il's POV  (Because the author got REALLY tired of writing ilbarker)

"Well, we need to get you back to Becca. We need to regroup for fighting Herobri----"

The butt of an axe hit the back of her head really hard, and she fell forward.

"KIT!"  I whispered loudly.

Her eyes fluttered and then closed as she lost consciousness.

I look back over to the bacca guards to see...one of them...not...there....

Ugh, I wish I had been paying attention to them better!  Dang it, sleep, being needed and necessary and stuff....

The bacca guard picked Kit up.  "Who is this?"

"Uhh...she's my friend.  Well, one of them.  She was coming to rescue me and stuff...but, uh, that was before all THIS happened...."

The guard looked skeptical, but he looked up at the sky and sighed.  "It's too late, early, whatever as it is.  The chief needs his sleep.  We'll deal with this then."

He put Kit down and went to grab something before coming back.

"Wait, dude, seriously?!  She is anything BUT dangerous!"

He shrugged and wrapped Kit's wings around her torso before tying her up the same way as me.  "Well, I'm not risking the entire tribe on the word of someone who killed 24, now 25, of our people.  I'd kill you myself, to be honest, buuut the chief doesn't want that, so I shan't...for the time being."  He finished as he lay her against the same tree as me.

"Geez, I feel so~ lucky...."  I muttered under my breath.

The bacca scoffed.  "You should feel lucky.  Baccas are not a species you want to anger.  Now, you should sleep and stop worrying about whether we're watching you constantly or not.  I doubt you'd get far the way you are anyway."

I rolled my eyes as he went to lay back down next to the other guard.

I sighed and laid my head back against the tree, closing my eyes.

+-+-+-+-+-+

Someone was shaking my shoulder roughly.  "Hey.  Wake up."

I instinctively tried to rub my eyes, which obviously didn't work.  I blinked my eyes a bunch and looked up to see the guard.  "Your friend is waking up, too."

I looked over to see Kit stirring.  "Nngh...."  She muttered.  "Ow...my head...."

She, too, tried rubbing her eyes, which failed.  Her eyes shot open and she looked around.  "Oh.  Great."

I chuckled a teeny bit.  "Hi, Kit.  Nice to see you again."

She looked at me.  "Hi...."

The guard helped me and Kit up.  "K.  Time ta eat for you."

I nodded and turned around.  I felt him untie the vine around my torso and take it off.  He then unbound my hands, taking that off.

I unwrapped my wings swiftly and stretched, wincing at the ache.

"Ow, woah, watch it!"  Kit yelped.

Oops.  I just hit her with my wing.  "Oops, sorry.  Hey, at least you know how Cassia feels now!"  I said with a giggle.

Kit rolled her eyes as the guard handed me an apple.  I took it and watched it change to my dimensions.  "Thanks."

He nodded.  "Come on.  We need to go to the chief about your...friend."

I looked to Kit.  "Sorry.  You should be out of those in a few since Jerome's seen you before."

She shrugged as we started walking.  "I hope so."

I started eating my apple, subconsciously moving my wings about to get the ache of being constricted out.

I then took off into the air, flying about 10 or so feet off the ground above the guard and Kit.  The guard wasn't...uh...too concerned, but he did glance at me now and then.

I finished my apple and pocketed it, planning on throwing it away once I landed.  However, my hand hit another object in my pocket.

I pulled it out, looking at it.

KitKat the stick.  She hasn't been damaged or taken, thankfully.  Jerome gave it to me a bit ago when I was free and eating.

I looked to see Jerome talking with Mitch and another bacca as he was packing things for the trek.

Huh?  You're asking what trek?  The one to Becca's castle!  He wants to go there to see what the situation is about our return and stuff.

We got over there and I landed, folding my wings behind me.  I tend to keep them stretched out for as long as possible.

Jerome turned to us.  "Oh, morning, il....  Wait, who is that?"  He asked suddenly, looking at Kit.  "She looks...familiar...."

"She was at Becca's execution, cheering for Becca's death with Cassia."

Jerome looked surprised.  "Then why is she tied up like that?!  Release her, please."

The guard nodded and began to untie Kit.  "She came in the middle of the night."  I explained.  "She was just chatting with me quietly when bacca guard over here knocked her out.  He didn't wanna wake you, so he just did that and waited for morning.  Protecting the tribe and stuff."

Jerome nodded as Kit was freed.  She stretched her wings out, careful to avoid whacking anyone.

"Hey, Kit, I think this is yours."  I said, handing the stick to her.

She gasped as she took it.  "My stick!  Yay!!"

She held it for a moment and then it morphed it the kitty form.  KitKat purred happily, rubbing herself against Kit.

Jerome looked surprised.  "So that's why you've just been carrying that stick around...."

I nodded.  "Yeah.  Hey, Mitch!"

He smiled.  "Hi, il."

"Where's Kirby at?"

He gestured over to some bacca children who were watching in awe as Kirby floated around above them, his body all puffed up adorably.

"Dawww, that's adorable!"  I said a little high pitched.

Mitch and Jerome chuckled.  "Yeah.  I'm glad to consider him my child, though he's...around 9 - 10 times my age."  Jerome said with a scrunched up face.  "Anyways, we're about to head out again, so...uh...."

I sighed, running a hand through my hair.  "Yeah...."

Kit looked confused as I wrapped my wings around my torso again and turned my back to the guard, clasping my hands together behind my back.

"Uh, il, what...?"

I sighed as the guard started tying my hands again.  "Like I told you last night, the...elbarker.  We don't know how she came out, but Jerome wants me like this until we get to Becca.  Maybe she'll be able to explain what's going on with me."

"Wait, y'all are heading to Becca?"  Kit asked with surprise as the guard started on my torso.  "I think I told you last night.  We need to regroup at the castle so we can figure out a game plan to fight Herobrine."

The guard tensed, freezing for a moment before finishing quickly.

I turned to look at the guard.  "I'm guessing you don't really like him...at all."

Jerome rubbed the back of his head, looking slightly uncomfortable.  "He...He burned down the village a while ago.  When I first arrived, I arrived to a smoldering village.  I think it was another reason Jeremy freaked out so much about Mitch.  Jeremy had told me about it, and I immediately knew that I shouldn't get involved with the dude.  However...."

He looked between me and Kit.  "It seems like you two, along with the rest of your group, are pretty determined to fight him.  Why?"

Before I could answer, a ton of baccas with makeshift bags came up.  "The tribe is packed and ready to go, chief."

Kirby floated back to Jerome and Mitch and landed on Mitch's head, making him look like a little hat.

Jerome sighed.  "Alright.  If we keep a steady pace, we should arrive before the sun sets.  Let's head out!"

KitKat purred at Kit and changed back into a stick.  The bacca guards came up behind me and I glanced at them before moving with Jerome.

As we walked, we continued our conversation.  "Jerome...to answer your question...well, do you remember Sky?"

Jerome nodded.  "The guy who kept calling gold budder."

I smirked a little.  "Yeah.  Well, he rules the Budder Kingdom.  We had come here to...have one last adventure, but...well...our first stop wasn't so...fun.  It's where we got separated.  Apparently...Sky is Herobrine's son in some series Becca was and maybe is writing.  I'm also apparently his daughter through some extremely complicated plotline.  Anyway, I'm apparently on the side of Herobrine and Sky got turned again, so now he's Skybrine.  My group was going to defeat Herobrine to save Sky, but...well, THAT didn't end well."

Jerome's eyes were wide.  "Woah.  That's...crazy."

I nodded.  "Very."

We were silent after that.

After a LONG time walking, I noticed something in the distance.

Something familiar.

Becca's Castle.  Hope Castle.

...

Wait, we're ending the chapter here?!  What the heck!  That's a TERRIBLE cliffhanger!

"Deal with it."