Missing Eggs!/Story

*Something's off... You should do something about it. What will you do?*
🇦 **Tell Queen Squalla**
🇧 **Look around camp for the eggs yourself**

*You weave your way through the crowd to give Queen Squalla a visit at the Skytree. As you approach, you notice Meech and Pockpock sitting in front of the entrance, chatting.*
"Hello!" *you cheerfully proclaim, about to squeeze past them. However, before you can get closer, you feel Pockpock's large foot block your path. You pause and take a second to look at the two again. This time, you notice one unmistakable expression on his face: pure, unadulterated anger.*
*Meech, with a nervous laughter, attempts to speak up.* "Oh, greetings, Y/N! How, um, how do you do?"
"Oh," *you reply,* "I was just looking for the Queen. There's been a problem with-"
"**She's not here,**" *Pockpock interrupts with a huff.*
"Pardon?"
"She's, uh..." *Meech's gaze bounces back and forth between you and the angry pockatrice.* "She's busy."
"**Being a fool,**" *Pockpock chimes in again.*
*You look to Meech for more answers. He takes a step forward, blocking the path between you and Pockpock.* "Aha- um, it's nothing to worry about, everything is under control. What was it you were saying? Perhaps I could help instead."
*You hesistate for a moment, but remember the task at hand.* "Well, I think that two of the eggs are missing--I saw two empty nests, and I didn't see either of the parents anywhere. I was hoping that Queen Squalla would know what to do..."
*Meech pauses for a moment, taking in your words.* "Hmm... Well, I suppose I could send you to look for Regidor. He and his team can organize a search party. Last I saw him, he was with Tweech playing soccer with some of the newborns on the other side of camp. Tell him that I sent you... and tell him that we can reschedule our date for tomorrow."
*You nod.* "Got it. Thank you, Meech! Good luck with, uh..." *You look over his shoulder at Pockpock.* "...whatever's going on here."
*He lets out a nervous chuckle and shifts his feet.* "Aha, yeah..."
*You turn around to leave, but as you take a step forward, you hear Pockpock's booming voice from behind you.* "**I saw one of those fell snooping around earlier. It might be a good idea to ask around, see if they know anything.**"
*You look back to him.* "...Thank you," *you manage to respond.*
*You leave the two next to the Skytree, and you start to make your way into the heart of camp.*
🇦 **Take Meech's advice and look for Regidor**
🇧 **Take Pockpock's advice and question the fell**

'*Soccer... What the fluff is soccer?' you ask yourself, as you make your way through camp.*
*Most picoos, you notice, are very pre-occupied with their newborns. Some are trying to teach their pikpiks to walk, some are playing tag with their pikpiks, some are gushing over their pikpiks like they just discovered a new species of kitten... Overall, you don't think you've ever seen this many picoos congregated outdoors before.*
*Oh, hey--what's that over there? Is that one of the fell?*
*You still intend on finding Regidor, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to check, just for a second.*
*You take a slight detour to get a closer look. Upon inspection, you notice the fell is playing with a small blue pikpik in the watering hole.*
"Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles!" *the fell exclaims, prancing around the pikpik. She then sticks her beak into the water and blows, causing a multitude of bubbles to surface. The blue pikpik squawks with delight, splashing around with his short little legs. As the fell brings her head back up, the pikpik chomps onto her nose, being lifted up above the ground. The fell, unsurprisingly, looks overjoyed with this.* "Yes, yes! Bite! Bite! Kill! Kill!"
*...oooohhhhhhhhh... kayyyyyy... odd, but you have more important things to worry about. You remind yourself to not drink from that watering hole for a while.*
*You eventually reach the end of the camp's boundaries, where you find some pikpiks and a familiar light yellow picoo kicking around an oddly spherical rock. The adult picoo seems to be on a team of his own, but that doesn't stop him from kicking infant tail.*
"Score!" *he proclaims, batting the rock into a makeshift net.* "That's thirty-seven for Tweech, zero for the newborns!"
*One of the pikpiks is still struggling to even stand as this is happening.*
*You clear your throat.* "Hey, Tweech!"
*He turns to you as he hears his name.* "Oh, hey, Y/N! Wanna join in? I could use a teammate!"
*You look at the children again, watching one of them struggle to pull the rock out of the net.* "...I think you're doing just fine. Is your dad around here?"
"Which one?"
"Regidor."
"Oh, Reg-ster!" *He stops to pull the ball out of the net for the pikpik, only to immediately headbutt it back inside.* "Thirty-eight for the T-Team!" *He does some tippy-taps in place, before finally turning back to you.* "Yeah, he went back to camp. He couldn't handle the awesomeness of the T-Team."
*You open your mouth to thank him, but a voice from behind interrupts.* "No, you chucked a rock at my head. And don't call me Reg-ster."
*You look back, and you see Regidor making his way towards you, his head wrapped in a comical amount of bandages.*
"Eh, same old, same old," *Tweech turns away from you and continues to play with the pikpiks.* "Thirty-nine! Boy, you guys suck at this game!"
*Regidor shakes his head and turns his attention to you.* "So... Y/N, was it? I heard you were looking for me?"
"Yes," *you reply.* "Meech sent me. There's a couple eggs that went missing before the Great Hatch, and he said you could help me organize a search party?"
"That I can!" *he nods.* "My A-Fliers can help scout the area at once. Would you care to join?"
"Umm..." *You hesitate. You'd love to help look around, but you remember Pockpock's advice...*
🇦 **Join Regidor's search party**
🇧 **Loop back around and question the fell**
🇨 **Stay and play soccer with Tweech to teach him a lesson about beating up children**

"...No thanks, I'm a bit busy myself," *you respond.* "Good luck, though! Oh, also, I think Meech said something about rescheduling your guys's date for tomorrow?"
"Figures," *Regidor chuckles.* "If you see him, tell him I said he's a nerd." *He turns away from you and starts to head back to camp.* "Let's see... I'll need to round up Lyra... Daedalus... Ermir... Soara... and Pipsqueek. If you catch them before I do, give me a holler."
"Will do!" *you respond as he strolls off.*
"Fourty-three!" *Tweech exclaims from behind you.* "Get clucked, idiots!"
*You almost want to show him what a REAL sports player can do, but you decide it might be better to, you know, find the missing children first. Maybe later, though.*
*You remember the fell you saw by the water, and you decide it might be best to ask her first. She looked innocent, but maybe she still knows something?*
*As you make your way back, you see the fell and her pikpik are still there. This time, the pikpik has latched onto a poor fledgling. The fell, who you now recognize as Soap upon a closer look, is actively encouraging this, while the fledgling fights back tears.*
"...Hey... Hey, Soap?" *you attempt to grab her attention.*
*She looks up at you.* "Y/N! HI! Have you seen Suds yet? He's perfect!" *She turns around and grabs the pikpik with her beak, pulling him away from the fledgling and hopping out of the water towards you. The fledgling looks at you, mouths 'thank you,' and books it.*
"...He's... He's great," *you say through gritted teeth, as the pikpik struggles in place to reach you.* "Hey, sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you've seen anything... strange around here?"
"Like whaf?" *she asks, through a mouthful of fluff.*
"Like, uh..." *You think of how to word this in the nicest way possible.* "Like, maybe... some sneaky behavior... by a... picoo... of... your... type...?"
*She cocks her head to the side. Suds does the same.* "I don't fink so! Nuffin but me an' Fuds! Is somefing wrong?"
*You take a step backwards, just in case.* "Um, yeah, just searching for some missing eggs. I won't bother you, though. Have fun with the kid...!"
"Fanks!" *She turns around and launches the child into the water, then jumps in after him.*
*Whew... Well, at least that's over with. One down... however many more to go.*
*You continue searching camp for more fell. There aren't many, but those that are out aren't hard to find, and you ask them the same questions.*
*"What are you, a cop? Cluck off," one had said. "Nothin' but Emilia bein' freaky," said another. "Emilia's always freaky," claimed a third. You found Emilia... but she's been with Vergilius all day. A sixth fell only mutters something about "the voices."*
*So... nothing. Great. Maybe Pockpock was mistaken, you think to yourself. He is getting pretty old, after all.*
*However, as you loop back around camp one last time, you spot something. A footprint... and then another... and another. You can't tell where they came from, but you can DEFINITELY tell that they're headed out of camp. Odd, because the only people that should be out of camp right now are Regidor's A-Fliers, and he never sends out anyone alone. The footprints look fresh, although you can't tell whose they belong to...*
*Before you have time to process your thoughts any more, you hear shouts from behind.* "Help! Help! Anybody! Medic! Need! Soara hurt!"
*You turn towards the noise, and you see a short Pipsqueek darting into camp, his loose armor almost falling off as he runs as fast as he can. He dashes past you, heading directly for the heart of camp.*
🇦 **Follow the footprints**
🇧 **Help Pipsqueek**

*Hearing his cries for help, you ignore what you saw and dash after him. You eventually catch up to him in camp, where he is desperately squawking at people.*
"Help! Need help! Soara hurt! Anyone!"
*The little picoo weaves in and out of the crowd. Some people give each other worried looks, but ultimately, nobody seems to budge. Eventually, Pip's voice gets drowned out, and you almost lose sight of him.*
"Pip! Pipsqueek! I'll help!" *You call back to him, hoping he hears you.* "Where is he? I can help him!"
*After a moment, you see Pipsqueek's small figure hop towards you.* "Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you! This way, this way!" *he repeats, eager to get back to his friend.*
*You realize that you probably can't do this alone. You scout the picoos around you, and you choose a random green picoo to bark at.* "Hey! You there!"
*The picoo, oblivious, does not respond.*
*You make your way to them and repeat yourself.* "Hey! We need your help."
*The picoo looks behind themself for a second, then realizes that you were talking to them.* "Oh, who, me?" *they respond, standing up to look at you.*
"Yes, you. Come with us. We'll need your ability." *You nudge the picoo towards Pipsqueek and start to follow him.*
*The green picoo, albeit very confused, looks pleased that you chose them out of all people to be the hero.*
*Pipsqueek leads you out of camp and into the surrounding forest. You and the green picoo, whose name you learn to be Bonathan, have some trouble keeping up with Pipsqueek. He seems to forget that you aren't as fast as him, and has to actively slow himself down for you.*
*After a couple of minutes, the three of you make it into a small clearing, where, right in the center, you see... a statue?*
"Pip don't know what happen! Pip hear Soara yell, then Soara start turn gray! Soara tell Pip run! Pip get help fast as Pip can!"
*You look closer, and you recognize the unmistakable face of Regidor's top A-Flier in the stone. His face is locked in a pained scream, pointed deeper toward the forest.*
*Bonathan freezes in place. You exchange a glance with him. You think you might know what happened... but you've only heard it in stories. Surely none of the fell would have attacked Soara... right?*
*Maybe he can still be saved... Maybe there's hope. But you don't know how much time you have left... if there is any to begin with.*
🇦 **Try and help Bonathan channel his healing energy**
🇧 **Go back to camp and grab the official healer**

*You take in a deep breath and turn to Bonathan.* "Bonathan... Now's your chance."
*His head whips towards your direction, and his eyes widen.* "Wh- what? No, no, I can't, I'm not that strong! I, I, I failed magic school! The best I can do is wilt a weed, or, or, or patch a papercut!"
"Hey." *You move closer to him, and rest your front foot on his shoulder.* "You can do this. Pipsqueek and I will help you channel your energy."
*He takes in a deep breath and nods.*
"I just need you to give everything you've got, okay? You got this. I believe in you."
*A tear rolls down his cheek.* "Th... Thank you, Y/N..."
*You nod back, and lower your foot.* "We don't have much time. Let's do this."
*Pipsqueek approaches the statue and stands on the opposite side.* "Bonathan do it! Bonathan hero!"
*You step to the side, and the three of you now circle the petrified Soara. You look back to Bonathan, who seems to be taking deep, controlled breaths. You look to Pip, who grips onto his good-luck bird keychain.*
*You take in a breath yourself and close your eyes. Soon, you begin to feel a powerful surge of energy, tugging at your chest. As more seconds pass, pain begins to intensify. First, it stings. Then, it burns. It takes all of your strength to not give in as you feel your feet sway beneath you. But after a second, you feel a break--and that's when you strike.*
*You take the energy not meant for you and send it back to Bonathan, using your element as a channel. To your right, Pipsqueek has managed to do the same. Once the aura of magic completely surrounds Bonathan, he touches Soara.*
*A burst of light radiates from that central location, and you are forced to turn your head away to avoid harm.*
*Once the light dissipates out, you look back. Pip and Bonathan lay on the ground ten feet away from where they previously stood. Pip tries to bring himself up, but his legs buckle beneath him, and he falls down. The ground surrounding the entire clearing, you notice, has been overdone. The grass is inches taller than it was before. Various mayflowers, lilies, and other flowers surround Soara.*
*Or, rather... the figure that was Soara.*
*Plants continue to grow and spread outward, as if to make up for misdirected power. The cold, stone likeness of Soara... Well, it remains untouched.*
*Bonathan lifts his head up to investigate his work. When he notices Soara, he collapses.* "No! No, no, no!"
"It's- it's okay!" *you try to reassure.* "Maybe we just did it wrong--we can try again!"
*Pip lets out a groaned squawk.*
*You take a second to catch your breath and stumble over to Pip, trying to help him up.*
"**Pathetic,**" *a voice declares.*
*You look up.*
*Above you, landing atop a nearby rock, stand two figures. Two large, terrifying, six-legged figures.*
🇦 **Fight**
🇧 **Flight**
🇨 **Seduce**

*One of the figures, an oddly pink-colored fell, jumps down from their position and takes a couple steps closer to you. The other one, with gray and black coloring, gives a twisted grin.* "**Bullseye, you know what to do.**"
*Bonathan tries to scramble away. Pip freezes in place.*
*The pink picoo starts getting closer. You take a step back, but as you get a better view of them... to be honest... they're kinda... cute?*
*Bullseye continues to crawl towards you, keeping low to the ground. As you watch them, you can't help but notice their thick, muscular frame, highlighted by their slim feathering. Their eyes are perfectly highlighted, with white lines circling the pupil in front of a red sclera. Their soft, light red coloring is like that you've never seen before. Sure, they're about to attack you... but... you can't help but feel the urge to say something.*
"You know..." *you say.* "You're pretty cute for a dangerous killer."
*The fell stops and cocks their head.* "You think so?"
"Yeah," *you respond.* "I think... I think I just *fell* for you."
*The fell stands up straight, not breaking eye contact.* "..."
*The other fell on the rock jumps down.* "**Bullseye!**" *he barks.*
*Bullseye looks back at him and bows their head.*
*You know this is probably a terrible idea, but something in you is telling you to keep going.* "Are you free tonight, by any chance?"
"Y/N, what the CLUCK are you doing??" *Bonathan whispers.*
*Pipsqueek continues to stare wide-eyed at the fell in front of you.*
"I'd totally be down to pay for some drinks," *you continue.*
*Bullseye glances at you, then down at Pipsqueek, then back at the other fell.* "...Sir, this is too far. You promised me you wouldn't hurt him."
"***I* wouldn't hurt him,**" *the fell snarls as he makes his way to Bullseye's position.* "**Do what I tell you. Now.**"
"I... I can't."
"**Then you are no longer one of mine,**" *the fell declares.* "**I forbid you from returning to the Crags. You and your crimes are now at the mercy of the Pockatrice.**"
*He lifts his arm and lashes out at Bullseye, leaving a deep gash on the side of their face with his claws. He turns around and whips his tail, knocking Bullseye to the ground. Then, he begins to walk away from you, soon disappearing into the forest.*
*You immediately bend down and help your new crush up. They stumble, but try their best to shake off the pain.*
"You didn't have to do that," *you tell them.*
"YES THE CLUCK THEY DID," *Bonathan shouts.* "They were about to kill us!"
"I'm... sorry," *Bullseye mutters, ignoring Bonathan.* "I've done a terrible thing. I can never go back."
"No, please!" *you plead.* "Come with me! I'll tell everyone about how brave you were. You can't leave!"
"I cannot believe that this is happening," *Bonathan adds.*
"No. It's too late for me now." *Bullseye turns around, facing away from you.* "I'm sorry, Y/N. I'm sorry... dad."
*They begin to run away.*
🇦 **Follow them!**
🇧 **Take Bonathan and Pipsqueek back to camp**

*You look back at your two companions.* "...I need to find them."
"WAIT!" *Bonathan shouts.* "Y/N! Don't leave us here!"
*Pipsqueek squawks in agreement.* "Pip scared!"
*You stop to respond.* "It'll be fine," *you reassure them.* "Just stay there. I'll come back for you."
*You take off before the two injured picoos can argue.*
*...*
*Running deeper and deeper into the wilderness, you begin to lose sight of where you're headed. You were so panicked that you didn't exactly consider the situation with the highest amount of intelligence.*
*You stop, and begin to think logically. 'Where would a fell picoo with nowhere to call home go?'*
*You've seen Bullseye in camp before, but you've never spoken to them, and you didn't even know their name until now. You do, however, know their parents--Bonko and Pipsqueek.*
*Maybe... maybe you should have asked Pip.*
*Well, it's too late for that now. Considering the circumstances, you think it might be for the best to just keep searching.*
*You examine your surroundings. Footprints?... no footprints. Broken foragery?... no broken foragery. Rustling?... just that f'jipy in the bush nearby.*
*Hold on... what is that f'jipy doing?*
*It circles the bush, occasionally stopping to sniff it. You see it step forward, only to jump back and repeat the process. You creep closer, trying your best not to startle it away.*
*As you get closer, you spot a pop of color from within the leaves. A bright blue, and a brilliant orange.*
🇦 **Examine the bush**
🇧 **Catch the f'jipy!**

*You step forward and poke your head into the bush. The f'jipy, startled, scurries away.*
*You reach a talon in and poke the strange object.*
*...or... objects?*
*One starts to roll, and you quickly jump over to the other side to catch it. You look between your feet, and...*
*An egg!*
*You look at the other thing still in the bush. Another egg!*
*Holy squick... how did you get so lucky? Surely you're MILES outside of camp...*
*One of the eggs is a royal blue with an orange eye shape in the center. The other one is a light tan with feathers painted on one side, with darker brown feathers at the bottom, oranges and yellows in the middle, and a brilliant blue at the top. You hold your foot over it, and they still feel warm. These poor guys... At least that's one thing taken care of.*
"Hey! Y/N!" *you hear from behind.*
*You turn around. Is that... it's Regidor and Daedalus!*
*The two picoos trot over to you.* "What are you doing out here?" *Regidor asks.*
"...It's a long story," *you respond.* "But I stumbled into these." *You gently poke your talons at the eggs.*
"Oh! You found them! Wonderful!" *Regidor responds.*
*Daedalus steps forward and grabs the eggs, hauling them into a carrying pouch.* "Weren't Soara and Pipsqueek supposed to be scouting out this way?" *they ask.*
"They ran into some trouble," *you explain,* "and I came out to help."
"Trouble?" *Regidor barks.* "Are they alright?"
"I..." *you hesistate.* "I... think so? Pip came back to camp to ask for help, because Soara somehow turned to stone. Bonathan, Pip, and I tried to heal him, but it didn't work, and then we ran into the fell."
"Soara... turned to stone?" *Daedalus questions.*
"Yes," *you confirm.*
"And... there was a fell in the area?"
"Two of them, actually, but they both left."
"Where are Pipsqueek and Soara now?"
"In a clearing closer to camp."
*Daedalus blinks at you.*
*You blink back.*
"You... left them there?"
"Well, I, uh..." *You think of the best way to explain this without sounding any stranger than this already is.* "I was... looking... for... the fell?"
*And just like that, you hear a scream.*
*Regidor's dootdoots perk up, and he immediately springs into action.* "Daedalus, take the eggs back to the camp, then go find the other scouts. Y/N, come with me."
*He begins to dash toward the noise, and you follow.*
*The two of you run a surprisingly short distance before you reach that same clearing you recognize being in earlier, unmistakable by the extra plant growth left over from earlier. Were you... Were you traveling in circles that whole time?--Never mind, you have more important things to worry about.*
*You step into the clearing, and you see Bonathan desperately swatting at his back leg. His foot, you notice, is now a cold gray--and the color seems to be spreading upwards.*
*Pip is huddled behind the Soara statue, trembling.*
*Regidor immediately makes his way over to Bonathan, and you follow. He seems to be foraging through his bag, looking for something.* "Agh, come on, where IS it?" *he shouts in frustration.*
*You try to offer help, but he ignores you.*
*You get closer to Bonathan and try to help channel his healing energy. Unfortunately, your efforts are fruitless.*
*The gray has spread up to his knee, and is continuing fast.*
🇦 **Run back to camp and get the healer**
🇧 **Stay in case Regidor needs your help**

"I'll go get Nikko!" *you shout.*
"Please! I can slow it down, but I can't stop it," *Regidor responds.* "Hurry!"
*You leave Bonathan's side and take off. As you run, you hear Regidor exclaim, 'Found it!'*
*Good... at least Bonathan will be okay for now. But you still have to act fast.*
*You spot that f'jipy again as you run by. Oddly enough, the f'jipy seems to be running toward camp too, although you are much faster than it, so you leave it in the dust. It squeaks at you.*
*You make it to the center of camp and run straight for the healer's center. Outside, you spot the healer Nikko, who is playing with two small pikpiks: one red, with a blue flashing light on his head, and one blue, with a red flashing light on his head.*
"Nikko!" *you exclaim.* "We need you! Soara and Bonathan are hurt."
*Nikko stands up.* "Where are they?"
"In a clearing outside of camp."
*Nikko nods and turns down to the two pikpiks.* "Come along, loves. It's time for your first real job."
"Wee!" *the blue one shouts.*
"Woo!" *the red one reacts.*
*Nikko picks up their handbag, and you start to lead them out of camp, the pikpiks happily repeating "Wee!" and "Woo!" as you go.*
*As you leave, though, you spot two figures: Pockpock, with that same glint of anger in his eyes, and Bullseye, carrying two large round objects. Are those... eggs?*
🇦 **Continue to lead Nikko to the clearing**
🇧 **Give Nikko directions and go check out the situation**

*You wince, but Bonathan and Soara's lives are at stake. You keep marching forward, making sure to keep Nikko, Wee, and Woo close by.*
*Once you reach the picoos, you notice that the cold stone has completely covered his back legs and tail. An empty potion bottle lays on the ground, and Regidor is helping to channel Bonathan's healing energy, although Bonathan still appears very weak from what happened earlier.*
*Little Wee and Woo begin to zoom around the green picoo, circling him. Nikko immediately springs into action, spilling the contents of their pouch and grabbing an assortment of potions, ointments, and bandages.*
*Nikko mixes some of the potions together in a small wooden bowl and serves it to Bonathan. They rub some of the ointment on the area that the stone has not reached yet, then secures it with linen bandages. Nikko grabs their wooden staff and starts to channel healing energy through it, allowing Bonathan to relax.*
*Regidor makes his way over to Pip, helping him to stand. The three of you watch Nikko work in anticipation.*
"There," *Nikko proclaims after another minute.* "That should have stopped the spread. Y/N, would you mind helping me get him back to my chamber?"
*You bend down and pick up Bonathan to carry him. Thankfully, he is quite small.*
"Let's go." *Nikko starts to clean up their things.*
"Wait!" *you call out.* "What about Soara?"
*Nikko looks up, then turns their head to the stone A-Flier.* "You see, once a picoo has been completely petrified..."
*They hesitate for a moment, then turn their head away and continue organizing.* "...there's no bringing them back."
*Bonathan gasps.* "But... But can't you just heal him?"
*Pipsqueek lets out a pretty pathetic squawk.*
"No," *Nikko elaborates.* "When a fell attacks a picoo like that, they are feeding off of the picoo's lifeforce. Anything that becomes stone is lost forever." *They glance over at Bonathan.* "You're lucky that Y/N found me in time."
*The area is filled with a stunned, awkward silence, broken only by the sounds of "Wee woo! Wee woo!" from the pikpiks.*
*When you finally make it back, all of you notice four large elite guards escorting a head-hanging Bullseye out of the camp. Many picoos seem to be gathered around the area, watching this ordeal go down as Pockpock stands front and center.*
🇦 **Stay with your current group**
🇧 **Drop Bonathan off and go talk to Pockpock**

**THE FINALE**
*You continue to follow Nikko back to the healing center and gently place Bonathan on a cot. Pipsqueek simply flops on the ground and almost immediately falls asleep. Nikko hangs up their bag on the wall and begins to sift through shelves of materials. Bonathan stays silent as Nikko grabs a stick and starts to poke Bonathan's petrified body.*
*You dip your head in respect.* "I'm going to check out the commotion. Good luck."
"I'll come with you," *Regidor responds. You nod back.*
*The two of you dip outside and trot over to Pockpock, who sits with Meech and Daedalus. Pockpock's gaze is fixed in the direction of the fell, who is now out of sight.*
"What's happened?" *you inquire.*
"They've been banished from the Skytree," *Meech explains.* "They were caught trying to steal eggs."
*You look down, and you see two large eggs: a green one and a duller blue one.*
"Wait..." *You take a second to think.* "What about the two we found?"
"Also stolen," *Daedalus chimes in.* "They were working with the other fell you saw to turn the eggs into one of their own."
*Daedalus bends down and releases the contents of their sack. You see the familiar orange and blue eggs roll out.*
One... two... three... four. Four eggs. Definitely more than you originally thought, and certainly stolen with a more nefarious intention than you could have ever imagined.
"**There was a fifth,**" *Pockpock's deep voice grumbles.*
"Pardon?" *you ask.*
"Bullseye admitted to taking another egg at some point between the two," *Meech explains.* "They... also said that the other fell-"
"**Igneous,**" *Pockpock huffs.* "**His name is Igneous.**"
"...Right," *Meech corrects himself.* "Igneous already got to it."
*The footprints...*
"What will happen to these four eggs, then?" *Regidor asks.*
"We don't really know," *Meech responds.* "We couldn't track down their parents. Something must have happened to them."
"Then let's bring them to the orphanage," *Regidor declares.*
*You look down at the four poor eggs. You feel a little guilty... was there something you could have done to prevent this?*
*Well, it's too late to think about that now. All that matters is that you saved these ones, and they're safe at home.*
"I'll help bring them," *you pop in.*
"Excellent," *Meech says.* "You and Daedalus should go do that."
*Daedalus picks up the two eggs he dropped, and you pick up the other two. Upon closer inspection, you find that the green one has many light orange stripes covering the egg, and the blue one appears to be a painted shoreline with a dull brown landscape.*
*You hear more chattering from the gathered crowd before you hear Meech exclaim,* "Alright, everyone, that will be enough! Everything has been sorted out, you may go home now."
*Once you leave, you hear Regidor say something to Pockpock about Soara, and you think you hear something about "the stoneyard" before you find yourself out of earshot.*
*As you walk with Daedalus, they decide to speak up.* "You know... you made some pretty stupid decisions back there."
*You turn to face them, offended, As you are about to defend yourself, they continue.*
"...But, I will have to say, you did a good job. Better than any of us could have done. If it weren't for you, we never would have gotten these eggs back, and Bonathan and Pip could be dead."
*You close your mouth and turn your head to the ground.*
"So... thanks."
"You're welcome," *you reply.*
*You approach the orphanage, and you immediately spot Tweech speaking with one of the ladies out front, a small pikpik in hand.*
"Tweech, you can't give up a child that isn't yours," *the lady groans, exasperated.*
"The little squick made fun of me!" *Tweech responds.* "She called me a beta male!"
*The pikpik does not lose the smug grin on her face.*
*The lady rubs her temples.* "Just give her back to her parents."
"No! She needs to pay!"
"Ahem," *you clear your throat.* "Hello, ma'am. We found four orphaned eggs that we were hoping to put in your care."
*She breathes a sigh of relief and pushes past Tweech.* "Yes, of course!"
*You and Daedalus place the eggs down, and she picks each one up and puts it into an individual sack.* "I'll put these in the safe rooms right away!"
*She swoops around and ducks inside, slamming the door in Tweech's face.* "I'm calling your manager!" *Tweech calls after her.*
*The pikpik starts to waddle away, only to be quickly found and taken by her ACTUAL parents.*
*Tweech scoffs and turns to you.* "Oh, hey, Y/N! I see the egg hunt went well."
"Almost," *you respond.* "We did lose one."
"Bummer," *he says.* "Well, I'm off to go kick some more pikpik butt. We're currently on halftime break. The score is at 368 to 1."
"Wait... Who's watching the pikpiks?" *the level-headed Daedalus asks.*
"My f'jipy, of course," *Tweech puffs.* "I sent him out to go find me some berries while we were playing."
"You... left the children with a f'jipy?"
"Trust me, the f'jipy is probably more competent than they are," *you whisper to Daedalus.*
"Oh, would you look at the time!" *Tweech glances at their wrist. They do not have a watch.* "I should get going. Ta-ta!"
*He zooms off without another word.*
*Daedalus shrugs, and starts to wander away.*
*All things considered... you did good. You found the missing eggs, and you were able to bring most of them back safely. You saved Pipsqueek and Bonathan from a terrible fate, and you exposed an underlying plot to kidnap children.*
*Pipsqueek recovered quickly, returning home with his wife and one remaining child just a day later. Although half of Bonathan's body is now permanently unusable, you and many other picoos banded together to build him a custom wheelchair, and he can now continue on with his life as normal. Meech and Regidor went on their date, and Tweech eventually won his game of soccer with the pikpiks.*
*Even though you lost a few battles, you won the war. You are still left with a few questions, though. What is Bullseye going to do now, and where on earth is Queen Squalla?*