Crows Like Shiny Things (Hinakage)

False Spirits

"Asahi still isn't there."

Daichi tossed a volleyball towards Tanaka who had made his personal goal to fit as many volleyballs as humanly possible into his arms.

"You think he lost his mind again?" Ennoshita asked, watching the door from the corner of his eyes.
"Don't be rude. Asahi isn't losing his mind. The medication just doesn't seem to be working as well as it should- I do wonder why he isn't asking his psychiatrist for a different one."
Suga was setting up the volleyball net, half shouting through the hall so everyone else was able to hear him.

"I've had a thought," Tanaka finally said, dropping the bunch of volleyballs inside his arms. He had been oddly silent so far, something that rarely happened to the aggressive player. "Kageyama's been banned for getting in with the spirits. The elders say the spirits take the appearance of... well, black demons covered in feathers. At least that's what that thing looked like that Kageyama's been sneaking off to see."

The volleyball team shared a glance, but nobody dared to say what they all thought. Not even Tanaka needed to say anything further-

Asahi had been describing his nightmares all too often to them.

Would they spill on him, tho?

Did Asahi even know what was happening to him?

Suga swallowed hard. Maybe those hallucinations they all had assured him were nothing but stupid thoughts weren't as unreal as they all made it to be. He shook his head- Suga was always the most level headed of the group. Why lose his focus now?
The nagging feeling that something was badly wrong with Asahi didn't exactly leave any of them. And yet, Kageyama had never complained about beasts hounding him for god knows what.

He let it happen to him.

Asahi was fighting it.

What did those spirits even want of the village's children?

Daichi sincerely hoped that not only Kageyama was alive and well... but that Asahi hadn't been taken the same way.

***

Asahi came to an immediate stop, leaning against the huge tree next to him. It was weird for the ace to feel so small next to something else, regarding his usual height and yet, this forest made him feel like he was five again, lost and calling for his mother.

But there it was.

He had found it again.

Lurking within the shadows of the bushes and trees, a black shadow. Where neither sunlight nor wind could reach, the soft crunch of dried leaves vibrated through the otherwise silent forest.

It hadn't noticed him yet.

Asahi didn't dare to move.

He stood there, stiff as a stick, feeling stupid and horrified at the same time. What was he even going to accomplish, chasing spirits into a dark forest stretching for miles and miles? Asahi could get so lost in here.
What if it didn't understand human speech? He hadn't even thought about that. Maybe Kageyama had tamed it with some sort of... offering?

An offering...!!!

Asahi could have facepalmed then and there. Who was he, approaching sacret spirits without any sort of offering? Obviously that was what Kageyama had done.

But... what could he possibly offer a spirit? Of course spirits wouldn't care for worldly possessions like money or gold. Asahi didn't even know what kind of spirit it was.
A harvest spirit would enjoy fruit, a fauna spirit would enjoy seeing animals raised and set free... Water spirits would enjoy purified holy water. Spirits of decay would enjoy a sacrifice, and vengeful spirits...

Asahi swallowed. At this point he was begging deep down that this was not a vengeful spirit.
Finally, he quietly reached down into his bag and started to rummage through it. What could he give to preserve his life? At least see up close what that thing even was.
All he had was his lunch.

Rice bento.

Could he seriously offer that to the winged beast?

Asahi contemplated and found himself willing enough to try. He took a step forward, leaves crunching under his weight, alerting the large shadow a few meters further.
"H-hey!! Uhm... D-don't hurt me!! I-I... I have something for you!!"
And Asahi held out his bento, open, a nice smell wafting from the box.

The shadow rustled. Stared. Big eyes, but... they were different. Not the yellowish-hazel eyes of the winged beast he had seen prior.

Oh god, is there more than one of those things here?!

A step closer.

Another step closer.

A soft breeze brought the small of animal to Asahi, and he tried to swallow the lump of fear.

But once his eyes finally caught a full view of the beast's shape, Asahi froze once more, stopping dead in his tracks.
That wasn't a spirit.
It wasn't even as big as the spirit he had been chasing- it was a bit smaller. At this point, sniffing was audible, and the animal let out a quiet growling noise. The more Asahi's eyes adjusted, the more features he could make out of his opposing company.

There was... fur.

On four legs, with huge clawed paws attached.

Asahi did not dare to move. Panic began to set in; how could he have gotten himself into this again?! Why couldn't he have stayed home, attend the volleyball training as usual, just try and pretend Kageyama had never happened, the nightmares had never happened, that this winged spirit was still nothing else but his imagination, that Kageyama had not been corrupted by the forest- but instead he was here, right here, standing in midst of an ocean of trees, fearing for his life.

There was nothing he could do.

Run? That made him prey.

Turn around and walk away? That made him prey.

Slowly walk backwards? Maybe.

But that was not just any animal he was dealing with.

It took a step out of the bushes and Asahi felt his entire body shaking; his fear had been more than confirmed.

It was a black bear.