The trees' leaves cast a nice green glow on the party as they took off. Dustin was at the head as he cut through the small brush. Pluto Jr. was playing along behind Jenna and Sara as they climbed the small hill. Sarah, Kelsey, and Alyssa were in a small pack with Kayla and Michael behind them. Max was walking almost behind Dustin. "Only a little longer." Max said to Dustin as they walked along.
"You sure the spring is up here?" Dustin asked as he turned to his friend.
"I'm positive." Max replied.
"We are trusting you, you know." Sarah said as she joined in the conversation.
"I know." Max said with a small laugh.
"Finally. Some rest." Jenna panted as they entered a small glade with a spring bubbling up from the middle. She bent down and took out her canteen. She filled it up and then began to drink from it. Michael and Kayla were setting up the main tent. It was large and wide. Four people could fit into it comfortably.
"Okay, we have about five hours to spend here." Michael said as he took a look at the sun.
"That's a little less then usual." Sara remarked as she sat down and began to pet Pluto Jr.
"Well, we do have to keep moving." Alyssa said as she began to take a drink.
"But not like this." Kelsey complained as she massaged her feet. Sara took out a notepad and a quill. She had recently started a log on their adventures. "How is the book coming?"
"It's…fine." Sara replied as she finished her notes and tucked it away in her rucksack.
"I should hope so." Sarah said as she sat down with the group. "We always need a reminder or two along the way.
"That is true. Especially for me." Kayla said as she and Pluto Jr. joined the small party.
"Who knows? Maybe you'll get a job as a writer." Alyssa joked.
"I hope." Sara remarked as she took her book out again. She could just picture it. Her name written on the cover o her own book. It was a dream of hers. But how would it ever come true?
"Diner's ready!" Jenna called as Dustin and Michael cut the pig up into plates. Everyone ran for the plates, not noticing the dark bird watching them from the trees.
Chapter 2
The fire burned brightly in the deep darkness that surrounded it. The last remnants of the pig were thrown onto the fire and it gave a harsh sizzle as the beef hit it. "That was a good meal." Max remarked as he leaned back against a tree. "You out did yourself, Michael."
"Thank you very much. I do have to agree." Michael responded. He then lay down on the soft grass and looked up at the bright stars. Kayla and Sara lay down beside him.
"There are so many of them up there." Kayla remarked as she stared at them, twinkling innocently above her.
"Makes you wonder," Michael said. "How did they get so bright?"
"I don't know." Sara said. "Maybe they had to earn their light."
"Ha!" Kelsey said as she sat down beside Kayla. "How can a star earn something?"
"Well, it could." Max responded as he look up at the night sky. "Kind of like, earning their stripes."
"You still didn't answer her question." Alyssa said as she pet Pluto Jr. absently.
"Well, maybe it has to be a star long enough for it to glow." Michael finished for Max.
"How did we get onto this subject?" Kayla asked. "I'm usually the one to get it this far off."
"Yes, we all know." Sara said with a small sigh. Kayla gave her a glare. "Just saying that we all know is all."
"Okay, back to work." Dustin said as he joined the rest of them on the ground. "We need to keep moving in the morning. I thought we should go northeast of here. There is a village that we can pass through."
"Yeah, more pretending as a refugee." Jenna said sarcastically.
"It isn't all that bad." Dustin said as he began to get up.
"We should probably get some sleep." Sara said as she too got up. She took out her book and walked to the tent. Everyone else followed. As Kayla began to settle down she gave one last look at the shining stars. It was then that she saw the dark bird take flight and disappear into the west.
Chapter 3
The party entered the village in the early afternoon. The town was bustling with activity. People were selling food and men were talking of the latest business deals. Women were trading gossip with one another. The group was almost invisible in the teaming crowds of people. "Okay, we have to go and get supplies first." Max said as he began to look at the list he had prepared.
"I think we should try over there." Sarah said as she pointed to a close fruit stand with her staff.
"It couldn't hurt." Kelsey said as she pulled Pluto Jr. away from a cat, which was hissing wildly at him. They bought their fruit and kept on their way.
"What next?" Alyssa asked.
"I think we should try to find some meat." Jenna replied. "I don't think too much rabbit is good for your health."
"I concur." Sara said as she looked around at the large shops. It was then that she spotted the sign posted in the window. It said: "Reporter needed for newspaper. Will pay for good writing." Sara's mind jumped with joy. She ran from the rest of the group and looked at the sign. She could easily do it.
"Sara, come on." Kelsey shouted as they continued towards the stall. Sara was still fixed to the sign.
"I'll be there in one moment." Sara shouted back. Kelsey shrugged her shoulders and kept walking. Alyssa and Sarah kept a watch on her.
"What is she doing?" Alyssa asked.
"Do you think I know?" Sarah retorted. They kept bickering, not noticing that Sara had slipped inside of the print shop.
"Where did she go?" Sarah asked, finally noticing that Sara was no longer there. She scanned the crowd searching for the small dog. Sara was nowhere to be found.
Chapter 4Meghan was entering her apartment when she heard it. It was the unfamiliar sound of footsteps on hard wood. Her friends had been gone for a long time. Had they finally come back? "Guys?" Meghan called in a mixture of hope for her old comrades and fear of the unknown danger. She walked up the stairs to her bedroom and pressed the door open. Three men were sitting in the shadows of the corner. Meghan stopped in her tracks. "What business do you have here?" She asked as bravely as she could.
"We are here to tell you." One of the men said as he stepped forward.
"We just want to tell you that we are going out to find your friends." One of the other two responded.
"How did you know I was their friend?" Meghan asked.
"Ha!" The last man said. "You didn't think that Morcius just used you for helping out the Revolution." He got to his feet and walked to the door, the other two following him.
"Thanks." Meghan called after them. She heard the door slam and ran to her window. She saw the men converse over something and then saddle their horses. They took off in search of her friends. "Strange men." Meghan responded. She sat up and closed the curtains.
Chapter 5The group had moved on. Michael was leading then this time. "Keep the pace." Michael shouted back as they all grunted with the weight of their packs.
"Why did Sara leave?" Jenna asked Sarah and Alyssa, whom were glum with their friend's leave.
"She knew what she wanted." Sarah responded as they continued walking. As they walked, they never saw the dark bird take one last swoop and then depart for his home. They also did not see it open a dark portal and zoom into it. They also did not see the large form that was expelled from it. The creature gave a leap and fell onto his face.
"Be that way." Blared shouted back. He brushed some dirt off his wings and lifted his stub of a bat nose. "I'll just conjure another portal." As he lifted his paw, he saw the caravan of kids walking in front of him. His eyes widened and his breath became short. He gave a look back and looked again. The kids were but mere specks in between the vast green foliage. "I did have a promise." Blared hovered a few feet into the air and took off at a gentle incline.
Chapter 6
Sara sat in the small office space as she was given her assignment. "Okay, I have a job for you." Her manager said. "Think you're up to it?"
"Of course." Sara replied as she got to her feet.
"Good." The platypus said. "I need you to go and see this new guy. He is trying to open a shop selling new forms of knick knacks. Go see what he has and write a review." The manager thrust a pad and quill to Sara and waked back into his office. Sara was excited.
"Finally, I can write." Sara said with a small giggle. "This is perfect." Sara walked out of the shop and down the lane. She saw the shop to her left and knocked on the door. A small mouse answered the door.
"You must be the reporter." The mouse responded as he stared at Sara's pad and quill. "Please, come in." And thus began Sara's writing career.
Chapter 7
Kayla and Pluto Jr. were taking up the rear as Dustin moved into the lead. "Come on." Dustin shouted back to them. Pluto Jr. sniffed.
"I hear you loud and clear." Kayla replied. "I want to break. You know what…" Kayla stopped and sat down on a stump. "I'm not going anywhere anymore." Pluto Jr. sat down as well. They heard it before they saw him. Kayla turned to see the tops of the trees blowing as something brushed past them. Kayla stood and Pluto Jr. barred his teeth. They heard a rustling from ahead of them and spun around.
"Are you coming or not?" Max asked as he walked into the clearing, Sarah following behind him.
"Sure." Kayla said, finally deciding to walk.
"What was that?" Sarah asked as she saw a tree blow oddly in the wind.
"Probably nothing." Kayla said adamant about getting as far away from here as she could.
"Wait." Max said as he gazed into the trees. They saw a black shape dart across the sky and flew into the clearing. It circled the glade and Max collapsed. Kayla and Sarah screamed as Pluto Jr. took off into the woods. The thing straightened and looked at its prey. The bird opened is mouth wide and gave a giant screech. Suddenly, the sky was covered with hordes of Blot Birds.
"Run!" Sarah said as she grabbed Kayla and helped Ma to his feet. They took off into the woods and tried to find their group as the birds gained on them. And Blared saw all of this.
Chapter 8
Dustin kept walking, not caring to look where the rest of the party had gotten to. They made their way through the brush and out to a river. Dustin knelt down and scooped some water into his canteen as Michael and Alyssa took a drink from it. "We should get moving in a while." Dustin observed as he saw the sun beginning to set.
"Can we at least get a drink first?" Kelsey asked as she slumped to the ground. "I'm not used to walking that far in a day."
"Well, we have to start making some ground." Dustin pointed out as he looked at her.
"You haven't even noticed that the others are missing." Jenna pointed out.
"Yeah, we just sort of ditched Sara." Alyssa pointed out.
"Well, she did eave on her own." Michael pointed out.
"I wasn't asking you!" Alyssa shouted in protest. It was at that moment that Sarah, Kayla, and Max entered the small area.
"Speaking of people leaving, where were you?" Kelsey asked as she looked at the disheveled people before her.
"We have to go." Sarah breathed. "Now!"
"Leave from what?" Dustin said as he got to his feet. He saw the birds swarming across the sky. "I'm guessing them."
"You would be correct." Max said. He was lifted into the air with Kelsey. Dustin drew his sword as Jenna shot an arrow into the claw of the bird holding Max. He fell loose and tumbled downwards. He was halted in his descent by another flying object. It lowered him to the ground and then returned to the sky.
"Stay out of trouble." It called back as it began fighting with three birds in the air. It successfully freed Kelsey and lowered her o her brother, Michael.
"I suggest we take his advice." Michael said as he helped Kelsey stabilize.
"I greatly concur." Kayla said as she and Jenna ran out of the area and into the heavy woods.
"I second that motion." Dustin said as he, Sarah, and Alyssa began sprinting out of the area. Michael, Max, and Kelsey were last.
Chapter 9
The heroes were running into the woods, the sky growing ever darker as more birds began to flock towards them. They stopped for breath as the flying savior dropped down. "Who are you?" Max asked as he caught his breath beneath a thick tree.
"Normally I would have introduced myself first before saving your life but I just did not feel like it today." The bat said. "I'm Blared. I knew your parents."
"Our parents?" Kelsey asked.
"So, you know all about the whole legacy thing too." Alyssa guessed.
"I was around when that legacy was being made, thank you very much." Blared added dryly. "Now then, what you need to do is go away for awhile. Keep low. That's where I come in." Blared moved his paw an a small portal opened.
"I'm not going in there." Jenna said as she examined the edge of it.
"Well, then I guess you could take your chances with the Blot Birds." Blared said as he looked to the sky.
"I'm going." Dustin said as he walked in. He vanished, as did everyone of them. Blared chuckled and closed it. He gazed to the sky and gave another laugh at the now disoriented birds.
"Bird brains." Blared muttered to himself as he opened another portal for himself. "Now back to duty."
Chapter 10
The group landed right in the center of a large wooded area. The sun had now set and they were sitting in a dark area. "This looks like the same woods." Sarah observed as she sat on a log.
"But it isn't." Jenna pointed out as she gazed closer.
"I can't tell them apart anyway." Kayla stated.
"Well, we'll make do with what we have." Dustin said as he sat down and began to build a fire. Michael was sitting on a log with Kelsey and Alyssa. He gazed upwards.
"It is a nice clear sky tonight." Michael stated.
"Yeah, it is." Kelsey said.
"Look at the stars." Max said as he pointed to a particularly bright star. "That one earned his stripes."
"Ha!" Sarah laughed. "Yeah. It sure did." Max looked down at the ground and then back up.
"Do you think we'll ever get our stripes?" Max asked as he gazed upwards.
"Of course we will." Alyssa stated.
"I hope we do." Michael rambled. "It would stink if we didn't."
"How will we get them?" Kayla asked as she looked at the group.
"I don't know." Max mused. "Maybe not till the end of the world."
"Nice conversation guys but I could use a little help over here." Dustin said as he broke up the conversation. And yet none could take their eyes of the bright stars in the sky. And none could stop thinking about how to earn their stripes. And for that moment, they were at peace.