Titleless

[Lord of the Dance]

Yeah you can go think of your own title. Leave me alone!
So anyways this one time I figured it would be a good idea to write up a background for my characters. This thing showed up on my laptop a few years later. D:
Please tear it apart with harsh words and flame it and stuff so I know just how terrible it is so I can fix it.
This is the shortest chapter in the whole story, I promise!

Prologue

Today was the day- the Yoshis all across Boldahard Island had been looking forward to the momentous occasion for a long time. The island had not seen a solar eclipse in several years.
These eclipses were known to bring the best luck possible on the Boldahard Yoshis, as they believed their great goddess Soluna to be looking down upon them with the full force of her gaze. Soluna was known to bring gifts to hatchlings and those who needed desperate aid. Her eyes were the sun and moon, after all.
Little did they know that today was the day their luck would begin to run dry.
A mysterious golden egg lay at the top of the city’s Great Nest. All the eggs were to be hatched in the same place, and tended to all break open on nearly the same day. However, this egg was already beginning to hop around, and rolled down to the middle of the pile, knocking a green-speckled egg off the platform altogether and off into a nearby ditch.
The golden egg was rather larger than the rest, and had a beautiful sheen around it. Nobody knew who had laid this wondrous egg, but nobody was about to ask around, either. The hatchlings would pursue the identity of their parents if they so wished, and the parents were not to give themselves away until the proper time came.
The Yoshis looked up as the sky darkened- it was time. Confetti and ribbons were thrown into the air, and celebratory chants and cheers could be heard reverberating throughout the crowded streets. They knew from legend not to look directly into Soluna’s eyes- anyone besides a hatchling who saw her face was doomed to be blinded forever.
One of the nests’ guards- a purple Yoshi- looked over to check on the eggs, and was shocked to see the golden egg opening. He scurried over to watch it and make sure the hatchling didn’t need assistance.
First a small, perfect green foot burst from the bottom, making the gold shell crumple and crack as if it were, well, an eggshell. Next, a piece of the top broke open, and he could see a small, brilliantly blue eye peeking back up at him. Bit by bit, the green Yoshi broke out of her shell, and the purple-skinned guard became teary-eyed. This was the most beautiful child he had ever seen- and she was destined to be special as well, because Soluna was watching.

…The egg in the ditch had been cracked by the fall. The Yoshi inside knew it was too early to be hatching- it wouldn’t be ready for another month, at the least. It rolled its shell over to get a look around before it decided to poke out.. A beady, dark blue eye looked out at the strange mid-day darkness, and saw a face in the sky. What in the world?
Even though the Yoshi had only just opened its eyes, it knew there was something strange about that. The lady in the sky seemed to finally notice the newborn spying on her, because she turned to address the Yoshi personally.
“How strange- there was only supposed to be two for me to gift today,” She thought aloud. “Well, I suppose since you’ve gone to all this trouble, I should give you something. Oh dear, you hatched so early… I’ve got it,” The Yoshi below her didn’t understand the words, but it could understand that she knew there was something wrong about its hatching today, too.
The Yoshi closed its eyes. The lady was kind of scary, and it wanted to sleep. It didn’t like the sudden brightness in the sky, either, as the lady’s face disappeared.

Soluna sat back contentedly in her realm. She was slightly bored with the prophecies of her Yoshis, and she could not pass up on the chance to display her power anyways.
“Soluna, what did you do?” A gruff voice rang out, and Soluna turned to see her counterpart, the earth Koopa Terrama.
With a shrug, Soluna appeared in front of the Koopa god. “There was an extra,” She explained.
“But neither of us deviates from the plan without the other’s consent,” Terrama argued. “There will have to be compensation.”
“Then go ahead and compensate,” Soluna flicked her wrist at the god. “What is done is done on my part, though. I will not change what I did.”
The Koopa disappeared with a resounding growl. “Disrupting the plans, bah… I’ll show you disrupt.”

------------------------------

...Yeah.

[Sanjo]

Aw, c'mon! This isn't bad at all!

Excellent story line thus far. Everything seems to flow naturally, and you definately have left me wondering what's going to happen next....need to know! >.<

Now, I guessed you asked for it...the flame...which I guess is only a match when you think about it:
Try to break away from everyday speech, or how you would say the context. For example, when you continue with the egg that fell away from the nest, you add in a question: "What in the world?" Somewhat unnecessary, but still, is nothing too big at all! =D Then again, what do I know? That may just be your style of writing.

Hope to be reading more from you! And sorry for pointing that out...'course now, I feel bad for doing so D=...just don't take it too much of a bad thing, the end of the world isn't here yet. >.<

[red.yoshi]

Very tired, but I didn't catch anything! This looks fantastic! Great work Yoshee, I wonder what is going to happen to the cute little green Yoshi next!

[Lord of the Dance]

I apologize for the lack of awesome in this chapter- I found the worst way to introduce characters possible and went along with that.
Other than that I think I'll stop changing this chapter around now so here you go.


Chapter One- Claws
Several years later...

Ria and Bruno headed down the marketplace lane, like they did every day. They were both only almost twelve, but Bruno thought of Ria as much older than himself. She certainly had more wisdom than most of the adult Yoshis, and her attitude was much more mature than the average eleven-year-old. Bruno was proud to be her best friend, and loved to remind their friends of his position.
Ria had bright green skin, and brilliant blue eyes. Her silver spikes glittered in the sun’s light every time she moved her head, and she had somehow found a matching silver saddle. Bruno wasn’t sure he liked the way he looked- he was a dull yellow-orange with green eyes, and his matching green spikes really stood out. Two on the top raked forward, making him look as if he had hair of some sort, and then the other four pointed downwards at the back of his head. To detract attention from the bright colors of his head, the Yoshi had made a green saddle. Bruno also had taken to wearing black cuffs on his wrists with shiny spikes poking out the sides. He was actually decently handsome, but would not believe those who told him. Many of the Yoshis wore simple tan shoes, including Ria and Bruno.
Bruno snapped out of his reverie as the sound of scuffling feet reached his ears. He looked back and noticed a tiny green Yoshi with rusty-colored spikes, dark blue eyes, and a plain white belly on their heels.
“Do you need something?” Ria asked, finally noticing the Yoshi as well. The Yoshi shook her head, eyes on Ria’s spikes. The two stared at each other until Bruno felt like time had frozen, so he waved his hand between the two and they both blinked.
“I think she should come along,” Ria announced, grabbing the Yoshi’s hand and dragging her up next to them.
“Why?” Bruno asked, surprised at her sudden decision. His friend didn’t usually like changing her plans like this.
The silver-spiked Yoshi shrugged. “It just seems like a good idea. She doesn’t look like she has anywhere to stay, anyways.”

“…So, you got a name?” Bruno turned to their silent new friend on their way back home.
She glanced over at him and nodded her head.
“Then what is it?”
He received only a sigh from the Yoshi, nothing more.
Ria butted in, “We can just call her Clause for now.” Bruno raised an eyebrow. Claws, Clause… At least it would be easy to remember. The new Yoshi rolled her eyes but otherwise didn’t object.
They made it back to their tree house hideout, and Lavender, Blanco, Razur, and Zak were pleased to meet Clause, although they were a bit unnerved at first by her refusal to speak and her sharp claws.
Life proceeded as usual, except there was now one more mouth to feed. Bruno had questioned as to why Ria was so intent upon Clause’s staying; after pestering her about it for a week, she finally gave him an exasperated look and he knew the discussion was completely closed.
Bruno was used to Ria being extremely secretive, but he still upheld the hope that Ria would confide in him someday. She seemed somewhat troubled if he caught her alone, even if she tried to hide it as soon as she knew he was there.
Many young Yoshi groups had banded together in hideouts like theirs- it was part of the Yoshis’ rite of passage into being independent adults. It was mostly tradition nowadays- once they were grown, the Yoshis would probably run fruit stands or make pots or hammocks and such in the market square. Bruno thought it made life rather interesting, at least. Once they reached their sixteenth birthday, they’d choose a career to follow and receive training in that field. He really couldn’t see himself as an adult, though.
And every day, their little gang would gaze up at the great castle with its many turrets and towers, and wonder what life was like up there. The castle was quite far off, but its size gave it the illusion of standing right next to them, watching their every move. The rulers and denizens of the castle never showed themselves, and the only proof that they even existed came in uncommon appearances of the staff or the announcement of an upcoming celebration. Bruno liked to close his eyes at night and imagine what the king ate every night, and what the carpets felt like.
Lavender had a picture book of the castle that they liked to flip through, drinking in all the exquisite tapestries written in their ancient language and the carpets with their intricate designs. Bruno thought Lavender was pretty, but did not compare with Ria- Lavender was a light purple color, as her name suggested, and she had light blue spikes and a matching saddle. Her eyes, however, were the darkest black he had ever seen.
The white Yoshi, Blanco, took care of a lot of the planning for romps and small working bouts the group performed for extra change. Blanco was as bright-minded as his ghostly skin. His muddy brown eyes were always alight with some idea or other, and Blanco would draw up blueprints and mind-numbingly complicated plans late into the night by the light of several jars of fireflies, the glass just thick enough to amplify the glow to reach across his entire room. One of Blanco’s own inventions, of course.
Razur and Zak were twins, and each had their own set of large, feathery wings. Razur was a handsome, deep blue-green color with brown spikes, and his taller brother was light brown with very dark grey spikes. They each had saddles to match their spikes and identical emerald eyes. Bruno often wondered whether there was anything the two of them didn’t do together, or an opinion that they did not share.
Clause seemed to be new to the idea of living in a group, but she got along well enough. They showed her the castle, and her usually dark eyes lit up every time they did, like a child at Christmas. She was very uptight, flinching at the slightest sudden movement and positively jumping at loud noises. Bruno thought she’d settle in eventually, but he wondered where she’d been all this time before they met her- was she always alone?
The Yoshi preferred the company of Ria more than anyone else, really. She hung around Ria like a shadow; you could not see Ria without Clause somewhere nearby. Perhaps she was grateful for the shelter, Bruno speculated. It was difficult to understand anything Clause did, as she never said a word.

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Let's hope it gets a little more tolerable from here on out.

[red.yoshi]

Wow, great chapter. Your descriptions are amazing. They paint vivid pictures in my mind. I don't want to stop reading!

A little confusing at first, but I got the gist of everything. Great work Yoshee!

[Sanjo]

Good chapter! Don't worry about introducing them wrong, you did just fine! I'd rather have a story with character development and detail rather than one without.

I hope you're still working on the chapters ahead! I really want to know what happens next and who 'Clause' is.

[Lord of the Dance]

Here's an extra chapter this week since I won't be adding another next week. Just for your eyebleeding enjoyment.
...Holy crap, now there's a backstory. I apologize, for it left me with an incredibly short chapter. I'll make up for it later.
Oh yeah and fonts don't get converted from MSWord I think so you'll have to live with unfancy text.

Chapter Two- Book of the Lorekeepers

After a particularly tiring day, Ria pulled Bruno onto her platform in the tree house.
“Can you keep a secret, at least for now?” She asked, checking over her shoulder.
“Err- yeah, I suppose,” Bruno replied, surprised.
“Look through the second story tonight,” She thrust an ancient, dusty book without a title into his hands and said no more. Bruno nodded, clambered up their built-in ladder, and hopped into his bed of red leaves. The setting sun provided a nice reading light, so Bruno started right away. The pages were yellowed, and the text was hard to make out at some points. Bruno fingered through the pages, wondering why Ria had kept this book a secret up until now. He flipped past the first story, titled “The Great Sky Spirit”, and stared at the second chapter for a moment.

The Odious Yoshi

Long ago, Boldahard Yoshis conversed freely with the great spirit of the sky, Soluna. They gave her many gifts and held lavish feasts in her honor, and in return Soluna granted wishes and kept them at peace with their fellow Koopas.

I already knew that, Ria, Bruno thought, but he read on anyways.

But alas, for happiness could not last forever. A mighty Queen of Shadows arose with an army, covering the world with darkness. Soluna wished to protect the island, cloaking it in wind and mist. One Yoshi, however, disagreed with her actions.
There was some debate about this, but the lone Yoshi could not sway Soluna. He was banished and turned against his kind as revenge, gaining vast powers from a source unknown, and joined the Queen of Shadows, attempting to wipe out the island. He made Forever Forest his mysterious den, where no one could ever find him.
But eventually, a team of great Heroes arose and battled this Odious Yoshi. War broke out, and many lives were spent, both Koopa and Yoshi.
One of the Heroes was known merely as Yoshi. He was the mightiest of the friends, and could not be defeated. His glory won the respect of a young girl with silver spines that survived the initial battles.
She was too small, however, to be of any help to the Heroes. She refused to accept their aid in finding a hiding place, and eventually Soluna granted her powerful magic so she could accompany the Heroes. She renamed herself Yoshee out of adoration of Yoshi.
Eventually, the evil Yoshi, known in those times as ‘Odius’, grew too powerful even for the great Yoshi. As a final attempt to seal Odius away forever and banish the shadows from the island as the last Hero fell, Yoshee used all her magical ability to trap Odius in his own object of power…

Bruno raised his eyebrows at this bit of news. But why did Ria choose now to show him the story? Bruno would get to the bottom of this…
It was too dark now to read any more, so Bruno placed it carefully on his table and jumped back into his bed. He closed his eyes, but could not fall asleep right away. Questions still burned inside him…
Bruno was running frantically from an evil eye as bright as the sun. It was going to turn him into a tree house with its magic, he knew it. Then suddenly, Clause and Lavender charged in from nowhere off to the side and the sun-eye turned into Ria’s face. “Read it!” She snapped, and a large book suddenly banged him on the head.
The yellow-orange Yoshi awoke with a start. Clause had her nose in his face, and was poking his head every few seconds when he refused to move. The sun was barely thinking about coming over the horizon, and the sky was peach and grey above the distant clouds.
“What, what?” He finally snarled, batting her claw away from his stinging forehead. Clause pressed a hurriedly written strip of paper into his hand and walked out silently. His eyes scanned over Ria’s hurried scribbling:

Early outing today, get ready.

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Too many italics!

[red.yoshi]

I liked the personification you used with the sun in this chapter Yoshee! Don't worry about the short chapter, its very interesting! Great work, I can't wait to see the next one! I wonder if the dream tells us anything?

[Sanjo]

Outstanding! Don't worry about the chapter being short; quality over quantity. ;D

Very interesting. I hope you can post another chapter soon! (though I know you said you wouldn't put one up for a week...oh well, I can always hope! >.<). I do have to wonder, though...is CLause mute, or is she just choosing to remain silent? And is this why Ria pushed for Clause to stay, possibly?...I'll stop there, keep my thoughts to myself so that I don't impose any ideas... >.<

[Lord of the Dance]

Alright, so another chapter now that I'm back.
Clause just chooses to remain silent for reasons that will be explained in another chapter because I suck. You can decide for yourself why Ria wanted her to stay, I think it might just be because she's a kind person. But I dunno for sure.


Chapter Three- Going Outside

Within five minutes, the whole gang except Ria was assembled on the top platform of their tree house- more widely known as the Big Top. Zak and Razur were rubbing their eyes; Clause was practically jumping on the spot from excitement at being woken up earlier than ever; Lavender yawned sleepily, covering her mouth; Bruno was merely glaring at Ria, arms crossed and tapping his foot. He had been mulling over the story all night- his strange dream confirmed it. He wanted to ask her about it in private, like when she had given him the book. It had to be important, as Ria never gave him worthless information. She even backed up her opinions with countless reasons and arguments.
The Big Top’s view of the city was rivaled only by the castle and the tree house hideout a half mile away- they could see everything from the eternal storm off the beach to Forever Forest to Diamond Mountain, standing imposingly several miles to the north. They could also see the fields outside the city- as there had never been an attack on the Boldahard Yoshis from the outside in recorded history, the city had no walls. It was merely clumped together on the south side of the fields, which broke off abruptly into the forest.
Forever Forest had gained its name for its notorious reputation of killing off hikers. Nobody who went in ever came out. The woods always had a strange bluish mist hanging around the underbrush, and there was supposed to be a large stone called the Dark Crystal deep within. It was only recalled in legends, though, as no one who had seen it in the last thousand years had lived to tell the tale.
Bruno gazed around the Big Top, waiting for Ria herself to finally appear. He loved this place; from its golden-red leaves and its warm atmosphere to the ones who lived in it with him and the fact that it was the best base a gaggle of Yoshis could hope for. The tree was almost alive to the gang- they could feel its anticipation as much as their own. Rarely had they been summoned so early in the morning, before Soluna turned her bright eye to the Yoshis and the birds began chirping.
Without anyone’s notice except Bruno’s, Ria appeared at the trapdoor in the far corner and jumped up into the room, landing neatly on her feet.
“So, I trust we all had a good night’s sleep?” She asked, surveying each tired-but-happy face.
“What was-” Bruno began, but Ria cut him off.
“We’re going to the trade square to meet some accomplices for this next mission,” She announced, to everyone’s surprise. Bruno opened his mouth to speak again, but Ria silenced him with a fierce glare that said “later”.

Five minutes later, they were idling around a banana stand. The red Yoshi that ran it during the day was always kind to Bruno whenever he bought anything. He could hear the shuffles of feet against the ground as the occasional Yoshi walked by.
Ria paced back and forth. She had given Bruno the book, and begun his training on her legend. She was impatient, the days inched by like molasses. When would she be able to finish her duties? She’d need another eight years if she wanted to become as powerful as she had been a thousand years ago, but she wanted to get it over with…
Clause merely stared at Ria as she walked. Ever since they had met, Clause knew there was something strange about that Yoshi with silver spikes. She had never seen a Yoshi with silver spines besides Ria. There was a lot Clause wanted to ask, but she didn’t like to talk.
A red Yoshi strutted towards the group, with two light blue and black Yoshis following in his wake. The red Yoshi wore a blue bandana on his arm that matched smartly with his spikes and saddle. The light blue wore sunglasses, and had green spikes and a matching underbelly. The black had shining blue spikes, and a blue tinge to his stomach.
The red Yoshi introduced himself as Fayre, and he shook hands with Ria. Bruno noted with satisfaction that Fayre pulled out of his handshake quickly, disgruntled at Ria’s grip.
“There’s one open today- ya can ride it if we ‘urry,” Fayre explained to Ria, and she nodded.
“This way, guys,” She waved at her group, and they filed behind her. Clause dodged in just behind Ria before Bruno could get over to her, much to his distaste. She always had to cut in front of him.
Bruno trudged along behind Ria, who was following Fayre. He wondered where they were going- didn’t the group always explore the city without anyone from another gang?
He could hear Razur and Zak snickering about something behind him. The yellow-orange Yoshi turned to walk backwards and talk to the two.
“Do you two know where we’re going?” He questioned, stumbling a little.
“Nah,” they both replied at once.
“…But I do have an idea. Those guys work around the outside of the city,” Zak explained, motioning towards the front of their little procession. “Ria might’ve wanted them to take us out for once.”
Bruno nodded, contemplating. They hadn’t been outside their city before, really. The Yoshis just hadn’t seen a reason to- their city wasn’t going anywhere. There were never any fires.
The three Yoshis went on to devise a complicated explanation of how the newcomers were going to lead them into a trap and Ria would end up heroically fighting off evil goblins that had a boat and capturing their ship, and they’d end up having to split up the group to explore the sea and bring back treasure from the depths, since the ship could magically go underwater. The young dinosaurs never considered that there might be other lands outside of their island. This mad story continued until they were interrupted by a loud “A-hem!” from Blanco and his two cents on their tale.
The conversation migrated to flowers and what kind they should decorate the Big Top with next, and Bruno fell back to walk alongside his friends. His legs were getting tired from pedaling backwards.
After a good hour of walking, Clause spotted something on the horizon. It wasn’t a cloud- it was too white. She gazed curiously at it, no longer listening to Ria’s quiet conversation with Fayre and his two cronies. Their talk of the price of traveling to the other side of the island was boring, but Clause hadn’t even realized there was a world outside the city.
Maybe the strange white cloud was what Ria wanted to show them? They were going towards it. The small green Yoshi kind of liked it simply sitting there in the distance. It was something new.

“Here we are!” Fayre announced, holding his arms out and letting the group take in the strange sight. A few white-sailed boats were sitting on the water, with various Yoshis wearing belts scurrying about. The scene was extremely busy, and everything was going like clockwork.
“What are the belts for?” Bruno piped up. He had never seen Yoshis wearing such things before.
“Those are to keep ya from fallin’ off the boat, kid,” Fayre grinned at the younger Yoshi. “They also help hold the sailor’s stuff when they’re climbin’.”
Meanwhile, the light blue Yoshi wearing sunglasses poked at Clause. “Why don’ she say anytin’? We been walkin’ an hour and she don’t talk at all.”
Blanco shook his head. He didn’t seem curious about the sailors, almost as if he already knew everything about them. “She isn’t very talkative.”
The Yoshi scratched his head. “Odd. I never seen a silent Yoshi befoah.”
Blanco shrugged. “I suppose she just doesn’t have anything to say.”
The other didn’t reply, but Blanco knew he was frowning behind his glasses.
“Okay, guys, Fayre here said we can go on one of the boats!” Ria suddenly announced. “We’re going to visit the other side of the island for a few days. Consider it… educational,” The silver-spiked Yoshi finished.
So the party clambered on board one of the smaller ferry ships. There were two cities on the island, and they communicated pretty well despite the violent storm a half mile offshore. Fayre was only one of the sailors on this boat, and they soon saw him return with belts in hand.
“Put these on, at least for the trip,” He commanded, and threw a belt to each of them except Clause. “Sorry, kid, but we didn’t have one small enough for ya. Ya’re gonna have to stay off the rigging ‘till we get to the other side.”
Clause said nothing, as usual, only frowning and folding her arms. Ria stayed on the deck with her anyways, despite it being obvious that she wanted to go up with the rest. How little time she had to live normally like this, she wasn’t sure. She’d have to start practicing her magic to build up for Odius’ return soon.

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Might update more often now that I'm writing more. We'll see.

[Strangie]

See, aren't you happy you did that plot summary now?

Good stuff! Now I'll know everything for when we finish this in #ycrp. Wahahaha~

Also, that light blue one with the shades reminds me of Bradley for some reason, but maybe I'm just crazy.

[red.yoshi]

Oo, It seems as if magic is starting to take a play! I can't wait for the next chapter. I hope you do write a lot! Seemed a little rushed again with the character introducing, or maybe its just me. Ah, what do I know. I'm way too tired '~'.

[Lord of the Dance]

Hahaha, I didn't think of that.
Rushed, you say? Oh dear. I'll try and not shove everyone at you in the future.
In the meantime, I'm on a rooooooooooll!

Chapter Four- Reflection

The boat ride took all day, but nobody was bored. Bruno and Ria switched off sitting by Clause every now and then, and Fayre taught the young dinosaurs how to work the ropes and such. “Ya all are gonna have to come work for me after ya get old enough,” He laughed as they slowly caught on.
Clause didn’t pay much attention to what was going on above her- instead, she looked over the side and saw the water. It mesmerized her, the waves slowly moving away and the boat constantly making more. In the waves she saw herself for the first time. A small, dull green Yoshi with dark eyes blinked back up at her for split seconds at a time. She turned her head to the side and stared at her rusty spikes, rubbing them as if to clean them off. Upon seeing that they were just that color, she shrugged and tried to see if there was anything below the surface. The ocean couldn’t just be all surface, could it?
The Yoshi was soon lost in thought for what was to be the first of many times, wondering if there could be anything beyond the surface of the storms around the island as well. She thought about the claws she kept hidden since she didn’t use them, and how Ria had gotten the idea to call her Clause if she hadn’t known about the claws. Maybe nothing was only what it seemed.
Her train of thought moved on to maybe asking Ria about it. But…

“Who are you?” The five-year-old girl asked, shuffling her feet and hopping every few steps to keep up with the red Yoshi’s long strides. She giggled a little as she noticed the feathers bouncing goofily around on the black headband he was wearing.
“Lorekeeper Adrian. No more questions, girl. The answers will come to you if you pay attention.”
The Yoshi opened her mouth to protest, but the Lorekeeper whirled around and put a finger up to his nose, silencing her.
“Shh! If you keep this noise up while I’m reading at home I’ll have to kick you out, girl. But I will permit you to speak one more time. What’s your name, girl?”
“Uh… It’s, uh, Sam. Samantha.”
“Hah! It means “listens”, doesn’t it? Now take your own advice and be quiet for once, Listens.”
“…Okay. Name doesn’t really mean it like that, but-”
“Shh.”

Bruno came down from the ropes to switch with Ria, and noticed Clause wasn’t there. “Where did…” He began, but Ria motioned towards the railing where Clause was gazing into the ocean.
“Take this and read it for a while. You didn’t finish the story last night, did you?” Ria thrust the old book into his arms again.
But… Didn’t I keep it in my room for the night? How did she do that? Bruno tried to understand as Ria climbed the ropes like an expert up to Fayre.
The green-spiked Yoshi sat down and flipped through the book after standing, confused, for a few moments. Where had Ria gotten this book from, anyways? It was obviously full of old legends that none short of Lorekeepers would get to keep, and yet here she was making him read this. So odd…
The words flashed before his eyes, but he didn’t take much in. He was tired and bored after spending the whole day on a boat- the sun was beginning to sink below the lowest part of the storm that surrounded their island, casting an orange glow over everything and turning the clouds a fluffy cotton-candy pink over the dark grey that crashed down upon the waves. There was no horizon for the Boldahard Yoshis, as the tower of clouds blocked their view.

But the seal will not last forever… The Odious Yoshi is said to return someday, and once again, Yoshee will arrive to stop him once and for all-

Bruno was pulled out of the book by a sudden call from above.
“North City ahoy!” Fayre called down from the crow’s nest, Blanco next to him.
The yellow-orange Yoshi shrugged and closed the book. He could finish the story later anyways. There was time.
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Short chapter ugh.
Everyone wants to give Clause a different name D:

[red.yoshi]

You're right, you are on a roll! Short chapter better than no chapter at all ^~^. Great work with this Yoshee! I like how in depth Clause's thinking was early on in the chapter.

Being bored and doing nothing IS tiring. '~'

[Lord of the Dance]

Next chapter because I ran into an unexpected allotment of time.

Chapter Five- North City

They all hurriedly filed off the boat, glad to be back on dry land. None of them had been seasick, but it got annoying being stuck in one small place for a whole day. Everyone was used to having the whole South City to explore.
To Bruno, South City was much prettier than North. There was a giant orchard in the middle of South, and yet there were hardly any in North. The northern city was bordered by ocean, highlands to the southeast and Diamond Mountain looming over in the east, blocking out the sun before noon. South had only the beaches to the south, and the fields surrounding all the way to the foothills before Forever Forest. The southern half of the island was indeed very beautiful and green, while the northern half tended to be hotter, drier, and was prone to sudden gusts of sandy wind.
The main difference Bruno noted, though, was that there were very few Yoshis here. Instead, Koopas populated the city. It was quite odd for the group, only seeing the shelled characters for the first time. It seemed as if this city had only popped up today in their lives, even though the sister cities had been in touch for forever.
“Here we are, kiddies,” Fayre fell into a deep, exaggerated bow for the Yoshis. Lavender giggled, swaying just a bit. They had all gotten used to the gentle rocking of the boat, and the ground was lurching underneath their feet. Ria was still as stone, though- Bruno marveled at how quickly she recovered. It was as if she hadn’t even been on the boat at all.
They wandered through the streets, leaving Fayre at the docks; Ria confidently leading the way with Clause and Bruno pushing against each other for the spot right behind her, and the others not far away. Razur and Zak were occupied with gazing at the shady stores, gazing adoringly at the doodads they had never seen before and making wild guesses at what they were for. Lavender couldn’t help but giggle at their ridiculous depictions.
Bruno finally shoved Clause out of the way behind Ria’s back, knocking Clause into the crowded street. The green-spiked Yoshi didn’t realize his actions, though- he merely thought she’d moved to the back of the group to pout. Ria did not notice, either, as she was looking for a place for the group to stay for the next two nights.
Clause clambered to her feet, growling to herself. Where did the rest of the group go? Where was Ria? She shivered. The wind was beginning to pick up now, blowing the group’s scent away so the poor girl could not follow. She was bumped aside by a Paratroopa, and knocked over by a huge, spike-shelled Koopa. The road was swimming with the rainbow colors of the civilians’ shells. She wandered around, swerving between brown-shoed feet and occasionally getting kicked on accident.
The little Yoshi eventually found herself in front of a tall blue door. She looked about, wondering how she had gotten there. The lapis wooden door was intricately marked and contrasted with the tan clay the rest of the houses of North City were formed from. Clause shrugged to herself and knocked. Perhaps they had seen Ria or the others?
A grey Yoshi with white spikes and a light blue stomach, barely taller than Clause, opened the door. The two stared at each other for a long time, much like Clause and Ria had when they first met months ago, until Clause blinked and they both straightened up.
“Come on in,” The young grey Yoshi invited, giving Clause a tiny, crooked smile. “Uncle Clavarus, someone’s here and she wants to know if we’ve seen a silver-spiked Yoshi!” He hollered down the hall. As the small Yoshi turned his head, Clause noticed the grey dinosaur had a bandage on the right side of his head. He also wore white knee pads and had a bleached-white saddle. Clause suddenly realized the Yoshi had known what she wanted without her even opening her mouth.
He must pay a lot of attention, she decided.
The Yoshi led her down the narrow hallway, giving Clause time to admire the paintings lining the walls. There were fields of flowers, depictions of Diamond Mountain, a solar eclipse, a picture of the orchard in the center of South City, and a vivid meadow near the edge of Forever Forest.
The pair turned a corner and walked through a doorway into a dark room with but a single lamp in the center. A portly brown Yoshi with bushy eyebrows and red spikes sat barefoot at a short, exotic-looking table, nose stuck in a book. He glanced up at the two before fixing his benevolent stare on Clause. She had the feeling he was trying to find an epic story in her, so she hid behind the grey Yoshi.
“Where are your manners, boy!?” Clavarus suddenly demanded of the white-spiked youngster. “Introduce yourself to our guest!”
Fidgeting, the Yoshi’s gaze fell to the floor shyly. “Um, right… I’m Bentley,” He mumbled. “Pleased to meet you… What’s your name, again? I didn’t hear you, um, mention it…”
As usual, Clause did not answer. She merely shook her head and showed him her bare hands, receiving an odd look from her new acquaintance.
“Oh, well, that’s nice…” Bentley trailed off.
“Back in the old days, strangers would only give out their names to the ones they trusted most,” Clavarus rambled. “It was a sort of friendship-trust thing,” The brown Yoshi went on, as if he was quoting a book, but Clause and Bentley eventually tuned him out.
Bentley leaned over within whispering range of the rust-spiked girl. “Uncle Clavarus, um, reads a lot. It’s his job to keep the prophecies with a few other Yoshis called Lorekeepers… I’m gonna, um, do it too when I, um, grow up, so I had to start early…”
Clause nodded as if she understood. In reality, she was still trying to figure out how she had come to the door in the first place. This whole thing had just blown her socks off and she was barely keeping up.
Bentley’s uncle peered at Clause again once he was done with his monologue. “…Until she trusts us more. Now, what were you looking for, child? A silver-spiked Yoshi?” Bentley and Clause glanced at each other while the old Yoshi scratched his chin, thinking, until he suddenly exploded, “A silver-spiked Yoshi!? Ridiculous! Only Yoshee herself in all recorded history had silver spikes! …There were four colors that Yoshis never had- gold, silver, purple, and-” He cast an admiring gaze to his nephew- “white.”
Bentley straightened up. Even if he wasn’t one to appreciate attention, he was pleased with his odd features. They helped him blend in when fog rolled in or snow fell occasionally, and he liked to disappear and hide in his secret places whenever he could and curl up with a book.
“So if you’re with a silver-spiked Yoshi, then that means Yoshee has returned, and…” Clavarus gasped dramatically. “So has Odius,” He whispered, his dark face drained of color.
The two younger Yoshis shared a look once again, Bentley concerned, but Clause confused.
“…Do you, um, even know who Odius is?” Bentley questioned softly, seeing Clause’s expression. Clause shook her head slowly, and Clavarus snorted.
“Child, he’s the reason for so many of our traditions! He almost destroyed our island a thousand years ago!” He rumbled, beginning another quote. “’The black Yoshi of night came forth to bring despair to Soluna’s world. Only the Yoshi of silver can banish the dark one to the underworld from whence it came.” As he spoke, the old Yoshi pushed himself to his feet, grabbed some parchment and a fancy Goonie-feather quill, and began scrawling out a note in his pompous handwriting. “Here, take this to your friend. This is vital information she must have to prepare in advance for when South City is attacked in a few years. Our world is again in peril,” He thrust the note into Clause’s hands and waved his meaty hand at the door. “Now out with you! And remember, Lorekeeper Clavarus’ door is always open for you, the legendary heroine, and whatever friends you may have.”
Bentley suddenly piped up again. “She may have, um, gone to an inn to spend the night…” The grey Yoshi proposed.
“Good idea, boy!” His uncle boomed, clapping Bentley on the back and knocking him over. “Lead our friend to Central Inn. I must find some of my reference books. This calls for more research.”
Bentley slowly climbed to his feet, nodded, and opened the door. As light streamed in from the hall, Clause noticed that every inch of every wall in Clavarus’ room was lined with literature. There were books on various other exotic desks and tables as well, and the occasional scroll or stray papers and writing utensil.

The pair reached the inn without problems. In fact, if Clause had just followed the main road instead of wandering around, she would have found it straightaway. The entire city was organized into a grid, which helped calm the wind in the center and allowed for the city’s beautiful architectural ability to show. Central Inn was one such wonder, with rainbow-colored glass arches and domes even though the inn was not particularly large or cushy on the inside.
“Clause! There you are!” Ria exclaimed the moment the twosome came through the door. She scampered up to the Yoshis. “I knew you’d get here sooner or later. I can’t believe we lost you out there.”
Bentley shyly knocked his kneepads together, at a loss for words in the presence of one of the most powerful magical beings ever to exist on the island. “So, um… You’re Yoshee,” He finally managed to mumble.
Ria turned her head and gazed down at the grey Yoshi. “Excuse me?”
“…Oh, um, I just saw your spikes…” He replied extremely quietly, pale green eyes lowering to the floor. His voice could have been the wind, save for the face that they were indoors.
“It’s okay, Bentley. Just don’t call me that in public yet- I go by Ria,” The bright green Yoshi grinned, causing both the others to oogle at her.
Clause couldn’t decide who to stare at. The short, timid Bentley or the beautiful, proud Ria. They had both suddenly launched into that Yoshee thing again and Clause had no clue who she was besides that she had something to do with Odius and silver spikes.
“How’d you know my name?” Bentley gasped, head jolting back up.
Ria shook his hand formally. “I pay attention,” She explained.
“Oh. Well, um, have you seen anything of him lately?” The white-spiked Yoshi gulped.
“No, no, have no fear yet. South City won’t be attacked for another several years according to legend, but I wanted to get a head start on my friends’ education. Preparation can only help,” Ria replied, smiling warmly. Her face suddenly fell, though, and she sighed. “I wish Yoshi could have come back, too.”
Bentley nodded thoughtfully. Clavarus had told him a long time ago that Yoshee had been almost as powerful as a goddess the first time she had been alive, but had lost all her ability to destroy Odius when her heart broke as Yoshi was defeated.
“Oh, yes, and could you look after my friends when they come here? I like to get things done in advance, and you can be sure we’ll visit again, but if they need somewhere to hide, your Moonfins will do the job…” The taller Yoshi continued.
“…Moonfins?”
“You were born under Soluna’s full gaze, correct? Odius already wields the Deathfins, as he so kindly showed us so long ago, and I have the Sunfins as I was just born under a solar eclipse. So you-” She poked Bentley’s nose- “have the Moonfins. Also, you have white spikes so it’s rather obvious.”
Bentley was taken aback. His uncle had never rambled to him about the fins before, so he hadn’t paid much attention when they came up in his studies. The silver-spiked Yoshi was just glad to have someone that might have a clue what she was talking about. As much as she loved her friends, they just didn’t understand.
“It was nice meeting you, Bentley. We will meet again, I’m sure,” Ria walked around behind Clause and began pushing her towards the stairs. “Until next time, Soluna be watching you.”
The grey Yoshi stood in the lobby and watched until the other two were out of sight. “…Bye,” He finally whispered, before turning and leaving through the glass doors into the dark street. He’d have no trouble getting home by himself, as he knew the city like the back of his pale hand, and he liked being alone anyways.

“Clause!” Lavender was the first across the gang’s room, throwing her arms around the child and almost smothering her. Clause pulled away as soon as she could, but the other Yoshis piled on her before she could take three steps.
“She just got turned around,” Ria explained, giggling. “Well, we’re going to explore North City tomorrow, so I suggest we all get some rest.”
Bruno realized he was the one who had pushed Clause, and tapped Ria on the shoulder.
“Ria, it’s my fault…” He bit his cheek.
“Bruno, don’t worry about it. It all worked out for the best,” She replied calmly, putting her soft hand on his shoulder. “Just get some rest, okay?”
“Okay…” He dragged his feet over to his bunk and crawled in, then lay there facing the wall.
Ria sat on her bed and unfolded the note Clause gave to her as they had gone up the stairs. Her eyes quickly flitted over Clavarus’ large, fancy writing, and she nodded to herself. The green Yoshi sighed again. “Hm… At least this Lorekeeper knows what he’s talking about. Bentley’ll be brilliant as well, with such a mentor. Well, little Bentley, good luck.” She hadn’t bothered to turn on the light- her eyes adjusted to the dimness within seconds.
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More on that later.

[Strangie]

The story unfolds further! Oooo~

Hey, just curious. What parts do you plan on including in the story? Just until the part where all the silliness in #ycrp started? I know like a whole buttload of story-related things happen in there and I wasn't sure if you were going to write those out, too. Or if you were just going to write to right before that point (write to right! lolololol) and leave it at that, haha.

In any case it looks good so far. As a DnD nerd I'm all into legendary legends and mysterious myths and whathaveyou, so I'm looking forward to how this pans out. Though I kinda already know anyway, so I guess that makes me a cheater. D:

[red.yoshi]

Excellent! More is revealed about the adventure! I can't wait to read what happens next!

[Lord of the Dance]

Okay so life kinda came up and punched me in the face there. I'll not be putting up chapters every day to give myself time to get ahead again, haha.
But another stupidly short chapter for your patience.

Chapter Six- Wings Unearned

Ria led the gang around North City all the next day, marching single-file like they usually did past museums, glass fountains with sand pouring through spinning parts, glass art that bent the sun’s light into rainbows, and various tan houses that were all mashed together into shady walls that spanned the entire street. The Yoshi children gradually changed their formation to a mob of giggling dinosaurs, though, unable to contain their excitement at the sand marvels. They tramped through the dusty streets that looked so different from South City’s until their feet felt more like lead weights than flesh.
The islanders piled into their cramped room at about six-o’-clock that evening, just as the early autumn sky was darkening to a dark grey-purple, the bright white moon casting its shine over the city. Tired and footsore, the tiny, short-legged Clause dumped herself onto a bed right away. Her friends, however, contented themselves with ambling over to their various resting places and sitting on the edges of their beds, chattering about North City, the fountains, the strange Koopa temple, and how the city didn’t have a giant orchard and fruit stands everywhere.
Leaning back on her pillow, Ria chuckled. “We’re waking up at dawn to hitch a ride back home with Fayre, guys. Let’s all get a head start on resting.” And with that, she rolled over and pretended to sleep, listening intently for the others’ soft breathing.
“Okay, Ria,” Bruno yawned and closed his eyes. “See you in the morning, everyone.”
“Good night!” Lavender chirped.
“Nighttime,” Razur and Zak said simultaneously, pointing and laughing at each other like it was all a big joke.
“Good night,” Blanco stated shortly.
Clause sighed and closed her eyes. Keeping up with the group’s excited pace was always difficult.
Ria waited for a few minutes more before pulling out the old book from under her bed in the dark. She could already tell Bruno still hadn’t finished the story. However lacking in detail the legend was, the information was of utmost importance and she wanted him to know the general story as soon as he could. She could fill in the blanks later… Ria didn’t want to lose any more friends to Odius, not after the heartbreak of her first life.
The Yoshi got hardly any sleep that night, flipping through the silver- and gold-lined pages of her book as if the aging novel was an old friend.

The next morning, the whole gang rose at dawn and headed for the docks, where Fayre was waiting to show them aboard.
“This time I got a belt for ya, kid,” He chuckled, strapping a belt around Clause. “We’ll teach ya the ropes today.”
Clause caught on to sailing slowly at first, but by the afternoon she was scrambling around the rigging looking quite proud of herself. She spent a long time in the crow’s nest enjoying the ocean breeze, as well. Ria joined her at one point and the two sat silently for a quarter of an hour before Ria shimmied down again.
“…And that’s how ya make a winged knot,” Fayre finished, tugging on the tie he had made so the ends fluttered, indeed looking like wings. Razur and Zak applauded, and Blanco deftly duplicated the tricky knot, holding a perfect replica up to the older Yoshi.
“Like this?”
“…Uh, yeah,” Fayre scratched his head, baffled at how speedily Blanco had solved his puzzle-knot.

That evening, the group was safely back in the Big Top. Zak and Razur had one last thing to say, though.
“Power feathers for everyone!” The blue-green Razur exclaimed merrily, handing out the glittering white feathers to the gang.
“We got ‘em in North City while you guys weren’t looking,” Brown-skinned Zak explained.
Ria was shocked. “But these must’ve cost a fortune! You know how long these kinds of wings last for us Yoshis.”
Razur merely grinned, while his twin brother winked at their silver-spiked friend.
“Alright! We hardly ever get wings here,” Bruno cheered. Flying had been one of the best things he’d ever done before. And even when Boldahard Yoshis weren’t born with wings, the power-ups lingered for far longer than anyone else could use them. Unfortunately, Power feathers were quite rare in South City.
The group quickly snagged their feathers, and with a short poof they each boasted a pair of sparkling wings.
“Let’s fly over to the orchard before sundown,” Lavender suggested.
Blanco took a magnifying glass and examined one of his wings. “Yes, I’d like to try this out before morning…”
The Yoshis took off and swooped happily around the Big Top- well, all except Clause. As soon as she had tried to get hers to work, her feather had wilted and crumbled to dust.
Clause didn’t understand this. Why was she always excluded? Why couldn’t she do what everyone else did with ease? She looked to the setting sun forlornly, as if asking for an explanation. All she got was the sun in her face.
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Clause gets no superpowars!

[Strangie]

Clause gets no superpowers because I already know what class she is anyway. D: *shot*

Bwahaha, insider info.

[red.yoshi]

Aww, poor Clause. I feel sorry for her. Great and interesting chapter Yoshee! I do hope Clause plays some kind of major role later on in this story.