The day was dawning and I was feeling a bit sick as the drive had become more and more bumpy. The cars stopped to my relief and Apricorn carried the crying baby Lutz out of the caravan as well.
After walking around for a while and breathing in the fresh air, the motion sickness was dispelled. All the other people from the other cars also came down. Someone dug a pit for us all to go to the toilet.
"What are we going to do when we run out of toilet paper?" somebody muttered and everyone exchanged glances.
"Director Worth plans to air drop supplies to us every now and then," Shigure reassured everyone. "Don't worry. Kim, come here. Let's update the Director on our current location."
Shigure took a picture of the map and highlighted our estimated current position on it to Director Worth. We were some distance beyond the place where we had picked up the sleeping Desert Father last time. I wondered where he was now. Whether he had returned to his own territory by himself or whether he was still in the Tangled Mountains with the Forest Mother.
Combining our powers in order to send the message, Shigure had then called for everyone to grab a bite to eat for breakfast. The two of us leaned against each other to rest. Director Worth and the city were really very far away. It went to show that if it weren't for the guardian giants in our area, there was no way for the two of us to have reached across the sea with our weakened combined powers back then. Even with Chad's power boost, it would only have been sufficient to defend our city and its vicinity.
It would have been easy for our overseas enemies to have regrouped and then attacked again. By then, Shigure and I would have been spent. Next time we sent a message, we might need Homeward's help as well.
Shigure listened to my rambling thoughts and agreed. A moment later though, he had fallen asleep.
When Sarsen came over to give us breakfast, I had put a finger to my lips and pointed at Shigure to let Sarsen know the man was sleeping. Sarsen had nodded his understanding and left the food where I could reach, going back to let everyone know that our leader had fallen asleep out of exhaustion.
Shigure must have been really busy these last few days. He was probably carrying a lot of worries on his own. There were big black bags under his eyes and the drawn pale skin reminded me of when he had almost died in that hall of prisoners of war. I had to get better and be able to walk sooner so that I could help him more and he didn't have to carry so many things on his own. I couldn't let him get too worn out.
All the drivers ended up taking a break and having a nap until the air began warming up into the baking desert heat. People were beginning to stir and use the toilet hole one more time when the shadow of big wings circled over us.
Homeward was the first to try and communicate with the bird. When that failed, he used his new fledgling mental ability to call me for help.
I opened a door for him into my mind and then attempted to establish a channel of communication with the big bird of prey.
*"Intruders! Egg stealers! Nest breakers! Go away!"*
Homeward replied through me, using images to get the meaning through.
*"We are just passing through. We don't want your nest. We don't want your nest. Just passing through. Please allow us to cross through your territory."*
*"Liars! False beasts! Go away!"* the huge bird screeched at us.
*"Peace,"* I called to the bird, using a word of power. *"We come in peace and pass by in peace. We look straight ahead. No where else.*
The bird fell silent and hovered for a moment.
Homeward sent an expression of our intent in emotions and pictures, along with a comforting wave of reassurance that we didn't know and didn't care where its nest was.
Shigure stirred, rubbing his face and head. He looked up at the big circling bird.
"Don't worry," I smiled, patting him on the shoulder, helping him up from where he had been leaning on me. "Homeward and I have got this."
Still, Shigure peered into my mind to see what had happened and nodded.
"*Watching,"* the bird circled and cried, still with suspicion. Less suspicion than before, but it definitely didn't trust us. It was going to fly us through to the other side of its territory. *"Hurry. Go. I'm watching. Go away, nest thieves."*
Standing up and stretching, Shigure called everyone through the mental chat group to get back in our vehicles.
*"Does anyone want me to send them to sleep so you won't feel so motion sick?"* he asked.
Most people declined the offer, but Apricorn asked Shigure to help send her and the baby to sleep. Shigure felt it safest that he send me to sleep too, if Apricorn wouldn't be awake to keep an eye on me. I protested. I wasn't some impulsive little kid anymore.
Shigure had just raised his eyebrows and continued to look at me and my broken legs.
I had nothing to say to refute him.
"Then let me sit in the car," I said. "I can help look at the map or make conversation to help people awake."
"I have Sarsen and Di for that," Shigure told me solemnly.
"But I want to help too," I sighed. I didn't whine. I was not the whining type. I was not a child. My brain damage had been healed now.
"The best way you can help me is to conserve your energy," Shigure said with a frown, "and not get sick. So that if there is an emergency, at least you will be fresh and ready to help out. You're my emergency back up plan, Uki-chan."
"Oh, alright," I grumbled, allowing him to lay me down on the bed, tuck him in and poke me to sleep with a finger between my brows.