CHAPTER 7 - BOM'BIRD'IER
"Where the hell is your bloody sword?" Ramsay asked. He seemed quite exhausted with the journey that had been going on.
"It's a flame sword for your information." Slab replied, "Either way, I should've told you guys of such and so. I took the risk of bringing it along, despite the fact that army men stood guard through the way from the city."
"You should be glad that we were not interrogated at the checkpoints. We seem to be quite some unsuspicious folks, huh?" I enquired.
"You can say that. We suck at being too suspicious, hah!" Ramsay chuckled loud.
"But this doesn't mean that we should be unconcerned with such delectable nonsense." I made a point, "Swords are great and all, but I must apprise you, Slab, that if you are caught, we'll be arrested for terrorism."
"I know of it well, and was quite prepared for such inspections. The sword won't be found folks, that I can assure you." Slab said without a flinch.
It was early in the morning with the birds flying afresh with the cool wind. Our feet slashed through the grass blades filled with morning dew, splashing spray on the way, yet our usual mumbles made things real usual.
"You're quite the stubborn young lady, aren't you?" Lady Elaine asked smiling, yet concerned, "Eryn, despite your tenacity I still feel that we should head back for your health. These young men would not mind it."
"You worry too much, my lady. Besides, we are too close to head back now. That boy, who had been abducted, must be feeling lonely in this endless forest. The poor guy could only wait salvation." Eryn said.
Lady Elaine did not reply. She knew the fact of the grim circumstances that the boy had to suffer. At first, the boy knew not of his location, second, he was abducted out of the blue, third, he witnessed supernatural battles between the Priestess and the necromancer, and finally, he was clueless and lost in the heck of the forest. Thinking about that situation, I found us selves to be in a way better stature and if we were to turn back without serious reconsiderations, I'd consider ourselves nothing less than heartless monsters. That lost guy must've been something uncanny. I mean, look at the havoc he had caused in the village, despite his motives. The whole thing was barricaded on the borders after his abduction. Slab and Ramsay blabbed on with their conversation. Whilst I revolved myself with random thoughts, Eryn came up to me and bowed with uncanny gratitude.
"Umm… I don't understand." I replied confused and trying to maintain my politeness.
"You carried me all the way while we were being hunted. It was perilous yet I was helpless to help you with my powers. Despite, you were kind enough to salvage me through all of the horrors." Eryn said.
"Have no concern, Eryn. It was no big deal. And if it was for Slab, he'd say, 'It was hell of a fun!' Hah, despite the dangers I feel quite satisfied." I made a smug face, upon which I had realised that Eryn was staring at me, "Oh my apologies. Looks like I'm being too relieved."
On the contrary, Eryn laughed out her heart. I could see that she was feeling much better than before. She gazed at the gabbling Slab and blushed.
"Hmm…" I wondered.
"Foot prints? I assume we are near." The Priestess mentioned.
"Legit, they seem. I agree with you Lady Elaine." Ramsay said. He looked to the sky, "The sky's turned to noon. The humidity after a rainfall is simply unbearable."
"I don't want to experience another night without some good rest." I said. Ramsay and I had evaded evening naps on the previous day. I made no more complaints as there was no point making more.
The tracks led way to a heavy rock. In the end, we had found the guy who was abducted. He seemed to be dozed off from the fatigue he must've acquired. Slab went ahead and shook the guy.
"Hey. You alive pal?" he asked.
The guy opened his eyes only to shrug back with a shock.
"Easy there, buddy. We aren't going to slug ya." Ramsay replied from the response.
"W… who are you people?" The guy was shaken up pretty bad. He must've had a hard haunting ordeal.
"You can calm down, dear." Lady Elaine went ahead and tried to invoke relief. She hugged the timid guy with her warmth. The guy himself, began to fell less agitated from her easing.
"I go by the name of Kimihiro Watanuki. But you can refer to me simply as Watanuki. I'm really glad to meet you all, and I thank you for it." he bowed with sincerity.
"Cease the formality, pal. Glad that you're alive from the rumours that we had heard." Ramsay said, "We've been discharged of the objectives within our priorities. A job well done, eh?" He looked back.
"Indeed. I appreciate the fateful encounter and your aid." Lady Elaine told us, "I guess everyone's exhausted with all that had happened."
"I hear you, lady. It's best we head back." Slab concluded.
Slab got the guy to his feet and carried him forward.
"It's alright. I can walk." the guy said.
"You sure? You are looking clumsy." Slab noticed.
"I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. Thanks."
"Saves me the trouble of your weight."
The guy was able to walk upright, and so, we left for the village.
"Despite the horrors that befell me, I'm quite used to such encounters." he said.
"What must you mean?" I asked.
"Usual spirits roam around everywhere, and as a fact, they cannot be seen by common people. Or at least that's what I think. Inside this forest, the spirits possess higher amounts of aura than the usuals." The guy said.
"You are correct on that regard." Lady Elaine nodded, "It's quite uncanny and a mystery with the concentrated aura that surrounds the spirits here. Common villagers are used to seeing apparitions all the time."
"As I had said, common people are not able to sense spirits with low aura, but that goes a contrary for my situation." The guy explained, "I have the ability to see such spirits. And to make things worse, spirits of all kinds are attracted to my existence."
"So they chase you around?" Ramsay asked.
"Pretty much. But I don't know for what reason." The guy replied, "As far as I remember, I committed no crime."
No one knew of a solution to Watanuki's turmoil, not even Lady Elaine.
"I can say that few humans have birthly abilities to sense deceased entities, but usual spirits aren't violent in any aspects. I wonder of your exception, Watanuki." she mentioned whilst curious.
"Sigh. I guess there is no helping it." Watanuki heaved, "Besides, there was something I saw unusual before I had collapsed from exhaustion."
"It was around a few hours back, I guess. There was this white bird which seemed to be made of clay, was circling over the forest. It was quite big for being an average bird but yet it caught my attention."
"You must've been dreaming." Ramsay retorted.
"Maybe, I was dead tired and was seeing weird things."
I felt it for certain that it would not rain that day. There seemed to be no heavy clouds in the sky. The humidity within the forest yet gave me an assumption of certain rainy outcomes, but I knew for certain that it wasn't going to do so until late afternoon. The time had crossed noon by an hour and there was plenty of time to get dark again.
"Am I wrong?" A thought clicked my mind for a second. I felt a shade and disappear.
"What must you wonder?" Ramsay asked me.
"I felt something as well." Lady Elaine agreed.
I looked above to find the sky normal.
"Let's head on. It was just your imaginations." Slab said.
Walked we did until a surprise hit us from the least expected. Something exploded infront of us without any warning.
"What the heck?" I exclaimed.
Glad none of us took the hit to the explosion.
"Bloody look at that!" Ramsay exclaimed.
We all caught gaze of the same. The sky, there was a huge bird flying above.
"Haha… die you imbeciles!" someone shouted back at us.
We looked around yet found none in the vicinity. The bird flew away.
"He was riding on the bird." Slab had noticed the perpetrator.
"Are you sure?" I asked. Before the rest of us could make view, the bird had already disappeared.
"It's the same bird that I had seen before." Watanuki exclaimed.
"What the hell is going on? Did that think drop that explosion?" Ramsay asked.
Back in the village, the visitors were searching for the 'visitors'. Erza and her friends were having a hard time searching for the people who had aided them to find answers. Kakashi stayed back inside his room and gazed at the ceiling in wonder.
"What in the world are you planning, Itachi?" he asked himself. Itachi had left for the outside and was found on top of one of the watch towers in the village border.
"Hey, what in the world are you doing, man?" A guard was stationed on the same tower. He found Itachi to be standing atop the post roof and gazing at the woods. The former had no idea on how he had reached the ceiling.
Itachi had heard a muffed explosion. He paid no heed to that, instead kept his gaze upon the flying bird seen by the forest expeditionaries.
"I've found you, Deidara."
TO BE CONTINUED…