Hello friends. Xanatos Stones here, to all those out there who may be interested in reading this story. Although I have had a bit of experience in writing, drama and such in life has left me without much practice for a couple years, so I request your patience in my recovery process. Hope you enjoy this story. And… totally new to these before-the-story postings. Hope you enjoy. ^_^
The Invasion of the Koopas OR The Fall of Yoshio
Prologue:
"The waters are calm. The waters are calm," the young toad whispered, staring off the deck of his boat. Sweat rolled out of his mushroom hat, as he surveyed the waters around him. It was more wishful thinking than anything else, because the waters couldn't very well be described as calm.
The sky was dark, cloudy, and it looked like a storm was about to begin. Waves rocked the ship back and forth, but none of them were high enough to truly be worth of concern. There was nothing to be seen in any direction, and this was somewhat to be expected. They were in an unexplored part of the ocean, a group of toads on an exploration mission to discover new lands.
A wave hit the boat, and sent it rocking violently to the left. The toad scrambled to grab onto one of the ropes on the deck, and breathed a sigh of relief as the boat righted once more. Around him, more seasoned sailors were racing to and fro, attempting to tie down anything that they could. A burly toad with a tattoo of a mushroom on his left arm called out to him. "Hey, navigator. Get below deck! We don't need you out here right now. It's way too dangerous!"
Another wave sent the boat spiraling in the opposite direction, and the navigator clenched tighter onto the rope that he held. There was NO way he was going to let go of it until the boat had learned how to stand up straight. There was no reason to be where he was right now. He'd had more than enough acceptable jobs back home, but no… He'd had to run off and join this group of crazies. See the world, chart new lands, truly live.
Well, he'd seen a lot of things along the way, but had learned one thing more than any other. The sea was NOT a friend, as so many of the sailors around him seemed to think. It was dangerous, treacherous, loyal to none. And the creatures it harbored brought death. They'd lost so many people already. And now…
Wave after wave crashed into the ship, hurling it to the left, then to the right, slanting upwards and downwards. Nearly tipping more than once. Now the sea was going to kill them. Lighting began to flash in the sky above, and the navigator looked up at the sky, his eyes widening. No way, he thought to himself, pushing his cap tighter down upon his head. There was no way he could die here. He had too much that he wanted to do, too much he had to see, and too much he had to tell.
A lighting bolt struck the central mast, igniting a flame, and the navigator released the rope he was carrying. "FIRE!" he called out, attempting to steady himself as the boat continued to pitch in all directions. Then his foot slipped, and he went spiraling towards the edge of the ship. "No. No. No. No. No. No. No," he thought frantically, searching for anything that he could grab onto. Then his hand slipped, and the next thing he knew, he was falling. Around him, water raged violently. It seemed to be growling hungrily, wanting to swallow him whole.
A wave reached out, grabbing hold of him, and slamming him against the side of the ship. Everything went black, and the unconscious toad slipped into the sea.
And there you have it. The opening of the story. And for those of you who may not yet know this, the mushrooms on top of Toad's heads are hats. They can remove them, and the toad that fell into the sea… 3:D had something in his.
Chapter 1: A Strange New Land