寒鸦 | Coldcrow

血羽 | Blood Feather | I

楔子 • 玥 | Introduction • Pearl

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"Young master?" The high-pitched voice of a young woman rung down the halls as frantic footsteps tapped by. "Young master Ang, where are you?" Her tone became more urgent as she dashed past yet another garden in the enormous Cao estate, but not before pausing to scan the area for the boy in question. The simple bun of her hair was now in shambles, threatening to fall apart just like the rest of her composure.

Oh, how Lady Ding will have my head if she found out! And it hasn't even been two months since I started working here!

The young handmaid pushed back a few of the many loose black locks and sighed loudly, her breath but a puff of white fog in the winter air. Decembers were the worst. Collecting her emotions, she resumed her search.

"Young--oh, there you are!" The woman nearly grumbled as she stopped in her tracks at the sight of the ten-year old boy in one of the many gardens of the Cao estate. He was playing with a crude set of bow and arrows, not unlike many other privileged boys of the era. She crossed her arms at this, and pulled on an exasperated expression in the most respectful manner she could manage.

Cao Ang turned his head slightly to glance at her with his bright eyes, and his lips spread into a bright smile. "Yue! Were you looking for me?" He put down the bow and rubbed his hands together. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you where I was going," he said as he looked down.

A soft sigh came from Yue as she uncrossed her arms, feeling a slight guilt that she may have intimidated the boy too much. "It's fine, just please don't do it again. I was worried sick!" She replied, starting to walk toward him. The poor kid's hands must be freezing! A moment before stepping through the elaborate arch and into the garden, Yue froze in place.

She's here!

Standing atop the steps of the room in the back of the garden was a small girl dressed in a black robe. A bow identical to Cao Ang's was in her hand, and a quiver rested at her feet. The girl's gaze shifted from the boy to Yue. Her piercing eyes almost looked to be glowing blue, as if she could see straight into the handmaiden's soul.

A chilling breeze blew, and the child's long hair danced behind her in a flurry of ebony. It almost looked like feathers.

An arrow whipped through the air, striking and nearly sending Yue stumbling back with a gasp. As she threw her head back in shock, a bright image flashed in her sight but vanished before her mind could grasp it. Steadying her feet and blinking away the specks of black in her vision, Yue instinctively pressed a hand against her chest, where she felt the impact, but nothing was there. Confused and disoriented, she glanced up to see the two children staring at her. Cao Ang looked concerned, but the girl...

A raven was perched on the roof of the bedroom behind her, its wing fluttering with the wind. The small, innocent smile she wore sent shivers down Yue's spine.

"Hello, Yue," she greeted, her voice soft like a kitten's fur.

The handmaiden's gaze turned to fear, but forced herself to shake away the growing sense of danger and stared intensely at the bow and arrows. Everything was the same as moments before, and the kids haven't moved an inch.

But that arrow... it felt so real.

"Are you okay?" Cao Ang, being the more considerate of the two youngsters, walked up to Yue and touched her hand. The warmth of his stubby fingers spread through Yue's hand and all the way down to her feet, as if assuring her that everything was alright. The handmaiden glanced down at his cute, chubby face and brought her lips to smile and gently squeezed his small hand.