How One Princess Broke A Spell, Rebuilt A Kingdom and Reunited Several Families

Chapter Eleven: The Woods

"We'll be looking for clues here since Audrey still lives at the dorms," Mal said. Jay looked like he just realized that and nodded his head a few times.

"Yeah, yeah 'cause of summer school," he agreed. Hook started laughing and couldn't stop for a full thirty seconds.

"Summer- summer school!" he wheezed. "No wonder she wants revenge!" Caitriona couldn't help but laugh too. She didn't know the concept of summer school was so foreign to Isle kids. Although, the whole concept of school in general was flimsy and unusual on the Isle so she supposed she shouldn't have been surprised.

Mal's attention shifted toward the boys. "Okay. I need you guys to go find Ben. We will meet back at Evie's in two hours, okay? Caitriona, what is it?" Caitriona released her lip from between her teeth and spoke.

"I actually think I would be more help looking for Ben," she said. "I can track him." Mal nodded.

"Okay, take Caitriona then." The others headed in the direction of Evie's place. Harry, Gil, Jay, Carlos and Caitriona headed toward the woods.

"Why did you come looking with us?" Jay asked. "I expected you to go with them." Caitriona shrugged.

"What I said wasn't a lie," she told him. "I really can track them. Also, Evie's going to find Doug at her place, I think, and I don't want to have to listen to her panic about delivering true love's kiss for five minutes so here I am." Jay laughed.

"Yeah, guess you're right," he said. "Now, which way did he go?" Caitriona looked at the ground and saw tracks a bit too big to be a dog, a bit too paw-like to be deer and a little smaller than a bear (not to mention bears didn't live near Auradon). She also saw a broken branch up ahead and a bit of blood.

"This way," she said. "He's hurt, too, so be careful." She hurried down the trail, making sure to avoid messing up the tracks. Along the way, she texted Jane a few times. Hey, she started. You need to find Ben in the woods, she continued. He's cursed, he's injured and he could probably use some of that enchanted lake water you found. Thank you! She hit 'send' and kept moving.

"I'm hungry," Gil said. Caitriona looked around and spotted a clearing full of the berry bushes she ate from earlier.

"Okay," she said. "We can stop and eat the berries in that clearing." She took the bright red ribbon from around her wrist and tied it to a tree branch. At Jay's questioning look, she explained, "So we can find our way back to the trail. His tracks continue down it and I don't want to get lost."

"How do you know these berries are safe?" Carlos asked as he held one up and squinted at it. "Are there like, rules?" Caitriona swallowed her mouthful.

"Yeah, there are," she said. "Don't eat white, green or yellow berries. Between eighty and ninety percent of those are poisonous, toxic or have dangerous effects. Red and orange ones are closer to fifty-fifty but unless you're an expert you should err on the side of caution and avoid them. Black, blue and purple ones are way safer. Also if it has milky or odd-colored sap, the leaves grow in groups of three, the plant has spines or odd-colored thorns, you know, all that interesting stuff, don't eat it. They might not be poisonous but they will give you one hell of a stomachache." Gil smiled.

"That's cool," he said. "You know a lot of stuff huh?" Caitriona shook her head.

"I wouldn't say a lot, but my family library is pretty extensive and we have good diplomatic relationships with other nations so we have access to a lot of information," she explained. "Besides, anyone who spends as much time in nature as I have has to know this stuff. I mean, what if you get lost while camping or if you're stranded in battle?"