The Lost One: Chapters 30-32: A WOF Fanfic

Instructions

TW: None..? First chapter inside! Chapter 31 The jungle air was thick, heavy with the scent of unfamiliar flowers and damp earth, a sensory overload after the sterile openness of the ocean. Winter dragged Crystal away from the exposed beach and into the shadow of the jungle wall. The sand there was rough, full of strange, brittle white shells. He propped her against a giant, moss-covered tree that seemed to scrape the sky. Qibli, recovering quickly, began examining the perimeter, his talons sifting through the sand for anything useful. Kinkajou zipped into the dense foliage, instantly blending into the environment, promising to serve as their first line of defense. Moon, exhausted but driven by a survival instinct, sat with her eyes closed, trying to sort the clamor of the new environment from the distant thoughts of their pursuers. "They passed us," Moon confirmed, her voice barely audible. "Their minds are far inland now, moving fast. They know they're close to the Crown's location." "Which means they don't know we survived," Winter stated, rubbing the cold back of his neck. "Good. We have maybe a day to rest before they realize we're not dead." "A day is too long," Crystal countered, pushing herself upright. "They know where to go, and we don't. We have to go back for the scroll." Qibli scoffed, shaking his head. "Crystal, the dinghy was destroyed, and the scroll sank miles deep. We'd have better luck finding a map shop in this jungle." "Turtle's enchantment," Crystal insisted, her eyes locking on Winter's. "It made the dinghy the fastest boat on the ocean. Turtle wouldn't let his Winglet's hope just vanish. He would have enchanted the scroll itself to resist the water, or to surface, just in case." Winter looked doubtful, but hope was a powerful motivator. "If he enchanted it to surface, it could be anywhere. We'd waste too much time searching the water." "Not anywhere," Moon interrupted, opening her eyes. "If it's enchanted to surface, it's still floating. And the tide is coming in. Anything floating would be pushed toward the nearest land." She pointed down the beach, in the direction the current was moving. "We walk. We walk until we find it, or until we find a sign of the civilization this scroll describes. We have no other choice." Winter didn't hesitate this time. He didn't want to waste energy on an impossible search, but Moon's logic was sound. They had to try. "Kinkajou, scout ahead. Qibli, help Crystal. We move parallel to the ocean. We find that scroll." Crystal felt a surge of energy, not from recovery, but from the renewed focus. They were back to being a team, a desperate unit fighting against the world. She pushed herself forward, driven by the cold fear of the unstable fire on her wrist and the knowledge that the Queen's Crown was their only salvation. Chapter 32 They didn't hesitate. Finding the scroll had injected a vital burst of energy into the exhausted group. They immediately abandoned the exposed beach and plunged into the undergrowth, Winter hacking a path through the vines and thick, waxy leaves with his claws. Kinkajou zipped overhead, serving as the advance guard, while Moon followed Crystal, keeping her gaze focused on the strange, shielded presence Kinkajou had sensed. The air immediately thickened, turning heavy and humid. The jungle was loud—a chorus of clicks, chirps, and strange, high-pitched buzzes that set Crystal's antennae vibrating uncomfortably. They found a shallow recess beneath the roots of a massive tree, just deep enough for them to huddle together. Qibli unrolled the scroll, carefully unwrapping the damp oilcloth. The parchment itself, thanks to Turtle's probable magic, was dry. He skipped past the history and prophecy they already knew, searching for the geographical direction. "Here it is," Qibli announced, tapping the brittle paper with a claw. "The location of the Queen's Crown. It says the Crown was lost during the Scourge, hidden in the deepest, most secure vault of the SilkWing Royal family, located within the Wasp Hive defenses." Crystal frowned. "Wasp Hive? But this is a SilkWing scroll." "The history is messy," Winter grunted, glancing anxiously at the dark entrance to their root-cave. "The two tribes shared Pantala—before the Great Betrayal. It looks like the SilkWing royalty was based close to the primary Hive where the queen was supposed to be protected." Qibli continued reading. "The vault is protected by three sigils: The Flame, The Flight, and The Loom. The key to accessing the vault, and thus the Crown, is finding the Great Cocoon where the key was hidden before the Scourge." "So, Wasp Hive and a Great Cocoon," Crystal summarized, her mind spinning with the influx of new, crucial information.