Chapter 2-Soshi's Discovery

Soshi came to. He looked around and saw he was in a rather large cave made completely of ice. Soshi exhaled and watched his breath crystallize on a nearby stalagmite. He stood up. This was Proarctica's interior. Soshi was determined not tothink about how he got here, and only wanted answers to his past.

He slowly explored each cave, seemingly unaffected by the cold. He used his sense of smell, and a little instinct to guide him. Of course, one could say he was choosing his paths randomly, but one way or another, Soshi wound up in an enormous cave, three times as big as the others. It was especially cold here; everything was even covered in a thin layer of powdery snow. Soshi now had to cover himself with his wings while he walked. Soshi stepped further into the room. He couldn't quite place it, but there was something almost...sinister about it.

"S-S-Soshi?"

Soshi whirled around at the sound of the voice.

"Huh? Who said that?" he asked, showing no signs of fear.

"Over here." the voice came from a wall on one end of the room. Soshi carefully walked over to the sound. As he did, he noticed multiple ice columns from the floor rising up to the ceiling. They were spaced only a couple inches apart, and it was impossible for Soshi to squeeze through. However, two violet eyes stared at him through the columns.

Soshi gasped and stumbled, losing his balance for a second. He dug his claws into the ice and got it back. He then turned his attention toward the eyes, and gasped again, realizing who it was. He blinked. A pair of eyes blinked back at him. He saw another Yoshi, taller than he, and green. She had gray spikes, and looked like any other Yoshi. However, her tail ended in a spade-shape, much like Soshi's and his father's. The Yoshi looked at him and smiled from behind the frozen columns.

"Soshi, it's been too long."

"Mo...M...Mother." It took a while for Soshi to get the word out.

"Hello, my son." Soshi's mother, Sosha, replied. Tears welled up in her eyes. They instantly crystallized and fell to the floor with a clack.

"Mother, what is this place?" Soshi asked in awe.

Sosha took a long sigh. "This," she said at last, "is the prison hold of the Ice Lord, Koujin."

It finally hit Soshi. It was a prison. And a very high security one at that. Upon closer inspection, Soshi noticed tiny video cameras disguised as chunks of ice. The cells were all open and empty, the prisoners having either escaped, or...Soshi didn't want to think about it. His mother was the only one left. What would happen to her? The same fate as the others?

"Soshi." Sosha said.

Soshi's train of thought was interrupted, and he snapped to attention.

"Soshi, listen to me. There are two things I must tell you. I know you wish to learn more about your past, and for that reason, you must head to Silver Isle, in the Tranquil Sea. I trust you remember where that is."

Soshi nodded. He recalled the stories he had heard from his father about the Tranquil Sea. True to its name, there were no waves, just beautiful, pristine blue water. HE had never heard about Silver Isle, however.

"The second thing I must tell you is that I-" Sosha was cut off by a loud thud. "Oh no! Soshi, you must go, now!"

"Mother, I'm not leaving without you!" Soshi tried to burn away the ice with his fire breath.

"It's no use, Soshi. The Ice is permanent. Only Koujin can control it." Soshi's mother quickly explained.
The pounding grew louder. "Now GO!" Sosha screamed and pointed to the exit. Soshi took flight, and glided as fast as he could, through the twisting tunnels, not daring to look back, fearing that whatever came for his mother might come for him next. He wound his way around them, making a left at one junction, right at another. How long he was in there, minutes, hours, years, he didn't know. At long last, Soshi came to a dead end, with a beam of light shining overhead. He sharply turned up, and flew out of Proarctica's interior. He looked back at the glacier, thoughts of his mother and father consuming him. He then forced himself to turn to the horizon, and fly towards the Tranquil Sea.