Chapter Nine: Raining Birds and Zombies

"Bird," warned Freud.

The three of us simultaneously ducked as a large glob of green plopped down from the air.

"That must have been the fifth bird that's tried to shit on us," I complained loudly, scanning the sky. A huge flock of birds clustered above us, honking and squawking. We had just passed by the thickest part of Ellin forest and into a relatively sparse area that afforded us an expansive view of the sky. It had been over a month since I had seen more than a few patches of blue up above. The sight was both liberating and refreshing – were it not for the birds.

"Must be mating season for them," Freud thought out loud. "I've never seen so many gather in one place."

Aran grinned. "I hope so. I haven't had fresh eggs in a while."

"Forget about eggs," I interjected, pulling out a small slingshot from my backpack. "Let's just shoot a few down for dinner tonight. That one looks particularly plump." I pointed at a large hen.

"They all look fat and juicy," Aran agreed. "Want some help with that?"

"You guys are awful!" protested Freud, waving his arms at us. "Those birds are trying to start a family, for crying out loud! Why are you killing them? It's not like we don't have enough to eat."

Aran snorted and waved a hand dismissively at him. "Speak for yourself. I don't eat like a fly like you do." He pulled out a gun.

"Fancy," I nodded appreciatively. "Did you get that from Edelstein?"

"From the finest gun maker," Aran confirmed with a grin. He kissed the sleek metal, squeezed an eye shut and aimed at the flock. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, the gun vanished with a poof. "What the…" he exclaimed.

The gun appeared in Freud's hand. "That's enough boys and girls. We're not here to pig out. We're almost at the Cave anyway. Can we just pick up the pace?"

"Hey, give back my gun!" Aran reached over and swiped it back. "That's not cool, dude."

"And killing babies is?" Freud rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's just go."

I regarded the two of them with amusement as we ignored the flock and continued walking. It had been two days since the awful prank Freud and Aran played on me. For the most part, I was over it. Freud seemed apologetic enough, and even Aran promised not to be mean to me (much) ever again.

I risked a glance sideways at Freud. Dimples dented his cheeks as he enjoyed the fresh morning air. His blue eyes were twinkling like sapphires. A rosy hue suffused his soft face. He looked happy. Healthy. Not at all like how he looked when I thought he was nearly dead. I was relieved.

The night we found Freud, he had been trying to communicate with the two dragons that had attacked us. The dragons would have none of it; they were hungry and the young boy looked like fresh food. Freud had underestimated the strength of two starving dragons, which was how he got injured in the first place. It was a good thing Aran and I had showed up when we did.

"I still can't believe you managed to kill those dragons," Aran repeated for the fifth time in two days. "That was real brave of you, 'Cedes."

I shrugged. "I thought I was a goner too. Thankfully Sylvie was with me."

Sylvie, who had been trotting behind me, neighed at the sound of her name. I stopped and scratched her ears as she came up to me. We resumed walking.

"That was very dangerous. Don't ever do that again," Freud chided.

I turned around on him and placed my hands on my hips. "You've said that to me a million times. Can't you just be grateful I saved your life?"

He flipped a finger at my nose. I squeezed my eyes shut from the sting and rubbed my nose. "Ow. That hurt."

"Serves you right for being reckless. You should have never followed me here."

It was as though our conversation two days ago had never happened. Freud was back to being his bossy, holier-than-thou self and I was the spoiled princess trying to get on his good side. I didn't know whether that was a good sign or not.

"Come back here," I said as I stomped up to Freud, who had continued walking. "I'm not going to let you win this argument."

"Oh, please, will you two lovebirds cut it out?" yawned Aran as he stretched his arms. Ryu was paddling along beside him, his tongue lolled out, a happy grin plastered on his wolfy face.

"We're not lovebirds!" Freud and I protested at the same time.

Aran blinked and smiled. "My point exactly."

Freud and I exchanged exasperated looks and jerked our heads in opposite directions.

We walked in silence for the next couple of hours, occasionally chattering about what we saw or warning each other about a potential shitstorm (literally). When dusk had fallen, we set up camp near a hollow. Freud magicked a tent, Aran started a fire, while I led Sylvie into the hollow and put down my stuff. I fed Sylvie an apple, which she took gratefully from my fingers, before I joined the group around the campfire.

"I haven't seen so many stars in a while," I remarked, laying back on the grass and looking up at the sky. "They're gorgeous tonight." It was like looking at a million diamonds sparkling against a black fabric.

Aran plopped down beside me, resting his head behind clasped hands. "They're nowhere near as gorgeous as you, babe."

On the other side of us, I heard Freud violently poke at the fire. The fire crackled and spat sparks into the chilly night air. I turned my head and looked at him. What was up with that guy? He seemed… angry. "You doing alright there, Freud?" I asked.

"Just fine," he mumbled back.

"You don't look fine to me," I pointed out bluntly. "What's up?"

He glared at me with eyes like two flaming coals. "Absolutely nothing. Everything's chipper."

I shrugged. "Whatever you say. I still think something's wrong."

A low rumble erupted from Aran's throat. "I think he's jealous," he mused.

"Of what?"

Aran chuckled again, but said no more.

Boys – why were they so complicated?

A thought occurred to me then. "Freud, you've changed a lot," I said.

"How so?" he asked absentmindedly as he turned the hares we had caught for dinner on a spit over the fire.

"You're more energetic," I observed. "When I first met you, you were so calm and collected. I thought you were more like an Elder than a regular kid. But now, you seem more like one of us. You know, a kid. I like it." I smiled at him.

It might have been the fire, but I thought I saw Freud's face redden. "That's… that's not true at all," he stammered. "I'm just like I always was. Cool and awesome."

Aran snorted and turned to me. "Has he always had an exaggerated sense of self-worth or was that a recent development?"

"I heard that, you know," Freud yelled.

I sat up and brushed the grass out of my hair. "Your guess is as good as mine," I told Aran. The hares were ready, and I was hungry.

"I can still hear you!" Freud reminded us.

Aran smirked and sat up as well. "Definitely an inborn trait," he replied.

Dinner was a quiet and short affair. We were all hungry and worn out from the constant walking. After dinner, Aran offered to be on guard for the night. Freud and I took up his offer and went respectively into our own makeshift shelters.

Around three in the morning, I woke up to the sound of rustling and scampering. Squeezing my eyes open, I blearily made out shadows darting across the grass. I got up, yawning, and went outside to see what was going on.

Aran appeared at my side. "It's Freud," he whispered. "I think there's something wrong with him."

That snapped me awake. "Freud? What's wrong with him?"

"Look." He pointed to Freud, dressed in his pajamas still, and walking into the forest.

"Freud!" I called out. "Where are you going?"

But Freud did not answer. Instead he kept walking. Aran and I gave chase, catching up to him. I grabbed his shoulder and shook it. Aran took his arm and squeezed it. Freud simply shook us off and continued walking.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked Aran.

"I don't know," he replied. "But I think he might be under some sort of spell. Look at his eyes."

It was true, I thought. Freud's eyes had darkened. His pupils had dilated and only a thin rim of blue surrounded them. "He's not awake, is he," I said softly.

Aran shook his head. "'Fraid not."

"We can't just let him wander around. Let's pack up our stuff quickly and follow him."

We followed Freud to the edge of a small brook. Wondering how he was going to cross, I gasped when I saw him lift magically into the air and float past the river. He landed gently on the ground and continued his zombie walk.

"That's not going to work for us," Aran replied with a sigh. "I'm going to swim. What are you going to do?"

"Jump, of course." I ran up to the edge of the river and leapt across it. My elfin grace came in handy sometimes. "See you on the other side. I'm going on ahead."

"Oh, to be a mere mortal," I heard Aran lament as he stripped down to his trunks and dived in. Ryu followed after him and began to doggy paddle.

I trailed Freud through a thick patch of bramble and vines. Ignoring the rips forming in my clothes, I continued following. He stopped suddenly and veer left. Then right. Then left. It was as if someone was onto me and wanted to push me away. I was not deterred. I kept following. Eventually Freud reached a cliff.

Oh no. He was going to –

I palmed my face as I heard him jump.

Aran had caught up to me by that point, though panting slightly from the meandering path we took. "Did he just –"

I nodded grimly. "After you."

"I'm not ready to die yet. After you," he replied.

"Fine," I grumbled. I reached the edge of the cliff and looked down. It was a steep drop. I couldn't even see what was down below.

"This isn't going to work. We're going to die if we follow him that way. Do you have a rope?"

Aran nodded and reached into his backpack to retrieve his rope. "By the time we make it down there safely, he'll be long gone."

"We can always trace his footsteps," I argued.

"Not if it rains. And, judging from that storm cloud over there, it looks like it will."

"We can't just leave him all alone though!"

"I'm not saying we should," Aran argued back. "But it's reckless if we just dive after him, and, as much as I love this adventure we're having, I'd rather return alive. Wouldn't you?"

He had a point there. I heaved a sigh. "What now?"

Aran shrugged. "Nothing. We wait. At least until the storm cloud passes."

"I was afraid you might say that."


Wolfy of the Winds: Glad I could be a source of inspiration - I often find myself rereading my favourite authors when I'm unhappy with my own writing or need some inspiration. To answer your other question, I moonlight as an editor/writer/teacher. I actually find time to write during my actual day job. So you could say I'm being paid to write both ways!

Mudkipz: You may not play Pokemon, but I do (er.. did? I never finished my Pokemon Black game).! My favourite generations are I, II, and V. Sadly, the ones in between II and V were disappointing. I still watch Pokemon with my boyfriend. :) Hope your homework is done!

Validus Draco: *shakes my head*

Stella Kirkland: D'aww. Thanks. :)

Oh, and before I forget, head on over to Fiction Press because yours truly has just updated the first chapter of her original fiction. It's been a big hit with a few readers already, so give it a try! The link is: .com/s/3005621/1/The_Nobokovich_Solution

Synopsis: Boris Nobokovich has it made. He's the corporate kingpin of the pharmaceutical world. When he unknowingly tries to seduce a woman whose brother died from his drugs, he stands to lose not just his wealth, but his heart too.

That's all for now, folks! Keep the reviews coming! Cheerio.