Author’s Note: Before reading this story, I urge you to read my The Journey Home and The Journey Home 2. Although the plot is completely different from those stories, many characters are carried over and it will greatly help your understanding of what’s going on.
Prologue: An Empty Space
A green Yoshi sat in a large meadow outside of his home. A breeze gently swept over the plain, soothing his mind. A gentle squawking noise was carried through the air, as a flock of Goonies flew over idyllic Yoshi’s Island. Not much was wrong on the island. The biggest worry was often what to cook for dinner. Yes, the world seemed completely peaceful and carefree. So why was it that he didn’t feel right? An empty spot was in his heart, one that he had had since childhood. Yes, he loved adventure, and he certainly didn’t have any quarrels with his life, but something was missing. He thought back to his last adventure. He and his new friend had saved the entire village that day. He smiled. He always felt better while thinking of his travels. He hadn’t had one in a very long time.
“It’s been five years…” he said to himself, as he wondered, Will anything ever go wrong again?
“Hey Gloshi, it’s almost time for the Goonie Hunt! You’d better get your stuff ready!”
The green Yoshi smiled and stood up, turning around to face his friend.
“All right, Rosh. I’ll be there in a second.”
The red Yoshi that had called him turned around and ran back to the village. Gloshi paused for a second. Will that empty spot ever be filled? Of course it will. Now, stop thinking about it. You’ve got a big day ahead. This only happens once a year! said his mind as he started to walk back. “Yes, this is a big day. It’s the closest I’ll get to an adventure,” said Gloshi as he walked to the village.
He was greeted by Roshi, his friend for five years. Gloshi couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Roshi with a large backpack on. “What? I’ll need this stuff! We’re going to be gone for a day and a half!” said Roshi, also smiling as he grabbed a few extra berries and shoved them into his pack.
“Are you sure you need all that stuff?” laughed Gloshi with an eyebrow cocked.
“Sure! I’ve got two melons, a day’s ration of berries, and a shooter, plus a pillow, a sleeping bag, a compass, and my Goonie Log. And…” said Roshi as he fished for something in the pack, “this! I bet you don’t know what this does!” said Roshi enthusiastically.
“No, I can’t say I do,” replied Gloshi.
Roshi smiled. It was a small item that looked much like a telescope. He held it up to the light and a bright beam shone through. “This beam makes the Goonies uncomfortable. With this, I can herd the Goonies anywhere! I made it myself,” finished Roshi as he put the item back.
“You’ve turned into quite the inventor, Rosh,” said Gloshi.
“Yeah. I guess it’s my way of keeping my mind busy,” said Roshi.
“I understand.”
A orange-yellow Yoshi poked his head out of a hut. “Hey, boys! Ready for the hunt? I can’t wait!” he said excitedly.
“Yeah, Doshi. I can’t wait either,” said Gloshi.
“What’s wrong? You love the Goonie Hunt!” said Doshi.
“Well, it’s that… lately I’ve been… nothing. Forget it. I’d better go pack,” said Gloshi as the teenager walked out away and into his hut. Gloshi grabbed his pack and started packing his supplies.
“Glo?” came a voice. Gloshi turned around and saw Roshi standing in the doorway. “We’ve known each other since we were twelve. I know you well enough to know that something’s wrong. Don’t try to hide it,” said Roshi in a kind, but determined voice. Gloshi sighed.
“Lately, I’ve been feeling like something’s missing. I’ve had an unfilled space as long as I can remember, but I can’t explain why. I’ve been thinking lately about my parents. I want to know where I came from. I don’t belong here, Roshi.”
“What? Of course you do! You’re a Yoshi!”
“I know. But am I just a Yoshi? You know my special ability. Nobody else can do that. These people are great, but they don’t feel right to me. I’m different. I want adventure. The peaceful life isn’t for me. I have to learn why.”
Roshi was silent for a moment. “I think I might understand. Ever since my parents went missing I… I’ve had an empty space. Nothing has really filled it. It’s hard…” Roshi said as he hung his head and looked like he was about to break down.
Gloshi walked over and put an hand on his shoulder. “You shouldn’t think about that. That was four years ago,” said Gloshi.
“Then why do you think about your parents and where you came from when you don’t even remember?!” said Roshi in an outburst, half shouting, half crying.
“I guess you’re right. We all have unanswered questions. It’s up to us to find out the things we can, and make peace with the things we can’t,” said Gloshi.
Roshi nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat. “You’re right. But I am determined to one day find out what happened,” said Roshi. “See you around the campfire tonight,” he added before walking out the door.
Gloshi sat down on his bed. Yes,
someday I will too.
Gloshi looked outside. The moon was just coming up, and he could hear the other male Yoshis talking. He strapped his backpack onto his saddle and headed outside, to the campfire in the middle of the village. Every male Yoshi 15 or over was invited to come on the Goonie Hunt. Gloshi had enjoyed the event the last two times, and was hoping that this year would be just as good. Maybe it would take his mind off of the empty spot he was feeling...
“I’m going to catch at least five!” bragged one Yoshi as he talked with his friends. Gloshi took his spot, next to Roshi, the only other Yoshi in the village his age.
“ALL RIGHT!” yelled Yoshi over the crowd as the green hero stepped into the circle. “Listen up! You all probably know the drill, but for those of you who are new, I’ll explain it. Every year, just before the harvest moon, all of the Goonies within the Tropacine Circle migrate south for the winter. On their way, they stop at our island, and roost on the other side. So, our job is to go over there and hunt them while they are here, which is only for tomorrow and the next day.. So, we are going to make our way through the east jungle, and around Mt. Snowy, to their roost on the southern slopes of the mountain. I hope you're good with your seed shooters! Now, Noshi will explain the special aspects of the hunt,” finished Yoshi as he sat down and a dark blue Yoshi stood up and walked to the front of the campfire.
“The journey will take three days, one to get there, one to hunt, and one to get back. All of the Goonies you shoot are yours to keep (they make a very good stew), and you are most certainly allowed to work in groups. You are required to log each Goonie you catch, in full sight of one of your companions. Every year, we also give out a prize to the individual that kills the most Goonies. This year, you will receive this!” said Noshi, as Yoshi handed him a sword.
The crowd became ecstatic. The blade was silver coated, so it shone brightly in the light of the campfire. The hilt was solid gold, and finely decorated, with an jade egg in the middle. The jade egg glowed when the light shone through it.
“This was found in an old boat wreck that was buried under the beach. We recently found the boat, intact, with this in it. I don’t know where it came from, but the boat looked similar to our own,” explained Noshi, to the awe of the crowd. Yoshi stood up beside him. “This is the best prize we’ve ever given out, so work extra hard this year if you want this over your fireplace! You all are welcome to stay up as late as you would like, but remember that you’re going to need all the sleep you can get for the next three days. See you tomorrow morning!” finished Noshi as he and Yoshi walked away and started to spread out their sleeping bags.
The rest of the Yoshis followed. Gloshi sat still, not doing anything, with a look that said “I’m thinking”. Roshi paid no attention that, though. “Hey, Gloshi? What’s wrong?” Gloshi snapped out of it.
“What? Oh, I was just thinking. Man, that is an amazing sword. I love it.”
“You’d better shoot some major Goonies, then. Doshi wins it almost every year.”
“Well, not this year. I’m going to get that sword if it’s the last thing I do.”
Roshi shrugged and proceeded to roll out his sleeping bag. Gloshi followed, but his mind was not on his work. He couldn’t stop thinking about that sword and the jade egg in the middle. The way it glowed…it almost resembled him. It was uncanny. Gloshi thought about it the whole night, until the distant sound of waves crashing on the beach put him to sleep.
Chapter 1: The Great Goonie Hunt
“WAKE UP!”
Gloshi was awakened by the loud wake up call and the noise of a musical triangle being rung.
“WAKE UP, YOSHI VILLAGE! THE GOONIE HUNT STARTS IN ONE HOUR!”
Gloshi looked up groggily. It was five o’ clock in the morning, as he could tell by the brightness of the sky. The sun would be up in one hour. Gloshi forced himself up. Roshi and the others were doing the same. Gloshi got up and dragged himself and his sleeping bag over to his pack, about five feet away. Roshi walked over. “Hey. Ready for the big day?” asked Roshi.
“Yep. Can’t wait,” was all Gloshi could manage.
“Gonna win yourself that sword?” said Roshi.
Gloshi snapped awake. The sword! Gloshi turned. “Yep! That sword’s mine!” he called back to Roshi. And it wasn’t just talk. He was determined. Amid the mumbled talking of the Yoshis as they got up, Gloshi noticed some of the females finally coming out. It was customary that the women see the men off on the journey.
Gloshi saddled his pack and went back to his house to grab some breakfast. Yoshi was waiting for him. “I expected that you would be here later. We’ve still got a while before we start,” said Yoshi as he sliced some bananas.
“Roshi said something that got me up fast,” replied Gloshi as he eyed the fruit salad in progress.
“Ah-ha,” replied Yoshi without looking up. He had learned not to ask Gloshi too many questions. If he didn’t say it, he usually didn’t want to say it. He would know. Ever since Gloshi had been 12 he had taken care of him like his own son. It was amazing that it had been five whole years since then.
“So, you ready to catch some Goonies? It’s going to be especially tough this year…” said Yoshi as he started a conversation. It went on for around 50 minutes, until the sound of the triangle alerted them that it was almost time to start. Gloshi and Yoshi walked out to the edge of the village and joined the rest of the guys. Roshi sought out Gloshi and stood beside him and Yoshi.
The triangle sounded again. Noshi walked out in front of the group. “Okay, remember, everyone sticks together until we get to the roost! We can’t risk someone getting lost! Are there any questions?” shouted Noshi. There was silence. “Okay, we’re off!” shouted Noshi as the group started moving, to the goodbyes of the females and the boys under 15.
They moved along at a fair pace. “I
sure hope this trip gets my mind off of…” started Gloshi, but didn’t finish.
Roshi looked like he was abut to ask him the obvious, but thought twice
and kept his mouth shut. The group pressed on until they eventually moved
through the jungle and to the foot of Mt. Snowy by nightfall…
Gloshi sat awake with a few others around a campfire. The night was cold, even for autumn, and a chilly breeze was blowing down from the perpetually snow-covered peaks of the mountain. The Yoshis sat huddled around the fire, sitting up in their sleeping bags. Some were talking, others were listening, but Gloshi was neither. He sat, thinking. How in the world do the Goonies survive this, with their light fur? There’s no way body warmth and down feathers could protect against this, Gloshi thought as he sat watching the campfire. This was the coldest night he remembered during the hunt. In fact it was the coldest autumn night he ever remembered, and he had been to the base of the mountain many times around this time. Why was it so cold? Gloshi shivered a bit, then finally listened in on what the other Yoshis that were still awake at this time of the night were saying.
“I wonder who’s gonna win this year.”
“Doshi, probably. He always wins it.”
“Well, this year I’d say it’ll be hard for everyone. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Goonies took off because of this cold weather.”
“Why is it so cold anyway?”
“How should I know?”
Gloshi tuned the rest out. Why was it
so cold? It couldn’t be coming from the mountain itself, because the cold
part wasn’t 'til very high up, and surely would have warmed up on its way
down. He looked up at the moon. It was full, but masked by clouds. Gloshi
thought he almost smelled the faint scent of sulfur in the distance. He
shrugged it off and tried to go to sleep. After about five minutes, he
was successful.
The morning was cool and crisp, pretty usual on that side of the island. Gloshi woke up to the sound of a Goonie squawk. He opened his eyes and saw a Goonie sitting on a rock about five feet away. Gloshi smiled and slowly reached for his pack. He grabbed his seed shooter and a piece of melon. He ate the melon, keeping the seeds in his mouth. He aimed for the Goonie… he faltered. Why should he kill this innocent creature? He had done nothing wrong. He was completely unsuspecting and had no chance to defend himself.
Gloshi lowered his shooter and spat the seeds away. The Goonie flapped his wings and squawked. Gloshi smiled as the Goonie looked at him. Suddenly, he heard a slight sound, like something whistling in the wind. The Goonie made a loud noise and dropped to the ground. A slight bit of its blood spilled onto the ground. Gloshi looked angrily at the source: Doshi.
“Ha! That’s one already! You ain’t got a chance!” yelled Doshi, obnoxiously waking everyone else up in the process. Doshi walked over and grabbed his killing. He marked it in his Goonie log. Gloshi growled beneath his breath. He would beat Doshi. How could he kill it when it hadn’t even had a chance to defend itself? Gloshi stood up.
“Don’t get a big head! Just because you killed one while it was distracted doesn’t mean you will get the others!”
Doshi snickered and slung the Goonie over his back.
“Whatever. Go ahead and try. It will be interesting to watch.”
Gloshi muttered something under his breath and started repacking his supplies. By now everyone was up and seemed slightly disappointed that a fight had not broken out. They followed suit and soon the whole group was at the entrance of a large meadow surrounded by trees, where many Goonies were resting and examining the newcomers.
“All right, everyone, listen up!” shouted Yoshi. “You will have until sunset to get as many Goonies as you can. You may go anywhere within the vicinity of the meadow, but not past the beginning of the forest. You may start… now!”
Everyone rushed forward, grabbing shooters and melons. The Goonies were intelligent enough to know that danger was now imminent, and started to fly out and towards the threat, claws outstretched. A few Goonies dropped and the respective Yoshis claimed them. Gloshi noticed a particular one that had not moved. It sat on a branch, observing the action. Gloshi raised an eyebrow but quickly lost a thought when he was forced to duck out of the way of an attacking Goonie. He took aim and fired at it. It dropped. He then spotted another out of the corner of his eye and hit it also. He grabbed the two and put them in a pile. He then sat in the bushes and took aim at one side of the air. He quickly shot out a machine gun-like spray of seeds. Several Goonies fell, and several more went at him. Being out of seeds, he ducked them and grabbed his Goonies, placing them in the pile.
This went on for a long time, and eventually, all the Goonies were dead or hiding somewhere else. Gloshi noticed the red haze in the sky and heard a shrill whistle. The Yoshis then gathered in the middle of the field to count their Goonies. Gloshi sighed: he had been having fun. There was no guilt in attacking an animal for sport, as long as it had attacked you. He sat down and started counting Goonies. He heard a shout in Doshi’s familiar voice: “37! I got 37 Goonies! I’d like to see anyone top that!” This was quickly followed by groans and shouts of “I only got 23!” or “I want a recount!"
Gloshi finished counted his Goonies. He smiled. He had gotten 37. He stood up. “Well, Doshi, it seems as if you have met your match. 37 Goonies on the nose for me,” said Gloshi proudly.
There were gasps and mumbling around the crowd. Doshi frowned. “You know what that means…” said Yoshi, holding back a smile.
“Tiebreaker!”
“YEAH!” came the enthusiastic response.
Yoshi finally let loose his amusement. “All right, you guys each have one hour to find and kill as many Goonies as possible. Be back here by the time all of the stars are visible,” said Yoshi.
Doshi raced off with a melon and a shooter. Gloshi gave a smug smile and grabbed his supplies, following Doshi into the forest around the meadow. “This will be interesting…” said Gloshi just before he disappeared into the tangle of overgrowth.
Gloshi sat around a campfire. He had won by one Goonie. Well, technically he hadn’t won yet, but both he and Doshi knew they wouldn't find any more. Nevertheless, Doshi had gone out in a last ditch effort to find one more Goonie. However, time was up, and Doshi hadn’t returned with.
Yoshi and Noshi looked at Gloshi. “All right, time is up! It seems that you have won! Congrats! Here’s your prize!” said Noshi. He handed Gloshi the sword. Gloshi stared in awe. He slowly walked back to a seat and sat down as others started to discuss other things.
Gloshi kept his eyes fixed on it. It was expertly made. He grabbed the handle of it, trying to get a feel for how it was. Suddenly, the jade egg lit up. Gloshi was startled. He moved the sword out of the reach of the firelight, but it still glowed. He stood up, playfully, as if there were a battle. It shone all the brighter. He returned to his spot and set it down. The egg’s light died off. Suddenly, a voice caught his attention.
“Man, I wonder where Doshi is! He should be back by now.”
Gloshi suddenly looked up at the stars. It was at least 10:00 by now.
“Yeah, where is he? I hope he isn’t lost.”
Gloshi suddenly stood up and spoke. “I think that somebody should go out and look for him. It’s dangerous to be out this late.”
The crowd nodded their heads. Yoshi stood up. “But who’s going to do this?”
Silence...
“Anyone?” asked Gloshi, secretly hoping that he would get the chance. More silence. “All right, I’ll go,” he said. He picked up his pack and started heading for the trees.
“Hey, don’t forget your sword!”
Gloshi turned around and grabbed it, taking it literally. “Be sure to come right back after you save Doshi’s life!” joked one of the other Yoshis. Gloshi laughed. But inside he was far from amused. He knew all too well what could be in that forest. He rushed off into the forest.
It was getting very dark. Gloshi knew that it was probably close to midnight. He continued searching, although very frustrated. He had been all over the forest, and still no sign of Doshi. He sat down on a log and grabbed a berry out of his pack for quick energy, and sat, thinking. Suddenly, he heard a faint growling noise. Uh oh, he thought, I’ve heard that noise before.
He quickly put away his berries, stuffed his sword in his pack so that the hilt was sticking out, and rushed off in the direction of the noise. About every 30 seconds or so he would hear it again, louder. Suddenly he heard a moan. He looked to his left. There was Doshi, lying in a patch of underbrush, partially concealed by some fallen braches. He ran over as he heard another growl, then a roar. He quickly uncovered Doshi.
“Hurry. We need to get out of here. You can sleep when we get back,” said Gloshi with anxiety as he tried to grab Doshi’s hand. It was limp. A wave of panic ran through Gloshi’s mind. He quickly checked for a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief; Doshi was simply unconscious. He tried to sling him over his shoulders, but suddenly Doshi slightly opened his eyes and mumbled something. Gloshi set him down.
He suddenly heard something in the trees, but when he looked up, there was nothing. Doshi mumbled, “He’s here…” then shut his eyes again and fell unconscious once more.
Gloshi gritted his teeth and set Doshi back and recovered him before heading off once more in the direction of the growls and roars. It wasn’t long before he spotted something brown very close in front of him. It was moving. He ran under a bush and looked up. It was a massive tree with eyes, a mouth with sharp teeth, and large, branch-like arms and legs. It was searching for something. He then saw another nearby. And another. There were three, all searching.
“Crud!” said Gloshi under his breath. He had seen these before, and knew what they were capable of. However, these three were the biggest he had ever seen, and almost reached the top of the non-animate trees in the forest. Gloshi pondered what to do. It would be nearly impossible to take on one of them, let alone three. His seed shooter was no good here. He quickly realized what they were searching for: Doshi. Obviously, he had been attacked by them, overpowered, and flung off. Now the three were searching for him to finish him off.
Gloshi saw a hanging ivy vine nearby. He rushed over to it, making as little noise as possible. He grabbed it and yanked it down, tieing one end around a tree, the other around another tree. He then took a branch and broke it. One of the living trees noticed and started in that direction. Gloshi ran off and sat, waiting, nearby.
The trap he had just set was obvious: the living trees all are lured away, then trip over the vine, and Gloshi ambushes them. Everything was going perfectly. The tree approached the vine. As soon as he hit it, it snapped like a piece of string. Gloshi bared his teeth. He hadn’t considered that. The monster didn’t even notice. Suddenly the tree looked his way. He stood completely still. His color didn’t exactly blend in with the bush, but in a forest there are so many shades of green that it is hard to tell them apart. The monster moved on, searching. Gloshi wiped his brow. Unfortunately, this disturbed the bush he was in, and the monster noticed.
“CRUD!” yelled Gloshi again as he ran for his life. The monster roared and tried to squash him. Gloshi rolled out of the way. The other two had taken notice by now and were moving towards him. Gloshi ran in the one free direction. The trees took after him. Gloshi grabbed a coconut as he ran and threw it. It hit one monster in the head. He was slightly phased, but quickly resumed the chase. Gloshi then grabbed his pack off of his back in desperation. He searched through it and finally found something useful: a match. He grabbed it and struck it on a tree as he ran. Before he could throw it, however, he came to a dead end as he was at a the foot of Mt. Snowy.
The three monsters quickly gained. Gloshi had no choice. He started climbing. The trees were almost there. Gloshi quickly scurried up the small ledge, still trying to keep the match burning, and jumped out of the way as one of the monsters slammed an arm into the cliff face. He ran up the side of the mountain, followed by the monsters. He took the opportunity to throw the match back down. It hit the lead monster, setting it aflame. It howled as it fell to the ground, and burned up quickly until there was nothing but ashes left. The other two monsters took little notice and continued pursuing Gloshi.
He suddenly was stopped by a sheer cliff face. No way to climb up this time. As he pondered what to do, one of the monsters jumped up and swatted Gloshi with his arm before slamming into the cliff face. Gloshi went flying up through the air, landing on a remote ledge about 50 feet away, and skidded to a stop on the hard, rock-covered ground. Gloshi struggled to get up. He was covered in scrapes and wounds, and there was quite a bit of blood scattered about. Gloshi wiped some off his face and slowly got up. He looked and saw the monsters pursuing him by jumping to different steep areas and jumping off before they could slide far. Gloshi panicked. He had no more matches, and no other weapons…except one.
Gloshi suddenly remembered the sword he had won hours ago. He pulled it out of his pack as the egg glowed brightly. “I hope this thing is sharp...” said Gloshi to himself before slicing forward at an oncoming tree monster. It left a mark much like that of an axe on its body. The monster roared and swung its branch arms at Gloshi. He instinctively sliced them. One was completely halved and fell off of the ledge the two were on. The monster howled and staggered back. Gloshi hacked at the spot before as much as he could before the other monster arrived. He jumped out of the way of the monster as it landed full force onto the ledge, breaking off some of it and watching it tumbled down the side of the cliff. This gave Gloshi an idea. He ran to the edge of his platform. The non-damaged monster lunged at him. Gloshi rolled out of the way. The monster reached the edge and lay balancing on the ledge. Gloshi whacked it with his sword and it went tumbling off the edge, roaring until it hit the forest floor with a large “thud”.
The other monster was now back for more action and swiped his remaining arm at Gloshi. He gave it a whack. It fell off. The monster growled and tried to step on Gloshi. He jumped out of the way and gave it a few hacks. It roared and jumped, crumbling more ground. The shockwave created blew Gloshi over the cliff edge, since he was so close. Gloshi grabbed the edge with one hand, clutching the sword in the other. The monster stomped menacingly forward, ready to push Gloshi all the way off. The monster was about to strike when Gloshi gave out a cry and flung his sword up at the monster. This hit the monster in the weak spot and completely separated it into two halves. The monster roared and fell over, dead. Gloshi climbed back up onto the ledge with his last strength and grabbed the sword, then fell flat on the ground, unconscious.
It was sun-up when Gloshi awoke. He sat up and rubbed his head. Where was he? He sleepily got up and started walking when he put his foot down and it didn’t come down on anything, Gloshi looked down about 30 feet to the forest below. He quickly stumbled back and backed up to the mountainside. How in the world did he get here? Then it suddenly flashed through his mind: Doshi, the fight, the cliff, everything. Then it suddenly hit him. What happened to Doshi?
Gloshi looked down once more over the edge. How in the world would he even get down? He thought for a second, then his eyes lht up. He reached into his pack and pulled out his bag of emergency supplies. Among them was rope. Now, what to tie it to? Gloshi looked around for any protrusions, anything he could anchor it to. Nothing. Then he remember his sword. He looked down into his hand. He was still gripping the sword. “Too bad. I really liked this thing,” said Gloshi as he shoved it into the ground. Although wobbly, it seemed like it would hold.
Gloshi tied one end of the rope to the sword and started climbing down. He heard cracking and felt some pebbles fall onto him, assuring him of the danger of this precarious descent. He had almost reached the ground when he felt for more rope and found none. He was out, and was still about two feet away from where he could safely jump down. He held there, thinking about what to do. He suddenly felt the rope give some. He looked up and saw that the sword was beginning to bend over under the stress. Gloshi yanked on it a few times until it was leaning far enough that he could jump down. He then yanked the rope hard and the sword finally came loose.
Gloshi smiled as he untied the rope,
and put both back into his pack, setting off through the forest to find
Doshi.
Gloshi looked ahead. There was some light up ahead. That didn’t encourage him. Gloshi had found the exact spot where he had left Doshi, yet Doshi was gone. Because of the fresh, moist leaves on the floor, which rebounded after being stepped on, there were no tracks, and Gloshi had searched the entire area until he came to the edge of the forest and beginning of the meadow where he had started out last night.
He stepped out of the tress and into the clearing, where a few lucky Goonies were sitting. They squawked at him as he came out. Suddenly, a yellow spot caught his eye on the other side of the meadow. It was moving. He ran towards it and recognized it as Doshi. Doshi met him.
“Where in world were you?! I looked all over that forest for you this morning!” said Gloshi, half relieved, half frustrated.
“Slow down! I knew my way back once I woke up, so I just came back. Plus, do you know where the others went? I didn’t think that they would leave without us.”
For the first time, Gloshi noticed that the others were gone. The remains of their campfire were sitting in the middle, but there was no sign of the rest of them. “I don’t know. But first,” said Gloshi hiding the worry in his voice, “what happened to you last night? I found you laying there, covered up by branches!”
“I got attacked by three gorloymic trees. Even I couldn’t beat them. One smacked me good and I went flying. I hit some branches, which tumbled onto me, then I hit the ground. After that I can’t remember.”
“I found you and you woke up, said He’s here, and then conked out again. What happened?”
“Oh, yeah! While I was looking for Goonies, this red yYshi with wings dropped in front of me. He said that I would be a hassle to take care of, then flew away. Within a minute, those trees were on me.”
Gloshi stood silent for a moment.
“Well, we should head back. Congrats on winning. You deserve that sword.”
Gloshi said thank you and they headed out of the meadow. However, there was still no sign of the rest of the Yoshis. “I don’t get it. They never leave unless everyone is accounted for!” said Gloshi.
“Oh, but they didn’t,” said a voice. Gloshi and Doshi spun around and saw a red Yoshi with wings, matching Doshi’s description, standing casually on a tree.
“They didn’t leave, they were captured.”
“YOU! You were the one who put those trees on me!”
“Oh, how clever of you to notice. It would have been inconvenient to herd you back and take you also, so I decided to just kill you. You must have been very lucky to survive.”
“You fiend! Tell us where you took my friends, or you’ll be dead!” said Gloshi as he took out his sword.
The red Yoshi’s eyes widened. “My, what a dangerous toy you have there. And I thought they were all accounted for… No matter. You won’t live long enough to understand what I mean,” said the Yoshi as he took to the sky and swooped down. Gloshi moved out of the way quickly, only to be flung ten feet by a powerful kick. Doshi swung his fist forward at the attacker, and was blocked. The two exchanged a few blows before the attacker landed a hard punch in Doshi’s gut. Doshi staggered back, coughing. Gloshi got to his feet and rushed at the attacker, sword brandished. Gloshi was about to decapitate the attacker when the red one quickly pulled out a sword exactly like his. Gloshi’s eyes widened, but he had no time to think before the force of the red Yoshi’s counterattack sent Gloshi flying. The red one laughed.
“You seriously didn’t think I would let you just rush in and take my head off! This weapon can be very powerful. Too bad you don’t know how to use it properly.”
Gloshi sat in shock. Doshi had staggered over and was about to land a hard punch onto the red Yoshi’s head when he spun around with his sword. Doshi cried out as the sword made a small gash in his arm. He was flung backwards and into a tree, where he stayed. Gloshi gaped, then stood up, snarling.
“You just made a mistake.”
Gloshi rushed forward, ready to swing with all his might. His sword met the other and they clashed together. Gloshi pushed with all his might. The red Yoshi laughed as he easily held back Gloshi with one hand. Gloshi continued to strain until he couldn't continue and was flung back. He skidded onto the ground again, and struggled to get up.
The red Yoshi laughed again. “You really thought you had a chance, didn’t you? Sorry. Time to end this,” said the red winged one as he was about to stab Gloshi. Suddenly Gloshi made himself glow and weakly held out his sword, making a pathetic attempt to block it.
The red one stopped short. His smiled changed to a frown, then back again. “You are the one! I am surprised you were not better with your sword. All right, I’ll spare you for now. Go ahead, learn the truth. It will only help my case more. Don’t think I won’t keep your friends,” said the red Yoshi as he grabbed an unconscious Doshi and started to rise.
“I would appreciate it if you would do me the honor of killing you. But if you don’t make it far enough, it’s okay. I’ll understand.”
The red Yoshi laughed as he flapped up and away over the trees with Doshi. The wing beat faded until it was inaudible. Gloshi stood in shock as he watched the trees where the red Yoshi had disappeared, then put his sword back in his pack and headed in the direction of the now empty village.
Gloshi pushed on, although he had been
walking all of yesterday, through the night, and now through today. It
was now sunset. Although he felt the need for rest, he was much too depressed
and much too confused to sleep. He sleepily looked up at the rubble off
to his left, the remains of the caves. This is where he had had his last
adventure. The need to stop overcame him, and he sat down on the ground,
staring at it and reminiscing. Another few minutes of walking would get
him to the beach. From there he could reach the village by the morning.
He thought about how his friends had helped him out, including Roshi. Now
they were gone, off to who-knows-where with that fiend. Gloshi, still depressed,
got back up and forced himself to keep going. He trudged along, in a seemingly
endless world of hurt and sorrow. He suddenly stopped as he got to the
beach and saw the last smidgen of the sun go down over the water. There
was a small cave to his left, and beach as far as the eye could see on
the right. That was the last thing he could remember before he slumped
to the ground, hit the warm sand, and fell asleep.
Gloshi sleepily opened his eyes. He was almost facedown in sand. He pushed himself up and looked around. The sun had recently risen and was about an inch off the water. Because of the amazing visibility, he could faintly see the next island in the Tropacine Circle. He had never been there, and most people didn’t know what liay there, as there were very rough waters.
Gloshi looked to his left. The cave caught his eye. Curious, he stepped inside. It was just high enough for him to walk comfortably in, and about twice his width. It almost seemed as if someone had intentionally carved it out. His suspicion grew as he saw that the cave was relatively clean, free of spider webs. It also only went about ten feet back before making a curve. Suddenly, Gloshi heard a clicking noise. Very faint, but still recognizable. What was it?
Gloshi walked to the curve and found a wooden door just around the corner. The clicking noise was coming from inside. Very carefully, Gloshi peered inside. To his surprise, the clicking noise was being made by a blue Yoshi, sitting near a computer, typing something. Gloshi looked around. This little room seemed to have everything needed for comfortable survival, such as a bed, a makeshift sink, a desk, a table, and a bookcase with assorted books of different shapes and sizes. The rock floor was covered up by snug bamboo strips. Gloshi, not sensing much danger, warily opened the door. The blue Yoshi didn’t seem to notice. Gloshi took the next step, and opened his mouth.
“Hello?”
The blue Yoshi quickly spun around in his chair, wide eyed. His expression quickly relaxed.
“Phew, you gave me quite a scare. You must be one of the village Yoshis! Nice to meet ya!”
The blue Yoshi smiled and shook his hand vigorously. Gloshi was a bit confused. “Uh, hi. My name’s Gloshi,” said Gloshi as he returned the gesture.
“THE Gloshi? Sweet! I’ve heard about you! You can do some weird lightshow thingy, right?”
“Uh, I guess you could call it that. What’s your name?”
“Oh! Sorry. My name’s Boshee.”
“Uh, sorry, never heard of you.”
“Well, not too many people have. I used to live on the other Yoshi island, you know, the one close to the Mushroom Kingdom? My parent named me after this other famous guy on the island. After hanging around him all my childhood, I really didn’t like him at all, and didn’t want to be named after him. So, I kinda ran away, and somehow or another, ended up here. I liked my name, but didn’t want it to be the same as that big-headed guy, so I changed the “i” to “ee”. Then I just found this cool cave, fixed it up, and now I’m here.”
Gloshi stood and stared. “Uh, you lost me a little bit. Plus, how did you get the… uh…”
“Computer? Bought it in the Mushroom Kingdom before I got here. The electricity comes from this underground geyser. That’s where my running water comes from too.”
“Uh, okay.”
“So, what’s up with you? You just taking a long beach walk?”
“Well, no. It’s kind of a long story. You ever heard of the Goonie Hunt?”
Gloshi told his whole story to Boshee.
“Well, that’s kind of an odd predicament. I’m kind of a bookworm, and I like to draw, so I kind of don’t get out much. But anyway, you ever consider that they might be over on that island across from us?”
“You mean the one that you can see on a clear morning?”
“Yeah, that one. No one knows what’s over there, so maybe it’s what, or who, you’re looking for.”
“Yeah, maybe. But how could I get over there? It’s too far to swim and I don’t have a boat.”
“I do. The same one I used to get here. An hour of paddling or so should get us there.”
“Plus, what about the rough waters? I hear nobody’s ever gotten close enough to actually see what’s there.”
Boshee turned around and looked at Gloshi.
“Listen. You want to find your friends and family, right?”
“Right.”
“You would do anything to get them back, right?”
“Right.”
“And, this is your chance for an adventure, right?”
“Right.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to leave the details behind us. I’ll get the boat.”
Boshee walked out the door, leaving Gloshi behind, thinking. Gloshi soon shrugged to himself, and followed. He walked out of the cave, and found Boshee searching the nearby brush patches.
“I know I put it here some… Aha! Got it!” said Boshee as he flung some branches and leaves aside, revealing a small, old boat. Gloshi stood stunned by the piece of junk. Boshee smiled.
“Ain’t she a beaut?”
“You expect us to get to the island in that thing?! How did you even make it over here in that?”
“I guess I just know how to steer my own boat. Plus, sitting in the same spot for about seven years doesn’t exactly do a boat any good. Let’s go get some stuff to take with us.”
Boshee went back inside and brought out some supplies, including a few books, for the trip. He packed them tightly in the boat. Gloshi gathered some more food and put it in his pack. With Boshee’s help, Gloshi managed to get the boat in the water. He was amazed that it would actually float. Boshee climbed in.
“If you want to do anything else on this island, do it now, because the odds say we’ll never see it again.”
Gloshi turned around, looked at the island, then turned back around with a determined face.
“Let’s shove off.”
Boshee smiled.
“Now yer talking!”
Gloshi hopped in the boat with Boshee. Between the two of them, the supplies, and the oars, it was a tight fit, but they managed. Boshee grabbed the oars.
“Ready?”
“Ready.”
Boshee started rowing off into the distance. Their destination: the mysterious isle. Their odds: not so good.