Chapter Text
|-Wednesday evening, March 20th, 2024. Brunswick Nature Park, 2575 River Road South-East, Winnabow, North Carolina-|
I'm still stunned that the hardware store had these. A focused UV torch and the single most powerful flashlight that is stocked on store shelves. All I need to do now is wait. Wait for the evening. And wait for it. So to kill time, I scout out the area. As far as nature preserves are concerned, this place is small. But with how many trees are here, and the fact that the leaves are almost all back, it gives any small animal, including birds, the perfect place to hide. But the bird I'm hunting is easy to spot. Those beady little red eyes and it's golden feathers will be a dead giveaway. Now, if I can get the light straight into it's eyes...
I keep walking around the park, jotting down the location of every point that might be of interest. Any space that might provide cover and shelter for something that doesn't want to be seen. And that damn bird is going to cower before me. I want to see the fear in it's eyes. Feel the abject terror and dread I instill in it as I wrap my fingers around it's neck. Take pleasure in the sounds of it's death throes. But I need to make sure that I actually catch the little bastard first. That will be the hardest part. Hence the flashlight. The logic is that if I shine the light directly into it's eyes, it will blind and disorient the crow, at which point I can close the distance and get my hands on it. That's the theory. I know it wouldn't be pleasant for a human being. But a crow? Or any other kind of bird? I don't actually know. Guess I should've asked Maddy.
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...
Actually, no. That would've been stupid. How the hell would I explain why I want to know that information? 'Oh hey, there's this weird golden crow that's been harassing me for the past three days and I was wondering if I could blind it with a strong enough flashlight.' Can't imagine that she wouldn't look at me funny. So here I am, wandering a nature preserve at dusk. Most likely losing my mind over something that probably wasn't even real. And yet... it feels real. Tangible. Like I can grab it.
I continue my scouting, committing every little thing I see to memory. I'm gonna need it. And given I work in construction, a good memory is a necessity. It's saved me a lot on the fly. But this? This is a real test for it. Especially later tonight. When it's dark. Pitch black even. So much that I can only see what's in front of me with this flashlight. Just shine it in front of me, and take note of anything I see. And if I see rustling, bust out the UV. Some birds can glow under UV light. But not crows. So if that black light hits something with wings and it doesn't glow blue, then I've found my target. That's when I'll hit it with the torch. It should be bright enough to completely blind it for a few seconds, giving me enough time rush in.
A few more passes, just to make sure my bases are covered. I pull out my phone and get that cartography app up. I take note of where everything is. Right now, I'm near the two big fallen logs. Good spot in case things go south and I need to hide for whatever reason. About three hundred feet directly in front of me is a small swampy portion. I'll have to be careful there. One wrong step and it'll ruin my night. Can't have that. Of course, the road is close to a thousand feet to my left. From there, my car is just down it. If I need to, I can sprint down it. Hopefully that'll put some distance between me and this crow if shit hits the fan. Or if I fuck up royally. That's also a very distinct possibility. I head over to another point of interest: A pile of rocks. I can't explain it, but there's something about this that feels... off. Obviously, someone had come here before and made it. That's not what feels off. It's just... I feel like my sanity is being drained the more I look at it. Like when I first saw that damn crow on my car back in Virginia. It's like the pile is meant to be here. That it's a part of something bigger. It's probably my mind messing with me. Twilight has that effect on people and believe me, we're getting through twilight. The bits of sky I can see are this insane mix of blue, purple and pink. I'd say it was beautiful if I wasn't here to try and fight some quasi-eldritch bird.
Night. It's dark enough to start being night. Stars are in the sky, covered by the occasional cloud and I am ready to pounce whenever I see that damn bird. It's not getting away from me. Not this time. I'll sure as shit make good on that. I walk through the the preserve, black-light shining on whatever I point it at. I'm actively avoiding the flashlight. I don't want to telegraph where I am. Not just to that crow, but also to anyone else that may also be wandering the preserve this late. It has to be past ten at this point. I shouldn't be out here. No one should be out here. The last thing I need to have happen is someone coming across me. Least of all a cop or a state trooper. I'd probably get arrested for trespassing if a cop saw me here. I walk around for a bit longer, seeing the occasional scorpion glow in the black light. Looks like a Hentz. Don't think those are native to NC.
I stop walking, wanting to listen for a bit. I don't hear anything out of the ordinary at first. Just the wind blowing through the leaves above me. It stays like that for a few minutes. Just the wind and nothing else until something shifts behind me. A rustle in a nearby bush. I get the UV on where I think I heard it, and don't see anything. Nothing that warrants the torch. But then something catches my ear. A very specific sound: Cawing. And so, the hunt begins...
|-Witching Hour. Thursday morning, March 21st, 2024-|
What a fool Cameron is. He thinks he can catch me. But nobody catches Murim. Not even Aziel. So here I sit and wait. Wait for the fool to walk by. Where I can taunt him. Taunt him and drain his sanity. One's sanity is the most delectable of treats. Seldom do I get the chance to feast on it. So I revel in the opportunity whenever it presents itself. And this looks to be one particularly pleasant treat. One I will savor for quite some time, indeed. All I need do is break down his mind. Utterly destroy his spirit so that his inquiries cease and his hunt ends prematurely.
He wanders and wanders and wanders. Oblivious to my presence, little torch in hand scanning the treeline. Searching and searching for a little bird. A little bird that is much more than just a bird. This fool knows not what he is walking into or towards. I could easily have my murder gore him. Rip out his tongue and pluck out his eyes. But I want more than simple death. I want to taste his fear. So I will continue to toy with little Cameron. Toy with him until I break him. He wanders more and more, trying to find me. But he won't. He will never find me. If he sees me, it's because I want him to see me. At my own discretion. So I sit and perch on a branch of pine, watching my prey continue his hunt in vain. Watching him suffer and drain is such a treat. I move to keep watch on him, always seeing where he is going. And he still does not see me. Perhaps I should reveal myself, and cause terror. Cause terror and fear... Yes... I should...
I prepare to fly. I take sight of my prey and judge the distance. Then... I jump. Away from the branch and into the darkened night sky, the sounds of my wings causing alarm below me.
"Ah shit... That's wicked high up." I hear from the forest floor. The light turns, and it is pink? Pink? Why pink? Is he trying to confuse my murder? Present himself as a potential mate? No matter. I does nothing to me. But something is off. Something I cannot tell. And then light hits my eyes. So bright that I cannot see. It is overwhelming. Like ten thousand suns burning against my retinas. It disorients me to the point that I cannot fly properly or safely. It seems my prey has come prepared...
I barrel into a tree, my small avian body hitting the bark with a resonant thud. I then fall to the ground, still disoriented. Still stunned. I must get away and reconsider my options. But I hear my prey closing in. Closing in and closing fast.
"Cain't get outta this one, ya little fuckin' jagoff!" He shouts, charging towards me with the bright light of ten thousand suns. I must take stock of my circumstances and retreat into the shadows before I am caught. I get onto my feet and waddle into a nearby bush, hiding from the human fool. I sit and wait for him to pass before I can fly, but Cameron... He is persistent. He scours the underbrush in his search for me. Overturning logs. Snapping branches. He is relentless. Perhaps... he could make a good proxy for my Master. I watch as the fool breathes in and moves on to the next area, allowing me reprieve to fly and reconsider my plans. How can I extract what I want from him?
I fly up to a branch that is high. High and out of sight. Here I can formulate a new plan. I must formulate a new plan. A new plan to extract what it is I crave. But how? How can I do so without injury? Perhaps I can lead him into my grove... My grove... Yes... I move from branch to branch, taking note of where the fool below me is going. He does not know of the things to come. I gather a few of my murder around me, intent on putting my plan into motion. Within seconds, the foreign corvids have come to heed my call.
"Master! Master!" They shout in unison, hoarse voices carrying on the wind and into my ears.
"Yes, yes. Calm. I have plans for the fool below us." I start, silencing the cacophony.
"To the grove. We will take him to the grove. There, we will break his spirit and turn him into a proxy for the Master. But he must be distracted before I can place the hex upon him." The murder stays silent, taking in the information before they speak up.
"A proxy for the Master! A proxy for the Master!" They immediately set off, searching for my prey. Already, I can hear his frustration. His fear...
"Aww, for fuck's sake! Ya jagoff crows!" He shouts into the night, torch sending it's bright cone of light into each darkened crevice. "Where's da golden jawn at?! Where?!" I can tell from his tone he has one of my murder in his hands. The crows of this land are foreign to me, but I will bend them to my will all the same. I finally come upon my prey, taking in his enraged state with delight as I perch on a branch behind him. And it is now that I announce my presence.
"Such a fool you are, Cameron." He turns with a start, torch blaring in my eyes, but my magic can lessen the blow. The light becomes dimmer and dimmer as I deaden the battery within, until I can see the man's face.
"Da fuck... Da fuck youse want from me?" He shouts as he lunges forward, but I am quicker. He crashes into a log with a thud before getting back to his feet.
"What I want is to taste you." I proclaim as I rear up. As soon as Cameron turns around, I charge him, grazing his head and placing my hex upon him.
"GAH??!?!!? DA FUCK YOU JUST DO TO ME?!" I hear as the light falls from his hand, arm coming up to his head to cover his left eye. Oh how I have missed this. I perch above him in the pines, murder surrounding both of us as I do so. We watch as he checks himself for injury, taking his hand off his eye and bringing it into the light. But he sees no blood. He then starts to search around him.
"Yous a dumb, lil', gold JAGOFF! I swear on me mudda, when I get my paws on ya..." The sweet scent of Cameron's anger is so enticing. I almost feel compelled to leave it here. But I crave more... "To the grove! To the grove!" The murder starts, sending a visible chill down his spine. But before he can speak again...
"If you wish for this to end, then you will follow me to my ceramic grove, Cameron. I will be awaiting you there." I then fly close to his head, after which I hear him chasing after me. Soon, I will feast on whatever fear I can extract before bending the fool to His will, as I have done to so many others like Cameron.