"Aye matey, that's what I hear," whispered an old pirate to the curious cabin boy, as he sat down at Casey's table. Sipping from a large mug, he continued. "No one dares to sail into the Neopian Hexadon. Every ship that sails into that cursed area of the Neopian Sea vanishes forever."

"Wow..." mouthed Casey. He had been a cabin boy on many ships sailing out of Krawk Island's harbours, but mostly to trade with the other lands of Neopia- nothing too exciting. "I wonder what happens to all those ships?"

"You'd be a fool to try and find out boy," the aging pirate replied. "No sane person would dare sail into those waters."

Suddenly the doors of the Golden Dubloon burst open, and in strode Krazy du'Krawk, Captain of the notorious vessel, The Lucky Lass. "I be looking for some brave men!" the Krawk shouted across the room, that had suddenly gone quiet. "I be sailing to the Neopian Hexadon with the rising sun tomorrow!"

The Golden Dubloon erupted with laughter. Shouts of, "You crazy loon!" and "What fool would follow you into THAT?" echoed against the walls.

The pirate Krawk glared at them all. "You spineless scumbags! I'm sailing fer treasure, and no curse is gonna stop me! Now who will sail with me?!?" he demanded.

The Golden Dubloon was silent once more.

"Uh, I'll go with you sir," a timid voice said. Everyone turned to see what fool has agreed to sail to his doom. It was Casey...

"Sir, if you need even a cabin boy..." Casey pleaded.

"Oh, shut yer whining, half-pint!" The Krawk snapped. "Come, then, seein' there be no other sea-worthy men for the Lucky Lass!" Angrily, Krazy du'Krawk stomped out of the door, his peg-leg coming down with such a fury that it made dents in the wood. Timidly, Casey followed.

"Now get something straight, boy," Krazy du'Krawk began. "Arr... what's yer name, boy?" Krazy du'Krawk eyed Casey from one of his squinted eyes. "Answer me, half-pint!"

"It's Casey sir," Casey said, his voice breaking. Casey swallowed down a lump that was rising in his throat. Maybe he had made a mistake in joining the crew of Krazy du'Krawk.

"Right." Krazy du'Krawk said, quickening his pace. "Hurry up, boy, we still have more crew members to gather!"

Casey huffed and puffed as he tried to keep up with the amazingly fast pace of the old, weather-beaten pirate. Time flew by fast. Casey and Krazy du'Krawk went to a few more inns and pirate hang-outs and ended up with the following crew:

Buck, a fearless pirate Gelert from the Pirate's Cove Inn. Salem, a feisty pirate Kougra at the White Squall. And finally, Ansem, a reclusive pirate Eyrie who was also from the White Squall.

"Well!" Krazy du' Krawk frowned. "I guess this crew is good enough. Meet me at the South Harbour at dawn, and don't ye be late!" Casey's head snapped up. "Or I'll have yer heads for breakfast."

Casey wondered if he still had time to back out. But one look at Krazy du'Krawk's claw made him change his mind.

So it came to pass that the small crew set sail at dawn aboard the Lucky Lass, but she did not prove to be so lucky at all.

Hardly an hour after they had set sail, a violent storm whipped up out of nowhere and tore the sails from the mast. "Manpower!" Krazy du'Krawk yelled above the wind "Man yer oars! Row, row row!!"

They rowed for hours to no avail, but just as the entire crew's strength began to give out, Casey spotted something strange just a little ways ahead of them. Or did he imagine it? No, there it was again! "Captain, Captain!" Casey yelled through the storm "I think I see something up ahead!"

"What's that, me boy?" Krazy du'Krawk cried, "You see.." but he never finished his sentence, for at that moment...

"Buck! Ansem, Salem! The cap'n has been washed overboard!! He's gone with the main mast!"

Ansem beat his wings fiercely against the water, trying in vain to prevent the water from leaking into the galley and destroying the food rations.

"Yer say the Cap'n hisself is bored? Haharr! Go an' tell 'em ter bail water or steer the ship proper, lad!"

Frustrated, Casey turned to Buck and Salem. Just at that moment, however, the ship smashed into a half submerged rock. A rock, in the middle of the ocean? Casey thought, as the ship rocked wildly, its timbers creaking and groaning. It pitched forward, and Buck went sailing over the rail, to his doom. Ansem, who had become great friends with Buck, abandoned his post at the galley and ran over to the rail, yelling.

"Buck, meh matey! Hang on, I'll be gettin' ye outta there, or--" the Lucky Lass tilted and the Eyrie stumbled and fell into the depths of the waters. Ansem struggled to take air, but his waterlogged wings weighed him down, and he sank like a stone. Salem roared out.

"Casey, ole mate! Look out fer that spar there!" Salem grabbed Casey and threw him onto the deck, the two of them narrowly missing the heavy wooden spar that flew by. The Lucky Lass groaned and broke clean in half. Casey and Salem screamed as they plunged into the water, after having been in the middle, where the barge had cracked.

Struggling against the pulling water, Salem swam towards the surface, dragging an unconcious Casey along with him. Seaweed had entagled the young Flotsam, and the weight was dragging them both down, but Salem didn't have the time to try and free the seaweed. The Kougra broke through the surface and grabbed a floating piece of wood, heaving himself onto it. He then pulled Casey onboard with a thud, and released him from the seaweed. Suddenly, Salem yelled and pointed at something on the horizon, shaking Casey from his unconcious state...

"It's an island!" the Kougra shouted. "Over there, I'm sure of it! If we could just swim towards it we'll be safe!"

Salem kicked the water with all his might, struggling to reach the shore as Casey hung on for dear life. The storm was still raging, and huge waves repeatedly battered the poor pets. Salem hadn't realised how hard it was to control a piece of driftwood.

After a long struggle however, they had made it to the safety of the island... or had they? Was this island really as safe as they thought it would be?

The two pets didn't give the island much thought. What occupied their minds was the fate of their fellow crew members and captain.

"A-Are they dead?" asked Casey timidly.

"O' course they ain't!" yelled Salem. "They'll be here in a minute, just you wait an see!"

They waited, and as Casey looked at Salem, he saw the Kougra's permanent smile now beginning to fade. A few more minutes had passed, and there was still no sign of their lost comrades.

"Maybe we should take a look around this island once the storm has passed," Casey suggested, trying to get his mind off things.

"Yeah, we will... once the others have arrived," Salem added, trying not to let his worry show.

"Hey," Casey began, "I wonder what that rock was? It didn't look like any normal rock; it seemed to be carved into a pattern of some sort. The captain and the others fell into the water right by it. Maybe we should search there?"

"It was just a rock," mumbled Salem, becoming more anxious as time went by. "I don't think they would be there."

That's when they saw something in the distance. It looked like something had drifted in from the sea. They both ran towards it.

"Buck! Ansem! Captain, you're safe!" shouted Salem.

Casey and Salem looked down at them. They were unconscious, but otherwise safe. Now that they were all here, the Kougra and Casey decided to stay with them until they had awoken, and then they would explore the island.

Krazy du'Krawk was the first to open his eyes. However, they looked different--the captain's eyes were bloodshot, and his pupils were a dark red in colour. Then he spoke up.

"You have entered the land of the Neopian Hexadon. Intruders must die!" he spoke in a low and icy voice, not his own. It was then that Casey realised that something definitely wasn't right.

"Salem, what's wrong with him?" Casey asked as he peered up at the Krawk.

Just as Salem was about to speak up, the other two awoke. They too had eyes that were as evil as Krazy du'Krawks. They spoke in a sly, evil voice just has their captain did.

"Casey," Salem spoke. "We need to get off this island! I think they have been possessed!"...

Casey gave a nervous laugh as well. The two of them stared pleadingly at their former crew. Uncertainty flickered in Buck and Ansem's eyes; but Krazy du'Krawk let out an evil cackle, whipped out his sword and pointed it at Casey and Salem. "Get them!" he roared in the strange icy voice that was not his own.

Salem grabbed hold of Casey and they ran. Racing as fast as they could go, over fern and many a fallen log as they left the beaches of the island and plunged into the green creeping forest. Casey's lungs were burning, and a stitch throbbed in his side. Even Salem was gasping for air.

"I knowed Ansem!" he gasped. "Ol' pirate never coulda kept this pace fer more'n a minute!"

And yet there was Krazy du'Krawk, waving his sword and laughing as always, right behind them, along with Buck and Ansem. They weren't panting or showing any signs of exhaustion. Casey's original adrenaline had long since worn off, and he knew that he couldn't keep running much longer. Yet he shuddered to think what would happened if he did not.

Suddenly, Salem disappeared. Casey stopped running and stared at the spot where Salem had been just a moment before. He heard a triumphant shout behind him and whipped around too late--Krazy du'Krawk's sword cleaved the air in a perfect sweep towards Casey's head. Casey screamed. Then he felt a rope fasten around his chest; he looked down as the rope yanked him up with incredible speed and the ground whizzed away. Du'Krawk's sword flashed down and embedded itself in the ground.

All of Casey's sight was then blocked by a wooden wall. He was in a cozy little room resting in the boughs of a tree. Salem was sitting with a blanket around his shoulders. A young Lupe was talking to him. When he saw Casey, he smiled.

"Hello," he said. "I'm Spyglass. Behind you is my good friend Teeth." Casey swiveled around. A huge Grarrl towered over him, with the vine that had taken Casey up balled in his claw.

"That's Illusen's rope," Spyglass continued. "One of a kind, made by Illusen herself. If you drop one end down by something or someone, it takes them up right away. A gift from Illusen to us, for a really hard quest that we did. . It's been very handy, hasn't it, Teeth?" Teeth grunted.

"Where am I?" Casey gasped.

Spyglass took a blanket out of a nearby cupboard and settled it around Casey's shoulders. "Hexagon Island," he said seriously. "In Treetown, the only free civilization of the Hexagon People. We were all wanderers once, and came upon this island. Some of us were lucky and rescued... others were not. We'd been in great despair, until one day someone discovered that the possessed are afraid of heights! That's when we decided to build Treetown, way up high."

"But what will become of our friends?" Casey asked.

The eyes of Spyglass grew sad...

"Yes, we kind of found out that they were possesed, but what will happen to them?" Salem said impatiently.

"They will become one of them," Spyglass said.

"One of who?" Casey asked, frustrated.

"They will join the Shadow Demons," Spyglass answered.

"Who are the Shadow Demons?!?" Salem raised his voice, his temper rising with impatience.

"The Shadow Demons are nothing more than shadows of the pets they once were before," a husky voice said.

Casey jumped and Salem whirled around. Teeth had spoken, his eyes had taken a strange light in them. Was it anger, or fear? Salem couldn't tell.

"Most of them were sailors that had come out looking for adventure, trying to discover something new for which they would be famous. But a seemingly natural storm would strike out of nowhere, throwing gigantic waves at their ships. Eventually every pet on board would be washed out to sea. Those who touched The Rock of Para 'Du became demons in no time. Those who don't are often captured and turned into shadows by Para 'Du themselves. The rock has a design on it that looks like a flame swirling in a circle, and in the middle of the circle is a gigantic and powerful looking Eyrie," Teeth finished.

"Hey! That's the design that was on the rock that our ship crashed into!"

"Aye," said Teeth, "that be The Rock of Para'Du."

"Yes," it was Spyglass speaking now. His eyes filled with grief and sorrow as he said, "Your friends will become shadows within days, possibly hours."

"But there has to be some way to stop them! There has to be!" Salem cried.

"Yes, there is a way, but I would advise you not to try! It is very dangerous and those who have tried before have failed."

"Please tell us! We have to save our friends!" Casey demanded. "We can't just leave them to the shadows!"

Spyglass' eyes filled with an understanding light as he began, "Well, if you insist. The only way you're going to save your friends is to..." he carefully explained exactly what they were to do. "Do you understand?"

Casey and Salem nodded.

"Good then," the Lupe said, "you must leave quickly if you wish to save your friends. I wish you good luck."

"Thank you for all your help," said Casey before turning to Salem. "Alright. Let's go." The two pets headed out into the jungle...

"It must be one of the shadow demons," Casey whispered. "We have to save the rest of the crew before they become one." Salem shuddered.

They kept going through the trees, faster now, because they didn't have much time. The treetop village spread out far and wide, with little houses dotting the trees. Casey and Salem had no time to stop though. As strange at is sounded, they had to get a tear from each of their friends. How they were going to do that, they didn't know, but it was their only chance.

They found Krazy du'Krawk sitting on a rock, resting. The shadow demons passed around without noticing him. He would be one of them soon enough.

When the way was clear, Casey and Salem snuck up along an overhanging branch, and proceeded to drop a heavy branch onto the Krawk below. They didn't want to hurt their captain, but there was no other way.

The force of the hit caused the Krawk's eyes to water. Quickly, making sure there were no shadows around, Casey shimmied down the tree to get a tear. They did this with each of their friends.

"Now, for the hard part," said Salem, looking past Casey to the ocean beyond.

They had to get Casey's tearsoaked cloth to the Rock of Para'Du, (without being possesed themselves) to get their friends back. Unconcious from the blows, the rest of the crew would be helpless once they were changed back. Salem and Casey quickly dragged them up a tree, a rather hard task, and set out for the Rock of Para'Du...

Casey obviously hadn't thought about this. He looked up and down the salty beach. "There!" he pointed at a battered object in the sand with his flipper. "That's the piece of driftwood we used to float to this island, right?"

"Looks like we have no choice," Salem muttered sadly. "We'd better hurry before--" his voice died abruptly as noises could be heard behind them. The shadow demons were coming. They knew what they were planning to do.

"Hurry! Push!" Casey bellowed, already scrambling towards the board and moving it with all his strength. The noises behind them were growing louder and louder. The storm seemed to be kicking up again, and the trees behind them had begun to groan and sway in the unmerciful wind. He peered back at Salem over his shoulder, who had not moved an inch, grinning broadly. "Come on! They'll catch us!"

"You go ahead! Don't worry about me!" Salem roared over the howling of the wind. "You're the one who must get to that rock and save our friends! I'll distract the shadows!"

Casey stared at Salem with a baffled expression on his face. Just then, the Shadow Demons burst out of the forest. "GO!" Salem shouted once more, then began sprinting along the shore. "Come on, you shadow morons! Try and get me!"

The Flotsam wasted no more time. With one last push, he got the torn piece of the ship into the water and flopped onto it. He kicked with his tail, moving gradually towards his destination as the rain began to fall harder...

The shadows proved to be fast swimmers, however. One after another they dived into the salty sea, and the waves carried them closer to Casey. Holding the cloth in one sweaty flipper, the wood in the other, he gasped for air as sea water threatened to fill his dry lungs. Casey fought the waves, gasping, panting, and trying to hold on to the precious item that would save his friends and the precious wood that secured his life. Finally after a long battle he reached the rock of Para'Du.

The shadows began to move quicker, closing in on the rock, sensing what was happening. A strange hissing sound filled the air, causing Casey to yelp. He had no other choice but to climb the rock of Para'Du or be captured by those creatures. At least he could save his friends if he climbed the rock...

He touched the smooth rock surface with the cloth, right on the circle emblazed with, as he noticed, real green flames. One last hope...

The shadow demons roared at Casey's deed, lunging at the Flotsam in a fury of rage. The black sea enclosed him. Casey yelled, then leaped on to the top of the rock of Para'Du. It was high up, higher than the crashing waves that the shadow demons had rode. The demons were scared, but the rage of losing three perfectly fit demons burned deep inside of them.

First, one who must have once been a Shoyru flapped up on the smooth surface of the rock, then another, then another, until the rock was almost completely black. Casey looked to the beach in a desperate cry for hope. That's when he saw waves of black approaching the sea, and there lay Salem, his unconsious body rolling in the water that lapped the shore of the Neopian Hexadon Island.

"SALEM! SALEM! Nooooooooo!" Casey cried in anguish, but the demons paid no heed. A demon grabbed Casey by the flipper, and the Flotsam felt a cold rush running through his body. Hot tears fell from his eyes. He had failed. Darkness came to him, and he began collapsing to the rock's surface. Suddenly some writing, in glowing blue light in an ancient language appreared on the rock. His tears fell to the surface of the rock, running down it, and suddenly, a bright flash of light blew the waves back, and lit the dark sky. The shadows shrieked, and Casey fell into a calm state of unconsiousness...

"He sure is brave," Spyglass said to Teeth. "And he managed to save every single pet on this island! Every last one!"

Hearing those words made Casey shoot up out of the blanket that covered him. Spyglass ushered him to calm down.

"But how can I possibly calm down?" he said excitedly. "The island is safe! I've saved everyone!"

Casey had now fully awoken. As he looked around, he realised that he was in Spyglass' hut far up in the trees. He also noticed that Buck, Ansem and the captain were there too, all wrapped in thick warm blankets. They were asleep.

"Salem!" shouted the excited Flotsam. He peered into a corner where Salem was sat licking a wounded paw.

"Dang!" he shouted. "While I was running up that beach to help you, I trod on a shell! Awwww, just my luck!"

"What about the others?" asked Casey, referring to the former shadow demons as he peered out of the hut and onto the ground below.

"They're waiting for you all," replied Teeth. "In fact, they have been waiting for more than half an hour. Don't worry though, they won't go without you. They are waiting in a boat that the Tree Dwellers made for you."

"Aren't you coming too?" asked Casey.

"No," spoke Spyglass. "This is our home. We live in the trees and we like it here. This is where we will stay."

Just then, the captain and the others had awoke. It took them a while to get their heads focused, but once they were fully aware of things, Spyglass spoke to them, recounting all that had happened.

As Casey glanced at Krazy du'Krawk, he could see the amazement grow on the Krawk's face.

"You did all this... to save us?" he stared at Casey, not quite believing that he could have done such a thing.

Aye, thank ye matey!" he cried, as it finally sunk in.

After awhile, the three pirates realised that it was time to head back home.

"Aaarrgghh!" yelled the captain as they left the jungle. "I forgot to do the one thing that I came all this way for!"

"The treasure!" shouted Casey, Buck and Ansem together.

Salem had a grin spread across his face, and as he pulled a small chest out of his bag, they all looked in astonishment.

"The treasure!" they all shouted again, this time without an ounce of dread in their voices.

"I found this while runnin' along the beach. Cap'n, will ya be openin' it?"

Krazy du'Krawk opened the chest, and inside were golden coins. Engraved on each coin was the pattern that had been carved on the Rock of Para'Du, and written in bold writing were the words Hexadon Island.

"You know what these are, don't ya?" shouted the Krawk excitedly. "It's proof that we actually been here! That'll teach them chickens a lesson back home! I can't wait to see their faces!"

Laughter then filled the air as the companions walked onto the boat that would take them, after their eventful day, back home.

The End