“I think I’ll call her Swoop,” Will said.

“Bit weird, but with you I think it fits.” Before Will could take that as an insult she added. “Well, go on. Make sure she knows.”

Without any argument, Will craned his neck around to better see the birds face. She turned and looked at him fondly. He cleared his throat as if what he said next was somehow terribly formal. “My name is Will.” He gave a short nod as beside him Bet released a small giggle. He decided to just ignore it. “Your name is… at least, I’m deciding to call you…if you like it… Swoop.”

Swoop fluttered her wings several times, released a loud crow-like cackle, and again leaned in to brush it’s head against Wills.

“Huh, that’s actually sweet.” Bet said sounding surprised.

“What’s sweet?” The two of them were interrupted by Ezra. “And why’s your Cakrit making noise?”

“Her name’s Swoop,” Bet said. “He just named it. That was her reaction.”

“Just Swoop right? To go along with Just Will?” Ezra said.

Will decided to ignore him.

“Well, get up you two. I’ve walked around the whole portal and there’s no way in. We’d have to warp or fly in, and seeing how both those options are pretty much out of the question. We are completely out of luck.”

Will watched as Bet’s face drooped. She seemed both saddened and relieved to hear the news.

“What are you guy’s looking for?”

“Murden,” Ezra said.

“Why. You said he woulda killed me.”

“And I completely meant it. He does whatever it takes to get what he wants.”

“What does he want?” Will said.

“There’s no point in getting into it. We have a job to do.” He flipped his hand toward Bet as she began to stand and rebuckle her backpack. “We’re going to do it, and we’re doing it alone,” he said. “You’re not telling us everything. Why should we tell you? We’ve decided to help you. You should be thankful for that. Now, get up, get whatever you have, and let’s go.”

Bet was obeying and securing her backpack to her shoulders.

“Now?” Will said. “Shouldn’t we sleep or something?”

“Not here, not now. You can sleep if you want, but we’re moving.” After he finished his statement, he turned and began to walk away. Bet jogged a few steps and fell in behind him at a steady pace. Will stood frozen, but Swoop let out another cackle and his legs jumped into motion to catch up.

After about an hour it was abundantly clear that Will was no longer in Alabama. In fact, he really doubted he was still in the same world as he’d come to know.   Everything was in some way different, and it became more clear the more things they passed.

What do the trees look like?

Tall and slender with a fresh, clean smell

Short and squatty with branches that intertwine

Each tree is covered in strange colored moss

This Poll is Closed

What does the grass look like?

Stiff, with a strange crunch to it

Very bendy and springy

Brown and dead-looking with small tufts of seeds on the tops

This Poll is Closed

What does the moon look like?

It’s blue

It’s yellow

It’s black

This Poll is Closed

What sort of animal sounds does he hear?

Strange bird calls

Howling in the distance

Round croaking like frogs by a pond

This Poll is Closed

How warm is it?

It’s warm, like a summer night with a cool, refreshing breeze

It’s cooler than spring in Alabama

It’s actually pretty much the same

This Poll is Closed