Disclaimer: All characters belong to the one and only Tamora Pierce.

A/N: I just finished reading both Trickster books (pretty late, I know!) and I sort of fell in love with Aly and Nawat! I mean for this to be a oneshot right now, but lemme know if you guys like it! My mind can always be changed! So I really hope you enjoy this and please review! Thanks!!

Nawat swung his muscled torso so that he was able to rest upon a tree branch. His long legs dangled over the sides, and he relished the feeling of the rough bark of the tree grazing against the soft skin of his legs. He gazed up at the cloudy grey sky, barely visible through the canopy of leaves overhead. His dark brown eyes narrowed as he scowled up at the offending clouds not because of the storm that was brewing behind those dark clouds but because his mind was in turmoil…in turmoil because of Aly.

He let his mind wander back to the past couple of weeks. Nawat closed his usually dreamy eyes to let the memories grow stronger. He had shed his crow form so that he could watch over and be with Aly as a man. The corners of his lips turned up slightly as he recalled their first kiss. For once, he had caught Aly unawares. He remembered the feeling of her body held tightly against his, how her hands ran through his hair as if she was preening him as he so often did to her. His lips parted slightly as he felt the ghost of Aly's lips move against his, ever so lightly. Although he found this kissing business quite pleasurable, it wasn't anything like what he expected. It was so different from mate-feeding although it looked similar to Nawat in the beginning. He had never found anyone he wanted to kiss until he met Aly. He never felt anything like what he began to experience until he met Aly. Nawat's smile grew wider…he never felt a lot of things until Aly flew into his life.

Aly's flirtatious and mischievous grin did things to his heart that made it beat slower and faster at the same time. But she had a shy smile too, one that seemed to be reserved especially for Nawat. It was that smile that made him sure that he meant something to her…he just wasn't sure what that something was yet. Her laugh was infectious to those around her. Aly's very presence made Nawat want to measure up to her standards. He loved the way the sun glinted off her reddish-blond hair… it might be that as a crow, he was attracted to things that sparkled, but there was more than that that attracted him to her. When she looked into the sun, her hazel eyes revealed sparks of gold and when she was teasing him, her eyes turned exceedingly green. It was when her green eyes smiled at him, that Nawat was made aware of a well hidden secret. He hoped that she would tell him her secret one day…and he hoped to hear that her secret was that she loved him as he did her.

The raucous caws of his flock brought Nawat back to his senses….and back to his uncharacteristically melancholy self. He ran a hand through his short black hair, tousling it even more. Aly frustrated him. Nawat had courted her more passionately and more resolutely than any other crow ever had to do since the first flock came into existence. He offered her sparklies that would make any other female crow willingly become his mate; he offered her the choicest and tastiest grubs he could find, and yet Aly would only look away from his offerings and politely reject him again and again. He brought up the topic of mating and she kept spurning him in that lilting, teasing way of hers. He was running out of things to do for her.

But then again, she would let him preen her short hair. And, she never resisted him when they kissed, and they were kissing more than just occasionally now. That thought made Nawat smile, revealing his white teeth against his brown skin. They had just kissed last night, and if he recalled correctly, Aly had been quite breathless by the end of it. When he stepped back from her, her legs shook, making her look like a nestling discovering its legs for the first time.

Nawat squeezed his eyes closer together for a brief second and then opened them up. He murmured softly, "Do I have to actually say the words before she finally believes me? Do I have to shout out that I love her? Do I pray to the gods for their blessing? What can I do to make her realize how good we are together? I want to protect her; I want her to let me love her. I want to make her happy and make her laugh…I want to be her life-mate, and she is the only woman who I care enough to have nestlings with."

He exhaled… releasing a long, wistful sigh and muttered against the soft whisper of the wind, "How much more do I have to prove to her that I love her? What more can I do?"

He heard footsteps underneath him. He peered down and saw Aly walk past him without stopping. The leaves had hidden him well…too well. But Nawat was thankful this time; he did not want to face her until he thought of a way to let her know what she meant to him.

Then it dawned on him. If Aly would not take his actions seriously, he would have to take a different route. Nawat wanted to prove to her the depth of his affections and he wanted her to listen. Obviously, actions were not enough because it made Aly lose track of herself. Kissing tended to do that to these humans, Nawat thought. But I can see why.

Nawat leaped neatly down to the grass and made his way into his workplace. In the dimming light of the sun, he took out a piece of paper and stared at it for quite a while. Twilight came and then when the first stars started to festoon the skies, Nawat was finally inspired.

At the very top of his piece of parchment, Nawat wrote in bold, spiky letters: To the one who knows…