Ch. 35 Debate

Peter started freaking out, which caused Windson to raise an eyebrow and study what was causing peter trouble. Peter pointed at some indents in the ground, and Windson picked up on it. Smiling, he walked over to check them out. Looking back at Peter, he decided to ask. "So, what kind of animal is it?"

Getting low to the ground to look at the prints better, Peter looked around for something else. "If it's what I think it is, then there should be...Aha!"

Picking up a small colorful feather, he grins from ear to ear. "It's a giant Humming Lilly bird! If we could take a second to look for this creature, I think it would be a great asset to us!"

Windson turns his head slightly. "Why would something like that help us?"

Puffing his chest out and pointing a finger up, Peter begins to explain the varied uses of the creature. "First off, their feathers are precious, second if their bones are used in a broth, it's said to increase sight and health, and finally," Peter smiles and looks away. "I've always wanted to see one in person."

Windson stood up and laughed, patting Peter on the back. "Very well, lets head back and convince the group. I'll help you out."

***

Kaz was patiently watching the fish and waiting to grab them. About half an hour passed before he realized how futile that was. Kaz then realized something and felt stupid for not realizing it sooner. He had a trap making skill which could probably transfer into making fish traps. Looking around for anything that could be used to create a trap, Kaz was able to put together some shoddy cage and waited for the fish to come. After a few minutes, his trap worked, and he had a few fish for dinner.

***

"every time you cook something, it always smells so good. What's your secret, Perish?" Sarah asked while helping her cut up some herbs. She was in a good mood chopping away and enjoying the sound of nature around them. Perish was humming to herself as she uniquely cut a specific herb.

Looking up, she stops and smiles. "The herb I am cutting now gives off an excellent fragrance when cut with the grain. It will produce a sweet fruity smell that's faint but grows when put in a broth.

Giggling to herself, Sarah takes a deep breath and sighs in relief. "You know so much, Perish, how did you become so smart?" Looking Perish up and down, she sighs again. "You've got everything. Looks, a brain, and unrivaled combat abilities. I wish I were more like you."

Perish laughs to herself and looks back at Sarah, eying her chest and hips. Sarah was nothing to ignore. She was not the most voluptuous, but she had some curves to her, and her facial features were charming. Her small nose and large eyes always gave her the appearance of someone innocent. Perish always thought Sarah was a reasonably attractive woman and wondered why she did not seek out a mate. She was 18, after all. "Sarah, don't count yourself so short. You are cute and are learning to become stronger. That takes a lot of determination and practice. You don't give up easily, and you aren't stupid by any means."

Blushing, Sarah continues cutting up the herbs she has and continues to think to herself. Peter and Windson returned from gathering wood and began setting up the fire pit. Peter looked nervous but excited at the same time. Perish noticed that Windson was also smiling. She was glad they were not at each other's throats.

Kaz returned from the river with plenty of fish in tow. Peter and Windson watched him as he smiled with a crate full of fish. Windson winked at Peter, who took a deep breath and prepared himself. Walking up to Kaz, Peter cleared his throat. "So uh, good haul today?"

Kaz grins and pats the crate. "A great haul. I managed to get plenty for everyone!" Kaz continued to the center of the camp and began pulling some out. He grabs some sticks and starts setting up the fishes for the fire pit. Windson finished setting the pit up and eyed Peter, who was nervously twiddling his thumbs. Windson cleared his throat loudly, which made Peter jump a little.

Quickly waddling over to Kaz, he tries again. "I was uh wondering if maybe we could go hunting."

Kaz looks at him, confused, and points at the fish. "But we already have fish, do you not like fish, Peter?"

Peter waved his hands around and laughed, kind of awkwardly. "No, I like to fish. It's just I saw something interesting in the woods while gathering wood, and I wanted to go hunting for it."

Kaz looked a little interested. He looked over at Perish and Sarah, who was watching them talk now—concerned with Peter's strange behavior. Peter rubbed the back of his head and chuckled a little. "I found the tracks of a rare bird that I have heard enhances vision and health when ingested in a broth form. I was hoping we could track it down and test it out."

Kaz, all of a sudden, started disliking the idea of wasting time on something unnecessary. He took a deep breath and tried to find the right words to tell him no, but Perish interrupted them. "You know we don't need to kill more than we need, right?" Perish looked at Peter with a little sharpness in her eyes. Peter looked away, uncomfortable, and spoke up. "The feathers are worth a fortune if we sell them to collectors."

Perish spoke up even louder this time and a little angrier. "How can you look at a living creature and think only of the value of its parts? All living creatures deserve some kind of respect, even the ones who can't stand up for themselves."

Kaz had heard this kind of speech in his world a lot, and it was honestly annoying to him. He tuned out the second part but agreed with the first part. "Peter, we don't have time to go on a wild goose chase for a rare bird. I know you wanted to, but we have priorities right now."

Windson chimes in and tries to break up the debate. "What if Peter and I went out tonight to search for the bird, and you guys stayed here? If we don't find it by morning, we just leave it as is."

Kaz thought about it for a moment, but Perish did not need any time before she continued her thought. "Time is not the problem here. You're talking about hunting something for the sport of it!" Peter backed down and felt guilty for even mentioning the idea, but Windson was not so easily beaten. He smiled and shook his head. "We're not hunting for a good time. We are hunting for a purpose. If this broth does improve eyesight, then it will help all of us in the long run. Plus, the feathers can be sold to earn us more of the materials we need in the long run. I don't see how this is such a problem."

Sarah finally gives her two cents, and it makes Peter's heart sink. "If it's feathers are worth so much, that means it has to be pretty, right? I don't think we should kill pretty things just because of some potential gains."

Windson went to continue, but Peter stopped him there with a hand on his back. "Alright then, we won't go after the bird then." Windson could see the sadness in Peter's eyes and wanted to keep going but knew that it would not do any good for any of them.

Sitting down, Windson shook his head. "Very well." Kaz began cooking up some of the fish and preparing the rest to be dried for future consumption. The rest of the day went by pretty peacefully as they ate and went to bed. Windson and Peter took the first watch. Peter was kicking the stones around as he sat there, and Windson was watching him more than the woods. "You know we could still go after that bird right now if you wanted to," Windson whispered to Peter, who looked surprised.

Twiddling his thumbs, Peter made a slight gulp. "It's okay, Windson. They said no, already."

Windson grinned and tilted his head. "So, you are going to do everything they tell you?"

Looking back up at Windson, Peter looked a little upset. "It's not about doing or not doing something. It's about listening to your friends and not lying to them. We promised we would not do it, so that is the end of it."

Continuing to grin, Windson moved over to Peter and nudged him with his arm. "Oh come on, you're curiosity has to be eating away at you. Don't you at least want to see the creature?"

Windson was right. Peter did want to see the creature with his own eyes, even if just to study for a small bit. Looking over at his friends who were sleeping peacefully, he gave Windson a questioning look. "What about the rest of the group? If we leave now, they will be defenseless."

Waving his worries away, Windson pointed to Kaz. "Don't worry. I have that covered."