I was sailing the seas for treasure. So far it had been a calm journey. The skies were clear and sunny, and there was a perfect breeze blowing, carrying my raft along quite fast. Then, quite suddenly, a dark thundercloud appeared on the horizon. It was moving very fast, so it quickly caught up to my raft. Soon I was in a whirlwind of confusion. My rafts' mast broke in two from the pressure of the howling wind. All I could do was huddle near the center of the raft and hope that no lightning bolts hit my raft. Luckily, no lightning bolts did. The huge waves did the lightnings' job for it. The raft was snapped in half, which caused the binding to come undone. Soon, I was clinging desperately to a broken log while the wind and waves played catch with me. I was mercilessly tossed about by the storm. The last thing I remembered was an enormous wave towering above me. I awoke next to the broken log, with my paws and arms still in a death grip around it. I certainly felt like I had been in a storm. My head was pounding, and the rest of my body felt like it had been pelted by sharp rocks. I tried to climb onto the log, but it was too slippery. I slowly lifted my aching head. I felt horribly dizzy. Groaning, I looked around for some sign of land, but none was in sight. There was only water as far as the eye could see. If I didn't have food or water in a day or two, I would surely perish from thirst or starvation. But it was too much energy to hold my head up. I leant my head against the log. This time, before passing out, I managed to secure my paws to the log with some rope floating nearby. After this effort, I succumbed to my unconscious. Suddenly, I woke up. I was being washed painfully against some rocks. I scrambled quickly up onto them the next time I hit them. My head felt better, but my wrists were horribly chafed from the rope. Using my dagger, I managed to severe my connection with the log. As I watched it drift out to sea, I felt an arrow being held against my neck I shifted my head slightly to see my threatener. I was so surprised that I dropped the dagger I was holding and whipped around, regardless of the arrow and bow. "Kinny! Me old pal! I 'aven't seen yer in ages!" I yelled. The hedgehog looked at me, confounded. "Vaikasa? Vaikasa Darkpaw? Is it really you? I can't believe it! I remember you from dibbun-hood!" Kinny had been a prisoner of my father (when I was still a dibbun), captured on a sea voyage. Kinny had been chained to the wall of our den. Curious, I had taken a key which lay on the table, and unlocked the manacles that held Kinny. Unlike most goodbeasts would do, Kinny started playing with me. We soon became fast friends. My father came home from his voyages to find us playing happily together. My father adopted Kinny. Unfortunately, Kinny and I went our separate ways. I hadn't seen her for almost 30 seasons! We went back to Kinny's home, where she lived with her warrior friends, a band of other hedgehogs and some weasels and minks. I was given a hearty welcome along with a meal. I stayed with Kinny for several weeks. Then, one day, Kinny came up to me with a small, tattered map. "Here you are," she said, handing me the map. "You can't stay here forever, I guess. I expect you'll want to get back to the Fort you told me about. Well, you'll now know where I am when you want to see me. I'll give you a ship to sail on. In fact, I'll escort you myself." I looked down at the map. It was detailed in a faded brown ink, showing the exact whereabouts of every single island for quite a whiles out. Each island was labeled differently: "Home of the shrew tribe-beware" and "Big vermin Fort here" with a carefully drawn picture of a big black fort, which I recognized as Fort Nightshade. It even had the location of my storm, written there "Stormy place, stay clear" Everything was so clearly drawn out. I noticed that the writing was sometimes unlike the other in different places. Kinny smiled. "Feel free to label any other places you happen to find. If you know someone who might be more in need of it then pass it along. Tell them what I am telling you. And don't destroy it or anything. This map has been handed along from sea farer to wanderer to sea farer and all over again since the beginning of time. Now let's get going. We want to get back to your Fort, don't we?" I had a pleasant journey along with Kinny. I tucked my map safely in my pouch for the whole time. I arrived back at the Fort safely and, after saying farewell to Kinny, I went about my usual business. I have used that map quite often since I got it, and several times it has saved my life. I've added quite a few places to it from my wandering adventures, and am sure that it will one day help another animal or two. I have long since passed it along to an adventurous young stoat who wanted to see the world and no doubt he has added many of his own life's travels to its face. And given it to some other animal to use and add on to, as well. There are probably many new handwritings on it, but I know that there remains a handwriting that marks it as once being in the paws of Vaikasa Darkpaw. I only hope that the map will always keep up its travels and adventures, being helpful to all who use it. If you ever see it, you might remember to ask if you might give it a bit of your own story, too.