King Bird

Six days have passed since the camp has been set up at the pond.

The groups took their jobs seriously, so they managed to get sizable loot. This eased up pressure on everyone including Daniel. But someone's appetite is big to be satisfied with this.

"Did you find it?" Johnny asked Daniel who had just come back from scouting.

"No! There is no sign of King Bird whatsoever!" Daniel shook his head breaking all the expectations.

Johnny deflated into his seat after hearing that.

"Are you still planning to continue the hunt? You should know, it's been a week and everyone is tired. If we push them any longer then it would be counterproductive." Arthur is the first to raise an objection before Johnny could say anything.

Johnny also doesn't want to push the people to their limits. But he never expected finding the Kingbird would be so difficult.

If he were to return like this, then he would be staring at a loss instead of profit. So Johnny is in dilemma right now.

"Daniel! Do you also think we should leave?" Johnny wanted Daniels's opinion to decide on this matter.

Although he is asking for an opinion it is basically a cry for help. And Daniel could hear it.

Daniel thought for a moment and said, "Although we managed to secure enough loot for everyone, it's better to have more than less."

Johnny picked on this line immediately, "Yes! Better safe than sorry! We never know what is in front of us. Even if the need arises in the near future, it is unlikely for us to gather again. So how about we extend the hunt for just another two days Arthur."

Arthur also fell into a dilemma now. If he were to exit now and god forbid. If they were to face meat shortage at a crucial juncture then he can't forgive himself.

Thinking of repercussions Arthur agreed to cooperate for another two days.

After Arthur left the tent Johnny turned to Daniel, "Thank you for your support just now."

"No need for that! He would have stayed to the end even if I didn't say anything." Daniel replied with a calm face.

Next Johnny turned serious, "Daniel! Do you think we can find the Kingbird in the next two days?"

Daniel thought for a moment and said, "Well! There are still some areas where I haven't reached yet. Tomorrow I will rush to explore all those areas. But I can't guarantee anything."

Johnny nodded his head, "That's enough! Just do your best. If you manage to find it then I will definitely give you your share of the loot without hesitation."

Later Johnny and Daniel had a discussion on cultivation before suspending the meeting.

Just after returning to the tent, Lloyd and Bell came to visit him.

Daniel sends them away after giving them the plans for tomorrow.

Because of Daniels's good leadership, the people in the scout team suffered the least of all.

By picking the right routes and investing in scheduled breaks Daniel managed to keep the members of his group in spirit.

Now that the end of the hunt is near Daniel planned to push them for the last stretch.

With some people patrolling the perimeter the night went peacefully.

The next morning Daniel urged everyone to pick up their pace as he planned to visit most of the remaining places today itself.

As time passed the scout team explored the unvisited places one by one.

By afternoon they managed to place a mark on three places.

"There are still five places remaining." Daniel is looking at the map during lunch break.

This is troubling because the remaining time is not enough for them to visit all the places on the map.

"Should we divide into two groups?" Bell asked Daniel who is in deep thought.

Daniel also could not think of a better solution so he agreed, "I also think dividing into two groups is our best bet."

Then Daniel called everyone closer and said, "Alright! Time is short as you know it. So we will divide into two groups and search separately to complete the job today itself. I don't want anyone throwing tantrums this time. Otherwise, I will shave off your share of the loot."

Without hearing their useless suggestions Daniel pushed Bell, Williams, and Watson into one group.

"Bell! You take the two and explore the places nearest to here. I will personally check the Waterfall and Mud swamp at the back. If you find any danger in the way then try and avoid it." Daniel pointed to three places on the map for Bell to remember.

After memorizing the general outline of the map Bell took the other two members and left for scouting.

"Let's go!" Daniel called Lloyd to follow him.

It took him some time to find the swamp marked on the map.

Here he failed to find any traces of King Bird but he found different kinds of plants that are showing some unusual characteristics.

Daniel found one plant very attractive. It is a meter height violet color florescent plant that is showing some response to their arrival. So he told Lloyd to keep watch while he went ahead plucked the plant with help of fallen leaves nearby.

Securely placing the plant in a wooden box he is carrying Daniel called Lloyd to leave the swamp and look for the waterfall.

The search continued for two hours before Daniel narrowed in on its position by listening to the noise of the waterfall.

Rising clouds formed by bashing water, crystal clear water, and sweet smell in the atmosphere brought sensual pleasure to both of them.

"Let's take a dip!" Lloyd wanted to take a bath here but he is clamped by a strong hand immediately.

"Do you want to die? We don't know what dangers are lurking there. Also, our first priority is to find.." Daniel who is warning Lloyd suddenly stopped in the middle.

"What?" Lloyd got a question mark above his head.

Daniel did not say anything he simply clamped Lloyd's mouth and dragged him behind the bushes.

After Lloyd struggled out Daniels's hand, he wanted to voice his objections but he swallowed his word back after seeing a warning signal in Daniels's eyes.

Daniel shut Lloyd from making any noise then started observing the other side of the waterfall. With his keen perception, he did not miss any kind of movement.

Lloyd also looked in that direction to see why Daniel is acting so cautiously.

It did take long before a movement is seen on the other side.

A colorful bird which is bigger than a peacock and smaller than an ostrich slowly exited the bushes while keeping its alert for predators.

'Is this King Bird? No! It's not! It's too short in size' Daniel denied this thought in his heart while observing every action of the bird.

Getting out of the bushes the bird slowly tried to approach the waterfall.

Just as it neared its destination, a big fish jumped out of the water to catch the bird.

The bird easily dodged the fish and ran away into the bushes like a gust of wind.

Daniel who is observing everything suddenly had a thought in his mind.

"What do we do?" Lloyd who is silent all this time asked Daniel.

"Let's follow the traces left by the bird to find its nest." Daniel dusted off his robes and called Lloyd to follow the bird.

Circling around the waterfall Daniel managed to find traces of birds and also other wild animals. Obviously, this water source is not claimed by only one animal species.

'Luckily I didn't meet any monster.' Daniel felt lifted for not having to work hard on running.

Jumping above the rocks, navigating through bushes, and dodging the wild animal Daniel followed the traces for a long time.

Finally, after such hard work, Daniel found the nest he is looking for.

"Daniel! Look! It's the Kingbird! It's the Kingbird!" Lloyd had to work hard to keep his voice down because of excitement.

"Yes! It is!" Daniel also felt a little relieved after seeing the result in front of him.

Just as both were talking in low voices, the Kingbird suddenly stood up and started looking in their direction.

Thankfully they are hiding behind the thick bushes otherwise things could have gone wrong in many ways.

Both Daniel and Lloyd shut their breath immediately. After a few minutes, the Kingbird relaxed his vigilance and went back to its big nest.

Only then Daniel and Lloyd backed away slowly without making any noise.

"Should we hunt it?" Lloyd asked Daniel after reaching a safe place.

"No! Its speed is too high! We will never be able to catch it! Even if you do catch it, how do you intend to take it back covering all other's eyes." Daniel looked at Lloyd as an Idiot.

"Sorry! I am just too excited!" Daniel also smacked his head for his stupidity.

"Let's return to the camp after circling the area once." Daniel took Lloyd around the perimeter to get a general idea of the surroundings.

Successfully completing the check, both turned back to camp.

The campfire was already lit when they returned to the camp.

Assuring the Bell who is waiting for them Daniel went straight to meet Johnny.

After a few moments, a loud shout reverberated in the entire camp, "What! You found the King Bird!"