Fragments - A Cookie Run Fanfiction

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Searching

((Legend says that if you are weird, that is a tell-tale sign that you are weird.))

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It had been several days.

The kingdom was amidst a full-out unrest. All of the kingdom-dwelling cookies were searching the forest, inside, and out. Trying to find any hyde or crumb of their lost child-friend.

Almond was pacing around in the office of the Police Department, still cursing at himself from time to time. He remembered what had happened- for the most part. Especially AFTER it had happened. That only angered him even more. It frustrated him, as well as confused him.

He didn't know what to feel, but most of the emotions were wrapped up in cumbersome negativity.

Walnut was trying to get him to take a break for a while now, and he hadn't, That only lead him to being more and more tired.

Pacing around in the office that he had been occupying for a notable amount of time, he heard his phone going off on his desk. The old man let out a contemplative sigh, before giving in, and going to look at the screen.

Displayed in bold, white letters, he could clearly see 'Herb' written over the calling number.

He pulled some of his hair out of his face, before dragging his finger over the green button that pulsed with the ringtone.

"Hello, Police Department. Detective Almond Speaking.." it was more or less habit, by this point. Being formal, introducing himself, and making sure to describe where it was that had been called and recieved.

There was silence on the other end of the line, which lead the older man to silence as he shook his head, looking back to the phone screen.

"No. I haven't found anything yet." he stated into the mouth-piece. "That's what you were going to ask about... right Herb?" he questioned, before a sigh was heard from the other end of the line. The phone line was the slightest bit choppy, but sure enough, the plant-coddling man answered his question.

"Yes..." there was a brief pause. "I can't help it... I feel so bad for what we all did, some of the things I said- I can't stop thinking about it." based on Herb's voice, there was a high chance that the man was either crouched down, watering something, or pacing around his home at a notable speed.

Almond rubbed the bridge of his nose, between his eyes. before pulling a few strands of hair out of his face- as they were starting to annoy him.

He did understand the feeling.

He couldn't stop beatinng himself up over it, in all honesty.

He was one of the last ones to even see Gingerbrave- and when he had gotten his emotions... HIMSELF back under control, hours after losing the boy when he had escaped the jail, he remembered that his wrist had crumbled, because of the escape from the room.

"I am still looking, Herb. Get some sleep. You need it." he closed his eyes, exhaling before shaking his head, and closing his end of the coversation, so the green-haired man didn't have time to object to the forceful suggestion.

Almond remembered very clearly what happened when he had snapped out of the fog that his mind. Just how did he get into that state? He felt like violence was just.. RIGHT. The ONLY answer. He felt heavy amounts of adamant predjudice against Gingerbrave, and he definitely acted on it.

Then... it's like he woke up- not from a nightmare, or anything. It was more like... daydreaming. Being awake... and there... but somewhat in his own world, while knowing what was happening.

Grabbing his coat from the nearby coat rack, the man lie it over his shoulders, before walking to the front of the building.

He didn't know how many times he had done it, but he was going to go and search the forest again. It was too late to ask anyone else for any help. He also didn't want to disturb them. All of the other kingdom dwelling citizens were having problems getting their stuff together. Due to all of them collectively coming back to their normal senses aroud the same time...

Sorbet and Squid Ink were still actively avoiding coming back to the land for long periods of time, just in case something else happened. Avocado was still injured, and mostly rendered immobile- until Herb can help her out.

Herb wasn't able to actually heal anyone completely, because of the emotional stress he was enduring at the moment, giving him concentration problems. Sparkling had fallen into long pits of silence, and hardly said much of anythig.

Out al all of them, Sparkling probably felt the worst, seeing as he had freaked out at Gingerbrave before the more recent incident with the entire kingdom falling to the same kind of estranged spell or compellings.

The old detective only managed to sigh, tempted to pull out a cigarette to pass the time as he looks around, but he decided agaisnt it. He was sure that he had been walking for a while now, but at this point, his sense of time was likely escaping him.

"Gingerbrave! Are you still out here?!" he put his hands around his mouth, calling deep into the forest.

All that returned to him, though, was the sound of rustling leaves, and wind wafting the branches of the nearby trees. Some birds trilled in their movement somewhere in the distance. The darkness was usually unwelcoming- as it had been forever...

This time, though, he started to travel the path to the left.

Hopefully... he would be able to find something that could aid him in finding Gingerbrave. He still couldn't help but worry about what may have happened on the time since he ran off. What if he was hurt? Killed? Wild animals were usually not evil, or aggressive by nature around these parts, but there were always a few that were hungry. Willing to dig their claws into something weak, and available.

All of these troublesome thoughts bothered the man. If something did happen, he knew he would be partially at fault.

He already lost sleep over that fact. Most of the kingdom friends had.

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Just as he was about to round a curved path, Almond peered over to the side, spotting a sign, and a clearing of yellowed grass, and wilted flowers... it was strange. It wasn't autumn yet, and everything around the area was still in full bloom. For now-

Advancing toward the area, the detective looks around, before spotting a crumbled structure in the distance.

It looked like it may have been a...

Something hit him.

It looked like a pedestal... was this... the area that Gingerbrave was talking about that no one could find..?

Narrowing his eyes, the older man started to walk toward the space, spotting a bunch of arrows in the field. All tipped with pink-tinted arrowheads- much like that spike that Chili, Strawberry and Herb described seeing when they found Gingerbrave injured.

If that was the case... then...

Looking back up to the field, Almond stepped back a few paces, just in case something in that general area was still active. All he hoped was that no one and ntohing passed through there.. though he got the lingering feeling that this is exactly where Gingerbrave would have went after escaping.

"Damn it..."

(To Be Continued)