That Funny Way of His
Protection
The racket started out quiet enough.
"Caw, caw..."
Eventually, their calls turned more forceful.
"Caw! Caw, caw!"
Finally, the crescendo climaxed into a full on frenzy of raucous bird chorus that probably could have awakened the dead.
"CAW! CAW! C-CAW, CAW!"
Unbelievable.
Robin slowly opened her eyes to the grey light that gently filled her spacious tent. The air was cool and a slight breeze crept its way in through the tiny crack in the tent flap. It was far too early to be dealing with this.
The cacophony outside continued to berate her delicate, early morning hearing as she begrudgingly flung the layers of blankets to the side and forced herself out of bed, throwing on her heavy, yet chilled coat. She also picked up a simple wind tome in case the infernal beasts insisted on a fight.
Pulling her coat tight around her small frame, she stepped out into the grey dawn and was not at all surprised when her closest neighbors also emerged from the warm confines of their own tents. She glared up at the line of seven crows that sat casually atop the canvas of her tent. A few more were scattered around the base and flapped away from her when she aimed a kick at them.
"Who the hell do these damn birds think they are? Don't they know I'm trying to sleep?" yawned Sully as she stretched her way over to Robins side. The red-headed knight noticed the green tome in Robins arm and smiled maliciously. "Gonna use that, yeah?"
"Thinking about it..." Robin trailed off. She watched as two of the bigger birds pecked at a smaller one, compelling the tiny crow to take flight from the top of the tent and much to her surprise, down to her shoulder. She whirled about with a shriek and swung her tome at the creature as Sully stared wide eyed.
"Ha! I think they like you!" she chuckled. Robin continued to dance about wildly, scaring the crow away from her. Having had enough from the feathery little nightmares that roosted on her makeshift home, Robin flipped open the book and swiftly sent a gust of wind up at them, scattering each and every one of them into the sky.
…
The morning chill gradually dissipated as the sun climbed its way over the distant mountains in the horizon. Lazily, the Shepherds came to life and Robin smiled at the few she encountered while on her way to the mess tent for a quick breakfast. Thanks to her early wake up call that morning, she was filled with a new found energy and felt almost ready to take on the day and its various challenges.
Remembering the harrowing experience from before, she suddenly glowered at the realization that that was probably not the last she would see of that wicked flock. Then, as if summoned by mere thought, the same tiny crow fluttered down from the great big blue and settled once again on her shoulder.
"Shoo! Leave me alone!" she cried, swatting a slender hand at the little thing. But unlike before, the little crow refused to leave. It jumped into the air, circled her head then sat back down on the opposite shoulder.
"Caw!" it squawked as it watched her with its beady, black eyes.
Robin shrugged her shoulder in another attempt to shed the bird but it simply hopped with her movements and stayed put.
"You're really not going to leave me be, are you?"
"Caw!" in other words, damn straight.
Sighing in defeat, Robin continued her walk towards the mess tent, praying that the chaos of hungry Shepherds within it would convince the feathery fiend to head somewhere else. No such luck. All the noise did was keep the crow in place. Great.
"Aww, don't you look just adorable with that little guy on your shoulder!" The blush crept unannounced to her cheeks at the sound of her fiance's voice. He waved her over to his place in the breakfast line and smiled happily as he went on, "I just knew they'd grow on you, ahaha!"
She couldn't help smiling herself.
"Henry..." she tried her best to sound in charge but the laugh in her voice threatened to out her. "Why were there crows roosting outside of my tent this morning?"
He smiled even wider as he took her hands and nuzzled his face to hers.
"Ahaha, beCAWse I told them to!"
Robin blinked, clearly taken aback by his honesty and forwardness. Actually, this shouldn't have surprised her one bit. They may have only been engaged for one week at this point but if knowing him for the past few months taught her anything, it would be that he had nothing to hide.
"What do you mean 'you told them to'? Do you have any idea the ruckus they were making? Not only did they wake me but Sully and a few others as well. I had to use wind magic to scare them away!"
"Aww, why'd you do that? They were only protecting you like I asked." he brushed his lips against her forehead as he said this. She could feel him grinning like the clever devil he thought he was. They advanced one spot in line.
"Why would I need a flock of crows to protect me? I'm perfectly capable on my own, or have you failed to notice that?" Robin squinted her dark eyes accusingly. If there was one thing she would not tolerate, it was having her abilities as a tactician and soldier brought into question. After all, wasn't she the one who crafted the plans that lead the Shepherds to victory time and time again? Of course she was. Henry cocked his head to the side as the implications of her statement caught on. They advance one more spot.
"What? It's not like that at all! I just felt better knowing you were being guarded at night. You know, since I can't be there just yet." he flashed her a genuine smile before turning away to move one more spot in line.
"Oh? And what does that mean?" she flips her platinum hair, forgetting about the bird on her shoulder(which had remained surprisingly quiet throughout their exchange), and squeals when it suddenly flaps its wings in protest at having been disturbed by her careless gesture. It caws, as if to say she better not try that again. Henry laughs.
"Well, I was told that it's inappropriate for a guy to share a girls tent, unless their married. Since you're making us wait for that, I had to come up with some sort of way to protect you!" he beams upon his impromptu revelation. Her heart beats wildly and the blush returns. They finally make it to front of the line and he continues with, "So, I asked the crows to watch over you when i'm not able to, ahaha!"
The server hands them both a bowl of some off-color, porridge-like substance and Henry mumbles about why the kitchen can never serve anything good, which earns him a nasty glare from said server. Being the armies chief tactician, Robin understands the plight of food, but still finds herself agreeing with her fiance. The porridge was bound to be tasteless at best and vile at worst. But on the other hand, they could all be starving, so she takes her bowl with a warm smile and leads Henry by the hand to an empty table.
"So, let me ask you this," she says as he sits down next to her, close enough that their elbows touch and the crow is able to jump from her shoulder to his without lifting a wing. "what could possibly happen to me in the middle of that night that crows would come in handy?" she's smiling despite the nature of her question. He hums for a moment as he contemplates both her and the slop in front of him.
"I don't know, maybe we have an assassin in our midst and he's just waiting for the perfect moment to get you? The crows would make such a spectacle that it would alert me and I could jump in and rescue you. Plus," he taste-tests his breakfast, contorts his face into a look of pure disgust, then shoves the bowl away with a 'Blegh, gross' before adding, "I'd get to kill him. Boy, would that be fun!"
She watches him carefully as he thinks better of the porridge. He instead offers a spoonful to the bird on his shoulder and chuckles when it too snubs the foul concoction. She smiles lovingly at him. Who knew that someone so macabre and strange could be so sweet and caring. He was hers and he made it very clear that she was his.
"You're too funny." she purrs as she leans in to peck him on the cheek and relishes in the tint of pink that surfaces from the contact. He smiles brighter than she had ever seen and continues, "I suppose I can learn to get along with the crows, at least until we're married. Just tell them to keep the squawking to a minimum or next time I'll be forced to use stronger magic."
They enjoy a light laugh together at the thought and he promises to keep the flock in check as she digs into the bowl of uninviting porridge. Ugh, why does breakfast always have to be the worst?
