[PQ] Into the Woods Without Delay

Should Jigano try and follow Caiside, through a bush the fox will find the trail...empty.

Coding base by Sky!

Caiside, no! the raven called, flapping higher into the trees to try and keep both fox and stag in sight as they went their separate ways. It's a trap! He heard nothing, saw nothing, but his friend suddenly veered to the side and Jigano ground his beak in frustration as he abandoned keeping an eye on Ianto in order to follow his guildmate who had gone inexplicably crazy. He turned on a wingtip dodging around a tree to follow Caiside over a bush-

And flapped to a momentary halt as the forest stretched out around him, empty and suddenly silent, as if the pounding hooves of the mighty deer had never been.

Gods least fortunate! the raven swore viciously, immediately stretching his wings and arrowing like a shot up, up through the canopy and into the open sky above, then higher still until his lungs burned and the forest spread out below him once more. He angled until he was soaring beneath a puffy white cloud, white feathers blending with the floating cotton puff far above and wings held nearly immobile. He'd lost Amalia and now Caiside as well! And the fox was away and long gone, whether traitor or no. He was the only one who could tell them what was going on, and aside from a few hints dropped about how to navigate the forest they had been left with nothing.

Kiada, at least, was safely away. She would bring help... wouldn't she? But he'd lost his chance to follow Amalia, and somehow lost Caiside entirely. He circled slowly, feeling the wind stroke his feathers as he looked below and croaked softly to himself in his distress. To follow Kiada back to the Settlement - to Rory - and get help, or to try and find his way after his lost friends?

The thought of blue eyes wide with disbelief and worry - with anger - when he tried to explain that he had lost their heartsister and then abandoned her decided him. With grim determination he angled his wings and aimed for the distant break in the trees that he had thought marked the river. It was a place to start, at least, and perhaps if he stayed above the trees they wouldn't be able to lead him astray as they had when he had been on the ground.

The river, like the woods, plays tricks. No matter how Jigano flies, what horizon he sets his eyes on, the river seems unchanging and most of all, it leads nowhere.