Tyll landed next to the pond, being sure to touch down more gently than normal. His landings were normally steady and considered safe; however, he worried that his standard was a bit too rough for his sickly passenger. So, he glided down at a gentler angle with a few calculated flaps to make the landing as smooth as he could.

Once his feet were firmly on the ground, he felt rustling in his backpack. Looking over his shoulder, he watched as his crow passenger poked his head out and looked around, his head cocking from side to side as he tried to take in every bit of his surroundings.

Setting his pack on the ground, Tyll helped the crow, whom he'd decided to call Stolas, out of the backpack. Stolas wobbled a bit as took a few steps, holding his wings up and staying low to the ground until he found a comfortable spot.

"Are you okay?" Tyll asked, already knowing the answer.

"Okay," Stolas croaked.

It was amazing that the emaciated crow was still alive. The ranger had no idea how long the Shadow Hamlet had been cursed, or even the exact nature of the curse. Stalkins had roamed the woods and nearly overwhelmed his party and tree sap and water had been replaced by blood with a pervasive stench. He hadn't tried gathering any fruit or vegetables from the tainted forest, but he had a feeling that there was a good reason that few animals had remained in the hamlet. Stolas had most likely discovered how to open rations and waterskins and had sustained himself on them.

But there was only so much nutrition he could get from such sources.

The party had found him after escaping an army of the undead and Karin had managed to approach and engage him in conversation while Tyll had offered him a spare ration. The small act of kindness had been enough to convince the starving crow to show them where the village they'd been searching for was. And, as the party had explored, Stolas had remained nearby, likely knowing that there was a higher chance of getting food if he stayed close.

During spare moments, Tyll ensured that the crow was given food and water. While sharing their meals, the two had developed a bit of a rapport. So, when the party had lifted the curse and it was time to go, Tyll had extended an invitation for Stolas to leave with him.

To his relief, Stolas had agreed. Perhaps he'd known that even with the forest returning to its natural state, he wouldn't have the strength to survive.

And now, they were at the pond near his and Rala's home.

"Here," the ranger said as he set some bird feed on the ground in front of Stolas. "You need to eat."

"Thank you!" Stolas wasted no time pecking at the food greedily.

Tyll pulled out a ration and began nibbling as he watched his new friend eat every seed and piece of dried vegetable in front of him. After a few peaceful minutes, both had finished their meals. Tyll wrapped the remainder of his ration up as Stolas ambled over to the pond to get a drink.

"Go now?" Stolas asked as the ranger finished packing his things away.

"Not yet. I need to get cleaned up before going home and you need some exercise."

"Exercise?" Stolas had a surprising grasp of language; however, there were still many words that were either completely foreign to him or that he had never known the meaning of. What did surprise Tyll was how eager he was to learn new words.

"A way to build your body," Tyll explained.

"Build body?"

"I'm saying you should play in the pond for a bit."

"Oh! Yes! Exercise! Build body!"

Tyll snorted quietly as the crow shuffled into the pond and began splashing around. Occasionally, he would spot something that piqued his curiosity. When that happened, he would stop and eye it over before pecking at it experimentally. If it failed to capture his interest, he would return to splashing. If it fascinated him sufficiently, he would grab ahold of it and hop out of the pond and set it in a small pile next to Tyll's pack. Then, he returned to splashing around.

The ranger watched all of this, smiling as he cleaned himself up and finished healing up the last of his wounds. It was good to have a friend that would eventually be able to join him on his adventures.