Riches & Reality on Krawk Island

     This string of failures left Goldtooth with nothing, not even a boat with which to leave the island, as he pawned if off to a rich looking Lutari. Well, nothing except for his one remaining shipmate.

     Next to him in the sand lounged a Camouflage Krawk, chipping away at a small wooden carving. Tazzle had been his first mate for many years, and through many ups and downs, but they had never been so down on their luck before. He wondered if Tazzle would eventually abandon him with the rest.

     Since they were both out of Neopoints, nearly out of Dubloons, and had very few items to their name, there was not much left to do except ponder their meagre existence in the nature's paradise of Krawk Island. Goldtooth thought about stealing some grub from the local eatery later as he continued his game of flicking Dubloons.

     Tazzle had abandoned her wood carving and now kept her vision focused on the horizon. Suddenly, her reptilian eyes dilated, and she erupted out of the sand in an explosion, spraying her friend Goldtooth.

     "Take a look at that, mate! Somethin's coming over the horizon!" she shouted.

     Goldtooth, unconvinced, didn't even bother to look up.

     "Unless it's Cap'n Scarblade himself coming with a treasure-load of Dubloons for me personally, I ain't interested," he stated noncommittally.

     Tazzle didn't take her eyes from the horizon, spying a dark shape far over the waves as she bounced into the coming tides to get a better look. One paw shaded her keen eyes as she kept her thick spiked tail to the ground as a buffer against the oncoming waves.

     "Stay positive, mate. This ain't no ship."

     They were not at the harbour, so no ships should be entering this island from this angle. It was smaller than a ship, anyway.

     "It could be lost cargo. Lots of pirates out there, maybe they scuttled a ship and lost some o' the goods!"

     This suddenly caught Goldtooth's attention. He dropped the Dubloons and scrambled over the beach to take a look. His eyesight was not as good as Tazzle's, but it looked like a very large crate floating on the waves and heading straight toward the beach. He let out a victorious whistle.

     "Oi, this could be lost goods! We might be in for a big spot o' luck!" Goldtooth couldn't help but imagine what the shape could be.

     "I bet this is lost cargo from the Smuggler's Cove," he continued, getting caught up in the excitement. "It could be anythin'! Rare Painbrushes, Neggs, Codestones. Especially Battledome Items! I've been dreamin' of me own Mysterious Amulet." Goldtooth rubbed his claws together enviously, seeing the golden twinkle of the powerful amulet in his mind's eye.

     Tazzle was now imagining her own Battledome bounty. "Ah, I could use one o' those Maractite Bombs. We would never have to worry about our treasure getting stolen with that." She cackled while thinking of the explosions the bomb could cause to opponents.

     The mysterious large package was still far out on the ocean, a dark bobbing mass, moving to the shore at the pace of a Slorg. The two Krawks impatiently stomped around the beach.

     Tazzle's stomach groaned as she thought of the last time they ate, after scavenging from The Golden Dubloon's trash the other night.

     "Traders from Mystery Island also come through this route. With Gadgadsbogen comin' up, they must be shipping fruit out all over Neopia!" The Camouflage Krawk was caught in a different dream now, salivating at the thought of rare fruits.

     "Maybe this crate fell overboard. It might be full of Plumberries and Stramberries, with all the Blobbules you could eat! Big, ripe green Twirlyberries, too. There might be fruits never before seen, even!" Tropical fruits were dancing through Tazzle's mind, and she imagined biting into a huge blue Blobbule, her sharp teeth nearly chomping at the thought.

     "Don't be daft! Keep yer eyes on the riches," Goldtooth stated. He was more interested in the potential gold that could change their lives.

     The cargo drifted closer now, still unclear in origin. It was quite large and gently bobbed toward the beach. Goldtooth was nearly in a frenzy.

     "You know, back in Cap'n Scarblade's time, there were loads of lost treasure. There are rumours that all that gold was never found. Every now and then, some Neopian finds somethin' washed up on the shore - real treasure from the old pirates! You never know what can wash up from the deep." Goldtooth thought of all the sunken treasure chests sitting on the floor of Maraqua. Huge wooden chests filled with Dubloons and treasures, just waiting for him. He felt the point of his golden fang with a paw and closed his eyes as he dreamed of diving into a pile of Golden Dubloons. Rubies, diamonds, and emeralds fell from his paws in his dream.

     The strange cargo was getting close now, and seemed bigger than ever. The Krawks could not contain their excitement and chomped in anticipation - would it be the Smuggler's treasure, delicious rare fruit, hoards of golden Dubloons?

     The dark mass floated closer and closer, the endless waves slowly bringing it to shore. Tazzle narrowed her eyes and thought it looked strangely misshapen, unequal at the edges. There seemed to be strange bumps in one or two places. There was no clear latch or lock, nothing clearly made by Neopian hands.

     The Krawks were speechless as the cargo finally washed ashore and gently settled on the beach sand, the waves casually coaxing it back to the deeps.

     It was a log.

     A short but very wide piece of wood, dense and waterlogged with ocean water. What would have been large branches and extensive roots were missing, but the remainder was inexplicably wood.

     Goldtooth could only kick it with all the frustration in the world, then immediately regretted it and hopped about on one pained foot. Tazzle was in disbelief, checking the log for some hidden latch that would suddenly open to gold treasure. There was nothing there but smooth wood. The disappointment felt was immense.

     "I-I just can't believe it...", Tazzle stated, unwilling to accept the reality.

     "Ye' best be believin' it! Nothing but rotten luck for us!" Goldtooth pulled at his white mane in agitation. "We're fools!"

     Tazzle sank down next to the trunk, her spirits as waterlogged as the piece of wood, as her once captain raged behind her, kicking at the sand.

     ******

     After the disappointment finally set in, following the sinking path of the sun into dusk, Tazzle returned to her meager belongings at one corner of the beach, at the base of a palm tree. She picked up her Mallard carving in her claws. If only she had wings, she could fly away like this Petpet, to a better tomorrow. But like the carving, she was earthbound. She gripped the delicate wood and closed her eyes. She knew Krawks like herself were resourceful - what was something she could do?

     Tazzle grabbed her carving supplies and an old rusted saw that hadn't seen use in some time, then scrambled to the washed up log, spraying sand in the coming dusk.

     ******

     It took some time, and a lot of effort, but Tazzle was sawing away at the log for hours. Sawdust littered the beach by the time Goldtooth had returned. He saw a new light in his Krawk friend's eyes. Wordlessly, he lended a paw and began sawing as well.

     ******

     By nightfall, the fervent sawing of the Krawks had attracted attention all up and down the beach, and curious onlookers had gathered round. Residents of the Island knew what to do when they saw a beach gathering - in no time at all, there were lit tiki torches, bonfires, scattered chairs, and eventually, grills, kebabs, fruit, and juice drinks. Any Krawk Islander could spot a beach party when they saw one, and without even making an announcement, Islanders had food, drinks, and seating available for all.

     Tazzle was sanding the top off to a smooth finish by nightfall, the beautiful natural patterns in the wood exposed to the surface. She and Goldtooth heaved the now-carved wooden mass to be upright, now standing on four sturdy legs at the ends. They had created a long table from the log, big enough to seat tons of Islanders at the coming feast. Tazzle wiped sand from her brow and looked at Goldtooth as he grinned.

     "Looks like we made it out alright after all, eh, cap'n?"

     "Krawks are always resourceful, as they say," he replied with a wink.

     In no time at all, Islanders began placing plates of food all down the length of the table, as the two Krawks took their honorary seats in the middle, next to each other. Somehow, a coconut juice found its way into each of their paws.

     The beach party lasted long into the night, and it was said that all Krawk Islanders were present that night. Goldtooth and Tazzle feasted and danced on the beach until dawn.

     The End.