Chapter 3
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Aegis found herself walking beside the group again. She had grappled up another tree, and padded across the canopy silently. Everyone had regrouped, and were headed back to camp from the looks of it. Milo occasionally glanced up at Aegis, but Shrimp kept his head down. The sun was beginning to set, and a calming orange glow spread across the sky. The trees suddenly ended abruptly, and the familiar clearing of her home was revealed. It was bigger than she remembered, and Aegis noticed that majority of the charred foliage was gone. Half of the dens were built up and bigger than before, along with three extras. " Smolder, can you go help Forge in the blacksmith? Patch and Snowfall can help Millie prepare our food." Milo was the first to speak, and the strangers nodded. They trotted away, looking uncomfortable, leaving Milo and Shrimp. " Aegis? You wanna join us to eat?" Milo looked skywards, watching Aegis settle down on the thick canopy. She shook her head shortly, turning to face the ocean. A large gaps of crushed trees was in the back of the camp, along with a pile of dust that looked like it had tried to be swept away. Milo sighed below her, and padded to the shoreline. " Ooh, Shrimp! Come help us! We could use an extra paw!" Snowfall trotted towards Shrimp happily, grabbing his shoulder and beginning to tow him away. Aegis could've sworn she looked back and glared.
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The sky was complete darkness except for the glow of distant stars and the crackle of a nearby fire. A strong burst of wind thrust itself through Aegis's wings, and she quickly regrouped them to her flank. The group was at the base of the tree she was perched on, all surrounding a controlled fire and eating happily. They had a decent pile of fish and a variety of vegetables mounded beside them as they joked gleefully. Forge and Shrimp were silent, though. Aegis nestled her limbs under her body, curling her wings around herself to block the wind. Her stomach growled in anger, as it had been for a while, but she ignored it. The aroma of cooking salmon swirled through the air, tempting her. " Aegis? You sure...?" Milo called up, and everyone glanced upwards. Aegis glared down for a moment, then rose to her feet. Milo's ears perked up for a moment, but soon folded down. Aegis turned and padded away, trotting across the canopy.