Chapter 6: Breakfast
Greg's eyes popped open and he looked over at his sleeping younger brother. "Morning Wirt, sleep a little longer 'kay? I'm going to make breakfast." Greg got out of their shelter and went into the forest to collect more firewood. The flame was left an ember. A slow trickle of smoke roze into the atmosphere.
Greg started north searching for the stream. He took off his kettle, filled it with water, and caught three fish. Wood in one arm, fish and water in the other. He hauled the resources back to their 'home'.
The brunette made a great effort not to make too much noize. He built up the fire and gutted the fish. Greg used a sharp stick to use as a knife, put the fish through a stick to cook the meat while turning it, and sat the water on the fire for it to boil.
"Greg. . .?" Wirt faintly called to his brother in a raspy voice. The teen put down his skewer of fish started over to his brother crouching beside him.
"You Okay little bro? Your don't look so well," Greg placed the back of his hand on his forehead. His brow was burning and Wirt started to cough and sneeze repeatedly. "You have a fever! Maybe you should stay in bed longer. Breakfast is almost ready!"
"Greg—" Wirt broke into a coughing fit. He weakly grabbed onto his brother's green overalls. "We have to go back . . . Sara is back there. . . She could be hurt! Or worse! Please Greg?" the seven year-old said slowly gaining strength in his voice tears stinging his eyes.
"Hmm. . . Okay! Do you know how to get there? We need to make a map before we travel anymore!" Greg picked up a leaf on the ground and used the stem as a pencil. He drew a rectangle in the soil to represent the map. "Do you remember how this forest looks like? I— "
The elephant dressed boy gazed over to his brother and realized he was sound asleep.
"O-oh," the older brother left the child to sleep more. The animal stirred to the right of Wirt and covered her face with the well wing.
"Keep it down, Elephant! Some people are trying to sleep!" the bluebird hissed. She shot a menacing glare at the teen.
"People? And my name is Greg, Ms. Bluebird," the teen noted bending down inspecting the animal's wing. "Does it feel any different?"
Beatrice's scowl melted away replacing a guilty look. Her eyes glazed over and she hung her head staring at the ground.
"When I was in the woods, I saw a bluebird and I threw a rock at it. It's my fault my family are all bluebirds. . . now I have to do what I can to bring them back to their normal selves. That's why I'm with you and Cone Head so I can find a path to fix it. . . as much as I hate to admit it, you nitwits are the last chance I have. . . "
Greg stared at the animal with sympathy and sat down beside her. "I-I didn't know. . . sorry Ms. Bluebird about that. So, does your wing feel better?"
Beatrice moved her wing out of the stick that held up her limb. Gregory peeled the leaves off revealing the once open wound. The cut was scabbed over and it stopped bleeding.
"No. . . it feels terrible," said the bluebird sarcastically.
"So. . . it does feel better?"
"What do you think, Elephant?" Beatrice said smirking.
"Yes. Now, I need to wrap a bandage around it to make sure your wing stays straight." The boy retracted a white rolled up cloth out of his side bag and wrapped it around the bird's wing.
"Well, I have to get back to cooking breakfast. Make sure you don't fly for a week!" Greg rose to his feet and started out of their makeshift shelter.
-O.t.G.W.-
"Breakfast is ready!" the teen called out. He carried the fish on flat rocks to act like a plate in one hand and little his kettle full of hot water in the other to Beatrice and Wirt. Greg placed the fish in front of them. He took a few Camellia leaves out of his pocket and dropped it into the kettle.
"There! All done! Eat up Miss. Bluebird!" Gregory cried in delight. He sat down the food and tea in front of Wirt and Beatrice. Wirt's eyes popped open due to the smell of food and slowly sat up.
The three children ate their meal with thankfulness and Greg extracted a piece of paper and a stick of black chalk from his satchel. Beatrice and Wirt explained their pathway to where Sara was captured and the surrounding forest.
-O.t.G.W.-
The solemn stare of night burned against my face, and I finally present my path to the spirits. Oh, Sara, why did you leave me so? Wirt took in a deep breath and stood up with the completed map of the Unknown in his right hand. He tucked the rolled up sheet in his front pocket. He started towards his other brother and gazed up at the vault of heaven searching for any sign of precipitation. There was a heaviness in the atmosphere and a slight snowstorm brewing in the distance. The brown leaves crunched under him alerting the teens in front of him. Greg turned around and took his little brother's hand in his. The elephant dressed boy placed beatrice on his own shoulder and the trio went out into the Unknown.