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Maya lead the group through the forest, which was becoming denser the further they walked. Katie stared at the strange ladies hair, which swayed as she walked. It reminded her of the bright sunflowers back at the truck; yellow, warm, and silky. Mezmorized, Katie silently wished she had hair like that.

Her attention was caught by the masked people fanning out around them, no longer holding form in the front. Maurice seemed to notice this as well, and when one of the people got too close to his injured side, he warned them with a menacing growl. The stranger flinched and took several steps away, but stayed close enough to be a nuisance. Maya had turned when she heard Maurice, but grinned when she saw the situation.

“The animals get pretty wild in this part of the woods. Its just a precaution.” She informed them with a shrug. Maya was not finished though, she slowed a bit so that she was within arms reach in front of them. She looked down to Katie before smiling again.

“Youre going to love it there Katie. There’s food, clean water, lots of people. And dogs. Tame ones, of course.” She added before raising her pointer finger as if to emphasise. “Oh! And you are going to just love Michael! He’s the one in charge, kind of. Well, more like, he makes sure everyone is taken care of and has something to do. So ya, pretty much our leader.”

Maurice’s fingers curled slightly after he heard what Maya was saying. Katie looked up at him, but his face was slightly out of view because of her angle being so low. At the moment, all she could see was the shadow under his bandana. Maya was also looking at Maurice, only she looked a bit more nonchalant about it.

“So, Maurice.” Maya asked as she walked, moving around the trees with snakelike grace. “. . . When did you and Katie become such great friends? I mean, I'm sure you two are not related. Right?” She said, looking over her shoulder to see his response.

But there wasn't one. Maurice was not even paying any attention to Maya. Instead, he simply stared ahead at the lush green forest with a tense air about his movements. Maya suddenly looked embarrassed.

“Oh, sorry. I’m prying. I didnt mean to put you on the spot. Sorry.” She muttered, her cheeks rosing a bit. “Um, but really, you guys are going to like our camp. Everyone is really accepting. Right Jason?” She called back to the slightly slouched man who was still walking behind them.

Jason looked up slightly, but it was almost impossible to tell since his eyes were covered by the bill of his hat.

“I guess.” He said curtly.

Maya laughed half heartedly, almost sarcastically.

~“Oh Jason.” She sighed before turning back around, “Not long now. Its beside a large cavern, made probably by an explosion around the war times. Its filled with growth now. Every once in awhile we go down there to retrieve ingredients. . . oh would you listen to me! Im just gabbing your ears off.”

Katie agreed with the strange woman, only she did not make any indication of it. The tree’s were getting fatter and greener as they progressed in silence. She eventually had to tail behind Maurice in order to pass through the moss covered giants, and the air grew wetter as it settled beneath the canopy above them. Maurice was having trouble stepping over large roots with his injured leg, but Maya would halt her followers to wait for him, to stand by and watch.

Katie looked up at the nape of Maurice's glistening pale neck once they began to walk again. He looked so tired, she wondered if he had gotten any sleep at all the previous night. She was about to ask him, but her words were caught in her throat when she heard the rustling of feathers erupting from her left. The sound was created by a flock of orange and yellow Screachers, with red beaks and beady black eyes. Most of them were roughly the same size as Katie, while others looked more like Yowlers. They had flown away just as she turned to look at them, however she did find something else instead. She paused, making Maurice nearly tug her arm out of its socket. But she was fixated on the figure at the base of one of the trees no more than ten feet away.