All Hands On Deck (1): Something To Prove

Please Note: This story is directly related to the events of my other story, "The Quest for the Golden Puffle 2."  You can read part one of nine of that story here.

Captain Rockhopper stood at the bow of his ship, gazing into the ocean, which was a vibrant blue.  The year was 1991.  He was a young, red penguin.  At this point in his life, the wrinkles of age, the dirty, leather coat, and the hard, yet kind expression on his face were yet to be found.  Instead, this Rockhopper was full of youth and, if he was being completely honest, anxiety.

They had called him a fool when he sold his igloo and built a ship.  The idea of leaving Club Penguin Island behind was ridiculous.  No one knew what was out there.  No one really wanted to know.

Except for Rockhopper.

He thirst for adventure and wasn't going to let anyone stop him.  He set off and was on his way to......somewhere.

He had a lot to prove.  He figured they had already chalked him off as a mad man.  If he didn't return to the island out of fear or lack of preparation after a few days, he thought they would believe he had simply succumbed to the danger of the outside world.  He had to show them that he was brave and smart.

Rockhopper snapped back into focus.  He would often find himself like this - day-dreaming for long periods of time without soaking in his surroundings.  He chalked it up to the fact he didn't have a shipmate to talk to.  It would of course be several years before that problem was aided.

Unlike previous times when he had taken a vacation into the back of his mind, things were not the same when he returned.  He wasn't staring at that beautiful, wide, lonely ocean anymore.  Instead, his ship was being blown forward to an island full of tropical trees at an incredible speed.

He ran to the wheel of the ship, hoping he could steer his ship around quickly.

But, no.

The ship hit the hard ground of the island with loud crack.  The ship began to tilt as the cracking continued until, finally, it all stopped.

No longer was there a harsh wind.  Now, the sound of the light waves entered his ears and there was nothing else to fill them.

He sighed for a moment and then retrieved his tool box.  He jumped off the side of the ship and saw a gaping hole in the front.  He could fix it, but it would be a while.

And, so it did.  Rockhopper used the abundant supply of tropical trees on the green island to his advantage.  He cut down trees and crafted boards which he then nailed to his ship.  He was careful not to go to far into the forest; much of the task was done in the dark of night and the forest was dark and gloomy in the day, anyway.  Going in after sunset meant sure trouble.  This feeling of fear, though reasonable, once again made Rockhopper think of what he had to prove......and what he honestly didn't know if he could.

When his job was done, Rockhopper sat down and rested.  As he fell asleep, he wondered how he was going to get the ship back to sea.  He figured that he would deal with that when the time came.

It was afternoon when he awoke.  It took a moment for him to remember the circumstances of his situation.  He watched his boat bob on the beautiful, diamond blue water as his eyes adjusted.

But, there was problem: the boat wasn't just bobbing.

Rockhopper sat up with a start as the realization hit him; his boat was moving back out to sea without him on it.  The back of the ship was heading forward as the front came along for the ride.

To Be Continued