Foreverland

Chapter X

Chapter X

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For the next few nights, Iris had the same dream over and over again. Peter was right about the locket- she was no longer waking up with burns. However, the locket didn't protect her from the terror she felt each time. Peter kept his promise and woke her up each time, calming her down and reminding her that it was just a dream. Shadows were starting to form underneath Iris's eyes from the lack of sleep she got every time she had a nightmare. 

After a long day of hunting with the boys, they all came back to the den excited. Peter had shot a buck, but that was not what had excited them most. Iris had hit a large bird with one of her throwing knives. It was very colorful with large teal and purple wings. She'd almost felt bad about killing it until she saw the sharp talons and huge fangs that lined its beak. She had no clue what type of bird it was, and the boys told her that it was a wagga, and that it was very rare that one should fly down from the trees in the daytime, let alone that one should be caught. She remembered the mermaid telling her about the waggas and lichens. 

"Waggas have the best meat," Max told her as they started a large fire under the lake. 

Iris smiled, watching as Peter and Liam skinned the buck and Cam pluck the feathers from the wagga. "They're very colorful," she commented, looking at the pile of feathers that was starting to form. 

Max nodded. "The tips of the feathers have venom in them- the same venom that the reaper's use."

Iris's eyes widened. She remembered when Peter had been poisoned with the venom- a memory that she hadn't thought about in a long while. 

Max seemed to notice her reaction. "But don't worry, its safe to eat once the feathers are plucked," he said. "Plus, Peter can use the tips of the feathers to make arrowheads- they make for a really good weapon."

Iris gave him a small smile. "Well, at least they're good for something. The colors are so beautiful. Its a pity they can only be used as weapons."

He thought for a second. "Maybe not," Max said, grinning. He went over to the pile of feathers and sat down, fiddling with them. 

Peter and Liam began cooking some of the meat, motioning for Iris to join them. She sat in between them and Peter handed her a stick with cooked buck meat on the end. 

"Thank you," she said, biting into it. 

Once Cam had finished de-feathering the wagga, he joined them, helping to cook its meat. Iris was already full.

"Max," Liam called over to him. "Come on, come eat," he said with a mouth full of meat. 

Max was hidden behind the pile of feathers, poking his head out. "Yeah, just a minute." 

Peter, Cam, and Liam started a conversation that Iris wasn't really listening to. She looked up at the lake above them, watching as the smoke from the fire touched the water without disturbing it. The shiny fish swam around in interest, creating little circles around the smoke. It reminded her of all of them sitting around the fire in a circle. Cam laughed at something Liam said, while Peter just smirked. 

Iris felt a genuine smile spread out across her face as she watched the fire illuminate all of their faces. Peter glanced over at her. "What are you so happy about?" He asked, grinning at her. 

Iris looked at him, shrugging. "Nothing, really." 

"I don't think I've ever seen you smile like that," Cam commented. 

"Yeah, Iris," Liam said. "You look pretty smiling."

Iris felt her face flush, pressing her lips together. She wondered what they were so surprised about. Maybe she looked really miserable most of the time. "I don't know. I'm just happy, the meat is good."