When we got to the statue of my father, I stared up at it for a moment. Then I placed the rabbit down on the base and the crow flew down to stand next to him. I kneeled in the grass and dirt. 

“This is my father. He would’ve liked you guys. Let’s make enough great memories together to tell him all about when I see him again one day, okay?” 

The animals only stared at me. It didn’t seem like a stare of confusion though. It was as if they were really listening, soaking in my words and understanding them. I had a feeling my wish of making memorable memories together would actually come true. 

I stood up and pointed into the woods. “Callum lives kinda far but we should be able to get back to the palace before sundown. Let’s head out now and try not to dawdle.” 

The crow took flight and the rabbit hopped down from the base and next to my feet. I remembered his slow pace in the garden and decided to pick him up. We’d probably move faster this way. 

I trekked through the forest with the rabbit in one arm and my bag around the shoulder of my other. I brought water and snacks. The last time I hiked out to Callum’s cottage, I made the mistake of not bringing water and almost died of dehydration. This time I was more prepared. I also wanted to be considerate of my animal friends and bring snacks for them and let them rest if they needed it. The rabbit would probably need to be let down sometimes anyway. 

We eventually got close to Callum’s cottage when I decided I needed a break. I sat down on a nearby rock and let the rabbit down to roam. I looked up through the leaves of the trees but I didn’t see the crow circling like he usually would be doing now. Oh well, he’ll come back to us when he wants to. I gulped down some water and wiped the drizzle that dripped down my chin with the back of my hand. That’s when a flurry of feathers landed on my shoulder. 

“Whoa, where’d you go?” I asked. “Did you find something?” 

I mostly said it as a joke because of the seemingly frantic way he landed on me. But I realized I might be right when he cawed at me once before pecking my cheek. I shielded my face with my hand. 

“Ow, ow, ow! Quit that! Why are you so violent! Fine, if you found something, then show me already!” 

The crow took flight once I said that. I quickly put my bag back together and snatched up the rabbit. I hurried after the crow who was flying just below the tree tops. The crow cawed to signal our destination and I froze in my tracks with my hand on a tree. 

Green-yellow eyes trained on me. A grimace of large, sharp teeth was directed right at me as a low growl flowed out of its throat. A large cat, probably a cougar, was lying down several feet away from me.