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Crow's feathers. Crow's... feathers. Bright was on a hunt for the feathers of a raven or crow-- long, short, downy or smooth, but black as night with a colourless gloss. He had a project in mind that he'd been working on for some time, now, and now that he'd gotten the hang of putting it together with more mundane or mismatched feathers, it was time to replenish his supply of neutrals and darks.

He'd often heard at least one crow around here... so here he waited, quiet and patient, for the sound of any birds.

And there-- low and quiet, but distinctive to his ear, was the sound of a crow! What luck he had, at least for today. The buck picked up his pace, trotting as he kept an ear out for another signal of where the crow had gone, but not before he stopped to pick up a single shed feather. It was in good enough condition, all things considered-- and it was one further piece towards finishing something lovely!

He paused before continuing, looking to see if there were any others-- and finding a few, discarded some days ago, wet and bedraggled. None were good enough to keep, so off he went, calm and quiet so as not to startle any birds.

"Oh!" The buck's surprise was seldom more than a murmur-- surprise at being encountered not only by the dark, intelligent eyes of a crow, but also the glowing motes of a kimeti doe.

"Um. Hello," the buck said gently, trying his best at a gentle smile. He was sociable enough in groups, but just one stranger, on their own? That put him a little off-kilter.

As Bright as Can Be smiled at the kin, practically beaming. "Actually, he's been no nuisance-- I've been looking for black feathers, so he's been no nuisance to me." He peered curiously at the bird, clearly captivated by the animal.

"I'm Bright-- As Bright as Can Be," he said. "It's great to meet you both!"

"Ah, how serendipitous for you." said Crows, relaxing a little. She beckoned for her bird once more with a sharp nod. Omen cawed in obstinance but joined his mistress's side anyways and peered back at Bright. The crow noticed the buck's attention and puffed up before pacing and looking this way and that; as if giving Bright all his best angles.

"He truly is like a child." Crows Blood muttered, still as a stone while she watched with down-turned eyes as her familiar hammed it up.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well," she said. "It is not often we get visitors in these parts, nor do we seek others out in particular."

She paused to turn her gaze back on Bright, and with a voice that only hinted at curiosity, she continued, "May I ask... What do you plan to do with these feathers?"

Bright positively could not stop himself from smiling at the doe's question, turning his attention back from her pretty little friend so he could devote his attention to the answer.

"Oh! I make accessories-- all sorts of arrangements from all sorts of feathers, usually for kin to wear, though my sister has asked me to make something she could decorate her home with. I'm used to working with crane's feathers, and swans', and songbirds'... my girls are very generous with me when I'm preening them, and I can usually get them before they start getting tattered. But I want to make something that really makes a statement, and the inky black feathers of a crow just..."

He smiled. "They called to me, I guess. It sounds silly saying it out loud...."

Bright blinked slowly, then nodded at the doe's sudden mysticism. Sometimes kin got like that, and while it made him flounder a little, he always found it very special. He gave her a cautious smile. "Thank you," he said, mentally filing away a thought. Maybe his sister wouldn't appreciate the vision he had-- perhaps something starker, paler, would work for her den... but a source of crow feathers that he could return to? That was special indeed.

"Oh. If you'd be so obliging, I'd appreciate it so much," he replied. He'd have to find something appropriate to return the favour by, of course.

Yes, a doe with a pelt like hers could look so striking, with the right sorts of accents.

[WC: 587]