145 Little Raven, Little Crow 2 (1/2)
”Xiao Hei, what do you want?”
Caw!
”What do you eat?” the young girl pressed on.
”White rabbit? Deer?”
Caw!
”Plants? Tree nuts? I saw you eating a gingko nut earlier, do you like them?”
Caw! Caw!
”…you do realize that I have no idea what you mean by that, do you?”
An Fei snarkly remarked with a listless countenance as she walked alongside of the undergrowth of the Wu Ji Forest, her eyes continuing to roam throughout her surroundings.
Her right shoulder had long since bade farewell to the leather bag's strap, but retained its other customer.
…a young raven, though its croaks were more akin to that of a crow.
Caw!
The black raven screeched in defiance as it glared at the young girl from its perch on her shoulder, the crimson eyes flaring with indignant pride.
Though it dared not to extend its talons in an attempt to scratch the rude host, the little creature did not dare relinquish its grip.
Just earlier, the little raven and her linen coat had a rather interesting tussle, each asserting their dominance over the other in a rather childish scheme.
An Fei had watched the raven attempt to sink its claws through the linen coat's surface after she had called it a crow for the third time.
Unfortunately, the little bird was left hopping in soaring anger, its wings spread to their maximum length as flames exuded from its eyes.
…forget pinching the young girl's skin, the coat's threads did not even fray from its invigorated assaults.
Caw!
”…what do you want now?” the young girl sighed in exasperation, flicking the little creature on its forehead.
”You little crow, keep on 'cawing' about, are you trying to rip my ears apart? I, can't, understand, your, cries, ah!?”
Having noticed that the black raven had fallen silent, An Fei shook her head whilst stepping over a low root that snaked through the path before her feet.
The young girl returned her focus to her surroundings, her vigilant gaze not failing to notice the several inconspicuous creatures amongst the throng of grass and white rabbits.
…was that another white tiger staring at her from the right?
The young girl suddenly paused her step, the pair of scarlet irises locking onto the white tiger's silhouette through the thin veil of the drooping branches of a willow tree.
Knocking her mind with a mental note regarding the mysteries of the forest, An Fei hesitated whilst maintaining eye contact with the white tiger.
”Xiao Hei, do you think that the tiger over there would attack, just like how its fellow species did so a few hours earlier?”
The young girl casually tossed its remark to her unwelcoming and insufferably prideful companion, her hands silently dropping to her sash.
An Fei allowed her body to relax, her fingers and palms curling around the calming surfaces of two butterfly swords.
Though she couldn't finish its earlier countryman off, the young girl was confident that the white tiger before her wasn't much of –
Caw!
The little black raven abruptly spread its wings as it drew itself to the maximum height its small frame could muster, a fierce glint emanating from the pair of crimson eyes.
Unbeknownst to the young girl who served as its mount, a dense black radiance burst from its body, enveloping the Wu Ji Forest in a malicious, brutal atmosphere.
The denizens of the forest, however, were fully cognizant of the aura and the dangers associated with its presence, and could not help but obediently retreat towards their dens without a single complaint.
”Ah…?”
An Fei could only gape as the white tiger who had been silently observing her every movement for the past few minutes retreated behind the veil of willow branches.
In midst of her startle, the young girl anxiously swept her gaze from side to side, only to discover that the same phenomenon was occurring to the other creatures within the sea of grass.
Caw!
The little creature on her shoulder buffed its chest with a prideful glare, its beak soaring to the heavens as the raven cocked its head to face the young girl's countenance.
The little raven even dared to lightly peck An Fei's exposed nape, demanding attention as though an eager child.
Hence, the praise it received manifested in the form of a slap to a feathered black head.
”Hey, don't do that! Your beak is sharp, it'll bruise my skin…”