146 Little Raven, Little Crow 3 (1/2)
An Fei did have some apprehensions regarding the odd and slightly perplexing raven she had picked up the day before.
At the minimum, she was curious to whether it would have left her by the tomorrow's dawn.
The young girl had tossed a disdainful glance towards the pesky little creature perched on her right shoulder, before flashing into the quiet and comfortable haven of the Sanctum.
For an inexplicable reason, the little raven had not followed her into the realm of sky-blue crystal, but had remained in the exact location throughout the entire night.
When An Fei finally emerged relatively matching the crack of dawn, the young girl found a raven perched within the cavity of the large acacia tree she had rested against yesterday evening.
…and received a baleful glare from the little raven, full of disdain and contempt.
”What?”
An Fei crossed her arms, her brows furrowed and her bottom lip protruding outward in a light pout.
”This young lady doesn't want to be surrounded by hairy beasts in the night, how does that sound for you?”
Caw!
The little raven sneered with disdain, its wings ruffling the air within the vicinity.
The young girl paid it no heed and mindlessly continued her journey in trekking through the forest, the leather bag customarily slung over her right shoulder.
Alas, the little creature was to swallow down a significant portion of its pride, and fly the short distance to perch on An Fei once again.
The crimson eyes carefully tracked each movement made by the young girl, but deigned not to mention that she was heading in the completely wrong direction.
Suffer alone, for you left this immortal not only hanging dry in a damp forest, but right outside the door to your safe haven!
–
The young girl remained oblivious to the anomaly of a raven on her shoulder, other than the comical notion that it sounded like a crow.
She was to remain completely clueless until a key moment, of which her heart was to suffer a catastrophic blow.
Until then, the raven was to suffer as the butt of her jokes, whether it appreciated it or not.
”Xiao Hei, do you think this is the right direction?”
An Fei carelessly mumbled as she walked alongside the length of the stream, her eyes occasionally roaming to the other bank. The young girl kicked a clumped ball of dried grass, her entire being radiating an aura of boredom,
Caw!
”After all, it's been a few days of constant walking around in a single direction, and I've only been able to read and sleep within the Sanctum when it reaches nighttime. Exercise outside and then inside, it doesn't possess much allure to me…”
Caw!
The raven groaned within its heart, deeply desiring to bore through the invincible shield of a coat of linen fabric, and deliver some pain towards its unruly mount.
In the end, the little creature shoved its head into its feathers, deigning not to face the innocent and oftentimes clueless young girl.
You're heading in the opposite direction where fierce creatures roam left and right, what boredom do you speak of?
”I really want to leave this forest, ah…” An Fei sighed, the pair of scarlet irises revealed a sorrowful glint.
The young girl discarded the rough ball of tortured and executed grass, her feet deciding to plainly walk across the surface of the soft earth in silence.
The grass coiling around her legs released a sigh of relief, happily parting way to spare themselves from unreasonable torment.
”I need to quickly return to Jiang'an, and inform Father of the Empress' scheme. Daring to do such an act in private, who wouldn't say that she has an ulterior motive, ah!?”
A puffed right cheek and baleful pair of scarlet irises razed the peaceful atmosphere of the Wu Ji Forest to ashes, dousing the creatures of the tranquil forest into another daytime nightmare.
The white rabbits, deer, snakes, and even a wild boar hidden within the backdrop of a myriad trees all quivered as they heard the young girl's complaints.
As creatures who had not received the opportunity of the bestowment of spiritual essence, they were unable to understand the meaning within An Fei's laments towards the closed-off sky.
Alas, as primal creatures, they were more or less accustomed to her predatorial, moody aura that reeked from her body, and deigned to scamper away upon first sight.
…they weren't necessarily scared of either the little raven or the young girl, but the steel sword without a handle that hovered behind An Fei as though a deathly loyal butler.