Dawn. Peaceful, quiet dawn.
Meekachu dragged himself to consciousness and searched the campsite. He must have been the first awake. Miya, of course, had wandered off, again. The yellow Yoshi worried over where on Yoshi's Island she could have went off to. Meekachu stood up and paced across the dry ashes that remained of the previous night's fire. The fox and Tieka had disappeared, too. 'How odd...' the Yoshi thought as he walked.
The bird arose from his sleeping just as Meekachu started off towards the valley's river. He squawked to get the Yoshi's attention, but Meekachu didn't give the creature a second look. It was too early in the morning to bother with stuff like that.
The blue bird grumbled some invaluable words in his own language, then got the hare awake with a swift kick of his foot. In return, the hare had a few words of his own, which got the frog up ever-so-quickly. However, all three seemed startled to realize that everyone else was gone.
Meekachu crawled over yet another of the valley's great hilltops. He still couldn't see anyone, but upon squinting his eyes, the Yoshi finally did. "Why those little..." he started. Meekachu headed off for the next hill, and eventually came upon three snoozing forms lying in the grass.
"Just perfect..." he grumbled. Meekachu gently pushed the nearest form, a pink Yoshi, with his bare foot. "Hey, sleeping beauty..."
The pink Yoshi blinked wearily, then looked up at the yellow one standing nearby. "Oh, hi Meekachu..." she yawned in her speech.
"You know, a Yoshi could make a profit off of you, getting paid just to hunt you down. Come on, let's get on the trail. We'll find some breakfast on the way."
The hare and bird came up behind Meekachu and immediately ran over to the other sleeping creatures nearby. The frog also appeared after a few moments, to see what was going on. Miya could hear the fox bark out some loud complaints, but he was forced to get up and get moving, too. The hare politely helped Tieka to her feet, and then joined the bird, frog, and fox, who were walking away. Meekachu followed, and Miya scrambled to her feet to catch up to them. The Yoshi stopped in her tracks, however, when she realized that she had forgotten something. Miya turned around, snatched up the jacket lying in the grass, and hopped off to join the others. Another long day of walking started for the small group. Traveling got harder, though, as the valley they were following gradually grew into a steep slope, lined with the occasional rock or boulder. The day wore on, however, and so did the miles. Once a stopping point had been reached, everyone gladly hit the ground to rest their feet, or to have a drink of water. Miya decided to use this time to return something. She leapt to her feet, bounded over to the fox, and handed him his jacket with a gleeful squeal. "Here ya go!"
The fox nodded and grunted some sort of thanks. Miya spun around and merrily skipped over to the river for a quick sip of H2O. Meekachu caught his daughter's odd behavior from his distant viewpoint, so he came over to the river to question the pink Yoshi.
"What's with the 'happy-go-lucky' attitude?" the yellow one asked as he brushed past some pesky riverweeds and approached the female Yoshi. Miya was having a refreshing drink of water, but she stopped and turned to face Meekachu as soon as he arrived.
"Oh, can't a Yoshi be happy? It's what we're all about."
Meekachu scratched his head as he thought up an answer. This scene was oddly familiar. "Well... yeah, but this is a little off, even for you."
"Well, I'm in a good mood. Don't ask why. Any guesses on how much farther until we reach the caves?"
"Uh... I don't know. We're making excellent time, I know that."
"Good. Come get some water, Meek. Ya thirsty?"
Meekachu discarded the offer. "No thanks, Miya. Look, I've been thinking..."
"Your loss." Miya scooped up a handful of crystal-clear water with her hands, and gulped down another drink. She sat back and glanced at Meekachu with a partially-interested glaze to her eyes. "And?"
"Well, maybe this trip isn't such a bad idea, after all."
"How's that?"
"Actually, if you think about it, this has more good points to it than bad. Allow me to explain..." Meekachu started off with a simple explanation. "These five creatures want to go home, where they came from, right? Well, on the same token, we Yoshies don't want them here. Assume this scenario: If the four creatures over there had stayed in jail, and were brought to trial by the tribe council, what do you think would have happened?" the yellow one inquired.
"Oh, I don't know. What?" Miya didn't want to guess, really. She simply gave in to the question, and awaited Meekachu's answer.
"Well, there's only two outcomes; death, or slavery. You know our kind doesn't like their kind to begin with. So in a way, we're doing our tribe a great favor by getting rid of these creatures. We might even be heroes! Also, that has a great side effect..."
Miya didn't want to hear the rest of this. She was in a good mood a few seconds ago, but the way Meekachu talked about these... creatures... was disturbing. 'He is acting as if these foreigners are simply a 'problem' to Yoshi society. It is as if no one cares about them. I care. Why won't anyone else? These animals don't want to hurt anyone. They just want to go home...'
Meekachu continued, "This might even provide a good enough excuse for you missing your acceptance, Miya."
That was it. The last straw, so-to-speak. Miya slowly gathered her composure, jumped up, and looked the yellow Yoshi square into the eyes.
"Meekachu, would you listen to me for once?!? I don't want to go back to the village. I can't take the pressure anymore. It's just not right; forcing a Yoshi into a job he or she doesn't want, just for the good of everyone else. I know that might have worked well enough for you and your family, and your ancestors before that, but times have changed, Meek. Look around yourself! And if you won't believe me, then look over there, Meek. At your 'creatures.' Something is seriously wrong here, and this time it's not just concerning our petty little lives, or our village. I'm not going up to that mountain just to get rid of society's 'problems.' I'm going because I want to make a difference for once. Do something that no other Yoshi has done before. You said you were coming with me, and that's fine, but let's get it straight why we're going up there. If you just want to do this purely for the benefit of yourself and your job, then you can go home right now. At least I'm on the right side of things."
Miya wasted no time in marching off past the stunned Meekachu and joining the others. The yellow Yoshi wasn't sure of which emotion to feel: shock or anger. Certainly shock would qualify for this, because the Yoshi he was speaking to had been in such a playful mood only moments earlier. How on Yoshin did he raise a daughter with such a volatile personality? Not to mention the fact that what Miya had said didn't fit Meekachu's original intentions at all... or did it?
The yellow Yoshi remained in a statue-like daze for some time. Meekachu couldn't help but to wonder: 'Am I really helping my daughter simply out of the love in my heart, or are there other motives involved? Well, yes, of course, but enjoying the benefits from such an adventure is nothing to be ashamed of... right? Who wouldn't do the same when in my situation? I bet those five creatures would jump at the chance.'
He blinked as another thought struck him. 'Wouldn't they?'
Meekachu couldn't get things straight. He hated it when something bothered him and he couldn't figure it out. It drove him nuts sometimes. Like those puzzles where the answer is just barely out of reach.
'I do have to admire Miya's persistence in this strange crusade, though. But what is she getting at? What did she mean when she said, 'At least I'm on the right side of things?' How can she continue going, with the knowledge that she is getting nothing out of this except a personal satisfaction for doing something right? Is it right?? Can someone really have such noble intentions? Or is it noble at all, to be deserting your family and village? What is she going to do, if she's not going back to the village? She couldn't go off without me. Not with those... animals. No way... right?'
Even as the yellow Yoshi asked that question aloud, and the words rang throughout his head, no answer came.
It was the next day of the expedition, and just as Fox had predicted, the trail did get rough. In fact, the basic features of the tropical island went through a noticeable change as the miles progressed and the group traveled further inland. The trees of the jungle that crowded the shoreline had slowly but gradually faded into the tall grasses of the plains further east, then into the rolling hills of the valley even further east, then finally into the rocky cliff face of a monstrous mountainside, with which the seven travelers struggled against to the best of their abilities.
The time was near to late afternoon, and afternoons are near to sunset, and if the entrance to the sacred caves wouldn't be found by then, the journey would have to be stopped for the night right there on the barren cliffs of the mountain. It wasn't a preferred place to stay overnight, so no rest breaks were taken as the climbing continued.
Sara and Miya rounded the next tight corner, and continued directly up and over the next scaleable boulder. It was almost a race, the way the pink Yoshi and black salamander would overtake each other at every other step. Even as the trail got tougher, and the climbing got harder, the pair only worked harder and faster, which created a growing challenge for everyone else who was trying to keep up the pace with them. Despite this circumstance, the yellow Yoshi managed to stay close behind, and so did the four other Lylatians just behind him.
The salamander leapt onto a stable ledge, held on tightly to the stone wall ahead of her, then motioned for the Yoshies to follow just as a powerful gust of wind had finally subsided. However, before moving on herself, Sara turned her head to the other side and stopped to watch a brief message being signed to her from a few feet away.
"Good news, everyone! Meekachu say that we almost there," Sara chirped.
"Almost where?" a voice asked. That sharp, questioning note and the critical tone of voice allowed the salamander to easily recognize who spoke up without even turning around to see his face.
"At the caves, Falco, of course," she responded. "Don't tell me you've been THAT clueless as to where we've been going all this time, have you?"
"No. But hey, it's nice to know that I can always rely on your usual travel forecast: almost there. I was just checking to see that 'there' didn't happen to move from the last time we were almost at it."
Sara growled at that sarcastic comment. "I know my way around well enough, Mr. Lombardi. I'd thank you not to criticize my navigational skills."
"That's funny, I thought those two animals were leading this parade, not you." Falco finished his sentence, then hopped onto a nearby rock at least the size of a small truck. As he steadied his balance, Sara retorted:
"I am helping them, unlike you, who happens to be of little assistance. So before yo-"
The falcon interrupted, "Well give me something to do and I WILL make myself useful."
Peppy Hare winced as a cluster of pebbles and small stones tumbled down from an overhanging rock and struck his face. The hare shook loose the bits of gravel from his fur, then looked upwards to see what might have caused such a miniature avalanche. He expected something like this to happen every once in a while, though, considering that he had taken a slightly less stable path up the mountainside. It was a dumb move, because the fear of a loose rock jumping from its place and sending the hare all the way down the slope was always present. However, Peppy might have been grateful for taking the hard route at that moment, because otherwise he would not have seen the danger just overhead.
"Hey! Watch out! Move!" the hare shouted. Peppy continued to yell as he waved to the climbers above.
Sara took a quick glance down the slope once she heard those words of caution. She nodded at the hare, then looked to Falco. Sara paused, as if she were actually considering whether or not to speak up and say something, but the salamander eventually decided to give out a fair warning.
"In that case, Falco, do yourself a favor and move out of the way."
"Move out of the wha-" the falcon began to say. His words were cut off, however, by a loud crack and soft rumble from the rock he was standing on. Falco froze. "Oh sh-"
"Don't move!" Sara hollered. "What do you think I'm doing?!?" the falcon shot back.
"Okay..." The salamander quickly analyzed the situation. "You're going to have to jump over here."
"Where?!?"
"Over here, with me. Com'on, before that thing falls."
"Alright, I'm jumping... this sure wasn't in the brochure."
"Just do it, already!"
The heavy rock cracked again as Falco's foot slipped. The falcon took a deep breath and sprang from the large boulder towards a ledge nearby. He barely landed on the steady surface a second later, just before the rock he was just standing on earlier peeled away from the rest of the mountain and slid downhill. Sara approached the startled bird as he turned around and began to search the area for his other companions.
"That was such a close call, Falco. Are you alright?"
The avian blinked once, then snapped back into his usual casualness. "Eh, that was no sweat. Why didn't anyone warn me?"
"Your friends did. That's how I knew."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner? I would have liked a fair warning, ya know."
"Hey! I saved your life just now! At least be grateful I said anything at all, the way I was mad at you."
"Oh yes, I'm so grateful you actually considered trying to save my life. Uh-huh."
"Hrmph. Well, forget me doing you any more favors in the future, Mr. Lombardi." Sara crossed her arms in front of her and turned her back to Falco in a pouting gesture.
Toad and McCloud arrived on the scene a moment later. They both ran all the way up the mountain to catch up with Sara and Falco, thus they were panting for breath by the time they had reached the ledge.
"W-what happened??" Fox gasped.
Before either Lylatian could answer, Peppy crawled over the rim of the rocky ledge, and dropped face-first onto the smooth surface, also gasping for breath.
"Rock was... loose..." he panted.
Falco frowned. "Peppy, my friend, that would have been so much more useful about two minutes ago."
"Sorry I was... late... it's hard... getting up here..." the hare explained.
"Everyone's okay, right?" Slippy asked.
"Yoshi yi! Yi ya!"
The five Lylatians were taken by surprise by a Yoshi voice. They were even more surprised to look up and find the pink and yellow reptiles leaning over another high ledge and waving excitedly at them.
"Yoshi yoshi!" one of them squealed. With that, both of them disappeared behind a rock and weren't heard from again.
"What was THAT??" the frog wondered.
"I'm not sure. Maybe they found something. Let us go and find out," Sara suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement and got up immediately to resume climbing. Falco started off towards a safer-looking trail that would lead up and around the mountainside, but at the same time, Sara took hold of one of the small stepping stones protruding from the surrounding rock, and nimbly brought herself up onto it with a quick burst of energy. Just as speedily and with the same movement, the salamander leapt onto the next ledge, and the next, and so forth. Falco stopped and looked on in amazement.
"Where in the world did you learn to do that???"
"You spend four years in the jungle and you learn a thing or two about climbing. Com'on, it's easy. Just do what I do."
Fox, who had been watching the salamander's movements with an equal amount of astonishment, shrugged and stepped up to the rock wall. He hesitated for a moment, but then was up and climbing in the next second. Peppy followed his example, then Slippy, but Falco stood back and looked on with a weary eye.
"She can't just take the easy way..." he grumbled complainingly.
"Falco, come on!" Fox shouted down at his teammate.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm coming!" Falco shouted back. With a brief curse and a grunt, the falcon pushed himself onto the first stepping stone, and was on his way further up the mountain.
Fox looked down over his shoulder at the progress he had made. The fox had already scaled a considerable distance up the slick wall, and had nearly caught up to Sara, who was almost at the top of the structure. The fox was somewhat pleased with himself for even getting that far without any assistance. He had never had any experience in rock-climbing before, so for his first time, Fox felt that he was doing pretty well. Sara had the skills to match, though, and she was already sitting up at the top of the wall with the two Yoshies and gaping in awe at the sight before her by the time that Fox had finally caught up to her.
As he pulled himself up onto the top of the wall, Fox's eyes first glazed over Sara's hand, the closest object to him. Upon looking further, he could see the salamander and other two reptiles staring at something...
Instead of asking what was wrong, or what had happened, Fox turned smartly to the left, and discovered soon after exactly what was going on. Right before his eyes, a wide, dank, deep cavern was exposed, with rust-colored stalagmites and stalactites sprouting from the walls and surrounding rock and giving the entire sight a jaw-like look to it. It was impressive, to say the least, and was probably in itself a good enough reason to leave the four entities sitting before it speechless.
Peppy, Slippy, and Falco stumbled over the last step of rock and collapsed at Fox's feet, one by one. The dumbstruck fox hardly paid them notice, though, and just as the trio had collected themselves and got to their feet, they too found the reason for Fox's silence.
"Where are we?" Slippy finally asked, thus breaking the stillness between the seven animals. The yellow Yoshi gave a sharp grunt and quick nod, then messaged something to Sara, who barely caught the motion from the corner of her eye. She cleared her throat, and said with a voice full of awe, "Meekachu say... welcome to M'hakashan caves."