A Cute Ecologist Saves You from A Blizzard But Now You’re Trapped – Where Winter Crows Go – Part 1

Needing a break from your work life you take a vacation in a rural snowy area, but a freak accident involving a strange red eyed crow leaves you stranded during a massive snow storm. Thankfully a kind stranger invites you into his home. He studies the plants and wild life of the area, is a great cook, hospitable and very charming, there’s just one problem, he gets nervous when you talk about the red eyed crows.

Needing a break from your usual routine, you decide to take a one-week holiday trip to Frostpeak, a town famous for its ski resorts. Unfortunately, on the way there, your car breaks down and you have no choice but to walk to the nearest place available… an isolated log cabin in the middle of the woods.

The cabin turns out to be the home of an environmental researcher who’s studying partial migration among other things .

Will you stay with him or risk finding another place in the freezing weather?

Where Winter Crows Go – https://prikarin.itch.io/where-winter-crows-go

CHAPTERS
00:00 – START
00:43 – DAY 1
30:06 – DAY 2
46:02 – DAY 3
1:01:57 – DAY 4
1:22:07 – DAY 5 (new)
1:39:45 – DAY 6
1:58:77 – DAY 7
2:16:39 – DAY ??? ending

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#yandere #wherewintercrowsgo #WWCG #vn #visualnovelyoutuber

Answer me what do I have to  do for you to stay not be crazy hello and welcome to my YouTube channel I  am ESPOIR DU VIDE and I’m very excited because   guess what the full game of where Winter  crows go has been completed and I’m going  

To play it I’ve played this game a couple times  before so if you’d like to see my very first   reaction to everything it’s uh it’s around here  somewhere hopefully editor me remember to put a   link to them somewhere so join me as we see our  friend Crow once more and see what Shenanigans  

He has planned hey there snowflake before we  begin the story I’d like to ask you a couple   of questions oh cute would you like to play  as Aspen the Canon protagonist or would you   rather self-insert h ah ah Aspen is a really  cool character I’ll stick with a self-insert  

Thank you for asking yeah a I’m sorry Aspen I’m  so sorry but don’t worry whatever Shenanigans   is going to happen I’ll take the brunt  of them for you you just rest your weary head ooh the road is quiet no real sound can be  heard except for the humming of my four-wheeled  

Companion no sign from many other cars in  hours not even a motorbike the frosty air   is so prominent I can feel it Pierce Through  the Windows glass bless whoever invented car heaters I don’t know why I suddenly grabbed  my backpack for a one week trip to frost Peak  

Town I mean it’s supposedly famous for skiing  or whatever but it’s literally in the middle   of nowhere what am I a teenager hungry for a  thrill oh my kidding I know exactly why I’m   doing this fluff my work fluff my boss and  fluff Society just put it all on a table and  

Flip it over they can burn each other for  all I care I’m not usually this impulsive   but winter sports might be just what I need to  take my mind off of things and no one’s going   to take me away from my well- earned break no  one oh yeah allow us to introduce ourselves  

What the heck in the middle of my venting  session a crow flies right in front of the windshield although I nearly lose control I  managed to get a firm hold of the steering   wheel dang bird is it suicidal or what it nearly  killed me or or was that part of somebody’s plan  

Whatever I’ll just huh the car seems weirdly  off balance all of a sudden really now here m m oh no gosh darn Herby you’re looking a  little flat over there and your parent is   so irresponsible that you forgot to bring  your spare tire I take my phone from my  

Pants pocket no reception of course no  one is going to take away your well-   earned break huh ESPOIR well a stupid Crow  just fluffing did gosh darn it I kicked the snow as much as complaining feels good to get your  frustrations out of your chest it’s not going to  

Solve anything time to explore the wondrous world  of winter wonderland and Frostbite City right now   where would I go if my car had a problem a gas  station yeah if only there’s literally really   nothing here nothing but snow and big old trees  very beautiful trees but big old trees Frost Peak  

Town should be somewhere around this area though  I just need to keep walking at least the view is pretty oo well the trees changed I guess that’s some  progress the others were Pines right not sure   about these ones though but still how come I  haven’t seen a single person or animal throughout  

My entire hike don’t Bears usually live here  not that I’d want to meet one hope I don’t find   one of their dens while they’re hibernating  I’m surprised I didn’t see any deer either   considering there was a sign and all H is it me  or is it getting colder guess I’ll keep walking

Oo okay n it’s definitely colder  now my hands feel like ice cubes   and of course i’ had forgot my  fluffing gloves putting them   in my pockets does nothing either this  thing it looks pretty but it’s not very warm uh-oh sure enough the freezing weather  brings out the first snowflakes of the day  

They fall slowly yet relentlessly and I can’t  resist the urge to catch a few on my tongue I   wish they tasted like something usually I don’t  mind snow it’s undeniable that the tiny ice   crystals are very pretty especially when it’s  sunny it’s as if everything is glistening not  

To mention snow has a strange way of making  you feel nostalgic even if you’ve never seen   it before yep I definitely don’t mind it  you could even say I like it when I know   I’m not at risk for getting hypothermia that  is what’s next to snowstorm don’t say that a jeez

Great ooh is is that a log cabin  maybe whoever lives there can   help me or not I’m having such bad  had luck today that I wouldn’t be   surprised if it was abandoned I bet it  can protect me from the storm though I

Hope never mind I don’t want to be alone  in the cold let me see another human being   even if they turn out to be a crazy cute  yandere Hello is is anyone in there please  

I need help no answer maybe they didn’t hear  me my car got a flat tire and I have nowhere   to go can you help me please my hands are  numb and have turned a deep shade of purple   uh-oh my body is shivering so violently  I can barely stand fluffing heck it’s so  

Cold I’m getting chill just reading  this the front door starts unlocking help day one huh I wake up in an unfamiliar room where am I  is this inside the Log Cabin I must have passed  

Out H what time is it did I sleep the whole night  out of habit I touched my pants pocket to take out   my phone what the only to find I’m wearing  an entirely new outfit huh I guess whoever  

Helped helped me out must have changed my clothes  they even bandaged my hands h I should go find them wow this cabin is bigger than it looks how  many rooms does it even have the door at the far  

Back must be the entrance I hear a bit of noise  from the room on the right is that where the   person who helped me is then again I don’t know  who they are what if it’s someone dangerous H well  

Not like I have the keys anyway I should meet  them before drawing any conclusions also they   did help me so they can’t be that bad horror  game main characters must be rubbing off on

Me when I enter the room I find myself in a  small yet cozy kitchen and then I see him o   a green-haired man who appears to be of average  stature wearing a lab coat and washing the dishes   that’s kind of anticlimactic that mailed I  said that out loud and now he’s staring at

Me oh my gosh he’s got a new Sprite he’s somehow   even cuter abort abort Mission maybe if  I’m quick enough I can escapee through the window oh hey you woke up the man either  chooses to ignore my slip up or doesn’t  

Really care after removing his cleaning gloves  he takes a few steps my way and stops right in   front of me I was actually about to check up  on you after cleaning up how do you feel um uh  

Oh Prett- pretty good actually my fingers haven’t  fallen off as so that’s good I’m actually feeling   great really I’m glad um H well it’s just if it  wasn’t for you I don’t think I would have survived   you even you even treated my frostbitten  hands and all thank you so much he’s so

Cute Mister sorry you just caught me off guard  but by the way uh I’m sorry about changing your   clothes without permission it was kind of an  emergency since you were oh yeah don’t worry  

About it since I was about to die you can say  it I mean you did what you had to do in that   kind of situation if anything I’m actually  really grateful cuz otherwise I would have   probably gotten hypothermia or Worse much worse  I would have shuffled off this Mortal coil my  

Face would be plastered on a t-shirt with the  words remember I would have unsubscribed from   this thing called life H the man gives a sigh  of relief thank goodness I can’t believe he   was worried about what I was going to think when  his actions literally saved my life he’s kind of  

Cute not going to lie somehow they have made  him even cuter I really like this new design   and the little patches on his his lab coat and  the little stitches on the side ah if you don’t  

Mind me asking can you tell me what happened how  did you get caught in the snowstorm oh right a   stupid Crow scared the heck out of me while I was  driving and my car got a flat tire as a result uh  

I I see that’s quite unfortunate H did I say  something weird um um anyway I thought I’d ask   for help but you’re literally the first person  I’ve seen in this whole area which reminds me   I don’t think we’ve introduced ourselves yet  right true does he need to pee or something  

Why is he suddenly so nervous no I’m getting  nervous I’d better get introduction J I better   get introductions out of the way I’m ESPOIR  it means hope in French as if I hope you’re   not a crazy cute yandere who will keep me here  against my will oh what a pretty name I’m Crow

A seriously no wonder you made a weird face but  don’t worry I only meant the animal besides I   doubt anyone who has a job that requires wearing  a lab coat is AC stupid well mostly anyway yeah  

Not that he needs to know that I know I know I  just wasn’t expecting to hear my name in quite   that manner I bet in any case it’s nice to meet  you Crow the pleasure is all mine this guy is  

So nice I could ask him if he knows how far I am  from frost Peak Town wouldn’t be good to overstay   my welcome after all can I ask you something  where are my manners I still haven’t offered  

You anything to drink oh it’s okay I don’t want  to impose nonsense I finally have a guest finally   I’ll go ahead and prepare some chaga tea it’s very  good for the cold weather the thank you I have no  

Idea what chaga is but he seems to know what he’s  talking about so would you like something to eat   as well don’t be shy now breakfast is the most  important meal of the day yeah sure excellent it’s  

Not like you’re a crazy YANDERE who would possibly  drug my food so that I fall asleep and stay here   forever thank you so much for this I appreciate  it my pleasure it’s been a while since I last  

Cooked for someone so I’m excited to know what you  think a that’s really sweet of him I can’t wait by   the way is there anything you can’t eat no I’m  pretty good with anything as long as it does not  

Contain coconut or sunflower seeds I’m good with  anything all righty why don’t you wait for me in   the living room it’s right next to the kitchen  the living room huh I guess with how many doors   the hallway has it makes sense still the cabin  didn’t seem that big from the outside weird yeah

Gotcha wow CROWE has a lot of books maybe he’s  some kind of scientist he looks the part at   least it’s pretty cozy too kind of surreal knowing  how cold it is outside after awkwardly wandering  

Around the room for a couple of minutes I decide  to sit on one of the couches oh my gosh I lift my   butt and throw myself on the seat cushion a few  more times for good measure so squishy so comfy  

I wonder if it’s tailor made the couches sold in  Silver Ring City definitely aren’t as comfortable   as this one well the ones in Golden Willow in any  case h the carpet looks really inviting should  

I take off my boots to feel the fiber texture  under my feet Yes do it don’t let your dreams   be memes here it goes I bet that feels great it’s  so So Soft I’d love to have one of these at home  

H having fun oh no he saw my toes Crow smirks at  me while holding a tray with a bunch of stuff I’m   sorry don’t worry I’m not mad quite the opposite  in fact it makes me happy that you feel right at

Home all right wow pancakes cakes I  quickly pick up my Fork to give them   a taste M The Fluffy texture of the pancakes  combined with the juiciness of the berries   and the floral and sweet taste of the honey  sends me right to Heaven I would be I would  

Be absolutely terrible in a kidnapping  situation they give me food this good I   scarf it down without being suspicious  of it like yeah you kidnapped me but   those pancakes look really good so good with  a mouth full of Pancakes several compliments  

Slip out of my mouth before I even finish  swallowing I can’t help it they’re freaking amazing looks like someone was hungry yeah almost  dying does that to you H that’s embarrassing what   am I a kid sorry about that got a bit too excited  nothing to be sorry about I’m happy you like them  

So much they were fantastic I’ve never had honey  this good what type of Honey is it this is spring   Wildflower honey isn’t it wonderful how the  flavor and colors can change so much depending   on the time of year it’s harvested or if an &m  Factory is nearby definitely it also depends on  

The flowers the bees collect the nectar from  that’s so cool I’d love to try other types of   honey don’t forget the chaga tea though though  it’ll warm you right up oh yeah I take the mug  

Of chaga tea and rest my cheek on the ceramic  it’s warm and has an earthy Aroma I still need   to try that I’ve never had chaga tea before but  it doesn’t smell like anything I’ve ever tasted  

What herb or fruit does it come from H curious  aren’t we chaga is a type of mushroom that grows   on the bark of birch trees it’s a little hard to  find and you need to be careful not to confuse it  

With dead chuga but it’s worth a search since it’s  very good for you wow that’s kind of cool right   nature is amazing mushroom tea it sure is when  it’s not trying to kill you that is but I don’t  

Want to dampen the mood he looks happy I distract  myself by taking a sip of the tea but almost choke   at the unexpected taste ah so bitter h whoops  I forgot to mention that here have some sugar snowflake you know in some places that  would be an insult but snowflakes are  

Actually very pretty and unique yeah  yeah I’d blush I’d blush too i’ be   like oh um thanks God I was definitely  not expecting that is that a blush I see   how cute maybe I should call you snowflake  more often well I don’t mind I see good to

Know I don’t know how to vocalize a key  smash this is only because I like the   pet name this is only because I like the  pet name I add two teaspoons of sugar and stir m better A lot thank you maybe the bitter  taste will grow on you with time who knows I  

Wonder if the natural food store near home  sells chaga tea which reminds me are you a   nature scientist girl oh curious about me aren’t  we maybe I like your honesty something like that I   prefer to call myself an environmental researcher  hm that seems cool oh that’s pretty cool do you  

Have anything you specialize in well nature is  pretty vast so I study a bit of everything plants   animals ecosystems but right now I’m researching  partial migration in certain animals I’m slightly   interested in the thing he’s studying partial  your face tells me you have more questions you  

Got me partial migration is just like the  name suggests it’s a phenomenon where only   some individuals of a certain species move from  one region to another while the rest stay put I   see kind of like when some birds migrate because  of winter yes exactly for some reason the animals  

Who don’t migrate during winter tend to be the  same as the ones who don’t migrate the following   year and so forth that’s intriguing isn’t it it  really makes you want to know why uh perhaps it’s   a bit ironic but I’m actually focusing on crows  right now what’s the deal with them crows well  

What can I say it fits you to a tea I’d better do  the research Justice then that makes me wonder was   the crow I saw on the road a partial migrator  or not but enough about me why don’t you tell  

Me more about yourself uh promise you’re not going  to laugh cross my heart and hope to die hopefully   not okay okay to be honest I needed a break my job  back home is really stressful to say the least I  

Don’t know when the last time I took a vacation  was a real vacation I start to fidget with my   fingers Works always like this is urgent or I need  you to be online or Jerry screwed up again and  

Now we’ve got to do overtime every day every hour  everywhere it’s pure chaos I bend forward there’s   just no escape and bury my head in my hands  I feel so stuck all the time talking a little  

Bit from experience maybe getting to into the role  like there’s no point in anything like I’m living   to work and not working to live like I want to  disappear for an indefinite amount of time and not  

Think about anything which is pretty much what I  did well partially anyway cuz I only took one week off God what am I saying to a stranger sorry  got a bit overwhelmed for a second it’s all  

Right snowflake I I think it’s good that you’re  letting it all out he’s being so sweet I almost   want to cry but I feel embarrassed about being  so vulnerable with a person I barely know call  

Me weird for thinking this but it feels so right  to talk to him it feels like I’m really being   listened to for the first time like he actually  cares even when he doesn’t know me I’m not sure  

Why you thought I was going to laugh though what  I see is a very hardworking person who’s clearly   not being appreciated and needs to relax thank  you Crow and probably be a little pampered too  

I think you’re right in taking a week off H in  fact you should probably have asked for more H   thank you though I’m sure Crow noticed my voice  breaking he chooses not to say anything probably   out of kindness why don’t you tell me more about  this vacation of yours where were you planning  

To go oh right well I actually wanted to ask you  about it before is Frost Peak town too far away   from here huh did you say Frost Peak Town yeah I  was looking for places to visit that were good for  

Relieving stress not beaches mind you something  to actually let my frustrations out so I kept   searching and found a bunch of Art articles saying  how skiing was really good for all that then let’s   just say I chose the place that was furthest  away from home to feel like I was genuinely  

Going on a trip a bit of a thrill seeker aren’t  we I mean not really but I guess I needed a bit   of excitement to take my mind off of things is  that so how curious why you got to say it like  

That that smile should be illegal that smile is  going to get you married sir by the way to answer   your last question Frost Peak town is around this  area really uh yes I sense a butt coming but it’s  

A few hours away by car unfortunately oh there is  a bus that takes you there though and the bus stop   isn’t far from here then again the the snowstorm  yesterday did quite a number on the roads so it  

Will probably take a while until all the snow is  removed they will most likely have to repair the   damage too fluffing heck do you know how much  time it’ll take to do you know how much time   it’ll take until the buses resume their usual  route H about a week I’m assuming uh mailed  

There goes my vacation guess I’ll have to stay  in this area then what about hotels are there   any around here Crow hotels I don’t think so not  many people come visit this area they don’t not   during winter anyhow what does that mean unlike  Frost Peak this Village doesn’t have any real  

Attractions per se not to mention only about  11 people live here here farmers and people   with summer vacation houses to be more precise  well and me wait this is a rural area more so   in the other Seasons it’s mostly deserted during  winter since this Village is not well suited to  

Shelter cattle in such harsh weather conditions  it’s most likely the reason why this Village is   called winter Hol- winter Hollow sounds kind  of cool but also a bit ominous a bit similar   to partial migration don’t you think now that he  mentions it that also must be why I saw no one on  

The road here I’m pretty sure Frost Peak has a  hotel in its town but what am I supposed to do then we don’t say anything for a while this is  probably the unluckiest break I’ve had in a long  

Time getting a flat and having no reception for  it forgetting my gloves when going to such a cold   place getting caught in a snowstorm in a village  that’s pretty much deserted save for one person   am I cursed or something why can’t luck be on  my side for once burnout is the fluffing worst  

I can’t even take a vacation properly Crow is the  first one to break the silence why don’t you stay   here for a few days eh did I hear him right why  do you look so surprised considering there aren’t  

Many Alternatives I think it’s a great idea don’t  you think I I I don’t want to impose I don’t I   don’t want to be rude are you sure I don’t want  to impose you’re not I wouldn’t have offered you  

To stay otherwise then okay I’ll stay all righty  his enthusiasm is so infectious that I find myself   jumping for joy as well seems I have a roommate  now or cabin mate rather thank you Crow I mean  

It we’re going to have so much fun you’ll never  want to leave stop teasing me like that her I   just believe you H I’ll go wash the dishes oh you  you don’t have to I flush my palm at him before  

He finishes his sentence nope you’re already  letting me stay in your home for a whole week   the least I can do is help you with the dishes  and a few other things uh all right good I’ll be  

Right back I arranged the dirty mugs plates and  teapot on the tray and head back to the kitchen Crow I wasn’t joking before snowflake why you got to say it all sexy  like that day two after waking up from  

One of the best night’s sleeps I’ve ever  had I make sure to clean myself up in the   bathroom phw thank God Crow has so many  spare toothbrushes I guess it makes sense   that you would need to supply yourself  with a whole bunch of stuff if you live  

In the woods can’t really make a quick trip  to the grocery store can you I didn’t see a   car outside the cabin though so maybe he’s  getting everything delivered the farmers   probably sell him stuff too eh who knows once  I’m presentable enough I make my way to the

Kitchen I’m gritted with the smell of rice  cooking on the stove ooh and the sound of   Crow’s masterful skill of cutting vegetables at  a ridiculous speed better not call out to him   just yet or he might cut himself by accident  the moment I move to head to another room  

Though Crow notices me and stops dead in his  tracks oh he leaves the knife on the counter   and approaches me good morning ESPOIR I was  about to go wake you up morning somehow this   feels a little like deja vu feels a little  like deja vu don’t you think uh we spoke to  

Each other like this yesterday too actually  I was thinking the same thing did you read my mind perhaps this will become something of  a daily ritual for US ah lunch will be ready   in a little bit by the way wait lunch I  know I went to sleep earlier than usual  

But still did the bath relax me that much oh  a a hot bath and a log cabin in Winter jeez I   slept like a log H maybe it’s the effect  of the oh my God please don’t say it log

Cabin that was terrible well you laughed didn’t  you this cheeky Buster yeah yeah whatever but   honestly speaking you were under a lot of stress  yesterday it’s no wonder you slept so much if   anything isn’t it a good thing I imagine your  job doesn’t let you rest very well you’re not  

Wrong there anyway do you need help with the food  don’t worry about it it’s almost done but you can   help me by setting the table in the living room if  you want sure I’ll go ahead and do that then thank

You he I’m helping one set table later I wait  for Pro by sitting on the two-seater couch but   not for long the neatly arranged bookshelves  in the corner of the room catch my eye once   again all of them are hard covers all of them  have spines with no titles books that look a  

Little worn out and faded but not to the point  where you can say they’re old just that they   were red several times not going to lie I’m  really curious about his collection what does  

Crow like to read hm before I change my mind and  chicken out I grab a reddish book from one of the   shelves it’s the only one with a vibrant color  oh let’s see winter ecology living in the cold  

Well that’s fitting all right we have all heard  about ecology at least once how it studies the   interrelationships between living things and their  environment how it strives to explain the behavior   of assorted species around the world it is vast  it is ever changing but how much does it truly  

Change in the realm of winter recent discoveries  have shown the incredible strategies that living   things have implemented in order to pull through  the cold climates thus in turn reinforces the   fact that we are all connected all connected it  begs the question how much is truly necessary to

Survive the of Crow’s footsteps distract  me from going any further I um no no keep   the book right with me explain yourself  Crow I’m not going to put it back it’s   just a book no big deal if I want to read  it right and I’m going to be here for a a  

Week it would make sense to like read up on it  besides he did say I could make myself at home so thanks for waiting SN Crow stares at  the book look in my hands that’s uh did   that one in particular catch your eye huh  yeah just in case I inspect the hard cover  

From all sides is there anything I’m missing  sorry was this off limits no not at all it’s   um well I just thought it seemed interesting  uh Crow thank you wait a minute did you write this oh it it’s not quite finished yet you  actually grabbed the one that’s a work in  

Progress oh it’s kind of cute seeing him  embarrassed adorable I was hoping to keep   working on it this week that’s amazing Crow  I’m sure you’ll do great thank you by the way   if you’re interested I can show you some  of my favorites later many of these books  

Have taught me a lot of what I know today there  have been some especially brilliant scientists   throughout history sure that’d be nice I have  to ask though how can you tell all of these   apart there’s nothing written on their spines or  even their front H oh each book has a number and  

A symbol assigned to it depending on the topic I  like to keep them organized in this manner since   the textless hard covers look more aesthetic  and neat well you’re certainly dedicated that’s   for sure never thought of it that way but I  guess you have a point I doubt I do it with  

My own bookshelf though too annoying to keep  track of what’s what let’s eat shall we Crow   places our lunch on top of the place mats that I  previously set on the wooden table Don’t Mind If I

Do I want to go fishing with Crow and catch  some salmon it looks so good I love salmon   rice you do I’m glad I’ll be sure to  remember that wasting no more time and   before I end up salivating all over  my clothes I wolf down the meal with

Gusto every flavor is so rich the Smoky and juicy  salmon the Fluffy and buttery rice it’s impossible   to keep the smile off my face I love food that was  delicious a happy success then heck yeah once we  

Finish eating crow starts piling up the dishes as  if it was the most natural thing in the world wait   Crow huh don’t you remember what I said yesterday  I’ll take care of that but crow looks to the side  

But he still doesn’t let go of the dishes all  right time for Plan B look we don’t have to   wash them right away can’t we talk a little more  oh definitely with this he finally sits back down  

On the sofa and he told me I should relax can  he not see the irony what would you like to   talk about well I feel like we talked a lot about  me yesterday I’m interested in knowing more about  

This place do you have a TV maybe the news could  tell me some info about the weather and such ah   Crow fidgets with his hands I’m sorry snowflake I  don’t really watch TV anymore so I didn’t bother  

To bring one when I moved here though I admit I  miss watching Ned talks in nature Planet it’s okay   honestly I’m pretty much the same in that regard  I mean who even watches TV anymore other than  

Netflix and other streaming services still never  hurts to ask am I right that’s true also you moved   here did you have me fooled all along and are  actually a city boy well I’m in my 30s so hardly  

A boy and frankly I don’t know much about the  city either I moved from another Village that’s   west of winter Hollow oh don’t tell me Frost Peak  Town Frost Peak is a beautiful place to live but  

No I moved from a village called veritus Falls  even further to the West that’s a pretty name   what kind of place is it Crow breaks eye contact  and size he leans against the back of his seat and  

Supports his elbows on the sofa’s arm before  resting his chin on his hand a little boring   to be honest not much to do I see he looks a bit  uncomfortable I should change the subject by the  

Way I know you said you don’t have a TV but what  about Wi-Fi I noticed I didn’t have any reception   on my phone but maybe if I connect to your Wi-Fi  Daisy what crow looks at me as if I’d grown three  

Heads why wild Ry H you’re definitely not a city  boy some things have different names all right I’m   willing to bet Nature has names that are even more  complicated huh you think so of course the nature  

Nerd would say that um anyway don’t worry about  it back to the topic Wi-Fi is wireless connection   to the Internet it’s very convenient but I guess  it’s not really necessary if you only have one   device uh you don’t have internet either right  I’m sorry I do know what it is though it’s just  

Not really for me I’m not very good with that  kind of Technology the most I’m willing to do   is have an electric generator hey it’s okay  sure internet is convenient but I think it’s   really admirable that you’re very Hands-On with  your research if anything I wish I could be less  

Addicted to social media and otaku culture right  there are just so many things you have to see for   yourself s and reading things from the internet  doesn’t hit quite the same as feeling the texture  

Of paper in your hands he well I’ve always loved  the smell of books me too a before we knew it it’s   already evening and we’ve spent most of the day  talking about various topics I have to say that  

I’m getting more and more interested in Crow’s  research do you think I could help you with it   like when when you go outside and observe nature  or forage for stuff you’d like to accompany me   are you kidding this is a once in a-lifetime  Opportunity sure lots of people go skiing but  

Not everyone can say they’ve been studying winter  ecology with a Bonafide scientist well I certainly   wouldn’t mind it’ll be nice to finally have some  company and there are things books can’t teach   you have to see them for yourself H but we’ll have  have to go tomorrow morning winter days are much  

Shorter after all the sky’s already turning  dark yeah that’s totally fine I wouldn’t want   to be alone in the dark either way especially  given how I got caught in the snowstorm nearly   2 days ago it’s getting a bit chilly should we  make some tea yeah but let me wash the dishes  

First got him with Crow right by my side I pick  up the plates and take them to the sink it still   makes me a bit queasy making it still makes me  a bit queasy making you wash the dishes you’re  

A guest come on it’s no big deal have you never  divided household chores with anyone not really   I’ve managed on my own for most of my life  H I know his experience is probably not the  

Same as mine I Know It And yet I can’t help but  feel like I can relate do you ever feel lonely lonely lonely huh not anymore oh I quickly bend down to grab the  broken pieces ah but an unintentionally cut  

The palm of my hand in my haste mailed  and it just had gotten healed from the   frostbite too ESPOIR sorry Crow I broke your  I don’t care about this stupid plate instead   of waiting for an answer Crow grabs  my wrist and puts my hand under the faucet fluff it’s still

Bleeding with Vigor and precision he lathers  up my hands with a green herbal soap until   there are no signs of red this seems  to calm him down a little since he’s   no longer longer grating his teeth but he  doesn’t let go of my hand um Crow I think  

I’m all right now you can let go no not  yet okay I don’t dare interrupt him again   so I stare at him while he gets a hold of  a first aid kit and takes out a small round container don’t worry it won’t sting  he opens the lid draws a finger in  

The creamy ointment and rubs rubs it over  my wound it has a minty fragrance finally   he covers it with gauze honestly be more  careful won’t you it wasn’t that big of a deal I mean yeah I’ll be more careful that’s a  good bean I don’t think I should tell him I got  

Hurt because he caught me off guard in the first  place the thanks Crow I um we were about to have   some tea yeah I’ll make us some tea all right  great anything to get me out of this awkward conversation nothing will come between

Us nothing no person no animal  not even a pesky wound I’ll make   sure of it a ah ah day three stuff’s getting spooky NY NY oh okay I thought it was like  Morse code of a crow picking on the window  

No it’s just me on my phone come on come on for  the hundredth time in a row I look at the upper   left corner of the screen nothing I met with the  same no service text almost like it’s mocking

Me really the only thing I could confirm by  charging my phone is the time I already know   I’m pretty much wasting my vacation no need to  say to my face you dumb rectangle great insult  

Skills a spa honestly it still blows my mind that  Crow had no idea what WiFi was I mean come on who   mistakes WiFi for wild Ry are we even from the  same Planet it’s kind of adorable though plus  

He does know what phones and the internet are  thank God but of course he doesn’t have either   classic ESPOIR bad luck why was he so serious  yesterday I mean yeah I was bleeding a little   but it wasn’t that bad right h whatever let’s not  overthink too much es you’re doing something fun  

Today after getting my fill of yawns and limb  stretching I approached the Wardrobe to choose   the clothes I’m going to wear H yesterday Crow  insisted I put them inside the drawers so they   didn’t wrinkle inside my backpack H speaking  of my backpack I should probably take it  

With me it’ll come in handy for carrying any  wild Foods or herbs we come across hamburger backpack all set I’m about to turn around until I  make eye contact with the bunny from the picture  

On top of the Wardrobe although I didn’t notice it  in the first day I came here I wasn’t in the right   head space at the time to actually care it’s  pretty cute I didn’t know there were species  

Of snow bunnies guess you learned something new  every day boy when I reached the hallway Pro is   pulling the cords of a drawstring bag to close  it tightly the sack looks so full it feels like  

It’s going to burst man are you carrying a tent  in there ESPOIR I didn’t realize you were up   rise and shine am I right indeed good morning  snowflake morning so are you going to tell me  

What you got there uh I guess it does look pretty  stuffed doesn’t it let’s see I packed our lunch a   thermos with hot tea some tools for foraging  reconsidering I think I should have probably   taken space into account hey now your assistance  got you covered we can use my backpack to carry  

Our findings with a self-satisfying snort I  crouch and Pat the bag laying at my feet Crow   claps his hands together and grins thank you  that’d be a lot of help do we have everything  

We need then H yes are you ready I raised my  hands in the air to show him the winter gloves   he gave me yesterday before heading to sleep I  didn’t forget them this time so I see I’m glad  

They fit you well thank you for Lending them to  me H oh it’s just they were actually meant as   a gift wait really thank you oh my God thank  you so much I wasn’t expecting anything like  

This but I really appreciate it glad you like  them like them I love them I see even better   you really want me to keep you on my mind at  all times don’t you because you’re starting to  

Succeed ah no comment God he’s so cute Crow puts  on his jacket and slides the drawstring bag over   his shoulder I follow suit with my own jacket  and backpack all righty now we’re definitely   ready that we are he takes his keys from his  pants pocket and unlocks the front door after

You once outside in the snow I glanced back  at the Log Cabin it’s kind of weird to think   how a mere 3 days ago this was the scene  of a blizzard right now it’s so peaceful   the cabin looks kind of old in comparison to  the inside it’s an interesting contrast yet  

It still makes me wonder why it’s like that  not going to lie before we stepped into the   snow my memory of its outer appearance had still  been a bit foggy guess that’s what a combination   of stress and freezing weather and passing out  can do to someone I feel a hand on my shoulder  

Are you okay yeah yeah I was just looking  at the cabin couldn’t really appreciate it   the first time because of the snowstorm among  other things you know like dying I see and did   it leave an impression on you well I fiddle with  my fingers it looks a bit um unexpected compared  

To the inside you can say the word old you know  I don’t bite my cheeks turned Scarlet gosh darn   it I really need to work on my poker face when  I moved here the inside wasn’t much different  

From the outside it was just as shabby just as  ancient wow and you decided to remodel it that’s   right I’m not picky but I very well couldn’t live  in a rundown Place either but then why didn’t you   remodel the outside too was it too expensive H  not particular particularly I just thought it  

Had a charm of its own something that appears  to be a certain way at first but then takes   you aback and unexpected charm just like you said  you’re full of surprises aren’t you oh does that  

Mean you’re even more interested in me how dare  you call me out like this yes well I am you sure   can be very bold huh I wasn’t expecting you to  answer so honestly what can I say I find you very

Interesting you’re not the only one who can tease  Crow I feel like you’re full of surprises yourself   look out Forest Here Comes The mindboggling Duo  and you said my jokes were bad all righty let’s  

Get going yes lead the way such a fun time we’re  having the weather is really good today very clear   there’s moisture in the air besides chaga and  pine needles we might be able to get some winter  

Green berries if we’re lucky I’ve never heard of  winter green berries before what do they look like   H they’re similar to Red cranberries but if you  put them next to each other the taste will give   away which is which really is it a different  kind of sweetness nope winter green berries  

Have a minty flavor minty and they’re still  considered berries I know right another Wonder of nature that’s a good crunch I like that crunch  while keeping the conversation going we continue   walking along the snowy path for a while  I feel like sharks get a bad reputation  

Because of the movie you know but they’re more  chill than Dolphins appearances can certainly   be deceiving oh Crow stops dead in his tracks  what is it without saying anything he takes my   hand and leads me to a certain striped tree I  lift my head up and squint to follow the trail  

Of the bark then I see it a blackened Mass  protruding from the trunk is that I didn’t   expect it to look like charcoal that’s actually a  very good comparison I’ll show you how to harvest  

It Crow puts the sack on the ground and grabs  a big knife from inside he then gains a bit of   momentum and jumps towards the birch tree and  here my friends is the irrefutable proof that   humans are related to monkeys thank you for  coming to our Ned talk we both laugh I’ll be  

Right there with you without wasting any more  time Crow reaches the charcoal m and cuts off   a small portion finally he slides down and  joins Me On Solid Ground this is a chaga   mushroom ooh I lean in towards the fungus unlike  the Black Mass exterior the core is a completely  

Different color wow it’s really orange it  is isn’t it that means this one’s healthy   oo there we go oh oh right hamburger backpack  let me carry it in my bag thank you thank you snowflake why you call me snowflake  just a little bit longer and we’ll  

Have lunch does that sound good sounds good to me excellent when we reach the side of the forest  filled with pine trees the non-toxic pine trees   that is are pine needles toxic PE grabs  the knife in his bag to carefully cut off  

Some needles once he finishes putting them  inside a small pouch we sit down on a couple   of nearby stumps at last a place to rest  my legs ah walking on snow is more tiring   than it looks it feels good though don’t you  think when I turn to look at him crow hands  

Me a thermos lid filled with a golden colored  drink ooh the little herbs floating at the top   give it away it’s pine needle tea oo I keep it  in my hands for a few seconds and then take a

Sip unlike chaga this tea is more aromatic  and has a minty slightly citrusy flavor yeah   it does feel good thanks Crow I drink the  rest of the tea my body feels warmer now   I think I like this one better than  chaga it’s very refreshing isn’t it  

You can have more if you want maybe in a few  minutes I’m starving is that my stomach or yours right on the dot does  your stomach have a clock or something you were saying uh anyway trying  and failing not to look too embarrassed Crow  

Takes out a couple of toasted sandwiches from a  plastic container inside his bag spinach mushroom   and grilled cheese I like the way you think ooh  it’s nothing fancy but I hope you find it tasty  

There’s no doubt in my mind that I will give me  that sandwich and I’m right a few bites later the   sandwich is long gone God mushrooms and cheese  go well with so many things it’s almost criminal  

What are you thinking about mushrooms and cheese  that a full tummy really makes for a happy heart   I couldn’t agree more trying new recipes and  exploring new flavors is something I enjoy as   well maybe you could also take inspiration from  a nearby restaurant I could GASP what’s wrong I  

Completely forgot about my car oh yeah hm ah the  one that broke down well kind of it mostly just   got a flat tire but I should really look for  it to make sure it didn’t get destroyed in the  

Snowstorm cars are fluffing expensive after all I  stand up and Pat my butt a few times to get rid of   any remaining dirt I’ll be right back Crow grabs  my arm no no yeah why now the full game’s out why  

Are you stopping me Crow what’s the deal with  that we should start heading back it won’t be   much longer until it gets dark I I just want to  check real quick look I remember this path my car  

Shouldn’t be that far ahead are you sure about  that yes huh how do you know you’re not making   a mistake you don’t know the area like I do you  better not be gaslighting me oh wait that’s in  

The warning not to mention with the blizzard your  car must be covered in snow anyway so it’ll be   even harder to spot H is that really the case  Crow it’ll get dark soon we shouldn’t be here  

When that happens it’s not safe are you sure about  that I guess it’s true that I don’t know this area   very well but please ESPOIR don’t give me those  puppy dog eyes don’t give me those puppy Crocodile lies okay thank you thank you for  understanding with A hurried Pace  

Crow puts back all of the containers inside his  drawstring bag let’s get going shall we yeah Crow not going to talk about  that what’s dangerous out here Crow almost home why does he sound so relieved  let me grab my keys what’s out here Crow sure H  

What was that sound ah dang it I should have  put them inside my coat while Crow is busy   searching for the keys I try to pinpoint the  location of the the sound where is it that’s   I raised my head and discover the culprit of  the flapping noise up on the cabin’s roof feet  

Perched on the chimney disturbing and piercing  stare there’s a single Crow a crow with red eyes color Crow’s eyes normally I just said  what color are Crow’s eyes normally also day   four and thought Oh hey my friend Crow has  red eyes Crow are you controlling the crow

That H where what is this place  it’s almost like hold on a second   Am I Dreaming is this a dream where’s  GIN ichimaru and what’s with all the fog there’s no floor but I can walk just  fine for some reason guess I’ll keep walking

Hello are any of my 60 fictional husbands here  okay this is getting ridiculous are you going to   keep me walking in this smoggy maze until I’m 84  I look like a fluffing idiot if I’m supposed to  

Learn a deep dark secret or whatever at least  give me a sign and please don’t jump scare me a different kind of sign  fog is kind of overrated boids oh hey Boyd you why are you still  here I forgot the Boyd did the boy talk  

Did the Boyd talk in the last one that  one word as if his soul and that one   word he did outpour nothing further than  he uttered not a feather then he fluttered   till I scarcely more than muttered other  friends have flown before on the marrow he  

Will leave me as my hopes have flown  before then the bird said I’m I’m a crow okay I’ll stop I probably  won’t stop why am I still here   excuse me why are you still here what  what do you mean why I don’t know cuz  

He’s cute cuz the boy was cute maybe  that’s why um why why why why why why stop yumy day okay then I can’t I can’t leave  I mean it’s very nice here and I like Crow   scratch that I really like Crow he seems like  a little sweetheart I wonder how he’s going to  

Change all that don’t get me wrong of course I  miss my home and I want to go back eventually   but well you tried digging a a car out of the  snow Mr bird the bus won’t even come until all  

The snow’s removed anyway so I don’t really  have a choice am I getting through to you Mr bird why am I talking to a crow why aren’t  you talking to a crow I want to talk to   crows there’s a bunch of lovely crows  where I live I want to be their friends  

Not sure what I expected cannot be trusted  again what come again he cannot be trusted   well I mean yeah he is starting to get  a little gaslighty but huh he cannot   be trusted he cannot be trusted he cannot  be trusted he cannot be trusted lies all

Lies Crow bunny picture wardrobe cozy bed  the wooden texture of the walls are you   using a grounding technique good for you  I’m awake I’m finally awake God I cover   my face in my hands what the heck was  that dream did that really happen like

Actually well Meed I wiped my forehead with the  back of my hand uh I’m all sweaty better take a shower phew I really needed that can’t believe  I actually managed to sleep through breakfast   again I’m sleeping pretty deeply lately Crow  even after seeing that weird bird and all it  

Looked just like the one from yesterday yesterday  what’s up with them BOIDS did crows always have   red eyes ESPOIR yeah oh thank God I went to  wake you up but you weren’t in your room so  

I thought maybe I could find you here oh sorry  I wanted to take a shower did you need to use   the bathroom I’m almost done changing don’t  worry about it I just wanted to let you know  

Lunch is almost ready awesome not going to lie I’m  actually looking forward to it I really love your cooking Crow uh sorry you just caught me off  guard thank you I’m so glad to hear that I I  

Wouldn’t mind cooking for you for the rest  of my life a see ominous crow in my dreams   there’s there’s nothing suspicious going on  here he’s just a lovely young man who wants   to cook and clean for me what nothing just  talking to myself I’ll wait for you in the  

Living room Crow’s footsteps get further away  until the sound Fades into the distance H well   thankfully it’s not awkward between us anymore  I think H whatever this ignore these red flags   after getting dressed and drying my hair with  a towel I make my way to the living room less  

Than 5 minutes later Crow arrives with the usual  food tray and places it on the table all done help   yourself snowflake ooh the comforting smell of  Stew makes its way up my nose it’s filled with   veggies meat Rosemary and a mouthwatering  broth let me get that recipe time to dig

In oh my gosh what is this it’s so chewy and  rich I’ve never had this type of meat before   oh it’s it’s probably been like slow cooked for  hours like half a day or something is is there a  

Cookbook that’s just like Cottage core Foods it’s  venison venison holy okay got to be honest here   never thought venison made was something I’d  try ever and yet here we are and yet here we   are indeed do you like it oh heck yeah excellent  I chew and savor every mouthful of the stew until  

Only a few drops are left but we don’t waste food  in ESPOIR land so I dip a piece of bread and clean   the rest of my bowl with it oh that sounds lovely  Crow how am I going to be suspicious of you when  

You cook me when you cook food for me this this  good that Crow shows up again why are you still   here have you tried his venison stew bird you  really don’t miss huh everything was great as  

Always it’s my pleasure besides you always look so  happy when you eat my food it makes it all worth   it oh god seriously that’s a bit embarrassing  but I guess it’s no wonder good food does make  

Me smile indeed H what is it h don’t tell me  I have food on my face don’t I huh no it’s I   grab a napkin from the food tray and vigorously  wipe my face did I get it Crow doesn’t answer he  

Brings a hand to my cheek instead slap his hand  away no that’s for the second playthrough H I   guess stay still and close my eyes would be like  the most sane thing to do oh my God oh my God oh  

My God could it be am I going to get a kissy poo  I feel his thumb touch my cheek right below my eye until he removes his hand huh h no kissy I’ve  been robbed there got it h sorry about that  

You had an eyelash on your face oh hm what is it  ah perhaps you were expecting something else who   PERISH the thought I I was I was holy me I really  was I wanted a kissy poo I see am I going to get  

A kissy poo yeah I wouldn’t believe me either  anyway I actually wanted to ask you something   Crow do you think we could go outside again  today I know it’s not that early anymore but   I have to make sure I properly store everything  we harvested yesterday it’s important that it’s  

Well preserved so it lasts longer Oh you mean  the chaga and the pine needles precisely how   do you store pine needles actually Crow I want  you to write a book about how you live out here   precisely though it’s a shame we couldn’t find  any winter green berries after all in any case  

Why don’t you help me I’ll teach you how to make  chaga powder and if you want I can show you how   to make one of my herbal medicines too what  do you say uh why is he avoiding the question  

Yeah he could have just said it’ll get dark soon  and we can go outside tomorrow but he suddenly   changed the subject ESPOIR don’t mind me just  being sus about you fine I’ll concede for now   but you bet your booty cheeks I’ll ask again  Crow boy I can be very persistent when I want  

To yeah me and game ESPOIR are thinking on the  same wavelength right now sorry I got distracted   for a second sure let’s do it sounds like fun  we’re playing m chess now all righty let’s get  

The chaga from the kitchen shall we Crow opens one  of the upper cabinets takes out a coffee grinder   and coffee grinder very useful and puts it on the  counter wait we’re not going to use a mortar and  

A pestle that’s not a bad guess actually we’re  definitely going to use them for making herbal   medicine later for the powder though chaga  mushroom is a bit lumpy and much too big for   a mortar so we’ll use the grinder instead oh that  makes sense once we both wash up we use our hands  

To break the chaga into small pieces so that  they fit better inside the grinder that sounds fun and thus the powder is born this is so  cool grinding stuff at a grinder is very fun   I’m glad you’re having fun what should we do  with the pine needles don’t worry about it I  

Made sure to put a couple of bags in the freezer  yesterday the rests are being dried on a piece of   cloth but it’ll take a few days so then why did  he say he needed to store the pine needles if he  

Had already H you know what forget it let’s  see where this goes we can make the medicine   right indeed what are we making hm I think a  poultice would be good it’s pretty easy to make   and only needs a few ingredients ooh that’s  like a skin remedy isn’t it yes exactly the  

Kitchen counter is a bit small for us both though  we should take everything to the living room sure thing Crow grabs a handful of herbs a roundish  container with Clay powder and a knife while I   take the mortar and pestle a cup of boiling  water and a small bottle of lavender oil all  

Righty let’s start with the herbs with Incredible  Precision Krill wastes no time in cutting up all   the leaves it reminds me of whenever he cuts  veggies for the meals he prepares I wonder if   that’s a clue for something why you so good at  chopping Crow oh when he’s done he puts them  

Inside the mortar okay put some water on top of  the herbs how’s this excellent a a cutie Crow’s   hand makes semicircle motions as he keeps  grinding the wet leaves for several minutes   at some point he asked me to add a few drops of  lavender oil and a teaspoon of clay powder to the  

Mixture the final result is a green and creamy  paste similar to a pesto sauce ooh we spend a   couple of hours making a number of poultices  creams and ointments so that there’s a hefty   Reserve in case of emergencies I give Crow the  last of the empty containers and he pours the  

Herbal ointment inside it with the help of the  pestle all done yep all done thanks for Lending   a hand no worries it was an interesting learning  experience wonderful like a kitten who just woke   up from a long nap Crow stretches his limbs for  a few seconds then starts putting all of the  

Dirty dishes away including those from today’s  lunch oh I can I interrupt myself when when I   noticed the window it’s already dark sorry did  you say something I was a bit distracted putting   everything on the tray Crow do you think we can  go outside tomorrow and please don’t avoid my  

Question like you did this afternoon H why huh  we just went yesterday didn’t we and harvested   plenty of things at that we only got like two  things bro we need we need to find them berries  

I don’t see why we should do it again if we don’t  need to I mean it did take a while to find the   chaga mushroom and walking towards the side of  the forest that had non poisonous pine needle  

Trees but I don’t think we really harvested  that much Crow still he’s probably going to   make another excuse if I point this out I need  a different approach look if this is about your   car it’s not well it’s not only about my car  apart from Plants you also study animals don’t  

You yes I want to do that too you see I happened  to see a crow yesterday huh for a moment I swear   I see his right eye twitch that’s suspicious but  it’s so quick and imperceptible that it’s as if  

It never happened M okay and what about it God  he’s really not budging is he I can’t help but   feel that Crow is important but let’s not mention  it had red eyes just in case it reminded me that  

You were researching their habits and stuff  can’t we go out in the morning to see if we   can find any crows staying inside all the time  is starting to feel suffocating plus it was you  

Who said that there are things we have to see for  ourselves right H look ESPOIR I know that’s what   I said a few days ago but it’s not that simple the  weather here is really unpredictable this time of  

Year in fact it’s extremely likely that there’ll  be another blizzard soon what in the meantime I   can give you a book on Crows if you want to  learn more about them and if you’re feeling   suffocated I can always open one of the windows  but we really shouldn’t be going outside it’s not  

Safe he cannot be trusted that’s weird I narrow my  eyes at you sir I I’ll still have to go back home eventually uhoh the moment those words came out  of my mouth his expression pulls a 180 why are  

You so persistent don’t yell at me do you really  want to freeze to death is that that it are you   that stupid oh no oh no you didn’t take off these  earrings I’m not wearing are you fluffing around  

Crow because you about to find out how hard I can  cry now wait a gosh darn minute here you fluffing   lettuce who the heck do you think you are I’m  someone who knows the dangers and implications  

Of what you want to do I’m someone with Common  Sense something that you clearly don’t have oh   oh Crow you make me angry Crow I did actually it’s  kind of cold I’m going to I’m going to put those  

Back put that back on what fluff this and fluff  you I’m not going to sit around here talking to   a pigheaded imbecile who thinks he knows what’s  best for me better than myself then maybe you   should leave tomorrow morning maybe I will fine  fine with the conversation clearly over I storm  

Off all the way to my room and another thing your  mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries call me and call me stupid how  dare you how dare you sir h he makes me so  

Angry I scream into the bed pillow and kick  my legs on the mattress what the heck is his   problem he can’t tell me what to do I’m a  FLUFFING adult he doesn’t own me and I do  

Have common sense I mean you did you did go  to a winter Resort and not pack gloves come   on that’s like cold weather 101 probably yeah  ah I can’t deny that he did seem worried but   why won’t he tell me anything Crow what are  you hiding yeah is this Uncharted Territory  

Uh-oh oh no day five I don’t know what’s going  to happen now morning already huh I yawn and   stretch out my limbs H I didn’t even change my  clothes to go to sleep yesterday the fight must  

Have exhausted me I still don’t think the Crux of  what I was saying was wrong and if Crow reacted   like that then he really is hiding something  Reveal Your Secrets Crow but well it could be  

Worse I mean it’s not like you’re trapped in  a cabin with him if he wanted to murder me I   think he would have done so already unless  he secretly like the witch from Hansel and GRETEL yeah let’s not think about that I  still don’t know what what’s going on Crow  

Do I trust Crow Crow or do I trust the crow  Crow anyway good or bad I don’t want to jump   to conclusions before actually knowing what  the heck is going on and for that I need more   information and where’s that suspicious red  book h once I change my clothes I go wash up  

In the bathroom I make sure to Splash my face  with a good amount of water I need to be fully   awake for once ironically though this morning is  the earliest I’ve been awake since forever cow  

Could still be sleeping should I make breakfast  for once sure why not I kind of want to see his reaction Crow’s not here okay he’s definitely  sleeping then oh I bet he looks so precious   when he’s sleeping well I guess it’s cooking time  I better not find any like sleeping pills in one  

Of these cabinets all right it’s done mission  complete once I finish cleaning everything up   I look at my creation placed upon a couple of  ceramic plates I don’t think I’m a bad cook   well maybe decent is more accurate but it’s been  a while since I made these I hope they’re edible  

At least to be honest I’d like to investigate  the cabin a bit more but I shouldn’t take any   unnecessary risks right now Crow could wake up  at any moment and no matter how hospitable he   is there’s a difference between making yourself  at home and snooping around for Clues he’s not  

An idiot and perceptive de boot I shake my head  and look in the direction of the kitchen door   time to go look for him crow you better not be  doing anything suspicious okay since he didn’t  

Come to the kitchen yet he must be washing  up uh-oh she saw you crow that came from the   living room didn’t it who is he talking to are you  having a conversation with that boy as quietly as   possible I tiptoe across the hallway until I’m  right next to the living room’s entrance the  

Voices are definitely coming from the other  side I go my hand touches the handle and ever   so slightly begins to open the door the windows  open that’s unusual wait what the is is that is  

Is that a crow talking to Crow that’s why I keep  telling you to leave it all to me what’s the point   if you show yourself it makes everything more  complicated yeah wait what Crow you’re talking   to a crow Crow ESPOIR isn’t stupid she already  suspects something strange is going on I would  

Not have made an appearance if you weren’t taking  so long this is the first time this has happened   ah a at this rate I’m going to have to visit  their dreams again what the hell did you just say his face twists into a deep glare  when I’ve never seen before again are  

You FLUFFing kidding me right now yeah what did  I stutter Bo tell me one reason why I shouldn’t   kill you because because of the blood  packed oh oh you’re lucky you look like that what was that noise m i step  away faster than a freaking blue  

Hedgehog these darn creaky wooden doors  no think only run fluff flippy dooo flap   Jacks please tell me I didn’t  completely screw up just now uh ESPOIR okay you’ve got this act natural hey buddy hi good morning morning  Crow enters the kitchen and approaches me  

Crow buddy fancy seeing you  here in the place where you live fancy seeing you here what the fluff am  I talking about why is this ESPOIR just me in   real life this is his home of course he would  be here um I mean good morning good morning  

Kill me now or or maybe not since you saw him  talking about a blood pack with a crow maybe   don’t this is the complete opposite of acting  natural quick find something to get me out of   this awkward conversation I spot my culinary  creation not that far away from me oh right  

That’s why I went to look for him in the first  place um I made breakfast huh what I grab one of   the plates and show it to him they’re not as  good as yours so don’t set your expectations  

Too high pancakes yeah hopefully they taste  okay I was going to use honey at first but   I’ve seen you eat lots of fruit these days  so I thought I’d change it up a little and   use cranberry jam instead a I did you get up  early to make these for me something like that

A can I try them go ahead totally going to  ignore the fact that I saw you talking about   a blood packed with a crow I want to be friends  with crows but not that much of a friend Crow  

Picks up a fork and cuts a little piece ah wow  they’re really good but really yes you’re just   saying that I’m not did you try them not yet  Crow Cuts another piece and puts the fork in  

My mouth I didn’t expect him to feed me himself  wait why am I getting embarrassed by this this   I’m not a high school anime girl hm it’s good  isn’t it not as good as his pancakes though  

I’ll make some mint tea to go with these why  don’t you wait for me in the living room I   guess the crow he was talking to already  left sure I’m about to head out when Crow   touches my shoulder uh also I’d like to talk  about what happened yesterday would that be  

Okay with you mhm yes I want to talk to you too  thank you a see you in a bit then I nod and turn around the windows closed again I  moved towards it and try to open it  

M it won’t budge M either this is locked  or my arms are too darn weak h it’s one   thing to dream about a bird speaking to  you it’s another thing entirely to have   that same bird confirm they appeared in  your dream I’m not delusional something  

Supernatural is clearly going on here but  what exactly ghosts demons something else entirely as I’ve done a few times already  these past few days I take a look at Crow’s   collection of books I don’t see the red one I  took a glance at the other day Crow must have  

Moved it to his room to keep working on it  maybe to hide it from me as well who knows   at this point sorry to keep you waiting oh no  it’s all right Crow places the usual tray on   the wooden table soon enough we both sit  down on our respective seats and start

Eating even though we’re sitting in the same  places as as before Crow always chooses the one   seat sofa it feels like we’re further apart  than ever the pancakes might have helped a   little but I guess things are still pretty  awkward well it’s no wonder with our fight  

Yesterday and that’s not even counting what I  witnessed just a few minutes ago did he really   not notice I was eavesdropping I’m scared to look  up what if things don’t get better I’m sorry huh   I went too far yesterday it wasn’t right you  even went as far as to make breakfast for us  

And all to be honest I’m feeling really  ashamed right now I just I panicked and   before I could stop myself I ended up saying  some hurtful things I hope you can forgive me oh all right I’m sorry too and for the record  your lettuce hair is rad as heck I I like your  

Hair it’s adorable I want to touch it thank you  for apologizing Crow I can’t say I wasn’t mad but   I didn’t Fair much better honestly I’m sorry too  also for the record I think your lettuce hair is  

Rad as heck lettuce hair ESPOIR you should see  your face I mean it though thank you if only you   trusted me enough to tell me what’s bothering  you too by the way I I thought about what you  

Said last night H do you think you could wait a  little longer I promise we’ll go outside again to   forage to study animals whatever you wish truly  the fact that you want to know more about nature  

That you’re interested in my research it fills me  with joy more than I thought it would but but the   weather really is unpredictable this time of  year I thought it would let up sooner however   there’s still a very high probability that another  blizzard will strike between today and tomorrow oh  

And that’s not even taking into account the  scant few hours of light we get winter days   are already short but in this area they’re  even shorter I just want to make sure you’re safe there it is again being safe safe from  what cuz it sure doesn’t feel like he’s only  

Talking about the blizzard are there some  like Bears some magical bears in here then   the bus won’t be available the day after  tomorrow I’m sorry he doesn’t say anything   else I’m not sure what to say either what  is there to say I can’t even contact anyone  

Because there’s no reception let alone  internet is there really nothing I can do no there is something Crow do you think  you could lend me that book you told me about   yesterday yesterday Oh you mean the book  on crows that’s the one of course but are  

You okay can’t say I am no I’m honestly pretty  shocked right now uh what am I saying of course   you’re not fine that was a stupid question still  moping about it won’t help me so I’d like to use  

This time to learn something instead H you’re  seriously amazing what uh nothing let me get   you that book Crow walks toward towards the  bookshelf and takes out a grayish hard cover   without hesitation he wasn’t kidding when  he said he could tell them apart here you  

Go snowflake I hope you find it interesting oh  don’t worry I will thank you I hug the book to   my chest then make a slight face and bend over  bringing a hand to my stomach what ESPOIR oh  

God are you all right do you feel sick ah I  guess I’m not feeling too hot sorry I think   I’ll rest in my room for the day o of course  do you need any medicine no no I’m okay just  

Need to take it easy all right please tell  me if you need anything okay I will thank you Crow was that a real tummy ache or was I Faking  It phew okay I think that went well I hope ha  

Master of of Disguise espoir as soon as I take  off my shoes to climb on the bed and make myself   comfortable I put the book on my lap and turn  the first page h a study on Crows intelligent   adaptable and self-aware time to learn about  crows corvis an especially well-known genus  

Composed of medium to large size birds which  make up a third of the species in the Corvidae   family the most commonly known includes ravens  Rooks and crows while 133 species of Corvidae   have been discovered to this day only around 49  are included inside the corvis taxonomy m going  

Even further than that there are approximately  36 of these species which belong to the Crow   family alone holy shoot 36? that’s wow I didn’t  think there were this many variants oh so it’s   more more birds for me to mistake for Ravens  Hmm crows are passerine song birds which are  

Generally black in color although exceptions  have been witnessed when it comes to different   species this also applies to their sizes as  well as the color of their eyes is it going   to say if you see a crow with red eyes it’s  demonic and possessed and run away from it huh

Interesting the next several Pages contain a  detailed classification of the 30s something   species of crows up to date these include their  scientific names in a group of several drawings   most probably drawn by Crow himself portraying  their appearance H black eyes white eyes come  

On there’s got to be one with here white- necked  Crow overall appearance is black with a few white   feathers on the base of their necks though rarely  visible their eyes are a distinctive crimson red h

H no this isn’t it this isn’t it at all it’s  completely different from the one that I saw   that day and the one in my dream if anything  the most similar of them all has to be the  

Carion Crow but those have black eyes is this  a new species then yeah did say there was like   130 or something or is it not even a crow  there’s no other way to get the answers I  

Want to get the answers I need I have to go  outside I have to go outside and find that   redyed Crow lay out something shiny day six  hey we’re coming up we’re coming up on the  

Week on the week now it’s 6 6:30 a.m. I put my  phone back in my jacket’s pocket last once over   backpack check water bottle and snacks check  knife check bigger knife check gloves I slip  

One of my thumbs out of the warm cover enveloping  my hands and caress the wool fabric check okay I   have everything thank God I asked Crow yesterday  to open this window a little bit so that I could  

Get some fresh air during dinner now I know how  this darn thing works oh can’t leave through the   front door after all he probably has the keys  in his room and I’m not risking waking him up  

Good idea that’s a good idea I would have stayed  trapped for another week and not know that because   I’m a dummy honestly I wish I could have left  from my room’s window but that fluffing thing   is sturdier than a rock mistakes were made yeah  sweet Freedom all right let’s do this better be

Quick nailed it no time to Dole  though I’ve only got a few hours   until it gets dark again first  things first I need to find my car such a lovely crunch it’s so quiet  yeah that’s kind of suspicious too too   quiet I can’t help but feel some  kind of unsettling presence in  

The air am I being too paranoid I  mean you did see a guy talking to a crow ah how much longer until I find at  least something this feels too much like   the first day I got here there really  isn’t anything but snow and big old

Trees uh-oh civilization that’s the  moment I arrived near the road I   spot a white metallic Sheen that’s all  too familiar for me to mistake it my car what the fluff what was that ah  quit it I tried to approach my car a  

Second time for good measure but  the moment my foot gets near the   wheels I’m sent flying to the ground  once again what the heck is going on okay careful now unlike the first two attempts  I only try to put a hand near whatever the heck is  

Preventing me from reaching my wheeled companion  what I don’t fall this this time but there’s   definitely something there what something like  a force field of some sort how dare you well   if anything this proves that there are paranormal  things at play even more this is the last thing I  

Wanted to deal with I didn’t want to deal with  magic I crouched down to hug my knees and bury   my head between them what do I do what can I  do how the heck do you defeat the supernatural  

You got any salt I should look for that Crow even  though my eyes are still closed I shut them even   Tighter and squeeze my arms with my hands like a  silly ritual to brace myself listen here bird we  

Need to have a chat huh once I’m back on my feet  I spot an odd line in the snow between my feet in   the car a line I hadn’t noticed before what the is  this the line of the force field I glance both to  

My left and right a trail in the snow keeps going  further and further guess there’s no way around it h step by step I follow the line until not  that far from where I’m walking a reddish  

Stain brings me to a dead stop is that dirt  no I don’t I don’t think that’s dirt friend   no it’s too red to be dirt I move faster than  I see it uh this wasn’t here before oh it’s  

Beautiful but oh no a strange symbol is carved in  the snow perhaps a snowflake perhaps a star being   pierced by arrows oh yeah it does look like that  it’s disturbing all the same yeah you don’t want  

To you don’t want to come upon something like  that the center looks like an open eye the Hue   that’s ingrained in its lines make it look like  veins ooh it’s unmistakable it’s unsettling and   it chills me to my Core Blood where’d you get all  this Blood ah bird listen here bird the mysterious  

Crow flaps its wings and lands right in front of  me putting himself between me and the symbol he   stares what’s good bird he stares so deeply into  my eyes that I feel a shiver coming you can’t  

Leave don’t tell me what to do oh really yeah  I kind of figured is what I’d like to say but   this isn’t the time to be sarcastic why the crow  glances at the symbol then back to me he won’t let  

You I don’t need to ask him who he’s talking about  so are you working with Crow or against Crow Crow   What’s your deal Crow still this bird is no saint  either if he even is a bird at all Crow seemed to  

Imply he looked like one oh yeah I also haven’t  forgotten what he told Crow yesterday he’s a   liar why he pauses considers my question for a  moment then he plucks the feathers on his back  

Or pretends to do so the Crow’s eyes are on the  symbol yet again there is something he hopes to achieve I see the crow looks puzzled when I open  my backpack don’t know if this will work but it’s  

The best I’ve got I hope there’s at least some  bird Instinct inside of him you got some a if   you tell me what he’s hiding I’ll give you one  whole granola bar oh you mocking me human yes  

A little bit I mean you chose that form sir  human eh you think I would fall for such a   stupid bribe a bribe Parish the thought yes this  is a fluffing bribe and you better fluffing fall  

For it you cryptic crooked beak I prefer raisin  human and throw in something shiny I can see the   granola bars reflected in its eyes he’s tempted  very tempted but not entirely convinced oh come   on don’t get your feathers in a Twist I’m just  sharing a snack with a very smart bird who warned  

Me about imminent danger is all hm one is not  enough H this fluffing okay okay I’ll give you   both granola bars happy now without answering  the crow pulls out the bars from my hands with  

Such Vigor that he tears my glove jeez ah the  sting in my palm makes me bring my hand close   to my face figures stupid bird tore my skin  uh-oh God it’s like you’ve never eaten eaten   before when I look back at him he’s already  licking the crumbs from his beak jeez and  

Not just the crumbs a small drop of my blood  seems to have made it in its mouth as well oh   no that’s not good still not enough are you  going to eat me bird do I get do I get do I  

Get to worry about being eaten by a bird now  what what did you just say do I have to have   my hand on the save button he turns his neck  in my direction I Gulp and step back behind  

The cabin huh go further beyond the cabin then  head straight okay you will find your answers   there go behind the cabin and head straight  okay wait ah jeez you huh the symbols gone   why does that make me uneasy H can’t say I fully  trust the bird either but I don’t have any other

Leads Crow huh there it is again what is this feeling if something crazy spooky jumps out at  me I will scream so loud and then totally lose my marbles it’s as if someone  or something was watching

Me behind the cabin yeah dang it’s getting darker  and there’s a bunch of clouds too I should hurry   up crouching down as much as possible in order  to avoid the windows better be safe than sorry I  

Move forward and slow but steady steps until the  cabin’s far enough for me to walk at a quicker Pace oh oh oh there’s a whole village back  here what what the heck is this a huge mass   of decayed Woods surrounds the area everything  is gloomy and hushed disturbing small decrepit  

Houses that look like they haven’t been  inhabited in decades traces of what once   was a wide ranging crop Farm Eerie soulless  obscure I know what’s going on here Crow is   actually a cat person who who is persecuted for  their cat God and then they moved into a place  

And then there was a nice Harvest and then  they took over during the Harvest Moon and   then he took over the place I’m just quoting  Scooby-Do on Zombie Island eerie soulless obscure abandoned the light is gone a  ghost town the thing behind Crow’s log  

Cabin is a literal ghost town it’s pretty  much impossible to let go of the shock and   utter disbelief I’m feeling right now but my  eyes start adjusting to the scene nonetheless   wait is that what I intentionally thought  was a piece of broken wood from what one  

Of the vacant houses now starts to look more  and more like a crooked sign oh no is this   though the words are somewhat faded no wonder  the sign is pretty much ancient there’s still dis distinguishable it’s is it frost Peak Town  let’s see what it says important notice danger  

Zone do not enter all right guess I’m going  back to the the Crow’s cabin then due to a   long bout of unprecedented winter weather  this area has been closed off to the public   okay okay nothing Supernatural here just just  old man winter I guess by unanimous decision  

Of the cedarian government an agricultural  and urban expansion has been approved in   order to migrate the farmsteads from the  village formerly known as late in spring   now winter Hollow to the town of veritas  Falls we apologize for the inconvenience  

Thank you for understanding H oh my God oh my  fluffing God how the flying fluff did I end up   at a place like this is this a demon Zone  heck is Crow even human hold on did I miss   something that doesn’t sound that bad it’s not  Supernatural it’s just really bad winter unless  

You know something that I don’t ESPOIR in the  game did I tick someone off in a past life or something uh-oh you got to be  pooping me if I speak too soon   one more time I swear I’m going to punch myself repeatedly thank the fluffing Heavens  that it’s so close by demon vampire  

Alien whatever the heck I’ll die Frozen  now if I don’t get into that cabin ASAP   dignity and plan B can wait I run as hard  as I can and head to the outside of the   living room window I’m prepared this  time I’m not going to pass out in the

Snowstorm Crow we got some talking to do  the current of the air is so strong that   I almost fall face first into the room  I go inside and once I managed to make   the window panes meet I lean my whole  weight onto the glass just a little

More Crow I’m not hiding in anything at  this point you got some ‘splaining to do finally darn you strong old wind where is   Crow buddy I told you a blizzard  was coming I told you again and

Again I told you and you didn’t listen trow grabs  my wrists and pins me against the wall why why   don’t you ever listen to me because you’re  being sus fam why are you so desperate to go outside have I not been kind to  you hey fed you hey given you a  

Place to stay why why do you want to leave me so bad he grasps me even tighter  you’re hurting me oh I’m hurting you oh no he’s going cuckoo bananas that’s  rich fantastic just great what about when   you left without saying anything  hey what about when you lied to my  

Face thinking I wouldn’t notice did I oh  yeah about when I had a a tummy ache well you shut up how do you think that made me feel  I’m hurting you what about what you’ve done to  

Me what about what I feel am I really not enough  do you hate me that much answer me what do I have   to do for you to stay not be crazy I can feel  his hands trembling on my wrists I release one  

Of my hands from his grasp and caress his cheek  but he pulls back Crow let’s see relationship   shouldn’t be built on lies and stop trying to  manipulate me and I want you to trust me H now  

I would say relationships shouldn’t be built on  lies but I’m I’m I’m kind of mad about all the   gaslighting you’re doing so please stop trying  to manipulate me stop it h what I want is for  

You to stop manipulating me I like you Crow but  calling me a liar when you’ve been doing the same   makes you look like a hypocrite Farmers living  in Winter Hollow a bus coming by when the snow  

Has been removed not to mention the talking bird  yeah are you two In Cahoots planning to sacrifice   me to the devil or something espoir well what’s  wrong Crow nothing to say huh why can’t you be  

More honest with me Crow I need to think it the do  you get back here honestly so do I I take off my   jacket and carry it on my arm we should be able  to talk better after we both get some sleep did  

You even eat anything I’m not going anywhere  I need answers and once I get them I’ll do I   actually need to go back home I’d better head to  my room better not be no talking birds in there earlier when I mentioned the talking bird  he reacted he looked anxious scared even  

Maybe he’s worried about how I’m going  to react and where does the blood packed   fall in all this what does it mean  there has to be something I can do   what if that stupid bird is threatening  him to do stuff against his will I have  

To make sure Crow trusts me whatever  happens I’ll make sure he trusts me day seven figures I couldn’t sleep well who can  blame me with how action-packed yesterday was   scratch that with how action-packed this whole  week has been but what surprises me the most is  

Myself I mean normally people would be scared  and put off by Crow and this whole situation   right especially given how much he’s lied he even  pushed me against a wall yesterday who’s to say  

He won’t go even further and yet I didn’t mind  I didn’t mind it one bit he was showing me his   true self or well the part of himself that he  didn’t want to show rather cuz I wouldn’t say  

He’s never been genuine I was more worried  about him kicking me out if if I discovered   all his secrets and his relationship with the  redyed crow I was more hurt by the fact that he  

Didn’t trust me lied to me even than I was about  the subject of the LIE itself H what is this why   do I have such strong feelings for him when it’s  only been a week since I met him I’ve known other  

People for far far longer but I’ve never felt this  kind of connection with anyone else ah I must be crazy ESPOIR are you awake I am H God I’m so  glad you answered yes indeedy not much of a  

Point pretending I’m not here right could you  be any more Awkward as Spa you need lessons on   socialization skills Pronto still he hasn’t  left so I’m probably overthinking did you   want to ask me anything look there’s something  really important I have to tell you yeah I’ll  

Bet is it about yesterday in a way will you  let me ask questions too of course he sounds   anxious I wish I could hug him right now  can you come to my room we’ll talk there  

Sure thing let me get changed and I’ll knock  on your door once I’m ready thank you thank you snowflake all right let’s do  this once I take the clothes   I’m going to wear from the Wardrobe  I head to the bathroom for a quick

Shower okay hopefully I didn’t take too long  didn’t even wash my hair so I could be faster   after a couple minutes of mulling over silly stuff  I knock on the door Crow come in you better not be  

You I’ll make you one sometime h i I’d like that  we stay silent for a few moments not sure how to   continue the conversation small talk can only  get you so far after all we need to address  

The elephant in the room the tension proves to  be too much even for me so I try to break the   silence CROWE sorry uh do you mind if we get  to the topic at hand we really need to talk oh  

Yeah for sure I was about to tell you the same  thing actually ready when you are I’m all ears   Pro nods and signals me towards the bed while  he sits on the desk chair once he makes sure  

I’m comfortable he takes a deep breath and looks  me right in the eye first things first is there   anything you want to ask wait let me rephrase that  is there anything you need to ask no matter what  

Well to be honest there’s one thing in particular  that I can’t get out of my mind go ahead are you human Crow audibly gasps as if that wasn’t the  question he was expecting soon enough however  

The surprise is replaced with a sad smile yes  and no now it’s my turn to gasp wait what how   does that work my body is pretty much the same as  any other human being with some exceptions what  

Are those one of them you can probably already  guess you the color of your eyes I don’t know   I’m not very perceptive Crow’s eyes are a very  distinctive red and I doubt it’s due to some   kind of rare pigmentation still lots of people  use color contacts nowadays so I didn’t think  

Much of them besides we’re an anime people can  have rainbow colored eyes if they want at first   the more I looked into his eyes though the more  I noticed a certain glow to them a glow that made  

Me shiver every time I felt his gaze you were  the one watching me when I went outside to meet   the red-eyed Crow weren’t you that’s right well  or more accurately the bird’s Eyes Were Watching  

You I can see through the eyes of crows in Winter  hollow cool cool is that why your eyes are red yes   okay that’s kind of rad not going to lie yeah why  does your answer not surprise me what about the  

Other thing my hair is lettuce colored knowledge  uh knowledge about nature yeah as much as I can   learn stuff from books it will never compare to  the knowledge I can receive firsthand from the   environment itself even if there’s a deep Darkness  within it even if I can’t leave the area anymore a  

Even if I have to enter the darkness myself I’m  willing to make that sacrifice oh why do I feel   like there’s still something he’s not telling me  Crow you heard what I was talking about with the  

Crow the other day didn’t you I nod yeah do you  remember what he said who could forget something   like that he said you had a blood packed M  exactly what is that bird anyway some kind   of demon there were others like him too they’re  red scavengers demonic animals who feed on human  

Blood and meat ooh the hairs on the back of  my neck stand up they’re they’re not feeding   on you are they it’s me you’re worried about no  snowflake they’re feeding on other humans humans   that I’ve been getting for them whenever they’ve  died in the snow storms wait what wait but that  

Doesn’t make sense you have so much food can’t  they feed on that I’m afraid my reserves are   limited ESPOIR I did get a huge supply when  I moved here though and I tried to preserve  

As much as I could in my pantry I wasn’t born in  a hunter gatherer Village for nothing you have a   pantry wait no we can talk about that later even  so if you have that many reserves they could eat  

It’s not that simple snowflake they need humans  to survive oh no am I going to get eight by Crow   a man and as I mentioned before I can’t leave the  area it’s part of the blood packed a that’s sad  

Are these scavengers some kind of weird vampire  ghoul Birds yes holy poops okay now everything’s   starting to make sense in that it makes even less  sense that bird that fluffing bird tried to set me  

Up he tried to make me despise Crow so he could  get his Gourmet human dinner how dare he yet for   some reason Crow was taking too long M you said  one of the things they gave you was knowledge of  

Nature have you learned anything else apart from  what they taught you cuz no matter how Almighty   they might be with their demon powers or whatever  I can’t imagine this deal being good in the long   run there’s only so much nature in Winter Hollow  you know if you can even call it nature nowadays  

That is eternal winter isn’t very typical and  I imagine even the demon crows are becoming   antsy with so few humans passing by yeah Crow  clenches his fists he doesn’t elaborate but   he doesn’t deny anything either why aren’t you  blaming me huh what do you mean please tell me  

You’re joking I seriously don’t know what you’re  talking about I fed humans to demon Birds who hasn’t I mean you got some Demon Birds  they they pop up in your window they say   hey I need some human flesh you’re going to  get give it to me you don’t really question  

Something like that I was going to do the  same with you but you didn’t and that’s   that’s all that matters but yeah yeah  you see me game ESPOIR but you didn’t   you didn’t no why Crow bites his lips so  hard I can almost taste the iron myself

Why I’m sure you’re already tired of hearing me  say this all the time but the weather in Winter   Hollow is very unpredictable it wasn’t always like  this farmers actually lived here before what for   real every year they would stay for three whole  Seasons then leave before winter even began also  

Their cattle didn’t have to withstand the cold  of course this was when the weather was actually   normal when the village was still called late in  Spring late in Spring I see so that sign I saw   yesterday was the real deal then what happened  h no no one knows what but the demon believe  

Me I’m not fond of them either but they’re not to  blame for The NeverEnding winter they’re just the   reason why I made the pack in the first place  uh I just couldn’t bring myself to leave late  

In Spring I had to know what was causing this  strange weather how it affected nature how it   possessed other animals to survive under such  harsh conditions H but of course I’m only human   I couldn’t possibly risk it to the point where my  body would break I needed something more powerful  

So you turned to Demons that’s when I met the  red scavengers they never appeared before that   no that’s what’s so strange I knew late in Spring  topped a bottom yet I’d never seen creatures like   them they’re strong enough to withstand blizzards  they just don’t have the energy to kill humans or  

Move them around so that’s why you made the PCT  yes I never really killed any humans myself though   the snow storms did all that work for me well  not all the work there are times the snow covers  

The corpse so much I have to get a shovel H it’s  been harder to spot them too lately I don’t know   how long these demons can take without eating  humans to survive but if it’s been as long as  

Crow is implying they must have been desperate  knocking into my car and me conveniently passing   by was the chance they needed if that’s the case  why am I different then from what I’m getting it   seems that you’ve been struggling with getting any  humans in the area why leave me be I was surprised  

Myself huh you were the only one who asked  for help oh oh oh yeah I guess I did banging   on the door as I’m slowly dying a frostbite I you  can’t be serious unbelievable right out of all the  

People who got stuck here you were the only one  who desperately tried to survive a that made me   curious about you it made me respect you a even  though you arrived so incredibly unprepared you   still made everything you could with whatever you  had at your disposal I think he may be giving me  

Too much credit here but I’ll keep listening  to him you were so amazing I just had to get   to know you a and you ended up being so much  more than I could have possibly expected you  

Want to know why I didn’t feed you to the red  scavengers you want to know why I didn’t care   about them anymore because I love you oh a that’s  so sweet this is going to turn sour isn’t it but  

But I’ll understand if you don’t feel the same  of course even taking into account my excuses we   only met about a week ago All Things Considered I  don’t let him finish that sentence did I give him  

A kissy poo it’s a very quick kiss but it should  have conveyed my feelings well enough Crow doesn’t   say anything he just stands there in shock red as  a cranberry a I don’t feel like teasing him right  

Now though I’m nervous myself well say something  am I such a bad kisser no no it’s just is this   really okay with you again you know the the whole  feeding you to demon Birds thing you’re right with  

That why wouldn’t it be I did you not hear what  I said before you said you love me I gave you my answer you’ll be the death of me I really don’t  care what you did before Crow I don’t care what  

You’re going to do to me either I don’t care  that we’ve known each other for very little   I don’t even care if every person in the world  thinks we’re a couple of deranged Maniacs the  

Only thing I care about is you I care about you  and I want to be with you always ESPOIR but no   more lying bull crap or I will seriously punch  you in the face I can’t stand being left in the dark God you’re so you really don’t mind that I’m  

Such a crazy bastard jokes  on you I’m into that stuff yeah besides I’m a crazy bastard  myself or I will be anyway huh   oh what do you mean take me to the  redyed crow it’s time we see eye to

Eye oh are we going to like play  day we don’t even know at this point listen here bird ah the fresh air feels  so crisp and clean it does doesn’t it it’s   a perfect day for a date in the woods Crow  tightens his grip on my hand and I squeeze  

Back oh you don’t forget we’ve got an errand  to take care of first okay then we can enjoy   this date as much as we want are are we are  we going out looking for bodies fine I kiss  

Him on the cheek feeling bold aren’t we I’ll get  you later for that oh whatever do you mean Crow   shakes his finger at me tisk tisk you’re going to  have to wait until we finish this job snowflake

Meanie phew after walking for a few minutes we  arrive at the road next to the waking w Woods   although the snow is buried part of their bodies  a couple of humans can still be seen lying on the  

Ground h a little less than last time you think  Rory will be okay with this much honestly he has   no right to complain after everything you did  for him and his siblings a don’t get mad Jewel  

It’s thanks to him that we have internet now  oh the crow gave us internet well never mind   let’s shovel up the bodies I got to watch my  YouTubes plus not going to lie I think they   actually enjoy sitting on the power lines  don’t you think animal instincts must be  

True for demons too the cables are the only  thing that makes sense to me I still don’t   understand how that wild dry Whatchamacallit  Works WiFi Crow whatever it’s all mumbo jumbo   what’s important is that it gets the job  done and I guess that YouTube stuff isn’t  

Bad either he’s got to watch ESPOIR DU VIDE  Being silly and SIMPING over murderers come   on give me a little credit making all those  advertisements wasn’t easy you know oh yeah   that is a good idea and I promise I’ll teach you  all I know about the internet don’t underestimate  

A freelance graphic designer yep I know cups my  face with his free hand and gives me a smooch yay kisses okay how should we  deal with the bodies this time that’s exactly what’s going on let’s  take off their clothes first what if Rory  

Ruins them again oh yeah clothes I mean you  never know they might have something useful   ah you have such a beautiful mind how can I be  so lucky a I was thinking the same thing then  

What are we waiting for Crow bows and signals  me to go ahead with one of his hands after   you snowflake a I like this ending um uh I I  kind of I kind of I kind of like this ending Twisted ending I don’t mind that ending that seems  

Like a good ending I mean it’s not  it’s not a good ending but not that bad