Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Search Begins
Hikari stood in her room frowning when Kai found her, "Hey Hikari we're about to leave soon."
"Huh," she turned to face him, "oh okay I'll be out in a second just wait for me." Kai nodded and left the room. Sighing she followed him. Three days had passed since they had told the council about the message. Three days had passed before the council had given them approval to search for her brother and those who had disappeared along with him. They found Chihiro waiting for them in the hallway.
Chihiro asked, "Are you two ready yet?" Hikari and Kai nodded and the three friends walked towards the main entrance of the palace. There they found Kasumi leaning against the tall arched doorway as she had been when they first met her.
"Leaving so soon?" she asked them.
"Yeah, we have some important matters to attend to." Chihiro told her.
"Meaning you're looking for Kohaku and the others, I'm coming with you in case you weren't aware." Seeing the questioning looks from the three friends she explained. "The council commissioned me to tag along in case something were to happen to you three. I also brought some supplies I thought might be useful in our journey." She pointed to four plump bags lying next to her; a scroll lay on top of the bags.
"You're not just coming along because of me are you?" Kai asked her, exasperated.
"No, ask the council members if they asked me to come along and they'll say that they did." She grabbed the bags and tossed three to Kai, who distributed two of them to his friends. Chihiro hid the black stone and her bracelet inside the bag she was given when no one was looking. Kasumi then tossed the scroll towards Chihiro, who caught it with ease.
"Don't lose it Chihiro; it's a map of the Spirit World. Used to be my grandfather's, but he gave it to me when the Ruby choose me thought that it might be of use in the future." She told Chihiro before transforming into a brilliant golden red phoenix. She grabbed the bag lying onto the ground and hovered in the air, waiting for the others to transform. Chihiro then put the map into her bag.
Once everyone were completely transformed and they had their bags securely clasped, they flew off. Does anyone know which direction we are headed in? Chihiro asked once they were a few feet away from the phoenix colony.
From what I am aware of, we should be headed west. The Plain of a Thousand Crows are located in that direction. It's the largest in the spirit world, and it seems pretty likely that they might be there. Kasumi replied calmly.
Why is it called the Plain of a Thousand Crows?
Because it's so big that crows, from the Human World, like to come over to it and torment any unfortunate creature that happens to be lost in it, especially when there's been some sort of food shortage.
Sounds unpleasant.
It's very unpleasant, and if the ones who we are to be looking for are stuck there. Then well…let's just say that there's little chance for survival for both parties.
Stop scarring her Kasumi, Kai chided her, you know that the plain isn't as big as you would like to picture it. At its largest from boundary to boundary it's 125 miles. At its smallest it's only 52 miles. Plus you know that crows only tend to occupy the western and eastern portals. They don't tend to stray to far from the portals as it is big enough to kill them if they wander too far without any food or water. The companions were silent after that.
Hikari followed the others quietly. Chihiro noticed that her friend was falling behind and urged her to fly faster, which she did. Something wrong Hikari?
No, I was just thinking.
About what? Kai?
No, I'm just thinking about Haku and the others.
The Plain of a Thousand Crows does seem a bit intimidating doesn't it?
It does but that's not the point. You probably don't know this but…there are at least fifty more plains like it that Haku could be trapped in. There are several different plains that he could be stuck in.
So you're saying that we might be heading in the wrong direction?
As well as the fact that our supplies might not last us for the entire duration of our stay in the Plain of a Thousand Crows. Think about it though, if we don't have enough supplies to supply ourselves in the plain than how can Haku and the others possibly survive? I doubt they even have enough supplies to last themselves, until we're able to find them.
You're right, but concerning our supplies aren't phoenixes and dragons fast flyers?
They are, but the Plain of a Thousand Crows is big enough to intimidate even the fastest dragon or phoenix. If I'm not mistaken many a King of Dragons has been known to send prisoners and such to the plain as a way of torture or execution.
From what I heard of it, I can see why.
Also know that we'll have to fly slower than usual so that we don't miss anything.
I see…
I wouldn't worry too much about it though. Kasumi told them. Sorry for interrupting but I want to tell you that if our supplies are getting low, we'll abandon the search to get more supplies. I've arranged for others to replace us so that if this is to happen, they'll leave for the Plain of a Thousand Crows and pick up where we left of as well as vice versa.
So you've planned this out fairly well haven't you? Hikari asked dryly.
Yes, besides the phoenixes are hoping to find him as soon as possible so they'll be able to send word over to the dragons that they've found him. The Dragon King's been a bit distracted after his son was captured, and the council wishes to resume talks about the Evil One and such. They've also sent out other search parties to the various other plains that they could be in, including the plain where the castle was last seen, the Plain of a Hundred Sorrows.
So they're only searching for him to get my father's attention back on the fighting against the Evil One?
Yeah, I'm aware of how you might feel about this, using your brother as bait, but they have no other choice. They're not exactly proud of it either.
The landscape below them was beginning to brown and the trees and rivers lessen in quantity. Chihiro supposed that they almost reached the Plain of a Thousand Crows. She was right. Minutes later, Kasumi announced that they had arrived at their destination. She dived towards the earth. The others closely following her.
She landed onto the ground with a thud, like the others. "Well we're here." She said once she had transformed in her other form. The others by now had done the shape and were gazing around them at the flat plain.
"Maybe we should rest for a second," Hikari suggested. The others agreed eagerly. Chihiro spotted a few crows flying in circles around their heads like buzzards. They screeched to each other once they spotted her and her companions. The sun glinted off of their dark black feathers.
"Just hide your food and they'll leave." Kai advised her. "Remember they're scavengers so they wouldn't dare attack us if they see that we don't have food or we have food and aren't willing to share." Chihiro nodded and followed his advice, as Kai had told her the birds left once everyone was finished with their meal.
Hikari looked around herself once she was finished eating, wondering in which direction they should head in order to look for Haku. The answers she sought were given once Kasumi had finished eating, "I think we should head north as that's the direction that the Plain of a Hundred Sorrows is located. If my assumptions are correct, then the dungeon shouldn't have been teleported to far away."
Kai shivered when Kasumi mentioned that they were headed north, "it would seem like an ideal place. The northern boundary of the Plain of a Thousand Crows is a hot and terribly dry desert. You wouldn't be able to survive a month much less a few days in it. Beyond that, to the northeast, is the Plain of a Hundred Sorrows."
"One of the reasons why north seems like the most likely direction in which the dungeon where Haku and his friends were being kept is located."
"Okay then, so I guess this means that we're heading north." Kasumi and her companions transformed once again. They flew north, the bags that contained their supplies clenched within their talons. They flew close to the ground and slowly so that they would be able to see what life forms occupied the grass below them.
How many miles are we from the northern edge of the plain? Chihiro asked curious.
Around 78 miles, as that's how far the eastern portal is from the northern boundaries and remember we saw crows. Hikari replied, emotionless.
That's true, so how long do you think it'll take for us to cover 78 miles at the speed that we're traveling.
Gee first I would have to know how fast we're going and I'm not sure at what speeds we're flying at.
Good point, how long do you think that it might take?
About a week give or take a few days. Chihiro thought about what Hikari had told her. She hoped desperately that Haku and the others hadn't set off in a northerly direction after escaping from the dungeon where they had escaped from.
Sensing her fear and apprehension; Hikari immediately said, I wouldn't worry about it too much though. It's possible that they didn't head in a northerly direction and instead in either easterly or southerly one.
Chihiro replied softly, I really hope they do Hikari, I really hope that they do. The phoenixes and dragons had been flying for a few hours before Hikari spotted something moving in the grass below. Curious she dived towards the earth, so that she could verify whether it was Haku, one of the others that had been captured alongside him, one of the few creatures that lived in the plain, or an enemy.
She found out that the creature was an enemy as soon as a dart flew towards her; she nimbly dodged it as did the others behind her. It fell back to the earth a few feet behind Chihiro. When the creature saw that Hikari had escaped their first attack, they sent two more darts soaring towards her. Hikari and her friends dodged this one like the last.
Let's get this over with. Kasumi thought to herself once the mysterious creature had sent three more darts flying towards them that fell harmlessly back to the earth like its predecessors. She flew past Hikari and sent a tendril of ruby flames spinning towards the creature. They could hear a scream as the fire killed him and then all was quiet.
Let's get moving before his companions, if any, find him dead. The others agreed and they sped quickly away from the scene. A man crouched in the grass below grinned as he spotted the two dragons and two phoenixes approaching his hiding spot. He silently gestured to those gathered around him.
Hikari quickly spotted the man and growled forewarning the others of the danger that she sensed. Her companions stopped and tensed as they spotted the volley of arrows streaming towards them.
Uh oh… Chihiro thought to herself as she quickly summoned fire with which to repel the arrows. Kai and Kasumi helped her by sending fiery blasts at the arrows in a successful attempt to repel them. Hikari summoned an icy shield with which she drew around them. She growled with fury as fiery arrows were sent from the ground below them in all directions, piercing her icy shield.
She and Chihiro used their powers over water to repel these arrows. I guess that this is the work of the Evil One. Hikari told Chihiro.
Chihiro agreed adding, we must be getting close to the place where Haku and the others were being kept. The battle waged on, ending when Chihiro summoned wind to blow away all of the arrows aimed at them and Kai and Kasumi send fiery blasts spiraling towards the earth. Setting the grass below aflame and killing those hidden within it.
Once the fires had completed the tasks that the two phoenixes wished of it, they allowed Hikari and Chihiro to summon water with which to shower the plain and prevent the fires from spreading. Dark gray smoke rose from the charred ground as the fires were extinguished, it carried the scent of burnt flesh within it.
The four fled from the scene. The sun illuminating their scales and feathers as they flew in a northerly direction. Their eyes scanned the landed below them cautiously looking for both friend and foe. It was not until the sun had set below the horizon and its golden rays departed the land that they dived back to the earth and chose the rest.
They transformed back into their other forms and ate a meager meal before matting down the grass and placing a piece of cloth on it so that they could rest in relative comfort. Hikari pulled out some of the grass from around her and using some extra cloth she found in the bag, she made a pillow. The others followed her example.
Hikari found herself starring up at the starry sky, thoughts about her brother and survival filled her mind. "Is something troubling you Hikari?" Kai asked.
Hikari shook her head, "no I was just thinking about something."
"I see." He fell asleep a few minutes later; Hikari was the last to fall asleep that night. Her mind filled with troubling thoughts. I really do hope that you and the others will be able to survive. She thought to herself before falling blissfully asleep.