Chapter Text
Kokomi reached her hand out as a crow perched on her gloved fingertip, a small care package carried on its beak. The witch only smiled, taking the package out of it's maw, "Thank you, Sara," she hums, stretching her arm out again to allow the crow named Sara to flutter off.
The lone witch of the forest headed back into her cottage with the package in hand, seeming excited about its contents. Tipping her witch hat from blocking her eyes, she perks up to see the same crow perching by her windowsill, this time with a more humanoid form as black feathers cloud her body.
"Winter is almost over," Sara seethed as if warning the witch.
"I know," Kokomi flicked her wrist as if trying to shoo the bird from her sill, "I've been alive longer than you, you don't have to remind me every time," she sighs, grabbing a pair of botany scissors as she clips the package open, spilling out the contents for a pack of seeds and a letter from her dearest comrade.
Sara just squinted at the witch, climbing into the room as she leaned in to sniff the package, "One day he'll get caught," she grumbled.
"That's why I make sure the spell is permanent," Kokomi rolled her eyes as she props the letter to be able to read through, "besides, he only switches to his more human form when he needs to write and send me stuff, unlike a certain someone," Kokomi groans as she turns to Sara, just to see the crow-person rummage through her cabinet for a glass cup.
"The difference is that I was a crow cursed in a human form," Sara huffs, turning the tap water on to fill the cup as she gently laps it up, "Gorou was a human turned into a dog," she spins around to stand next to Kokomi, her height nearly towering the witch. After lapping up the water surface a few times, she glances at the letter and squints, "Are you going to read it?"
"I was, and I'm going to," Kokomi shook her head, raising the letter to her eye level. She skims through it quietly, causing Sara to bump her elbow against her with a glare, "oh, you wanted me to read it aloud?" Kokomi was growing annoyed by this bird.
"You know I can't read human scripture, only recognising patterns," Sara nearly has a permanent scowl on her face, but she looks ridiculous as she continues to lap the water.
"Fine, fine," the witch breathes in as she holds the letter almost like a scry, "It reads: 'Dear Madame Sangonomiya! I hope that your days have been fairing well, I'm still so sorry that I can't stay with you during the cold winter months nor summers without my coat getting all over your equipment-'" Sara snorts at that comment, Kokomi shoots a glance before continuing, "'-but I have been hearing crazy news from the town lately about a ritual. Apparently, some crazed travellers convinced the people of the town that to have a bountiful harvest as soon as spring starts is to...'" Kokomi trailed off, her eyes skimming through the rest of the letter immediately with confusion on her face, fear the next, then anger as she slams the letter on the desk and lets out an aggravated groan.
Sara was surprised by the reaction, wondering how words on a paper can incite such behaviour. "I am guessing he wrote something not to your liking?"
"No!" Kokomi cries out, pulling the edges of her witch hat down as she tries to hold back her screaming, "The townspeople are planning to bring in a live sacrifice! Are they insane?! All I ask is that they leave me alone and keep the forest intact and in return, I help with their harvest! That's it! Not once in my 300 years have I told them I want a LIVE sacrifice-"
"Would you have preferred if it was dead?" Sara cut in, not seeing the concern as Kokomi gapes her mouth, staring at her with upset marble eyes as she points at the crow, before thinking it over.
"Maybe," Kokomi murmured, "but that's beside the point- I don't want this!" she slams her head atop her forearms, resting on the desk covered in other witchly trinkets which almost looks like a hobbyist's disaster.
Sara just picked up the letter to give it a peer review, unable to make out anything that is written. Sighing, she brushes a strand of ebony hair behind her ear as she glances at Kokomi, "Why don't you go down and talk to the townspeople, then?" the crow offered a simple solution that could clear everything up.
Kokomi just flinched at the comment, slowly raising her head to look at her familiar as she mumbles, "That's a good three days from here to town, and people... are draining."
Sara couldn't help but roll up the letter and smack it against Kokomi's head, "That's the last time I offer any form of advice to you."