A small gray mouse scurried across the roof top, her tiny feet working overtime to get her to the other side of the building before it was too late. Twice she had missed the traveling shows, all because she was too small and couldn't compete with the bigger kids for a good spot. Now though, now she used her size to her advantage.

A quick stop at the edge of the roof gave her a perfect view down into the village square where a colorful wooden stage was set up, kids and adults all crowded in front of it. This was a new show, she had never seen this stage or the wagon behind it before, she hoped the show was good. Not a moment later the curtains parted and the puppet show began. The story of a knight fighting a dragon to rescue a princess was an old one, but the jokes and quirks added in made it wonderful.

It wasn't long before she noticed a boy about her size, shaggy red curls on his head, moving through the crowd. At first she thought he was trying to work his way to the front to watch the show but he made a brief stop at the side of each adult before quickly moving on to the next. She caught a glimpse through the crowd and watched him cut the bottom of a coin bag, slipping the freed coins into the bag at his own side.

'He's a thief!'

Forgetting the puppet show, she watched the boy until he left the gathering and walked behind the puppet stage and into the large wagon behind it. It took her only a moment to realize this boy must be part of the family putting on the show, which meant the whole thing was a scam, a distraction while the little cut-purse worked his magic. No wonder she had never seen them before, they never went to the same village twice, lest they get caught. With a small huff she ran along the edge of the roof, closer to the boy sitting in the back door of the wagon. He had taken his loaded bag off and stashed it inside and was now sitting quietly eating a small chunk of bread.

A small jump sent her off the edge of the roof towards the wagon. In a quick moment gray fur became soft blue feathers, tiny paws became large black wings and talons, nose and whiskers became a beak and her long thin tail became long black tail feathers. Her eyes, one blue and one green, were the only things to stay the same. With a slight tilt of her tail and a quick flap of her wing the large raven landed softly on the steps next to the boy's feet. Its gave her a burst of satisfaction when he jumped up as she landed.

She cawed loudly and jumped towards him, causing him to jump off the steps back away from the door a bit. Taking her moment, she quickly turned and grabbed the small bag full of stolen goods and took off into the air, just out of the boys reach. With a small shout he ran after he as she flew away from the wagon and the crowd. She came to a stop in a empty ally on the other side of town, standing on the bag in a defensive stance as the boy stopped at the mouth of the ally, panting.

"Stop! I need that! I'll be in trouble if I don't bring that back, my parents will get so mad.."

She watched him for a moment as he took a few steps closer, try not to scare her off and have to chase after her again. With a quick though she stepped off the bag and changed again. The boy fell back onto the ground as the raven in front of him became a small girl with mismatched eyes and long yellow hair. She reached down and picked up the bag, holding it tightly in her hand as she glared.

"None of this belongs to you! You're a thief, and I should turn the lot of you in."

Quick to recover over fear of the guards he jumped up and help his hands out. "Please don't! I need that, you don't know how mad they'll get if I bring nothing back. I'll be in so much trouble. Please don't call the guards, we're leaving the village tonight, we won't steal from them again, I swear!" He was almost to the brink of tears as he begged her to return the bag. She watched him thoughtfully for a moment.

"What's your name?"

"..Jiminy."

With caution she opened the bag and took a look at everything inside. After a quick count she took a handful of coins and slipped them into her own purse at her belt before closing and tossing the bag back to the stunned boy.

"A fair trade Jiminy. I get half of your coins for not turning you in, and you don't have to go back to your parents empty handed." She smirked and waved as she turned down the alley and walked away.

"Wait!" She stopped and looked back at the small ginger boy, waiting for him to continue. "What's your name?"

"I'm Temnen. And next time you steal Jiminy, try not to get stolen from. It's bad for business."

She flashed him a quick smile before changing into a raven and flying away. She had a feeling she was going to meet the thief Jiminy again, and she couldn't wait for that day to come.