Little Raven, Spread Your Wings.

7. Morning After

—Clay—

"Nah, mom. I can't make it, I'm sorry." I hold the phone up to my ear, leaning against the kitchen island as eggs and bacon sizzle on some pans. My mom called in the middle of cooking breakfast, informing me about a birthday party. My family is huge to say the least, each event has about 30 of us pilled into a backyard. I just can't leave Raven right now, not when they're settling in, and.. not after what happened last night.

"Ah, Cariño. You don't have to apologize, but give me a reason! Do you finally have a boyfriend for us to meet?" My mom chuckles through the phone, and I just about choke on my own spit. "Mamá no! Gods, okay. We had an incident yesterday, a kid showed up near Castellan territory. They're injured, and I'm just watching over them right now." My mom gasps, muttering under her breath. I flip the eggs over, setting them on a plate, I have much more to cook. "That's not good, Clay. Are they alright?"

I sigh softly, rubbing the bridge of my nose. Physically? Raven is healing fast, I'm sure they'll be running around like a little scamp in a few days. Mentally? Fuck no. I shift to lay the phone on my shoulder so I can crack some more eggs into the pan. "Ah, they'll be alright. They're stayin' with us, don't got a home."

I can't deny that I'm already getting attached to Raven. They're making me feel complete, like I needed someone to look after. Well, I did. I'm a caregiver for a reason, my instincts have been going crazy lately. I listen as my mom laughs, smiling softly. I love my family a lot, it makes me think of how bad I feel for Raven. Did they ever feel safe with their family as much as I do with mine?

After a few minutes, I hear feet quietly padding down the stairs. I turn my head to see a sleepy Raven with some gnarly bed head. "Ah, gotta go mamá. Love you." I roll my eyes fondly as my mom makes kissing sounds through the phone before hanging up. I lay my phone on the counter, turning to face Raven. "Hey, bud. You okay? Sorry if it scared you that I wasn't there when ya woke up, hadta cook breakfast."

Raven just shrugs, walking up to me and laying their forehead against my side. I wrap an arm around them, flipping some bacon onto a paper towel to help get the grease out. "How do you like your eggs? You want 'em runny or scrambled?" Raven softly mutters "scrambled" so I get to work on that.

Most of the pack will just take whatever, since werewolves eat quite a lot. It was my turn to cook breakfast today, so I'm making sure there's enough food for at least a good bit of people. If anyone wakes up late, then they've gotta fix some breakfast themselves. After I scramble the eggs and begin cooking them, I give Raven a gentle hug.

I rub my hands up and down their back, kissing the top of their head. Raven is obviously still half asleep, eyes closed as they snuggle into me. I hum softly, fixing a plate for the little bird. I fit the scrambled eggs, a few pieces of bacon, and toast smeared with jelly onto a plate. With a gentle hand on Raven's back, I steer them over to the island.

Raven hops up onto the stool, yawning and pawing at their eyes. I do my best not to have my heart burst from how adorable Raven is. I lean down, tucking Raven's hair behind their ears. "Hey, whatcha want to drink? We have juice or milk."

Raven thinks before mumbling again "milk." I head over to the cabinets, grabbing a plastic cup and filling it with chocolate milk. I set it next to Raven's plate, smiling as they begin to eat. I need to make sure Raven gets at least a few small meals per day, they're far too thin for it to be normal.

While Raven eats, I fix my own plate and sit next to them. We eat in silence, it broken by the occasional scraping of utensils against plates, which I notice Raven doesn't like at all. Their face scrunches up, with their little nose wrinkling. I find it so adorable how expressive they are. While they act so sarcastic and big, their face and eyes are a dead give away.

I chuckle, seeing Raven's messy mouth. I grab a napkin and start to wipe their face, cooing at their fussing. "Oh hush now, I'm cleanin' ya up." Raven glares furiously at me, blush coating their cheeks as they pout. I just giggle, patting their head. "It's okay honey bunch, no need'ta be so embarrassed."

I look down at Raven's face, rubbing my thumb over a scratch on their cheek. "Whatcha wanna do kid? We could go outside and play, or maybe you wanna watch TV?" I ask them softly, Raven pausing as they think.

"Um.." Their little voice mutters. "Outside seems nice." I grin, picking up our plates and washing them off in the sink. After setting them in the dishwasher, I head out to find some shoes that will fit Raven, because those dirty converses aren't going to work. Raven follows me tentatively, playing with the edge of their shirt.

I grab some shoes, setting them down next to the back door. "Hey Raven, you wanna get changed first? I'll grab you some clothes, just hang out here for me." Raven sits back down at the island, and I head upstairs. Sighing, I head into my room, digging through a pack of small clothes. We'll need to go shopping soon, get Raven some clothes and other stuff that they like.

I realize as I pull out a long sleeve and jeans that I don't even know Raven's identity, I've just been calling them by they as a default. I should probably ask about that.

Heading back down the stairs, I see Raven has wandered a bit, poking their head into a room curiously. I step up behind them, patting their head. "Hey, kiddo. Whatcha doing? I told ya to stay over there." I make sure that my tone isn't upset, I don't want to frighten the kid. Raven tilts their head to look at me, then looks back to the door.

I gently pet their head for a moment, running my fingers through their jet black hair. After a beat I lead them to the downstairs bathroom, handing them the clothes I grabbed. "Here, you go 'head and get changed, I'll be right here." Raven gives me a nod and closes the door, I lean against the wall next to it.

When I hear clothes rustling around, I decide to speak up. "Raven, I forgot to ask ya. What's your identity? Like, whatcha want me to call you by." I question, and can hear Raven pause in the middle of changing. "Um.. 'm they them, just Raven. 'm nonbinary." They murmur and continue to change. I turn to the door as I hear it creak open. "What're you?" Raven tugs on the edge of their shirt, quiet. I grin at how tiny they are, practically swimming in the clothes.

"He, and I'm a guy! Thanks for askin', and sharing with me." I reassure them with a pat on their messy head. Raven blushes and heads to the back door, sitting down next to the shoes I set out. Raven slides them on and rushes to go outside, I chuckle and grab their arm. "Woah! Slow your roll, kiddo. You didn't tie your shoes properly." I peer down to see the laces, which are a jumbled mess. I lean down, carefully tying the laces correctly. Once done, Raven heads out the back.

Raven immediately heads over to the puppies, staring at them from over the fence. The puppies bark at Raven, and they smile. I jog up next to them, leaning on the fence. "I'm thinkin' of keeping one. We usually adopt out the pups, and I try not to get too attached." Raven looks over at me swiftly, eyes lighting up. They seem to realize something and their excited look disappears, eyes shifting down to the grass.

My smile drops, and I rub their back. "Hey, hey.. Rave, what's wrong baby?" Raven looks back up at me with tearful eyes, letting out a tiny sniffle. "I- um.. dunno. Know you said that I can stay here, but I feel stupid for getting excited." Raven folds their arms on the fence, wind blowing their hair gently. "I don't.. like feeling happy anymore. When I'm happy, that means 'm not safe."

I really wish I could just give Raven's shit parents a piece of my mind. They look so absolutely miserable, and I just want the poor kid to feel safe again. With a gentle pull, I hug them tightly to my chest. I rub their back, hoping to ease their fears and sorrows. Their hands grip into the back of my shirt, and I nuzzle their head. "You are safe with me, Raven. I promise you. You can be excited, and happy, and sad. You can feel whatever you want to feel."

I gently rub my hands up and down their back comfortingly, slightly rocking them. "Hey, how about this. Tomorrow, we'll go shopping. I know it's a bit early, but.. how about we start working on your room? We can pick out furniture and everything, it'll be your own little space." I hope to cheer them up a bit with that, and considering that they gave me a tiny smile, I think it did.

"I think.. I'd like that."

. Word count: 1635

I'm sorry I haven't posted a chapter in so long, this one kinda stuck in my notes app for a bit. Hoping to work on this story more once I feel more motivation.