I sternly looked ahead of us, keeping track of the map the entire time. When
the sun started to set, the boat slowly started slowing down. My ears perked
up and I looked at Cleevis. "Why is it slowing down?"
"I dunno. I reckon it's out of fuel," Cleevis worriedly said, checking out
the engine. "It's not broken, though."
I sighed and walked over to the engine and unscrewed the cap of the fuel tank.
The meter said it was running way low on fuel. "Well...do you have any extra
tanks?" I asked, biting my lip. I really didn't feel like being stranded out
here in the middle of the ocean.
"No...we used up our last one last night, remember?" Cleevis said.
"Well...it says here on the map we're about," I sighed. "About a thousand
miles away from shore."
Al and Cleevis both sighed. "So we're stranded," Al said.
"No...not stranded," I said, trying to look on the bright side. "We're just...temporarily
misplaced, that's all!"
"Yep, we're stranded all right," Al said, looking down at the water. "Well,
no use moping about it. Maybe we can paddle back to shore, and take it with
instinct from there."
"Right," Cleevis said. "Now you kids get some rest. We've got a long day
ahead of us, ya know!"
I nodded slowly and sad down at the tip of the boat. We were, lost here. It
didn't make sense. I deeply sighed and laid down, still alert for any danger.
I must've dozed off for a while, because when I woke up, the moon was centered
in the sky. After staring at the moon for a long time, Lupes learn a thing or
two about that moon. I could tell it was about 2:00 am.
But what woke me up was an odd splashing sound. Not like a fish splashing in
the water, or even a one-ton great white shark splashing in the water. It was
louder than that, yet steady and flowing. I sat up, and jerked my head around
this way and that trying to see where the noise came from. When I turned around,
I saw it.
It was a monster of a wooden boat with what seemed like a thousand sails, with
a skull and crossbones on a black flag hanging high on the main mast. A skeleton
was nailed in front of the ship where a pointed wood board stuck out. I got
up on all fours and stared at it with awe. When it got to Cleevis' boat, it
stopped.
I watched as from the side of the boat a rope ladder fell down. A yellow Wocky
with a pierced ear and a patch on his left eye and a red and white striped shirt
on strutted down the ladder, a sword in his jaws. He got down and growled at
me, his eyes slit. I looked at him and backed up and accidentally stepped on
Al's arm. Al got up and put on his glasses to see what was going on. We he saw
the Wocky, he squealed and took out a hammer from his pack.
"I'm warning you," Al said, next to me. "I've got a hammer...AND I AM NOT
AFRAID TO USE IT!!"
"Y...yeah!!" I said, still a little frightened. "And I've got..." I looked
around, desperate for anything. I looked at the cabin's seat and grabbed Cleevis'
shoulder and dragged him next to me. "I've got a CRAZY HILLBILLY AND I AM NOT
AFRAID TO USE HIM!!" I nudged Cleevis and whispered from the side of my mouth,
"Come on Cleevis...get up you Zafara get up!"
Cleevis came to and yawned, then stood up and looked at the Wocky "Uh..." Cleevis
said, putting on his usual toothless smile. "I've got a feeling you want more
than just a cup of coffee."
The Wocky snarled and swung his sword at my paws, making me jump up to avoid
getting hit. I growled and flattened my ears. My tail twitched and I started
to walk towards the Wocky The Wocky swung his sword at me again, hitting me
in the shoulder. I fell down and shook my head, but the pain ached so much!
In anger I headbutted the Wocky, hitting him against the side of his ship. The
Wocky gasped and recovered. He swung his sword high, but with my paw I caught
it and hit the paw with the sword he had against the side of the ship. After
a few good swings the Wocky dropped the sword, and I put my paw on his shoulder.
"You wanna dance, cowboy?" The Wocky said, angrily. "We'll dance, all right.
We'll dance."
The Wocky grabbed my paw and did a palm-to-sky, a move where he grabbed my
paw and twisted it, giving much pain! I struggled and flipped my paw back around,
and now I had his arm. I stepped back and hit the side of his face, then recoiled
and slapped his ear. Holding the side of the head and the arm, I twisted him
around like a corkscrew and he twirled in the air once, then landed on his back,
unconscious.
"Wow," Al said, looking at me, his eyes wide. I smiled and turned back
around to my friends and nodded, smiling. Then, I felt something on my shoulder.
I turned around and looked, horrified. There was a dark-green Shoyru right there,
glaring at me. It was like, huge! Like really huge! And behind him was a red
Blumaroo and a blue Kau, both with their arms folded. I shrunk a little and
weakly smiled.
"Heh heh... Maybe we can work this out or something? Pal?" I said, trying to
stay calm. Then from the corner of my mouth I whispered to Al, "Al, get me my
Attack Fork."
Al tossed me my Attack Fork and I grabbed it with one paw. I looked at the
Shoyru and grinned. My attack fork raised, I pointed it at him, and tossed it.
The Attack Fork barely missed the Shoyru and stuck to the side of the ship.
"Oh, piffle..." I could hear Al say in the background.
I sidekicked the Shoyru in the stomach, but the Shoyru grabbed my leg and flipped
me over! I shook my head and did a back-flip to get up again on all fours. I
glared at the Shoyru who stuck out a lip and folded his arms. I now had a strategy.
I bolted towards the Shoyru's feet, hitting the ankles with my head. It knocked
the Shoyru over and I did an instep to his chin. The Shoyru was now unconscious.
The Blumaroo appeared in front of me, the Kau behind me. I jumped up onto my
attack fork and held onto it like a pole and kicked the two in the belly, making
both of them fall down, also unconscious. I smirked and looked at the four pets,
then at Al and Cleevis, who were very surprised. "Let's get to the bottom of
this, boys. They want something of ours, and I'm going to find out what." I
turned around and started to climb up the ladder.
"Griffin, are you out of your mind?" Al said.
"Them people don't look to friendly, kid," Cleevis said.
"I know what I'm doing," I said. "Something has gone wrong."
When I got to the deck, I thought quickly and untied my bandana and tied it
on top of my head instead. I found a broken iron circle on the ground that held
fishing nets together and fit it on my ear. Now I looked like a pirate!
I started walking towards the main cabin. Then I remembered, pirates don't
walk, they strut. I started trying to imitate how a pirate walked, and remembered
how they looked. I held my head up high and slit my eyes and bared my teeth.
I honestly looked totally ridiculous.
I got to the cabin and barged the door open and tossed off the earring and
tied my bandana back around my neck. The captain sat in a chair behind an oak
desk, a green Gelert with a smart look.
"I've been expecting you," the captain said. "Give me your map, little
Lupe. Give it."
"I'm not that vulnerable." I said, smiling. "The map's mine. I found it, fair
and square."
"Just as we did the Golden Eye," the captain said.
My eyes widened in amazement. "You have it?" I barked. "Don't you know you
can destroy the entire PLANET IF IT'S OF ITS PLACE?"
"Yes, yes," the Gelert said evilly. "And I found THAT fair and square
as well...in a museum."
"It's not yours. The world of Neopia lies in your grim paws! I'm not letting
this world have that fate!"
"What. You think I'm going to give it to you?"
"Well..." I looked around. "No...but still, I'm going to find the Quadheximos
and return it or my name isn't Griffin L. Kingsley!"
"You'll find it all right if you use OUR map we left behind...but not unless
we stop you."
I narrowed my eyes and growled. "So be it."
I was weak. My arm was cut pretty badly and I was pretty bashed up. I didn't
have the energy to fight the stupid captain now. I gritted my teeth and walked
out of the room, slamming the door behind. I slid back down to the boat.
"Good news!" Cleevis said. "I found one of them extra fuel tanks. Turns out
I had one in the cabin the whole time!"
I tried to smile and handed Al the map. "Al...you navigate...I'm not...feeling...that..."
before I could finish my sentence, I collapsed on the deck, literally dog-tired.
I slept in until an anxious little dirty yellow paw shook me to wake me up.
I woke up on the shores of a beach, the boat about ten yards away from me on
the sand. Beyond the beach was a think forest, and I could hear Pteris chirping
and wild Myncis squealing in the brush.
"Griffin!" Cleevis hollered. "We're here!"
To be continued... | 
