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Falchior blinked and froze. Mus droppings... he... did just ask how to find mushrooms, didn't he? He did. Tempted to stick a head under his wing and hide, his training ran through his head. He always picked a few 'shrooms every day... how did he find them? "Um... you find the shade... and you pick the mushrooms... but, um, you never get certain kinds that might be poisonous... if the underside is black, don't touch it..." He trailed off, noticing that the bard was distracted by Rokku's tongue. Mentally reminding himself to let that that lizard find something insanely delicious and let him eat it for himself, he took advantage of the blissful silence to begin to preen himself nervously and fiddle with a piece of bark in his talons.

In passing it was that the brilliantly colored Parus caught sight of the growing gathering. He banked in midair, turning to perch on a branch just enough out of reach that he would not be considered 'easy' to catch. He watched a few moments, noting with more curiosity than fear that there was a Waral in attendance. Interesting. Oh, and what was that? Singing? That made a WORLD of difference! If there was singing in the forest and he didn't tell Clover, she would be quite angry, and probably mope for days. Well, no time like the present! With a hop the little Parus took flight, swooping out over the crowd with a glorious tumble of notes, looping about and passing by again, this time continuing on to gather his Keeper and fellow Parus.

Back at her roost, Cloverfield was having quite the time keeping her charges in line without Sharp's usual help. But he WAS her best bird, and her messenger, and she'd had to let him go today. She hadn't been able to make her usual weekly trip to the local gatherers for seed, and had sent the older Parus out to her parents to request a small share until she could procure her own. But as much as she loved the plump little songbirds she had dedicated her life to, they were quite trying on the nerves. Even AFTER they had been trained to stay at the tree and not go flying willy nilly all over the forest.

It was to her utmost delight then when Sharp came fluttering out of the sky. "Did you find mother and father alright, Sharp?" She sighed, waving her current hoard of birds off.

"Aye, aye. Parents found! Seed commin' yah!" The little bird bobbled in place, puffing up and proud of himself. "Is singin'!" He added, recalling the reason for his haste.

"Singing? Who's singing? Where?" Clover was instantly alert, and almost without thinking she whistled out a few notes. Two more Parus came darting one after the other from the tree to her side.

"What now is it?" The fattest of the three asked, looking about for the seeds it had been told would be here soon.

"Seed? Seed?" The smallest of the three chimed in, hopping in place like the excitable youth he was.

"Settle you two. Seed later. Sharp has told me there is someone singing today. Now where did you say they were, my dearest?" She cooed to Sharp, who twittered lovingly back.

"Over there, hi hi!" Without another word he took off, more glorious song pealing forth from the little bird than would be thought possible. With a good laugh at Sharp's excitement Cloverfield too took off, shortly followed by Flat and Natural. They caught up to Sharp in moments, and a second later were quite enjoying themselves, singing together as they flew on through the forest to join the party.

"Awright, Jester... But you have to keep your wits about you. Coming, Falchior?" Twilla asked as she opened her wings. She was about to leap and Auze ran up her back quickly, but she waited for a response from the males.

Falchior froze. Gathering? With other Sentinels? He wanted to die! He could feel his feathers beginning to fluff uncontrollably, but thankfully managed to keep his wits about him. After all, there was going to be another Gatherer there... but on the other talon, there was going to be another Gatherer there... a female, too! He didn't want to lose the tenuous beginnings of Jester's respect, or seem stupider than he already did, but if he went, he risked looking like an even bigger idiot. Rokku noticed his Sentinel's tormented expression and heard the word "gather." He put two and two together and got five. They were gonna go shroom hunting! Maybe turn to Mus hunting! He slithered around Falchior's back and clambered into the pack, turning around so his head stuck out the front. "Yes. Gather. Shrooms!" Nipping at Falchior's head, he made his Sentinel pay attention to him.

Falchior swiveled his head back and glared hard at Rokku before silently hopping off the branch and into the air. "Alright. I'm coming."

"Good, good! This will be fun!" Twilla reassured Falchior, who appeared to be more than a little concerned.

"Jes' make sure it ain' gonna eat me!" Came a voice from behind her. Her ever faithful, yet argumentative mus poked his head out from behind her dark feathers and eartufts. "I'ain' wanna be waral meat!"

"Yes, yes... I couldn't bear to lose my annoying little mus, here." Twilla chuckled, then gave Jester a somewhat concerned look. "Just be careful down there, okay? It's dangerous on the ground. You have to have your wits about you."

"It it'nt something to take lightly." She warned him once again, as she didn't want her new bard friend a pile of feathers. "There are things on the Ground that will eat you. It's not fun stumbling across the rotting skeleton of another gatherer. It really reminds one of his or her own mortality." With that and a nod to Falchior, the shadow female launched off of her perch and headed to the place that made her so uncomfortable, the foilage below their beloved trees.

Falchior launched himself after Jester. "Rokku won't eat your mus, don't worry!" he shouted ahead to the female gatherer. Rokku had already gotten himself into enough trouble after an attempt on another Companion's life; as scaly and emotionless as he might seem, he didn't like being in trouble. Falchior, on his part, was thinking about what Twilla had said. He'd never experienced death, other than prey items. His parents had warned him intensively of the dangers the Ground offered, and he had hair-trigger reflexes when it came to noises, and Rokku was incredibly good at alerting him to the potential presence of anything, but he'd never seen a dead Sentinel. He wondered if Twilla had actually seen a demised Gatherer, or if she was remembering something she'd been taught. He also wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer. The ground was looming hear, and he scanned it for the wet patches that often meant mushrooms were near. Rokku's tongue scanned the air, and he nudged the back of Falchior's head just as the Sentinel saw some white caps. "Um... hey!" he shouted. "I... erm... there might be some there... to the left... see? Under that big fir tree? Um... and that might be a good place to land..."

Jester quickly shut his beak but continued his quiet humming to himself, as he circled to land where Twilla had. Stretching his wings out then folding them back, he realized his feet were flat on ground. Tilting his head at it, not quite sure of what to make of this, ground.

Digging at it slightly with his talons, "Curious!" Jester exclaimed, then looking to the fungi Falchior had pointed out. Jester also tentatively tested one with a talon, the white cap fell over.

"Is this what you do?" Jester's question was in a whisper, as he didn't like the odd noises that rang in his ears from this place.