autumn had swept over the country in one big wave, turning everything a burnt orange under its merciless tide while the heaven remained grey. under the cloak of a cool night, everything faded into a tint of a blueish black, almost making autumn nugatory. under the security of darkness, miran knew her most loyal spies were hard at work, with an appearance so unremarkable that no one would think twice about the raven sitting on the tree in their backyard. it was the matriarchs way of having her eyes and ears everywhere, the animal kingdom serving her after centuries of being at mother nature's feet. an extension of herself. the world could speak to vampires in the most mysterious ways if only they listened, if only their minds weren't poisoned by the disgustingly simple ways of humans. a beak firmly knocking three times on the kitchen window announced the return of a faithful companion. miran's eyes diverted from her book before promptly rising from her seat to grant the bird entrance. it flew inside to let itself onto the kitchen table. pitchblack eyeballs focused onto miran's own eyes, the untranslateable language exchanged. it was too early for miran to display concern, anger or betrayal. the information was too vague, too fresh to devour fully. but she knew just the person to tell. for a moment, her fingers disappeared in a large, old-fashioned jar, grabbing a small handful of grains and seeds before making a small pile on the table. a well-deserved reward for the animal, which quickly filled its beak before leaving through the same window it had previously entered. "taeyeon," miran called through the kitchen door, her voice vibrating through the house, unsure of where exactly her daughter was located. "come to the kitchen, my dear, will you."
