Chapter 7. Reconnaissance

Two days later, everyone convened at the Council Tree to report their findings. Clark fixed his eyes on the parrot representatives. “Indy and Ivy, what did you find out?”

“Let me tell you,” replied Indy excitedly. “We got tons of information!”

“Loads of good stuff,” added Ivy. “For starters, we saw a pack of wolves at the scene.”

“I don’t think wolves took down a tree,” noted Dorian dismissively. “What else did you get?”

“Well, the branches were gone,” said Indy.

“Gone?” asked Crystal.

“Where did they go?” asked Dorian.

“They didn’t go anywhere,” Ivy responded. “They were just gone.”

“Were there any marks on the stumps where the branches had been?” probed Clark. “Did you inspect the area to ascertain what might have happened to them?”

Ivy looked at Indy. Indy looked at Ivy. An uncomfortable silence settled over the Council.

“Look,” Indy said defensively, “it had just rained so the ground was all muddy. There wasn’t really anything to look at other than wood chips scattered around. The branches were just gone.”

Clark frowned. “That’s it? That’s what you call a ‘ton of information?’ Did you assess the splatter pattern of the chips? Did you draw a diagram of the scene for us to review?”

Ivy looked at Indy. Indy looked at Ivy.

Clark shook his head in disbelief.

Dorian scowled and said, “Okay. Let’s move on. Clark, what did you and Crystal find out?”

“Well, unlike the self-proclaimed ‘I-Team’ of Indy and Ivy, we streamlined our interviewing efforts to those creatures who were in a position to know what had actually transpired. Crystal and I set out at 6:00 a.m. sharp yesterday for Crash Site 2. We immediately identified seven potential creatures to interrogate: two amphibians—a frog and a salamander; two reptiles—a snake and a turtle; and three mammals—a chipmunk, a groundhog, and a mountain lion. The order in which we approached our potential witnesses required an analysis of their daily routines so that we could—”

“Seven?” whispered Indy to Ivy. “We would have spoken to fifty.”

As Clark continued with a detailed description of their preparation activities, Dorian stared at the owl with his eyes open wide.

“He must be impressed,” thought Crystal.

“You cannot be serious!” the eagle erupted.

“You don’t like the plan?” inquired Clark.

“The plan?” snarled Dorian incredulously. “I don’t even like the idea of the plan!”

“Obviously,” a resolute Clark explained, “you are incapable of comprehending the meticulous care that we have employed to determine the most logical course of action—”

“Okay,” Dorian interrupted. “So what did you learn?”

Clark sighed. “I’m getting to that. As I was saying, we created an interview schedule that allowed us to acquire information regarding—”

“What did you learn?” repeated a now-thoroughly agitated Dorian.

“Well, the interviews were not as fruitful as we had anticipated,” conceded Crystal.

“Did you discover anything?” bellowed Dorian.

“Well, nothing yet, but...”

Dorian raised his wings in defeat as Indy and Ivy smugly grinned.

“Nobody had the capacity to tell us anything of value,” continued Clark. “But it should be noted that we now have a process that will allow us to efficiently gather information should there be another occurrence of—”

Indy jumped in. “Come on, Clark. You must have learned something.”

“Well...um...the chipmunk seemed particularly suspicious,” noted Clark. “As soon as we began our questioning, he immediately fled up the nearest tree!”

“He ran away?” inquired Ivy. “Chipmunks are some of the friendliest animals in the forest. How did you approach him?”

“After careful consideration, I opened with, ‘Where were you yesterday at precisely 10:15 a.m., and what were you doing?’”

“I guess that’s owl-speak for ‘How are ya’?’” Indy smirked.

“Wow,” added Ivy. “I’ll bet the other creatures couldn’t wait to hang out with you, either—while you interrogated them!”

“We weren’t there to ‘hang out,’” Clark responded calmly. “And at least I would know how to assess crime scene evidence that was clearly plain as day. What were you actually doing there? Imagining your victory parade?”

Indy looked at Ivy. Ivy looked at Indy.

Dorian was beside himself. “This is unacceptable. None of you obtained any usable intelligence!”

“Okay, what did you find out, Mr. Big Shot Eagle?” snapped Ivy.

In a rare alliance with the parrots, Clark chimed in, “Indeed, O’ Great One. Tell us what your random 10,000-foot flyovers have revealed. We’re all ears!”

Dorian was seething. “Were it not for me,” he declared, “none of you would even have a clue about what’s happening here! You’d all be sitting around waiting for the next thundering crash.”

“Really,” snapped Clark. “Who put you in charge, anyway?”

“That’s enough,” interrupted Samuel in a firm tone.

Stunned, the other birds turned to him. The dove didn’t speak up often, so when he did, it got everyone’s attention.

“Sarah and I invited a friend, and we’d like you to hear what he has to say.”