Scarecrow

Prologue

The golden meadow outside of town was bathed in the morning sunlight. The wild, nocturnal animals had already burrowed themselves to rest. The stars had bid farewell and made room for the sun to rise. The warm breeze greeted the rustling bushes and pushed the leaves away to clear out the playing field.

The meadow was the perfect place to practice for a brawl, but it was also the perfect place to do other more mundane and easy-going activities, like camping or having a picnic. You could lie on the soft grass until the sun scourged your skin. Then you could be like Piper and open your umbrella, or you could go under the tall bushes scattered nearby.

The meadow was occupied that morning by two brawlers. Crow and Bibi had the idea of just playing a game of baseball. It was just something they thought of the night prior after realizing that Bull's diner was getting stale and it would not hurt to try something they used to do again. The life of running around cause mischief, stealing and indulging in a bit of debauchery was fun. But sometimes, the simpler things in life like playing sports so early in the morning could just be as rewarding.

"Batter up!" Crow shouted at Bibi.

Bibi,  a couple of feet away, answered with a simple pop of her bubblegum.

Crow threw a pink baseball and, with all her might, Bibi swung her bat and the ball flew right past Crow's head. The girl mutely chuckles as the bird chased after the speeding ball. It landed right into a large collection of bushes and Crow dived right in.

Bibi waited for a while. Surely a small ball would not take forever to pull out. But seconds turned into minutes, and Bibi could not help but look at her watch, her anxiety increasing as each tic passed and yet her feathery companion had not walked out.

Concerned, she dashed to the bush. On her way though, she almost tripped when something bumped against her heel. It wasn't that it was so strong that she lost her balance. More accurately, she lost her balance at the actual sight that greeted her.

It was the pink baseball.

She quickly ran and pried the bush open. Her blood ran cold when she saw nothing but a black powder and a single black feather. She circled the bush in hopes that it was just a cruel prank by Crow, but no matter how long she investigated, she could not find her friend. She clutched on her bat, anxiety for Crow now turning into anxiety for her own safety. Whatever it was, she thought, it could be after her as well.

She bolted away from the meadow when she heard an eerie ringing approaching her right ear. She ran, faster and faster, until her little feet had landed her into the town. She paused momentarily, leaning against a building to catch her breath. Her chest rose up and down, gradually slowing down once and for all. She wiped the sweat off her forehead and threw the old bubblegum in her mouth away.

She could not wipe the fear that plagued her mind though, as the thought of Crow suddenly disappearing was making her more worried about what could have happened. She needed help. And as much as she hated him, she knew he would have the resources.

She started walking towards the sheriff's office.