*Horteka*
"Take care, Domingo!"
The treasure-hunter waved, steering the orange ship away from Horteka. After a few minutes, Hans spoke up. "I'll go get some beds at the inn."
"I'll come with you," said Urala, and the two started down the path to the Elder's hut, but they hadn't gone far when they heard a familiar squawk.
"Squawk! Message from the Claudia! Squawk!"
"Don't fly around all day, you dumb parrot! Give me the message!" The two friends turned, and saw Gilder glaring at Willy, who was flying in circles just out of reach. The parrot saw the glare, and quickly landed on the blue rouge's shoulder.
"Claudia's fine, found treasure, wants news of you, squawk!"
Gilder nodded, and pulled a pen and three sheets of paper out of his pocket. He wrote one letter, and made two copies of it. Then he pulled some string from his pocket and tied the three letters around Willy's leg.
"Take the first letter to Enrique, the second to the Claudia and the third to Vyse, okay?"
"Squawk! Will do! Squawk!" The parrot flew off, headed for Valua.
"Um, Gilder? What did you write?" asked Urala
"I told them about that ship, and that Domingo had saved us. Willy knows to tell the people where we are, in case the letters are intercepted."
"That bird is smarter than he looks," remarked Hans.
Gilder laughed. "Yeah, but not much smarter. I'm still having trouble breaking his habit of flying into windows."
"What?!"
"You heard me. He flies into windows. Anyway, we should go get those beds at the Elder's house."
*Enrique's Palace*
Tap. Tap-tap.
--What the hell is banging on the window like that? I was asleep...--
Enrique dragged himself out of bed and went over to the window by the door, opening it when he realized that Willy was outside.
"Squawk! Message from Gilder, he's in Horteka now!" The parrot extended his leg, and Enrique wasn't sure which message to take until Willy spoke up again. "Any message, all are the same, squawk!"
Enrique unrolled the paper, and felt like he had a migraine when he had finished reading it.
--I'm sick of having to deal with things like this, but I don't have a choice. At least the ransom note isn't a concern anymore, seeing as Hans is free now.--
"Enrique? Why are you awake at this hour?" The emperor silently gave the message to his wife before turning to the parrot again.
"Willy, give Gilder my thanks for bringing me this message, and say that I pray for his safety."
"Will do, squawk!"
Enrique watched the parrot fly off into the distance as he waited for Moegi to finish reading the note.
"Enrique?"
"Hmm?"
"...What are we going to do about this?"
The emperor's shoulders slumped as he answered. "I honestly don't know."
*The Claudia*
Orlando watched the skies, waiting for Willy to return. Two days had passed since they'd sent their message to Gilder. Soon, a speck of green could be seen on the horizon. He waited a few moments to be sure of it, then yelled to his fellow crewmembers, "Willy's back!"
Terrance and Elijah ran onto the deck just as Willy settled on Orlando's shoulder.
"Identical messages, take one, squawk!"
Orlando took one of the pieces of paper from the bird's leg and read it aloud. When he had finished, he looked at the other two men in shock, seeing similar expressions on their faces. Elijah was the first one to regain the ability to speak.
"Willy, where is Gilder now?"
"Horteka, squawk!"
Terrance shook his head sadly. "That's too close to where he was caught. We should pick him up and get him farther away from there. Same thing goes for Hans and Urala."
Orlando spoke to the bird, "Willy, tell Gilder that we are coming to pick him and his friends up."
"Squawk!" Willy flew off, heading up and to the east.
Terrance questioned the parrot's flight path. "Shouldn't he be heading west?"
"He had one more message to deliver, and it must be for Vyse, who I heard was on Yafutoma."
"Makes sense. Set course for Horteka!"
*Yafutoma*
"Vyse, Aika, look! It's Willy!"
The three friends turned to see the parrot land on the ground in front of them, extending his leg and looking positively ridiculous.
"Hey, there's a note tied to Willy's leg!"
"You get it, Aika. I've had bad experiences with birds before."
Aika did so, but not before teasing Vyse about it. "You have a bias against birds just because one pooped on your glass eyepatch?" Vyse stuck out his tongue at her in response.
Aika laughed, and started reading the message to her friends. When she had finished, Vyse whistled softly.
"I think that we should try to catch a glimpse of that ship so that we can see exactly what we're up against.
"Should I tell Gilder that, squawk?"
"Yes Willy, you should. Let's get back to the Prophecy."
The air pirates went back to their ship, and Willy took flight again, headed for Horteka to give Gilder the responses.
"Take care, Domingo!"
The treasure-hunter waved, steering the orange ship away from Horteka. After a few minutes, Hans spoke up. "I'll go get some beds at the inn."
"I'll come with you," said Urala, and the two started down the path to the Elder's hut, but they hadn't gone far when they heard a familiar squawk.
"Squawk! Message from the Claudia! Squawk!"
"Don't fly around all day, you dumb parrot! Give me the message!" The two friends turned, and saw Gilder glaring at Willy, who was flying in circles just out of reach. The parrot saw the glare, and quickly landed on the blue rouge's shoulder.
"Claudia's fine, found treasure, wants news of you, squawk!"
Gilder nodded, and pulled a pen and three sheets of paper out of his pocket. He wrote one letter, and made two copies of it. Then he pulled some string from his pocket and tied the three letters around Willy's leg.
"Take the first letter to Enrique, the second to the Claudia and the third to Vyse, okay?"
"Squawk! Will do! Squawk!" The parrot flew off, headed for Valua.
"Um, Gilder? What did you write?" asked Urala
"I told them about that ship, and that Domingo had saved us. Willy knows to tell the people where we are, in case the letters are intercepted."
"That bird is smarter than he looks," remarked Hans.
Gilder laughed. "Yeah, but not much smarter. I'm still having trouble breaking his habit of flying into windows."
"What?!"
"You heard me. He flies into windows. Anyway, we should go get those beds at the Elder's house."
*Enrique's Palace*
Tap. Tap-tap.
--What the hell is banging on the window like that? I was asleep...--
Enrique dragged himself out of bed and went over to the window by the door, opening it when he realized that Willy was outside.
"Squawk! Message from Gilder, he's in Horteka now!" The parrot extended his leg, and Enrique wasn't sure which message to take until Willy spoke up again. "Any message, all are the same, squawk!"
Enrique unrolled the paper, and felt like he had a migraine when he had finished reading it.
--I'm sick of having to deal with things like this, but I don't have a choice. At least the ransom note isn't a concern anymore, seeing as Hans is free now.--
"Enrique? Why are you awake at this hour?" The emperor silently gave the message to his wife before turning to the parrot again.
"Willy, give Gilder my thanks for bringing me this message, and say that I pray for his safety."
"Will do, squawk!"
Enrique watched the parrot fly off into the distance as he waited for Moegi to finish reading the note.
"Enrique?"
"Hmm?"
"...What are we going to do about this?"
The emperor's shoulders slumped as he answered. "I honestly don't know."
*The Claudia*
Orlando watched the skies, waiting for Willy to return. Two days had passed since they'd sent their message to Gilder. Soon, a speck of green could be seen on the horizon. He waited a few moments to be sure of it, then yelled to his fellow crewmembers, "Willy's back!"
Terrance and Elijah ran onto the deck just as Willy settled on Orlando's shoulder.
"Identical messages, take one, squawk!"
Orlando took one of the pieces of paper from the bird's leg and read it aloud. When he had finished, he looked at the other two men in shock, seeing similar expressions on their faces. Elijah was the first one to regain the ability to speak.
"Willy, where is Gilder now?"
"Horteka, squawk!"
Terrance shook his head sadly. "That's too close to where he was caught. We should pick him up and get him farther away from there. Same thing goes for Hans and Urala."
Orlando spoke to the bird, "Willy, tell Gilder that we are coming to pick him and his friends up."
"Squawk!" Willy flew off, heading up and to the east.
Terrance questioned the parrot's flight path. "Shouldn't he be heading west?"
"He had one more message to deliver, and it must be for Vyse, who I heard was on Yafutoma."
"Makes sense. Set course for Horteka!"
*Yafutoma*
"Vyse, Aika, look! It's Willy!"
The three friends turned to see the parrot land on the ground in front of them, extending his leg and looking positively ridiculous.
"Hey, there's a note tied to Willy's leg!"
"You get it, Aika. I've had bad experiences with birds before."
Aika did so, but not before teasing Vyse about it. "You have a bias against birds just because one pooped on your glass eyepatch?" Vyse stuck out his tongue at her in response.
Aika laughed, and started reading the message to her friends. When she had finished, Vyse whistled softly.
"I think that we should try to catch a glimpse of that ship so that we can see exactly what we're up against.
"Should I tell Gilder that, squawk?"
"Yes Willy, you should. Let's get back to the Prophecy."
The air pirates went back to their ship, and Willy took flight again, headed for Horteka to give Gilder the responses.