A Curse of the First

•«CHAPTER SEVENTEEN»• •«FINDING HER»•

Fir took another bite of the cold bread, sitting on a damp tree trunk. He had walked up hill the whole night, and was now exhausted. His bag was resting in his lap, wanting to keep it dry. Continuing to eat, he thought back to where the troop Birch was in might be stationed. With a frown, he finished his bread and stood up, putting his bag back on. The only thing he liked about going up hill, was that there was less water on the ground than there was the farther down you went.

Fir watched the ground partly as he walked, still trying to figure out where Birch might be. She could be anywhere, although she is most likely by the high valley. He thought, almost quietly. It had been two days since Birch had left, so he probably was close to where she was staying. Not much longer. He told himself over and over again as he trudged up the hill.

His thoughts were slow as he walked, distracted by the mud and the thought of never seeing Birch again. He knew he would, he had too. Fir glanced up, seeing bunches of tents in the distance, way up on the hill. Still tired, he couldn't speed up, so he just focused on them. He knew it was probably where Birch was, he had asked Starling where her troop might be staying before they went into battle.

It was still early morning, the sun barely rising. Little activity was stirring in the camp from what he could tell, which could be good or bad. If Birch was up, it was good, if she wasn't, it was bad. Oh, Fir prayed she was one of the early risers, this could turn out very bad if she wasn't. With a small yawn, he continued up then hill. There seemed to be one or two tents with lighten lanterns, but near the middle of the setup many lanterns were lighten. A sweet -but savory- scent danced in the air. Are they cooking... soup? For breakfast? He thought, a little confused.

He shook his head gently, forcing back a yawn. Fir stopped as he neared the setup, knowing he couldn't just strut in. The aroma of soup grew stronger, though this time was joined by the smell of baking bread. He slightly wished he had eaten more so the smell didn't make him so hungry. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he narrowed his eyes to see deeper into the setup.

Fir couldn't just walk in—well he could since he was a prince, but he didn't know what he would do after he just walked in. Should he just stand there? Should he sneak in? The latter seemed like a better option at that time, so he found a tree and hung his bag on one of the branches. With a deep breath, he started over to the setup. He tried to be quiet, to hold his breath, to blend in, but he knew the mud was giving him away.

The smell of food grew stronger, so he followed it. Light, cheery singing could be heard in the distance, towards the smell of the food. It only sounded like one person, and that person wasn't Birch. He continued with a silent sigh, the mud bothering him. Fir tried to be quiet, but the mud must've been giving him away. Every step he took, it might have well sent a shiver through the ground it was so noticeable.

"Birch! Come help me with the soup!" A voice shouted, causing him to freeze.

Birch! Fir thought excitedly. He was going to see her again.

"Ok, Ok, Blossom!" A very familiar voice, Birch's voice, shouted back, slightly chuckling. Hurried steps could be heard through the mud that was just starting to dry on the top of the hill.

Fir hurried up slightly, passing from tent to tent. The smell of food had grown stronger as he neared the center of the set up, and now he could see where they were cooking. A few fires had been set up away from the tents, many soup-filled pots sitting on rocks surrounding them.

And there she was. He could recognize her even though she wasn't facing him. He could recognize her voice as she quietly talked to who he guessed was Blossom. She was kneeled by the soup, occasionally moving some a little bit away to the fire. Her black hair was thrown into a messy bun and her sleeves and pants were sloppily rolled up, but she still looked gorgeous.

Fir took another cautious step forward, not expecting for Birch to hear him, but she did. Her head popped up and she stared at the fire for a bit, as if calculating what to do. She whispered something under her breath, but it was impossible to hear over the crackling of the fire. Fir glanced around, the three other people there didn't seem to notice him yet.

Birch slowly stood up, drawing Blossom's attention. She ignored her, still looking at the fire. "Fir?" She said out loud, turning to look at him. Her eyes were widened in surprise.