[Montauk]

Morning, noon, night; they all passed relentlessly in this large world and brought with them peace, tranquility, and even some frustrations. The summer was slowly transitioning in to autumn now and it seemed as though the creatures of the world could feel the ancient being they lived on begin to shift in to a new form of life. Of course this transition was nothing unusual or unheard of; it was a thing that came and went every few months and it was something that subtly reminded the inhabitants of the lands that change was necessary; it was good.

With the rising sun came the dew off the grass and trees- a thin film of mist hovering over the world. It was a cooler than usual morning even with the sun stretching out its rays to catch the leftover water and evaporate it back in to the atmosphere. In the valleys at the base of a nearby mountain a small herd of deer fed in the tall grasses- smaller creatures ran to and fro at the base of the trees that crawled upwards to the heavens along the peaks of the mountain, and everything seemed quaint and peaceful.

That was true until a loud snarl ripped through the air. A small flock of birds erupted from a nearby tree as a hulking mass stormed through, his head low and his steps heavy. Even the deer stopped from grazing to watch as the dire wolf came in to the morning light- frustration clouding his mind and face. He looked up from the grass at them and his face softened a bit, turning from them to lumber to another side of the valley. Montauk had been traveling for some time now; still forever in the prusuit of learning the language of birds in order to communicate with them and find what he considered a 'singular truth'; but try as he might, he was finding it considerably more difficult than previously thought of. Montauk was not one to snap out of anger, but the thought of never being able to communicate in their language made his stomach churn and his brain hurt. Had he not done enough? The dire only snorted as he lumbered a few more yards away to the base of a tree and plopped down to his stomach. He was tired, hungry, and completely out of ideas on how to begin learning something that he had no real idea if he was even doing right. The male snorted as he lay his head down on his front paws. Perhaps he would rest and try again after a good sleep and a meal.

[Kahleb]

As the night gave way to day, the crow awoke from his slumber. First he shook off the dew that had settled upon his feathers then stretched his talons before flapping his wings. How good it felt to travel once more! When Kahleb had visited his parents in the spring, he hadn't expected to stay as long as he had. One thing had turned into another, and his mother had managed once again to convince him to stay a season to help raise his younger siblings. The crow shuddered at the thought then laughed out loud to himself. The nest had been full of trouble makers this year. It had been a good thing he'd stayed after all, for he wasn't sure his mother would have been able to handle this particular group of chicks.

Stretching out his wings, the crow took flight and headed down the mountain. He allowed the air currents to play with him and twirled with brother wind a few times. Other times he would fly close to the tip of the trees and graze them with his dark talons as he passed above them. It was a beautiful day, even with the chill that was starting to settle on all things nature had made. Father sky would shorten the time in which he shone the sun, so that mother earth could slumber in peace and all manner of creatures would do their best to survive until she woke again in the spring and bring her blessing to those who had lived. The circle of life was never ending; where one creature fell, another took its place.

Spotting a herd of deer in the valley, Kahleb smiled and swooped down to join them. Half folding his wings to limit the sounds he made while flying, he approached until he was right above the herd then perched on a young deer's antlers with a loud kaw. The herbivore gave a yelp and jumped around trying to spot the source of the sound. But of course, every which way he turned his head, the bird on his antlers simply followed since he was perched there. Eventually, Kahleb couldn't contain his laughter any longer and burst out with gleeful chuckles.
"What? Who? KAH! I should have known it was you!", exclaimed the deer with a look of pretend anger on his face.
"Sorry friend!, I simply couldn't resist. You seemed so concentrated I knew you wouldn't notice me until it was too late. Hahaha", the crow flew off the deer's head and landed on the ground nearby, hopping closer to the herbivore with the knowledge that he need not fear for a reprisal. "Your antlers have gotten bigger since the last time I saw you! Found a mate yet?", asked the crow.
"Yeah, she's right over there! isn't she the most beautiful doe you've ever seen?", the deer replied.
"She sure is!" Kahleb answered, but in truth to him all the does looked the same. He wouldn't say it out right though, as that would be rude. Also, he had never met another creature than a crow that could tell a male and a female crow apart, so he didn't feel any shame not being able to discern them himself.
"How about you?", the deer gave the crow a sneer, knowing well the answer before he'd asked the question.
"No! Nope! No way! I'm okay with a spring fling but settling down with a wife and kids? Nuh not for this crow. No thanks." With this answer, the bird spread it's wings and prepared to fly away. "Anyway, it's been good to see you and the herd. Anything I should know before I go?".
The deer looked towards the woods and sniffed the air before replying, "Yeah, we spotted a wolf nearby earlier and the herd has been on alert since. He didn't seem interested in us, but you never know right?" . Kahleb nodded. "Thank you! Be careful in any case... oh! and old Mother Raven said winter would be late this year but harsh."  A word of wisdom given before he flew off again into the sky. The crow had many friends. Though he saw them rarely, when he did he always acted like he'd met with them just a few days prior. To him, time and distance didn't matter; friendship remained a constant.

Reaching the edge of the woods on the other side of the valley, the crow began to search for the wolf the deer had mentioned. Wolves were strange creatures with varying moods, such that he never approached one without being sure of its intention first. On the other hand, wolves were often a good sign to follow for a crow. Where there was a pack, or a wolf, there was a near certainty that there would be a carcass nearby from an old hunt, or soon to be one. Kahleb could go days without eating, or last even longer on berries and other scraps, but it was always a feast to be had when the wolves were on the hunt. This one however seemed in no hurry to eat. Kahleb found him asleep at the base of a large oak tree. A loner? shame... packs usually yielded better results. Nevertheless, the crow decided to hang around. Perhaps this loner would be willing to exchange small prey for the opportunity to carry a message to a family member far away? Delivering messages had always been something Kahleb enjoyed doing. Doing so, he had seen many packs, prides, and tribes... he had also made many a friend. Would this wolf be another?

"Sir? Pardon me, Good sir! I specialize in message delivery, could I interest you in purchasing my services? I Pride myself on being able to find anyone you would wish to communicate to. Well.... unless they're dead of course. In which case I would return to inform you, it would be the least I could do."

"Oh!", the crow hopped onto a lower branch of the tree, but still out of reach of the predator. "How rude, I didn't even present myself. My name is Kahleb and it's a pleasure to meet you good sir!"

[Montauk]

"Sir? Pardon me, Good sir! I specialize in message delivery, could I interest you in purchasing my services? I Pride myself on being able to find anyone you would wish to communicate to. Well.... unless they're dead of course. In which case I would return to inform you, it would be the least I could do."

The dire stirred almost instantly; large groggy face lifting from his paws to look out to the fields in front of him where no one stood. His head cocked to the side, ears perked forward and a quizzical look upon his face. Someone had just spoken to him, surely, or was he just dreaming?

"Oh!", the crow hopped onto a lower branch of the tree, but still out of reach of the predator. "How rude, I didn't even present myself. My name is Kahleb and it's a pleasure to meet you good sir!"

The noise of wings and talons gripping a branch above him made Montauk crane his neck upward to the tree he found himself under, his entire head still groggy from slumber. Above him sat a crow looking expectedly down at the dire and for a moment Montauk couldn't help but find himself close to chuckling. Crows couldn't speak- to him they were barely even worthy of trust. They hung round foxes and coyotes- they were clever and they were never helpful. In all of his studies, Montauk had found crows to be the most dishonest when he'd ask for simple things. In short, they were loud, obnoxious, and cruelest of all the birds he'd followed in his time trying to learn all there was to know about the world in which they all lived.

He squinted up at the bird, his fangs bearing slightly. Surely this couldn't have been the source of the voice- crows were smart, but he doubted very much that they were smart enough to speak properly, let alone any formulated words aside from their incessant crowing.

Yet, someone had indeed called out to him- perhaps it was a puppy hiding in the thicket of the brush. The dire's ears lowered slightly as he closed his lips and returning his neck from its craned position. He rose to all fours and shook himself of loose leaves and dirt and took a few steps in to the early morning sunlight.

"Hello?" he called out to the open world, squinting in the hopes of finding the true source of the voice who had only just introduced themselves.

[Kahleb]

The beast woke with no matter of haste, and it's attention was first turned to the fields beyond the edge of the forest he'd picked as a resting spot. It made perfect sense for the wolf to expect another land creature to be the one whom had spoken.

When he had failed to find the owner of the voice on the ground, he lifted his head and looked up straight at Kahleb. The crow fluffed his feathers to try and give a good impression and waited for a response.... and waited.... and waited.

When the wolf turned his gaze away after what seemed like a moment of reflection, the fluff in Kahleb's feathers slowly went away. Had he flat out been ignored? The crow blinked and kept on observing the wolf as it stood and called out in the hopes of finding the owner of the voice. It seemed this one wasn't accustomed to being spoken to by birds. Kahleb wasn't surprised in the least, it was a very negligible amount of birds that ever bothered speaking to the land creatures. Some of them insisted they did not speak the same language, though Kahleb had never had an issue with it. Others said it was bad luck to converse with the land dwellers. Old wives tales among the birds said that if words were to be exchanged with a flightless animal, then the bird would lose his ability to fly within a moons time. That was simply ridiculous, the crow was the proof of that, but still many of his companions believed it! Some simply didn't want to talk to those who might possibly eat them a moment later; Fair enough.

But Kahleb had never ignored the opportunity for a good conversation, be it with a creature with or without teeth. Waving his right wing as a way to get attention, the crow attempted once more to make contact with the wolf.

"Hello! Yes? You do understand me, don't you? ....Parlez vous une langue plus lointaine, Monsieur? ...No?"

Jumping off the branch, Kahleb glided down to the ground, landing a short but a secure distance away from the wolf. Once there, he would cock his head to the side while observing him.

"Or is this the first conversation you've ever had with a crow?"

...a rather one-sided conversation so far.

[Montauk]

"Hello! Yes? You do understand me, don't you? ....Parlez vous une langue plus lointaine, Monsieur? ...No? [...] Or is this the first conversation you've ever had with a crow?"

Thee mysterious voice had started up once more but it wasn't until they said the word crow that Montauk found himself turning on a heel and his attention fully locked up on the tree where Kahleb sat perched. The dire watched for a long moment- he was struck somewhere between confused, elated, and horrified. On the one hand, he'd finally made contact with a creature of avian race! On the other hand, it was a crow; a bird that he so truly believed to be nothing more than a freeloading scavenger who would whisper lies in to your ears and hang around foxes and steal from pups. There was probably some truths to all of it, but it was a tunnel vision that Montauk found himself unable to be rid of. He'd never met a crow that talked to him, nor a crow that sounded positively civil. His ears lowered slowly atop his skull as his eyes narrowed. He took a cautious step forward as his head cocked to the side- his gaze never once leaving the sight of the bird in the tree branch.

"Who are you?" he called out in a low voice, pausing only as he neared the base of the tree. He did his best to keep a fair distance from them so that if this crow had any tricks up his sleeve the dire was ready. "How did you learn to speak my tongue?" At this, Montauk paused. Could it be, perhaps, that it was he who learned to speak the tongue of a bird? Was this bird just...overly friendly with those who were planted on the ground? Or...no, no the last option could not have been the right one. There was no way the animals of this world could all communicate in some same common tongue and then just chose not to. That would make no sense- and frankly, it would ruin the dire's appetite for deer if he knew that his main food source could speak to him. This bird must have just been something extraordinarily special then. It left the dire with many questions, concerns, and possible revelations that he wasn't sure he was ready to accept just yet.

"Why are you speaking to me?"

[Kahleb]

As Montauk stared at him, he stared at the wolf. If he would cock his head to the side, the crow would do the same. It was true that all crows loved playing games, some a bit more dangerous than others. He knew a crow that had gone and pulled out the tail feather of an eagle while it was enjoying a meal, just because he was dared to do it. As epic as that sounded, it was definitely something Kahleb wouldn't do. He preferred making friends... Which he had once, with a lovely eagle named Anki. He wondered how she was, it had been quite a while since he'd last seen her.

"Who are you?"

"Kahleb!", He answered enthusiastically. Well that was easy enough to answer.

"How did you learn to speak my tongue?"

"Many friends and good conversation. I speak many a tongues because I have many a friend!", He exclaimed.

Kahleb wasn't sure how good wolves would be at speaking crow, but most crows were very good at speaking wolf. They had a natural affinity for imitating other animals, and where most used that skill to mock and trick, Kahleb had used it to learn to communicate. Sounded a lot more practical to him in the long run.

Usually, a crow in a group was better at understanding the wolves than others and would listen in on them. Most of the time they only needed to learn the words that mattered... Hunt, feast, kill, were among the most known words. Because hearing them meant a scavenging opportunity. Yes, most of his brothers and sisters were despicable thieves, but hey... Life wasn't always easy for a crow, and they had to survive somehow.

"Why are you speaking to me?"

To this question, the crow fluffed his feathers and tipped his head to the side. He thought it was a very silly question. Hopefully this wolf wasn't superstitious or something like some of his winged friends were. He'd never met a land walker as superstitious as a bird before. Honestly he hoped he never would. After a moment of pondering, he decided to answer the question with another question.

"Why not?"

Check mate.