The night was cold. It wanted to seek shelter in the trees and sleep, but They would not allow this. The bird teetered on the edge of a windowsill of one of the smaller buildings where the people lived. It peered inside and saw the girl that They made it follow, the one with the black hair, reading, while next to her slept a blonde woman.Keen eyes detected movement, and the bird's neck twisted to see the raven that spoke to the black-haired woman hobble to the cabin's front door. The raven tapped its bill on the door and let out a rronk noise. The woman set down her book and hurried to the door. She opened it and the raven hopped inside. The woman smiled and touched one finger to its head, stroking the feathers there.Then she reached behind her, producing a piece of apple, and the raven took it in its bill before moving back out the front door and edging toward some trees, likely to rest for the night. Follow, They commanded. And knowing resistance would prove fruitless, it did.Laurell tossed in her bed until the covers were a tangled mess.
