The Krawk Island Adventure

     Bradford frowned momentarily. He hated to be embarrassed in front of the pirates he managed. And with so much on his plate, it is possible that Squire had mentioned this plan to him and he had merely forgotten. He had been looking for ways for his meetings to be more engaging…

     Seemingly impressed with his own foresight to liven up these meetings, he turned back to the crowd of suspicious pirates and wolfishly grinned. “Yes, of course, you have paid to entertain me. I am the captain after all. Squire arranged for these lovely guests to entertain us so carry on. Entertain!”

     His tone was coloured with reassurance, whether directed to comfort himself or the crew, Tristan and Litana were not sure. Squire winked and kicked them then, and there was no more time to ponder if their cover was sufficient or not.

     “What do we do?” Tristan hissed.

     “Wing it,” Ana huffed back. “What choice do we have?! Follow my lead!”

     A sudden recollection of Bradford’s appreciation for petpets hit Ana, and she took a deep breath before launching into an impromptu parody of a popular pirate song...featuring the little nippers Bradford seemed to love so much.

      Oh though it may seem kind of blobby, I sure do love my swabby!

     And it is such a joy to have a weewoo, on my trusted pirate crew!

     Tristan’s eyes widened and he mouthed a panicked “what are you doing - did you just make up those lyrics?!” at Ana before resigning himself to his fate and joining her song:

      Oh how I adore….um….Gus! The most loyal Quadrapus!

     And how I’d cross any...uh...hurdle, as long as it leads to my, um….Blurtle?

     After stumbling through four more clumsy verses of impromptu lyrics featuring every native Krawk Island petpet the pair could think of, they finally ended their song with a nervous bow. Singing was neither of their areas of expertise, and both Tristan and Ana were terrified they hadn’t been convincing enough.

     But by the end, Bradford’s crying was louder than their singing, much to Tristan’s alarm.

     “Bravo! That was beautiful!” Bradford declared through sniffles. “Simply incredible and truly moving! You both must join my crew as entertainers. We will be continuing on a few more searches for our dear Evil Beard and we need talented singers and lyricists such as yourselves to keep our spirits high. I couldn’t imagine embarking on this search without you, now that I’ve heard your talent!”

     Squire nodded at them encouragingly and just like that, it was decided: Tristan and Ana would be joining Bradford’s crew.

     The pair high secretly fived each other behind their backs, relieved their cover hadn’t been blown.

     ~

     Despite claiming that he would be calling off the search for Evil Blackbeard sooner rather than later, Bradford seemed reluctant to do so. The search seemed as urgent as ever. As a result, Tristan and Ana had become official members of Bradford’s crew for a few days now but were still working on a formal game plan. Neither could sustain making up songs on the spot and they were concerned that sooner or later, Bradford would no longer be clouded by his love for petpets and recognize they were faking their status as entertainers.

     “What’s the plan now?” Ana asked glumly as she tugged on her golden pirate earring. She was too nervous to remove her pirate gear in the event they were followed or spotted at the Wayfarer’s Cove.

     Each night after Bradford’s ship docked, Tristan and Ana always returned to the inn which they considered their homebase. So far, none of the pirates had commented or inquired about their accommodations, but both Ana and Tristan knew it was only a matter of time before the pirates started asking them more questions. They had to save Krawk Island quickly and return back home as soon as possible.

     “I’m not sure,” Tristan admitted. “We weren’t caught when we crashed the meeting. That in itself is a miracle. I suppose...we should get to know Bradford better? Something is up with him...” he mused.

     Ana nodded in agreement. From the moment they had first observed the blue Kyrii’s panic at being interrupted while counting dubloons, their suspicions had been aroused. While there hadn’t been enough proof to mention anything to the governor, Bradford’s actions remained odd. This was their chance to figure things out.

     “And his insistence that everyone stay away from the Keep Out section…” Ana mused. “Do you think we should go there and see what he’s hiding? It has to be something! Maybe that’s where the treasure chest is?”

     “As much as it pains my adventurous soul to admit, I don’t think we should be taking a risk like that,” Tristan said dryly. “Chances are he has that area being watched. Maybe by those Grarrl guards from the other day? No, let’s avoid more trouble...let’s just keep investigating Bradford. Like you said, we still need to find the treasure! We still have to restore Krawk Island to its former glory! What good are all these clues if we can’t piece them together? So….keep investigating is the plan. Are you in?”

     Ana sighed and ruefully nodded again. “How can you even doubt me?! I’m nervous but of course I’m in.”

     They grinned at each other; they were going to be the best crew members Bradford had ever seen for sure.

     ~

     As a pirate Lupe, Tristan was well acquainted with pirate stories and legend and therefore had a certain instinct for being a good crew member outside of star entertainer. It only took a couple of days for him to learn how to be an expert navigator and he was working on his sailing skills too.

     He also made it a point to volunteer for the unpopular jobs to win the appreciation of the crew. For example, he was mopping up the decks with a swabby petpet by his side when Bradford found him.

     “You there!” Bradford boomed. “Tristan!”

     Setting down his mop, Tristan saluted Bradford. It couldn’t hurt to appeal to his ego. “Yes sir!”

     Bradford smiled at him and bent to scoop up the swabby that was still swooshing around the deck aimlessly. “You and this little fellow have done some fine work,” he praised. “Take a break! I’d like to invite you into my...shall we say, inner circle. Come join us! It’s game night.”

     “Finally getting somewhere,” Tristan mumbled under his breath as he eagerly followed Bradford to the lower decks.

     Much to Tristan’s glee, game night featured games with a gambling nature - his favourite. First up: Armada, a game he had grown up with. Opting to keep his familiarity with the game to himself, Tristan quietly listened to the rules, chiming in with false beginner questions every so often.

     At first, Tristan deliberately made poor decisions and lost hands on purpose. Maybe he could make Bradford feel more confident in himself and make him feel as though Tristan was harmless enough to be trusted. After a few turns of self-sabotage, Tristan began to play in earnest.

     “You catch on fast!” Bradford observed. “It’s very impressive.”

     “Not hard to catch on when I have such a fine teacher,” Tristan beamed in response. “I really feel like I can trust you - to teach me to be a good crew member, to teach me how to play Armada….I only hope you can trust me in return.”

     “I have been wanting to confide in someone for a long time,” Bradford admitted. “I have such a troubled mind.”

     Tristan shrugged, hoping to appear as casual as possible. “I’ve been praised for my secret-keeping abilities. They say that every captain needs a confidant, but perhaps you are the rule to the exception…”

     Bradford dropped his cards on the table in front of him in frustration. It had grown late, and only he and Tristan remained in the lower decks. The exhaustion and stress were getting to him.

     “I’m not the exception!” Bradford blurted out. “I know where the hidden treasure is but not where the key is and the pressure is absolutely killing me! It’s on the Keep Out Section of Krawk Island!” He clapped his paws to his mouth after his sudden admission in shock. “Oh no...I didn’t mean to tell you that. You can’t tell anyone!”

     Tristan struggled to keep his composure though inside he was doing cartwheels. He never imagined Bradford’s admission would come so swiftly!

     Bradford stood menacingly. “Now that I’ve told you my deepest secret, I insist you become my right-hand man. While I have enjoyed your talented singing, I hope you will pursue a more privileged position amongst us Pirates. We have much to discuss….but first. Your answer?”

     Litana was going to kill him….Tristan thought to himself as he answered: “Yes! Of course!”

      ~

     After returning to the Wayfarer’s Cove that evening, Tristan caught Litana up on his evening.

     “Now that we know where the treasure is hidden, we should go get it and return it to the governor!” Litana exclaimed.

     “I don’t think it’s that simple,” Tristan disagreed. “I feel like something is about to happen...simply stealing the treasure back is too risky and will blow our cover. I think maybe we can convince Bradford to join us and smuggle the treasure back to the governor. It will take a lot of work...but I think it’s possible.”

     Litana still seemed doubtful but didn’t object. The two bent their heads together and started brainstorming in whispers.

     Another plan was to be formed.

     To be continued…