Chapter 10
Meta Knight and Shieldmaiden cut down a number of small trees before adding vines to their pile of materials. They then spread out beyond the clearing, carefully taking their first steps into the thick bush in search of mossy ground and broad leaves. They did not have to travel far; a few meters into the jungle a tree with large, broad leaves nearly as long as the Star Warrior's bodies hung close to them. They jumped high, using their wings for added height, and sliced at the thick tree branches until enough branches sporting the enormous leaves fell to the ground.
Meta Knight's gloved hand ran over the thick leaf as he held the branch, eyes glowing green.
"Broad and thick" the masked veteran noted. "Perfect for our roof."
With no small amount of effort, the two tired Star Warriors hauled their branches through the bushes until they reached the clearing again. Afterwards, Meta Knight began to survey the scene. He eyed two small trees which were nearly perpendicular and several meters apart - considering he and every one of his comrades were not much taller than the 8-inch Kirby, that space would provide plenty of room for them. He stomped around on the ground, bending over to peer at the damp soil underneath them to make sure there were no snake burrows or ant hills. He then turned to face Shieldmaiden.
"This is a good spot." Meta Knight said, gesturing to the trees. "Bring me four branches and some vines."
"Yes, Sir" Shieldmaiden replied, delivering the severed saplings and a trail of long vines that dragged behind her.
Using the vines as string, they lashed the three branches together in a square shape that was about as long as the space between the trees. They then worked more branches of similar size onto the square until it looked like a crude grid. Afterwards, the two Star Warriors used a mix of mud and leaves to create a sparse "ceiling" of leaves to lie over the grid. The two stood back, admiring their handiwork.
Meta Knight nodded approvingly. "It'll do."
Shieldmaiden crawled into the shelter to test it. The shelter offered plenty of room for her, but she knew that with six others sharing the space it was going to be fairly cramped. Still, at least it would offer some protection from the elements.
Meanwhile, Blade and Fumu picked through the jungle. Fumu grimaced, hand waving in front of her face as she constantly had to swat at flies and other buzzing insects. The thrilling jungle stories she had read in the past conveniently left that part out. In front of her stood Blade, hacking away at the impassable wall of greenery with his sword in order to carve them a path. The two traveled at a snail's pace, the jungle's plants being so thick that they couldn't even progress at walking speed.
As they walked, Fumu wondered to herself why she was sent to fetch food instead of Kirby; however, she soon realized that Meta Knight's decision made sense even if Kirby had a better eye for food and the strength to carry more than her and Blade put together. Kirby's patience would have to endure crawling through the jungle and back to their little makeshift camp, all while his arms were full of food. She figured, as did Meta Knight, that Kirby would come back empty-handed but with a full belly. Even the few minutes it took for him to find and retrieve the banana bunch showed a level of restraint Fumu didn't believe Kirby had. She smiled to herself. He did share, and that was what mattered. Slowly, he was learning.
"Wait" Fumu said suddenly, her wandering gaze resting on something that snapped her out of her thoughts. She knelt down and eyed a patch of slim, white mushrooms.
"Um..." Blade began, kneeling beside her to examine the fungus. "Are you sure this is the kind of food we should be bringing back?"
"Of course" Fumu replied, carefully plucking the mushrooms up by the base of their stems. "This species is safe. It won't taste too good, but it won't make us sick either."
"Great" Blade replied in a wilting voice, grimace hidden behind his helmet. "Let's try to find some more bananas, though."
Fumu turned her head to hide her snickering.
Sword, Bun, and Kirby traveled in a different direction at a similarly slow pace, Sword hacking away in front of the party in order to progress through the trees. Bun and Kirby felt every piece of wood that they saw on the ground and branch within arm's reach on the trees, trying desperately to find lumber that hadn't been rained into a mushy, pulpy mess. Bun picked up one long, promising stick only to find it hanging limply in his hands. It then started to move on its own, slowly sliding off of his arm. Bun's blood ran cold as he realized his "stick" was covered in scales.
"SNAAAAKE!" Bun yelled, dropping it as if it were on fire and running so far forward he nearly collided with Sword. Sword turned around swiftly, his blade raised in alarm. Kirby stood there, watching the two curiously as the snake slithered by him on their narrow path.
"Kirby, watch out!" Bun cried.
"Get away from that thing!" Sword added.
Kirby tilted his entire body slightly,slowly glancing down at the snake. He watched it slither with fascination, feeling no fear. He remembered fighting a Demon Beast much like the creature that slithered before him, but this was a wild animal which didn't have the mark of Nightmare. It wasn't even attacking. What were Sword and Bun scared of?
"Kirby! Come here!" Bun exclaimed, waving his arm to beckon him.
"Poyo!" Kirby responded with a smile, hopping over the snake and skipping to the other two.
All three pairs of eyes watched the snake's thin body, which blended remarkably well with the jungle floor, until it slithered across the path and into the bushes out of view.
"That was close..." Bun uttered weakly, clutching his heart.
Sword remained standing with his arm protectively held out in front of the other two until the threat had passed. He sheathed his sword and glanced back at the path they had made. Though not visible, a light rattle of armor could be heard as the warrior shuddered. He hated snakes.
"Let's head back", Sword said nervously.
Bun nodded vigorously, Kirby mimicking his nods a beat later with a grin.
In time, both search parties returned to the clearing with their goods in tow. Fumu and Blade arrived first; they had found mushrooms, berries, and bananas. Kirby, Bun and Sword arrived later with handfuls of the driest grass they could find a few sticks for firewood. Their number of chosen pieces was small, but each piece was carefully selected as the driest they could find.
They all blinked in surprise as they examined the shelter, a square-shaped piece of wood coated with leaves. It was propped between the two perpendicular trees, the three together forming a crude triangular "tent". Fumu's jaw dropped.
"You guys made that?" She asked.
Shieldmaiden nodded. "It's not much, but it'll protect us from the elements."
Meta Knight gave a single nod. "It should at least hold up for the night...no guarantees after that."
Meta Knight then turned his attention to the pile of wood presented by Sword, Bun, and Kirby. With a gloved hand, he gestured over to where they should place their findings. The group then began to make themselves as "at home" as possible, with Bun, Sword and Blade using the wood and tinder to start a fire. Meta Knight watched them, his gaze cold and unwavering. Though he did his best to hide it, he was absolutely exhausted from all of the work they had done and felt increasingly dirty and sticky from hours of labor in high humidity. He couldn't decide if he wanted a bath or a nap more; considering the group hadn't found a body of water yet, he figured a bath would be impossible. At least he could get some sleep soon.
Thinking of water reminded him of his growing thirst as well; he was sure that the others, considering they had been slogging through the jungle for over an hour after a long and unexpected flight, were thirsty as well. He looked to the sky, squinting. The broadest leaves he and Shieldmaiden could find were ready and standing by to collect rainwater. However, they were effectively useless without rain. Drinking river water or dew from unfamiliar plant species was too risky; they could be poisoned. They'd have no choice but to wait for rain. He slipped a gloved hand under his mask briefly, wiping the sweat off his brow.
Sword, meanwhile, sat hunched over the pile of wood they had gathered rubbing sticks together vigorously. After nearly a half hour of frustrated curses and fruitless effort, a spark finally caught on the pile of branches the group had gathered.
"Cool..." Bun said, marveling at the sight as the fire finally came to life.
"Don't let up" Sword said quickly. "Keep feeding it!"
Sword, Bun, and Blade worked together in the dimming daylight to get the fire strong before night rendered them too blind to accomplish anything. Meanwhile, the others traded what food was found amongst themselves and ate their fill.
In time, night fell. The birds fell silent, while the insects seemed to grow louder. The beautiful green seemed to evaporate in the shadow of night, surrounding the group in an overwhelming blackness. Fumu felt a chill go up her spine; she knew that if the fire went out, they would have nothing but a thin trail of moonlight to see anything. If they were lucky.
"Well..." Blade said as he toasted a tiny mushroom on a stick as if it were a marshmallow, "We did it."
Shieldmaiden nodded from her position seated next to him, the seven crowded around the small fire.
"We survived, but we can't remain idle. Tomorrow, we have to set out for the relic. It must be close by...maybe directly under our feet!"
"Do you suppose it's in a cave?" Sword piped up from the opposite side of Blade. "I can't imagine something like that just sitting out in the open in a place like this."
Fumu nodded. "That's highly likely. If I remember correctly from my notes, it's deep within an enclosed space of sorts...whether it was a natural cave, or some form of ruin or monument left behind by the civilization who once lived here, is unknown."
"Poyo poy, poyoyo...mmfloymmffh...Poyo!" Kirby chimed in, saying his "piece" in between mouthfuls of wildberries.
Shieldmaiden chuckled. "Well said, Kirby."
Meta Knight said nothing, silently watching the group. In the glimmer of the firelight, Fumu could swear that she saw his eyes tint a faint pink.
It was not long after dinner that the group collectively retired to their crude shelter. Sword felt his heart sink a little as the fire he and the others worked so hard on winked out. Bathed in darkness, the group fumbled through the few feet from the campfire to their shelter in order to settle in for the night. Fumu noticed from what little she could see that Meta Knight, Shieldmaiden, and Kirby all seemed to find their way to the shelter easier than others, even without the aid of the fire's light. She also noted that the two armored Star Warrior's eyes glowed just as brightly in the dark, and even Kirby's dark blue eyes seemed to glow slightly. She silently wondered if their species had better night vision than her own, their lenses reflecting as much light as possible much like a cat - it would certainly explain the odd glow their eyes took on in dark conditions.
It was not long before nearly everyone in the tent, nearly bumping against each other in their attempt to keep within the shelter's walls, passed out from sheer exhaustion. Bun and Kirby were first, falling asleep in terribly contorted positions that looked far more uncomfortable than they probably were. Sword and Blade were next to drift off; leaning back to back and facing opposite directions, the two snored in sync. Shieldmaiden slept sitting as well, her wings puffed and folded like that of a sleeping bird. Fumu herself, despite her great exhaustion, seemed to have trouble falling asleep. She did her best not to toss and turn, not wanting to disturb the others resting so close to her, but her frantic mind kept running the same troubling thoughts though her head in a cycle; what if her parents couldn't be saved? What if one or all of them died in the jungle from injury, disease, or predation? What if Shieldmaiden's radar was off, like it was for Galaxia, and all of their efforts still couldn't stop Dark Matter? Her thoughts continued to race until they became increasingly disjointed, becoming more nonsensical and fragmentary until they faded to nothing as the tired girl finally drifted off.
Meta Knight reclined with his back against one of the shelter's tree trunks as far away from the others as possible, which given the space in the tent, was only several inches. His yellow eyes pierced the darkness. With everyone sound asleep, even Fumu, he silently watched over them. Although exhausted a mixture of being uncomfortable from the crowded conditions, from thirst, and from being deeply filthy from all of the work done that day caused him to have trouble sleeping as well. The only thing stronger than his yearning for his bed at home was a fear of jungle animals sneaking up on them at night. This was the worst possible environment to let one's guard down. He was going to suggest that he, Sword and Blade took shifts, but considering how tired the two seemed he didn't bother. He could do the job.
Meta Knight's golden eyes slowly scanned over the group of sleeping friends until his eyes rested on Shieldmaiden. He watched her quietly, allowing his gaze to linger for longer than usual now that no one could judge him for doing so. Her wings randomly twitched, puffing up and refolding themselves slightly while the Star Warrior slept; he stifled a chuckle. He admitted, to no one but himself within the recesses of his own mind, that he had grown rather fond of her. Though not social in the slightest, and though he had more company than he could've ever imagined in Dreamland, it was still nice to talk to another one of his own species - especially another Star Warrior.
Meta Knight's eyes then drifted towards Kirby, sprawled out on the far corner of the tent with Bun's limp hand draped over his face. Their strange, contorted positions reminded him of how he'd find his old war buddies, sprawled out after too many drinks, but he knew that children could somehow pass out in positions like that comfortably. He wondered how young Kirby would grow and mature, having already fought more battles in his time than some of his own kind did in their entire lives. What would he have to say when his vocabulary had grown beyond "Poyo?"
Meta Knight chose to ruminate over these thoughts rather than darker, more pressing matters, knowing that doing so was pointless at the moment. In time, his eyes began to dim out behind the mask. He shook himself awake twice, blinking rapidly, before a few minutes later sliding off again. He slumped forward, eyes dimmed out entirely.