill and discomfort. The men of the boat wrapped deeper into the skin outfits they had been made by the native tribe on the last shore, some days behind them, and the canoe continued to drift slowly.
One man raised his fist in a gesture of silence. The paddling was quickly quieted, and the boat drifted to an almost stop, its only movement by the near nonexistent current of the water. What had the captain heard? Moments passed, and not a crewman dared to breath above a mostly silent whisper.
Then, with a whooping cry, two war canoes shot out of the mist right toward them. Many men begain to panic but the captain held up a fist to quiet them. "No!", he hissed, "do not panic, and do not turn us around. Men, begin paddling backwards, as fast as you are able, but make it look as casual and natural as possible.. We could still escape this yet."
The enemy boats were about 300 yards off, and gaining at first. Soon however, they stopped gaining, even though the boats of the white man were still seemingly coming at them. The Chief frowned, and peered at the boats for some time. What devilry is this. His men were paddling as hard as ever.
Then, he saw it. He finally recognized the odd pattern of paddling on the enemy boats, and screamed to double the efforts! However, it was probably too late. The Voyageurs had paddled far too long, far too well, and were most likely out of range now, and had, the Chief noticed, abandoned their trick and were turning quickly into an all out sprint for land.
With one finally war yell, the chief launched an arrow towards the canoes, and managed to nail the tail end of one. It served as a warning, do not return to our lands, or pay the consequences.
The Voyageurs returned heroes, and with their help a new way was forged indeed, yet battles raged everywhere, and not all stories end on a positive note.