With a first chance to look at his surroundings, as if noticing for the first time, Jazz's eyes narrowed at the blue snake. Then, the faint sound of trickling water could be heard. Snowie Jr's eyes became round with wonder. Jazz only huffed and trudged onward like before, only with more meaning and purpose.
"It's the Old Man's River," he said, glancing briefly back over his shoulder. Skipper and Snowie Jr were on his tail as they approached to the snaking river. Now, the only thing to do is to follow it and Snowie Jr could already smell the building fear amongst them.
It felt like hours following the "Old Man's River" as Snowie Jr (white yoshi), Jazz (black yoshi) and Skipper (blue yoshi) trailed along the grassy shore. Snowie Jr would pause to take a breather but would only get a tug on the arm as a response from Jazz. He was as eager as them but he wasn't used to all this walking. Snowie Jr was so used to being locked up in his room that he didn't realize he had legs. He huffed as he, yet, tripped on another pebble.
Jazz narrowed his eyes upstream where the river had just suddenly crashed into a barrier of shrubs and thick oak trees. He stopped right before he entered the barrier, sending Skipper and Snowie Jr practically crashing behind him.
"What's the big frolicking deal, Jazz?" Skipper asked, afraid that what lurked behind the trees might hear his quavering voice.
Jazz approached the thick-leaf ferns and pulled them apart, ducking his head in between them. He was frozen. He was frozen so long that Snowie Jr thought that his head was eaten off by a malicious head-eating monster. Before he could open his mouth Jazz's body vanished in the ferns, leaving the ferns to whisper in motion.
Skipper's eyes widened. "Jazz, you pickle-eating twig," he called. "Wait up!" He trotted for the ferns where Jazz had disappeared. The river's flow never changed. In stories told by the older folk in Yoshi Village Snowie Jr heard that after an event, when the flow of the river increased, something terrible was going to occur. Not having second thoughts, Snowie Jr nervously, but silently, rushed through the ferns.
He ran for only two minutes until he saw the small backs of Jazz and Skipper. Their bodies stood still in awestruck. Beyond them lay the river stretched out in an open clearing so extensive that three Yoshi Villages could fit in it. An iconic giant oak sat peacefully on the other side of the river. There stood a robed figure that looked fragile.
Snowie Jr narrowed his sky-blue eyes. "Who is that?"
Without an open answer, which wasn't surprising, the three yoshis edged closer to the robed figure until they were about five feet away. Jazz, with his killing curiosity, reach out a hand to touch the back of the robed figure, only to get a stab of pain in his hand as a response. As Jazz pulled his hand back, wagging it vigorously and dancing in place, the robed figure turned around slowly. Snowie Jr's heart pounded and he was sure that the stranger heard it too. When it fully faced them, the face of an elderly, ancient gray yoshi hid under the head of the brown robe. It looked like one of those friars that appeared in those stories that Snowie Jr enjoyed reading. The yoshi had a long gray beard that touched to his hidden toes. Snowie Jr was surprised that the oldster had no cane to support him. The old yoshi must have a strong back, as he stood up tall.
The ancient yoshi blinked open his hooded eyes. "Ah," he croaked. "It's surprising how such adolescents arrive at an early time. How un-expecting…"
Jazz had straightened up and frowned at him, as if noticing him for the first time. "Hey," he said, sternly. "I know your voice. You're the old man that spoke to us in our dreams."
The Ancient Yoshi dipped his head slowly. "Aye, and so I am," he rasped. He took one feeble step toward them and Snowie Jr had thought that he was about to fall. The Ancient Yoshi stuck a hand through his other sleeve and pulled out a dusty, black book. It was blank and had no writing on the cover.
"How old is that walloping thing?" Skipper gasped.
"Older than you would ever know." Ancient Yoshi replied, faintly.
Jazz reached out for the book but Ancient Yoshi brought it closer to himself. "Before I hand you this book, I'll tell you about a long tale…"
Snowie Jr gulped, waiting for what bizarre tale was about to come out of Ancient Yoshi's bearded lips.
