Welcome to chapter 12! Now for some fun facts!
Fila: means 'love of strength'
Areola: meaning 'a circle of color' such as around your pupil
Cora: means 'maiden'
April: means 'open', which refers to the opening of a flower.
"Thank you all for your help." Vick stood with the village leader Dari at the front of the crowd, standing atop a hill. They both smiled at the three people at the front of the group, two girls and a light blue Yoshi.
"You're welcome," Cora smiled.
"No prob." April laughed.
Lyon just nodded, glancing at Fee who smiled at him in return. The Yoshi promptly looked away, his face flushing.
They had returned with all of the missing children. The Yoshis who were reunited with their children were now gathered with the rest of the village to honor their heroes.
"Without your help, we may have never recovered the kids," Vick said, "We are truly indebted to you folks, and we are mighty proud of our Lyon."
"I couldn't have done it without my friends," Lyon smiled at Cora and April who returned that smile.
Dari nodded at the two girls, Cora looking embarrassed by the attention, "You girl's deserve a grand reward. Ask for something that is in my power to give."
"Sir, we don't need anything. We did it because it was the right thing to do." Cora looked up at Dari, "But we do need your help. We originally came here on a quest of sorts."
"Oh?" Dari looked down at them curiously, "Well, I will do my best to help you."
"Lyon told us that a girl once visited your village, a human who wore a necklace with a blue stone."
He looked thoughtful then his eyes brightened, "I know the girl you speak of. She came to our village weeks back. I believe she was just checking out the island, she asked many questions."
"Can you tell us more about her?" April asked. She was feeling impatient, after all they had came a long way for this information.
The Yoshi nodded, "Her eyes were a unique color; I have never seen such eyes on a human before. They were sort of pink in some light, and red in others. At times she was a very talkative girl, but also very quiet. She really was quite an odd one."
April sighed, "Red eyes? Why am I not surprised."
"She also has shiny white fur hanging down to her shoulders."
"Great!" Cora smiled, "She'll be easier to spot! Do you have any idea where she went?"
The Yoshi frowned, "I'm sorry, I do not know where exactly she went. But, I do know which direction she was headed." He nodded to their right, "She went north east, that way."
"Thank you Dari." Lyon said, "We will have to start on her trail as soon as we can."
"Lyon, can't you stay one more day?" Fee suddenly asked him, stepping forward. He looked surprised but happy that she spoke.
"I would Fee, that would be nice…but." Lyon said, "I have to do this, for the sake of our world, for you and the others."
Fee smiled sadly, "I understand Lyon…just…come home safe ok?"
"Will do." The two Yoshi's shared a smile.
April coughed. Lyon looked her way blushing, "Let's pack up for the journey guys, we have to hurry before we lose her." April smiled at him and he sighed but smiled back. He could always return to Fee later, now it was time to get back in the game.
The trek across the open field was actually quite boring. Nothing interesting happened and they could see no sight of the three adventurers.
"Hey…uh, Marvin?" Henry suddenly said.
The magikoopa glanced back at the bro, "Yes what is it?"
"Are we heading to that lake over there?"
"Yes, how long did it take you to not figure that out?"
Henry sighed, "Look, I know you don't exactly like me…"
Marvin smirked, "Like? Oh, I don't even think you're in that category. I am beginning to loathe your presence."
"Besides that little fact," Henry said scratching his head anxiously, "We are still kind of…stuck in this mission together. So we should…I don't know…. try to get along maybe?"
There was a long pause of silence, like the koopa was actually thinking it over, then Marvin began laughing.
Henry stayed silent during this, feeling uncomfortable again. Ok…maybe the getting along thing would be a long shot…
"Ok, here's what we will do." Marvin began, "The day you actually get a brain and remove your vocal cords, will be the day we 'get along'. And even then, you have a long shot of receiving my respect."
"Oh." Well…that could have gone better.
As they walked soon the lake began to near. Soon they were at the water's edge, the hammer bro gazing curiously at his reflection in the water, Marvin however had his eyes on something else, "Run to the bushes!" He suddenly cried.
Henry looked up in confusion and yelped in surprise as he was dragged away from the water. The magikoopa quickly took refuge behind some bushes, dragging Henry into them just as the noise of a boat motor caught his ears. He peered through the bushes with a grin as the boat reached the dock. Reunited at last.
April jumped off the dock, her shoes hitting the ground softly. She smiled up at the sky, enjoying the soft breeze that picked up her hair. It was time to head off into the unknown again! April was feeling excited about traveling again, as long as no creepy dark caves awaited them later. One was enough…
"Ok, let's get going!" Cora said, "We should have everything we need for the journey."
Lyon smiled, straightening the pack on his shoulder. He also looked forward to heading out on the road again, adventure had always appealed to him since he was a child.
The three started down the road, as before, completely oblivious to the fact that once again, they were being followed.
They walked for a long time, the landscape around changing a bit over time, soon they were making their way through a sea of tall red brown grasses that made soft rustling noises in the wind.
April and Cora had no problems getting through the deep grass but their Yoshi partner kept tripping every so often. Thankfully they had reached a field of normal grasses and flowers and the decided to take a break.
Lyon sat down with a faint sigh, happy to be resting, his legs had been starting to cramp again. April and Cora sat cross legged next to him, pulling their packs from their shoulders and going through the contents. Soon they were chatting with one another and eating some yummy fruit from Lyon's village.
"So, where do you think this trail will take us?" Cora said.
April munched on an apple and shrugged, "I dunno, but hopefully it's some place fun. Man, Areola travels fast, is she just walking or what?"
Lyon shook his head, "I'm not sure, but we may find her soon. Let's finish up eating and keep going."
After a few more minutes they did, and soon they had reached some woodland. The trees here were widely spaced apart and were even taller than the pines in the last forest, the tops disappearing into the fog above. April began to feel chills run down her back as they ventured deeper into the woods, the trees becoming many, surrounding them like dark sentinels.
A screech of some type of bird made April jump in her skin, she quickly glanced up at the trees above, watching the dark canopy shift above her, "Guys, this place is really creeping me out."
Cora agreed full heartily on that. The deeper they ventured into these woods, the darker they became. Soon they found to their shock that the woods became so dim that they had to pull out their flashlights. They had all agreed that packing lights would be a good idea; thank goodness they had them now.
Lyon also felt a bit uneasy. Something was off about this forest, he didn't know how he knew, but he just felt it. A shadow passed over them and they all gasped. The trio looked up and around but saw nothing.
Oh man…April thought, why the heck do we have to head in here anyways; couldn't we have gone around or something? The idea was nice, but she knew that it would take too much time to find another way, and the forest was so massive it would probably take days. She still couldn't help wishing that they had not ventured here; she kept imagining scary movie music playing, which was so not helping.
Soon the ground was covered in an eerie cloud of fog and it became harder to see what awaited them up ahead. Cora felt herself slow down and move a bit closer to Lyon. She was starting to feel afraid too.
The Yoshi noticed Cora's discomfort and reached out to hold her hand. He squeezed her hand gently in his and she smiled at him thankfully. She felt a lot better with Lyon here. If it was just April and her, she would feel more afraid. The Yoshi was a bit taller than them and stronger; anyone would feel more secure with him nearby of course. But, to make herself feel a bit better, Cora summoned her wings, they appeared without a sound, and Lyon glanced at them. He knew that she was tense; he was even starting to feel a little nervous, but refused to show this. After all he didn't want to let down his friends, they needed his support.
April noticed her friends holding hands and the sudden appearance of Cora's wings and felt the urge to grab Lyon's other hand. She held back though. April was going to try and calm down. It was just some stupid forest anyways.
Lyon had better hearing than all of them so he kept himself aware of any sounds around them, just to be on the cautious side. Every rustle of a leaf and every sound of their feet on the ground made him feel in suspense, like something big might happen soon. The growing fog around them did nothing to reassure him.
SNAP. Cora gasped and April yelped. Lyon stopped, his eyes looking around them quickly. They had heard a snapping noise, like a branch breaking. Everyone stopped and stood as still as possible, everyone alert for any other sounds. Silence…
"T-this place is freaking me out." April said, her teeth chattering lightly. She was starting to feel a bit chilly and the fear she felt was not helping.
"Don't worry, it was probably nothing." Lyon told them and they continued walking.
Henry followed Marvin as they walked through the trees trying to keep close to the three up ahead. He gazed about them, his eyes wide, there was no doubt about it, this place was spooky.
"I can feel my shell shaking on my back." Henry mumbled, "Why did they have to head in this direction?"
His companion kept walking forward, making no sign that he had heard him. Marvin himself was feeling a bit wary. The forest didn't seem very scary to him, very rarely did objects of nature scare him, but he couldn't help feeling like there was something wrong here. This place was of a peculiar silence that seemed to penetrate the air around them.
Calm it down, just relax, Henry told himself, there is nothing here but trees and fog. Really creepy fog and trees that feel like they're staring at you, no! EVERYTHING…is normal. Yep! Completely normal…
SNAP
Henry opened his mouth to scream but was tackled to the ground by Marvin who clapped a hand over his face, "Shh!"
They laid there in an awkward tangle of limbs, Marvin silent. He listened for any more odd sounds then stood up. Henry got up slowly, rubbing his arm where Marvin rammed him in the confusion, "What was that?"
"Silence." Marvin listened, he heard foot steps ahead and knew their quarry was on the move again. He began walking again, a nervous Henry following after.
They walked for a while and soon the fog became thicker and it was hard to get even a glimpse of the three up ahead. Hopefully the fog would clear up soon or they would reach the end of this accursed forest.
"I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts." April sang softly, "There they are standing in a row…"
Cora couldn't help but giggle. Lyon just gave April an odd look.
"What? Singing calms me down!"
Everyone felt in lighter spirits and soon April was trying to teach Lyon some silly earth songs. They finished singing their third song, which was April's favorite from the Lion King, when Lyon stopped.
"Look!" He pointed up ahead. They all saw a shape, barely made out in the fog. After running forward they found that the fog had cleared away like magic and something astonishing was in view.
It was a village, the buildings built like long and tall shacks. An old stone well made up the center of the village.
"Wow, where are we?" April wondered.
Cora frowned and glanced around them, "I'm not sure, but it looks abandoned."
"Hello? Is anyone here?" April called. Her voice seemed to be absorbed by the silence around them and went on unanswered. The chills began to run down her back again, though she didn't know why.
Lyon frowned and cautiously opened a rickety looking shack's door. He peered in then closed it and shook his head at the girls, "It's empty."
April laughed uneasily, "Heh, its like a ghost town."
The trio looked around the village and in every house but found no one and nothing.
Cora sat on an old bench outside one of the homes with Lyon and sighed, "Well, I guess it is abandoned. There's not even any furniture."
While her friends sat down, April ventured over to look at the old well. She noticed immediately that the bucket was missing and grabbed the torn rope and looked at it, she then glanced down into the darkness of the well. She saw nothing, it was that dark, that only the rock walls near the top could be seen. She reached down and picked up a broken piece of stone from the well off the ground and dropped it in. April tilted her head to the side and listened. She heard a long pause then a faint sound of water. Satisfied with her investigation of the well, she turned to leave then heard another sound.
April frowned and leaned over the well. It was a faint bristling noise, like cloth over stone, dragging against something…
Cora was sitting with Lyon chatting when she saw April peer down the well. She frowned and was about to call her over when she felt a horrible feeling touch her heart. Cora gasped and her eyes widened, "April! Run!" Lyon stood up when Cora screamed and quickly looked at April who had just glanced their way in confusion.
Suddenly April seemed to hear something and glanced down into the well again, then she screamed. They both watched, as the stone the red head was leaning against broke free and she fell head first down into the well.
"APRIL!" Lyon screamed, and ran over to the well, Cora already there. They both stared down into the darkness that had swallowed their friend up without hesitation.
"Oh my gosh, April!" Cora cried, "April! Are you alright?"
There was no answer and Cora felt tears prickle her eyes. April! No! What if she was…
"April!" Lyon yelled down into the darkness, his eyes narrowed in desperation.
Suddenly Cora felt something like a feel of cold static running down her shoulders, she glanced behind her and gasped. Lyon looked up and looked to where Cora was staring in terror. They were surrounded by amber colored glowing lights that flickered with different hues of yellow as they floated closer.
"What do we do?" Cora cried out as the strange bright-bodied specters started slowly towards them. Lyon grabbed Cora's hand and began running.
Sorry for the shorter than usual chapter, but see! I put in some lovely suspense! Yay! :D Poor April…
Reviews are loved! Thanks for reading.