Dislcaimer: None of the characters from the realm of Nintendo, including Mario characters, belong to me.

Chapter Eleven

Finally, they had made it out of the grassland. Toad sighed in relief, glad to be out of there. "We made it!" He exclaimed happily.

"Of course you did," pouted Frankie, "did you think you wouldn't?"

"He's just glad to be out. We can't float, you know. To us, wading through waist-deep grass can be tiresome." Black Ninjakoopa explained. "We had no doubt in your abilities."

"Oh." Said Frankie. "Well, here you are."

"Many thanks, Frankie." Black Ninjakoopa said with a bow.

"Anytime, B.N." Frankie replied. "Adios." With that, he disappeared.

"Well, that was an interesting character." Toad said, looking around. In the distance he could barely make out Bowser's castle in the mountains. Even from here it looked dark and foreboding. In between them and the castle was a river, a desert, and way off the edge of a forest could be seen. Toad sighed. "I suppose we should get going." He said gloomily.

"Certainly. We can get several more miles in before nightfall." Black Ninjakoopa agreed. "Of course," he added thoughtfully, "we could get even farther if we went on through the night."

"We have to sleep sometime." Toad pointed out sullenly. Black Ninjakoopa didn't seem to need as much sleep as the other two, so they really hadn't gotten a good night's sleep since joining up with him.

"I know, but we could stop a few hours before dawn and start again shortly after the sunrise."

"Right." Toad rolled his eyes. This was ridiculous. "Well, you may be able to function on that little sleep, but the rest of us need more. More, I might add, than we have been getting."

"It won't kill you to give up a little sleep."

"No, not to give up a little."

"It won't kill you."

"But it might kill you." Muttered Toad under his breath.

Black Ninjakoopa heard him. "No, I'm not as addicted to sleep as you two are. It certainly won't kill me."

"Right." Toad growled. "So how do we get across this river?" He asked grumpily.

"Simple, we cross using the bridge." Black Ninjakoopa did not seem to have noticed the large amount of koopas guarding the bridge.

"What about the koopas?"

"What about them?"

"They aren't on our side, you know."

"Oh yeah. I'd forgotten. Silly me."

"Yeah. Silly you. Now how will we get across."

"Well," Black Ninjakoopa inspected the river. "It looks we shall have to swim."

"Swim?" Toad asked skeptically.

"Yeah. Swim. You do know how, don't you?" Black Ninjakoopa seemed annoyed.

"Um, no, not really."

"No? You can't swim?"

"That's what I said." Toad sighed.

"Well," Black Ninjakoopa turned to speak to Yoshi, "Can you swim?"

"Hippa!"

"Can you carry him across?"

"Hippa!"

"Good." He turned back to Toad. "Just jump on his back, and we'll be off."

"Great." Muttered Toad, climbing on. As they splashed through the water, Toad held on tightly, eyes closed, for fear that he might fall into the rushing water.

After what seemed an eternity, but in reality was only a few minutes, they came to dry land. There Toad let go of Yoshi and dismounted.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Black Ninjakoopa chuckled. "Now all we have to do is cross the desert, navigate the forest, and climb the mountain and we'll be at the castle."

"Oh. Is that all?" Toad grumbled. "I was worried there would be more too it."

His sarcasm was wasted, for Black Ninjakoopa had already started for the desert.

"Hippa." Yoshi interjected, trying to be helpful.

"I know. Come on." Toad said, and followed Black Ninjakoopa. Behind him, Yoshi rolled his eyes.

And the three trooped on towards the castle.