241 [Bonus chapter]The Search
As they took off into the air, Orion noticed Warrior Jean narrowing his eyes at him. However, he realized he wasn’t the only one, as Tala was also giving him an intense look. Orion acknowledged them with a quick nod before turning his head to see Grim and Gorg staring at him from the corner of his eyes as he flew out of their sight.
With Ursa flying at her best, they reached the Village Chief’s Compound in less than two or three minutes. Just as Ursa was about to descend in front of the gate, Orion held her back and urgently ordered her to fly over it, to which she complied. Swiftly, before the guards stationed at the gate could notice them, Orion and Ursa landed silently inside the compound, right in front of a particular hut.
“Wait for me here,” Orion said to Ursa, his words trailing behind him as he swiftly dashed into the hut designated for the Village Chief’s meetings and work. He left a feeling of hurry in the air, promising, “I will be back soon!”
Ursa watched Orion’s hurried departure, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. She couldn’t help but wonder, “What’s gotten into him today?”
Meanwhile, Orion navigated the complicated halls of the Village Chief’s second large hut with ease, having been here on numerous occasions before. “Knock! Knock!” he rapped on the door politely, aware that he couldn’t simply barge in unannounced. Waiting patiently for the resounding response of “Come in,” Orion pushed the door and entered the room.
He found the Village Chief, who appeared slightly annoyed, gazing back at him with a furrowed brow. As Orion closed the door behind him and approached, he noticed the Chief letting out a tired sigh, “I wasn’t expecting an audience with you this late, Orion. What happened? Did Anara just drop you off at the Village and you decided to have a talk with me after you’ve calmed down…” The Village Chief motioned for Orion to take a seat before continuing, “…or is it about something else?”
When Orion settled on the mat spread out on the floor, he cleared his throat to gather his thoughts. Locking eyes with the Village Chief, he spoke up, saying, “There’s something else I want to discuss.”
The Village Chief’s expression shifted, his gaze filled with curiosity as he asked, “And what might that be?”
Without skipping a beat, Orion swiftly replied, “I’ve heard rumours about Fiona, the well woman, going missing, and I wanted to find out if she has been located and if there is any information on her whereabouts.”
The Village Chief meticulously gathered the scattered papers, organizing them together and then heaved a weary sigh, shaking his head. “Unfortunately, no, she hasn’t been found yet…” His tired expression suddenly turned sharp as he fixed an intense gaze on Orion. “But don’t tell me that’s the first question on your mind, after everything that has happened today… Or,” he added, “Is there something about Fiona’s disappearance that you know and I should be aware of?”
The room filled with tension as Orion fell silent, his hesitation speaking louder than words. The Village Chief’s intuition flared, and he couldn’t help but probe further, “Orion, is there something I should know about?” Although the Village Chief didn’t want to accept it, he had been having a nagging feeling in his mind that Orion somehow had something to do with Fiona’s disappearance.
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Meanwhile, Orion racked his brain, desperately trying to come up with the right words to tell the Village Chief. However, he couldn’t help but show a weary smile as he observed the Chief’s once firm and nonchalant expression turning increasingly solemn, with a hint of annoyance and doubt flickering in his eyes.
“Orion….” the Village Chief’s voice trembled slightly, “Please, tell me that you have nothing to do with this….”.
……….…
“WHOOOOSSSSHHH!!” The Village Chief’s wide owl wings unfurled, and he flapped them with rapid intensity, his talons firmly gripping me as he carried me above.
When we soared higher, I peered down and shouted towards Ursa, “I WILL SEE YOU TOMORROW!” Her response echoed back, “OKAY!” while the Village Chief continued to lift me even higher into the sky.
From this height, everything below appeared like tiny dots, yet I knew the Village Chief’s eyes could discern every detail below us. Suddenly, we plunged downwards, slicing through the air, until we came to a hovering halt above the dead forest, as if he was searching for something amid the dense Vylkr vines-infested forest.
Suddenly, my eyes found a group of young men and women, moving with remarkable ease as they cut down several two-star Vylkr vines in their path.
The Village Chief quickly noticed them as well. He dived down and gently placed me on the ground before transforming back into his human form. Just then, a loud masculine voice echoed through the area, saying, “Chief,” and I saw them approaching us.
There were six of them in total – three tall, muscular men clad in traditional male tulgas, and three slightly muscular, slender women wearing the traditional female tulga. Among the women, one had a curvier figure, standing out from the rest with a little more meat in her assets.
“Have you seen her, yet?” The Village Chief immediately asked, posing the most crucial question at the moment.
The man glanced at me briefly before refocusing his gaze on the Village Chief and replied, “No Chief, unfortunately, we haven’t. But we did find something…” He hesitated for a moment before continuing, “Around the first border, we found several dead one-star Vylkr vines. However, after that, the trail of the dead Vylkr vines led a path forward, signifying that she…”
“….Is heading towards the second border,” the Village Chief interrupted, finishing the man’s sentence, his voice filled with worry.