"Crunch… crunch…"
The harsh grinding of gravel reached Kalani's ears, forcing his lids to flutter open dazedly. A lonely exhale left his mouth, clouding the air before him. Then his lowered eyes eventually refocused onto the gravelly road beneath him and the walking boots that could only be his.
A frown creased his forehead. Where was he? But within moments, he felt an dull ache rush through his mind, leaving the answer on the tip of his tongue.
"Kalani?" a gruff voice then addressed him abruptly, startling Kalani. His emerald eyes shot upward, meeting the somewhat raised brow of his father. On the other hand, a tip of a large bow and quiver peeked behind the man's back, hidden mostly by the beige duffel bag slung over his shoulder.
Then a husky chuckle left the man as he ruffled Kalani's head playfully, "Were you daydreaming again?"
Instinctively, Kalani batted away his dad's palm, protesting aloud as the raven strands of hair fell over his eyes, "Dad, not my hair! It's bad enough as it is!"
Unfortunately for Kalani, his father wasn't done with the teasing yet and responded with a wicked grin, "It's fine! Your mom and I have given up on your terrible bed hair."
A similar grin then grew on Kalani as the boy retorted smugly, "Then guess who I got it from?"
"Whoever left you under that bridge," his father smoothly whistled, ignoring the immediate glare the boy gave him.
After noting inwardly to settle this later, Kalani glanced to the side, taking in the sight of the stately forest trees as they extended their branches to the sky.
He then stifled a sneeze and shivered from excitement— and not from the chilliness nipping at his heels. This he'll never admit aloud, not after avoiding the heavy coat his mother tried to push onto him earlier.
Musing with a tiny crack of a smile, he could feel his mind clear, unlike before.
'I wonder why I felt so detached earlier…' Kalani then mulled, twisting his lips into a wretched sneer for a moment. This action of his went unnoticed by him however.
Then a thought struck him. Slowing his steps, Kalani turned to face his father with a look of concern, "Dad, don't you have to go to town for work?"
Yet contrary to his expectations, his father merely flashed a grin and remarked, "My boss allowed me to take a break for a month. Said I should have some time with my family."
At this, the boy's emerald eyes sparkled, "Then does that mean we could visit the capital together with mom? Harvest season is nearly done, so we could meet your colleagues instead!"
Caught up in his brimming excitement, the boy didn't notice the troubled expression flashing across the man's cedar irises and the hollow laugh following it.
"Hold your horses, Kal, you're only thirteen. Besides, the capital is a long ways off from here," the man tousled the boy's nest of hair before turning to stare far into the distance at the never-ending road bemusedly. "And I thought you said it was only a short walk."
Kalani stuck out his tongue naughtily and replied, "Who told you to bring so much stuff for a bird?"
After a moment of speechlessness, his father let out a short scoff, "Fine, you cheeky brat, we're going back then." He quickly turned around.
But a tug on the man's shirt made him stop short of taking another step back.
"You promised…" a childish, pouted whisper could be heard echoing through the tranquil air.
Afraid that he'd taken the joke too far, the man glanced back hastily.
But then a gruff yelp startled the resting birds, sending them flying out of the forest treetops.
…
Half an hour later, Kalani, with the large bow and quiver now resting on his shoulders, stepped out the forest's bushy undergrowth surrounding the field. His father quickly followed with a slightly aggrieved expression as he glanced at the two, small swollen spots on his arm where Kal had pinched him.
Yet with one look at his surroundings, the man let out a whistle of surprise. Crimson leaves lay fallen around the perimeter of the leveled field while the rest of the forest remained a lush green as though the cold weather didn't bother them.
Apart from the crackling sounds of the yellow tinged weeds, Kalani remained silent as he led his father toward the lone tree in the midst of the clearing. Chirps then resounded from the tree's dense foliage, followed by a black shadow tumbling out of the treetop.
"Hey Whistle," Kalani muttered and reached down to place the disheveled fluff in his cupped palm. Trilling cheerfully, the bird then cocked its head at the man and froze.
On the other hand, his father's eyes lit up before he blurt out, "A Reya bird?"
"... You know what Whistle is?" Kalani then blurted out, somewhat dumbfounded. "I thought it was a weirder raven— urg!" Two feathered slaps slammed straight into the boy's face before he knew it.
Then with a disgruntled squawk, Whistle took off of the dazed giant and hightailed it back to its tree. With it rose an urge in Kalani to chase after the damn thing while his dad hugged his sides, cackling uncontrollably on the sidelines.
"You know, for a young bird, it's awfully clever," the man finally remarked as he tried to choke back his laughter, but his mirth-filled eyes betrayed him. "How old is it?"
"For a one year old, it's bold," the boy eventually responded, though through gritted teeth.
"Oh, it's your age then," his father then spoke along with a suppressed chuckle. "Come now, don't be so sullen," he continued at the boy's disgruntled expression. "You haven't understood how lucky you are."
Kalani quirked a brow in skepticism.
"They're not only known for their loyalty but also as spectacular messenger birds," the man explained, his gaze twinkling brightly. "But," he uttered before finishing his sentence after catching sight of Whistle peeking its head from behind the tree trunk, "making up with each other should be first."
Loosening the drawstring tied to his waist, the man then tossed the seed pouch at his son, who scrambled to catch it. "After you're done, I'll teach you more about Whistle as well as archery."
Spotting Kalani's hesitation, his father encouraged with a broad smile, watching silently as the boy plodded closer to the root of the tree.
While Kalani approached closer, a frown grew more evident on his face. 'Why do I have to apologize to a bird?' the boy then reasoned with himself. 'It's ridiculous…'
Right then, Whistle stretched out its feathery neck, locking eyes with Kalani. One look, two reactions.
In Whistle's view, Kalani's expression turned from gloomy to plain terrifying as a wicked grin tugged at the boy's mouth.
The bird visibly shuddered.
Yet before it could escape again, Kalani swiftly took ahold of it. In his hand, Whistle ruffled its feathers and let out a squawk.
"Calm down you imp," the boy murmured in displeasure before stroking the bird's head gently. "Jeez, so overdramatic." Kalani then held the bird against his chest while he fiddled with the seed pouch.
To this mock, Whistle squawked again in disapproval. Although this time, it leaned against the boy's chest in surrender.
But before Whistle could sulk further, it cocked its head at the tantalizing handful of seeds right under its beak.
Whistle then glanced between Kalani and the seeds in his hand.
"Eat it," Kalani murmured in resignation, "It's my apology." Yet contrary to his expectations, Whistle instantly broke free from his grasp.
"Whi—" Kalani shouted midway before his eyes widened. Under the boy's blank stare, Whistle then peeped quietly atop Kalani's shoulder and rubbed its feathery head against his face.
Incredulous, the boy felt rooted in place as the bird continued to show affection in this way. Was this really his bird?!
'Did someone swap Whistle for something else?' Kalani mused momentarily before showing a hint of a smile. 'Well well, this rascal does seem smart now.'
"Excuse me, if you're both settled down, care for breakfast? I think you'd both like to practice with a full stomach," the gruff voice of his father from behind made them jump.
The bird immediately hugged the boy's neck, puffing its feathers out as a warning to not come any closer. However, the intimidating giant merely wore a grin at this while stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"You sure you don't want this?" his father then revealed a favorite of Whistle's: plump sunflower seeds. Its beady eyes peeked at the boy's hand, only to realize there weren't any sunflower seeds there.
Even then, Whistle remained vigilant.
After a few more minutes, Kalani shook his head at the obedient bird gorging freely on the sunflower seeds while perched on his father's finger. Its tail even lifted happily, as if the conflict never happened.
"See Kal? In order to resolve something, save the best for last," the man then concluded the lesson with a soft chuckle.
Kalani stared at the coaxing expression on his dad's face for the bird, not realizing his own mouth had contorted back into a pained sneer until he spoke these words.
"Did you really save me?"
A chill ran down his spine as Kalani felt his body move without his command. Under his trembling gaze, his palms slowly rose up and covered his face— his sight.
Oddly enough, instead of the cracks of the dawn that would have flitted between his fingertips, only a suffocating hue of pitch blackness greeted his emerald eyes.
Finally, Kalani felt himself released of whatever had bound him, and he immediately began to gulp madly for air.
The fear in his heart only grew as before him towered the sturdy, oaky door of his home. His father and the field were nowhere to be seen, and what remained of the day was the creeping dusk of night.
"Dad?" the boy then started at the raspy voice coming from himself. It reminded him of two rocks grating against each other, prompting his brows to knit tightly.
'This feels familiar,' he mused as his mind returned to earlier— to when he vaguely felt something was off. Yet like sand, those memories kept slipping through his mind's fingertips.
A sudden chirp then broke the eerie silence.
At this, Kalani whipped his head towards the sound beside him, disregarding his repulsive voice cracks as he uttered through the darkness, "Whistle?"
In the shrouding shadows, the black bird leapt toward him, exposing itself among the camouflaged terrain. Though it was only when Whistle settled down on his shoulder did his nerves finally relax a bit. It was warm, unlike the gripping chill around him.
A deeply repressed sigh escaped his lips as he strode into the cottage, fumbling at first in the pitch-dark room until finding the light switch.
The gleaming brightness blinded Kalani briefly as his lids squinted to adjust. Thankfully, the flickering flames dialed down to a softer glow in their dainty shades in no time.
A hasty scan of the interior revealed nothing out of the place.
'It's just… desolate,' he mused while his fingers reached up to touch Whistle. Thankfully, a few, light pecks from the bird eased the mounting worry he had. At least here, he wasn't alone.
Then Kalani pricked up his ears at the distinct muffling and scuffles, all coming from upstairs. The boy immediately flattened against one wall, which happened to be connected to the kitchen.
'The lamp light hasn't reached this place yet,' he breathed a low sigh of relief as he slipped into the dark kitchen. At least now he could see his surroundings better: the plates neatly stacked on the countertop and his mom's favorite stove tucked in the corner.
He then chanced a glance outside the window; though after a moment, the boy gave up after he was only able to make out the blackened forest in the distance.
"Was it always that dark outside?" he mumbled absentmindedly.
A clatter from above shook him out of his thoughts, and he froze.
Then he felt Whistle's beak tug at his earlobe before with a flap of its wings, the bird took off of his shoulder and flew out the kitchen doorway.
"Whistle!" Kalani hissed gravelly in surprise and peered out of the doorway, only to spot the black bird flying like a dart into his parents' bedroom.
Gritting his teeth, the boy hesitated greatly, but after a minute in, he gradually inched his way up the stairs toward the bedroom Whistle had disappeared in.
The closer he got, the more stifled he felt… and the more he could hear— sobbing.
'I recognize that voice…' he pondered before it finally clicked, 'Mom?!' He then disregarded all caution and dashed through the dimly lit bedroom threshold before clumsily halting in his steps.
In the dim lighting, the figure of Whistle could be seen attempting to squeeze itself under the bathroom's solid double doors.
"Whistle!" he murmured before pulling the frazzled, feathered being from under the crack of the door. "You're going to hurt yourself by doing that!" he hissed in a repressed manner. Weirdly enough, the bird didn't struggle or respond.
His mother's muffled sob then caught his attention as he placed the bird back on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry," an agonized whisper coming from behind the locked doors filled his ears. "Forgive me, Kalani…"
Dazedly, the boy pressed a palm against the doors, as if he wanted to push them wide open, but the stench of smoke and something else rushed into his face, burning its way down his throat. Panicked, Kalani banged on the doors, yet his breaths grew more ragged when he realized they wouldn't budge.
Words of fear became stuck in his throat before he heard popping creaks from above, and glancing up, he spotted a wooden beam, flames licking its splintered edges, suddenly plunge down toward him.
Instinctively, his hand darted to protect Whistle, but instead of the warmth he seeked, a cool, sticky liquid clung to his fingers.
Instantly, he froze.
And then, he blacked out.
Another dream. But it’s a nightmare instead. Story aside, have you ever had those type of dreams at night where you were having fun but then something at the end scares you awake ? Because I’ve dreamt of falling down an endless dark waterfall on a freaking boat after admiring some exquisite scenery in my dream. True story btw... Comment down below if you remember your weird nightmares !