Grace wandered, her stormy grey eyes scanning across the dark blades of grass as she walked. Looking and hoping for any change in color, gold hues to turn white or black. It was easy to spot Chameleon's Ash if it was around, but was rare. As she caught a change of black to blue out of the corner of her eye, she walked over, gently pulling the plant up from its roots and placing the cluster into her pouch. She quickened her pace as she made her way back, having everything she needed to craft a cup of Chameleon's Tea, one of her companions favorites. As she neared the cabin back a cloud rolled in front of the sun, casting a shadow over her. She entered the cabin and he lover who's soul was trapped in a raven's body cawed happily.

"Where's Patrick, Em?"Grace asked her counterpart. She didn't hear the door open or Patrick's footsteps,

"Right here Grace."He said making her jump, the young girl quickly turned around a hand on her heart as he elder companion chuckled.

"My god Patrick!I could have dropped the Chameleon's Ash!"She exclaimed. His golden eyes shined as his blazing curly red hair sat on top of his head like a mop. He ruffled her chestnut hair playfully.

"I didn't mean to scare ya.I'm just instinctively quiet."The seventeen year old explained as Grace started to prep the tea and he opened his book and started to get captivated into his story again. Grace dared to ask the forbidden question;

"Do you miss your family Patrick?"

His golden eyes now a void like black started back at her, his sigh never seeming to end before gazing down back at his book, trying to get back into it but now that she asked he knew he had to respond.

"Why do you always ask this?"

"Because you never give me an answer?"She challenged. Patrick shook his head and placed his folded paper bookmark back into his book before placing it quietly on the table.

"Sometimes."He admits quietly. "I miss how we were before..."She knew what he was trying to say, yet she knew he never would say it aloud. She couldn't help but ask something else, she knew she should be comforting him but he would never answer again and she wanted to know how ever much she could. "Why do you think they'd try to kill you?"

He replied with the same tone, quiet and distant.

"Fear that the title would get the rest of them killed, maybe.Fear that I'd always put shame on the family.And to be honest, I don't blame them."

Grace was taken aback by the statement, but she kept asking anyways.

"Why not just outcast you?"

"Maybe they didn't want me to suffer the rest of my life with this title.I don't really know, Grace. Is it really better to be cast aside like nothing than to end a life that's doomed?"

Grace looked back at the tea and the ingredients, trying to hide the pain of his words and the pain she knew he felt. There was a few minutes of uncomfortable, eerie silence. Emily didn't even caw the entire conversation, much less now. Patrick finally broke the tension with a sigh.

"I don't mean were nothing Gracie, I just meant were not to their standards..."He explained as the kettle screamed, telling the pair the tea was done. Grace carefully poured the tea and put the remaining Chameleon's Ashes into a clear jar, labeling it and gently placing it onto a self where all her items for anything she needed were placed. She took the two cups and handed one to Patrick, who took a sip before returning to his book. The fire crackled as the two sat in a comfortable quiet.

"Any new reports?"Grace asked the red head.

"Yeah, they're still looking for us for some dumb reason, and well...."He said, quickly quieting down.

"What Patrick?What's going on?"The young girl demand. Patrick looked nervous, more than normal after he came back from town, fearing someone would recognize him.

"We have siblings Grace, and they were told horrible stories about us..."He said as Grace saw tears roll down him pale, very freckled cheeks. She rushed to his side, not caring if she spilled of her tea. The girl who was a sister to the red head tenderly whipped away his tears.

"Hey...c'mon Pat.It can't be that bad can it?"She said hopeful.

"They called us killers, Gracie..killers...we weren't even ten years old yet and they call us killers?"Patrick said as his vision became blurry and he started to shake, his book almost falling from his grip. Grace became enraged, but quickly pushed the anger aside grabbing Patrick's tea from his hands and placed it on the table then placed the book next to it, before she motherly wrapped her arms around the older, crying boy. Emily perched on the boys shoulder and tenderly rubbed her feathered head on his cheek, showing that she cared for the boy just as he cared for her.

"Do I have a brother?"She asked as Patrick started to calm himself. She saw him smile dreamily,

"Yeah, twins named Gregory and Gino. You parents love their 'G' names."The boy explained.

"How about you?Do you have a sister, hm?"She asked as Emily cawed in a question like manner, well as close as a raven could get anyway.

"Yeah, she's around six years old, a year younger than you were when we met.I didn't hear her name but I do have a baby brother who's three mouths old, named Peter."Patrick explained.

"Maybe her name's Penelope.That's a pretty name."Grace spoke, before taking a sip from her tea. Patrick did the same, but it was more of a gulp.

"Yeah..it would be..."He said dreamily. Grace knew they both wanted a family, she wanted one with Emily if she would ever be able to get her to at least be able to shift between bird and human. Patrick, well he didn't know what he would do if he got a partner to be honest. But if he didn't it'd be all the same to him.

Patrick looked out the window and saw the sun had set.

"C'mon, we should be getting to bed...."He said, scooping the younger teen up as Emily flew to her perch. The red head look over his shoulder,

"Night Em."He whispered and the sleek black raven gave a quiet caw as a good night. Patrick entered the room the two teens shared, a twin bed with a old pink comforter on it, he pulled back the sheets and placed Grace down gently, before giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead. He climbed into his own bed on the left side of the room, after closing the curtains and shutting off the lamp.

The sun shined trough the curtains and Patrick felt talons on his face, he open his eyes sleepily to be started down by Emily's never ending black eyes. He looked over to his right and saw a small ball that was Gracie still sound asleep. He nodded to himself, knowing she needed the sleep, to be honest they both did.

"Hey, could you get off me?"He asked her talking to her like she was a real person and in a sense, she was. The raven hopped off the boy's face and sat in his lap as he sat up an stretched, hearing his bones crack and pop. He ran a hand trough his now messy very tangled curly hair, groaning in discomfort. He finally got out of bed and Emily gratefully landed on his rats nest he called hair.

"Morning..."He mumbled to himself, as he warmed up some tea and started to make eggs and toast, needing to go to the market. Grace yawned as she awoke, ready to start the day. She got out of bed quickly making the bed before leaving the shared bedroom, closing the door behind her.

"So any plans today?"She asked Patrick as he plated their food, give Emily a piece of bread who cawed happily in thanks.

"Go to the market to get some food, you want to come?"He asked as he reopened his book and shoveled some eggs into his mouth. Grace smiled happily, excited she could go into town today.

"Yeah!I do need some new books anyways.I've already read every thing in the others."The chestnut haired girl explained

"Same here, I'm about to finish and I want to get the squeal and the third book."Patrick said, finishing his tea and breakfast. The pair placed their cups and plates in the sink before leaving the small, quaint cabin and venturing into town.

Patrick knew this trip might go haywire with him bringing Grace, but he knew she wanted to see to the town again, to see her family again and admitting Patrick knew he did to.