Chapter Text
Waking up was a quiet gentle thing, which was strange for Kim Roksoo. Usually waking was quick, sudden, jarring, a stick breaking or footsteps or a shout down the hall that was a little too loud. Waking was quick, it always had to be.
But it wasn't, now. It was quiet and gentle and he sat in the comfort of the space between waking and dreaming. He wiggled his fingers and his toes as he laid on the soft fabric, enjoying the feeling of comfort and the sun on his skin.
…Wait...
He was being attacked wasn't he?
His eyes snapped open as he took in his surroundings, muscles tensed. What lay in front of him was grass and trees. Birdsong could be heard and the wind blew gently. It was a lovely day to nap in a lovely field but the scene only made it all the more jarring for Kim Roksoo who was used to concrete, gray skies and the calls of monsters.
Slowly, he lifted his body from where he laid, and surveyed his full surroundings.
An empty, yet life filled, field, surrounded wholly by tall trees and bushes.
He looked down at where he previously slept to find a blanket… the softest blanket he has ever felt in his life.
Pat pat.
Really soft…
‘... I'm sure nobody would mind me taking this…’
He nodded to himself.
But, ‘hm?’ He looked at his hands.
They were… small. Very small. Smaller than they should be.
He lifted his arms and spread his fingers. A patchwork of scars laid across his arms and hands, old things he's long had to get used to but it felt strange to see them on such pudgy childish arms.
He frowned. Deciding to check the rest of his body's condition, he stood. Or, well, tried to.
After quickly standing he tipped back, off balance from something on his back, and as he fell,
Flap flap.
Flap? What on earth-
“Oomf-" he fell.
He sat there and blinked a few moments, then turned his head…
Flap
Giant black wings. Attached to his back. He could feel them moving. He could feel them moving .
Dread pooled in his stomach. ‘What the hell-’
The feathers lifted, the wings tensed, as rok soo looked on, and unidentifiable emotion on his face.
He turned around. ‘Lets ignore that for now.’
He looked down at his body, his first thought, ‘it's small.’ It was small.
His stature was short, his limbs awkward and pudgy and childlike .
His frown grew.
He was wearing a… cloth. Is the best he could explain it.
A hole for the head, two holes for the arms, and the rest a black draping cloth that went to his ankles
He sat on the soft (so soft) blanket and stared.
…
A rustle in the bushes snapped him out of his thoughts and he turned, tense, quiet.
Whatever it was, a deer perhaps, seemed to walk away, but it still triggered Roksoo to move.
He stood carefully, now accounting for the… weight … on his back, and carefully bundled the blanket in his arms.
The… weight… on his back fluttered half heartedly as he readjusted himself. He turned to walk in the opposite direction of whatever creature he heard when the rustling returned.
He tensed and tried to move quickly but stumbled slightly due to his unfamiliar stature. Nearly tripping over himself and the (soft, so soft) blanket in his arms he rushed towards the edge of the field.
The rustling grew louder and it became clear that whatever it was was running in his direction. He stumbled his way and just before he reached the cover of the forest,
Snap! Swish! Crash!
It came bursting through the bushes.
Kim Roksoo stumbled and tripped his way behind a shrub and finally turned to peek at whatever it was as he tried to hide.
“I saw you!! I knew there was someone here!”
They called and pointed dramatically at the bushes Roksoo had thrown himself into.
“...”
It was a little girl. She wore a brightly colored dress with a poofy skirt that reached just past her knees, and had bright red hair, tied into a ponytail.
“I saw you!! I know you're there! Come out!” She insisted stubbornly.
‘...who hell is this kid?’
“if you don't come out I'm gonna come over!”
“...”
He very carefully lifted his head just above the bush, keeping the rest of himself covered.
“I knew it!!” She grinned, “who are you? You're strange!! What are you doing near my house?”
‘So energetic…’ Kim Roksoo who still hasn't fully adjusted himself to his new environment and body stared at the brightly colored child eagerly asking him questions.
“Aren't you going to answer?” she pushed on.
“...Your house?”
“So you can talk!! Yes you're near my house! Technically we're past the gate but it's still my backyard!”
“...sorry…?” He doesn't know where he is but he is apparently near someones house. Great.
“Hmm…” the girl hummed loudly. She seemed to be deep in thought as she stared.
“...”
“...”
“...aren't you going to come out?”
“...no”
“...Why not?”
“...” He began to sweat. The weight on his back shifting slightly in his discomfort.
The girl frowned. She seemed to think deeply before coming to a realization.
“I'm not mad, you aren't in trouble!”
‘What?’
“I know I said it's my backyard but you didn't actually trespass or anything so it's okay!”
“...I see.”
‘what is this kid talking about?’
She nods her head. “So you can come out now!”
“...hm..”
He really didn't know what to make of this situation. He had only just woken up in this strange place and was being interrogated by a seven year old. He made a strange face, his head tilting to the side.
Eventually, “sigh…”
He stood up fully, holding the (very soft, so soft) blanket closer to his chest. His- the weight… the wings, they're wings, shifted slightly as he moved, resting gracefully behind him.
The girl stared, wide eyed.
“..."
“...”
Maybe he shouldn't have stood. The wings were definitely weird. He was sure it was an odd sight.
“...What… are you..?” the girl carefully asked, an odd expression on her face. Her stare seemed piercing.
“...”
He didn't know. He was human. He was supposed to be anyways but humans don't have wings on their back.
He shrugged.
She stared.
He thinks her eyes are glowing.
…
“I'm Jour Thames.”
He blinked.
“What's your name?”
“...mm” he hesitated “...Kim Roksoo.”
“You're really strange Kim.”
“... just call me Roksoo.” He didn't feel like explaining Korean naming conventions to the energetic girl.
“Eh?” She tilted her head then nodded, “Mm! Okay Roksoo!”
This is fine.
“Roksoo are you a beastman?”
“...Beastman?”
“Like from a bird tribe? Like a crow! Can you turn into a crow?”
‘What the hell is this kid talking about?’
“... i don't think so..?”
“So that's a maybe!” She smiled.
He pursed his lips and opened his mouth when,
Growl~
He was a bit hungry.
Jour blinked then grinned, “Are you hungry?”
“..mm.” He nods.
“Come with me! My house has really good snacks!” She ran over and grabbed his hand.
Well, she can't be that bad if she's offering him snacks.
The two ran quickly through the woods, Jour seemed familiar with the route as Roksoo dutifully followed, only occasionally stumbling as he used his wings to adjust himself.
They hurried ahead and soon a large gate came into view. The gate was a bit fancy with iron decorating the wooden doors but it also seemed quite sturdy.
Kim Roksoo sweated a bit seeing the extravagant gate. ‘Is this the way to her house? It's nice but isn't it a bit scary?’ He looked at the door.
A large tree seemed to be formed by the iron splitting into three distinct sections. Leaves on the tree were painted a vibrant red, some having fallen to the ground looking almost like a pool of blood. It gave off an eerie feeling.
He slowed down at bit as they walked but Jour continued to push on with confidence.
She walked up to the door still holding Roksoo’s hand and placed her opposite hand on the gate.
The petals almost seemed to glow slightly and a faint ring appeared behind the tree as Jour pushed open the giant door with the strength the little girl didn't seem to have.
Roksoo's eerie feeling grew as they pushed on towards the house.
It was fairly large, maybe not as big as he imagined a seemingly rich household having but still very big.
The structure had many fanciful pillars and decor and stood high above their heads, almost intimidating as they approached. It was only made less so with the various bits of flora clinging to the walls and windows and the sprawling garden covering the grounds.
They walked through the gardens as they went and Roksoo noticed many bright red rose bushes seemed to cover the space. Tall and well maintained the buds seemed to tower over the two children.
They seemed to be going in through the back entrance. ‘Why so much extravagance for a backdoor?’ He thought but considered it a little. ‘Well if you're rich then it's normal I guess.'
Reaching the home's back door Jour pushed it open confidently, “I'm home!!” She called.
Roksoo tensed slightly as they walked through The doorway.
Jour continued to pull him around and despite his expectations he saw no servants roaming the grounds, if anything the house was fairly empty.
Some tables stood in the hallways where clearly something had been displayed but has since been moved. One of the few decors the home actually seemed to have was various portraits. They hung proudly on the wall and almost all featured someone with red hair and piercing eyes.
Turning a corner they walked into a room which seemed to be a kitchen. It felt almost homey, covered in plants carefully cared for, a few dishes in the sink, sunlight streaming in, utensils scattered in various containers and hanging off hooks, and of course a fruit bowl, a cookie jar, and various snacks on a tray.
The seven year old tugged him over to the snacks layed on the side table and grabbed a cookie from the tray.
“They're really good! My uncle made them while he was visiting.” she smiled as she handed him the sweet and then grabbed her own.
He looked down at the cookie in his hand and gave it a nibble, his wings fluttered ‘it's sweet.’
Jour smiled and handed him another. Roksoo eagerly accepted it.
He seemed to be a bit hungrier than he thought.
The two eventually sat down near the table and snacked on various sweets, fruits, and breads.
Jour seemed to be a very chatty child since she didn't seem to stop talking once they settled.
“Sorry nobody welcomed us home. I think everyone's just busy right now. Papa and uncle have been traveling a lot and mommas been doing alot of reading from our secret library,”
‘Secret library?? Don't tell me these troubling things!’ He thought and munched on an apple slice.
“and my brother has been going through our grandma's old study. That and he's been spending longer with his sword fighting lessons. We still have dinner together though! So you can meet my momma and oppa later!”
“Huh?”
“I think they’ll like you, you feel like a thames.”
“What?”
‘What is that supposed to mean? And why is he meeting her family all of a sudden?’
“You're really weird you know?”
‘What?’
She looks at him seemingly waiting for an answer to her odd and sudden inquiry, hesitantly, he nods.
‘I must be a strange sight, with the wings and scars’ he thinks.
She nods back, cheerfully, “it's interesting! I haven't seen rings like yours before but they're pretty.”
‘What rings? He doesn't have rings?’
“They're also REALLY big! I've never seen anyone with so many before, I’ve got twenty nine and my mama and papa have a lot but they're about to run out.”
‘What the hell is this kid talking about???’
“I think-” Kim Roksoo grabs a cookie and shoves it in her mouth “mmf-?”
‘I don't understand it but I know it's troublesome, please stop talking’ he thinks desperately.
She chews the cookie slowly as they stare at each other. Roksoo sweats.
Crunch crunch.
“Do you-”
“Why do you think I'm a crow?” ‘stop talking about rings, stop talking about rings-’
She lights up “Cause you are! Aren't you?”
‘Is he?’
“Am i?”
“I think so! You have pretty black wings like crows! Aren't you a crow beastman?”
‘Beastman’ she mentioned that before, he really has woken up in some sort of fantasy world it seems. But if that's the case why has he suddenly become a beastman? And some kind of bird?
“Aren't there many black birds?” he asks
“Maybe but I like crows so you're a crow!”
‘What a strange kid.’
“What can crow beastmen do?” if hes really become one he should learn about these things.
“Um, i'm not sure? I think maybe you can turn into a crow right? And you have wings so you can definitely fly.” She nods to herself.
He listens and nods along, absentmindedly running his fingers over the (so very, very) soft blanket in his lap.
“I haven't actually heard of a crow tribe before so I don't know.”
‘Eh? But wasn't she so insistent on it? But she's never heard of it?’ He makes an odd expression.
She hesitates then adds “Um- maybe we can find you a book! So you can learn to be a bird!”
“Is there a book?”
“Definitely! We just need to find it!” She seemed to cheer herself up and stood quickly.
“Come on, we have lots of books!”
Eagerly she grabbed his hand and dragged him off Roksoo swiftly grabbing his (soft soft soft) blanket as they rushed.
‘Too energetic!’