'So, this is what it feels like...'
On the sparkling white sands of some far away beach, dawn had broken. And on that same, tranquil beach, a lone figure was stranded. Not just from his homeland or his friends or even his family, but possibly from his own life. He was left motionless and in a deep sleep, so deep that not even the must brutal forces of nature could awaken him.
'This is what it feels like to die. I've heard the stories before. Those near-death experiences. You feel like you're floating above yourself, and you look down and see your body lying there, stiff as a board. Then there's that calm light above you that's so bright it blinds you to look at, and you want to go to it.
'...But this is nothing like that at all. Those people said they didn't feel anything. I feel something. I feel lost. I can't believe this is happening. I knew that I would probably die sooner or later, but this just doesn't feel right. Nothing feels right.
'How can this be? What happened? How is it that I, Fox McCloud, the son of the famous James McCloud, and leader of one of the greatest mercenary teams in all of Lylat... am right back where I started. Here, on the beach. Alone.
'No, this time is different. I really am alone now. I will never get back home. I'll never see Corneria again. I'll really miss it. And Bill... I hope he's okay, wherever he is. Funny how this whole thing started with a rescue mission to save him. My gosh, what about Fara? Will I ever see her again? I'd give anything to. Just one more time. But no... I guess I'll never get to see any of my friends or family again. Whatever's left of my family, that is.
'My team... No, my best friends. They're gone. I'll miss them all. Peppy, Slippy... even Falco, despite all his cockiness and poor humor. Or maybe that's what I liked best about him. I'll never know.
'Even those I barely met. Sara... Miya... Meekachu. Gosh, I actually remember their names. Are any of them even alive now? Probably not.
'It won't be much longer, now. I can feel it... They're coming. The Yoshies. They're coming back for me. This time they're probably not going to be as kind as before. I just know they're going to kill me. Great. Heh, well, at least I won't have to die alone, right?
'Here they come. This is it. I can sense them... closer...
'But who cares? No one. There's no one left. I might as well just... give up...'
Get up.
'Who...?'
Get up.
'Oh gawd, I'm hearing voices. Help me.'
Get up, Fox.
'Who are you? What do you want?'
Get up.
'I can't...'
Get up!
'I've told you, no!'
Don't make me hurt you.
At that moment, somewhere far into Fox's mind, he felt a sharp sting. The strange voice boldly persisted.
Get up.
'No! Go away!'
Get up!
'NO!'
GET UP!
'LEAVE ME ALONE!'
Silence. For a moment, Fox thought he had driven away the strange voice.
He was wrong. It spoke into his mind once more. This time the voice was calm, soothing, and oddly, it was concerned.
Please, get up, Fox.
'Who are you?'
Please...
It was difficult, and he felt terrible while doing so, but the vulpine eventually struggled back to awareness. He propped himself up on one elbow and tried to cough the remaining sea water out of his system. When Fox finally stopped gagging, he shouted out to no one in particular, "Alright, alright!! I'm up!"
He sat up a little further and rubbed the sand from his eyes. Slowly, his vision cleared and he could see in front of him.
The first thing that surprised Fox was that it was morning. The last he remembered, it was close to nightfall. It was strange not to remember an entire night pass by, even if he was only sleeping.
The second thing to surprise Fox was that he was right; there was someone there. Right next to him stood a tall, pink Yoshi, with long pink hair falling over her shoulders. He couldn't believe his eyes.
"Miya...?"
Be silent. Speak not with words. Use your mind.
This was a strange concept to Fox, but he tried it out. 'Like... this?'
The Yoshi smiled. Yes. Good.
'What's going on? How am I alive? What are you doing here?'
The pink reptile motioned for the fox to follow as she began to walk away. Come with me. We must hurry.
'Wait!'
The Yoshi stopped and glanced back at the fox, who was struggling with what to say. He couldn't make sense of this. Fox had so many questions, but he could only think of one thing to tell this Yoshi.
'Why are you doing this? Why are you helping me?'
A pause. Perhaps the Yoshi was pondering a reply, or perhaps she already knew the answer, but was reluctant to say what it was. She sighed.
Because I'm the only one who can.
She turned back around and continued to walk away. Fox staggered to his feet and chased after her as best he could. The Yoshi wasn't traveling directly into the jungle, but instead in the direction of a nearby river. The fox wondered where she was going.
I am searching for the dragon Marawok. He is near.
"Oh," Fox whispered, while quickly reminding himself not to think out loud so much.
What was that?
He had forgotten not to speak out loud, either. 'Uh, nothing. By the way, what is a dragon?'
Oh, sorry. Dragons are what you called... flying monsters. I am searching for the one that chased us out of the caves. The large green one.
Fox immediately stopped in his tracks and threw one foot down onto the sand alarmingly. 'WHAT?! We're actually LOOKING for that thing?? That's nuts!' the Cornerian thought in a sudden outburst. He realized the mistake of his rude remark a moment later. 'Sorry,' Fox apologized, '...But didn't we just finish running from that...' He paused to search for the right word. '...dragon?'
The Yoshi also quit walking, and sighed deeply. Yes, we did, but don't worry; he's dead. I just need a part of him, she reassured Fox. Listen... the pink reptile began to explain while never turning around to face the vulpine behind her, Your homeland is the focal-point of an inter-dimensional tear in the delicate fabric of the realm of Ni. To repair the tear, I must seal the passageway from this world to yours from both ends. In order to do so, I require the gemstone embedded on the king dragon's skull, a gemstone from the caves of M'hakashan, and the gemstone of the warrior clan.
Fox nodded dumbly, trying to comprehend all that he had been told. He didn't entirely, however. 'So,' he wondered, 'What does all this have to do with me?'
The Yoshi suddenly laughed, which was a break from her unusually dull and depressing mood. She spun around, looked over her traveling companion from head to feet, and jokingly answered, Everything, unfortunately. Don't think I didn't just save your hide earlier for no good reason. You, my furry friend, are the most important key to restoring the fabric of Ni to its original intended state.
'I am??' Fox responded, a bit surprised by this news.
The pink reptile smiled. Actually, you are. You are going to help me. After all, you owe me your life.
The fox nearly laughed himself. 'Oh, so that's it? You saved my life so you could blackmail me into being your little servant?'
No, not quite, she replied, the crude Yoshi smile still on her face.
'Then what do you want from me? It must be something...'
Seriously? I need you to repair the dimensional tear from your side of the universe.
Fox raised a skeptical eyebrow and crossed his arms in front of him. 'And that translates into what??'
The pink Yoshi's mood became serious again, and the smile faded from her face. Look, to be frank, I can't do this without you. If you promise to help me... I can get you back to your home. I really can. But I can't if you won't help me.
The fox and Yoshi stared blankly at each other for several seconds. Was Fox hearing right? He could get home??
'You can... really do that? I can go home??'
The reptile nodded. Please, Fox. Will you help me?
Fox hesitated. He had always heard of the phrase 'too good to be true'. Was this Yoshi for real? Should he trust her? He always had before. ...But did he really have a choice now, anyway?
It didn't take long to decide. The Cornerian offered his paw with a friendly grin. 'Deal.'
Miya was glad she had found the fox before her tribe had discovered him, but now the question of where to hide was to be considered. After all, she was probably escorting a wanted criminal. She would just have to hope that no one spotted her while she searched for Marawok. Raiquoo had told her the dragon's body was somewhere on the riverbank near the beach, so it shouldn't take forever to find. She wondered why her father never told her about some of his secrets before, especially while they were in M'hakashan searching for some old temple that is now buried under ten feet of lava. The information surely would have helped. Miya didn't believe that keeping such a secret from her was important enough for the yellow Yoshi to risk his own life, much less the lives of four total strangers, one foreign slave, and his own daughter. Nevertheless, she didn't have the time to question Meeka... Raiquoo's judgment. She had a mission to complete.
After several minutes of walking, the Yoshi veered away from the beach and headed towards the jungle's edge. The fox quickly followed her steps, all the while not uttering a single word or complaint. Miya decided to be polite and inform the foreigner of exactly where they were going.
We're going to take a path through the jungle. It's safer that way.
'Oh.'
The pair continued to walk in silence. As they neared the jungle, the fox came upon another thought. 'Um, Miya?' he began.
Yes?
'How come we couldn't talk like this before? With our thoughts, that is. I always had to use Sara to talk to you.'
Sara? Is that her name?
'Yeah, it is. What were you calling her?'
Her Mulhollen name was Tieka.
'Tee-ka? That's a strange name.'
It means 'black lizard' in our language.
'Makes sense. So, how can we talk like this now? You never answered my question.'
Miya hesitated. Could she really tell him where she learned this new power? Would he believe it?
I just now learned how to.
'Just now, eh? That was fast. No one taught you, you just learned. Okay.'
Miya was relieved when the foreigner didn't pursue that line of questioning any further. Then again, that was a bit suspicious.
You really don't want to know how I learned to talk to you like this? she inquired.
The fox shrugged. 'You seem to not want to tell me. If you don't, that's fine; it's probably none of my business.'
You're a strange fox, you know that?
The foreigner smiled. 'How many foxes have you known?'
Just one, but that's enough for me.
Miya finally reached the rim of the jungle, and easily slipped past some thick ferns and a few low branches to get inside. The fox tried to follow, but he had more trouble navigating the tangled vegetation than the Yoshi did. After trampling a few helpless ferns, he snagged his foot on something and tumbled forward with a loud yelp.
Miya scowled at the fox, who was struggling on the ground to free his foot from a loose tree root. You're going to have to keep silent, unless you want to get us both killed.
The foreigner wrenched his foot free and returned the scowl. 'Hey! I wasn't exactly raised in some damn jungle. It's not that easy to move around and be quiet.'
Well learn how, and fast! I can't go on if you won't stop making noise.
'Well I'm sorry, but I'm not as fast a learner as you seem to be,' he remarked with a great deal of sarcasm.
I thought you said you weren't going to bother me about that!
'You're the one who keeps resurrecting the subject!'
I am not! Fruits, what is your problem?!
'I was about to ask the same question.'
What's that supposed to mean??
'First you save my life, then you chew me out. What kind of Yoshi are you, anyway? An Indian Giver?'
A What?
'It's someone who gives you something, then takes it back.'
No, I'm not one of those. Are you? she shot back.
The fox smirked. 'No, I'm a pilot. Not Tarzan. So cut me some slack, okay?'
Fine. Just try not to mow down the whole forest on the way there.
'The way where?'
To the dragon!
'Oh. Well SO-RRY! Don't be such a grouch.'
I am not a grouch! You're being a moron. Plus you're stubborn.
'Watch your mouth. I just might have to bust a cap on you.'
Don't you mean, 'watch my mind?'
'Yeah, that too.'
Silence fell between them, and the two animals sat and stared at each other for an immeasurable amount of time, each one afraid to be the one to say something next. Suddenly, the fox's mood lightened, and a wide grin slowly formed on his muzzle. The Yoshi started to chuckle, and soon both were laughing uncontrollably.
My fruits! You are so unbelievable! Miya exclaimed while trying to stifle another chuckle.
The fox responded with more laughter. 'I can't help it! You remind me so much of Fara!'
After a few deep breaths to calm herself, Miya eventually became quiet, but her smile remained. Who's Fara? she asked out of curiosity.
'She's my girlfriend back home. We used to get into these terrible fights for really stupid reasons,' the fox answered. 'One time, I forgot to get her clothes out of the washer, and we argued for three hours! By the time she was finished, we both just fell over laughing! I told her, 'With all this yelling you've been doing, the laundry could have been done by now!'
Miya snickered. Did you two fight a lot?
'Huh? Oh no, we get along great most of the time. A little too great...' his thoughts trailed off.
If Miya didn't know any better, she could have sworn that she actually felt even more compassion for the creature sitting before her. He did have a sad tale, after all. It wasn't a frequent occurrence for someone to get lost in a place he has never been before, lose all his friends, and all hope of getting back home in under a week.
But then again, so did Miya. She nearly got killed in the caves, lost her father, and all hope of going back to her tribe. Ever. She couldn't go back. Not after all that had happened.
The pink Yoshi found it amusing how much she and the fox actually had in common at that point. She could have pointed that out to the foreigner, but something much more dire had interrupted that thought.
'Did you hear that?'
Alarmed, Miya jumped up and quickly scanned the surrounding jungle. Nothing seemed to be causing any unusual sound as far as she could tell. The fox stood up, too, and tried to listen more closely. His ears twitched strangely, and his eyes focused mostly in the direction of the nearby river, which was where he eventually pointed to.
'There. Something's there.'
Miya soundlessly crept along the jungle floor, trying to reach the place where the fox had pointed to. Seconds dragged on like minutes, until the Yoshi finally spotted what had been noisy enough to grab the foreigner's attention.
"It's Marawok..." she whispered. The riverbank rested only a few yards away, and right beside the water was the behemoth Marawok, king of the dragons. Strangely, though, the dragon was dead, just as Raiquoo had mentioned. What could have been making noise?
Miya did a double take when she noticed the movements just beyond the dragon's dead body. Dozens of Yoshies, from many assorted tribes, were gathering around the carcass!
'What's going on? What's there?'
Get down! Don't move!
'Why? What is it?'
Miya watched in horror as the groups of Yoshies converged in front of the giant beast and began a rather heated discussion. At first, she distinguished only two tribes out of the swarm of Yoshies, one of which was her own, but Miya eventually noticed a much smaller band of Yoshies hiding near the rear of the group. She didn't recognize that particular tribe right off hand. The pink Yoshi tried to simply remain hidden and overhear the conversation between the tribes at the same time. She caught a few words, the first of which were spoken by the orange-colored representative of the Piewa tribe:
"...Don't you think I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe that this belonged to us?? Our scout personally spotted the location of this beast before you could even-"
Another Yoshi interrupted. "Don't give me that garble! That was OUR scout, otherwise we wouldn't even be here at all!"
Miya recognized the figure that had just spoken. He was a rather stout-looking green Yoshi, and if the pink dinosaur wasn't mistaken, his name was Caimon. Caimon was the chief warrior of the Mulhollen tribe, and at the same time a representative of Queen Lucia herself. Miya figured that Caimon would be sent to fetch Marawok, considering that there were other tribes that claimed ownership to the beast, and things could get ugly between them.
"You liar! We were the only tribe in this area at the time, and my warriors can support me on that claim! They had a solid hold on the entire river, from the ocean to the valley, and not a single Yoshi could have gotten past them!"
The green Yoshi stuck up his nose and crossed his arms in front of him. "Well," he stated rather smugly, "Well, I guess your warriors aren't as well-trained as you claim them to be, considering they allowed a simple scout to penetrate their defenses."
"Caimon you idiot," Miya grumbled, "You can start wars that way."
Fortunately, the quarreling dinosaurs were too distracted with each other to detect Miya's quiet comment. The first of the two Yoshies continued with the debate:
"Withdraw that remark this instant!"
"Make me."
"Don't go hatchling on me! You will be punished sorely for insulting my tribe's warriors and my skills as a leader! I won't forget this! That dragon is ours, and if you want it, you'll have to fight for it!"
"Then it's a fight you'll get," Caimon sneered. The green Yoshi turned toward the assembled Yoshies behind him and loudly announced, "Com'on, Mulhollens! We don't have to take any of this! Back to home!"
"But," one of the warriors objected, "What about Marawok??"
"He'll be ours before all this is over," Caimon answered in a note of confidence. He glanced back at the orange Yoshi, who didn't seem the least bit intimidated, and quickly growled, "We'll be back. You can count on that."
"I'm looking forward to it. You will regret crossing the Piewa tribe. We will crush you like ants."
"Hrmph. We'll see about that," the green Yoshi retorted. On that final word, he whirled around in a huff and marched out of Miya's sight, escorted by at least a dozen Mulhollen warriors. The Piewas did the same, forgetting entirely the reason they had traveled to the riverbank in the first place.
After both tribes had cleared the shoreline, Miya breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness that's over," she muttered under her breath. "At least they didn't take the dragon with them."
'Hey! What's going on out there? I thought I heard shouting.'
Miya nearly smacked herself once she realized that she had forgotten about her 'friend' back in the jungle. It was a dumb thing to forget, when she thought about it, but Miya couldn't really blame herself for getting distracted. She sighed again.
Nothing. Just a cat fight. You can come out now.
'Great. These thorn bushes are killing me.'
Miya snickered. She didn't bother waiting for the fox to catch up to her. It seemed safe enough to come out of hiding, anyway. The pink Yoshi crawled out from her hiding spot and set foot on the soft sand. She checked all directions before taking another step, just to make sure that everyone had left.
Good. Coast is clear.
'You already told me that,' remarked the fox as he emerged from the thick jungle and approached the pink dinosaur. Miya quickly made a mental note not to think so loudly. It was a pain to monitor her own thoughts, but she was sure the fox was having just as much trouble dealing with it as she was.
It wasn't too hard to find what Miya was looking for. Several feet away rested the body of the king dragon, and implanted on the giant beast's forehead was a sparkling gem of indeterminable value. Miya grinned. This was going to be a piece of cake. She jogged over to the winged creature and knelt beside its head. The fox watched from close by with a curious expression on his muzzle.
'What are you doing?'
Taking what I need.
'Are you always so cryptic?'
Are you always so nosy? Miya dryly answered while reaching out and plucking the gem from Marawok's skull. Surprisingly, it popped out nice and easy, as if something had loosened it earlier. Hmm... that's odd.
'What's wrong?'
Miya turned the small gem over in her hand, examining it. It was a perfect crystal shape, and had hardly a scratch on it. She closed her fingers over the gem and stood up to face the fox. That was a little too easy.
'What do you mean?'
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!" a voice bellowed from nearby. Miya panicked and searched the sandbank. She didn't see anyone. Who could have said that? She glanced back at the fox. He was just as puzzled, until suddenly his eyes widened and his ears fell back. He lifted up a paw and pointed behind Miya.
'Look out!'
"HAND OVER THE GEM, RIGHT NOW!" the voice yelled. Miya turned around and looked up. She could only see the large bulk of the dragon in front of her, until someone leapt up from behind the carcass and stood atop it. It was a Yoshi, and if Miya was right, he was a Piewa warrior.
"Do you Mulhollens think we're THAT stupid?! You're not going to steal this dragon on my watch, nor that gemstone! Hand it over!"
Miya stepped backwards, but kept the gem held tightly in her hand. "This gem doesn't belong to you!" she cried defiantly.
'What's going on??'
SHUTTUP FOR A SECOND!
"You're right; it belongs to the Piewas! Not hand it over, nice and easy!" the Yoshi demanded once more. To prove he was serious, he reached behind his feet, pulled out a sharpened knife, and held it towards Miya in a threatening gesture. The pink Yoshi growled, but the Piewa warrior only laughed. "Com'on, try and escape! I am much swifter and more agile than you, and in case you're forgetting, I'm the one with the weapon! So don't make any dumb moves!" he taunted. The warrior momentarily glanced away from Miya, and caught sight of the fox standing nearby. His cheese-eating grin widened as a thought suddenly struck him.
"Well, well, this is a real treat. Say, isn't that one of the escaped Mulhollen prisoners? The one with the huge bounty on his head?" he wondered aloud. The Yoshi looked back to Miya. "Don't YOU have a bounty on your head, too??" he questioned her.
WHAT?!?
'What's going on, for crying out loud!?'
I don't know!
'Well figure it out, fast! I don't like the looks of this guy!'
The warrior laughed menacingly. "You ARE, aren't you? Fruits, if I turn in a prize like you to my leader, I'll get promoted for sure!"
"I'm not going anywhere!" Miya protested.
"That's what YOU think," the Yoshi warrior corrected. At that, he jumped from the decaying beast to the ground and pointed his knife in Miya's direction. "Now don't move an inch, and just hand over the gem before you get what's coming to ya!" he ordered. Miya began to tread backwards, determined not to give up the gemstone clutched in her hand. "You'll have to kill me first!"
"That can be arranged!"
The Piewa warrior lunged forward, trying to drive his blade into Miya's chest. The pink Yoshi swiftly sprang out of the way before he could do so, and the warrior crashed to the sandy riverbank. He recovered quickly, however, and soon he was charging at Miya again. The pink dinosaur hopped backwards in an attempt to dodge the attack, but she didn't notice the lump of sand nearby that eventually tripped her. Miya's back hit the sand, and she was too late to move out of the way of the quick warrior. The Yoshi towered over her with his knife raised above his head, ready to strike.
"You picked the wrong Yoshi to fight today!" The warrior brought down his knife toward Miya's neck, but the pink Yoshi reached out in time and gripped the blade's handle. The two Yoshies struggled with the knife, each trying to wrench it free from the other's hands. The Piewa warrior threw out a foot and kicked Miya in the side, thus startling her and causing her to release the blade. The warrior rearranged the grip on his weapon and prepared to slash at Miya again while the pink Yoshi was still recovering from the blow.
"You play rough, but you're not good enough!" he taunted Miya again. Miya's eyes widened with horror as soon as she realized that this Yoshi was set on killing her, and she hadn't a clue how to stop him. Something beyond the sharpened blade of the warrior's knife caught her attention, though. Miya grinned slyly.
"I think you better back off, before you get what's coming to YOU."
"In your dreams, pinky," the warrior replied as he tossed back his arm wielding the knife and readied to deal a fatal blow. Something stopped him from killing Miya, though. It was a tap on the shoulder. He quickly glanced behind him, and his face met a furry fist.
"Ahh!! Fruits, what was that??" the Piewa Yoshi cried out in pain as he stumbled backwards and held his newly-injured nose. He shook off the surprise attack and glared at the vulpine that struck him.
"Fox! It's about time you came to help!" Miya yelled out to the fox, despite knowing that he couldn't understand her.
The fox ignored Miya's shout, of course, and concentrated on the Yoshi in front of him. He barked out some strange words and held up both his paws, ready to battle whoever he needs to.
"Fine, I can take him on, too!" the warrior Yoshi assured himself. He charged at the fox with all his strength, and prepared to knock him over with a head-butt. Like Miya, the vulpine was too quick, and he side-stepped the attack. The warrior rushed past the fox, stumbled a bit, then spun around and charged again. This time, the fox met the Yoshi with a well-placed kick, and the warrior reeled backwards. He quickly shook off the painful blow.
"Grr... FINE! Take this!" he growled while pulling out his short blade again. The Yoshi charged once more, slashing the air with his knife as he did so. Another good kick from the fox, and the knife flew out of the Yoshi's hand and landed in the sand somewhere near Marawok. The warrior stepped back, startled.
"You're still not good enough to take on me!" the Yoshi taunted the fox just as he did Miya.
"I don't think so..." Miya snarled. The Piewa warrior whirled around to face Miya, only to watch her hold up his own knife to his face. "If don't mind, I think me and my friend here will be on our way... WITH this gem. You don't mind, do you?" she asked the warrior with a wide grin.
The Yoshi glanced from the fox, to Miya, to his knife, and back. He knew it was over. "Grr... you pathetic Mulhollens! We'll get you all! Just you wait!" he cried.
"Whatever," Miya retorted. "Just get the spriff outta here before I run you through with your own blade. Now!!"
The warrior hesitated, and after one last look at the two criminals he was trying to capture, he sped off in the opposite direction. Before long, he was out of the fox's and Miya's sight, and probably back at his tribe complaining to his superiors.
Miya opened up her hand and checked to see if the gem was still there. She sighed with relief when she noticed that it was.
Thank goodness that's over.
'What was that all about, anyway?'
Miya twisted her neck around to gain view of the fox behind her. Oh, we're wanted criminals now, or so I just found out.
'Really? Gee, I'm honored.'
You should be, with the huge bounty that's on your head.
'How big?'
Big enough to have every Yoshi on the island hunting us down. We need to find somewhere safe to hide for now. Miya thought for a moment. Then an idea came to her.
I know just the place.
'This wouldn't happen to mean that we're going back through the jungle again, would it?'
Miya chuckled. Actually, it does.
The fox groaned. 'I was afraid of that.'