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There was a family of birds nesting nearby, in one of the large trees commonly found in this forest. Some distance away, a small animal of some kind, likely a squirrel or rabbit, could be heard rustling through the leaves. Leaves were falling from the trees, colors flashing through the air.
Keith, however, noticed none of this, solely focusing on the shadowed figures he glimpsed at through his binoculars. Pidge was beside him, muttering under her breath about their lack of shelter from the cold wind, but Keith chose to ignore her as well.
The figures weren't very distinct, but he and Pidge had been tracking them long enough to know exactly who—and what—they are. Besides, closer inspection would show that the uniforms worn by the shivering people were clearly marked with the US government insignia.
"Why's it taking so long for them to go inside? I mean, they can't really have that much to talk about, they just saw each other yesterday!" Pidge pulls out two food bars from his bag as he whispers, handing one over to Keith.
"Pidge, you have to be patient," Keith mutters, taking a bite of his bar before continuing, "Attacking them now isn't gonna be helpful if we're arrested before we even enter the building."
"But if we just-" Pidge stops as she notices the four figures moving towards a door, the building almost invisible under the heaps of snow covering it. Both of them move towards their bags, Keith slipping his knife into his belt as Pidge loaded her gun and started typing into her tablet.
This mission was risky, but he and Pidge had both decided it was definitely worth it. She sent Allura a text to let her know they were about to enter, nodding at Keith when she gave the okay. From this point on, they had about 15 minutes before the officers inside were able to send for backup, but by then Coran would be waiting outside with transportation back to the shed.
They head towards the door, having memorized the exact location of where their target was being held, and made their way into the building. Automatically, the two officers guarding the entrance came running towards them, but he and Pidge quickly take them out and turn left at the end of the hallway, making their way down to where they knew the holding cells would be.
As they continued down winding staircases and unnecessarily long hallways, Keith took on anyone they encountered while Pidge worked to activate bugs she'd planted in the security system and loop camera footage. Keith was getting tired and frustrated with how many people he had to fight, but luckily he hadn't had to fight more than two people at once. Finally, they slowed to a stop, right in front of the room they knew their target was in, and looked to each other for a second before Keith reached out and turned the knob.
The minute Keith saw him, chained up in the middle of the room, he felt his blood boil in anger. Pidge was just as stunned, glancing around at the disastrous state of the room. Papers were scattered around the room, many ripped into shreds, and blood splattered a small part of one wall. The center of their attention though, was the large, dark creature curled up in the middle of the room— the target of their rescue mission.
Keith approaches the huddled mass slowly, sheathing his knife and and trying not to startle it. Suddenly it unfurls, wings stretching to the size of the room as it stands and turns to face them. Keith locks eyes with the creature, and the world stands still for a second as they process the situation. Mothman's large, red eyes widen in recognition as Keith whispers, with tears in his eyes, "I'm back."
Within seconds Keith is in the creature's arms, his fingers brushing through Mothman's soft feathers. Pidge smiles at their reunion, tempted to join in, but decides to let them have the moment. She opens her mouth to point out that they need to leave soon, but is interrupted as a low voice chuckles behind her.
The three of them snap around, turning towards the voice, which they realize belongs to Captain Zarkon. Mothman cowers back in fear, fluffing his wings and shuffling behind Keith.
"You really thought you could get away with our latest prize, did you?" Zarkon smirks as he speaks, taking a step forward. Keith moves to attack, but stops when Pidge begins to speak.
"Well of course we did, your security system is shit! I mean really, I would've expected you to at least hire someone competent, but as usual, you're still not up to my already low expectations." She continues to patronize him, and Keith notices him become increasingly angrier as she speaks. Zarkon steps forward, reaching for Pidge, but suddenly crumples to the ground.
Keith looks at his body in confusion, and then glances to Pidge, who explains, "Lance has been watching the whole time, he was just waiting for Zarkon to get in range." She points at her earpiece, through which she must have been communicating with the others, and then point at the tiny, almost unnoticeable barred window, through which Lance must have shot through.
Keith grins, and the trio runs out of the door and follows the route they first came in backwards. Surprisingly, they encounter no one in the hallways, which is explained when they turn onto the final hallway to see Shiro and Hunk tying up unconcious guards. The two men grin as Keith and Pidge approach, Mothman in tow, and the five of them finally exit the building.
Coran and Lance are waiting outside in a car, waving to the group as they approach. Pidge, Hunk, and Shiro walk up to the car and get in, but Keith stops and pulls Mothman with him back towards the forest, where Keith retrieves his stashed motorcycle.
The others drive off as Keith boards his motorcycle, after promising to meet up with him back at the shed, and the night sounds of the forest are all that can be heard.
As Keith starts the engine, Mothman gives him one last hug before taking off into the sky with a loud screech. Keith smiles as he drives, Mothman's shadow from above just in front of him and Area 51 behind them as they finally go home, together.