III

When I learnt to talk, it was in two languages - Pandoran and Yoshian. It would be Yoshian in my house, and Pandoran outside of it. By this time, my parents could easily be mistaken for having lived in Pandora all of their lives.

So, through my learning of Pandoran, I had gained a best friend when I was very young. Surprising that someone from the yoshiphobic Kippo would have done so. His name was Returin, and, unlike his parents, he was fascinated by us Yoshies in his town. He was my age, and he was over at the inn every day he possibly could, by the time he was two - probably about five on Yamauchi - to the displeasure of his parents. There were quite a few times where his father, Keroco, would wrench him away from our activities. But, they were happy that Returin had a friend, even if his ancestry lay on one of the warp worlds.

Returin had an older brother, Dogo. Dogo was three years older than us, and he was the one who introduced us to the swimming hole, which would become one of the most special places in the worlds of my travels for me. It was a bend of the Otopo River, secluded by trees. At its deepest it was about eight or nine feet, and Returin and I often dared each other to swim to the bottom of it. Over the time of my childhood, it had many names - the waterhole, Yoshi Bend, at one stage of our games it was the Pokoramnin Sea - I forget what the game was, though. There were a few more that have slipped my mind over the years, but all the names never took away the essence of the place - a place where dreams were born, where lives that would never come into fruition could be acted out. Whenever I go back to Kippo, and the weather's alright, I'll still have a swim there.

In my childhood, the other side of the stream was considered "outside the village", where you were not allowed to go unless you had adults with you. We would be in serious trouble had we been caught on that bank of the river.

But we would find out why we weren't allowed over there: the hard way.

It was one bright, sunny day in the summer that Returin and I were swimming, and we were playing a game where we pretended to be Randi and Popoie, the Mana Knight and the Mana Sprite respectively. He was Randi, and I was Popoie. I was always Popoie, because I was shorter, and not human.

We always started this game off at the waterhole, where Returin would grab a stick and pretend to pull it off a stone in the middle of the stream, just like near Potos, except this happened every time. Dogo tagged along with us this time, so we made him Geshtar, the Mech-Rider of the Empire at the Resurrection. We went against him in "battle", him pretending to be on the flying machine-thing that Geshtar rode. Eventually, I backed out onto the other side of the river, with no intention to go any further - we always said that the bank on the other side was not technically "outside the village", and it was our argument that the bank was part of the waterhole. Dogo was in the shallow part beside the bank, and he came screaming towards me. I dodged him at the last moment, but he had so much momentum - he was a large boy - that he kept running, and stumbled upon a resting Buzz Bee.

I can recall all what happened next very vividly, as if it were only yesterday, or maybe last week.

"Hey guys, have a look at this cool thing I found!" he yelled.

"But it's on the other side of the river!" I yelled back. "We'll get in trouble…"

"There's no-one around to see us! Come on! Quickly!"

I cast a look at Returin, and he nodded - I always looked up to him - and we went after Dogo. We found the Buzz Bee, its eyes closed, curled up, and we stood around it.

"What is it?" Returin asked his brother.

"I don't know, but it looks cool."

"Hey, it's got wings!" I said excitedly. I love winged things - maybe that's why I have a Dragonite, Zapdos, Articuno and a Gyarados. "Let's see it fly."

"I dare you to poke it, Ret."

"Er…"

Returin leaned forward, and tapped it with his stick. It gave a few irritated buzzes, and flickered its wings a few times.

"Cool," Dogo said. "Do it again."

"Er…" I said.

"Shut up, Dy," Dogo glared at me.

I was going to say that it probably wasn't a good idea anymore - I don't mind flying things, but if it looks threatening to me, then it's a different story. I saw that it had a sharp and shiny bit as its tail.

So, as Dogo was quite larger than me, and he had told me to be quiet, I did as I was told. I didn't want to get punched or kicked by him. Then, Returin poked the Buzz Bee again, and suddenly it opened its red eyes, and the cool, dare I say cute-looking insect, suddenly became very scary indeed. I screamed, and with that, the Buzz Bee shot up into the air, and we could see it for what it was - a giant fly with a large stinger.

"Gulto," Dogo swore. If translated, consider it the Pandoran expletive for solid ablutions. I remember a bit of shock at that word, but I was more concerned with trying to run away.

All of us ran, but the Bee had circled around, and was now facing us again. It pointed its stinger at me and fired one of its spear-like projectiles. It got me on the back of my left forearm as I brought it around instinctively to protect myself - if I look closely enough, I can still see the mark - and, naturally, I cried out in pain. The tears started to flow.

The sting fell out, and Dogo grabbed us both and ran the other way. Again, the Bee circled and this time it attacked Returin. It fired a spear-thing, and it was at just the right angle to hit him in the stomach. It fell out, and a red smear started to grow on his clothes - in our games, we had done the odd bit of rough and tumble and bleed, but now I was petrified of the blood.

Then, the Bee dived for him, and started attacking him with the actual stinger. Dogo tried to pull his brother away, but the Bee, with its angry buzzing, started attacking Dogo too, and we were helpless as we saw Returin keel over and breathe his last.

Suddenly, blades of yellow filled the air, and they sliced the Buzz Bee into various pieces, its exoskeleton making the sound of "clackclackclackclackclack" as it fell apart and hit the ground. Returin and Dogo's father must have heard my scream and came running, and seeing the scene, cast Air Blast on it. My father was with him too - Keroco was visiting Reuben and talking about my influence on Returin at the time.

"And that's why, Reuben, that I don't want your son with mine," he said.

He walked over to Returin's limp body, turned it over, and received a shock as he saw his younger son's vacant eyes.

"Reuben! Quick! Run to Rumpil's and grab a Cup of Wishes!"

My father set off at a cracking pace, and I turned to watch him go. There would only be about three minutes before Returin's spirit left his body entirely. The Cup of Wishes, if poured on him in time, would restore his son.

Keroco then gave one of the most angry, threatening stares. The Buzz Bee faded into insignificance compared to that stare. I will never forget the look on his face - it haunts my nightmares.

"Boy," he started.

"I…I'm…not a boy," I sobbed. I was right: I was a Koyoshi.

"I don't give an Undine's arse, boy. If my son dies, I'm going to see that your life is as close to Hell as possible."

Dogo, meanwhile, was standing nearby. He knew to stay away when his father was angry.

I sobbed louder.

"By Salamando, stop crying, boy."

I still sobbed.

Keroco got up, and he slapped me across my face. Dogo did nothing.

"And if you tell your father or your mother that I did that, I will do much worse, you understand."

Naturally, I nodded. But, I still cried.

He then yelled at the sky, "Damn lizards, they're no more than the monsters that live around here!"

And that sent me into a fit of louder crying. I was proud I was a Yoshi - I still am - and he had wounded that. I then crumpled up, sideways, on the ground.

And got my chest kicked, hard. And had my tail stamped on. And then got kicked in the head.

He then let out an angry sigh and continued to nurse his younger son's body, cursing, in whispers, my family and the entire Yoshi race in general.

My father came back, and saw me crying. He suspected that it was about Returin. He had a Cup of Wishes, and he gave it to Keroco who snatched it from him. He opened Returin's mouth and poured it in, and waited.

Nothing happened - he had ridden on Shade's back across the black void to Paradise.

And that was the first death I ever had to deal with. But worse was yet to come.