The little crow knows he's going to die.He cannot live for much longer. He's already being lying there for more then three hours.'That's what happens when you fall out of the tree', he thought, sadly.His mother had warned him, but he had paid her no heed. One day he was perching on the edge of the nest, dreaming of flying far away into the sky, beyond the moor and into the wide world, when suddenly, he lost his balance.He tumbled towards the ground, trying to fly, but not having the strength, until he hit the ground with a flop, and his wing bone cracked, and now there he was, a very young crow with a broken wing, who could hardly move at all, an easy meal for the cats.There was no-one to help him; his parents were out catching worms, and his brothers and sisters couldn't fly. He was all alone, it was his own fault, he had not been careful enough. He knew the story of how his big brother had been devoured by a cat, and that was just what would happen to him. So he lay on the ground, cawing weakly for help, but he could hardly make a sound. 'It's only a matter of time before a cat comes to finish me off', he thougt. He felt like crying, and just then, he saw something that made his blood run cold.It wasn't a cat.It was something even worse.It was a creature with a long tail and a growly voice, he didn't know what it was,but it was a monster!The monster was bigger then a cat.It had gleaming black eyes, dark red fur, and worst of all, sharp, jagged teeth.It made a growling noise again, and the little crow panicked and trembled, and feared that his end had come.The creature got ready to pounce, it was aiming at the crow's throat, it was going to bite off his head, it was going to kill him!Suddenly, a voice called out, 'Leave him, Captain!' To make matters worse, another creature ran up.It was a human. The crow's mother had warned him about humans. 'Don't ever go near them', she'd said. 'They stone you and shoot you and eat you, just like a cat.' Now he was going to be eaten by a human as well as a monster. But the human did not seem threatning. It was only a boy, and he picked up the crow and spoke to him gently. 'Your as black as soot'he said.' So your name is Soot, an' you shouldn't stay here, on th' moor by yourself, with a broken wing.' Soot looked at the boy.He was a kind boy, he thought, and not a monster. The red creature looked at the boy, and his eyes twinkled, and he came and sniffed at the crow. He licked the sore wing, as if he wanted to help. 'Our Captain won't hurt you', said the boy. 'He just wants to be friends.You come with us, an' we'll fix tha wing, so tha'll soon be better again.' The boy took Soot home to the cottage, and bandeged his wing , and nursed him better, and Soot came to love him and Captain, and lived happily with his new friends.