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Not long after Keeshi's surprising conversation with Hamasaki,
the crew stumbled upon a clearing right next to a deep dark cave. Captain Stripes
commanded his crew to halt as he stared at the clearing with a solemn expression.
It must be quicksand again, thought Keeshi. But no, Captain Stripes was able to
walk around without sinking in. Keeshi watched in amazement as he slowly knelt
down and ran his paw across the smooth ground.
"The dirt has been shifted," he finally reported,
standing up once more. "We dig here."
"Impressive, no?" grinned Hamasaki to Keeshi.
She shrugged as she watched the crew grab their picks and shovels and start
to dig in the spot where the dirt had been "shifted". Captain Stripes slowly
approached the entrance of the cave and peered in as far as the light would
let him see, and Keeshi caught up with him.
"The Grumbles?" she started. "A little sister?
Anything else you've been keeping from me?"
"You found out why I didn't want you on this
expedition in the first place?"
"Hamasaki told me everything. Your little sister
got stung by a poisonous barb and got the Grumbles. And if you receive more
treasure than you expect to recover, you'll use the money to buy Grumble-Be-Gone
Tablets for her. Is that why going on this journey was so important to you?"
"Family is what's important," Captain Stripes
muttered. "And that's all that's important."
"Why were you so secretive?"
"Because it was painful just to be thinking
of the matter. My owner hasn't been on for months, and we're losing more money
than I can afford. I felt like I was going to lose my sister if I couldn't get
a cure soon. That's why I was so fond of you. I finally met someone who knew
what I was going through. And the last thing I want to do is go through deja
vu and see you get hurt just like my sister. You're family to me, Keeshi."
"I am?"
"Yes. Ever since I first talked to you, you
always have been."
Keeshi felt awful. She leaned against the back
of the cave and squeezed her eyes shut. It all made sense now. Everything made
sense. She disobeyed the person that cared for her the most, more than her owner
did. And that person was Captain Stripes himself.
"I'm sorry I didn't listen," she whispered.
Captain Stripes smiled. "I probably would've
done the same thing myself."
A large shout came from the crew, and Captain
Stripes and Keeshi rushed over. "Captain! Captain!" exclaimed Hamasaki excitedly.
"We found three treasure chests! Not just one, but three! You know what that
means?"
Captain Stripes staggered over to the large
hole. Just as Hamasaki had said, three treasure chests lay right next to each
other. The crew had opened them already, and they were full of gold from the
bottom up. The initials C.M. were carved on the lids of all three chests. Captain
Stripes fell down on his knees, tears forming in his eyes. Slowly, Keeshi knelt
beside him and gave him a reassuring smile. "She'll be okay?"
"My sister will be okay," Captain Stripes choked
out.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, angry cries and shouts
were heard throughout the jungle. Everyone was abuzz with fear. Pirates came
out of their hiding places and had the whole entire crew surrounded with swords
and daggers. It was an army of Kyriis.
"Defense! Set up a defense!" Captain Stripes
ordered.
But it was too late. The whole crew was surrounded.
There was no way out. Keeshi desperately ran around trying to find her new friend.
"Hamasaki! Hamasaki! Where are you?" She finally found the Shoyru trying to
hide behind a buff looking Eyrie. "Hamasaki, what's going on? Is this Murrain's
pirate crew?"
"Aye. They must've seen our ship and knew we
were after the treasure."
"Where's Captain Murrain?"
"I don't know. But keep your wits about you.
And for heaven's sake, Keeshi, arm yourself!"
Keeshi rushed over to Captain Stripes. He had
unsheathed his sword and was ready to kill anyone who dared attack him. A cruel
laugh filled the clouding sky, and Keeshi watched in horror as an ugly looking
Kyrii stepped out from the crowd. His pirate hat was crooked, and his golden
hook glistened in the dim sunlight as it was going down.
"Is that Captain Murrain?" asked Keeshi.
"No," Captain Stripes said sarcastically, "That's
my petpet Puppyblew, Muffin."
"William Stripes, you fool," laughed Captain
Murrain. "You're about as dumb as an Uggatrip. Did you really think you could
just waltz up on my private island, take my treasure and bring it back to Krawk
Island? Did you think it was that simple? I swear you Kougras are so pitiful."
Keeshi glared at the ugly Kyrii. Then she looked
up at Captain Stripes. He tightened the grip on his sword and clenched his teeth.
"Maybe if you didn't take our treasure in the first place, you could be doing
something constructive with your time than guarding this spit of land you think
is a place to store your loot," he growled.
"Your kind is a menace," Captain Murrain only
replied. "Way back when, I should have killed your sister when I had the chance."
Keeshi gasped, and the whole crew murmured amongst
themselves. Captain Stripes' face was pale, and he nearly dropped his sword.
"W-What do you mean you should have k-killed my sister when you had the chance?"
"Your sister's foolish, Stripes, but she's not
stupid," Captain Murrain snapped. "She didn't go anywhere near one of those
poisonous trees. I had to take off a barb and stab her myself. My thinking was
is that if I did that, you'd go away and never come back. But no, you're just
too stubborn. I thought the pain alone would finish her off, but word on the
street is that she's alive and well."
"Alive yes, well, not in the least," replied
Captain Stripes. "She's home with the Grumbles."
"How pitiful," Captain Murrain rolled his eyes.
"You were the irresponsible one anyway to take her along. And look at this!"
he pointed it Keeshi. "You got another hitchhiker with you. That's not like
you put innocent girls' lives in danger. I just might teach you a lesson about
that."
An angry feeling rose inside of Keeshi. Without
thinking, she grabbed the sword out of Captain Stripes' paw and held it high
above her head, her loud cry piercing the sky. "You want some, Murrain? Come
get some? Show me whatcha got! You practically threatened an innocent girl's
life, so I'm the one going to teach you a lesson."
Angrily, Captain Murrain unsheathed his sword
and lunged straight at Keeshi with a cold look in his eyes. Keeshi was able
to block the blow with her sword, and the duel was one. Captain Murrain made
an attempt to run her through, but she was able to dodge out of the way. Then
he made an attempt to cut off her leg, but Keeshi only jumped and kicked Captain
Murrain in the back of his legs, knocking him to the ground.
"Come on guys, help me!" Keeshi pleaded.
A war was on. Swords clashed everywhere you
looked. Keeshi was able to toss her sword to Captain Stripes, who attacked Captain
Murrain with every ounce of rage and fury in his body. Keeshi took cover behind
Hamasaki, who was able to chase off a pirate Kyrii. And it definitely helped
that he could fly.
The same Eyrie that accused Keeshi of being
a stowaway flew high above the tree tops, then was able to easily dive bomb
on unaware Kyriis. Keeshi cheered the crew on, but kept a close eye on Captain
Stripes. He had a large cut across his arm, but he still fought on. Suddenly,
another sight shocked Keeshi. About three Kyrii pirates had grabbed the treasure
chests and were running deep into the forest.
"They're stealing the chests! They're taking
the treasure!" yelled Hamasaki, following Keeshi's glance.
"Retreat, men, retreat now!" screamed Captain
Murrain. Captain Stripes had given him a black eye and had wounded his leg severely
as he hobbled away. The rest of his men ran off, leaving Captain Stripes' crew
exhausted and stunned. Keeshi was not going to stand for this.
"Come on, we have to go after them!" she yelled.
"Wait, Keeshi," Captain Stripes whispered tiredly.
"I have a plan. Everyone, to the Red Tsunami, and hurry!"
So the crew ran in the opposite direction of
where Captain Murrain and his men were headed. They ran through the forest swiftly,
dodging the poisonous barbs and the quicksand. "Captain Stripes, where are we
going?" asked Keeshi. "Murrain is heading that way!"
Captain Stripes only smiled weakly. "Have you
ever used a cannon, Keeshi?"
Keeshi only smiled. Now she understood. "Hurry,
everyone! We have to beat them!" she yelled.
In the rowboats at the beach, every single crew
member picked up an oar and began rowing. "We'll use the cannons we have in
our ship to sink Captain Murrain's ship," Captain Stripes explained, once they
were safely aboard the deck of the Red Tsunami. "Load the cannons, men, and
hurry!"
"Wait, Captain Stripes, there's something I
need to tell you," Keeshi said quietly.
"What is it? Is something wrong?"
"No... Captain Stripes, you were right. I'm
not a pirate. I let Murrain and his men escape with the treasure. If we sink
the ship, it will only be at the bottom of the ocean. What kind of pirate lets
the bad guy get away with the treasure?"
Captain Stripes was silent for a moment. Then
he took Keeshi's paws into his own. "Listen to me, Keeshi. You were right. I
was wrong. You are a pirate. You disobeyed your captain by sneaking about the
ship, you fought off the enemy without even thinking about what you were going
to do, and like all pirates, you have a heart of gold. I was wrong, Keeshi.
You are a pirate."
****
Keeshi opened her eyes to find herself staring up at the light blue sky. She
was lying in the sand, and she once more heard the waves slowly lapping on the
shore. "It... it can't be," she mumbled. But it was. The cool breeze and the
crashing waves were a little too soothing to the ears, and she fell asleep right
on the spot. "It was a dream," she muttered. "Wow..."
She got up to her feet and looked toward the
harbor. The Red Tsunami was anchored in the docks, which meant that the crew
was here. Excitedly, Keeshi raced toward the harbor to see if she could find
anyone she knew. Neopets scurried back and forth, carrying cargo back and forth
from the ships in the harbor.
Turning, Keeshi saw a male pirate Shoyru talking
to a male pirate Eyrie. It was Hamasaki! Happily, Keeshi rushed over to greet
them. "Hey, Hamasaki! It's me, Keeshi! What's up, how's life?"
"Um... have we met? I don't remember giving
you my name."
"What about you?" Keeshi pointed at the Eyrie.
"Remember on the Red Tsunami you accused me of being a stowaway, but I was actually
a friend of Captain Stripes? Remember?" Keeshi asked excitedly. The Eyrie only
gave Keeshi a weird look a shook his head. "I smelled like musho mushy peas,
remember?"
"Uh, no I don't... are you looking for Captain
Stripes?"
"Yes, have you seen him?"
"He was at the Little Nippers shop the last
time I saw him, mate," replied Hamasaki quickly. "Hurry before you miss him!"
So Keeshi headed in the direction of the Krawk Island petpet shop. Behind her
she heard, "Freak," "Weirdo," and "Whoa, she scares me."
"I guess it was just all a dream," Keeshi said
sadly as she slowed the pace down. "But it seemed so real. And it was so much
fun fighting off Captain Murrain and his evil pirate crew. Oh, well. Maybe I
could make the dream a reality and talk to Stripes."
Just like that, behind her, Keeshi heard, "Keeshi!
Keeshi, over here!" She turned to see Captain Stripes running towards her, an
excited smile on his face. "Oh my gosh, Keeshi, you won't believe what happened!"
he yelled as he rushed over to greet her.
Panting for breath, he stopped right next to
Keeshi and paused a minute before continuing, "There was this Kyrii pirate,
Captain Murrain. We had been trailing him for weeks. I got word this morning
that he surrendered, and we got three treasure chests. Now, there's something
I have to tell you. You don't know this, but I have a little sister, and-"
"Wait, let me guess," Keeshi grinned. "Your
sister was stabbed with a poisonous barb on your last journey and came down
with the Grumbles. She has been sick for weeks, and you are going to use the
extra treasure you have to buy some Grumble-Be-Gone tablets."
"Wow, how did you know?" mumbled Captain Stripes
wondrously.
"Um, lucky guess," Keeshi lied. "Uh, listen,
Captain Stripes, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, go ahead. But I have to leave in fifteen
minutes."
"Well, I wanted to know if I could join you
and your crew on the Red Tsunami. I know you think that I'm inexperienced and
all, but if you gave me the chance, I really do believe that I can handle it.
So what do you say, Captain Stripes? As a friend? Please?"
Captain Stripes sighed. "Listen, Keeshi, I wish
you could come along with me, really. I know it's been a childhood dream of
yours, and I fully back you up on it. But there's pirates, rough storms, and
you obviously have no experience with a weapon, and you do get seasick occasionally.
I just think now might be too soon. Do you understand?"
"I can do this, Captain," Keeshi sighed.
"Keeshi, I know you really want to be one, but
right here right now... you're not a pirate."
Keeshi only smiled. She stared at a passing
pirate Techo carrying large boxes up to the Red Tsunami. What was that smell?
Musho mushy peas? Turning to Captain Stripes, she stared deep into his eyes
and once more saw herself fighting off Captain Murrain and winning the battle.
"Yes I am, Captain Stripes," she whispered.
"I am a pirate."
The End
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