The Search

Chapter 2 Observed

As Parrot and Planet strolled through the forest, the air blended seamlessly the sounds of nature and organisms into a light and calm melody. The dense canopy of towering trees cast shadows that filtered the sunlight to a gentle, ambient glow that bathed the forest floor in a cool, refreshing shade. Leaves, vibrant green, seemed to drift in the soft breeze around them through the forest.

It had been hours of walking and walking and the sun had just started its routinely descend. Where the sun will cast golden rays through the trees till allowing the cool white-blue light of the moon to shine. And the two had started to notice the change.

"Parrot, should we really be doing this? I mean, this Oracle guy could be fake for all we know. Maybe we should turn back..." Planet suggested.

"Planet, no! How many times do I have to say it? We don't have any other option. I need to figure out why I had that dream, and we need to get the totem back. The Oracle is our best shot. Do you have any other ideas?" Parrot replied in a snap.

Planet mumbled to himself, "We could have just stayed back at the village."

"What was that?" Parrot said, staring at his friend with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing. If you think it's a good idea, I guess I'll trust you. But can we at least camp out for the night?" Planet asked.

"Why? We could still walk for a couple more hours. I don't want to waste time," Parrot insisted, continuing to walk.

"Please? I don't want to risk anything," Planet pleaded.

"Fine," Parrot accepted.

As they set up their tent and sleeping bags and gathered wood, Parrot sparked a conversation.

"Are you getting these chills too, Planet?" he asked, his voice low with unease.

Planet shook his head. "Are you cold? I can look for more wood for the fire."

"No, not like that. I mean, it's like a strange feeling. Almost as if we were being watched," Parrot clarified.

"Parrot, we're in the middle of the forest. I doubt there's anyone near," Planet said with a nervous giggle.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. We should go to bed. We have an early morning tomorrow, and I don't want to sleep in," Parrot said.

"Okay, I'll be right with you. Just gotta put out the fire," Planet replied.

As Parrot drifted to sleep, Planet remained by the dwindling, crackling orange fire, staring at the dying embers. A sudden shift from Planet's carefree attitude could be seen; he was quiet now, oddly quiet. He was deeply immersed in his own thoughts. With a clenched jaw, he was troubled by memories. Memories that were never meant to re-emerge. He then murmured, "I gotta do something about this."

                ***

"Hey boss, look at this," a crew member called out, gesturing to the high-tech screen panel within the ship.

The boss approached, intrigued. "What is it?"

"One of our crew members spotted them," the crew member explained. "They're still far from us, but I thought you should know."

The boss studied the monitor displaying Planet's solitary figure by the campfire, his expression unreadable. After a moment, a sly grin spread across his face.

"Hmm, interesting," the boss murmured, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the image of Planet.

Without explanation, the boss reached for the power chamber and removed the totem, triggering an alert from the ship's computer.