Starving isn't so bad anymore (Don't Starve Together Fanfiction)

Chapter 7: Tallbird

"Wilson, have you seen Whitney lately?" Willow asked as she walked around the bonfire.

"No, wasn't she with you?" I responded as I stood up.

"No, I thought you were watching her." she said with fear visible in her eyes.

I hugged her and said "Calm down, she's probably with Wendy or Wigfrid. Best case scenario she's beating up Maxwell. Even if she is all by herself she's a smart girl, she'll know when to come back."

"You're right, but I still want to go look for her." she said as she broke away from the hug.

"Alright."

We checked all the spots Whitney would usually go when we couldn't find her. Her tent, Wendy's tent, Wigfrid and Webber's tent, the pig village, and finally the tent where they were building the boat. We were about to start searching in new areas when we heard a thundering crash.

We whirled around and saw Whitney run out of the forest with a large backpack on and behind her, knocking down all the trees in its path, was an abnormally large and white Tallbird. 

"Whitney, what in the world did you do?!" Willow yelled as Whitney ran behind her.

"I stole its eggs." Whitney said as innocently as she could.

"Why?!"

"I was tired of berries and carrots. I need meat too, Wickerbottom's books say so."

"As interesting of a conversation this is, girls, I do believe we have more important matters at hand!" I yelled as I dodged the beak of the Tallbird.

It had been a very long time since we'd had to fight anything above a pack of hounds or an angry hoard of pigmen, but we'd picked up a few new tricks.

I now use two axes when fighting. Willow's new trick was a lot more impressive though. Willow now carries a whip made of hound hide and is coated in this odd flammable sap we collect from the swamp. She lights it on fire and uses the whip as a weapon. I still think my axes are cool though.

I started to run with the Tallbird close behind. Once it pecked the ground again Willow took the opportunity to wrap her whip around the birds beak. Then I stopped as fast and I could and ran towards the beast. Once I was close enough I jumped up and brought my axes down into its skull. The monster twitched its legs for a minute or so before finally falling limp.

The two of us caught our breath and turned to face our daughter, who was hurrying to take off her giant backpack and run away. Before she could I grabbed hold of the backpack and lifted her off of the ground.

"Whitney, why in the world would you steal eggs from this Tallbird?" Willow asked, half angry and half frightened for her daughters safety.

"Wigfrid and Papa steal eggs from Tallbirds!" Whitney said in her own defense.

"Not from a giant mutant Tallbird!"

"I didn't know they were its eggs until I already took them!"

"Whitney, don't try that again. Especially not alone." I said as I put her down.

"Yes Papa..."

"Now go back to camp, I'm sure Wigfrid will want to hear all about your little adventure."

Whitney giggled a bit and ran off towards the door of the camp.

"I guess Charlie really is letting the monsters get aggressive again." Willow said as she poked the dead Tallbird.

"As it would seem, though she's apparently got more than mutant hounds to throw at us."

"Eh, I don't think we should worry all to much. I mean you have your two whole axes after all." she said with a snicker.

"That's a low blow."

"It's still funny." she said as she walked back to camp.

I gave a small chuckle in response as I followed her.