Chapter 4
Xoshi was in a cave with what looked like a Viking. They
were standing before a wall with one big fancy-looking circle embroidered into
it. It vaguely resembled a pentagon, but it also looked like some kind of
official seal of notary. It was decorated with a dozen spectacular jewels.
"Ah, yes," said the man. "Just what we've
been looking for. Xoshi, I'll need that pendent of yours."
Xoshi complied by removing from his saddle the very
item, then handed it in the muscular hand of his companion. "Stand
back!!" he said. Xoshi obeyed that request as well. The Viking stood just
a few feet before the center of the symbol, then outstretched his right hand
with the pendent still in it. He closed his eyes dreamily then started reciting
something: "Hear me, great Star Spirits; lend me your power! Vanquish the
evil that stands before us." As he was saying this, both the pentagon and
the pendent started glowing a bright green. Upon realization, the Viking then
opened up his eyes, gazed at the spectacles before him, then, as though it were
his cue, he moved his way up to the symbol then stabbed the point of it into
the center of the wall's pentagon. Once he did that, he stepped back then let
an assortment of differently colored lights squeeze their ways out of the
prison that the symbol seemed to form for them. One by one, rays burst out.
Both Xoshi and the Viking were covering their eyes just to make sure it
wouldn't blind them. Soon, they started feeling a horrendous shaking as
something started to split open.
Brace yourself, said a voice inside Xoshi's head.
And then he awoke. He and his seven other friends had
finally made it back to their homeland, Yo'ster Isle, and Xoshi had just spent
the last few hours in the hammock of his leafy hut. "Man," he said to
noone in particular as he arose from his bed with a hand against his head.
"What a crazy dream." He got up out of his hammock to perform his
daily morning routine, keeping the dream in mind the whole way. Just when he
was about to leave from underneath the shelter of his home, a coconut flew out
of nowhere and hit him squarely in the center of his gigantic Yo'ster shnoz.
"OWW!!" he exclaimed. He picked up the fruit in one hand while
rubbing his sore nose with the other. "Who threw that?!" he demanded.
"Oh, geez, Sir, I'm so sorry," an orange Yoshi
and his miniscule son ran up to him. "We were just playing catch and
things got out of hand, huh?"
Xoshi handed the coconut back to him and said,
"Just... Be a little more careful next time."
"Thank you, Sir!" he said, and the two of them
ran off to continue their activity. Xoshi finally walked out and waded his way
through the usual set of morning Yoshies. Some of them were gathering fruit,
some of them were target-practicing with their eggs, and some of them, like the
two he just encountered, were playing games with eachother. He kept on walking
until one particular Yoshi caught his eye. He was right there, leaning his
reptillian body against one of the four poles holding up the hut he was nearby.
The light blue skin color and the bare feet were recognizable, but, then again,
so were the sunglasses. Well, they were and they weren't at the same time.
"Boshi??" asked Xoshi.
"You got that right," said the azure Yo'ster
in that deep voice of his. "You like my new shades? I got them a little
while ago from a friend of mine. But if you want 'em, I suppose I could let 'em
go for a little one-on-one, if ya know what I mean..."
"Uh..."
"And if you wanna go one-on-one you gotta bring the
cookies! Catch my drift?"
Boshi had always been a little full of himself, what
with being the "boss" and all. But those sunglasses of his seemed to
bring about even more of his ego than what was already there! That was what was
both recognizable and unrecognizable at the same time. "Boshi, you feelin'
alright?" Xoshi asked.
"Better than ever, my brown friend! So, what's your
story? You're looking as though you just got hit by a train, or
something." Boshi was referring to the sore spot on Xoshi's nose and his
head.
"Oh," he replied, a bit taken aback.
"Well, you know, it's been a rough couple of weeks and the morning's not
exactly doing any better. I just had the craziest dream last night."
"Ya don't say."
"Yeah, it had me, a cave, some weird-looking symbol
on the wall, a pendent, and... This Viking-guy."
"That sounds well and all interesting, but you know
what they say: 'It was just a dream'."
"Yeah, but you know what they also say: 'Sometimes,
dreams know more than we do.'"
"Whatever, Xosh," said Boshi, referring to his
friend as though he actually had a shorter name to go by. "I don't go by
all that Hippie-stuff, though."
"Suit yourself," said Xoshi as he began to
walk off. Boshi called to him from behind, though.
"Remember, you gotta bring the cookies!! I'll be
waitin'!!" Xoshi turned around temporarily to give him a quick salute,
then he turned back and continued his journey.
His feet carried him into the mere entrance of the
woods. He kept on moving, careful to not make any insolent actions as he was
maneuvering around the fallen sticks and the growing plants from beneath the
soles of his Yo'ster shoes. Eventually, he managed to get himself through the
obstacle course so he was then greeted by the next opening. Everything seemed
to take on a bit of a yellowish-green glow since this all took place beneath
the leaves of the trees that grew quite incredulously high. He was in the
meadow but a few steps before his destiny. He was greeted by Yoshi who was just
returning from some fruit-gathering. "Oh, good morning, Xoshi. Did you sleep
well?"
"Well, yes and no. I had this dream, see..."
Xoshi proceeded to tell Yoshi about his Viking dream and his bad morning.
"...So now I'm here, telling you about it."
"Hmm. That's particularily interesting,
Xoshi," said Yoshi. "Has the usual shortcut through the woods
improved your day any?"
"Mm, a little, I guess; if I didn't know any
better, I'd say it's beginning to flatten itself out in order to adapt to my
frequent visitations."
"Well, don't let me stop you. Have a nice rest of
your day, Xoshi!" called Yoshi as he began to walk off.
Walking backwards a little in the direction of where he
was headed, he responded through an "I'll try!!" to his friend. Then
he continued walking, forward this time. His motion was soon placed on the dirt
road that Yoshi had just used respectively. That was so like him, Xoshi was
thinking to himself. Yoshi had every last bit of a leader coursing through his
veins. He always did things the right way, even if they were long and winding,
not unlike the dirt road that Xoshi refused to take earlier, as he did the time
before that, and the time before that, and so on. Xoshi, on the other hand, was
a different one. He tended to go against the flow, but his moves always seemed
to serve him well in the end, despite how odd they may have seemed. The road
led him to an upraised ground where a hut sat on a hill. It was much more whole
than the other ones would be since this one was donned in a variety of
botanical forms, from daisies to Super-Ball Flowers. Inside, he met the stout,
feathered Yoshi Priest. He was in the middle of the room, sitting Indian-style.
He was constantly and rhythmically letting a high-pitched chant almost escape
his lips.
"O-woh. O-woh. O-woh. O-woh..." and so on.
Xoshi had to interrupt his chant, though.
He stepped forward, cleared his throat, then spoke.
"A-hem," quoth the brown Yoshi. The priest awoke with a start,
grumbling then in his normal, medium-pitched voice.
"Hm, rr, what? Xoshi, is that you, my son? How dare
you interrupt my meditation, boy, I was just beginning to float, dash it
all." He got up off the floor and brushed the dust off of his form.
"My apologies, Sir, and you weren't floating. You
were only making floating sound effects."
"Trust me, my boy, I know what I'm doing,"
retorted the elderly Yo'ster. "So, now that the spell has been evaporated,
how can I help you?"
"I-" he started, but the priest cut him off.
"-You need to pay the Super-Happy Tree another
visit, yes?" he said with his right hand out, as though he was saying,
"Halt!"
"Yes, Sir," replied the younger Yo'ster.
"I am not surprised. Follow me, Xoshi, my
boy." The two of them made their ways on over to the backdoor which was
connected to a long "hallway" of some sort, which was really composed
of a fence, similarily decorated with flowers. It made a pathway leading from
the hut to the big backyard. There, in the background, they could see the
revered tree in all of its mighty glory. It kept appearing to grow larger as
they advanced towards it. While they were walking, the Yoshi Priest was
speaking with Xoshi. "Your frequent visits are quite noticeable,
Xoshi," he was saying to him. "I swear, by the powers vested within
me, someday your holiness may surpass even mine."
"I'm sorry, it's just that I feel, without its
guidance, I would go through days feeling as though I forgot to place my right
arm in its socket in the morning. It's happened before."
"You speak as though you were committing a
sin."
"I-"
"-You're a misfit, Xoshi, and you know it,"
the elderly Yoshi cut him off once more. "But, trust me, that's not a bad
thing. No, it isn't; not in the least. Without Yo'sters like you, we would
always be trapped in the past. If only more could follow your example. How do
you think I made it to such an exalted position?"
Xoshi nodded softly in agreement. "Yes; I believe
you're right."
"You know I'm right, Xoshi. Believing is one thing,
but knowing is another. You must always be able to distinguish the two, and you
must always live in the present."
Xoshi caught a glimpse of Deja Vu as he heard those
words. He wondered for a split-second why he even bothered to say that to the
young Luigi earlier on. He wasn't really allowed to contemplate any further on
the matter since another Yoshi had come into view. It was a tan one, also donned
in an assortment of feathers, not unlike the priest. But they were arranged in
a more feminine fashion since she was a girl. She also had on her a blanket
with intricate patterns going all over it instead of a saddle.
"Jeila!" spoke the Yoshi Priest to the
newcomer, with a soft J. "How has your morning been going,
sweetheart?"
"Just fine, Papa," she responded to her
father. Xoshi was well aware of who this girl was, since he tended to use the
shortcut a lot, as well as the consulting of the priest and the Super-Happy
Tree. Xoshi may have been a different one, complete with the same philisophical
side that his mentor seemed to share with him, but he sometimes considered
himself an idiot for always missing out on only the grandest of opportunities, which
were often ones concerning the ladies. More than enough times did the two of
them wind up in the same room together. Also, more than enough times, did Xoshi
miss his chance. The young, female Yoshi, named Jeila, then turned her
attention to the father's associate. "Hello, Xoshi," she said to him.
"H-Hi, there, Jeila," he said, timidly, as
though this hadn't already happened before.
"Well, I'm done for the day," she summarized.
"The tree is all yours, Papa."
"Thank you, sweetie," he said to her. They rubbed
their bulbous, Yoshi noses against eachother a bit before she left. "Take
care, now," he said to her as she was making her way back to the flower
hut.
"You too," her voice trailed off. "Bye,
Xoshi," she said.
"Bye..." Xoshi barely said as he waved weakly
to her. The old Yo'ster snapped him out of it soon enough.
"Boy, oh, boy, just you wait, Xoshi; someday you'll
be having kids of your own," he said as they continued on further.
"Uh, yeah..." he mumbled. At last, there it
was right before them: The gigantic, colorful, and oh so smiley Super-Happy
Tree. It was growing just out of the center of the pool which had a waterfall
just behind it. This was all on even more upraised ground, which seemed to be
assisted by an assortment of rocks, all of them coming in only the most natural
of circumstances.
"There, she is, Xoshi, my boy," said the
priest. Then he leaned in a little closer to whisper in his ear, "Run to
her, boy, she's waitin' for ya."
"What?!" exclaimed the young Yoshi as he was
booted forward by his eager mentor. A little bewildered, he looked back at him
to see his little wave of approval first before he decided to ascend the rocks.
Once he made it to the top of the hill, he could no longer see the Yoshi
Priest. It didn't matter since he was finally going to do what he came to do
all along. The tree spoke first, telepathically. It had a femine, yet very
authoritative "voice".
So, Xoshi, you have returned, once more, it said
to him. He knelt down into a position with his eyes closed as though he were
praying.
Yes, Mother, he responded.
What can I do for you? it asked
Oh, the usual. The strength to change what I can, the
ability to accept what I can't... he said to it.
Let it so, it responded.
Oh, one other thing... he said to it.
Yes?
I had a dream last night: I was in a cave with a
Viking... Once again, that day, he retold the tale. Tell me, Mother:
What does it mean?
You'll find out soon enough, my child.
Yes, Mother, he said again. His next move was to
gather a few of its fruits before heading back down. There, he met back up with
his mentor and they proceeded to walk back.
"So, what did the two of you talk about?" he
asked him.
"Dreams and stuff," he said before using his
long tongue to instantly swallow one of his fruits.
"I see..." he said. Once they were back inside
that one fancy hut, they were greeted, once more, by the priest's daughter,
Jeila.
"Hello again, Papa," she said to him. She was
on the ground examining something.
"Hello, Jeila. What's that you got there?"
"Oh, hi, Xoshi. It's a poppet, I think." She
got up for the other two to see. She handed it to her father. Upon further
inspection, it turned out to be a stuffed doll of some four-eyed dog thing.
"A voodoo doll," he exclaimed. "Curses,
there's no safe way to dispose of these things. Where did you get it?"
"While the two of you were out there and I was
walking back, we had a little intruder. Whoever it was, it scat as soon as I
entered the room and left this behind." She was referring to the doll her
father was looking at.
"Isn't there anything we can do, Sir?" Xoshi
asked his mentor.
"Well, it's not nice knowing we have an enemy. The
only thing I can think of to do with this thing is to keep it where noone can
get to it," he said.
"Um, I believe I can handle that one, Sir,"
Xoshi said, a little unsure of himself.
"You believe, Xoshi?" said the priest as he
turned to face him.
"No, Sir, I know I can handle that one," he
corrected himself.
"How?"
"I can't tell you. That's how you know that I know
I can do it."
He was a little bit hesitant, but handed the doll over
anyway. "If you say so, Xoshi," he said.
"Thank you, Sir," he said with a bow.
"See you later, and you, too, Jeila." He then turned and walked out
the door.
"Bye, Xoshi!" she called out to him. Xoshi
responded by turning around a little to wave back. He kept on going until he
made it to what was previously the "exit" to his little shortcut. As
usual, that time, when he went through it, it was ever so slightly easier than
it was the time before that. He kept on going until he was out once more so he
could then make his way back on over to his hut. He got stopped once again by
Boshi, though.
"Hey, Xosh," he said again. "What's that
you got there? It don't look like cookies..." He was referring to Xoshi's
new doll.
"Oh, this? It's nothing."
"If you say so. Hey. Remember the cookies next
time."
"Sure thing, Boshi," he said, a little
tiredly. Inside the shadows of his hut, he then made his way on over to one of
the few other things beneath the roof besides his hammock. He had a shelf of
books, a big, bowl of fruit, and a trunk. He deposited the fruit he got from
the Super-Happy Tree unto his bowl, then made his way on over to the trunk.
Since it was behind his bookshelf, they didn't notice when he pushed the trunk
aside, opened up a secret trapdoor, then dropped the strange doll in there to
go with his other things. He closed it back up, moved the trunk back on top of
it, then rubbed the dust off his hands in an "and-that-is-that" kind
of manner.
At the "door", he was greeted by another one
of his Yoshi friends, Yazzee. "Hey, Xoshi!! Me and Yoshi just came up with
the greatest idea: You, me, him, and Boshi; we're all going to Isle Delfino!!
Isn't that great!?" The easily excited Yoshi was hopping up and down
before the eyes of the brown one.
"Whoa. Isle Delfino?? That's great. When do we
leave?"
"Tommorrow."
"WHAT?!" said Xoshi, switching moods at an
unbelievable rate. "Who set this up?!"
"I did!! Sort of." He stopped hopping up and
down to reach behind him and pull out a little piece of paper. "While you
were praying, or whatever, I got this in the mail!!" He handed it to Xoshi
so he could see it for himself. It read:
"Congratulations, Yazzee Yoshino!! You have just
won a free trip to Isle Delfino!! Kolagokohonnokana-loo-hoo!!"
Xoshi paused a bit to look back up at the excited yellow
Yoshi. "Cory-ronna-go-fooja-scummy-wummy-hoo-hoo??" he said.
"Just keep readin' it!" said Yazzee as he
stood in one spot, rhythmically tapping his left foot, then his right, then his
left, then his right... Xoshi did as he was told.
"-hoo!! Down here, we have everything you could
ever ask for from hot springs, to rainbow waterfalls, to mouth-watering
watermelons (Ohhhh...) That's right, Yazzee; without even lifting a finger, you
have just won all this plus many other spectacular sites you could only dream
of before! Just bring 3 friends along. We'll do the rest!
Kolagokohonnokana-loo-hoo!!"
Xoshi lowered both of his hands with the note still in
it. A blank look was on his face. "This is..." he tried saying, but
didn't really know what he was going to say. "It's... Um, well, it's...
Something."
"Isn't it, though?!?" Nothing could kill the
yellow one's enthusiasm. "We'll be at the docks tommorrow morning. Be sure
to bring all your stuff with you!" He almost turned to leave. "Oh,
I'll need that letter back, please." Xoshi complied. "Thanks!!"
At that, he was off. Xoshi sat down on the floor to let it all sink in at his
own pace...