Memoir of Xayah - The lost sparrow and the lonley fox

[28]

She was walking again on those wooden ways, created by the branches. But that time, she was not going back. Her destination was in front of her, at an unknown point of Ionia. She would have never seen the cave that had hidden her for too long again. She was free to wander, surrounded by nature.
She was not alone and had not decided how to face Ahri's presence. She was a help, a huge help, but she could not predict how their alliance would have ended. She could trust her, despite her strange behaviours, and she was even more sure the Vastaya could bring her to her tribe.
But maybe she did not want that; her bound was too weak and easy to break. And she did not want her heart to crack again.
She sighed and silenced her thoughts; she had to focus on her mission. She would have gone back on them later. At that moment, she had to figure out where she had to go.
« Did you say " a big maple forest"? » Ahri asked, jumping on a further branch.
She had informed her about the visions given by the witch. She had explained that the only image she remembered could be their first objective, the first piece to get to the last one, the masked man.
« Yes. Is it familiar? » she answered, reaching Ahri.
She landed carefully because of the bag she had to carry. The Vastaya had left the cave, but not her belongings. And because hers were only two stolen dresses and some medical cream, she had decided to take also the bowls. But they were made of pottery, and they could easily crack with the wrong jump.
« I think so... do you have more details? »
« A cliff. I saw the scene from a high point, quite high. The maple looked like piles of red leaves. »
Ahri snapped her fingers as if something came up to her mind.
« Those cultists of the Temple of Shadows are looking for magical sources, right? »
She nodded, hoping that the Vastaya had recognized the place.
« I think I know where we should go. There is an old temple over a maple plain, but it is quite North, in the vicinity of... »
Ahri turned and pointed a direction, but she lowered the arm, disconsolate.
She did not understand her change of mood and hoped she had not mistaken. Ahri was not only more powerful than her, but she also knew Ionia better. Maybe she had wandered for decades. She relied entirely on her knowledge and feared the Vastaya could miss that hint.
« Curse it! I've spent too much time inside that cave. I need a map. »
« A map? » she asked, confused.
« Yes, humans use them to orient. I always had the bad habit not to memorize the energy flows or the layout of the trees outside the area that interested me. We have to rely on a map. »
« We could ask other Vastayas for information, » she said.
She did not want to get in touch with humans to obtain one of their objects.
She would have used her orientation abilities if she had been once in that place. But when she left her village, she went only South, leaving apart the North.
« Yes, but if they do not know that place, we will only waste time going from a village to another. »
It was a plus point for her idea, and she did not want to delay her mission again. She had to bear contact with humans, but it would have been for a shorter time than with Zakai's gang.
« Ok, from where do we steal it? »
Ahri smirked.
She had not known her for long, but she guessed nothing would have come from that.