I was peer pressured into actually writing this so have this lil blurb of crow inspired au
In their defense, they aren't planning on creating a murder. They're short a feather, see a crow and think: why not?
It's easy to set aside a bit of chicken during meal prep. Easy to grab some nut and fruit mixes on their next trip to the store.
It's a little less easy to set up a bird bath in their backyard, but they manage.
When all is said and done they have a relatively attractive space for birds and a crow that seems to accept their offerings.
They should expect the news to spread between the population but they don't. One turns to three, turns to ten, turns to twenty six; until there is always at least one dark sentry by their door.
It means more meal prep. More feeders and perches in their backyard. More croaked greetings whenever they leave the house or pass by a window.
It's... nice, in a way, not to be alone. And it stays nice, up until their postman refuses to deliver anymore packages to their door.
Until the kids selling cookies run away screaming.
Until the next door neighbors plant a new cross in their yard aimed straight at Briar's house. (Okay, so maybe they take some vindictive pleasure in that one.)
Their newfound friends are protective, to the point of driving everyone else away. Friend or foe, it doesn't matter. All are met with the same screaming mass of shadows.
It makes the stranger on their porch particularly suspicious.
"Hello?" Briar pauses at the foot of their porch steps. They glance up at the group of five crows perched on their roof. "Can I help you with something?"
"Heard rumors," the stranger rasps. His head tilts to the side as he takes them in; it's rather reminiscent of a bird.
His eyes are hidden behind tinted shades. They can feel them tracking their every movement as they inch up the stairs.
There's the flapping of wings before the largest of their murder settles by the man's elbow. They feel a bit more at ease when King croaks.
He pulls a hand out of his pocket and reaches for him. "You."
He leans against their porch railing and rubs at the feathers under King's neck. His eyebrow raises above the rim of his sunglasses when he catches them looking, as if it's entirely normal for a stranger to pet their most blood thirsty of friends. "What?"
Their suspicion jumps several notches. Briar inches closer to their door.
His fingers are too long, they think dazedly. Nails too sharp, like talons, almost -
His head cocks again. Beside him, their friend does the same.
Briar's hand fumbles for the door, struggles to shove their keys inside. A wheezing sort of laugh escapes their lips. "That's not funny."
They flinch away when he lifts a hand to tug his shades down his nose. Brilliant gold eyes stare at them without blinking.
"Ya fed the crows. Ya recognize my name. Who 're you?"
The door clicks open behind them. They turn the knob slowly as they hold that gaze.
"Just a witch," they whisper.
They bolt through the open door and slam it closed. Every lock is turned as they double check their wards, the sigils on the wood.
Nothing tries to break through as they back away from the entryway and into the living room. They collapse onto the couch with limbs gone shaky and do their best to breathe.
Briar stifles manic laughter into their hands. It dissipates immediately as their head swings round to the hall they came from.
They listen hard, wait a few moments and - there, again! Not quite a knock. More a light tapping, like -
Like the sound of a beak against wood.