Welcome…to chapter 8. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to pm your thoughts on this story, or review. And thanks to all who have had interest in this story and its creation. Oh, and this is dedicated to all my readers and reviewers! :)
Cora woke up to movement beside her. Lyon? She sat up quickly, "Lyon!"
The blue Yoshi sat up slowly to look at her, "Good morning." He said softly, "I tried not to move so much, sorry I woke you."
"Are you okay?" Cora asked him with a frown. Her eyes scanned over his body. He looked as if he was in pain and his body would twitch every couple seconds.
"Just-," He groaned, "Muscle spasms, yesterday put a bit too much stress on my body I guess."
She placed a hand on his shoulder, "I'm so sorry Lyon…we should have just ran instead of placing more weight on you."
"Don't apologize, I don't regret saving you two, you are my friends." Lyon gave her a weak smile and lay back onto the grass.
"Oh Lyon…" Cora began gently massaging his legs with her hands, "Let me try and help, I feel bad that you're in such pain because of me."
"Me too," April stood behind Cora from her place on the ground, "Yeah, I got up after hearing voices, why didn't you wake me?" April's eyes flashed with concern over Lyon's form.
"I'm fine." Lyon sighed, "Just a little sore."
April disappeared for a moment and returned with a crate of fruit, "Here, lets have breakfast."
Cora gave her a small smile, "Yeah, we should get our strength up for today…but…." Cora frowned and glanced at Lyon, "I think we should wait."
"No." Lyon's voice was hard, "I won't slow down this mission, we must keep going. A little soreness will not stop me."
"Fine," Cora said with a light sigh, "But take it easy ok?"
Lyon nodded and took a fruit. The girl's began eating as well. They had another big day ahead of them, and they would need the energy. As they ate Cora mused to herself about the events of yesterday. Was the bob-ombs behavior because of the orbetrum? If it was then there would most likely be more issues in the future, Cora was really not looking forward to it.
Henry stared out from the bushes with a frown on his face, "I want some fruit." He said unhappily, "I'm tired of eating stale bread."
Marvin rolled his eyes and watched the red head take out another fruit and munch on it. He was hungry too but refused to complain.
They watched the trio for only a little longer when Henry left his place in the bushes and started into the woods.
"Henry!" Marvin hissed, "Where are you going?"
The hammer bro continued into the trees, ignoring his fuming companion.
"We are supposed to be spying on-will you wait up!" Marvin left his place in the bushes to follow Henry who seemed to be looking for something, his head turning this way and that, looking very flustered.
"I'm so hungry!" Henry complained, "I'm going to find something good to eat."
"Fine!" Marvin snapped, close behind his wandering companion, "Just be quick about it."
"Bingo baby!" Henry said happily and started towards an old looking tree near a fungus-covered log. Marvin saw what held hammer bro's attention.
"No way," Marvin sighed, "Just leave it alone."
Henry eyed the beehive with a sort of lustful look in his eyes, his tummy grumbling noisily, "I want some of that honey! Sweet golden goodness."
"Don't expect me to help then, "Marvin scowled, "I don't have time to tame bees to fill your appetite." And on another note, I hate honey, he thought.
"Fine," Henry grumbled, "I'll get it myself." He grinned at the beehive, "Here comes some hammer bro action!"
"Oh joy." Marvin mumbled with thick sarcasm. This was going to be fun.
The bro lifted up one of his hammers and stared at the hive that was vibrating with bees. Now where to hit…
Marvin saw what Henry was about to do and quickly retreated back into the trees. He knew that later he would regret not bringing a camera along on this journey. This was definitely going to be sweet, he thought with an evil grin.
Henry lifted up his hammer…and with a soft grunt, it was hurled at the hive like a bullet. Both the hammer bro and the magikoopa watched in suspense as it soared towards its target.
Thonk!
There was a heavy silence and Marvin felt very uncomfortable and crouched behind some bushes. Henry just stared at the hive where it had fallen beside the log.
Without warning, Henry began chucking hammers at the fallen hive, Marvin faintly wondering where he kept them all as he watched this spectacle.
"Nothing can get up after a taste of hammer bro action!" Henry cheered after still not getting a reaction from the beehive.
Bzzzzzzzzzzt.
Marvin peered at the fallen hive through the bushes. Henry noticed the noise and glanced at the hive with a slight look of confusion.
Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. The hive was slowly but steadily becoming noisier with buzzing until it became a loud threatening noise that sends the hammer bro's heart hammering away in terror. It was at that moment that he remembered the hornet attack a few days ago and wondered why that thought did not come through to him before he began his stupid and foolish endeavor for honey. This was going to hurt a lot more, somehow he knew….
April sat up straight in her seat looking thoughtful, "Hey guys, did you hear a scream?"
Cora gave her friend a confused look, "A scream? No."
"Eh…" April shrugged, " Must have been my imagination."
Cora turned to smile at Lyon who was now comfortable enough to sit up against a tree, "How are you feeling? Any better?"
"A little," Lyon smiled, "Eating something seemed to help."
"Great!" April said cheerfully, "Then we can get going again soon."
Cora frowned. There would be no changing his mind…but Cora wondered if maybe traveling so soon again would be a wise thing to do. Lyon needed to rest!
"How will you pull the wagon?" Cora asked suddenly. Lyon turned his head to look at her, "I will be fine Cora, please don't worry about me. I can handle it."
Lyon got up on his feet carefully and walked slowly but surely to the wagon and began strapping himself in. Cora watched him silently. April just began packing up the fruit and placing it in the wagon.
"Alright," Lyon looked at Cora, "Lets go."
She sighed and knew there was no changing his decision, "Fine."
For a while Lyon would stop a couple steps in a grimace of pain, but soon he was leading the wagon down the path without pause. Cora kept an eye on him, a frown of worry on her face. April just walked alongside the wagon, glancing about the plains, boredom evident on her face.
Soon the flat plains changed into rolling hills. Dark mighty pines lined the dirt road and after awhile of walking they realized they were now surrounded by forest.
"It's beautiful." Cora breathed, looking up at the towering pines. A soft green light cascaded from between the trees and the air was fresh with the scent of nature-pure and unfettered.
Lyon stopped to rest for a while at the top of a large hill; the quick ups and downs causing a biting pain in his joints.
"You okay?" April asked him.
He nodded in reply, a tight look on his face. He was straining now, but they had to keep going, he was going to tackle the rest of these hills with everything he had. They continued through the thick forest, Cora's face full of a sort of peace. She loved this forest and wondered if there was such a place on earth as majestic as this.
"Wow look!" April said suddenly.
Cora looked up in alarm and then noticed the excited look in her friend's eyes and calmed down, "What is it?" For a minute she mistook the excitement for alarm. Thank goodness it wasn't that, she was getting tired of the drama.
She looked to where April's gaze traveled and saw in the distance some towering snow capped mountains.
"Mount Edori," Lyon said, "its face is reflected on our lake."
"It's so beautiful, even from far away," Cora sighed.
"Can we check it out later?" April asked no one in particular, "I've always wanted to see a real live mountain up close, maybe even climb it."
"You?" Cora laughed, "Climb a mountain? I thought you were complaining before Forest Town about walking."
"Well, I can try can't I?"
Lyon laughed, "Well good luck with that, its very treacherous this time of year."
"Crud."
They continued their walk through the now misty pine forest, a soft cool breeze sliding over them. The chilled breeze was calming to the girls, but to Lyon, the coolness seemed to cause aches in his legs. It made moving very uncomfortable.
"Lyon, you okay?" Cora saw him stumble and frowned, "Do you need to rest?"
"…Yes, for only a few minutes though." Lyon slumped to the ground, not bothering to undo his straps.
April grabbed a banana from the crate and watched Lyon while she ate. She kind of wished they had some painkillers or muscle relaxers with them. Maybe they should have picked up some pills and first aid kits before setting out, it had passed both their minds entirely.
Lyon sat very still on the ground, his eyes shut. He tried some breathing exercise that he learned from a friend on his island, and felt some of the pain lessen. Cora set the apple she had been eating aside and began rubbing Lyon's shoulders and legs again. He relaxed under her touch, and she knew with relief, that she was helping.
Soon they were on the move again, Lyon weary but keeping his head high. Eventually they would find the lake and take a boat to the island. There he would be properly taken care of and they would hopefully find the information they needed.
Up ahead they neared what appeared to be the end of the forest. They were all happy when they reached the end and found a huge expanse of flat land covered in wildflowers. The path was now concealed under tall grasses and they had to help pull the wagon through some of the more messy weeds as they went on their way. In the distance a lake lay below Mount Edori and everyone was looking forward to reaching it, though it seemed to get farther away as they walked.
"Ugh!" April moaned, "This is taking forever."
Cora agreed, she wanted to get this day over with already, her feet felt ready to blister.
"Soon…we are almost there," Lyon said softly.
They all sped up, even Lyon, with the hope of a soft bed and something cool to drink. The shimmer of water that seemed to elude them as they raced for the lake made April very thirsty, she could almost imagine the cool liquid dripping from her lips.
They were all grinning in relief when they came to the rocky shore. Lyon unstrapped the wagon with a harsh sigh. Now they just had to unload the wood onto one of the boats.
The boats were tied onto a short red wood dock; there were two of them, one with a green stripe and another with a plain wood body. The girls tried to do most of the work for Lyon, because he still seemed a bit sore.
Cora grunted as she lifted the last board onto the back of the boat. Finally they had everything packed up, now it was time to get on and head for the island. After they each drank from the water, Lyon got into the front seat and glanced back at his friends to make sure they were all seated, "Ready April, Cora?"
"Yep!"
"Yes."
"Ok, lets head to the island then, hold on tight."
The boat pushed off the dock with a buzz of its motors; soon they were gliding gently over the water, bouncing occasionally against some random currents. The water beneath them was very green and reminded Cora of a calendar she had on the fridge at home of a green lake surrounded by fields of dandelions. She never believed she would ever see such a lake, and now she was boating on one. Life really did have its surprises.
The lake was massive; it stretched around them like an ocean, what was even more gargantuan in size was the mountain far off that seemed almost a part of the sky.
"It's awesome," April said, looking at Edori with wide eyes. It was quite an impressive sight; Cora couldn't keep her eyes off of it for long. Lyon was the only one who seemed to be immune to the mountain's allure.
Lyon stared straight ahead, eyes gazing into the distance, like he could already see his island. He said nothing, but was very desperate to get home. A good rest wouldn't hurt either.
It took a long time, but after thirty minutes, they finally glimpsed something, "Look!" Cora yelled, "I see it, wake up April." Her friend, who had been resting, woke up in a snap, "Whoa. What's happening?" April sat up with a yawn.
Cora shook her friend's shoulder, "Look! Its Lyon's island."
"Yes! Now I can sleep somewhere comfortable, no offense Lyon."
"This is an island boat," Lyon said with a smile, "I don't own it."
"Great," April said cheerfully, "Because these seats suck."
They all laughed, feeling truly happy at last since the last two days. Now they could get a good night's rest without worrying about getting attacked.
The island was spread out in front of them, huge and thick with forest. Lyon pulled the boat onto another dock that jutted out of a rocky shore and they got out and stared around them in awe at their surroundings. The island they found themselves on had both rocky soil and soft white sand on its shores. Beautiful flecks sparkled in the sand and April unearthed one to find a tiny pink shell. She showed it to Cora who immediately pocketed a few.
"We leave this here and I'll get some more Yoshis to help carry it," Lyon said as he stepped ashore.
"So…how far a walk is the village?" April asked.
"A mile maybe," Lyon shrugged lightly, trying to get a cramp out of his shoulder.
"Lovely…" April muttered as they began walking once more.
The mile walk was faster than they thought, possibly because they chatted with one another on the way, so it kept their mind off how far they had to go. Before they knew it, Lyon yelled, "There it is!"
They stepped through the thicket and into a clearing. They immediately saw many Yoshis, all different colors going this way and that. Tiny Yoshis played near what looked like an old stone well that was covered in blue vines. A little black Yoshi squealed suddenly and ran by being pursued by two others, red and dark blue.
The little black one ran right into April's leg. She looked down at the little guy in wonder; this Yoshi was so cute and tiny. It looked up at her and then squeaked in fear and ran into the next closest person, which was Lyon.
"Eve?" Lyon said aloud.
Little black looked up, "Lyon? Lyon!" She looked up with wide adoring eyes at Lyon. Both girls gave one another an amused glance.
Eve squealed again, this time in joy, and ran off quickly yelling, "Guys! Lyon is home! He's here!" They all watched her go, everyone wearing a smile on their face.
"She is so cute," Cora sighed, "I never knew how tiny a baby Yoshi would look up close, but she is really something."
"I have my own fan club I guess," Lyon told them with a smile, "I hang out with the children a lot, we play games."
"That's so sweet." Cora smiled, "Your such a nice guy Lyon, they must love you so much."
"They must annoy you a lot too," April pointed out, "Having kids around all the time isn't always fun."
Lyon shrugged, "They fall asleep pretty quickly. You just have to let them run out of juice, they tire easy."
"Lyon." They all glanced at the voice in surprise. A light pink Yoshi stood in front of them. She wore a thin rope necklace around her neck, at the end of it hung what appeared to be tiny yellow glass flower that looked almost ready to bloom. The Yoshi gazed at Lyon, a soft smile on her face.
"Fee?" Lyon looked at the pink yoshi.
"Welcome home Lyon," Fee said, "We have been awaiting your return, how was the sale?"
"It was…fine," Lyon replied and flashed a quick smile, "All the fruit was sold."
Cora glanced at Lyon's eyes and was surprised to see a look of disappointment in them. Was he perhaps hoping for a different reaction from Fee? What did he want her to say? Was this perhaps, a crush?
"Wonderful Lyon!" Fee said, "That is great news for the elders, I'm sure they are ready to move into their new homes, the home they are using is crowded enough. Lets go gather the wood and begin building right away."
"Umm, miss?" Cora spoke up, "Lyon is very tired from the journey, and he will need his rest."
Fee turned to her in surprise, as if she had only just noticed her, "Human? Your kind is a rare sort here and across the land."
"Yeah," April said as Cora opened her mouth, "So, do you have any place we can rest? We have been walking for a long time and we're really tired."
"Oh, yes," Fee said with a quick smile, "You must be exhausted, I will ask around the village for any who would be willing to share their home with you."
"There is no inn?" April frowned. So they would have to sleep in some stranger's house, well it was better than the ground…
"No, sorry. We have no shops either, we trade to one another," Fee said, "Now follow me."
"Wait Fee," Lyon's voice stopped them, "They can stay with me, my hut is plenty big."
"We have been with you for days now Lyon," Cora said to him, "Wouldn't you like some time to yourself?"
Lyon shook his head and smiled at them, "You will be no bother to me, I will be sleeping most of the time anyhow, and I am a very deep sleeper."
"Then it is settled," Fee nodded at the group, "You two will share Lyon's home."
The group left for Lyon's house after talking some more with Fee. Lyon gave the pink Yoshi a small but warm smile as they walked away; Cora shared a smile with April. It was easy to see that Lyon had a crush on Fee.
Lyon led them past other huts and as they went on their way, the group was stared at in curiosity by many different sizes and colors of Yoshi. A few times they had children following them, only to have April turn her head to look back and have them run off squealing and laughing. April seemed to enjoy this game and pretended they were not there, each time the Yoshi's getting closer, giggling softly. Then she would turn quickly and give them a wicked smile sending tiny Yoshi's scattering.
Cora walked with Lyon, glancing around to look at her surroundings. There were all sorts of Yoshi colors, some of which she had never seen in a videogame. When there was an orange Yoshi, there was also another orange that was darker or lighter than the first orange color she glimpsed. One had deep red skin and tiny barely seen flecks of pink on its neck and legs.
They passed tall huts and went through a clearing where the ground was decorated with swirling designs, Cora looked down at them in wonder. Hidden in these designs were small hard to see Yoshi shapes. An egg made up the center of the design.
"The ground was cut into to form those swirls and shapes," Lyon said noticing Cora staring at the ground, "Then we boiled metal and gem to pour into the indentions. This spot is where we have our meetings and celebrations."
"Gems?" Cora said, "Where do you find them?"
"Mount Edori of course. We consider ourselves as miners." Lyon said proudly.
"Why didn't you sell gems instead of fruit?" April asked curiously, "You would have made money faster."
Lyon frowned, "The tunnel had a cave in, remember the storm I told you about, the one that ruined the elder's homes?"
"What tunnel? Is it on the island?" April asked him.
"Yes, we have a cave on this island, if you go through it, you will eventually reach Mount Edori, it tunnels under the water then lets out at the base of the mountain.
"Cool, so you don't have to take a boat out every time you want to mine gems," April grinned.
"Yes," Lyon frowned, "Hopefully they have already cleared out the tunnel of rocks, I know April has been wanting to visit the mountain."
"Yes!" April cheered, "My first mountain."
Cora sighed, "Lyon needs to sleep first before he goes anywhere."
"Oh. Sorry, I forgot," April said sheepishly, "Just excited I guess."
Soon they were stopped in front of a dark wood hut that was wide set with a roof made up of bent wood and rope. They stepped inside and found a table with cushions around it for people to sit, a shelf that took up one wall full of all sorts of objects, and a lone bed on the right side of the room.
Lyon went over to the bed and pulled out a large long wooden box from beneath it. He opened the box up and pulled out some thick blankets, "I can layer parts of the ground with these so you are comfortable, but if you like, you two can share the bed and I'll nest on the floor. It doesn't matter to me."
Cora glared at him, " No way Lyon, you need the bed, we'll live. I had slumber parties in the past where we slept like this anyhow."
"Yeah," April said, "We're good."
Lyon nodded and placed some blankets in front of the bed and some out to the center near the table. He pulled out some sheets and placed them over the blankets he had laid out. When he finished, the Yoshi sat on his bed, "I'm going to sleep for awhile."
"Me too," April yawned, "I'm exhausted."
Cora nodded and sat down on the blankets, picking up the top sheet, "Yes, but tomorrow we have to start asking about the orbetrum, we can't get too comfortable."
The girls slept deeply, each dreaming as they did every night. April dreamed of voices in a hall that sang out to her and of flying Yoshis and books without text. Cora dreamed of something entirely different. She dreamed of a sad looking girl with long sheets of hair that fell down her shoulders and over her ears, floating alone in a dark place. It was Fila, she didn't know how she knew, but the answer felt clear to her. Why did she look so sad though? She watched from wherever she was at as Fila closed her eyes. Then those eyes suddenly flashed open, like she had heard a loud noise that alarmed her. Fila glanced around a deep frown on her face, and her eyes latched on to Cora who held her breath. Those eyes were so intense…dream or not, she could feel them searing into her.
"Wake up," Fila said to her calmly," You are needed."
Cora sat up, her eyes wide and looked around. She was sitting in darkness and panicked until she heard soft snoring nearby. Cora relaxed. She was still in Lyon's hut; the home had a small window in the side, but barely brought in any light. Cora pushed the blankets off of her body and carefully stepped over where she thought April was sleeping and crept over to the narrow window near the door. She glanced outside her heart racing, as if she had been running laps in her sleep. The moon shed a bright light over the silent huts outside and seemed to cast a sort of eerie green light over the area. Cora did not know what she was looking for but as she turned to go back to bed she glimpsed movement from the corner of her eye. She watched as the small figure moved slowly across the ground, its small feet dragging slightly on the ground, its eyes sleepy looking and half closed. A child Yoshi? What was it doing outside alone?
Cora stepped outside the hut, and followed the Yoshi. It was a very dark color, but moved so slowly that it was easy to follow. Cora watched it head towards the forest and quickly moved to stop it. She moved in front of its path, her body blocking any progress into the woods. The tiny Yoshi though, kept walking, and when it came forward, it walked into Cora, its tiny head moving softly against her stomach as it tried to move through her to the forest ahead. Cora gently lifted up the Yoshi and was surprised to see its little feet still moving as if it was still walking on earth. She looked into its eyes and was startled to see if staring right through her, like she wasn't there. What was wrong with it?
"Sweetie," Cora said softly, "Wake up."
The Yoshi did not respond, and kept moving as it was. She bounced it up and down lightly, making sure to be careful with its small body, "Wake up little one, you're not in bed."
Cora frowned and stared down at the Yoshi in her hands. It was not responding. Was it sleepwalking perhaps? If that were the case, then it would be dangerous to awaken it.
She lifted it up in the air, under the shine of moonlight, and was surprised to see that the Yoshi was the child they had seen earlier, the one called Eve.
"Eve, wake up."
There was no response and Cora bit her lip and glanced around her. Maybe she should wake someone up; they might know what to do. Eve's parents would be the best bet, but she wasn't sure where they were. Lyon…. she would hate to wake him up, he needed his sleep, but this seemed important enough.
Cora hugged the tiny Yoshi to her chest and opened the door to the hut; she stepped in, leaving the door open to let in moonlight, "Lyon."
Silence.
"Lyon!"
There was the sound of rustling sheets and she saw movement, "Cora? What's wrong?"
"Come over here Lyon, you have to see something."
Lyon stepped over April's still form and walked over near the open door where Cora waited. He blinked sleepily then noticed the slightly moving shape in Cora's arms.
"It's Eve, she was wandering into the woods, she won't respond to me." She lifted up the Yoshi into the light. Lyon stared at the child, confusion clear on his face.
"Cora, is she sleep walking?"
"I'm…I'm not sure. Has this ever happened before?"
Lyon shook his head slowly, "No, not that I know of."
Cora noticed something different, "Hey she stopped moving." The Yoshi was still in her arms.
"Eve?" Lyon moved his nose close to Eve's face.
"Lyon?" The small Yoshi asked aloud, her voice so soft Cora could barely hear her.
"What were you doing walking around at night little one?" Lyon asked the child, "Your parents will be worried about you."
"I-I…. I was what?" Eve frowned and blinked up at him, "I don't remember."
Cora looked at Lyon who frowned, "Cora, get back to bed, I'll take Eve home."
"Umm, ok. Are you sure you don't want me to come along?"
"No, I'm fine. You need to rest, go back to bed."
Cora sighed and carefully gave the Yoshi to Lyon and watched as he walked away. She shut the door and sat down on her blankets. After awhile she laid back and felt herself drift off.
Sunshine leaked through the window onto April's face. She mumbled lightly in her sleep and rolled onto her side. Cora felt April's foot brush against her arm and her eyes slipped open. It didn't take long for her to remember last night's events and she sat up.
Cora glanced at the bed to find it empty and stood up. She carefully walked over April and went out the door.
It was a beautiful cloudy day, large puffy white clouds moved through the sky and the sun shone brightly between them. A soft breeze tousled her hair as she started through the village, her eyes searching for Lyon. As she walked she received the same curious stares as before and did her best to keep from flushing in embarrassment. Whenever too many eyes looked at her, it made her very nervous.
She stepped across the clearing, glancing down at the lovely swirling designs on the ground and felt herself run into something. Cora looked up at a tall scarlet red Yoshi, "Oh! I'm sorry."
The Yoshi looked her up and down, "Hello, we don't see much of your kind over here." The voice was male, sort of rough but smooth as well.
"Yeah…we came from a long way." Cora said, "I'm looking for my friend Lyon, have you seen him?"
"Lyon? Yes, he just went to visit the elders."
"Thanks, uh…where would that be, I'm Cora by the way."
He smiled, "I'm Reed, and follow me, I'll show you."
She followed the tall Yoshi around a well and past a few more homes and nearly ran into his back when he stopped in front of a large hut with a red wood door, "Inside here. The elder's are sharing this home until the construction is finished."
Cora was surprised, "It's already under way? How long before they're completed?"
"Soon," Reed nodded, "We have a structure ready, but boards still need to be split."
"That's great. Well, thanks for showing me here." Cora smiled.
Reed tilted his head down, "You're very welcome Miss Cora, I hope you enjoy your stay here."
"I will." She watched as he walked away, and then knocked on the door. She had to wait only a few seconds before the door opened. A dark blue Yoshi wearing a necklace adorned with shiny red stones looked at her curiously, "Hello, may I help you?"
"Yes, is Lyon here?"
"Ah…you must be Cora, come on in." The Yoshi opened the door the rest of the way and ushered Cora in.
The room was split into two; a ladder led the way to an open upstairs room where many cushions and tables were, the bottom part where Cora was held five beds against the far wall, all of which were occupied by a Yoshi. Three Yoshi's were seated at a table to her right, one of which was Lyon. He looked at her in surprise then smiled, "Cora! Come and meet the elders."
Cora stepped over to the table, smiling politely at the old Yoshi's occupying the beds. When she reached the table she sat down next to Lyon on an available cushion, "Hello."
The purple Yoshi sitting at Lyon's left nodded at her, "It's nice to meet you Cora, I am Yanu." He gave her a kind smile, as did the other Yoshi at the table, a small pale green.
"My name is Kesrie," The green elder female told her, "I am also glad to meet you. Lyon has told us so much about you. We are grateful for your help."
"I am happy to help," Cora said, smiling warmly.
"Soon the homes will be completed," Lyon told her.
"Yes, Reed told me."
"Reed? Fee's brother?"
Cora brushed back a strand of hair that was tickling her nose and gave him a curious look, "That was Fee's brother? Well, he showed me how to get here. He was very nice; of course, I have yet to meet someone who isn't."
Yanu nodded, "Yes, we try our best to treat one another with kindness and understanding, even visitors."
Lyon looked at Cora, "I told them about our mission, they will call a meeting after the huts are completed."
"That's great. Thank you all again for your help, I appreciate it more than you can imagine. Without your help, we wouldn't have come so far." Cora directed the last part to Lyon who smiled in response.
Suddenly the door flew open, everyone looked at the Yoshi who had barged in, alarm clear on their faces.
Kesrie stood up and faced the Yoshi, "Rinn? What's wrong?"
The Yoshi looked at her, panting, "Elder Kesrie…m-my daughter…she is missing."
"Eve?" Kesrie frowned.
Cora looked at Lyon whose eyes were wide. Eve was missing…the same child who was acting so oddly last night. What on earth was going on?
April awoke and to her annoyance found both Lyon and Cora gone. She sat up, ruffling up her hair lightly with a hand. The girl stood up and walked over the door. She opened it and was greeted with a strong breeze.
"Yeesh, is it going to storm?" April wondered aloud and closed the door. She looked up at the sky and was not surprised to see a few grey clouds. It was definitely going to rain soon. She thought she could even hear some thunder in the distance but was surprised when she realized that the sound was a hum of a crowd nearby.
April started past the huts and wasn't even to the clearing before she saw the groups of Yoshis up ahead. They were all gathered on the design in the clearing, everyone talking at once.
What the heck was going on? April moved through the group of seemingly panicking Yoshis.
"Lyon!" April yelled over the roar of the crowd, "Cora!"
"Everyone calm down!" A sharp voice sounded out over the shouts of the crowd, and everyone was silent. A dark orange Yoshi stepped through the crowd and into the middle of the clearing where a space was being cleared for him. He looked old; a few wrinkles behind his bright blue eyes, but held himself up strong. He had every appearance of being a leader.
"Dari, what do we do?"
"The children, this has never happened before-"
"Where is my Lyda? She is gone!"
April watched all this in confusion. What was going on?
"CALM DOWN!" Dari barked, "Remain calm, we will figure this out. In the mean time, you must gain control of yourselves!"
Everyone calmed down, some Yoshi's crying softly. April felt very uncomfortable in her current place and also very lost. She had no idea what was happening.
"April?" Cora appeared from the crowd with Lyon, "What's happening?"
"I have absolutely no idea," April said dryly.
Lyon looked around, his expression grim, "Some children have gone missing, Eve was one of them."
"The little black Yoshi from yesterday?"
"Yes." Cora sighed and told April of the events of last night, "We have no idea what's going on, but it most likely has something to do with our mission."
April groaned, "Doesn't it always?"
"We will send a search party into the woods," Dari announced, "We will also send a group to the cave, the collapsed tunnel has been cleared out last night, so they could have wandered there."
"My child would not have left without telling me first!" A voice said angrily, "Tani was a good boy, very mature for his age."
"And this is not concerning just one kid, this is many children." Another voice lifted up from the crowd.
Soon the crowd was in an uproar again and the trio moved quickly to escape the area. April sighed in relief when they were out of range of chaos; she had been starting to get a large headache.
"That was bad," Cora said, "This whole situation is bad."
"Where could they have gone? Were they kidnapped?" April asked aloud, though no one had an answer for her. They had hoped for a nice stay on the island, and now they had ran into more trouble. April sat down on the ground cross-legged, her head bowed. This was definitely bound to be a very long day.
Woo! I finally finished this baby. This is the longest chapter yet. I promised my readers a long chapter and I have delivered. Thank you all for your patience. I hope you enjoyed this read. I would also like to thank all my readers and reviewers. I love you guys, you rock! Note: I was going for fifteen pages, but this seemed like the best stopping point for the chapter, until next time, cya guys. ;)