Chapter Text
Grey light filtered into a small bedroom one morning, though it stood empty. The only resident stood outside, breathing into their hands to warm them up before walking down the street into the main village and pausing just outside to sit on a fence and toss seeds to the ground. A flock of crows that had been lingering in the area flew to the scattered food and began to peck at the ground, occasionally hissing at each other and snapping their beaks in challenge.
Ella smiled softly before emerald green eyes fell on the large jet-black crow perched on a roof that visited on occasion. It never joined the others and yet it looked well fed and well cared for. Ella didn't see it very often and unlike the others they'd approached this one would bite and hiss, flaring its wings and snapping its beak.
It didn't frighten them though, they merely sighed and smiled and placed some food nearby before continuing on their way, determined to at least be able to approach the bird without ruffling a feather.
The bird always looked rather intelligent, even more so than most crows and it intrigued Ella, making them want to gain its trust and see just how smart it was. It eyed them suspiciously as they walked down to the house it perched on, leaving the usual handful of seeds before they walked into the village to start their work day.
The bird never actually ate the offerings, it was often being eaten by the others when they returned on their days off. This time though there was a fluttering of large wings and Ella turned around to see the bird peck gingerly at the pile before fluttering away towards the castle.
'Does the Lady feed the birds? Is that her bird?'
Ella shook themselves out and continued on their way towards the bakery where they spent their days baking for those that could afford to buy the treats. Oftentimes their clients were out of the village and they had to deliver the baked goods in the afternoon.
Ella enjoyed getting out nearly every day, they found that things beyond the village were far more interesting than within. It made them want to stay out, to continue exploring the world, but they knew their parents were getting too old to do well on their own.
They reached for their keys and with a jolt they realized that they were gone. After patting their body they found that the keys weren't on them at all and they began to panic, looking everywhere before retracing their steps. They managed to get all the way back to where they fed the birds, halfway to tears now with the failure of their search.
'Damn it! Stupid!'
The large black crow squawked angrily at them and flared its wings and Ella jumped back, teary eyed and quivering slightly.
"H-have you seen my keys?" They asked as they sank to the ground, giving up and sighing as they forcefully wiped their tears away.
The bird squawked again and there was a soft jingling sound. Ella looked up with surprise etched into their soft sweet face and they cried out in relief when they saw their keys in the bird's talons.
"Oh thank you!" They cried out, offering a hand out for the keys.
The crow dropped them and eyed Ella's other hand suspiciously when it slowly drew closer. Curiosity won out and the bird didn't move allowing Ella to scratch its head and give a wet little giggle when it poofed up with a happy cooing sound, leaning into their touch.
It snapped angrily when they pulled away to try and go to work, fluttering up onto their shoulder and perching happily there, tugging cinnamon hair until Ella resumed the stroking as they walked down to the bakery.
"Alright pretty bird, I'm afraid you have to go now, you're a health hazard," Ella said gently as they unlocked the door, smiling at the bird when it took off and flew back towards the castle.
They hurried along and washed up before beginning their high priority orders, glancing up on occasion when they thought they heard the shop bell.
///
They had just pulled some muffins out of the oven and set them on the counter to cool when the bell tinkled in a welcoming manner, causing them to look up and feel their heart skip a beat.
"Good morning Mia, how can I help you today?"
“Aren't you a doll? You know there's no need for formalities with me."
“Oh please you think it's cute, don't try and deny it," Ella quipped with a grin as they turned to put something else in the oven.
"Have you made any progress with Squawks since I last saw you?"
Ella smiled more and set the muffins in a box, playfully batting Mia's hand away when she reached for one.
"As a matter of fact I have. They brought me my keys after I lost them and they actually let me touch them for once. Seems to be a sucker for head scratches."
Mia barked a laugh and smiled at Ella who caught her eyes accidentally and flushed a little. They decided to distract themselves by packing a much smaller box and passing it off to Mia who smirked and poked her tongue out.
"I knew you wouldn't let me leave without a treat."
“I made extras and it's not like these people like poppy seed muffins," Ella lied, turning their back on her to hide their face. "No charge, just get outta here."
"You're the best babe."
"Mia!" Ella whined in embarrassment, blushing brightly at Mia's teasing laughter.
The bell rang again and they sighed in relief, watching in astonishment when Mia whistled and Squawks, the large shiny crow, fluttered down and perched on her shoulder. Mia stroked the bird's cheek and seemed to feel Ella's eyes on her because she turned and gave them a mischievous smile before walking off. Ella tossed what they were doing aside and ran after her.
"Mia, wait!" They called, glad that the woman hadn't gotten too far away.
"Yes babe?" Mia asked, turning and meeting them halfway so they wouldn't get too far from work.
"Squawks is friendly with you? Why didn't you say anything?"
Mia shrugged nonchalantly.
"Squawks is a pain in the butt sometimes, I don't like owning up to the fact that I know them."
The bird cawed angrily and puffed up indignantly, tugging Mia's hair and shaking their head.
“Don't be a brat," Mia scolded, waving her hand at the bird who calmed down reluctantly.
“Mind if I pet them?"
“Sure, just be careful."
Ella nodded and reached out for the crow who immediately leaned into their touch, letting their wings go limp with a happy cooing sound. Ella stepped closer with a soft giggle and felt Mia's eyes bore into them and they could have sworn Squawks also stared in a near human sort of way.
They blushed a little and felt their heart jump and they thanked Mia before going back to the shop and washing their hands, baking and packing up the last of their pastries and loading their truck before heading out of town.
The next town over was bigger than their own and yet the residents rarely ever came into the village, if they wanted pastries they called Ella who delivered them. They sighed heavily, the town was an hour away and they strongly disliked road trips.
---
When they got back to the bakery they cleaned up and stretched before walking back home, glad that it wasn't their night to make dinner. They checked on their parents and went to their room, gazing out of the window at the dusky sky and breathing in the crisp autumn air, watching their breath cloud up.
A soft cawing stirred them from their thoughts and they were surprised to see Squawks sitting on the windowsill, fluffed up and bouncing their head. Ella smiled and stroked soft black feathers, giving a small giggle when the bird cooed and melted into their touch.
They paused at the sound of footsteps on dead leaves and backed away from the window, worried now about the wolves that prowled in the night. Squawks seemed unalarmed and continued to try and get Ella's attention, screeching and flapping their wings. A friendly face popped up in the window and grinned at Ella who had jumped and frozen up.
“Sorry about that Ella," Mia said kindly, genuinely sorry about scaring her friend.
"Mia!" Ella hissed quietly, casting worried glances to the door and remaining alert for footsteps.
Mia frowned at them and climbed onto the sill with a concerned look.
"Mia go home, your girlfriend probably misses you," Ella said, gently nudging her to get her to move.
Mia frowned further but allowed herself to be pushed away, holding Ella's hand for a moment before giving it a gentle squeeze and trotting into the dark.
"I'm sorry, I'll see you tomorrow?" Ella asked and Mia paused to smile and nod before continuing on, leaving them alone with Squawks who fluttered onto their shoulder and nuzzled their cheek. "Pretty bird.."
They stroked the bird absentmindedly as they got ready for bed, bathing and brushing their hair before dressing and laying down with a book, reading by lamplight until their eyes grew heavy and the book began to droop. With a soft sigh they took off their glasses, marked their page, and flicked off the light, falling asleep rather quickly after.
Squawks nuzzled their cheek and settled at the end of the bed to watch the human for a little while before pecking their cheek softly and returning home.