The Early Mission [COMPLETED]

16.2: Destruction

Della

Speedy led us out of the trees surrounding the picnic area, following the location mark.

"Hey!" Rod said suddenly, making everyone jump. "How come our watches don't work here? They'd stopped working since we entered the illusion thingy to find the clue!"

"Rod is right," said Penny, who now looked less down.

Speedy smiled half-mouthed. "We can discuss those things later. Come on."

I felt weird following him to a task that would eventually lead to the hunting (although fake) of my own species, but I had no choice anyway. And I tried to think about the fact that the birds here were not real anymore. They grew extinct ages ago. It's just the curse that's appearing in the form of them... there would be no harm done...

I thought of the time when I first saw one of them in this curse-island. They looked just like one of us... except gray, of course, and kind of ghostly.

For the last time, I dismissed the thought of them perhaps being real, and that maybe destroying the curse would mean destroying them...

The sun was high and blindingly bright, and I thought we all would have felt much safer in the shadows. But unfortunately, we were out.

"Phew, it is hot, huh?" Brody said, fanning his face with a wing.

"Yeahhh," I said, frowning. "I wonder if that's why there are no ghost-dodos around."

"They're ghosts?" Someone asked from behind us (Speedy, Brody, Penny, and I were at the front).

I sighed. "No..." I didn't feel like answering. And when I didn't, I thought I heard someone answer on my behalf anyway. I kept my mind ahead - and frankly, it wasn't hard.

"Hey, you're right, Della," said Penny. "There are none of the dodos - the ghosts - or whatever - around. Isn't it a little strange? Weren't they supposed to be all over the place?"

"We should stop and check," said Speedy, who I hadn't even known was listening, "Swift, Baddy, Betty, and Brody, could you fly up and see how far they are from us?"

When the mentioned cadets flew up - with a bit of frustration on Baddy's part, - Bea frowned.

"Hmm, I wonder if they aren't nearby here at all. They might all be guarding the dodo caves and leaving the rest of the island free." As everyone else thought about this theory, she added submissively, "it was just a thought."

But when the flying birds - and bats too, I guess, - returned, the theory was proven wrong.

"Speedy, they aren't far." Swift informed. "They're in the trees nearby."

"But they're not coming after us," Betty said.

"Yeah they're more like just- standing all over thr place," Baddy said. "Scattered everywhere."

"But there are more ahead," Brody said.

"But none on the path," Swift finished.

"More ahead... none on the path... what could that mean?" I asked, "do they not know we're here?"

The four looked at each other. "I dunno... we couldn't tell from a distance." Brody said, fidgeting.

"That sounds... mysterious," Speedy said. "Della, do you think we should continue?"

"I don't-"

"HEY-" Rod yelled, his feathers starting to stick up. "We thought you knew everything! Don't tell us you have no idea what we've got ourselves into!"

I scowled. "Of course we- oh come on let's just go forward. It's not dangerous, right?"