Blackfeather Woods home, home again

set for this morning

Maegi didn't have the benefit of a calendar to tell her when spring was, but on the day after the vernal equinox, things felt different. New. The air had slowly been warming up, with the exception of some frigid days, and the early bloomers were starting to spring from the ground. She didn't mind winter all so much, but it would be good to have some decent weather again—and even better to refresh her depleted caches.

The girl was by one of said caches when a distant fluttering sound caught her attention. Her ears folded back; so in tune she was with the ravens here that she knew instantly when something was. . .off. She lifted her chin, turning slowly to cast her eyes up through the canopy, looking for the source of the disturbance. A predator? An intruder?

He was only yards away from her before she saw him, and the ecstatic, shocked shriek she let out startled the bird enough to dive away before coming up to land on her shoulder.

Blue!! Maegi exclaimed; the bird ruffled his feathers once more, clearly perturbed by her hollering. Sorry, she whispered. He gave her a gentle squeeze of his talons—she swore he was fluent in wolf—before sailing up onto the nearest branch, peering down at her with his gleaming eyes.

I'm so glad you're back, she told the grackle, beaming. I hope you had a better winter than I did. She had been so devastated to lose her avian companion. With Ramsay, Mou, and now Blue here, things felt absolutely right.