The Pirate Writer: Part Four

     I don't know how it's possible for somebody like Captain Woodbeak to smile, but he did. He smiled at me. He said it was the pirating I have been doing, but there was more to it than that, and he was going to tell me, but why would I care what he would have to say if Kera was out there?

     "Firaga, my matey, you've impressed me a lot over the last day. You've seemed to change. After you have gotten this Shoyru off of your mind, I believe you are becoming something more than just a pirate." These words were so strangely kind; it was hard to believe it was coming out of the beak of Captain Woodbeak. "I knew ye would make a mighty good pirate, but you've never allowed the idea of actually becomin' one to enter yer brain."

     I frowned, hoping that Woodbeak would get the hint that I still don't like being a pirate. Obviously he didn't when he said, "I feel I know ya more than all the other pirates on me crew."

     "Are you sure you really know me?" I asked Captain Woodbeak, thinking that he really didn't have a clue.

     "I know the pain you feel, longing to go back home to your friends and family, but ye know you're a pirate, and there's no changin' others' opinions, ya know?" Woodbeak said. He started to walk. I thought he was expecting me to follow, so that's what I did. "You heard my story jus' yesterday. It was pretty tragic, being kicked out of my own home just for my color."

     I wanted Captain Woodbeak to just shut up and leave me alone. Whatever he thought about me was all wrong in my eyes even though it might've been true.

     "Cap'n, I-"

     "I told ye that I don't want that happin'in' to ya. I know ye don't believe me-" Captain Woodbeak stopped talking when he saw me looking out into the ocean. "Look at me. I'm blabberin' like one of those pirates over there."

     I chuckled at my captain. He wasn't joking, and I was quite glad that he stopped talking about that. No matter what he said, I wouldn't believe him anyway.

     "Look, Firaga, what I have to say is very important." He cleared his throat. "Don't laugh at me when I say that a strong pirate like me is a coward to ask."

     I didn't laugh. Woodbeak often didn't show the kinder person in him. It always made me feel a lot better than usual, like I wasn't stressed.

     "I would never laugh at my Cap'n," I said sweetly back. I'm never kind back, but I kind of had to be when admitted that.

     "Firaga, me matey," he took a deep breath before shooting the last few words out of his mouth, "will you be the co-captain of this crew?"

     Even though the only Neopets that knew what was going on were me and Woodbeak, everything felt like it was completely frozen. I guess I was just frozen then, because I was speechless. My mouth dropped open in amazement.

     "Will you be my partner?" Captain Woodbeak said in other words, just in case I didn't get the point.

     Even though I hate being a pirate, I would get respect on the crew if I was a co-captain, and I could lead the crew to Kera. Suddenly I dropped everything. "Cap'n, I completely forgot. I have to do lookout immediately." I started running up to my post.

     Woodbeak was shocked by my reply. "But what about yer answer?"

     "Uh, yeah, sure, whatever," I dashed up to the crows nest without thinking anymore about the captain's startling question. I didn't care at the moment.

     I dashed up to the crows nest and looked around as far as I could see. There was nothing at all. The ocean spread across Neopia for miles, and it seemed like there was no reason to even look when all you saw during lookout in the past was nothing.

     Kera wasn't there, and Captain Woodbeak had finally stopped paying attention to me, and started yelling at his crew that could never do anything right.

     Every second that went by seemed more and more pointless, and I was getting more and more frustrated. The ship shook with the running of other pirates, probably hard at work, preparing their weapons for anything that came our way. The captain's strong voice forced them into moving faster as he normally did, as I looked out into the empty ocean for the billionth time.

     I was bored and I felt like reading the Neopian Times. I haven't read the NT in about a hundred issues, and I haven't thought about reading it for a long time. It was fun to read. I used to laugh at the silly stories, and sometimes I nearly cried at the touching ones. I had never thought about what the NT has changed into until now. So many issues have gone by. Surely there was some new good writers out there, and some of them probably had retired long ago. My writing has gotten a bit better after I created my journal. It was my birthday present a little over a year ago, not long before I was painted. Kera had given it to me after she had noticed that I enjoyed writing and reading. She had never really seen that in me and neither did I. She got me my journal when my birthday came, and then I discovered how much I could write, and how much I enjoyed it. They were good times. I thought it was only lucky to find the paint brush on the ground a few days after my birthday. It was like a late birthday present.

     "Let me go!" I heard a woman's voice. It was very familiar like I have heard it before. It sounded a bit like Kera's voice, but I was sure that I would see her if she was on the ship. "Let me go, you evil Eyrie with that wooden beak of yours."

     Somebody unusual was on the ship. No pirate had a voice like that. I looked down for a second to find only a Shoyru. I pulled my head back up to look for Kera.

     It took me a few seconds to realize that Kera was actually on the ship. "Kera?" I whispered to myself in shock. I looked down again to find that it was in fact Kera, struggling between a pirate Grarrl and Elephante. I couldn't believe my eyes. Captain Woodbeak was standing right in front of Kera with a huge grin on his face.

     "I thank ye for such a kind gift," Captain Woodbeak said to my best friend. "I have been wantin' somethin' like that for seven long years." Woodbeak pointed at the two pirates holding Kera. "Take that from her?"

     "No!" Kera shouted, yanking her left arm away from the Elephante and placed it on a paint brush she was holding with the right.

     "A paint brush," I whispered to myself again in more shock than I was before. I looked closely to find that it was a fire paint brush. It was beautiful, and it was the ticket out of the pirate crew.

     Kera held onto the paint brush tightly and tugged on it with all of her strength. "This is not for you!" she shouted.

     Captain Woodbeak laughed, "You really think that you can fight off a crew like mine with the little strength ya have?" He turned to the pirate crew that I just noticed was watching what was happening. "Get that paint brush," he ordered.

     The loyal crew did just as Woodbeak had ordered, and pulled the paintbrush out of the Shoyru's hands.

     "Turn this 'er ship around. We be headin' to Neopia Central.

     "Now what shall I do with you?" Captain Woodbeak turned back to Kera who was still fighting the Elephante and Grarrl.

     Kera stopped struggling for a few seconds and said, "First I would like it if you gave me back that paint brush." She stared at Captain Woodbeak's unwilling face. "Please," she added.

     Captain Woodbeak began walking away with the pirates holding Kera in place. She batted the pirates with her wings and did her best to yank herself away, but there was no use.

     "What shall I do with ya?" Captain Woodbeak said as if he was talking to himself. "Maybe I should jus' throw ya overboard?" He smacked himself with his wing. "No, no, what am I thinking? I remember what happened last time, but I don't want to deal with killing her." Captain Woodbeak stared out into the ocean, wondering what he should do.

     This was my cue. It was my job to go down and save Kera. I had to go. I rushed over to the side, and with the squeaky wood, Captain Woodbeak turned around immediately, and looked up, not at me but up. I knew that the captain was telling me not to do anything, so I listened. Maybe this wasn't my cue exactly yet.

     "I will lock ya away. I will lock ya in a room where nobody could get to you, not even a pirate. You will stay there without food or water. That way you shall get yer punishment." Captain Woodbeak spoke to Kera in a very evil voice. "Have fun," he said as the pirates dragged them away.

     I couldn't stand watching any longer. I leaped out of the crows nest and practically fell onto the boat. As fast as I could, I ran toward Kera who was being dragged into the empty room we occasionally used. I moved quickly, at the full speed that I had to use often lately. I was almost there. Almost there. I wasn't going to say her name to get her attention, because everybody would notice me. I was supposed to be invisible, so they wouldn't see me snatch the Shoyru away from the two stupid pirates. Apparently I was a little too invisible however, because the door slammed right in my face.

To be continued...