It was a short, uneventful while later when the two of them returned to home of the Yoshi tribe. Lila had taken it to herself to pull a coconut completely from its comfortable bunch in a palm tree and had seated herself on the ground beside the large, vine-ridden hut. The travellers were gathered in a semicircle around her, knees to the ground and hands clasped in excitement. It was amazing to think how, with the aid of a single coconut that kept flipping from one green hand to the other, Lila could cause such astonishment and flabbergasted-ness to take root in their minds. Aside from the usual web of legends and folklore, rumours and tales were tangled in with her stories; most importantly, a tale of the Mythical Yoshi of Legend.
"It is said that he arrives each and every night to suck at the sweet juice from the Tinkleberry plant," Lila declared to the travellers, her eyes roving from one to the other as she proceeded with the tale. Midnight, being who he was, knew she didn't believe the tales herself – though, without doubt, every Yoshi on the island knew he existed. His imagination burning, an inner flame inside him, Midnight dropped to the ground and crossed his legs in a single fluid movement. He was sitting beside Daisy, who in turn was squatted down next to Luigi. Her hands clasped, her tiara lopsided on her mess of dishevelled brown hair, her mouth dropping slightly at the wonder of it all – yep, you could indeed tell it was Daisy's first time on Junglestream Island.
"His shadow graces the leaves of the jungle as he feeds, twisting and twirling with every step – he is a dancer, alive in his own land; strong, wild, free," continued Lila. "He leaves at dawn, to reappear at eventide." Now her face was cast in shadows, thought Midnight. With all that shade dappling her turquoise-hued snout, she could be the Mythical Yoshi of Legend herself. No one seemed to know what colour he was; some distinguished red, others green, yet others blue. He may have been one solid colour or a million and one – for all they knew, Joro could be the Mythical Yoshi of Legend. It was possible, strangely. Not that Midnight believed it – it had been going on since before he had been born. Had it been Joro, he would have revealed himself by now.
"No one knows who he is, or why he's here," the green Yoshi chieftainess continued. "Some say he once was a normal Yoshi, but bonded to this island by means of a wicked and cruel enchanter's spell. Others say he is the creator, the roamer, the avenger, he who made this land and must live on it forever.
"Still others refuse to believe in his existence, though his shadow can be seen flitting through the trees every other night." Her eyes glowed in the darkness; she lifted the coconut to her chest and shook it gently so that milk sloshed inside and something hidden within its chocolate-coloured depths rattled.
"It is known, though, that when his feet are seen even lightly touching the ground during drought, peace is restored to Yoshi's Island. The crops grow once more and the grass revives; instantly, our world is transformed from a multitude of yellowing, easily-snapped stalks to a thriving, warm, living jungle of green, thickly sprinkled with flowers and vegetation of every colour and size.
"When his figure appears, dancing happily over the hilltop where some Yoshis' huts are built, the island can be carried from a time of periodical flooding to a time of harvest and happiness. The water instantly recedes into the river; the grass dries quickly under the stare of the mystical Yoshi. The waterfall shrinks to its normal size and the earth lives once more. We emerge from the shadows and breathe again, all thanks to the Mythical Yoshi of Legend."
Her speech done, Lila took a deep breath as her face flushed with pride. The travellers cheered and clapped wildly as she took a bow before dropping down to the ground again. She absently ran her hands over the thick tufts of small bushes; then, something strange seemed to have disturbed her. She looked up instantly, springing to her feet.
"Look up, for there goes the blue jewel peacock. Catch her feathers as they fall; they bring good luck, happiness, and health to all who wear them tied around their necks."
Within the space of two and a half seconds, Mario had sprung to his feet and was eagerly reaching out for some of the feathers. In the next instant, Daisy jumped up, pulling Luigi along with her. They were followed by Peach, who - though one would expect to be more prim and proper - had pulled off her crown and was raising it up to the blue jewel peacock just as her figure cut through the sky.
She was beautiful, that blue jewel peacock. She was a large, spreading figure: from outstretched wingtips to the talons on her feet, she measured over two metres long. A magnificent, decimetre-long crest curled out of her head, sparkling with small, ruby-like spots that twinkled brightly in the sunlight. Two large green patches surrounded her eyes, glowing like darke emeralds. Her tail was yet more curling and marvellous than the crest behind her head; streaked with gold, violet, scarlet, emerald, ruby and orange, it seemed to glow in the daytime light. The rest of her body was, of course, a silky, midnight blue.
The peacock let a happy, alert cry resonate from the tips of her hooked, yellowish beak. It was the kind of call a phoenix would make, the kind of call that seemed to reverberate inside your heart and soul. She sliced through the celestial heights at rapid-fire speed, and, during her passing, shining blue feathers came spiralling gently down, drifting through the air - so close yet so far. Luigi reached for one and found it seemingly unattainable, so he gritted his teeth and went up on his toes, managing to catch one just seconds before it landed gently to the ground.
The bird passed in a flurry of feathers and movement; several more of the good luck charms lay scattered on the floor. Mario bent down to reach for another one, but Lila placed her hand around his gloved wrist. "They lose their good luck that way," she explained when the plumber gave her a quizzical look. "So, us Yoshis use them for another, better reason."
"What reason?" Peach asked. She had found a coconut innocently lying on the ground and had smashed it in two, tossing one of the halves away. Now she was picking up the silky, midnight-blue feathers as fast as she could and throwing them into the other half. "Can they heal the sick?"
"No, nothing like that," Lila replied with a laugh, "though that would be great, wouldn't it? No, we use them to summon the Mythical Yoshi of Legend."
"We throw them on the ground at sunset; sometimes in the jungle, sometimes at the shore, sometimes in front of the tribe home. Then, when the world is tinged orange and hued yellow from the light of the setting sun, we call him. Sometimes, we do it during nightfall." She winked playfully. "But we only do it once a month. If you come, you can see it happening tonight."
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"I thought that some Yoshi's didn't believe in the Mythical Yoshi of Legend," Luigi confided in Yoshi as the two of them walked over to the seashore that evening. "How could they not if he appears once a month?"
"They think he's just one of the natives," his rideable dinosaur explained patiently. "That he's just another Yoshi in disguise. After all, he's only been here twenty-eight years."
"Twenty-eight years?"
Yoshi nodded. "He's still a kid in our years - about fifteen or so - though why he does what he does is anyone's guess."
Luigi found himself murmuring absently as he focused on the shoreline. "He's magical." The statement was accompanied by a little shiver that ran down his spine. It wasn't long before the shiver turned into an all-out, glacial sensation that sent his big nose trembling and mustache shaking. It felt like someone was raking their cold, clawlike hands down his back-
"GHOST!" shouted Luigi and began running wildly, his hands lashing through the night time air. Yoshi snarked and would have watched the insane spectacle, but he did the (cough - supposedly - cough) right thing and tackled the younger plumber to the ground.