The early morning sun was rising high above the horizon. Growls and roars could be heard for miles around from animals desperately trying to get the bright light out of their eyes.

Acacia trees lifted their morning scent into the air, which was smelled by all. Some small reptiles flapped their silvery wings high above the rest of the sleeping animals on the ground.

A Raptor opened one eye, closed it, then opened it again. He got up and stretched his weary legs.  He yawned out what sounded like a roar. Dazed by the sunlight, he flopped back down on the ground. But he didn't stay down for long. The heat really burned his leathery skin.

He finally stood up, and stretched again. Looking over at the majesty before him, he smiled.

Wircada. What a beautiful planet. Nothing but open plains and acacia trees to blanket the ground. No one but Dragons and some Raptors lived there, with the exception of a few smaller reptiles. All carnivores, and no herbivorous species. The only thing there to eat was Golden Flesh, which was a golden type of animal, which roamed the whole planet over. The carnivores never ate each other, because that would make all the others eat each other, and so on. So everyone here lived in peace. 'Peace,' thought the Raptor. 'What does it really mean to me?'

He sighed, and turned around.

"Tibetho! Wake up! The bright sun has risen! Come on, don't oversleep again!" he yelled to the Raptor, who was resting on a rock on a hill right behind him.

Tibetho opened one eye and groaned. "When is he gonna stop making me wake up?" he quietly muttered.

Nudari, the first Raptor, waited as Tibetho slowly and gradually lifted his tired body off of the ground. Tibetho yawned and lumbered down the hill.

"C'mon! Let's go!" said Nudari excitedly as he pranced all around him.

"Nudari, you're grown up. I'm grown up. Don't you think we're a little too old to play these games anymore?" asked Tibetho in his usual morning voice.

"Aww... come on! No one's too old to play games! Come on, I'll race ya!" cried Nudari as he leaped over Tibetho's head.

Tibetho sighed, and finally agreed.

"Come on! Race ya to that tree!" yelled Nudari as he pointed to a nearby acacia happily.

Nudari and Tibetho lined up at the starting line, which was a line that Nudari carved in the dirt, and when Nudari yelled "GO!" the race was on. And, as usual, Nudari won.

"Ha ha!  Beat'cha again!" Nudari pronounced in Tibetho's face.

Tibetho just sighed, and they both walked into the distance together, with Nudari's excited yelping and barking. They were best friends, but sometimes Nudari just got on peoples' nerves.

From a distance, Mgobu watched as the two friends walked around in his kingdom.

Mgobu was the king of the planet Wircada, and a very loyal and fair one at that. He always was friendly with his people, and only got stern when things got very messy. He was also a Raptor, and the biggest and most powerful there ever lived. He lived in a rock castle, which was shaped more like a domed rock than castle, with his wife, Lisara, and his children, Buka and Weshi. All admired him, none hated him, and he was one of the lucky kings of this kingdom because of that.

There was one other soul who lived with him and his family in his great castle: Bowser, former King of the Koopas. He left the Mushroom Kingdom many years ago, when his children grew up and he had nothing else to do, nowhere else to turn to. He just exiled, and never wanted to come back. After teleporting from a portal and falling onto Wircada, he was found by Mgobu and taken care of by him and his family. They grew to love him, and he had lived with them ever since.

Mgobu was standing high on the balcony of his castle, still admiring the morning view. Nudari and Tibetho disappeared, and no other animal was outside except Mgobu.

"What a kingdom. My kingdom. The one I grew to love for so many years. And the one I will love for so many years that will come. Nothing has ever been so perfect," he said quietly in his low, kingly voice. Just that moment, Lisara walked up to him and rubbed his cheek.

"Good morning, early bird. Waking up so early again, huh? Why don't you ever sleep for at least an hour longer? Like Bowser?" she asked sarcastically.

Mgobu slyly grinned, and turned to his wife.

"A king's gotta do what he's gotta do," said Mgobu in a very smart manner. They both smiled, and looked at the horizon. In a few minutes, Weshi ran up to them.

"Dad, what are we gonna do today?" she asked.

Mgobu sighed and said, "Well, you can go ahead and play with your brother. Me and your mother have some important work to do."

Weshi shook her head, because her father always said that phrase, but he never did anything really important. He just did his usual exercise of roaming the plains and talking to fellow citizens. And her mother just lay in the sun, baking her own skin. There was a water hole nearby, and sometimes she would take a nice long dip. Weshi just sighed, and turned around to wake up Buka.

"Buka! Wake up!" Weshi yelled in her brother's ear, nudging him hard.

Buka growled, and stretched his claws to their farthest.

"Man, you have to bother me? Go bother Bowser or somethin'. I'm tired."

Weshi playfully bit him in his neck.

"Oh, all right," he scowled. Buka got up, and the two cubs played throughout the entire morning. Mgobu watched them, smiling.

Lisara yawned, and said, "They grow up so fast, don't they?"

Mgobu stared at the Raptorlings, and said, "Yes, they do. Maybe too fast." Lisara and Mgobu walked back into their cavern, and continued talking about their children.

A mile away, Mokoti, a little, speedy messenger Dragon, flapped his golden wings as fast as they could fly. He was about the size of a toucan, and always talked just a little too fast for Mgobu to hear. Mokoti was on an important mission: to tell Mgobu about a small situation in these parts of Wircada. Finally, after flying for fifteen minutes, he saw the colossal dome structure.

"I... I'm always... too slow! Yeah... Mgobu... had to pick... ME... to be his... messenger... Dragon."

He soared toward the castle, and then glided to a steady landing on the ground. His little feet carried him to the foot of a cave's entrance.

"Sire! Siiiiirrrreee!" he yelled into the cavern.

Mgobu heard the call and quickly stepped out. He found Mokoti, on the ground, panting.

"Mokoti! What's wrong? Is there trouble?" he asked anxiously.

Lisara, hearing this, quickly got up and walked out of the cave. She and Mgobu waited for the news.

"I got some news from a fellow Raptor, Aseri, and he said that there was some trouble!"

Lisara and Mgobu gasped.

"Trouble?!" they said together.

"Yes! Aseri said that there was a food shortage near the Four Falls! He also said that some other Raptors and Dragons had trouble finding food elsewhere, in Pikeli's Peaks and some other areas!" explained Mokoti, trying to catch his breath.

Mgobu stared at him in shock.

"What do you mean, food shortage?! How can we have a food shortage?" he asked.

"I don't know how, sire," replied Mokoti.

"Is this the first time this happened? To our 'never ending' supply of Golden Flesh?" he asked.

"Yes, sire! The first ever!" Mokoti said.

"We must do something! But what?" asked Mgobu.

"Well, maybe we can migrate to other areas of Wircada and find food there! Because if we stay here, we will soon run out of food, and there won't be enough to eat. Raptors, Dragons and everyone else will definitely be wiped out!" suggested Lisara.

Mgobu's eyes lit up.

"You're right! That's what we'll do! Mokoti! Organize every Raptor and Dragon in these parts of Wircada! We will start a search party of at least a hundred Raptors to find more Golden Flesh up north! Bowser and I will lead," said Mgobu seriously to Mokoti.

"Yes, sire! But are you sure you want to go now, because it's so early and not many Raptors are ready," said Mokoti, taking off and circling them a few times.

Mgobu looked at his feet, then at Mokoti.

"Yes, but some are."

Mokoti sighed, and flew off into the distance.

"Meeting! King Mgobu's declared a meeting!" yelled Mokoti as he glided across the sky. Raptors lifted their heads, and Dragons landed on the ground from their morning flights.

"Meeting? Where?" asked one Raptor.

Mokoti circled around him while saying, "At the castle!"

Raptors and Dragons banded together while Mokoti led them to the castle. Mgobu walked out of the hole of an entrance, and checked to make sure everyone was there. He cleared his throat very loudly.

"Attention! We have a crisis to deal with!" he announced as loudly as he could so everyone could hear. Some animals gasped and mumbled something.

"As some of you may know, we have some food shortages in some parts of Wircada. The queen and I have decided that in order to keep everyone healthy, we all must migrate to a land known as Paradise Valley. There you will find as much Golden Flesh as you need. Possibly, we might migrate back if times get better. For now, we must get together in a great band for safety and so no one will be left behind. The leaders will be Bowser and me. Now, get together and talk about who will go where."

Everyone gasped and talked about the situation. Bowser, who had just gotten up, walked sleepily out of his den.

"Migrating? Leaders? I'll be a leader, with you?" he asked.

"Yes," said Mgobu. "We will leave this afternoon."

After much decision-making, Mgobu got everyone ready. He and Bowser were together in the front. Lisara and the other females, Raptor or Dragon, were right behind them. The Raptorlings, including Mgobu's, and the Dragonlings were behind the females. All the other males of the area were the last. Mgobu noticed that there were only two other Koopas on the whole planet, Mibura and Kisota. The two walked up to Mgobu and Kisota asked if he could possibly assist Bowser in the quest. Of course Mgobu said yes. Mibura stayed with the other females.

"Bowser, we will find food. Isn't that right?" asked Kisota with his low and strong voice.

Bowser sighed, and said, "Yes, Kisota, we'll find it. I swear."

Kisota grinned, and looked ahead. His blue hair wafted in the breeze, and his green scaly skin shone in the sunlight. He was much older than Bowser, and helped him throughout his tough times when he first got to Wircada with him. He must help him this time as well.

"All listen! There will be no fighting, pushing, or even quibbling over anything! We must work together as a group, to find the food that we need! Are there any questions?" asked Mgobu, surveying the groups.

A young male Raptor walked up to him and asked, "Are we going to eat anything along the way?"

Mgobu smiled. "Yes, Forna, we will eat something. Whether it be Golden Flesh or not, we must eat what we find. Even if we don't like it."

Forna smiled, and stepped back.

A young female Raptor perked her head up and said, "How long will this trip last?"

Mgobu looked for her, and finally found her among the others. "Well, dear Dalsoti, it may take us a long time, or it may take us a short time. I don't know. No one knows. But if all goes as planned, we will be most likely to reach Paradise Valley in about a week."

"A... WEEK?" asked Bowser, swirling around.

Mgobu turned to him and said, "Yes, a week. We will not stop for long periods of time."

"But... but who's gonna hunt? Who's gonna... well... oh, never mind. Just let's get on with it." Bowser sighed, and sat down on a rock.

Mgobu sat down beside him. He looked him straight in the eyes.

"Bowser, this trip is for everyone. It is for our best. You know that the land is running out of Golden Flesh, don't you? We all must take responsibility in this crucial journey. You and I are the ones that lead all the Raptors and Dragons to Paradise Valley, and you must have confidence. I know I do." He looked ahead at the distant valleys and mountains. Would they make it in time? Was it worth it? Of course it was.

A few minutes later, everyone began moving. This was going to be the biggest, and the only, migration that the animals of Wircada had ever made. Over one hundred Raptors, Dragons, and their children made up the huge clan. Mgobu moved forward with pride, and his chest high in the air.  Bowser was right behind him, trembling a little. He didn't know what they were gonna run into, or if everyone was gonna make it. He had heard about stories of animals dying in many migrations. He hoped nothing would happen in this one.

Mgobu turned around and stopped. After he stopped, the clan stopped, and some talking started.

"Why have we stopped, King Mgobu?" asked Dalsoti from the back.

"There's something just not right with Bowser," replied Mgobu.

"What's wrong, King Bowser?" Dalsoti asked again. Bowser just sighed. Mgobu put his hand on his shoulder and asked, "What's wrong?"

Bowser looked up at him, and quietly said, "I just don't want to go."

"But why?" asked Mgobu, a bit worried.

"I'm scared," replied Bowser, a small tear forming in his eye.

"Scared? Of what?" asked Mgobu.

"What if we don't make it? What if we all die?" yelled Bowser, so everyone could hear.

Numerous gasps and mumbling broke out among the travelers. Mgobu stepped back a few paces.

"We? All die? Bowser, don't be so pessimistic!" he said.

"I just don't know what to do anymore," muttered Bowser under his flaming breath.

Suddenly, a soft music seemed to fill the air around him, and the wind picked up a bit. He heard what sounded like a flute, playing a gentle high pitch of excitement. Mgobu started to sing in a high voice quite different from his real one.

"When life shows a difficult situation,
And you think that you'll never break free,
Just look inside,
Don't you dare even hide!
You've always got to believe in yourself!"

(Chorus) "Believe in yourself!"

Bowser: "I cannot live like this any longer,
It hurts me, and I don't know what to do!
I've tried and I tried
I feel bad inside!
And there's nothing that can ever change!"

Mgobu: "My friend, you show,
The pain that we know,
Through our lives, we always must do
Whatever we could,
To heal the burning wounds of ever lost hope!!!"

(Chorus) "Believe in yourself, you gotta belieeeeeve in yourself,
The raging pain of a heart so broken!"

Bowser: "Believe!  How can I believe?!
I had so many bad times,
And never any good times!"

Mgobu: "Just throw away your memories
Of the painful, burning past,
And come with us
To make you new ones,
To keep with you FOREVER!!!"

(Chorus) "Believe in yourself, you can make it!
Believe, and reach for the sky!
We're always as one,
When time has begun,
You must believe to live on!
LIVE ON!!!"

Mgobu: "Yes, believe!
If you believe in yourself,
You'll achieve what you're looking for,
And nothing will stand in your way!
Come on, my friend, we have to journey together,
We're two birds of a feather!"

Bowser: "YES!  That's what I'll do!
I proved myself wrong!
Every single one of us is connected
Every waaaaaay!
We can make it anytime, journey long or short,
Our ancestors are counting on us,
I just have to believe!"

Mgobu: "Believe! Believe! Night and day,
Believing's done in every way!
We must follow the footsteps
Of the ones before us,
The ones who achieve, the ones who believe!"

(Chorus) "Oooohh! Believe! And reach out stronger,
Believe, and your life will grow longer,
We all face journeys and adventures,
Never quitting, always living,
Power will hold us, together they told us!"

Bowser: "We'll never live into the life of tomorrow,
If we don't succeed this expedition,
I have lived a life of pure sorrow,
But now I must face,
A Raptor's saving grace!"

Mgobu and Bowser: "Believe in yourself, oh why don't you,
We all face the hardships,
Journeys, friends, and partnerships!"

(Chorus): "Believe, and reach out stronger,
Believe, and your life will grow longer,
We all face journeys and adventures,
Never quitting, always living,
Power will hold us, together they told us!"

Everyone: "The strength together is out of this world,
But the power we know,
The power we show!
Believe in yourself, oh just believe in yourself,
And you will survive!"

The music started to fade out.

"So you see, Bowser, if you just believe that you can make it, you will. We all are one. All of us together as a whole can withstand any obstacles. You just have to try, and never give up," explained Mgobu.

"Yeah, I guess so. So let's go!" yelled Bowser, waving a fist in the air.

Yells, whistles, and screams were immediately heard among the crowd. The animals jumped up and down and were anxious to get going. They did know that it was going to be hard, but they were gonna make it. Raptors and their types have always been masters of migration. Koopas were, unfortunately, not. Bowser was still a little bit worried, but his friend helped him.

The journey had begun. In a matter of minutes, the pack was over several hills. Kisota ran up to Bowser.

"Hey buddy. We're doing pretty well, eh?" he asked.

"Yeah, I guess so," said Bowser, sighing.

"Aww... come on. We'll be alright."

Kisota and Bowser walked together, while Mgobu, in front, surveyed the upcoming terrain.

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