hhhhhh-

Cedar

     Rowan inhaled sharply, closing his eyes and wagging his feathered tail as he hiked through the dense cedar trees. He loved this time of year, all the oak and elm at the beginning of the woods were orange and brown, while the wood farther in, where Rowan was, were all emerald and olive. He smiled, a gloved hand running through his hair. He glanced around, setting his bag down at the roots of a massive fir. Rowan sat, leaning against the trunk. He sighed, glancing at his bag. The fir was only a rest stop, and soon he'd be on his way again, deeper into the forest. And so, Rowan stood and collected his things, setting off into the woods.

⛤⛤⛤⛤⛤

Rowan huffed, holding himself at the bite of the air. "God, it's cold," He hissed, gritting his teeth as he bent down to light a candle. He stepped back, admiring his work. The plasticky scent of spray paint lingered in the air, a product of the red pentagram sprayed into the grass. Rowan grit his teeth, taking in a deep breath. He stalked over to the last candle, crouching down instead of bending over this time. He flicked his lighter, tail swishing in the air. It didn't light. He tried again, cursing as the flame died out yet again. Rowan hastily threw the lighter away, making a mental note to find it later. He reached for a candle, using it to set flame to the unlit one. "Finally," He mumbled, grasping the pocket knife from his bag. Rowan stepped into the circle, his breathing deep. He cut, wincing at the sharp pain in his hand. Even so, he didn't dare speak, didn't even whimper. The crimson dripped into the centre candle, barely missing the glow. He sighed, kneeling. Rowan gulped, clasping his hands together and bowing his head. He whispered words he had practised for months, language that he wasn't supposed to know. But did that stop a demon from coming forth? No. It didn't. Rowan finished, looking up to see nothing but crisp autumn air. "The fuck?" He mumbled, standing and turning to grab his stuff, to maybe try again in the morning. He ran smack into a broad chest, horns of his own nearly headbutting them. "Excuse me, I need to get-OH HOLY SHIT IT WORKED-" Rowan stumbled sideways, only now noticing that the candles had extinguished. "Course it fucking did, you didn't think it wouldn't, right?" They tilted their head, arms crossed. Rowan stepped back, having to look up to view them. "Shit...you're tall," He whispered, gulping. And they were, Rowan was at least 6'2, and this demon was towering over him. "Yep. Now what'd you need? Someone dead? Advice?" They stepped forward, leaning down. "Are you, lonely?" Rowan turned red, swallowing the lump in his throat. "N-No, I mean, I am, but I need someone killed, preferably pretty soon." Rowan picked his things up, glancing at the candles and deciding he'd pick them up sometime tomorrow. "Who then? Ex? Enemy? Granny who's sitting on a load of cash?" Rowan sighed. "First of all, I need your name."

"Zak."

"Last name?"

"None of your business."

"Technically, it is."

"Technically, it's not,"

Rowan laughed. "What?" He giggled, sitting down on the grass. 'Zak' crossed his arms, sitting across from Rowan. "Nothing, I just..can't believe it worked!" Rowan lay down, huffing in exhaustion. "What? That I'm here?" Rowan clicked his tongue, his hands in his hair. "Look," Zak picked up Rowan's discarded lighter, holding it up and throwing it back down. "I'm real. Realer than the celebrity in your mind at nine o'clock at night, anyways," Rowan flushed, sitting up immediately. "That's-" "Not true? Your memory says otherwise, Rowan," Zak had bent down, casting a dark shadow over Rowan as the bird looked up at him. Zak stayed still, and for a moment Rowan was relaxed, calm, almost. Until Zak crouched down, sitting with his knees on either side of Rowan's chest. "You are lonely, no?" Zak grinned as Rowan flustered, leaning down even more to whisper. "I could help you, you know that, Rowan," The man shuddered, feathers fluffed up in fear. "Could help with all of your little, fantasies. In fact, I'd be happy to." Lust radiated off of Zak, an obvious tent right in front of Rowan's nose. "I-I mean, that's not why I..summoned, you," Rowan mumbled, inhaling sharply as Zak's fingers brushed his cheek. "Well, in that case, someone needs their throat slit?" Zak didn't move from his spot on Rowan's torso. In fact, he seemed to make himself comfortable. Rowan nodded, spoken words being too much for his scattered brain. "You wanna tell me who it is? A description, at least?" Rowan nudged Zak lower, sitting up. "It'd-Could you get off of me?" Zak slid off, sitting next to Rowan. "..There. Okay, so-Her name is Mia, and she's a complete asshole! And she still thinks I'm in love with her! I mean, yeah she's pretty and all but looks only get you so far. She's like, five-three, dark skin, bleached hair, wears the worst makeup ever, usually wears really tight and short dresses that do nothing but get her dress-coded-"

"Wait you're still in school?!"

Zak's eyes were wide with regret, and he looked as if he might bolt.

"I mean yeah but I'm nineteen, legally an adult. Also, my parents died a while ago,"

Rowan shrugged, scratching his neck while he stretched his legs into a more comfortable position.

"I had no idea! You look like you're like..twenty-six!"

Zak held Rowan's face, digits running over the prickly stubble. "It's my eyes. My mom died giving birth to Joan. Joan was mauled by a cougar at eight. My dad was a drunk, too much for his own good. Drank twice his weight in a week. Died from crashing into a gas station. I've seen more as a kid than most do in their lifetime," Rowan chuckled softly, a weak smile on his face. "That's, that's dark, even for me," Zak didn't move away. Instead, he pushed Rowan into the grass, his hand not leaving his chest. "I'm..sorry," The demon mumbled, situating his head on Rowan's shoulder. Rowan's hand ran through Zak's hair, porcelain skin a great contrast compared to the sage-hued locks. His free hand scratched his neck, fingers itching to yank at the itchy feathers. "It's getting cold, I-I should head home. Do you...do you wanna come with me?" Rowan sat back up, Zak mirroring his posture. "Sure. I gotta sleep somewhere," He stood, brushing himself off. Rowan laughed, picking his bag up. "Come on then. It's a bit of a walk, but it's worth it." 

credits to random classmates for the name Rowan