Bordering the edge of Caeswoll is a thick forest bubbling with life. Wild ferns and tall grasses litter the moist, dark earth in uneven patches. Large, gnarled vines hang from large, coarse trees. There are all kinds of monsters and creatures dwelling inside the forest, nearly too many to count, big and small. Of course, all creatures in this world were not only magical- there were many ordinary creatures as well, such as crocodiles and bees. The townspeople of Caeswoll are not as adventurous as their strange, magical world would imply them to be, which is partly why most did not venture into the forest for fear of the creatures inside. It was not uncommon that a person would go inside, and, if they survive, return with torn clothes and wounds all over their bodies. This brings us to one particular young man who had a residence in Caeswoll. His name was Maximous Anderson. Only aged eighteen years of age, he already had his own home and job inside the small town. His home was small and painted a light tan color with white trim, only having two bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen and a living room. He was quite liked by his neighbors, coworkers, and boss, and had a stable, peaceful life.
But he was different. Unlike the normal people who kept to their cozy little bubble, he was curious about everything else around them. One evening, after walking home from a long day from his job in his office and settling down in his cozy house, he suddenly heard sounds of conflict outside. He had begun to gather ingredients for his dinner- for it was nine o'clock in the evening, and he was rather hungry before he had been interrupted. The noise was more like animalistic shrieking and growls. Setting down his knife, he shed his coat from his broad shoulders and silently made his way out the door. The night sky was settling serenely outside, a mixture of black and navy blue. Small stars speckled the sky, shining brightly and twinkling. More high pitched shrieks and growls were heard, menacing, coming from within the forest nearby. He followed the sound like a trail, soon coming to its source. Inhaling a deep breath, he watched the sight before him from the shelter of a nearby tree, hiding behind it. A Kintrouf was pinning a black sort of creature down onto the ground with it's hand-like feet.
A Kintrouf is a dangerous creature that is bird-like in appearance. Its mouth, which is oddly shaped like a beak, is home to two sets of razor-sharp teeth. It has large ears that are incredibly sensitive- so sensitive that it could hear the slightest noise within a twenty foot radius. The creature is covered in scales that are light in color- a sort of glimmering, semi-transluscent peach. It's neck is long and flexible, and it has equally long legs. It possesses no eyes, which means it only shows itself at night. It's feet resemble hands- it has fingers, and could grasp things with them, except at the end of each finger was a clawed fingernail, resembling one of a canine's. It has small wings at its sides which are virtually useless, as it could not fly with them. It is a dangerous creature due to it's speed, bite, and feet, and is incredibly violent.
Maximous was watching the Kintrouf- it hissed, shrieked, and snapped at the prey it had beneath its grasp. He stood there for a while, observing... the creature had not noticed him at all yet. He could see light struggling under it's clawed grip. A sudden braveness surged through him, a desire to help the creature beneath the other creature's grasp. Leaning down, he picked up a rock beside him that was on the soft soil, almost waiting there patiently, as if it had been expecting him. Slowly pulling his arm back, tightly gripping the rough rock in his hand, he suddenly shot the rock forward. It hit the tall, lanky Kintrouf square in the face. With a loud, piercing shriek of pain, its attention was diverted directly to Maximous. With that diversion, it released the creature and charged directly for the young male. He turned tail and ran, trying to outrun the Kintrouf. But it was no use, because that particular creature could run faster than a human. Within seconds he felt himself being knocked down roughly, and snarls and hisses above him. His cerulean optics stared upwards at the salivating, ugly creature before him. It's strange talons sunk into his flesh. He squeezed his eyes shut, turning his head to the side, bringing one hand to ineffectively shield his face. I should've brought something else to defend myself.. He thought bitterly to himself, not wanting to face the sour truth ahead of him, that he had gotten himself into this and was hopeless in the situation.
Suddenly, he heard a loud caw, and a black figure swooping down from the air and delivering several hard pecks to the Kintrouf's ears- making the creature stumble backwards and hiss in pain and fear. Scales were ripped off by a sharpened, precise beak, so much that the disastrous monster had turned away and begun to run in the opposite direction. Opening his eyes, Maximous was surprised when he saw the same creature he had saved- which he now recognized as a silky, obsidian raven with smooth feathers and peculiar, yet breathtaking golden eyes. The bird landed on the ground, folding its wings at its sides. Maximous, however, upon further inspection, realized the bird was wounded by its lopsided stance. It was standing on one leg, trying its best to keep itself up without using the other leg.
With a soft, gentle smile, the male with the cerulean eyes and the spiked, medium-layered hair went down on one knee and cautiously scooped up the medium-sized bird in his arms. "It's okay," he murmured softly to the animal, as if to soothe it. "I'll patch you up and make you feel all better." He took a quick look around the deadly silent forest around them, listening for any signs of that or any more Kintroufs. Once he decided it was safe, he quickly made his way back to his home very, very quietly, making sure that he didn't make any sounds.
The bird in his arms was staring up at him intently, as if it had thoughts and ideas running through its head about him. It was quiet and calm, unusual for Maximous to see, as most wild birds were- well, wild. He wondered if this raven could've been a pet. Kicking his door open with his foot, he made his way inside and nudged the door closed again with the same foot.
He sat on the couch, setting the bird down on its back beside him. "Alright, mister bird, let's see what you have here."
