Eyes in the sky

As Zagan studied the raven, he noticed the subtleties in its movements, and the way its beady eyes tracked his every move. It was fixated on him, choosing him as its object of interest but Zagan didn’t understand why. His mind traveled to Absinth again, his head cocking slightly, the bird mimicking him before cawing. Shortly after, the sound of paws crunching through snow caught his attention, movement occurring in his peripheral which took his attention away from the bird.

Oh. Absinth. She appeared from the forest like a phantom, approaching him and the bird with a look of mischief in her eyes. “Mother Absinth,” He said, his hardened expression melting away in the presence of his adoptive mother. Gravitating towards her, Zagan presses his head against one of her forelegs before looking back up at the raven.

Absinth confirmed it- the bird was his companion, having chosen him to serve as a second pair of eyes and ears. He would never be alone, so long as his raven and Absinth were alive.

His head cocked inquisitively, his long ears flopping to the side. “But why?” He questioned, looking up at Absinth. “Father- The Sultan,” He corrected himself. “He assigned a panther to me. It follows me around but-“ The bird's presence felt different. “But the raven follows me because it wants to?” It's an odd concept for him to understand. “Do I have to feed it? Give it things?” He had so many questions for her.

"Speech"