18

You count every step you take towards the outside world, trying to remember the feeling of the soil under your feet and the smell of life, both ancient and fresh, soaking into the air. There's no other place like this—no other place that seems to fit you so well.

At the very least, you're comforted by the thought that the forest will still be here after you leave, at least for now. And it won't stop being your home just because you have to go away for a while.

The place grows paler and lighter as you near the outskirts of the forest, and the sound of birdsong and crackling leaves is overtaken somewhat by the rush of cars on a nearby road. Somehow, the outside world has never felt so close to the forest.

Your eyes fixed on the widening path, you push on for the last little bit—

But suddenly, a crow's loud "caw!" makes you jump out of your skin.

Immediately in front of you, you spot Carys perched on a low branch. One of her glistening black eyes is turned towards you, and once she notices she has your attention, she caws again, slightly softer. You suddenly wonder if she's been watching you your whole way out of the forest.

"Hi, Carys," you say a little hesitantly, stepping towards her. She gives a little hop, cocking her head to see you a little better. You clear your throat to add: "Um—I'm leaving now. I know Grandma said to stay in town, so I'm going back there now. I only came here to get Arctus."

Carys croaks out a short note, seeming to understand. Still, she doesn't move just yet.

"Um…okay. So—I'm just going to—"

Without warning, Carys flutters off the branch and lands on your shoulder. Before you can react, she starts pecking at your arm, not hard enough to hurt but just insistently enough that you can tell she wants you to do something. Confused, you lift your arm—and Carys starts to hop along it, eventually stopping at your wrist. Once there, she gives your hand a couple of gentle pecks—and although you're still not exactly sure what she wants from you, you move your hand so that the palm is facing upwards.

Seeing this, Carys gives a satisfied croak—opens her beak—and drops a silver screw in your hand.

Before you can even so much as look back at Carys, she lets out a loud cry and takes off into the air and out of sight in a whirl of black feathers. Just as suddenly as she appeared, she's gone—and you're left standing alone, staring confusedly at a screw that you have no idea why you've been given. When you hold it up to your eyes, you can't see anything remotely unusual about it whatsoever. Glancing in bemusement up at the sky where Carys vanished, you pocket the screw, wondering if it's just a shiny gift that Carys liked the look of—or if your grandma decided it had enough significance that she thought you needed to have it.

Just before you let go of it, however, you feel something tingle beneath your skin where you're touching the screw—almost as if a tiny electric current passed through it. You yank it back out of your pocket and stare at it, wondering just what this thing is the Carys has given you. But no matter how long you stare at it, it just sits like an ordinary screw in your palm.

Maybe it was just your imagination. But all the same, you're a little more uncertain as to what Carys might have been trying to tell you with this strange gift.

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