The Heartwood he said to me child i'm afraid for your soul

@Vaati

when caw wakes, the sun is already creeping down beyond the horizon.

he does not keep much of a logical sleep schedule, so it does not bother him. he is dictated entirely by whim, and by what avis suggests, perhaps, and at this moment she is nowhere to be seen, so there is nobody to suggest he should move. instead, curled up among the bones and viscera of a deer that is only a day or two dead, caw wiggles sleepily and pokes his muzzle out from under the curve of its ribcage, yawning wide. his muzzle gleams unnaturally in the watery light, but that is nothing to the rest of his fur, caked so thoroughly with blood that there is no longer much to suggest there is white in his pelt at all.

he manuvers his paws out to rest his chin atop them and for a few minutes he remains there, the air so thick with the metallic smell of blood and organs that, despite his surroundings -- burnt trees and grass and dirt still near-black with char -- he cannot actually detect any ash. ears cocked forward, he dozes instead, tucked under the curve of bones like some giant beast's teeth, until a familiar, harsh caw catches his attention.

his head bumps against the point of a rib when he lifts it upwards, but he pays it no mind, if anything enjoying the unexpected flicker of pain. "ave!" he trills, wiggling free of his confines and out into open air as the crow swoops down. after a moment, he feels claws in his fur, a gentle weight settling against his back. "iterum obvenimus!"

freed from the welcome warmth of his temporary sleeping spot, his pelt immediately begins to feel distinctly sticky. as avis chirps back a reply that feels distinctly amused, he snaps at a stray piece of flesh tangled up with the feathers threaded into his scruff and waits for her to move before he shakes himself out, showering bits of gore everywhere. he has never gotten the feeling that she is particularly pleased with his tendencies to mess his fur, but then napping in the dirt is hardly an alternative at all.