''Just a crow''

-King's Move-

Hunting.

A pass time with a reward at the end.

Usually it is in groups, with dogs, but not today.

"Are you sure you are fine walking?" Mar asked from his seat upon his horse's saddle.

"Of course your Grace for unlike you I am not human."

"I have a bit less human in me then usual." She acknowledged his words with a bow and doing just as told, walking next to the horse, he had been asking this question since they arrived into the forest anyway, having been a crow and perched on his shoulder until not long ago.

"It seems so your Grace."

The forest was lively with bird, squirrels and life, rays of sun peaking through the leaves, wind swaying branches and grass, the air fresh. 

"It is the perfect day to go hunting your Grace but I admit I am curious why you've come alone." Hellebore not including herself in her statement.

"I just thought it would be a nice thing, a king is always surrounded by so much, rarely do we get true privacy."

"Is that so? In that case tell me." In a flutter of wing, up in a tree, forcing him to look up at her as she crouched on a branch. "Why am I here? Are you not scared I'd fly off?"

"Why? Because you are not and never have been a burden like the others can become."

He held out his arm, the bird landing on it and brought it to his face, just as marvelous of a crow as the first time he saw it, even if then she was hurt and he had reticence towards her, he rubbed his cheek in the face feathers with a smile.

"Fly off? Well why don't you fly a little." Jerking the crow off his arm, watching the bird fly a circle around him before flying ahead. "It's not like you can beat a horse, hya!" Snapping the reigns into a gallop.

Flight, the true freedom of the world, the possibility to go anywhere and whenever, and to stretch her wings in the wind again, nothing ever felt better.

Through the branches, between the leaves, skimming the little stream's surface with her wings, master of her own choices and destiny.

And as water droplets splashed up, so did the light burst through them in little redirected rays of sun dancing across the dark brown fur of the horse galloping up on the nearby dirt road.

With flaps of wings, moving to the other side of the mounted king before flying even faster, arching up and bursting through the foliage into the empty blues of the sky.

Higher and higher, a hand reaching out as there was no more push, stalling out in speed, reaching for the sun with glee before her weight started to pull her back down towards the ground, even a child of the sky is to land once in a while.

Laughing to herself as wind whipped her hair and clothes, whooshing passed her as she was hurled towards this world's surface.

Arms out, eyes closed, falling and falling before jerking her body to face downward and spreading her wings, catching herself on the updrafts present, gliding down, landing in the trees.

Mar smiled at her as she gave one back, swiping a leaf off her shoulder, hopping down as he finally slowed his horse to a stop, catching up.

"Shall we get something to bring back your Grace?"

"Please, just call me Mar."

"So be it, Mar."

-----------------------------------

Deers and stags, a perfect day to relax.

Not a predator in view, the water fresh, the grass luscious.

Head picked up at a sudden caw and--One less mouth to feed.

The heavy body fell over, the ground almost shaking as the herd's peace was broken.

The arrow had flew straight and true, having hit through the eye socket of the smaller stag, the one that had looked up at the crow that now landed on antlers as a perch.

Mar smiled, letting out a breath and getting out of his bushes.

"I shall take these and make you a perch worthy of the bird you are." He said, a bit surprised that even as a human now, she was still able to momentarily balance on the antlers as she stepped off them.

"A quick death, you've been merciful." She said, reminded of the great hunter that had shot her down, it took steady hands for such a shot.

"Oh?"

"It could have suffered long, animals not given thought are harder to guide to death then humans so I am forced to leave them to their lonesome suffering to keep myself safe." She said. "And any bird would be honored with stag antlers as their perch."

"You matter a lot to us." He did it to the bird but never the human, still, he convinced himself to lift his hand and run the back of it down her face, it was so silky smooth, feeling with distaste what little scab still remained from the injury but it would soon heal fully.

She let him do it to her.

"Fly as you might, I wish to keep you close."

"I'll come back as I have before."

He was feeling like it was going good, really good.

"Than I wish for you to always come back for days without you would be dark. Fly high and fly long but come back."

"I'll always make my way back Mar as for me my present is here."

"Then fly, fly and see."

He could have said more but this was confirmation enough that Hellebore would be open to anything with him.

It would be amusing tho when they realize just how aware of all of this the crow is since the wind whispers.