We had geared up for departure, this seemed like it was going to be a trek that was going to take over a week. I walked over to Bella. “Hey, the others are almost done packing up. Are you sure you will be fine?”

Bella nodded, “I will be fine.” I took her apart. Bella looked at me, “What is it?”

“How is my brother doing?”

Bella tilted her head, “What do you mean?”

“Stevie? That is his name, right?”

Bella sighed, “You are smart.”

“He is fine, but he has lost a lot of power. Alice was an accident, he has problems controlling his power.”

I smiled and nodded, “I am unsure, how he is my brother, and I think you will tell me more when the time is right. Thank you for sending him our way to help us grow stronger.” I gave her a kiss on her cheek. “You are a good friend. I wish we could bond more, you seem like an interesting person with some great details. Why are you blushing? That was just for being friends.”

Bella nodded, “I know, but it feels good to have such a good friend. I am placing my faith in you, Steve.”

I gave her a thumbs up, “Secret agent S will not disappoint you and clear this mission! You just need to fix up that beautiful airship.”

Bella giggled and fluttered her wings, “You are a funny guy. Lory, can I call her that?”

“Just Lorraine is fine.”

She nodded, “Lorraine is a lucky woman. Give her all that you have to offer, you both deserve that.” She grabbed something out of her pocket, “This is a tiny flare gun, if you shoot it in the sky when you need me. Then I will make haste and fly there, if possible, in the ship. Otherwise, I will use my wings.”

I nodded, “Thank you. I am going to ask you something uncomfortable, if you would rather not answer, please let me know.” She nodded. “Are you an angel?”

Bella smirked, “Am I an angel?” She sighed, “Yes, I am an angel, but please keep that between us.”

I nodded, “I will, I am wondering, do you know an angel that goes by the name Ruby?”

Bella gasped, “What, why do you ask!?”

“Oh, I am taking that as a yes, Lory met her once.”

Bella let out a sigh of relief, “Oh, yeah, Ruby is just like me, a traveler.”

I nodded, “Lory told me in private about Ruby, the angel she met when she was younger. She spoke about Micheal, him blowing up planets, and people. Is Micheal really that dangerous, and was he truly in love with Alice?”

Bella sighed, “You are poking around in dangerous territory, Steve.”

“Oh, if this is making you uncomfortable, I can stop.”

Bella sighed, “You have a right to know what you are up against. Yes, Micheal was in love with Alice. Yes, he kills people, brutally, might I add? The people he has around them, they all die in the end. You can better hope the Grand Council has your side. He is gone, Steve. I took care of that. And Micheal’s last wish was for me to take care of you. I am not willing to say more about this subject.”

“Thank you, Bella, this is going to help us a lot.” I offered her a hug.

She hugged me, “Be careful on your trip, Steve.”

“Thanks, Bella, I will, do not venture too far into the woods, monsters lurk there.” I backed off and gave her a warm smile. Then I walked back to the camp, some of it had not been packed up, Bella needed to rest here.

Lory walked over to me, “Is Bella going to be alright?”

“Yeah, she told me some personal stuff, we had a great heart-to-heart. Are we ready to venture into the woods?”

Haley nodded, “I am ready, my energy has been replenished, I am geared up, got my weapons, I have nightmares about octopuses, yeah, everything seems to be in order.”

I sighed, “I agree with that octopus thing.”

“Lory?”

“Yeah, I am ready to go, my love.”

“Funk?”

“Yeah, I’ve got everything I need and more.”

“Abby?”

She smiled, “Mimic and I are ready to tag along.”

“Great, Bella is going to work on the ship, let’s move out.” I took the lead and started walking through the forest, away from our safe camp site. A great adventure awaits in this sky land. Oh crap, I never asked Bella the name of this sky island.

Lory looked around while taking my hand, “Into this forest, we go, describe it for me please.”

Abby sighed, “Please, Lory, why do you encourage him?”

Funk laughed, “Go right ahead Steve, tell us, what kind of forest is this!?”

“The forest is humble, dark, and archaic. Its canopy is filled with trees that resemble spruce, sycamore, and scattered with dark magnolia trees, it seems there is still plenty of light passed through their crowns for vibrant herbs to use the branch and twig laden ground below. Swooping branches are grasping most of the trees, and a hodgepodge of flowers, are claiming remnants of light, enriching the otherwise amber scenery. A medley of animal sounds, most of which are foraging animals we saw near the camp site, echo in the air, and are being backed by the occasional sounds of larger animals in the distance, most likely creatures we are going to have to face if we continue this road that slightly resembled a path once.”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Abby grunted, “Yes we get it, trees, more trees and a few herbs.”

Haley chuckled, “I loved the explanation, dad, you used some pretty words in there. I have to admit, these trees look a bit different from the ones I know, She ran over to one of the magnolia like trees.”

Funk and I followed her, Haley grabbed one of the leaves and pulled it off. “Why is it not pink dad, this is a magnolia, right?”

I looked at the leaf as Lory and Abby came closer. “Give me a second,” I grabbed a book out of my inventory. “This is an evergreen nightshade tree. It says here, it used to be some kind of Magnolia until it was exposed to an overdose of life force.”

Haley smiled, “Thanks dad, can I keep the flower?”

“Yes, no worries, it is not poisonous”

Abby looked at me, “She really likes it, if you describe things to her like that?”

I nodded, “I have been doing it since she was a baby.”

Lory chuckled, “He really did, not like she knew what he was saying.”

Haley smiled, “I remember some of those things.”

Funk sighed, “This is fun and all, getting to know a new tree, but we should move on.”

I looked at Funk, “That seems like a good idea.” We went back to the road and started walking. “Hey Funk?”

“Yes?”

“Do you know, you are a bit pushy sometimes?”

“What do you mean, me being pushy?”

I chuckled, “You know what I mean, you just keep pushing on, taking charge, and I am fine with it.” I gave him a bump on his shoulder, “You are a good friend, but damn, you are looking green.”

Funk chuckled, “I guess I am green, and a bit pushy. You are right, I do feel the need to be in need to be in charge, it might be a flaw. It is because of how I have been raised.”

“Oh, is it bad Funk?” He nodded. “Well, would you like to talk about it? At least, if you think we are good enough friends for that.”

Funk smiled as we slowed down a bit to create distance from the others. “Alright, Steve, you know I am a bit old.”

“Yeah, like three times my age.”

Funk laughed, “Yeah, but technically speaking, we are on the same wavelength, if you age like a normal human.”

I chuckled, “I walk like a duck, I quack like a duck, then I must be a duck, right?”

Funk smiled, “A duck with other racial powers.” Funk sighed deeply, “I used to have a sister. We were very close.”

I shed a tear, “I see where this is going, continue.”

Funk nodded, “My dad was not very nice to us. Especially not after my mom passed away. He beat me up every day. When he wanted to take it out on my sister, I always stood up and took the blows myself. Eventually, I had enough of it, I took my sister, and we ran away. This was before the void swept over the lands. We traveled through the desert to reach Boluga. The desert trip was not a nice one. In Boluga, we stole a flyer, A man tried to stop me, that was my first kill. It was an accident, but we needed to get away. I flew the flyer to a lake, where it crashed. From the materials nearby, we made a little hut and lived there for a few years. I always checked the perimeter, kept watch, to make sure she was safe.”

“What I did not know at the time is that this lake is connected to the ocean. You could sail over it and get to the big ocean. One night, I had been working very hard, gathering wood, finding meat, and other things. Everything seemed to be safe, it had been for years. After tucking in my sister, Assa was her name. I sat down on a comfy chair I had found somewhere. It required great effort to clean up. Despite normally being able to stay awake, and take naps during the day. I fell asleep.” Funk sighed, “Just one time and I get screwed.”

“What happened?”

“I got woken up by a pirate who stormed into our house. Before I could even grab a weapon, he had knocked me down and kicked me a few times. It seemed to be the captain from the attire he was wearing. Don’t get me wrong, I still don’t hate pirates, it is not what something is that makes someone evil.”

“I understand what you are saying”

“The last thing I heard before blacking out was my sister screaming in horror. When I woke up, she had been, let’s keep it at, killed and skinned.” He stopped walking and started crying, he can actually cry.

I hugged him, “It is alright, Funk. Bad shit just happens to good people. You could not have seen those pirates coming.”

Funk grabbed me tight, “I have never told anyone this before. You are a good friend, Steve.”

“Thanks, it means a lot to me that you share this story with me. What happened after that?”

Funk let me go and sighed, “I went home. There I met Rachel, my dad was furious, but things were never the same. He stopped beating me up, but he blamed me for her death, just like my mom’s death.”

I looked Funk in his eyes, “Hey, it is not your fault. Bad shit just happens, alright? If you need me, I am here for you.”

Haley called out, “Hey slowpokes, are you coming? I think there is some kind of creature ahead of us.”

I looked at Funk, “Are you good to go?”

He nodded, “Thanks for listening, Steve.”

I smiled, “You are welcome, now, let’s go see what that creature is!” He nodded and then we started walking towards Haley.