The Bird and The Fish

TBTF, Part 12: The Execution

(Casper pov.❗NOT A DEATH. THEY ARE EXECUTING THE PLAN❗ A few hours later. Time is now around four o'clock in the afternoon)

"Alright, we have about an hour before we execute the plan," I say, unrolling the map for the three of us to see. "We're about thirty minutes north from where I saw her disappear. From there, we follow the path of torn clothes and feathers. Wherever she ended up, it'll be somewhere within this section to the woods," I explain for the umpteenth time, making sure we have everything ready.

"Like Arvid said, there's a dangerous lake monster, which is why we have the bows, arrows, and other weapons," I say gesturing to the pile of weapons next to us. "In the event we don't find her today, I've dropped a few bedrolls in a nearby ditch. Any questions?"

Arvid and Alouette both shake their heads, looking determined to find and rescue her like we planned for the last two days. "Good," I say, rolling up the map once more. "Let's take the time to get everything packed for our travel."

I square the map back in my satchel before crouching down to our pile of supplies. I sort three of each item, making for we have the same amount of items for each of us. Once I'm satisfied, I check the clock to find that nearly thirty minutes have passed. This has to go well, I think, looking over my shoulder at the both of them.

We can leave earlier if we want, but that's usually a matter of if it's dark enough yet. I stand and poke my head out of the tent door to see how dark it is. It's surprisingly dark out, the sound of bugs already getting louder by the minute. "Are we going or what?" Arvid speaks up, sounding annoyed as usual. "It's dark out, and we have everything we need." "We could leave now," I reply, looking back inside. "But it depends on if you two are ready."

"I am," Alouette says, sheathing a dagger on her belt. "I have all the backup stuff in my satchel." "I guess I'm ready too," Arvid says, rolling his eyes. "I'm tired of waiting."

"Alright then," I reply, grabbing my own satchel. "Let's go."

The three of us step out of the tent, making sure it looks like it hasn't been touched in a while before taking off into the night sky. The familiar sound of wings beating against the wind fill the air as we rise higher into the sky. At least it's nice out, I think, looking at the moon.

Like I planned, the flight there takes about half an hour. The three of us land infront of the forest entrance, Alouette looking slightly spooked by the dark forest. "Do we really have to go in there?" she asks timidly, giving me a pleading look. "We do if we want to find her," I reply, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "But you don't have to be scared. We'll be here the entire time."

"Thanks," she says, giving me a weak smile. "Can we go yet?" Arvid groans, clearly tired of waiting around. "Yeah, yeah, let's go," I sigh, slightly annoyed by his instance.

We venture into the woods, quickly being surrounded by the sounds of the Faewild. We're all tense, as if expecting something to jump out at us. "This is creepy," Arvid mutters, his hand ready to draw his sword at any moment. "You can say that again," Alouette agrees, sticking close to me as we walk.

After a while, we eventually come across a clearing with a cave entrance nestled between two large oaks. "You're seriously not think about going in there, are you?" Alouette squeaks, clearly scared. "I see smoke," Arvid interjects, looking up at the trail of smoke coming from a hole in the cave ceiling.

"I-I'll stay out here while you two go inside," Alouette says, her voice shaky with fear. "Good choice," I say, giving her a smile. "We'll be out in a bit if we can't find anything."

I take a deep breath, drawing my short sword as Arvid and I slowly approach the cave entrance. We stop just before the vines that cover it, my eyes widening when I hear Zahra's voice. I give Arvid a nod, and we dart inside.