Chapter 3: Crows at Midnight

Keade climbed the last few steps on the hill and turned to survey her progress. The forest dipped low in a valley, and then went back up into another hill. She sighed loudly, feeling the effects of walking so far. She'd been traveling west since the early morning, and as she stood on the rise, she could see the sun already beginning to set.

I have to find camp. She knew that traveling at night, no matter the circumstances, was never safe. So, hitching her pack higher, a habit she'd already begun to form, she set off in search of a suitable camp ground.

She knew that on the hills there would be little sign of a stream or water source. So, she opted for a cave. A cave would be perfect for shelter, and warmth. She walked along the hilltop, putting a hand up to her eyebrow to shield her eyes from the setting sun. She smiled broadly as she spotted a tiny cave not far from where she stood.

She had a tricky time climbing through some thick bushes, but managed to make it through with only a few miner scratches. It didn't matter. She knew the herbs to heal almost any minor injury. She would look for the plants later on.

After a few more short climbs, the cave came into view, its entrance a dark oval. She saw, upon closer inspection, that the cave wasn't too deep, and only a head or so taller than her. She thanked the gods for such a stroke of luck. Walking into the space, she found that the earth in it was dry, and smooth, perfect for sleeping on.

She set her pack on the ground against the wall. I'll gather some firewood, and then once I have a fire, I can kill some game for dinner…Oh! And gather herbs for my cuts…Going through the lists of things to do in her head, Keade walked out of the cave, going into the forest, looking for stray sticks and fallen branches. She'd have a fire in no time!

Unknown to the young girl, a pair of strange men were coming up the same hill she had just ventured over. They stopped on the rise just as she'd done, but not to rest. They spoke in low voices. There was a pause, and then the shorter of the two turned and in one motion sped off into the night. The taller one simply continued walking up the hill.

OOO

Mikashi sped stealthily through the forest, his feet barely making a sound as they contacted with the earth. He ran along the perimeter of the hillside, sniffing occasionally as he did so. If he was to scout for any threats, he would have to smell out any demons while he did so.

He ran around the perimeter of the hillside once more, and, upon smelling nothing, turned to go meet up with Kuro. But a smell stopped him.

It wasn't the smell of burning wood that intrigued him. It wasn't even the strange smell of mint leaves and cloves together. He blocked out those unwanted smells and focused on the one he had only smelled in the villages.

Human.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen one before. Of course, he had. Kuro moved around constantly, going from village to village, disguising himself as a traveling priest. He would go into a town and, without causing suspicion, inquire about the Sacred Jewel. Naturally, they were always trusting of such a kind and honest priest, and told him the village in which it lay.

Humans always were trusting by nature. But still, he'd never really spoken to one, never really seen one up close. Would a human trust him if it knew he was a demon? Probably not. For some reason, this thought saddened him.

He couldn't explain why the humans interested him…and he would certainly never tell Kuro. Kuro had a strong dislike of humans.

I'll go and spy on the human. If I see that they are no threat, which is what I was sent out to do, then I won't do anything more.

Mikashi looked around, making sure he was alone. Once he was sure that no one was around, he transformed into his true demon form, a crow. He looked like the average crow, a fact he hated admitting. But, there was one thing that set him apart from other birds, besides his strength and power. Instead of the beady black eyes of a raven, he retained his silver color.

Once he had completely changed, Mikashi took off from the ground. He could see the caves not too far from his place in the sky. Sure enough, he could sense the human was there. With a caw of animal instinct, he began to fly toward the caverns, the scent of human growing ever stronger.

OOO

Keade watched the wood pop and crackle in the fire. She sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, and her chin resting on them for support. She had her arms wrapped around her legs, collecting all the warmth she could from the fire.

Her herbs, which she'd already made into a paste, sat by her on the ground. She'd used them on her cuts, and already she could see them beginning to heal.

She frowned as she watched the flames dance, creating grotesque shadows on the cave walls. I couldn't kill any game…I couldn't even find any fruits or nuts to eat. What am I going to do? Instead of feeling sorry for herself, Keade actually felt angry. She knew she could do it, but when she'd gone out into the woods, there had been no sign of any animal. It was as though something had scared them off. They had all seemingly vanished.

Her stomach grumbled loudly. She pulled her knees closer to her chest, willing the hunger pains to go away.

"I can wait, I guess…It's only been one day." She spoke softly, reasoning to the empty cave. She got no response, save for a stick shifting in the fire.

She sighed and closed her eyes, hoping to sleep away her troubled thoughts.

A sharp noise, coming from the entrance of the cave, made her eyes shoot upon in alarm. She got up from her position and stood in front of the fire, her arms up in instinctive defense. She looked around wide-eyed, waiting for an attacker…but none came.

Instead of a demon, or a bandit, she saw a large crow walk out of the trees and brush in front of her cave entrance.

Keade sighed, and relaxed significantly. "Oh…I thought you were a thief…" she breathed, directing her comment to the crow.

She was surprised when he actually looked at her, and shook his head slowly.

"You're not a thief? Well, what are you then…?" she couldn't keep the curiosity from her voice. Could this bird really understand her?

The crow walked a few paces into the cave, just a hands reach from where she stood. She crouched down low, as if awaiting a secret from the bird. She looked over its glossy purple-black feathers, to its strong black beak, and then she looked into its eyes…

They were silver.

"Beautiful…" she said in a whisper. The bird was so close; she could see each individual feather as it cocked its head at her, a wondering look in his eyes.

Keade smiled. "You're not an ordinary bird, are you?"

The bird shook its head once more.

She looked into the raven's eyes, trying hard to see what it was that made this creature act so…human. She just couldn't put her finger on it. What was it? She was drowning in a sea of silver, lost in her thoughts.

Her thoughts were shattered as a gurgling rumble issued from her stomach. She clutched her tummy in embarrassment, a blush tinting her cheeks. The bird remained where it was, but a look of sadness had come into its eyes.

"Ouch…I'm just so hungry," she said to the crow.

Its eyes grew wide, and it began to back away from her, its feathers ruffled.

Keade quickly realized her mistake. It thinks I want to eat it!

"Oh no!" she reached out to the bird, and lightly brushed its wing with her fingers. "I didn't mean it like that! I would never eat you!"

The crow stopped going backwards. It looked thoughtful, as though pondering something, then gave up and returned to the young girl. It got so close; its beak was inches from her face. Keade wasn't even afraid, but she felt her heart skip as the black bird gently nuzzled her cheek. Her eyes widened, but she knew what it meant. It was saying "Thank you."

She reached up and smoothed down the feathers on its neck. "You're welcome." She replied.

They stayed this way for a moment. Keade liked the comfort of having someone around, even if it was only a bird. She liked the way it seemed to understand her. The bird seemed happy as well, for it made no move to leave.

The moment was ruined as a voice, deep and powerful resonated from the cave entrance.

"Mikashi, what are you doing with that human?"

The bird that had once been so calm sprang from Keade's reach. She jumped as one of its claws grazed her arm, drawing in its place a red, thin line. Her eyes swiveled to the front of the cave to see a tall silhouette outlined in the moonlight. She looked from the figure, to the bird, her thoughts a jumble of confusion.

Mikashi? This bird has a name? And why did that man call me a human?

She gasped in horror as it all began to make sense. That man was no man. And the bird, she thought sadly, gazing into its odd silver eyes, is no crow.

Theywere demons.

AN: Cliffhanger! Oh, I'm so evil…So Mikashi is a crow demon, and Keade now has to deal with two demons. What's going to happen? Look for Ch. 4 soon! Thanks a bunch for reading!

&Niiroke&