Chapter 28: Meal

"A feast?" Kael repeated, his jawbone moving slightly as if chewing over the words.

"Yes, a feast," the raven squawked, hopping uneasily on the hot rock beneath its claws. "It seems like they're eating something… big."

Kael's head tilted, the movement slow and deliberate, the dark hood of his cloak casting deep shadows over his hollow eye sockets. "How was it?" he asked, his voice dry as the desert wind.

"All I saw was a large pack of monsters," the raven said, shaking its feathers out nervously. "Different kinds, all rushing to a dead creature and tearing into it."

"What kind of monster would that be? Any idea?" Kael asked, his bony fingers brushing the edge of his cloak absently, scattering the fine layer of sand that clung to it.

"I don't know," the raven admitted, its beady eyes darting toward the shimmering horizon. "Maybe some large kind of monster."

Kael remained motionless for a moment, the wind tugging at his cloak as he stared off toward the distance. "A monster eating a monster…" he mused. "What kind of monster are they eating? And why?"

"I don't know," the raven said again, shaking its head sharply. "And I didn't bother sticking around to find out."

Kael turned his head toward the bird, the movement almost too fluid. "You didn't even try to find out?" he asked, his voice tinged with disapproval.

"Why would I?" the raven snapped, its wings flaring briefly before it tucked them back against its body. "I didn't want to be their snack after they finished the monster!"

"They wouldn't eat you," Kael said, stepping forward with slow, deliberate steps that left faint skeletal prints in the sand. "You're too small. Even an idiot wouldn't waste time on a meal that tiny."

The raven's head jerked back, its feathers puffing indignantly. "Did you just call me a 'small meal'? I'll have you know I'm a large meal!"

"At least you admit you're a meal," Kael said, his jaw clicking faintly in what could almost be amusement.

"Ehh…" the raven stammered, hopping to a new rock as though the motion might help it save face.

Kael didn't respond immediately, his gaze fixed on the horizon where the dunes rolled endlessly into jagged, rocky outcrops. The wind carried a faint metallic tang, dry and sharp. "So, what are we going to do now?" he asked finally. "We can't go left with monsters swarming there. We'll need a plan before we proceed."

The raven shifted uneasily, its talons scraping against the rock. "It's not just that," it muttered.

Kael's head turned sharply, his hollow gaze fixing on the bird. "What else?"

"The night is coming," the raven said, glancing up at the sky, where the once-blistering sun had begun to dip lower, the shadows of the dunes stretching long and ominous across the desert floor.

"Damn it," Kael muttered, his bony fingers curling into fists beneath his cloak.

"We need to find shelter," the raven said, its voice tinged with urgency. "And fast."