"Wren?" Rowan called out as he stumbled into the garden on tired legs. The sun had long since set, and he cast a spirit light with a wave of his hand to show him the way. The energy that had begun to return after his long day instantly started to drain from his body.
He headed around to his patio to see if Wren had for some reason fallen asleep on the bench again, and the toe of his bare foot nudged against something cool and soft. He jumped back, startled. When he adjusted his light to see what it was that he'd almost stepped on, a cry of dismay rose in his throat.
One of his birds lay dead on the ground, two curved feet sticking up from its body, eyelids half-closed over its shining black eye. Rowan held his light in front of him as he reached down to touch the wren's speckled feathers. The glow of his magic cast a wide circle on the patio, exposing the rest of the damage.
