Island Secret

Chapter 4: Bird Sighting

HI GUYS! So, this just a quick thank you to everybody who is reading my story and leaving such great advice in comments! I really appreciate it :)  Also a thanks to everyone who has voted and a BIG thanks to those of you who are fans!!!! OK here's chapter 4.... :D

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The sun was directly above the tree tops, shining its golden rays through the thick branches and casting various beams of light on the forest floor. The temperature in the air seemed to be raising by the minute due to the relentless sun. The trail, that Luke, Astyr and Chase were hiking on, was headed in the direction of the small volcano that occupies a good third of the island. It had been dormant for a long time and showed no signs of becoming active any time soon.

"Ugh, what time is it?" Chase asked nobody specific. He was kicking rocks with his boot as he walked along the dirt path. Earlier, Chase accidentally hit Luke in the butt with one and burst out laughing when Luke turned around with a mixture of amusement and furry on his face.

Now, Luke dug around in his string bag until he produced a black iPhone in his hands and glanced at the dark screen. "Around noon." He stated. 

Chase frowned, "Really?" Then he started ginning. "That means it's lunch time! Can we stop and eat now?"

It was Astyr who spoke up next. "Yeah, I agree. I'm hungry." She smiled.

Luke chuckled lowly to himself but stopped when he heard a low rumble. Astyr giggled at him and Luke looked down slightly, placing a hand on his empty stomach. Luke looked back up and smiled. "Lets go eat!"

Minutes later, the three of them were lounging on a fallen tree trunk laying in a small clearing. Astyr was perched on the log with Chase siting to her left while Luke was sitting on the ground leaning back on the log in between his two friends. They were all  happily munching on PB&J sandwiches with chocolate chips in them. It was Astyr's favorite kind of sandwich and insisted on eating them on the trip.

 "So," Luke said, breaking the silence that had settled around them. "Where are we going after we're done here?" He popped the end of his sandwich in his mouth and swallowed it fast.

"Not sure. Maybe go closer the volcano?" Astyr suggested, shrugging her shoulders and taking another bite.

"Yes!" Chase shouted, making Astyr jump at the sudden outburst. "I want to go to the very top and see the inside of the fiery beast!"

"I would push you in." Luke said, snickering at Chase's shocked face.

"You wouldn't dare, you love me..." Chase smirked with a mocking tone. Astyr tuned out the boys' bickering and focused on finishing her lunch. Suddenly, a tiny noise caught her attention. It was coming from her right. It sounded like a teeny, squawk. Astyr had no idea how how the sound had traveled to her ears but the boys didn't seem to hear it. Curiously, she stood up and inched her way towards the sound.

After about ten feet, Astyr stopped in front of a beautiful, bright, red Japanese Maple tree. It looked out of place among the green and brown color scheme in the woods, but at the same time it looked majestic and fearless. A small movement at the base of the trunk cause Astyr to focus her attention at the ground.

Her eyes fell on a small bundle of feathers, wiggling slightly, that sat in a patch of green grass and herbs. Astyr squatted to get a better look at the tiny ball which was obviously the source of the squawking.  Astyr noticed it was a baby bird of some sort but not a species that she recognized. It had light red feathers on its back and on the top of its head. The feathers turned a dark yellow as they descended down the front of the birds face, and merged to a lighter yellow on its neck and under its belly. The wings started out the same red as its back but gradually become darker until the tips were black. This happened with the tail feathers as well. The bird had short black feet and soft black eyes. The small beak was a light orange and curved slightly downwards. It was the most beautiful creature Astyr had even seen. She wanted to stroke its soft baby feathers and comfort the bird.

After about a minute of staring at the baby bird, Luke's voice caught her attention and she stood back up. Turning to face Luke, she noticed the worried expression on his face.

 "Where did you go? I didn't know where you went because I couldn't see you anymore; I got worried..." He rambled on but Astyr cut him off.

"I heard a squawking sound and decided to follow it," She gestured to the bird on the ground."And I ended up finding this little guy."

Luke's gaze fell to the baby and immediately softened, probably without realizing it.The corners of Astyr mouth twitched in a smile. "Isn't she adorable?"

"How do you know it's a girl?" Luke asked, looking up to meet Astyr's gaze. He held it there for a moment, his eyes smoldering into hers. Astyr looked away and mumbled to the ground, "I don't."

Then idea popped into her head. "Can we take her home?" She asked while clasping her hands together and plastered a pleading look on her face.

"Come again?"

"Can.we.take.her.home?" She said slowly, repeating her question.

"I don't think thats such a good idea..."

"And why not?" Astyr crossed her arms across her chest, pouting.

"What if the mother comes looking for her baby and finds it missing? Besides we cant just take a wild animal out of its natural habitat. How will we know what it eats? Where are you going to keep it?"

"I can figure all of those things out! And as for the mother, if she cared about her baby she wouldn't leave it here alone and helpless." She countered back.

"Okay," He said, "But what will your dad say?" Oops, Astyr didn't think about that.

"Well... what he doesn't know wont hurt him, right? " Astyr replied with a grin on her face.  She wasn't used to being a liar, but she felt like she needed to do this.

"You know what Astyr?" said Luke.  "You're a big girl and can make your own decisions.  I don't approve but if you want to, I'm not gonna stop you."

 "Yay!!!" proclaimed Astyr.  "I promise you'll love her!"

"Just be careful, ok?" whispered Luke, a concerned expression on his face.

"You're not my boyfriend, Luke," smiled Astyr.  "You don't need to look out for me.  I got this."  Luke was now frowning.

"Astyr, look." He said, taking a step closer, now only inches away from Astyr.  "I just really care about you, and don't want you rushing into doing anything dangerous." Astyr could see he really meant it and she muffled a sigh. How did she get so lucky and have such a great best friend.

"Thanks Luke.  But I know what I'm doing is right."

"Lets hope so..."

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Yeah I know, this was a shortish chapter but it was important! Besides, it sets up the rest of the story! Okay bye for now :)