No Man Is An Island

Chapter 4: Scouting

"Rise and Shine, Birdy!!!" Connie said jubilantly. "We gotta get going."

Connie and Ansel trekked through the tropical forest for hours. The trees shielded her from the glaring sun, and yet she was still hot and sticky.

Flowers and tiny insects were everywhere. The flowers were huge and absolutely gorgeous. Honeysuckles as large as her head grew in bunches under certain trees and in little ditches. "Funny," She murmured. "That ditch almost looks like a nest... Hey!" Ansel had flown ahead squawking and flapping his wings as he buried his head in a bush. "What are you doing, you Dingus?" She sighed and hoisted her bag, following the bird's noises.

She stopped under a large, bright green tree. The bark was sturdy and almost creme colored. It had fancy looking designs on it and low hanging branches. It was like a weeping willow almost, but the leaves were much fuller and larger than any leaves she had ever seen. But that's not what caught her attention and made her draw her sword.

On the tree, there were huge purplish and pink fruits dangling in bunches like bananas. They were plump, like an eggplant, but shaped like a pear. She knew these trees. In fact, she had heard in detail about them from Steven. It was an identical match to the ones he had described that were in the Zoo.

Taking a slice at a bunch of them, the branch supporting them came tumbling off. Had she gotten stronger without her knowledge? She had cut through the tree easily. Too easily. Like slicing through warm butter. Ignoring the pile of fruit, she took a swing at a thicker branch.

                    Schwing!

It fell to the ground, bouncing lightly before stilling. She crouched down and grabbed the severed thing. She peered at the inside and poked her finger into it. Without even the slightest density, it gave in, surrounding her finger in a memory foam like phloem. "Weird."

Packing up the fruit, she whistled for Ansel. He soared from above and perched on her head. "Get off, Ansel." Connie mumbled. The bird fluttered up to the tree and flapped for a while. Ansel stared at the tree and flew to another one without even touching it. "Okay then, you agree. We should get out of here."

Together, they found their way to the edge of the island and collected tinder for the fire. It was getting dark out, and Connie was getting hungry. She pulled out a Zoofruit and chewed it thoughtfully as she pondered the strange events and gathered kindling. As Connie picked up a dry twig, an indentation in the sand caught her attention.

Looking closer, she gasped. Placing her hand in it, she measured it. Three hands tall, two hands wide. Shuddering, she stood up. These tracks were fresh...

"Probably just an old print from before we caught the corrupted gems." She pushed out a half hearted laugh and sighed. "Nothing too interesting here, I guess. What do you say, Ansel? How would you like to come home with me?" She cooed and ran her finger over the birds head lovingly. "You can be my left shoulder man. Well, bird." She chuckled and headed back to where her ship was anchored.

She pondered the strange island and looked around her suspiciously. There may not have been anyone else here, but there was definitely something... odd about this place. Shivering a bit, she picked up the pace.

*******************Later********************

Connie sighed wistfully. This place was so pretty. She wished she could stay longer but she couldn't shake the feeling of unease as she looked back at it. She had a sneaking suspicion that she and Ansel were not alone.

Turning back towards the cabin, she decided to take a short nap to regain her strength.

Squawk! Click chit chit chit chit!

"Ansel! What has gotten into you?" Connie turned her back to the cabin and picked up the seemingly upset bird. "Shhh..." she crooned. "It's okay. I'm here."

Squawk!!

"Looks like I have the upper hand now, doesn't it, sweet dahlia?"

Clang!

Connie crumpled to the ground, seeing a tall shadowy figure before she blacked out.