Stern Warnings
Owl’s Creek - Wyoming
Perrine grabbed a bag of oats from the wagon and fed Luna, the horse munching contentedly as Peekaboo scampered around, finally climbing up Perrine and using his arm as a bridge to settle down and rest on Luna’s back.
Whisp, the barn owl, woke from his nap and took off, flying up to a secure perch in one of the bizarre trees. He would prepare for his guard duty, his sharp eyes equipped for the coming night scanning the surroundings from above.
Perrine set up a small single-person tent, a decoy he always used in dangerous situations. He had no intention of sleeping in it. Instead, it served as a distraction for any potential threats. He turned to Sophia, while beginning the process.
"Coould yoo git sum firevood?" Perrine asked. "Vut... bee carefool. Doon't tuch vlants that... gwow worange spoots, they boorn . Doon't go near watr if it... boobblez. Watk oot for trees wit... red barc, thay znare. If yoo hear a... low hum, moov awey quic fro groun. An' never follow danglin litez... that floot n air up inzo treez." His warnings were stern, because he wasn’t going to be holding her hand through it. There were more dangers than that; however, based on their location those were the only immediate concerns.
Perrine then moved to the wagon and began preparing his sleeping arrangement. Beneath the wagon, he had engineered a hammock, hidden from view. It was his preferred sleeping spot when danger was afoot. He carefully set it up, making sure it was secure. The false compartment beneath the hammock held a machete, a loaded rifle (which he fortunately had never had to use), and a metal baseball bat with a dent in the barrel—tools for defense if necessary.
Gabriel, the crow, flew down and landed near Perrine, cawing softly. Perrine listened intently as Gabriel relayed a warning: there was a man flying in the air not too far off. Perrine nodded, appreciating the crow's surveillance.
"Thanks, Gabriel," Perrine cawed in return in a mix of crow sounds. "Keep watch. Stay safe."
Gabriel cawed in acknowledgment and flew off with his murder of crows to continue their surveillance. Perrine knew he could trust them to keep an eye on the skies and warn him of any approaching threats. And just to be on the safe side, he asked one of the crows to tail Sophia and get in her face, as a deterrent, if she mishandled the environment and was about to put herself in harms way.
When she would return he would warn her about the no doubt Telekinetic individual. This was worrisome, for those type of gifted were highly dangerous. He had once witnessed one from a distance and based in what he observed, it made him take a ten mile detour to avoid them.
Luna broke his trip down memory lane as she whinnied that there was the sound of an approaching vehicle. Perrine frowned and could only hope that they decided to pass by the rupture node of Owl Creek and were just on their way to the town of Sheridan.