Chapter 36

Caw!

The brilliant aura that sounded Luigi and the others faded, leaving them in a deciduous forest filled with towering trees, broad shrubs, and flowering meadows. They could hear the chirping and fluttering of birds' overhead. Sunlight struggled to penetrate the canopy, and a few beams lit up the forest floor. The whole area was calm, serene, and unfamiliar to Luigi.

"Where are we?"

"This looks like the outskirts of the Mushroom Kingdom," observed Toad. "I suggest we split up and find the Star Piece. I hope Forgeron's minions aren't here."

The group scattered, searching high and low. Bowser rustled through the bushes, while Mallow wandered around trees, looking for any sign of the Star Piece. Half an hour later, Luigi felt they had combed the entire area, and still no Star Piece. A pair of black shadows perched on a low branch watched them curiously, cawing quietly.

"I don't get it," said Luigi. "I wished to be transported to a Star Piece's location, but I have yet to see it. Was I not clear?"

"No, you were clear," assured Geno. "Should we keep searching?"

"Maybe," Toad pondered, his arms crossed indicating he was thinking, "we're looking in the wrong elevation."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean, Mallow, is that we ARE in the right location," said Toad, tilting his chin upward, "but the Star Piece is not on ground level."

"Of course!" agreed Mallow suddenly. "The canopy formed by the trees is so thick and intertwined it probably caught the Star."

"Can't be," Geno opposed gently. "The Star Piece was traveling too fast, it probably crashed through the canopy."

"So look for an opening," suggested Luigi, "and snapped branches. The Star Piece should be nearby.

"Unless it was taken," sighed Mallow.

"Arg," roared Bowser, frustrated, slamming a claw into a thick tree trunk, fighting back tears that blinded his vision, making the group fall silent. "If – if I'd known that Forgeron would cause all this, I wouldn't have succumbed to his orders. He – he threatened to kill me if I didn't obey, but because of me Peach is gone and even if we find all the Star Pieces, nothing we can do will bring her back. We should just give up now. He can keep my damn Sky Castle for all I care."

"We can't give up!" protested Luigi. "Peach wouldn't want that! She always wanted the best for her Kingdom and she was determined to save our world. We can't let her down."

Toad, who had crept away after his theory, did not hear the commotion behind him. Instead, he focused his attentions on two birds sitting on a thin branch. They weren't ordinary birds, they were ravens!

"My friends and I are searching for a star-shaped object that fell from the sky," he explained in a begging tone. "However our search was in vain, and we need this object. It's very important that we have it. Do you happen to know where it is?"

The two ravens glanced at each other, cocking their heads in different directions as if they did not comprehend Toad's pleas. The retainer frowned. He knew ravens were difficult creatures to communicate with; Ravens never spoke unless what they had to say was valuable.

"We know of this object you mentioned," spoke one, "however it's for our leader, Raphael the Raven. We can't simply give it away."

"Please," Toad beseeched. "We need the Star desperately. If you don't give it to us, everything we know and love will perish."

"He's got a point, Harry," whispered one of the ravens. "We have sensed an evil looming over us for some time now. Raphael the Raven had foretold it."

"I got an idea, Bob," responded Harry, ruffling his sleek feathers. "They need the star and we have a plight of our own. If they agree to help us, we'll give it to them and our leader will never know it was originally his gift," the raven turned to Toad. "We have agreed to give you the star, in exchange for your help."

"Oh, thank you," Toad said gratefully. "You can count on us… Luigi! Mallow! Everyone! Get over here! These two ravens know where the Star Piece is!"

The group appeared the instant Toad said 'Star Piece,' and looked at him eagerly. Toad gestured to the perched birds.

"These are Raphael the Raven's followers. They said if we help them,they'll give us the Star Piece."

"Excellent!" cawed Harry excitedly. "Now listen up… We have a horrible problem right now and…"