The Big Dipper

The Internship: Part Two

"Wha — what's going on?" said Joel, as he and the other interns stumbled into the sitting room in their pajamas, still half asleep, as they heard the bells clang loudly.

"An attack!" said Isabella with a gasp.

"They were right about the bells," grumbled Apollo. "I can certainly hear them."

"Come on," said Ursula, putting on her boots and jacket over her pajamas. The others quickly did the same, grabbing their wands and heading out the door.

"What's happening?" asked Joel, stopping the first ornithologist they came across. Thunder rumbled overhead as rain poured down on them.

"Attack on the barn and the pastures," said Brody Clark, panting. "Large group of poachers, maybe six to ten. Lots of birds missing, likely fled into the woods. Go find McKnight by the trailhead. I've got to go."

He ran off as someone called his name. The interns ran through the rain, mud splashing their legs, until they reached Emerson McKnight, who was working with other ornithologists to secure the hatchlings and move them towards the second barn.

"Take this!" shouted Emerson, passing flashlights to each of them. A flash of lightning illuminated the chaos for a moment, followed by a massive boom. "The attack was on the barn! We have people chasing down the poachers and birds they took so we need you to look in the woods for birds who may have run off!"

"Shoot up red sparks if you're in trouble!" added another ornithologist, nearly unintelligible in the rain. "You three, go left, and you three, go right!"

"Stay out of danger!" shouted Emerson. "You're just looking for birds who may have escaped! Don't go far!"

Still a bit stunned, the interns split into their directed groups and headed out, with Ursula, Apollo, and Olivia heading left and Joel, Isabella, and Alex heading right. It was all very sudden and frightening, as they stomped through the woods doing their best to stick to the familiar path that they had been hiking for the last three weeks.

The yelling and the bells faded away as they trekked through the wilderness, the rain drumming on the forest floor drowning out all other sounds save for the occasional boom of thunder that succeeded a crackle of lightning, which always caused the interns to jump. They pointed their Muggle flashlights at the low lying brush, watching their footing and looking out for any thunderbirds who may have wandered off.

"Look!" shouted Olivia. She pointed her flashlight down the side of a rocky slope into a ditch, where two thunderbirds were huddled tightly together. The male one cawed angrily at them.

"It's Chris and Cat," said Ursula. "They look alright."

"We'll leave them there, right?" said Apollo. "Since this is their home, they aren't lost?"

They decided that was best and kept going. They found two single male thunderbirds huddled together in one nest for protection, and were able to get near enough to perform a checkup and make sure they were okay. Since Hector and Ramone lived in the wild normally, just like Chris and Cat, the interns decided to leave them there.

The hike was strenuous in good weather, but frightening and treacherous in bad. They walked far slower and closer together than they would have normally, since the rocks were slippery and the ground littered with tripping hazards. It was hard to keep to the familiar path in the dark, and all too easily they found themselves veering off in the wrong direction.

"We're officially lost," said Olivia. The rain had died down to a light patter, but they were far away from the sanctuary now and the sky was pitch black, the stars obscured by clouds. The moon had been full the night before, and Ursula wished one of the heavy clouds would part and give them light beyond their flashlights and wands.