The hidden base nestled deep within the forest was anything but uncomfortable. In fact, Mia had to admit—it was better than her own apartment in the city. She was allowed to stretch her legs, eat her fill, and the base even had large open training grounds for beasts and tamers alike. It was surprisingly peaceful for a place running covert operations against a criminal syndicate. Professor Hootsworth roosted calmly under a tree, his feathers ruffled in the wind, as Nutmeg practiced his explosive punches and bounding leaps nearby.
Mia sat cross-legged on a patch of grass, staring up at the cloudless sky. It had been two days since they'd been rescued from the deadly falcon pursuit. Her heart still raced at the memory of that beam nearly breaking through Lira's gifted barrier capsule. If not for the mechanical tunnel opening beneath them, they'd be a memory.
She was starting to feel at ease again, but that brief illusion shattered when the scout team returned to base—and empty-handed at that.
"There's no cave," the gruff lead scout said as he handed a tablet to the officer Mia had come to know as Commander Vessa. "Nothing on scans, nothing the mole beasts detected. Even the foliage doesn't show signs of being disturbed."
Mia's eyes widened. "That's impossible!" she said, almost louder than she meant. "We were there. There were cages, beasts chained up—"
"I'm not saying you're lying," Commander Vessa interrupted calmly, raising a hand to silence her. "I just said nothing was found. Doesn't mean it wasn't there. We're dealing with professionals. If they could hide from satellite sweeps, they can erase evidence in a hurry."
Hootsworth, now standing tall at nearly two meters, adjusted his monocle and ruffled his wings thoughtfully. "Perhaps the cave system is mobile. Or layered with deeper, more complex concealment than what your average scout tools can detect."
"Or it's all in our heads?" Nut muttered, crossing his muscled arms. "Because that's what this is starting to feel like."
Mia stood up and walked closer to Vessa. "Let us go with the scouts next time. Hootsworth has a high-level camouflage skill that can mask us even from heat signatures. If we fly in low, we might be able to get closer, deeper. Maybe even find their actual stronghold."
Vessa narrowed her eyes. "You want to act as bait?"
"More like an extra pair of eyes," Mia replied with a small grin. "Or three pairs, technically. We're not asking to lead the charge. We just want to help."
The commander turned to the silent officers behind her, clearly weighing the risk. "You're not trained operatives."
"I'm not trying to be a hero," Mia said earnestly. "I just don't want to sit around while those poor beasts are still trapped somewhere."
Nut gave a firm nod. "And we owe 'em. I mean, we got out."
Professor Hootsworth adjusted his stance beside Mia. "Strategically speaking, we do offer a unique advantage. I've improved my psychic veil to encompass a much wider area since our last… skirmish."
Vessa sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "You'll be accompanied by two squads. You are not to separate from them. If things get dangerous, you retreat. No arguments."
Mia saluted like a soldier, a little too enthusiastically. "Yes, ma'am."
Two days later, Mia and her two beasts were flying low over the forest, Hootsworth's massive wings beating in almost complete silence thanks to his psychic suppression. Beneath them, four rangers moved through the trees—silent shadows themselves. Another team flanked them from the east. This wasn't just a search. It was a quiet war effort.
"I still don't get it," Mia whispered, crouched low against Hootsworth's back. "How can an entire operation vanish in less than an hour?"
"Portable caves?" Nut offered.
"Don't encourage her," Hootsworth muttered. "But no, there's a theory. Some syndicates use hybrid beast-tech. Tamed burrowers can shift and reform the earth rapidly. Combine that with illusion runes or projection crystals—"
"And you've got disappearing bases," Mia finished.
They hovered for a moment above the location Mia remembered as the cave. There was nothing but thick jungle and soft moss below them. The trees looked untouched. The air was heavy, unmoving.
Then Nut pointed. "There. That's the slope we fell near. But… that tree—it wasn't that close to the edge, was it?"
"No," Mia breathed. "It was at least two meters to the left."
"Then the terrain's been reshaped," Hootsworth said grimly. "We're close."
Just as he prepared to descend further, his feathers bristled. "Contact. Movement, south quadrant."
From the trees below, a sudden rustle, then silence. One of the rangers held up a hand signal, then vanished into the undergrowth. Mia tensed.
"Should we—"
"Hold," Hootsworth said, voice low. "Camouflage is still holding. They haven't seen us."
Through the canopy, faint flickers of light shimmered—runes.
A field of concealment.
And within it, shadows moved. Metal glinted.
They found it.
Mia's breath caught in her throat. "That's them."
Nut readied his stance. "Orders?"
"Hold position," Hootsworth ordered. "We observe. We confirm."
One of the shadows stepped forward, fully armored and holding what looked like a whip made of charged energy. Two other figures dragged a struggling beast into view—a battered, featherless gryphon with broken wings. Mia's stomach turned.
She wanted to scream.
She wanted to act.
But she didn't.
They had to be sure. They had to be smart.
Above them, the scout team quietly transmitted back to base, sending photos and descriptions. Finally, Mia felt it—progress.
They hadn't imagined it. They weren't crazy. The syndicate was here.
Hidden. Dangerous. But not invincible.
Commander Vessa's voice crackled softly in their comm crystal. "We see it. Good work. Return to base—do not engage."
Mia sighed, a mix of relief and burning fury.
"Let's go," she whispered.
Hootsworth pulled them back into the clouds, blending into the sky like smoke.
They had what they needed.
This time, the syndicate wouldn't vanish.