Hannah and the Pirate Boy: Curse of the Medallion - Part One

      "Armin," she called, still staring out the window.

      "Yes, Hannah?" The yellow Bori sauntered into the room.

     "Do you think the weather is going to clear?" Hannah turned around and stared at her partner.

     "I dunno," he shrugged, coming up next to her. "You never can tell."

     It had been a while since Hannah had aided Armin in defeating the Bringer. Along the way, they had befriended a mysterious Gelert. Not at first, though. He started out as part of the Thieves Guild, to scam Hannah, but eventually, he turned. Now she and Armin were living normal lives, wondering what their next adventure would be.

     "I would really like to visit Krawk Island sometime," Hannah stated, turning back to the window.

     "What for?" Armin asked, confused. "Don't you like it here?"

     "Yes." She nodded. "But, Armin, I NEED adventure. I can't live like this. There's just not enough excitement here. Besides, I'd just love to go snooping in another pirate cave."

     Her eyes followed a large snowflake as it drifted to the ground. Before her eyes, the flakes had started to twirl faster in the air, making the mountains difficult to see.

     "Hannah!" Armin exclaimed.

     "What? Aren't you curious? I mean, you've never been in a pirate cave before. They are so different from your ice caves." Hannah strode over to her chair and plopped herself in it, brushing her long brown hair out of her face.

     "Well, I guess I am," Armin admitted. The Usul smiled in satisfaction, partially from Armin's curiosity, and partially from Armin's confused look.

     The fireplace glowed brightly with the red and yellow flames. It produced a numerous amount of heat in order to warm the Neohome.

     Outside, the snow was falling and swirling so fast that nothing was visible through the ever-moving, white wall.

     "Whaddya say?" Hannah looked hopefully at Armin.

     "I guess I'm up for an adventure again," he agreed. Hannah beamed.

     Just then, a loud and constant banging noise-coming from the door-shook the Neohome.

     "What in Neopia...?" Hannah jumped from her seat, startled.

     Armin started, snapping his eyes on the door.

     The Neohome rattled again as another chorus of bangs came from the door.

     "Hurry! Please... open quickly, Hannah! Hurry!" a shadowy voice yelled loudly, as if frightened, from the outside.

     Hannah hurried over to the door, followed by Armin, and thrust the door open wide.

     A tall figure stumbled into the room, bringing a swirling frenzy of snowflakes with him.

     A huge black cloak covered his body, along with his hooded face, but Hannah and Armin already knew who it was.

     "Kanrik! Goodness, what happened?" Hannah asked urgently.

     Kanrik flipped his hood down, revealing his scarred face and serious eyes. Eyes that seemed to captivate Hannah every time she gazed into them.

     The blue Gelert spoke quickly. "Hannah, there's a huge storm brewing out there," he said, calming himself down.

     Both Hannah and Armin looked towards the window and saw that he was right.

     "But Kanrik, that's not bad. We've dealt with storms like this before," Armin said.

     "Yes, Armin, but this storm is different." Kanrik set his eyes on the little Bori. "It's not just here. All of Neopia is storming, severely. The Haunted Woods: trees are going down by the minute, the Lost Desert: people can hardly see through the raging sandstorms, Krawk Island: the waves are huge there and are sinking harbored ships. Every place in Neopia is going through this. Even Kreludor. No one knows for sure what's going on up there, but the Grundos are acting totally strange."

     Hannah slumped in her chair, flabbergasted. Armin staggered backwards, amazed.

     "And Hannah, someone is trapped in one of the ice caves. A young Aisha. We need your help. And Armin's too."

     "Of course," Armin and Hannah said at the same time, jumping up.

     They readied themselves, grabbing ropes, grappling hooks, their warm coats, and other equipment.

     Then they set out into the storm, struggling to get through the blasting snow.

 ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

      "Hard! Veer left, you dogs! Go hard! Watch it on the port side. No, turn to the starboard side!" A young Usul captain's cries from the crow's nest to his crew did no good. In some Neopet's eyes, the young captain was only a boy turned to piracy.

     "It's no good, Garin!" his best friend, a red Kyrii, shouted loudly from the ratlines through the driving rain.

     The ship, the Black Pawkeet jolted and pitched in the violent waves. As it plummeted some twenty feet over the crest of another wave, Garin grasped the main mast firmly. His best friend clung to the shrouds.

     Garin was soaked head to foot. He wiped a wet clump of his blond hair out of his eyes and tried to see through the darkness.

     "Rocks on the port side!" he screamed, unwilling to give up. "Oh, by Neopia!" he muttered and hoisted himself out of the crow's nest and-almost falling-went down the ratlines, landed hard on the deck, and bolted for the Black Pawkeet's wheel.

     Jacques jumped down after him.

     Garin shoved a Shoyru out of the way and took control. He jerked the wheel hard to the left. Jacques clung to a rope and tried not to be swept over with the next wave.

     "Furl the sails!" Garin bellowed, his voice growing hoarse. To his dismay, none of his crew heard. "Jacques," he shrieked. "You've got to try and get them to furl the sails. Please!" His voice had never cracked so much in his life.

     "Aye, Captain," Jacques said urgently, letting go of the rope and making his way to a cluster of the crew. "Listen, mates. You've got to listen. The Captain said to furl all sails!" he yelled. "Hear me? Furl all sails!"

     Instantly, the crew came alive. They ran up the shrouds agilely and started to fasten the sails to the masts.

     A hint of hope cracked on Garin's face. Maybe it wasn't hopeless.

     "Garin!" Jacques shrieked. "Shoals, to the starboard!"

     Garin spun the wheel to the right. "If the waves don't drown us, the shoals of Krawk Island will," he muttered, wiping water out of his blue eyes.

     Suddenly, the Black Pawkeet creaked and groaned. Garin's eyes flew up to one of the masts in horror.

     "Jacques, the gales are too strong! She can't take the pressure. Tell the crew to get those sails furled, now!" Garin screamed.

     Jacques yelled loudly to the crew, but it was useless. The rain and the wind made it too difficult for them to go any faster.

     "I'm not giving up without a fight." Garin gritted his teeth. "Jacques, take her wheel!" he yelled loudly.

     Jacques looked startled, but followed his Captain's orders.

     "Talak!" Garin shouted to an orange Wocky. "Help Jacques."

     "Aye, aye, Captain," Talak replied and ran to help hold the wheel steady.

     With that, Garin bolted and scurried up the shrouds of the mast. As he was going up, his crew members were coming down, frightened.

     "What are you dogs doing?" he shouted. "You're supposed to be furling the sails."

     "Sorry, Cap'n," a Buzz apologized. A Krawk nodded. "The sails won't stay down. It's useless."

     "Then you'd give up on the Black Pawkeet so easily?" Garin drove his eyes into the Krawk's, infuriated. "This is your home, your life! You've got to help!"

     They lingered for a moment, and then, turning their eyes away in humiliation, jumped down the shrouds.

     "Yep, you've got real supporters on this crew, Garin," he said to himself, furiously climbing up the ratlines. "Oh, they're real heroes," he muttered sarcastically.

     Before continuing, Garin's body was racked with a violent cough as he inhaled a large amount of rainwater pouring off of the mast. Garin leaned over and opened his mouth, spitting up a lot of water. Then he continued on, not stopping.

     "I've got to make it. I need to tie that stupid sail down!"

     Then, right under him, the Black Pawkeet lurched to the side from another wave. She plunged. Everything caught Garin unprepared. The shrouds jerked out of his fingers and he fell, disappearing into the raging waters.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

     "Hang on, Hannah. I've got you!" Armin shouted, grasping her paw and hoisting her up over the ledge.

     The three could barely see their paws if they were to hold them out. Everything was drowned in the white snow.

     "Thanks. Where is that ice cave?" She looked around, trying to see.

     "It's up ahead," Kanrik said. "But it's totally been covered up. Another minor avalanche did it." He pulled himself up over the ledge next to Hannah.

     The wind whipped around them, nipping at their faces with it's cold bite. It blew large flurries of snowflakes.

     "Kanrik, you don't - by any chance - know what's causing these storms... do you?" Armin asked.

     "I'm sorry, I don't," he answered.

     They made their way carefully along Terror Mountain.

     "There it is!" Kanrik pointed to a pile of ice chunks.

     "Great, how in Neopia are we supposed to get in there?" Hannah looked at the huge chunks. She tapped it with her knuckle. "It's as solid as a rock."

     Armin smiled. "Leave that to me, my friends."

     Without another word, the Bori strode forward and started to dig, surprising both Hannah and Kanrik. Soon, he had created a clean hole through.

     "Come on." He poked his head out.

     "I'm not sure if I'll fit through that," said Kanrik. "I'll have to stay behind."

     Hannah looked at him uncertainly, but then turned to Armin and got on her paws and knees. Her brown hair slipped over her shoulder. Kanrik watched her disappear into the hole with a feeling of worry.

     "She's a little Aisha... a little Aisha," he called after them to make sure they had it clear.

     "Thanks, Kanrik," Hannah called back.

     Hannah and Armin stood up inside the dark cave. Metallic sounds echoed through the cave as small water droplets dripped from the frozen stalactites. The cave seemed to go on forever.

     "Hello?" Armin cupped his paws to his snout.

     "Armin, don't!" Hannah hissed as his shout vibrated the cave. Small ice chunks fell from the ceiling, but everything stayed stable. "You of all Neopets should know to be quiet in a cave."

     "Sorry," he said sheepishly.

     "We're going to have to search farther into the cave. She probably got lost in here."

     "Okay," Armin agreed.

To be continued...