Chapter 5: A Fateful Encounter

The man stumbled through the endless dark, following the captivating sound of a nearby flute. He kept his lantern dimmed, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention. As the music got closer, the man picked up the pace, tripping over a tree root but quickly recovering. Once he reached the music, the man noticed it was coming from inside a tree. He set his lantern down and cupped his hands around his mouth.

“Hey!” The man shouted, “Hey! Hello? Can you help me? Hey!!” He had tried this several times until the harsh sounds of crows filled the tree.

The music stopped, and the man called out once more. He waited, and soon a pair of red eyes popped out from inside the tree. Then another and another and another. Several pairs of eyes, beaming, looked down at the man. Somewhat frightened, he quickly grabbed his lantern and took a few steps back. He began to hear rustling in the canopy, then one more pair of eyes, these ones a darker shade and bigger than the rest. Suddenly, that larger pair hopped down from the tree and landed on the ground with a thud. Startled, the man stumbled back, falling on the ground. The figure started walking closer to the man, and he quickly turned a knob to make the lantern flame brighter.

Once Laura’s face was revealed, the man froze up. He was left speechless but puzzled by the beautiful face that looked back at him. He took a nervous gulp and asked, “Hello?”

Laura’s face formed into a smile, and she waved at the man. “Hi.” She greeted innocently.

The man fell on his back, letting out a loud, relieved sigh. “Oh, thank God, I thought you were going to kill me.”

Laura cocked her head to the side, pondering the man’s comment. A mischievous smirk curled her lips. “Who said I can’t?” Laura asked, reaching into her robe and tossing a small throwing knife toward his face.

She was quick as a flash, the man had no time to react, and the knife pierced into the ground right by his right ear. The man’s eyes widened, slowly turning his head after feeling the wind the knife made as it whizzed past. The color in his body slightly faded after seeing that Laura really could’ve ended his life in an instant.

He looked back at Laura, terrified. He apologized. “You make a compelling argument, I’m sorry.”

Laura giggled, moving closer to the man. She stood right over him, squatting and resting her arms on her legs. “So, you said you needed help?” She asked, tilting her head slightly to the side.

The man blankly blinked. But he shook his head, regaining his thoughts. “Yes, yes,” He stuttered, “I was hoping if a local could help me find my group. We’re not from around here, you see.”

Laura smirked, resting her head on her fist. She replied, “You know humans aren’t supposed to cross into our territory, right?” Laura raised an eyebrow.

The man slid the rest of his body out from between Laura’s legs and sat up. He apologized. “I understand, and I’m deeply sorry. But, this area was the best place we could study a very important comet.”

Laura looked at the man, curious. “Comet?” She asked, “What comet?” He pulled out a book from his backpack, flipping through several pages until stopping and turning the book and showing Laura.

He raised his lantern so she could see better. “This one: The Rainbow Comet.” He tapped the left page with his finger, pointing at an image of a comet, its tail pale shades of red and yellow, and green.

“This comet only comes around once every thousand years,” The man continued, “I’m fortunate to be one of the few astrogeologists who gets to see this once-in-a-lifetime beauty in person. I’ll never get another chance like this again.”

Intrigued, Laura smiled and stood up. She stuck out her hand, and the man looked at it for a second before taking it and getting pulled up. “Sounds and looks awesome,” Laura replied, “I’ll gladly help you, mister.”

The man’s face lit up, and he shook Laura’s hand. “Bless your heart, ma’am! You don’t know how much this means to me!” Laura laughed. “It’s no problem,” She said, “but if you don’t mind me asking, how did you get separated from your group?”

The man put away his book before responding. “We were attacked by a cassowary,” He explained, “We just nearly escaped, but were somewhat scattered. I accidentally tripped and fell down a small cliff, losing the rest of my team.”

He raised his lantern, shining it around the area. He continued, “It’s been like a maze trying to find my way through this place. Luckily, I picked up your breathtaking flute music and followed it.”

Laura chuckled embarrassedly, scratching the back of her head. “Thank you. Glad I could help, even if it was accidental. So, when’s this comet of yours supposed to get here anyway?”

“Tomorrow evening,” The man replied, “We decided to come out here a day early just to be safe.” Laura nodded in agreement. “Well, you really are lucky to have found me. If you'd been caught by one of the night patrols, you would’ve been killed on the spot.”

The color drained from the man’s face as he gulped. Laura giggled. “No, I’m joking. Given the insignificance of why you’re here, they would’ve just smacked the back of your head and tossed you back to human territory.”

The man sighed, having aged ten years. Laura laughed, wiping a tear from her eye. “So, do you have an idea of where your team might be?” Laura asked. The man reached into his backpack again and pulled out a small map.

He opened it and shone his lantern over a spot with a red circle drawn around it. “This is where our camp is supposed to be,” The man said, “it’s the best spot to view the comet. I’m positive they’ve already gotten there by now.”

Laura examined the area inside the circle, giving a little nod. She replied, “This doesn’t look too far, I’ll get you there in no time.” Before the man could answer, a loud grumbling sound came from his stomach.

They both looked down. The man chuckled. “Sorry, I haven’t eaten all day.” He said, rummaging through his backpack for any leftover snacks he might have.

With no success, Laura made an offer. “I’ll find you some food.” The man looked at her. He asked, “Really?” Laura nodded and replied, “Yep yep. I’m feeling pretty hungry myself, so I’ll go grab us some food, and my crows will track down your camp.”

Laura used her fingers and whistled, and a few of the crows flapping down from the tree and landed on her arms. She glanced at each of them before looking at the map. “You see that circle? Go out and find the humans who are inside it.” She told each of them, and they let out their raspy caws, flying into the sky, all the rest following suit.

The man looked up in awe. He lowered his head and faced Laura. “Those are some well-trained crows you’ve got.” He complimented. Laura smiled. “Thanks,” She replied, “I’ve had them since I was a kid.”

“We haven’t been properly introduced yet,” The man said, “My name is Anthony Romanova.” He stuck out his hand. Laura replied, “Laura Amber Clare.” The two shook hands, and there was a brief pause of silence between them.

Laura finally broke the silence and said, “Alright, I’ll go grab us some food. You stay here and get a fire started, okay?” Anthony nodded. “Yeah, sounds like a plan.”

Laura dashed into the abyss, quickly fading from Anthony's sight. As he waited, Anthony looked around the area, picking up all the dried twigs and leaves he could find. He made them a big pile, set down his lantern, and reached into one of his pants pockets, pulling out a flint. Anthony sent sparks into dry materials, making a small flame. He moved closer and blew on it, growing the flames. Once the roaring fire was made, Anthony turned off his lantern, then looked around until he found a couple of good-sized rocks. He strained for several minutes, pushing them toward the fire. At first, Antony had them next to each other, but rather quickly pushed one of them to the other side.

Exhausted, he took a seat on one of the rocks, using a long stick and some extra dry material to keep the flame going. After a while, Anthony heard rustling coming from the bushes. He squinted, then saw Laura getting closer. Relieved, he sighed and smiled as she came over. Resting on her right shoulder was her sword, the upper half coated and dripping with blood. In her left hand, Laura was dragging a freshly killed cassowary. Anthony’s eyes widened, looking rather frightened at the approaching Laura. Her crimson eyes shone captivatingly in the dark, only being enhanced once she had stopped in front of the fire.

Laura stuck her sword into the soil and let go of the cassowary's leg, grinning as she examined the flame. “Wow, this is a perfect flame to cook our food.” She said, sitting on the rock Anthony brought. She pulled the cassowary in front of her, pulled down a large knife strapped to the back of her belt, and began defeathering the massive bird.

She hummed a tune while she worked, and Anthony simply stared at her with his jaw hanging. Eventually, he shook himself back to his senses. Anthony said, “You’re the first experiment I’ve ever seen up close, you know.” Laura stopped humming and looked up at him with a “Hm?”

He continued. “I’ve never actually gotten a good look at one of you before. From the stories I’ve heard, you don’t really look like how they describe.” Laura shrugged, “My parents always told me I was different from the rest of the experiments,” She replied, “but I still have ears and a tail.”

Anthony rested his head on his hands, gazing at Laura’s face. “I would say those eyes are your most defining feature,” He said, “They’re such a striking and beautiful color.” Laura’s face radiated heat; she quickly shot her head down, hiding the blush. “Thanks, that’s very nice.”

There was a silence between them. Anthony reached into his backpack and took out a large jug of water. Luckily, there was still more than enough left. As he continued rummaging through his bag, checking its inventory, Laura raised her eyes to glance at the man. She examined his features. He was young, maybe a year or two older than her. His face was still clear of any facial hair, and those icy blue eyes were only enhanced by his black hair. He was quite handsome. Laura wanted to examine every feature of Anthony’s, but while distracted, she accidentally cut the top of her thumb.

“Ow!” She winced, dropping the cassowary, and placed the top of her thumb in her mouth. Anthony looked up. “What’s wrong?” He asked. Laura shook her head, placing her thumb against her thigh to stop the bleeding.

Laura responded, “Nothing, I just cut my thumb a little.” Anthony quickly reached into his backpack and pulled out a small first aid kit. He got up, opened the box, and grabbed a Band-Aid. “Here, use this.” He held it out, and Laura set down her knife and took it. “Thanks.” She smiled. Anthony smiled back and nodded, walking back to his seat.

After fully defeathering the cassowary and slicing it into individual pieces, Laura cooked each one. The two ate quietly for a little while, until Laura asked Anthony about what he does and if he’s ever seen the world. Anthony gladly replied, explaining how he was an astrogeologist whose goal was to one day venture out into space and visit other planets, examining their surface. He told Laura of his exploits in other countries and parts of the world, each story leaving her more and more in awe.

Anthony talked about his parents; one of his mothers was an esteemed biologist, while the other’s job was a little simpler. Being a bank teller. Laura talked about her parents, who are the rulers of this land. How her father and Dr. Armin Atlas saved the world from the Lucifer Hand. Anthony paused her story.

“Wait, you’ve met Doctor Armin Atlas?” He sat on the edge of his rock, “The highly esteemed biologist and weapons developer?” Laura nodded. “I’ve known Uncle Armin since I was eight.” She replied.

Anthony looked at her, dumbfounded. “Wow, Doctor Atlas is my idol. I could only pray to be in the same room as him, and you just casually know him like he’s family. Not to mention you’re a princess? Jeez, you really are more exceptional than I thought.”

Laura scratched the back of her head, her face beet red. “I’m not that important,” She replied meekly, “I only wish I could do the things you do. Your life is so much more interesting.”

They finished the rest of the food. More specifically, Laura finished the rest. As they were finishing up, her crows had flown back, perching on top of the branches above them. One of them, with a tiny blue scarf around its neck, rested on Laura’s left arm. It hopped and cawed, Laura understanding what it was trying to say.

She smiled and scratched the underside of its chin. “Thank you, Sparrow.” The other crows cried, jealous. “He said they’ve found where your friends are at,” Laura said. Anthony looked at her, confused. “Did you actually understand what he said?”

Laura chuckled and shook her head. She replied, “No, it was mainly context clues.” Anthony thought about what to do next. As he brainstormed, he could feel the exhaustion through his body. It’s been a very long day, so he was very tired.

“Hey, if it’s not too much trouble, do you think we could camp here for the night?” He asked, “Then, in the early morning, your crows could lead to where my team is.” Laura was elated by this idea. She smiled and replied, “Yeah, that sounds like a great idea.”

After that, Anthony put out their fire and attempted to sleep on the ground. All of his sleeping supplies were back at the camp, so he was forced to stick with the uncomfortable soil. Laura climbed into a tree and rested up there. However, in the middle of the night, after Anthony had finally knocked out, Laura awoke. She gazed down at him, seeing his head resting against his bag. Laura decided to stay up and keep watch. But her sights were only locked on Anthony the entire night.