The wind whipped hard at my face and sent my hair flying about my shoulders. I had tied it into a loose braid to keep it from irritating me, but apparently that hadn't done the trick, and it proceeded to thoroughly annoy me. From where I hovered just above the trees, I could see Crimson on the ground, her dull brown garb confusing her silhouette with the earth. She scrambled busily about, scraping up a bit of dirt in her hand and letting it sift through her fingers, then running over to a tree and sniffing it delicately. I rolled my eyes. She was taking forever. It was her idea to stop our tracking and investigate the area. She had insisted that she smelled a humanoid scent, and being that we were in an area completely devoid of human activity, I suppose it was worth a quick investigation.

But not worth half an hour of scrounging around aimlessly

Finally, I decided we had wasted enough time.

Fluttering down, I shifted the book bag I had slung over my shoulder to my other side, folding my wings in. I stomped my foot to get Crimson's attention, she whipped around and looked at me, somewhat irritated.

"What?"

I lifted my closed left fist and held my right index finger to it. Crimson grunted.

"I know, I know! I'm taking a long time… but I seriously think we have got something here."

Without waiting for a response, she spun back around and continued digging for evidence. I groaned and tossed my head back, gazing up at the sky.

The sun was going down, and stars were just beginning to dot the darkening sky.

We wouldn't be making any more progress tonight. I slung the book bag off of my shoulder and tossed it down at the base of a nearby tree. Taking out two small packages, I threw one to Crimson. Then, extending my wings, I half jumped and half flew up to a low branch and settled quite comfortably, my provision of food in my lap. After eating, I watched Crimson rummage about on the forest floor a while before shifting into my usual sleeping position and wrapping my wings securely about me. Within moments I was asleep.

I woke suddenly to a distant shriek.

What?

I immediately shot a look downwards. Crimson was curled up at the base of the tree, her small package of food empty next to her hand. I looked carefully at her until I saw her chest gently rise. I breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly, the shriek came again.

Snapping my wings out, I took my legs from around the branch and swung upward, flying off towards the strange noise. As the occasional scream grew louder, I hovered lower above the treetops. Then, suddenly, I saw a strange building looming up in the distance.

It was situated on a hill, will stilts holding the part of the structure that protruded out from the earth. The building itself looked kind of like an "E" turned on its side.

I heard the muffled yell again, and flew closer. I circled the house a few moments, then suddenly noticed though one window, a young girl tossing about in her bed. She looked human, maybe eighteen years old. She had sandy blonde hair that was oily and unkempt. She seemed to be having some sort of nightmare. Then, suddenly, she sat bolt upright, screaming. The girl clutched her clothes nervously, looking down at her chest. Her rapid breathing slowly calmed, and she leaned forward in her bed.

Then I saw her wings.

Two golden brown and white speckled avian wings were folded against her back. I could see a few course feathers poking out from beneath her nightclothes.

The little girl had escaped with others.

I decided I had best investigate the rest of the strange house before making an official report. I climbed around the wall of the house until I found another window. Looking inside, I could see a girl, younger than the other, with dark skin and hair sleeping peacefully in her bed. In the corner, a sea of stuffed animals, blankets, and other fuzzy things covered a small person. I saw the little person squirm a moments, and, unless my eye deceived me, the little person had blond hair.

Opening the window silently, I slipped inside the house and crawled up the wall, dangling from the ceiling. Digging the thumb joints of my wings into the ceiling, I clung tightly and craned my head back around, trying to get a good look at the little person. She lay curled up within a sea of blankets, clutching numerous stuffed animals to her chest. A soft looking white blanket lay over her shoulders. Wait, not blanket. Wings.

Small, blond hair, escaped with others, white, angelic wings. She was the one.

I quickly made my way back to the window and scampered out into the air right as I heard the door of the room slam open.

My wings beat hard and fast as I made my way back to where I had left Crimson. When I returned, she was still asleep. I shook her furiously.

"Wha?! What?! What is it?!"

Quickly, I signed,

I found the girl.

Crimson looked at me blankly a moment before she registered my silent words.

"You found her?! Where!?"

I pointed off in the general direction of the house while pulling the small laptop Brady had given me out of the book bag. A quick message received an immediate response.

The Erasers were on their way.