<P> The Crow's Nest (Ankou/Kyrie)

[A Wandering Esper]

This time, he had gone off into the woods alone, with only Kyrie in tow. It seemed fair - he had gone on small (sometime unplanned) adventures with both Isidore and Caelia now, and it only seemed fair to wisk off his beloved little magpie and do the same with her.

Couldn't let Funeral and Augury have all the bragging rights. Or did it matter ? Really, some aspects of fatherhood eluded him completely. Was he a good father ? The Spirit Guide had no idea, really. He could only hope that he was, at least, and that what he taught his children would stay with them.

"Do you hear anything, Kyrie ?" He bounced her up and down from his shoulders. He would let her down soon, but not quite yet - he knew where he was heading... and the faint sound of caws could be heard.

It was about time the goddess of Crows got to be familiar with her 'people', after all.  

[ceedabear]

Kyrie was excited... No, that wasn't quite right. Elated! She was on her favourite perch, aside from maybe the oh so convenient ones that Glyph had. Holding haphazardly to her father's head, she tilted her head back and closed her eyes against the sun as it warmed her face through the trees. She -loved- being outside. She felt... free. And she liked that feeling very much. Laughing her distinctive chortling laugh, she opened her eyes and lifted her hand from her father to stretch both of her feathered arms up to the branches above them. One day, she was going to climb those branches just like she had done with Glyph.

She heard the sound before her father spoke. Turning her face from the sun, she peered into the forest, then looked down at her father. A sudden strain of excitement washed through her and she shifted a bit on his shoulders to lean forward. It was a very familiar sound indeed, she thought as she opened her beak and gave out an excited, questioning caw.

"What is that?" she thought, holding tightly to him once more as she tried to see the source.  

[A Wandering Esper]

Moving accordingly to the movement of whichever child he was carrying on his shoulders at this time had become second nature - he just moved as Kyrie did in order to make sure she would not go tumbling right off. Neither her nor her sister could fly quite yet, through Caelia was certainly trying]

It was going to be an interesting day when his two daughters figured it out, through their wings may as of yet simply be too small to carry them.

Oh, and she had heard, alright. "Do you know what it is ?" He asked, moving closer to where he knew the nest was. He wondered was might happen - would the crows still listen to him somewhat, or would they defer to Kyrie in her presence ?  

[ceedabear]

Kyrie tilted her head to the side as she listened to the replying chorus of caws to her own. They were curious and excited as well.
As she and her daddy drew nearer, one of the crows appeared and circled above them. Listening to her question her presence, she reached her hands out, cupping them together. When she landed in her palms, she brought her closer. She was the prettiest bird she had ever seen. Her feathers were jet black with the slightest iridescent sheen to them. Shifting her to one hand, she started to pet her feathers gently, just like how she liked when she was curled up with her mommy at bedtime.  

[Himiitsu]

"Well, well. Did you already find a friend ?" It seemed so, anyway. He could not see too well from his current point of view, but he had seen the crow come closer - and had a good idea where she had landed.

"Do you know what kind of bird she is ?"  

[ceedabear]

Kyrie was fascinated by her new friend and they studied each other closely for a long moment, then she gripped her father's hair and leaned down a little, bringing her new friend down into his line of vision. Well... actually right into his face, to be more exact.
"Me," she thought, releasing his hair and leaning over to settle her friend as she flapped her wings a bit.  

[Himiitsu]

Well, that was nice and direct. Ankou laughed. "Gentle." He would remind his daughter gently. Just because she would be hard-pressed to hurt him, did not mean that she would not hurt someone else if she tried to do the same to them.

But now he had a faceful of crow - both literally and figuratively - and two hands would rise to help steady Kyrie, less she might tumble forward.

"Yes, you." Kyrie had not spoken, really, but she seemed able to project what she meant easily enough. It would only take some encouraging for her to develop the skill further. "This is a crow. There are many of them here. They like to nest in this area."  

[ceedabear]

Kyrie liked it when her father steadied her. She liked that she never had to be afraid of falling when she was on his shoulders. His explanation drew her eyes upwards. She could hear them, but she couldn't see them. She wanted to see them. Suddenly the air above them erupted with caws and the heavy flutter of many wings working at the same time. Her mouth fell open at the sight and her friend jumped up to join the others. Sitting back more comfortably on her father's shoulders, she watched them circle and dart about through the trees. Reaching out with her arms, she flapped them a little. She wanted to play with them!  

[Himiitsu]

She was so adorable when she looked like that, little eyes wide and beak wide open. The fondness in Ankou's own eyes was evident, and he smiled. He let out a sharp whistle, intending to lead the murder of crow closer to them. Would they listen, though, with Kyrie so close ? It was debatable.  

[ceedabear]

The sharp whistle made her jump a little and Kyrie looked down at her father. Clearly he wanted the crows to come closer. Without really thinking about what she was doing, she reached her hands up and willed them to come see them. She didn't understand that she was in fact flexing her own mana and summoning them to her.

The large black birds came willingly and swiftly, dropping down to the ground and lowest limbs around them, one on her hand and one on top of her head. Giggling her distinct giggle, she shrank down a little against her father. That had been fun!  

[Himiitsu]

Well, that solved the problem nicely, now did it ? "Good job, Kyrie." Weither or not the girl had consciously noticed what she was doing was irrelevant. It was a start, and she would come to grow in her own power and understand it from there.

"Crows are very smart birds. They help me guide the dead, sometimes."  

[ceedabear]

Kyrie looked down at her father and beamed at his praise. She liked that. She liked that a lot. Bringing the bird in her hand down, she noticed it was the same female from before. Running her fingers over her soft feathers, she looked down at the top of her father's head as he spoke.
"Dead?" What was that?  

[Himiitsu]

Kyrie would find herself lifted from her father's shoulders and gently put down on the grassy ground, before Ankou would sit as well. Much better to discuss this way. A large male would land on his outstretched arm, though the way it looked at Kyrie made it obvious that this was simply a way to get closer to her.

Ah, well.

"Spirits. Souls." He elaborated. "What mortals are once their souls are separated from their bodies. The bodies dies, but the soul lives on."  

[ceedabear]

Kyrie considered her father's words for a moment as she idly stroked the female she held. She was unaware of the others that were jostling closer in hopes for attention as well, her attention firmly caught by her father.
"Why?" she finally asked, asking the inevitable question that entered into any conversation anyone bothered to have with a young mind. "Why does it separate?"  

[Himiitsu]

"A mortal body is finite." He said, stroking the large male in a similar was what she was petting the female in her hands. "It grows hold, it breaks down, eventually die. Sometime the body stops working right before it grows old..." Be it sickness, or murder. "The soul is infinite. It will continue to exist until directly tampered with. Those souls get new bodies with time, and they live again."

Discussing this was different, actually. Caelia had not cared much for that aspect, and Isidore had seemed to know it innately. All three children had their own different, bright questions.