Madeline

Madeline: Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

They decided that the Raven had done enough for them, so they walked their way towards the lair. It's a thirty-kilometers walk. It might take days, but Madeline told them that walking was the best option they got. If they flew their way towards the lair, the guards and archers might see them.

As they packed their bags, Madeline walked in front of her Raven. Her body was just inches away from its gigantic head. She softly pats her Raven's neck. Its feathers were smooth and soothing. As her fingers touched its feathers, a relaxing chill flowed through her veins. The Raven was staring at her. Its eyes were black with a little bit of a purple.

Its eyes were mourning, as if not wanting to let her go. Madeline didn't know why but she could read the Raven's thought as it echoed through her head. The Raven was doing some-sort of telepathy with her. 'Mistress, are you okay?'

Madeline gave a faint smile, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay."

'I could fly you and your friends. It would be faster and easier.' Its voice was booming in Madeline's head. The Raven's voice was soft and gentle. 'Also, it would save some of your energy. You will face a great battle ahead, Mistress.'

She stopped. Madeline started to doubt her plan. Flying started to seem like the best idea. Walking would drain their energy, and it would take days to reach the lair. Flying would save their energy, and it would be much lot quicker. But she snapped out of it. "No, flying would be dangerous. The archers might spot us and shoot you with their arrows. I don't want that to happen."

'But, I can fly you a few meters from the lair, that-'

"It's okay, you have served us enough. You must've been tired of flying for weeks. It's time for you to rest," she said in a soothing voice. "Thank you, for your help."

The Raven smiled back-although Madeline didn't know how a raven could smile since it doesn't have a mouth. 'Thank you, Mistress. If you ever need my help, please call me.'

The Raven began to dissolve into dust. Madeline was startled, but she smiled anyway. "Thanks."

She walked back to Jack and Daniel, who were already done packing their bags. Their bags were filled with foods, drinks, some weapons, and some first-aid kit.

Jack glanced at Daniel. He asked, "So when are we going?"

Madeline looked at the sky. The sky was blue, with a little bit of an orange. As for the sun, it looked as if it was about to set. "I think we better move now. We don't want to go walking around in these forests at night."

They strapped their bags on their shoulders, and walked towards the direction of the lair.

-

So, maybe walking in the dark was a better idea. In the afternoon, the jungle was as noisy as it could get.

Dozens of crazy, high-pitched birds were chattering and flying above them, making Madeline go nuts as her ears exploded-literally. Jack said they were 'Voices of Death'. They could make people die after going crazy listening to their sounds. Well, they almost succeeded in doing that to Madeline. Fortunately, they brought some berries as big as an ear hole, and used it as an earplug.

Wolves, and lions growled and howled. The trees were whispering as if they were alive-in which, they are. What bothered them the most were the gigantic monkeys, shrieking and screaming while they swung from trees to trees like a professional.

Madeline wanted to shout and back away. But she kept that feeling shut and walked confidently. "This is a jungle full of chaos," she said to herself.