Welcome to chapter 9! :D The search for the children is on, but where could they be? And what the heck is going on? Read and you may find out. ;) Oh and you also get to find out one of April's fears ^.^
Thanks to all my lovely reviewers, you guys make the magic happen.
There were five search parties put together at the end of the meeting. Lyon, April, and Cora were in one group with the pink Yoshi Fee. Fee looked around at the whispering crowds with a deep frown on her face, her eyes wide in distress. She had no child of her own, but was one of the Yoshi's that baby-sat the children when their parents went mining or off island.
"Where could they have gone?" Fee whispered, her head bowed, "Something like this has never happened before…what if we don't find them..."
Lyon straightened up, "I promise you Fee, we will do all we can to find the children. Don't worry. If we work as a team we will succeed." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and smiled. She tried to smile back but it faltered.
"Yeah!" April continued, trying to help pep the team up "We'll get the kids back. Together I know we can do it."
Cora nodded and smiled, "No matter what happens, we are in this together, and if we go as a team, nothing stands in our way."
"Alright." They all looked at the leader of their group, a dark green Yoshi wearing a blue bandanna around his neck named Vick. He stood at the front of the group with a determined look in his eyes, "Ok, are we ready to go? Remember, everyone stays together. We are still uncertain of the danger up ahead and we must keep together, does anyone have any questions?"
There was a long silence then Vick nodded, "Ok! Lets get on with this then."
They moved down the path towards the tunnel system. The five groups were separated by direction: the first would search the shoreline, the second would search the west side of the forest, the third the east part of the forest, the fourth the hills far west of the forest, the fifth, theirs, the cave and its tunnel.
"Man this is going to be creepy," April muttered as they took a path through a wooded area, "Caves were always such great class trips."
Cora smiled at April's sarcasm, "Don't worry, everyone brought matches, we will light torches when we reach the cave."
April sighed, "Now I have to worry about tripping and lighting myself on fire."
They trekked along a path that winded through the woods, everyone tense for the sight of the cave opening somewhere up ahead. The group silently walked, the only sound that of small bugs in the trees up above. Occasionally small whimpers of those who had loved ones missing would break the silence. Cora gave Fee a sympathetic look as the Yoshi held back another small sob.
Don't worry, April thought as she watched Lyon whisper something to Fee that made her smile sadly, We will get those kids back.
After walking for what felt like forever, they finally spotted the cave up ahead. It was located under a rocky hill, thick blue green grasses almost hiding the entrance from view. The sound of water breaking against a shore was heard in the distance.
Vick turned to face the group, "Alright everyone, we're here. Now lets find a good thick piece of wood around here and light our torches. Then we will head in, single file."
Everyone nodded and searched the area for a good piece of wood to light. Lyon pulled some branches out of a thick tree for himself and the girls. A few who had them, prepared their flashlights. Vick nodded when he saw that everyone was equipped and stepped up to the cave opening, "Follow me, and stay close."
Cora walked behind a yellow Yoshi with Lyon close behind her, following Fee, then April. The Yoshi behind April was the last one in line, which she was thankful for. In scary movies the last person in the group was the first to go. April was using too much of her imagination but it was hard not to…dark underground places always freaked her out. Her biggest nightmare was a movie where a group of girls were exploring a cave they had just found and traveling deep down into it…then having rocks come down to trap them. The film also involved some really creepy monsters, but April was far more afraid of the being trapped part then anything else.
It happened once in that storm, what if it happens again? April thought fearfully, what if the cave crashes in on us? Oh...just my luck if that happens…
"Don't worry," The Yoshi behind her whispered almost as if he could read her mind, "We'll be just fine, I've traveled these tunnels a lot."
"Thanks." She whispered back feeling a little better.
"Sure thing. Just relax."
"Will do." If I can ever get this feeling of dread out of my system, she thought dryly.
Cora was faring much better because she was too busy chatting with the yellow Yoshi to care about the possibility of a cave in. Fee and Lyon also talked, but it was him that did most of the talking. Fee usually just nodded, a faraway look in her eyes. She was still too worried about the children to enjoy conversing with him.
"We're heading for a curve in the tunnel, be careful when you turn, its narrow." Vick said.
They crept around the curve he spoke of, everyone making sure that their torches were not too close to the person in front of them. When they were clear of it the tunnel widened and they found that they could put some more space between one another.
"Is this just one tunnel?" Cora asked Fee who shook her head in response, "No Cora, this tunnel goes on for a bit and then forks out."
"Yeah," The Yoshi behind April said, hearing the conversation, "We will run into two more tunnels then four, one of which is a dead end. Oh, I'm Neo by the way."
"April," April replied, "And thanks for the info."
"No problem, feel free to ask me anything. I'm happy to help."
They traveled through the system for several minutes before reaching the fork in the tunnel. April was preoccupied because of a talkative Neo who seemed to be an expert on these tunnels. He kept chatting with her about Mount Edori's winding tunnels and towering stalagmites. April listened to him talk, feeling more relaxed than she did at the beginning of the cave.
Cora kept an eye on her torch, afraid that she would accidently drop it or burn herself. Lyon continued to talk with Fee, trying to help the Yoshi feel better though his efforts seemed in vain.
An hour passed and April was starting to feel bored. Just when she thought about trying to sleep while walking, Vick's voice rang out, "The end of the tunnel is up ahead."
Everyone perked up immediately and April looked forward over Fee's shoulder, excited for a glimpse of light. Soon they were out of the tunnel and a cool breeze was sliding over them.
"Thank goodness we're out," Cora said, "I thought we would walk on into forever."
"But…" Fee sighed, "We didn't find the children."
Cora was silent and glanced at Lyon who frowned. Poor Fee…
"Yessa and Drake." Vick said, "You will search this area for the children, the rest of us will enter the mountain."
"What?" April yelped, "We're going in? Really?"
A violet Yoshi wearing a bead necklace nodded, "Yes, the children could very well be inside." She said, "We cannot leave without first checking as much as the mountain as possible."
Cora frowned, "Lyon, didn't you say the mountain was bad this time of year?"
Lyon nodded, "Yes, but we will be taking the tunnels into Edori. If you're planning on scaling the mountain, then yes, it is very dangerous."
"What if the children are up there?" A Yoshi asked.
"Impossible," Another argued, "Nothing is crazy enough to venture up there this time of the year."
"Let's hurry." Vicks said loudly, "The sooner we find the children the better."
Cora went to the front of the group with Vick. April followed after her. They had their powers, so it was best if they were in front in case anything bad was to happen. Of course, Cora's flying ability would be of little use in the caverns, but she did have her senses they could rely on. If something bad was up ahead she could warn the group before anything disastrous was to happen.
The cave opening was narrow at first then widened out to reveal a huge area that went on into darkness. April felt a bit of apprehension again and stuck close to Neo who was gazing up ahead.
"Stay close," Lyon said, stepping up behind Cora and Fee, "There are some pits up ahead."
"Wait what?" April yelped.
"Don't worry," Cora said, "If you fall, I'll fly down and get you."
Fee gave Cora a curious look, "Why would you say that? Humans don't have wings."
"Well…we sort of have some special abilities. I can sprout wings and April can control air."
April sighed, "I don't think my power will work so great down here though."
Lyon talked more with Fee about their adventures so far and what the girls have already told him as they walked. The cavern was damp and cold and April found herself shivering. She glanced at Neo who seemed immune to the chill in the air.
They started carefully around the pits that Lyon had told them about earlier, April gripping hard to Neo's hand. He didn't seem to mind and didn't let go of her hand when the pits were far behind, which he knew she appreciated.
"How far are we going in?" Cora asked Vick.
He shrugged, "As far as we have to, but lets keep our fingers crossed, we may find the children soon."
Just as they started into another tunnel there was a cry up ahead and April let go of Neo's hand, "What happened?" She shouted, her voice echoing back at her.
A cobalt blue Yoshi stood up ahead of the group holding something in her hand. She turned to look at Vick and the others, her eyes wet with tears, "I found my son's bracelet." Cora glanced at it, feeling a sense of foreboding. Why did she have such a bad feeling? What part did the children play in all this?
Vick placed a hand on the Yoshi's shoulder, "Don't worry Rena, we'll find them. This is a good sign, it means they could all very well be nearby."
"It would be nice if they were together." Fee sighed, "I just want this to end, I want to find all the children and go home."
Lyon squeezed her hand gently, "I know Fee."
"Lets keep walking," Vick said, "Everyone keep an eye out for any more clues."
The walk was now silent, some feeling a sense of dread from uncertainty on what lied ahead and others holding on to a flicker of hope that the children would be found unharmed. Cora felt her heart beat faster with every minute that passed as they traveled deeper into the caverns.
April walked beside Neo and Lyon feeling her heart racing too. Her torch was starting to lose its fiery glow and she feared that any moment now it would disappear altogether, sending the other torches around her blinking off as well. She was also afraid that the shadows up ahead hid some monster or a hidden hole that she would fall into. April found herself wondering how deep the pits in the cave were and how far she would fall if she discovered one too late. What she thought of was not comforting but it was hard to keep her mind from imagining things.
Cora kept up with Vick, Fee close behind her. She listened to the dripping sound of moisture on the cave walls and the faint sound of her shoes as they touched the ground. Cora was very concerned about how she felt; it was like the feeling she had before the fuzzies attacked a few days ago…but this feeling was far stronger and made her feel sick inside.
"Lyon." Cora started just when another wave hit her. He looked at her and watched as she slowly tipped a bit to the left, he quickly grabbed an arm to keep her from falling over, "Cora?"
Everyone stopped to see what was going on, April saw Lyon holding on to Cora and walked over to see what was wrong.
"I…had a really bad feeling," Cora murmured, "Then I felt dizzy."
"Do you, sense something again?" Lyon asked her, "Is something going to happen?"
"I-I'm not sure," Cora shook her head trying to steady herself. What did it mean? These horrible feelings waving through her and making her feel sick…
April was about to say something when the world began to shake and distort around her. Everyone screamed and tried to stay on their feet as a powerful tremor shot through the ground. Yoshi's were holding onto each other some screaming in fear while Vick's voice screamed in the background for everyone to remain calm.
Finally the shaking stopped and darkness surrounds. In the confusion everybody had dropped their torches. Finally it was time to panic as April and several surrounding voices began to scream again.
"GET A GRIP!" Vick screamed over the throng of screams. He managed to jolt everybody into silence with his sharp voice and only a few sniffles could be heard, "We have to get it together! Those with flashlights please find them and switch em on."
There were hands feeling around on the ground and suddenly some lights pierced the darkness, which made several cry out in relief.
April stood up and held on tight to Neo who didn't know how to react. Cora gave Lyon a small smile and followed Vick again down the tunnel, others soon followed. Lyon stuck close to Cora, looking at her face for any sign she was feeling anything again.
"Lyon, you don't have to walk with me, why don't you stay with Fee?" Cora said softly.
He shook his head, "No, I think I'll stick with you. We don't want you falling over again."
She gave him a thankful smile and they started down the tunnel. Cora waited while she walked for more bad sensations to begin but was pleased when nothing happened. Maybe the feeling was just to warn her about the tremor?
"Up ahead are five tunnels," Vick said loudly, making sure everyone was listening, "I want us to take three tunnels, we don't have enough on our team to take all five in groups, I don't want anyone traveling alone."
Soon they reached the place Vick spoke of and everyone waited for further instruction.
Vick looked around at the assembled group and nodded, "Ok, the group leaders are Lyon, myself, and Neo." He nodded to Lyon and the purple Yoshi, "You will each take two others with you, so we're all split evenly and no one is alone."
"April and Cora," Lyon said without hesitation. Cora looked surprised but April just nodded. Cora had thought maybe he would group with Fee.
"I'll group with Neo," Fee said, "Good luck Lyon."
"Stay safe Fee," He told her.
"I will."
Fee's group consisted of Rena and Neo. Vick took the yellow yoshi Aro and a short violet female named June. When everyone was in their groups they went their separate ways through the tunnel Vick directed them too. Lyon's group took the center tunnel.
"Have you been through here before?" April asked Lyon nervously.
"I'm not sure, I don't go this way much."
"Gee thanks Lyon, now I feel better."
Cora found herself smiling as they went on their way. As long as she had her friends with her, she someone knew everything would turn out okay.
The way they went was dark, even the light from Lyon's flashlight did little to light the way. April was feeling very uncomfortable with the shadows that edged in on her from all sides. This was not the experience she had been hoping for.
"Are you doing alright April?" Cora asked her friend.
"Define alright…and no."
There was another slight tremor beneath them and everyone froze. The girls glanced at each other and at Lyon who appeared to be listening for something. When this quake ended he had a puzzled look on his face.
"Did you hear that?" He asked the girls.
April shook her head, "Umm, no. I was too busy panicking."
Cora gave Lyon a quizzical look, "Why? Did you hear something?"
"When that tremor began I heard a scraping noise, like metal on rock."
"I'll take your word for it," April sighed.
Cora remained composed as they began walking again though the feelings were returning slowly. She started feeling a prickle of dread and sadness. Cora almost gasped aloud when the feelings reversed to one of thick desire and yearning. Were these the lost children's emotions she was feeling? Or did they belong to some other being?
"How are you feeling?" Lyon asked her, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"I'm not sure, I just feel weird."
They walked deeper into the mountain, Lyon's flashlight lighting the way. April kept glancing at the light, watching for any flicker or clue that it would go out soon. Traveling this far into the caves then having the light fade away would be the worst thing that could happen, of course this was April's fear at the moment. Cora was more worried about what was causing these tremors and whether or not the feelings that flew in and out of her were the children's or something of an unknown identity. Possibly both…
Suddenly another tremor shook the area and everyone toppled over onto the cave floor. This quake was far more powerful than the other and there were screams as the floor cracked right from under them.
"Lyon!" April screamed as she began to slip into the pit forming beneath her feet.
He quickly reached for her hand and pulled her to safe ground just as the floor gave way. April looked down at the hole she had almost fallen into, her heart pounding. It had been too close…
Cora had summoned her wings in all the chaos and was now peering down into the hole frowning, "Wow that was scary."
April took in a shuddery breath but stayed close to Lyon. Her worse nightmare had almost pulled her in. She could have died, or entered the game over screen or something. That realization was terrifying. How many lives did she have anyways?
"Let's keep going," Cora said and started walking again, not bothering to put away her wings. Better safe than sorry.
They walked for a while each step taking them deeper and deeper into the ground. Soon though, the ground began to tilt upwards and they found themselves traveling up hill.
Just when they made a sharp left turn into another tunnel, the shaking began again. The three held onto the cave wall, April staring at the ground for any cracks. The shaking stopped soon, and they began walking again.
As they turned yet another corner, Cora stopped to lean against a wall, "Just a moment guys, I need to rest."
"Are you feeling ok?" April asked her.
"I keep feeling these emotions…they aren't mine." Cora closed her eyes and stroked one of her wing tips, "I-I don't know who they belong to."
"The children?" Lyon suggested.
"I thought that at first…but I feel like there's something else at play here, something sinister."
"A monster?" April groaned, "Great, all my nightmares are coming true. Yay me."
"Let's just keep going, and see where this path takes us," Cora said, "Hopefully the kids are up ahead and safe."
So they continued on their way, April feeling fear and doubt, Cora caught up in a web of emotions, none of which was of her own. Lyon kept going forward, as resolute as always. They went together as one unit. Separate only by fear and uncertainty, but finding nothing could truly tear them apart. If anything tried to hurt Cora, April would throw herself at them without a moments thought; the same for Lyon and Cora. They would both sacrifice themselves without hesitation, for each other, because that's what friends do. And Cora knew deeply that she would need her friends for the battle ahead, and she knew without a hint of doubt that there would be one…
In a huge cavern a giant body moved slightly against a cave wall, scales sliding against the rock. It stretched out its long sinuous body, opening its jaws to let out long yawn. The creature was relaxed; it's long slender neck stretched out from its body.
Stalagmites that glowed blue green, giving off a bright light, lit up the cave. To many it would be a very spooky looking place, the glow almost a sickly color. To this creature however, it was calming and beautiful.
A small figure entered the cave from a small tunnel almost hidden from view. The figure stepped out of the shadows and into the light, the object in its hand shining brilliantly in the glow.
The large creature noticed the shine and lifted its head expectantly. The round crest on its head reflected the blue of the gem. The monster shivered in longing, its whole body quivering lightly, sending small tremors in the earth around it. A few rocks cracked free from the ceiling and crumbled to the floor dangerously close to the small figure.
Blue…such a lovely deep deep blue. Just like the blue it had possessed before, until that wretched human had taken it away. The creature felt itself tremble in rage at the thought, her jaws open, teeth like long shards of broken glass gleaming in the light. Blue…that unattainable blue. Could nothing replace it? The creature smacked a clawed hand onto the ground, sending small blue stones scattering, a stalagmite cracking free and crashing to the ground.
"Find me more! I need more blue, I need more!" She shrieked.
The figure calmly disappeared into the same tunnel it had come from without saying a word.
The monster relaxed and leaned back on her haunches, her head leaning heavily against the cave wall. Perhaps she could sing and call more to assist in her mission. The tiny things she had summoned could only bring bits of gem at a time, and every part of her being begged for more…the blue that was unattainable vexed her, it tormented her. She dreamed of the blue that dangled from a silver thread, like a slice of the moon, her heart beating thunderously in yearning.
She sensed some beings approaching her cave and smiled with her teeth. Perhaps they were bringing her some blue, some lovely divine shade of blue. The creature's eye's sparkled…reflecting the blue gems that were piled around her.
0_0 well…that was fun. I'm sure our heroes are going to enjoy the next chapter. Lol :D Thanks for reading. ^_^ Oh! And if you have any questions feel free to pm me. :) Boss battle next chapter! Woo hoo! =D
Disclaimer: I don't own Mario universe etc…but I do own Lyon and the girls…I think. Dang it, if he is a Yoshi I guess I don't own him. 0-0 wow that's confusing. Fine, I own his name and persona. Yup that works.