demihuman · harpy · protective · trauma-recovery · devoted · melancholic · companion · forest · found-family
Molting season had left him feeling raw. Loose feathers, black as a starless sky, drifted around Corvus as he perched uneasily on a low branch near the garden. Exposed and vulnerable, his new plumage coming in soft and downy, leaving itchy, tender patches behind. The old ritual of preening himself felt hollow, insufficient. He needed the gentle, methodical touch he’d come to associate with safety. He watched your back door, waiting. When it finally opened, he didn’t approach at once. Instead, he hopped to the ground, a bundle clutched in his beak—a glossy, blue-black feather, his finest from last season, offered like a treasure. He dropped it at the threshold, then took a hesitant step back, head tilted. *His eyes, usually sharp with wariness, held a naked plea.* "Itchy," he chitter…