The girl tossed her dagger in the air, watching it fly and glimmer in the air, before catching it. Upon catching it, the girl let out a happy little chirp, her eyes widening. The crow, who was watching her, nearly choked on the piece of bone he was chewing. For forty minutes straight the girl was failing at catching her knife. In fact, she was failing so bad that the crow never even considered that she might catch it and, if she did, it will be about or over a day.
"Don't give me that look, Blackey," The girl said, catching the suspicious look he was giving her, I just needed practwise."
The crow raised an eyebrow (do crows even have eyebrows?) and flew up on her shoulder, taking out a thin piece of metal from her dress. If there was one good thing about the new outfit the crow had made for the girl, which was a pain to do, by the way, it was that the dress was more durable than the original one. He doesn't know what the metal piece was, but he does know it belonged to a weapon. The tip that was caught in the dress was sharp, and the piece looked like a rod. However, even if the tip was sharp like a spear or spike, it didn't tear the dress as the girl walked, nor did the metal piece break through the girl's skin either. For the eighteen minutes the metal piece has been in there, there was not even the slightest sign that it was causing any discomfort, and the crow had a very strong feeling that the girl didn't even know it was there.
"Oh. Thanks you, Blackey!" The girl said, proving the crow's theory right.
With a snort, he flew off her shoulder and dropped the metal piece in one of the numerous nearby piles of bodies, scrap, and decaying armor and weapons. Once free of his load, he flapped his wings, gaining height, and scanned the area below. The abandoned battlefield was the same as always, and there was still no sign of his flock.
After making sure their route back to the girl's dead mother was clear, he flew back down and landed in front of the girl, who was holding a metal helmet more square in shape. After taking a closer look, the crow recognized them as the people who use maces out in the battlefield. They too, were here on this battle, but they didn't last long. Well, they weren't the first ones out, but they were pushed into out of the center with most of their small numbers killed. At least, that is what he saw back when he and his flock spotted the battle taking place. However, since it was a battlefield, they decided to not stick around in case stray arrows and high magic energy that always takes place in battles like these.
Shaking his head, the crow looked away from the girl and, instead, studied the box he landed on. There was a slash on it, revealing that nothing was inside it, and a sword was impaled through the top, belonging to the people who fight with those mace wielders, but aside from a few bronze coins and gold and silver bracelets, there was nothing worth noting.
All of these weapons and armor, and for what? He knows that his flock has been in battle before, with him being in the second one, yet they only fight for each other over nesting spots. Yet, it seems the humanoids fight each other for far little. Wars. Yes, wars is what they call it.
Now, he isn't complaining about them, since they are the main reason why he and his flock thrive in the world, having so much bodies to eat. Still, to waste so many lives...no wonder why crows are superior to them.
Feeling haughty, he took a step forward and pecked the sword, though he failed to make it budge. However, he did hear just the faintest rustle of paper.
Curious, he moved behind the sword and through the crack behind another box and a pile and spotted what he was looking for. The girl, meanwhile, was gnawing the helmet, liking the slight strange and odd, yet sweet taste it provided. So, when she heard the same rustling sound from before, only much louder and followed by a loud squawk from Blackey, she turned her head, curious, and saw him pull out a orangish-tan thing that looked like cloth, only not too.
'If Blackey makes me wear that, I'm going to tear it!' The girl declared to herself, her eyes narrowing at the mere thought of wearing such a strange and uncomfortable thing.
The crow, instead of trying to make the girl wear the strange thing, put it down in the middle of the ground and unfolded it, revealing the thing had many strange markings, patterns, and even colors on it too. Seeing it, the girl started reconsidering if she would be okay with wearing it or not.
The crow, meanwhile, was ecstatic about finding a map. When he first heard the sound, he knew it was paper of some kind, but to think it was a real map!
Originally, he was going to use the paper to start a fire since, even if the girl was unusual, he doubts she can survive the upcoming winter, and neither will he if he doesn't find suitable shelter and his flock. But now, with paper, he and the girl can if they are careful and find a good enough shelter, or they can use the map to find other humanoids who will take the girl and, hopefully, him in too.
What? How can a crow read a map made by humanoids? Well, crows all over the world will find your question insulting. Of course crows, who think themselves superior to humanoids, can read maps. They aren't stupid!
Anyway, back to reality, the crow started looking at the map, trying to find out what where the closest building is. It took him a bit...you know, an hour or so, until he realized that the map included the battlefield, and where the battlefield was. With that information, he managed to learn that there is another abandoned battlefield northwest from this one, and a small brown shop to the west. There were even check-markers that could be used to navigate the area!
Nodding his head, his eyes closed as he did so to increase his haughtiness and let out his pride, the crow flapped his wings, taking off into the air with the map in his beak. Of course, since life can be so random, the map managed to snag on a weapon, tearing it a bit before the crow dropped the map, saving it from any more injury by the weapon.
Unfortunately, he forgot that he is companions with what is essentially a baby in the form of a little girl who has never learned of self control. In an instant, the little girl jumped up and perched perfectly on the shaft of the polearm that snagged the map and started to tear pieces off it. The crow's lower beak fell down as he watched in shock disbelief and horror as the little girl tore the map apart, giggling at the feeling of ripping the foreign object apart as well as the sound it made.
By the time he managed to snap out of his daze and shake his head, it was too late. The little girl showed unusual determination and dexterity, ripping the map into unrecognizable pieces very quickly. As he flew up into the sky, ready to give him a piece of his mind, he felt a sudden chill run down his spine. The girl's hands were twitching and there was a wild look in her eyes. It took him a couple of seconds before he realized what the look in her eyes was.
The little girl was showing the emotion of destruction. The feeling one gets when they want to tear something apart not out of anger, but just for the joy of it. Crows don't get such a feeling but predators do. At least, many of the smaller ones do. He has a feeling that if he gets close to her, she might snap him up without even realizing it.
The little girl looked around, her eyes scanning for anything else to tear apart. When she didn't find anything, she let out an adorable yet unfitting cuu and snapped the polearm she was standing on in two with her hands. She fell to the sandy ground below in a daze, confused as to why she suddenly fell, while the crow was staring at the snapped polearm in alarm. Nothing, not even a cannon ball, could break a weapon. At least, that is what he gathered from all the battles he has seen. Yet this girl, this little girl who is only a few days old, broke one so fast and with such ease that he didn't even see what she did.
Before he could think more about it, said little girl started rolling around in the sandy ground like a canine would. As she did so, her claws causing deep gorges in the ground, the wild look in her eyes died down. It seems that, for now at least, she is safe to be around.
Letting out a sigh the crow landed besides her, though at two arm lengths, and gave her a disapproving look, causing her to pause in her rolling fest and look up at him.
"What?"
. . . . . . . .
Camp Striiken was a camp that has been around for a while. Not really the camp itself but more of the spot. Located at the edge of Striiken Forest, this camp was not a place for action or activity. It was a place to store away soldiers, which is why mainly new recruits can be found here. This morning was like every other morning, or should be. They were standing up for morning ro-call, all one thousand of them, when the wooden gates opened up, it was enough to distract all of them, even the High Captain that was in charge of the camp.
Four horses strolled into the camp, They recognized General Obaskis, who was in the lead, as well as his two personal guards riding at his side. The horse behind him, however, was carrying what looked to be a bunch of rags.
The four horses walked into the center of the camp, the two personal guards eyeing each recruit as they went. When they stopped, the rags on the horse moved, as if there was some kind of small animal in it. Said "animal" revealed itself when a small girlish and childish hand popped out of the pile of rags.
"General Obaskis," The High Captain greeted, stepping forward and bowing, "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"I'm just here to drop off somethings and check up on the condition of the camp," General Obaskis replied, his words leaving no room for arguments.
"...Well, can I ask about your little friend over there?"
Obaskis turned to where High Captain Somnar was pointing at and chuckled upon seeing Ai's hand petting the horse she was on.
"That right there is one of the somethings I am dropping off," Obaskis stated, crossing his arms and watching as the girl slowly peeked her head out of the pile of rags, blinking away her drowsiness, "Treat her with respect. If I had to say, she is below an Officer but above the common soldier."
Somnar had to resist the urge to snort in disbelief.
"So, do you have a name for that rank?" He asked, trying his best to maintain his respectful tone.
"Hmmm. I guess a Kunai?"
Somnar opened his mouth, about to speak out his objection, when the girl crawled off the horse and landed on the ground with a 'humph', the rags she was using as a bed falling on her. With her came a shiny yet simple makeshift war axe, which cracked the ground when it landed, causing the horse to jump away before calming herself.
"O-Old Man, are we there yet?" Ai asked, rubbing her eyes. It seemed as if she was unaffected by the fall, nor the somehow unbelievable heavy axe that fell behind her.
"Yep, we are here, Ai," Obaskis replied, walking forward to help the girl up. Instead of taking his hand, however, she went on all fours and shook herself like a dog would, getting off the rags and dust on her, and proceeded to stand up, picking up the heavy axe like it was nothing and casually flinging it into the air before catching it.
"Oh, goodie," The girl, Ai, yawned while casually strolling forward.
"No offense, General, but is bringing a young girl into an active battlefield such a good idea?" Somnar asked, leaning forward to not be heard by said young girl.
"You don't have to worry about her skill in combat, Somnar," Obaskis smiled, "Just don't get in her way and you'll be fine."
Ai, meanwhile, was inspecting each recruit with a curious gaze, seeing if any of them looked familiar or had her favorite dagger. Once she finally reached the end of the long lineup, she nodded eagerly and proceeded to head into the tent that holds some food in it. There was a bit of silence, then some complaining from within, which was shortly followed up by the sound of a crate getting smashed before Ai came back out with an apple in her hand.
"Aha! I finally found ya, you blood fruit!" Ai exclaimed as she studied the apple intently, oblivious to the stares directed at her.
"...Trust me, you'll probably be fine," Obaskis said, watching the girl in the distance praise the simple red apple in her hand.
you don't know the number that goes between 2 and 4?
Uh...No comment.