The next morning, sunlight filtered through the old blinds at the back of the cabin, casting dappled patterns across Dante's bed.
The smell of beer and wine from last night still lingered in the air.
Dante furrowed his brows and stared at the ceiling with squinted eyes. He was dazed for a moment, his mind a chaotic mess.
Last night, he'd had a few extra glasses of wine, and now his head was buzzing.
He sighed, trying to shake off the lingering feeling of alcohol.
Suddenly, the caw of a crow came from the window, breaking the morning's tranquility.
Dante pressed his face into his hands and muttered, "Damn crow, can't you let me sleep a little longer?"
He sat up, rubbed his face, and looked toward the empty doorway.
Scud wasn't in the house, probably with Beth again since he was nowhere to be seen.
Dante shook his head, envious that the dog had managed to win over his sister's affection so effortlessly.
He put on his jeans and leather boots, washed his face briefly, then grabbed a cup of coffee and walked to the orchard behind the wooden house.
"Hey, Lloyd, good morning!" Dante rubbed his eyes and greeted the old man, who was building a scarecrow in the orchard that had expanded over the days.
"Good morning!"
"Food! Food!" At that moment, the crow swooped closer and spoke. There was a hint of urgency in its voice, like an impatient child.
Dante couldn't help but laugh. This guy hadn't learned anything useful from "repeating" words over the past two days, but it remembered "food" perfectly.
"It won't stop asking for food. I tried giving it some of my lunch, but it hates butter," Lloyd said, watching the crow as it approached again.
Dante pulled a few freshly cut raspberry pieces from his pocket and handed them to the crow.
The crow eagerly swooped in, unable to wait to swallow the berries, purring as it enjoyed the delicious treat.
Dante gently stroked its neck, and the crow half-closed its eyes to savor the massage, purring softly like a cat.
Dante shook his head and half-joked, "It'd be better to have a cat in the future."
But he also knew deep down that even if he raised a cat, it might not be as interesting as this crow.
The crow completely ignored his joke and focused on its food. After finishing the last piece of raspberry, it opened its beak and cried out again, "Food!"
The crow hopped back and forth on the wooden post, so excited it kept flapping its wings. "More! More!"
It continued to shout, afraid that Dante might not hear.
When Dante pretended not to hear and turned to look elsewhere, the crow approached and tilted its head to look at him.
"Alright, alright, but if you eat too much, I doubt you'll be able to fly again." Dante reluctantly fed it a bit more.
The crow rushed to devour the treat happily. Dante gently stroked its feathers, which felt as soft as a dove's.
Over the past two days, the crow had shown up uninvited and become his little helper.
Whenever Dante was busy with other chores around the ranch, the crow would patrol the orchard, letting out warning calls like a dutiful guard.
Though it occasionally snuck into the potato field, it wasn't there for a feast but to peck at the little bugs daring to approach the crops.
"The crops even the crow doesn't dare touch are worthy of you ants!" Dante thought as he looked at the potatoes his brother Kim had neglected.
"If you keep protecting these potatoes, I'll pay you with your favorite raspberries," Dante said to the crow with satisfaction as he continued watering the orchard.
The crow scoffed in disdain and flapped its wings a couple of times. Apparently, it didn't take his words seriously but still perched on the scarecrow's shoulders, calmly preening its feathers.
"Food! Food!"
It cawed again, eagerness dripping from its tone.
Seeing its stern, greedy gaze, Dante couldn't help but shake his head and laugh.
"It's been in the orchard ever since you took an interest in it," Lloyd said, mentioning that a scarecrow wasn't really necessary.
During the day, the crow floated in the air like a loyal little guard, occasionally letting out sharp cries as if to declare its sovereignty over the small orchard.
Dante returned inside to prepare breakfast, hearing the crow's caws echoing outside the window, carried by the wind.
He smiled, knowing he wasn't protecting this land alone.
After a few bites of breakfast, Dante grabbed his car keys, jumped into the Dodge truck, stepped on the gas, and drove off from the cabin.
This time, he was visiting Kayce, who still didn't seem convinced to return to the family.