Yo Ho Yo Ho, A Plushie's Life For Me: Part Three

I looked around at my options. I could go through the scary forest where I might encounter a monster like Balthazar and meet the demise of my short lived life, or I could climb the mountain, which surely should be easier since there were more stories of successful mountaineering than trampling through dark, scary forests. I could pretend to be the famous Hannah, climbing mountains successfully with ease.

     I climbed the mountain, which despite its great height was not hard at all to climb. It was as if the stones were laid out purposely as steps. Towards halfway up, snow began to fall upon me, drenching me with frostiness. Climbing also became more difficult as ice formed on many of the rocks. It started to be quite unbearable, and I needed to rest, and to my luck, I found a cave just a few steps farther.

     While shivering and exhausted, I climbed into the cave, immediately feeling relief at being able to relax and sit down where no snow could touch me. I used to love snow with its delicate beauty, but after that climb, I instead felt hatred. Who knew that something so beautiful could be so evil?

     I closed my eyes, ready to feel what sleeping was like for the first time, but I only managed to have them closed for a few seconds for I suddenly felt a big gust of wind. It was not really the wind that startled me, but the fact that the wind was warm when it was supposed to be chilly like the outside weather.

     I opened my eyes warily, for I was so not in the mood for any surprises. When I opened my eyes, I saw one of the most horrifying, yet amazing sights of my life. I have only heard stories about this mystical beast, and Ketarue always talked excitedly about the treasures this beast possessed, but also how it was too dangerous for me to meet him. I was in front of the Snowager himself.

     His home was famous; his blasts were famous; his whole existence was famous, and I was very honored to be sitting before him. Although icy mist seeped from his nostrils, I felt not a drop of fear in my body. To the surprise of the Snowager, I jumped up and ran over to hug him.

     I clung to him like Ketarue used to hold me. The Snowager looked so uncomfortable by my sudden display of affection, and that made me giggle. He tried to shake me off, but it had appeared I had become frozen to him. After all, he was made of ice, and I was soaked from the melted snow. Snowager was not very friendly, but I did not mind, and I started to chatter a speech about how wonderful he was.

     "I have heard endless amounts of stories about you, Mr. Snowager!" I started. "I have always wanted to meet you and it is such an honor to finally be here... with you! Ketarue was never allowed to meet you because of your hostility to intruders, and Ketarue never ever would let me out of his sight, or at least he used to never. Well anyways, I finally am here next to you! Stuck to you! Frozen like best friends! Do you know what I admire the most about you? You fend for yourself! With all your treasures, I am sure you could hire some guards to help protect everything, but no, you fight everyone off yourself. Of course you do not always succeed, but oh boy, do you put up a great fight with your icy blast and everything. You are an inspiration! ..."

     During the middle of my speech of admiration, the Snowager suddenly came down at my head with his mouth wide open, ready to bite me.

          ---{A REAL Pirate!}---

     Before his teeth could sink into my delicate fabric, I shouted out, "Whoa whoa whoa WHOA! What are you doing? Are you going to eat me?"

     The Snowager stopped himself and replied as if annoyed, "I will if you keep talking. I do not live to be admired, so stop your compliments. I do not want to hear them."

     I frowned at his response and immediately washed away any awe I felt towards his grandness. I crossed my arms and huffed, "Fine. Then what are we going to do? I do not want to stay here forever with someone as unkind as you."

     The Snowager smiled at this simple insult and shrugged. He responded, "I suppose we could just wait for someone to come here and steal my treasures. I will promise not to blast them, if they promise to defrost you from me."

     For someone to come... For anyone to come... I then realized, Ketarue's family visited the Snowager daily, and when his father would show up, he would be able to take me back! I waited with excitement, for I was positive his father would show up any second. When seconds passed, I waited minutes, and soon hours, with my patience never wavering.

     Hours later, in the distance, I saw a shadow creeping up into the cave. The excitement inside me boiled as the shadow came closer and closer. The Snowager seemed to have dozed off, so I began tapping his stomach in attempts to wake up. I have succeeded, and as his response to the tapping, he blasted at the cave entrance. All the clear-ish blue crystals rushing out of his mouth like that was beautiful. His roar that accompanied the crystals was magnificent and echoed in the cave. Unfortunately for the Snowager, a little bit of admiration from me was reigniting.

     "Arrggg, avast *{stop}! It be I, you twit! I ain't here to steal yer booty *{treasure}," shouted a voice I did not recognize. The Snowager squinted his eyes at the slowly approaching figure and responded, "Vems? What are you doing here? And could you please not speak in your nonsense pirate talk? You know it annoys me."

     As soon as Vems walked out of the shadows, I was able to see him. He was a pirate Zafara with an actual, real eye patch. I stared at him with admiration as he limped closer to the Snowager. Perhaps Vems was like legendary pirate Long John Kiko who caused havoc in the blue seas, or maybe he was like Captain Limebeard who kindly taught Neopia the importance of fruit. I waited with anticipation for him to speak again.

     Vems coughed arrogantly before speaking. "I be talkin' like a pirate whether ye be likin' it or not. However, I be lyin' when I said I ain't here to steal yer booty. Truth be that the Smuggler's Cove be failin'. Thar has been no swaggy *{ship for looting} on the seas. They all be busy with the Altador Cup or somethin'. We pirates be needin' yer booty to sell, or we be disgraces to piracy. Could ye be a good mate and loan us something mighty grand?"

     The Snowager sighed and began to respond, but I decided to speak before him. "You are an actual pirate! Are you like Long John Kiko? Or Captain Limebeard? I assume Long John Kiko because you said you practice piracy. Nevertheless, you are remarkable! Do you raid treasure off of defenseless boats? Oh wow, that is so cool..."

     The Snowager snarled at me for cutting him off and snapped at Vems, "If you can remove this annoying plushie from me, then yes, I will lend you some of my secret treasure to sell. Just get this thing away from me now!"

     Vems chuckled at the Snowager's anger and knelt down so he was face to face with me. "This may be hurtin' a little," he told me as he suddenly began tugging me to pull me off of the Snowager.

     I screamed in fear, "Nooooooo! I will tear! Please do not pull!" Vems stood up and frowned, stroking his chin with his finger.

     A second later, he raised his hand into the air and exclaimed, "I be knowin' the solution!" From his pocket, Vems pulled out a steaming cup of borovan. The Snowager immediately moved away from Vems and shouted, "And what in Neopia do you plan to do with that!?"

     Vems raised an eyebrow as if it was obvious and stated, "To melt ye a bit. What did ye think I be doin'? Drinkin?'"

     The Snowager hissed at him, "And what made you think that I would allow you to melt me a bit?"

     Again, Vems looked at him as if it was obvious and asked, "Ye be wantin' this guy off ye, right? Besides, ye be snow. Ye can be fixed easily. It only be a bit of ye, really."

     The Snowager looked down at me, and I looked up at him with my charming smile. He groaned and looked at Vems with a stern eye. "Fine, but you will be the one who needs to patch me up," he said.

     Vems shrugged his shoulder and knelt down to slowly pour the cup of borovan where I was stuck. Thankfully, the borovan was not scalding hot, but it was still oddly uncomfortable. "I be done!" shouted Vems. He picked me up, and then said to me, "Ye be mighty cute. Want to be me hearty *{shipmate}?"

     Before I could reply that I would love to, but no thanks for I needed to find Ketarue, the Snowager interrupted me, and shouted, "Yes, oh yes! Take him away on your ship and sail far far away where he is unable to ever venture back."

     I wanted to stop him, but then Vems cut me off too, "Aye, ye landlubber! I be takin' him far far away on me great, big ship! Thank ye for yer booty." And with that, Vems threw some snow on the slight hole he made and took me out of the cave. He was taking me away from my shot of going home.

     Vems took me down a different path than the one I took to climb. While the one I took was deserted and tedious to climb halfway through, the one Vems was taking me along was simple the entire way, for it had an actual smooth, snow paved trail that unraveled downwards with busy shops crowding the sides. I looked at the bustling neopets, searching for my Ketarue.

     I frowned, for I failed to see any sign of him or his family. Vems saw me frown and said in a reassuring voice, "Aye, yer borovan stain. I be positive yer stain will be comin' out with me super, fantastic soap." He obviously misunderstood my frown.

     I sighed and began telling him the real cause of my misery - Ketarue. Surprisingly, for a pirate, Vems listened to every word I said, and by the time I finished talking, we had already reached his ship.

To be continued...