CHAPTER 262: CHAPTER-262.

Now, the cracks ran deep, splitting the stone into dangerous shards. A cold dread ran through him, and his throat went dry. The thought that Kaya might have taken this path, only for the mountain to crumble beneath her, sent a shiver down his spine.

Without a second thought, Veer’s wings beat furiously. He angled downward, eyes locked on the shadowed cliffs below where she might have fallen. Every second felt like an eternity as he dove, his body slicing through the air at full speed, heart hammering, mind fixed on one thought: he had to reach her before it was too late.

As he landed on the ground, Veer’s eyes widened in sheer horror. A massive swath of trees had been torn from the mountainside, crashing down in a chaotic tangle of wood and stone. The sheer weight of it pressed down on him like a living thing. His heart leapt into his throat, and his chest tightened; anyone trapped beneath that devastation would never survive.

Hands trembling, Veer sprinted forward, his voice cutting through the silence in desperate shouts: "KAYA! KAYA!"

Without a moment’s hesitation, he shifted into his human form. He dropped to the ground, hands scrambling over the jagged stones and broken branches, peeling away layer after layer of rock and debris. Every movement was a fight against time, against weight, against fear—and against the unbearable thought that Kaya might already be gone.

Veer’s brother landed on the ground beside him, shifting into his human form. His eyes widened in shock at the chaos before them—the trees and stones scattered like a storm had ripped through the mountains. Without hesitation, he rushed toward Veer and grabbed his hand, already raw and bleeding from pulling at the stone.

"Veer, calm down! Veer!" he shouted, trying to hold him back.

But Veer shook him off, eyes wild, voice cracking: "KAYA! KAYA!" He scrambled to move the trees and stones, desperate to reach her.

His brother’s grip tightened on his shoulders again. "Veer, calm down! Kaya might not even be inside it!"

Veer froze mid-pull, confusion cutting through his panic. "Huh? Huh? What are you saying?"

"Smell!" his brother barked. "Do you smell blood? Do you feel anything? How could a living being survive under all this weight without leaving a trace? At least there would be blood—"

Veer inhaled sharply, trying to catch his scattered senses. The sharp, clean air carried... nothing. No scent of blood.

"Exactly," his brother continued, gripping his shoulders firmly. "Our blood cells are strong. If she’d been hit, even slightly, we’d have smelled it. She’s not under it."

Veer’s wild eyes blinked, and a slow, shaky breath escaped him. Reality began to pierce through the haze of panic. She wasn’t here. She was alive—somewhere—but still out there.

Veer’s brother grabbed his shoulders firmly, locking eyes with him. "Veer, listen. Breathe. Stop letting panic control you. The first thing we need to do is find her. And we have the advantage—remember that."

Veer’s head nodded slightly, but his chest heaved, his mind still spiraling.

"You said Kaya belongs to the chimpanzee tribe," his brother continued, his voice steady, cutting through Veer’s chaos. "Chimpanzees can’t fly or leap between trees like we can. She couldn’t have taken a random path—she must have stuck to what she knew. To the safest, narrowest route."

Veer’s gaze flickered, slowly focusing as comprehension began to pierce through the haze of fear.

"Now, calm down," his brother pressed on, his tone firm but patient. "Think like Kaya. If you were in her place, which path would you have chosen today?"

Veer inhaled sharply, closing his eyes. Every muscle in his body trembled, but he forced himself to steady his breath. Slowly, deliberately, he opened his eyes and said, "There’s only one path."

His brother nodded, a faint but resolute smile touching his lips. "Good. Are you certain?"

Veer’s jaw tightened. "Yes. Only one path. And only Kaya knew it."

"That’s it, then," his brother said, releasing Veer’s shoulders and clapping him once on the back. "We’ll find her there. No more wasting time. Let’s move."

For the first time since seeing the devastation below, Veer’s fear gave way to determination. His eyes burned with resolve. "Thank you... for keeping me steady," he said, his voice low but resolute.

"No time for thanks," his brother replied, already scanning the distant cliffs. "We move. Now."

.

.

.

In less than ten minutes, Veer and his brother arrived at the spot where the sparrow lay in deep sleep. The air was still, almost too quiet.

The sparrow stirred, sensing something off. Slowly, his eyes blinked open—and immediately froze. Two murderous glares bore into him. His tiny heart skipped a beat. Expecting Kaya, he found instead Veer standing over him.

His beak caught in his throat as shock overtook him. "Ch-chirp? Chirp! Chirp!" he stammered, panic rising in his voice.

Veer’s grip tightened around the sparrow’s throat, and his tone was icy calm, every word sharp like a blade. "I’ll ask you only once—where is Kaya?"

The sparrow’s eyes darted around, horror etched into every feather. He flailed helplessly. "C-chrip chrip chrip! Chrip chrip !"

(S-she was just here! I swear! I don’t know where she went!)

Veer’s amber eyes narrowed, burning with fury. "You don’t know, huh? You damn bird. Where could she possibly have gone?"

Panicked, the sparrow hesitated, then pointed shakily toward the direction Kaya must have taken. Veer’s gaze followed it for a moment, assessing, calculating.

A thin smile of lethal promise tugged at the corner of his lips. "I’ll deal with you later, you useless bastard."

With that, he flung the sparrow aside like a ragdoll and shot forward.

Veer’s brother crouched slightly, his eyes softening as they fell on the sparrow, who was still trembling on the ground. He could almost feel the little creature’s exhaustion and fear.

He shook his head slightly, muttering under his breath, "Poor thing... always caught in the crossfire between you two."

The sparrow just stood up again like nothing happened and look back at him with disgust.