Certain Things Rearrange, and This Whole World Seems Like a New Place

by barspoon

This is an appendix to my story 'Things Just Ain't the Same When the Hunter gets Captured by the Game'. It's a collection of vignettes from the point of view of various other characters mentioned in the story. It gives details and answers questions that can't be told in the main fic. Rated M for implied situations, some bad cussing (*cough* Kiba... *cough*), and a little violence.

2. Rook

Book II: Rook

It was the sound of a human screaming and babbling in that strange nonsensical language they had that woke the rook from his pleasant slumber. He popped his head up and ruffled his black feathers in agitation from his perch on the branch above the fork in the narrow game trail. Silly human. Warbling his displeasure, he gazed down at the wingless creature.

He could see it clearly as it writhed on the ground and continued to make an inane fuss. The moon was nearly full, rising high over the treetops and flooding the landscape in silver light that was almost as bright as day. Something was obviously wrong with it, and the rook cocked his head with a bit more interest.

Its breathing was ragged and gasping, and its movements sluggish and weak. It was sick. Dying, most likely. It couldn't even stand, wobbling on all fours the way most land-bound creatures did when they were just learning to walk. Foolish things.

That was really the only redeeming quality that humans had; their somewhat evolved ability to walk upright the proper way. It was too bad they were still so primitive with their flightless clumsy bodies. This one also appeared to have the same pitiful lack of intelligence as all the other humans he'd ever seen, as it simply would not shut the hell up even though there wasn't another human there for it to communicate with.

The rook considered following it as it got up and took a few unsteady steps forward. It would be fairly interesting to see what happened when... Huh, that was unexpected. It appeared to be heading for the left fork in the path, even though it was the more difficult one. A brush of wind flipped a few of the rook's smaller feathers up, and the bird shuffled and settled his wings.

Glancing sharply between the trudging back of the human disappearing in the trees and the right fork of the path, the rook dropped off his perch and glided down the right fork. Humans were such strange unpredictable things, which was probably why they seemed to always have an abundance of Luck. Ah well, he was awake anyway, and feeling a bit hungry. The bear just might be asleep with her cubs by now, and, even if she wasn't, the deer she'd slaughtered earlier that evening on the game trail should be spread out and easily accessible.