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Phil was never a fan of politics.
Especially when it came to meetings.
Everything there was loud and chaotic and overwhelming. Disagreements, accusations and insults disguised as diplomacy, people who clearly did not care about the poor and would rather go to war over something as simple as their brittle little pride being hurt.
You can insult a spoiled and babied prince and suddenly half of the country must go and suffer painful consequences without any other reason than just cruelty.
Yeah... Phil wasn't just the biggest fan of politics--he despised them and tried to stay as far away from them as he could. That was the strong suit of others, not his.
Here in the mountains–in the peaks where stone was covered in a blanket of snow and few animals dared to make the grueling track for food–it was quiet. Peaceful and very quiet.
A blessing for his overstimulated ears.
He came here often, whenever it was to simply take a breather, to patrol or to simply sit and enjoy the view. It was marvelous, especially at night if the snowstorm wasn't nearby.
And if it was, then maybe he was blessed with just a light snowfall of a handful of flakes.
They mixed well together - the flakes and the stars.
As he gazed up from his usual perching post at top of a long dead tree, he watched the night sky with a smile.
He let out a content hum, the air exhaled from his airways drifting upwards like a thin cloud.
Here, away from everybody and any responsibility, was perfect. He could stay here forever.
Only the chill air might make him reconsider.
He was very well dressed and prepared for the usual winter temperatures, no doubt, but it even got cold for him if he stayed out for too long. Birds were not too used to cold temperatures; they preferred warmer environments.
If you see a bird sleeping in the snow, you best assume that the body has already gone cold.
He wasn't a stranger to death; seeing animals or people fall due to either injury, nature or else was not new, but always a shame to see.
Whenever he came out here he made sure to count every animal that passed through.
There was a herd of sheep in the distance, perfectly camouflaged with their white wool; sometimes a wolf passed through and ripped one of the sheep if he got lucky; on rare occasions there was an eagle sitting on a cliff or a rabbit rushing through and leaving deep tracks behind.
With time, Phil grew to know the footprints of the wild, of the animals that passed through here.
Regular things, a norm, a constant.
Today he noticed an anomaly, something else.
When he looked back down from the sky down to the clearing in front of the tree, he saw a different trail of footprints. Too uneven for it to be the wolf, too big for it to be the rabbit and too much blood for it to have been one of the sheep.
Something else was here.
Frowning, he dived down to the trail as soon as he had spotted it. He opened his wings and cushioned his descent as he landed, tilting his head as he crouched down next to the nearest tracks.
Immediately, it stood out to him that it wasn't an animal that had left these behind, or at the very most a hybrid.
The footsteps looked too human, but also way smaller than he had expected. No way that an adult had come through here. The blood that was left behind had seeped into snow, colouring it crimson, and a trail accompanied the footprints.
Naturally and curious, the avian followed the trail, leaving his usual perching spot behind.
This wasn't just a regular visit anymore. This was something more.
As he walked, he watched the footprints with a thoughtful look.
The fact that those were human footprints, but small, indicated that it was either a small adult who had come through here or a child, with the latter way more likely.
He didn't like either option either way.
He might be wrong and the person was actually well equipped for this journey, but the trail of blood and uneven steps made him doubt that.
And his gut feeling was proven to be correct.
The footprints had started to merge into one long trail through the snow, meaning the person must have slowed down. He almost missed it when his foot suddenly got caught by something he stumbled upon.
He almost fell, but steadied himself, only to then notice the figure slumped in the soft cushion of death. The fallen snow covered them completely, having hidden them from predators, but also him.
And by the noticeable lump on their back, he could tell that those were wings under there. Small, messy and dark - the ones of a raven like himself.
This was a child. A little raven.
Out here, alone and collapsed and injured, possibly even dead.
Phil did not waste any time moving after the initial shock.
He moved closer, but surprisingly the small pile of snow suddenly sprung to life as the child had seemingly noticed and had surged up to its feet. It stumbled backwards, blue eyes wide and terrified, crawling on the ground when it stumbled back and fell.
Phil froze on the spot and just watched it happen, careful. He scanned the child slowly and meticulously.
It was a girl.
Tall but thin, long brown hair and jet black feathers adorning her wings. Her clothes were tattered and filled with rips and holes, her skin was pale and blue - definitely affected by frostbite.
But the worst was her face.
Her teeth were clattering, eyes wide with terror and one good long gash marked her skin from eyebrow to chin, blood having flown and dried in the cold. She looked like a poor street rat that got thrown out into the wilderness.
"Hey..." Phil tentatively said, hands up in the air and empty. "...it's okay. I'm not here to hurt you."
The child did not react, she merely stared, continuing to slowly crawl away further.
In response, Phil pressed one of his hands flat over his heart. "No harm here, it's okay."
He took one step closer, the action causing the child to jolt and jump back further, back hitting the trunk of a tree hard. Phil took the hint and nodded, changing his approach.
Instead of pursuing failure, he sat down in the snow.
"I get it. That's okay." he reassured the child as he made himself as comfortable as he could be in this environment. "You're scared."
"Are you here by yourself?" he asked, head tilted as the child curled up against the trunk of the tree, arms wrapped around her knees.
She nodded, small and minimal, but it was an answer.
"Okay," Phil nodded slowly. "No mom? No dad? Siblings? Family?"
The girl looked like she didn't quite understand at first, expression scrunched up in confusion, before she suddenly lit up and then shook her head again.
An orphan then? Possibly.
Phil hummed as he thought about it, taking in the information.
"It's dangerous out here." he said, nodding to the gash on her face. "Did something do that to you?"
The girl shook her head again, curling more in on herself. Phil tensed as he sucked in a sharp uncomfortable breath.
He didn't want to assume things, but there always was a worst case scenario.
"Someone?"
A nod is not the answer he had wanted to receive, but had gotten either way, unfortunately so.
Somewhere within him, his anger started to grow.
"Who was it?" he asked, more directly now. The child didn't answer so he merely pressed further. "Who did this to you?"
Instead of answering, the girl merely looked away, ashamed and like she wanted to disappear forever.
A scowl formed on Phil's face at the last of communication, anger clear on his face. He wasn't mad at her, mind you--he could never dare to be at someone this weakened--but he was rather infuriated with this anonymous person who clearly seemed to have hurt this poor kid.
It wasn't foreign to him that people could be cruel, let alone hurt each other over things as childish as they may seem, but at least some have a limit when it comes to children.
Those were supposed to not be harmed, not be touched. They were the most innocent beings of them all and usually also unaware of the things happening around them. They didn't understand the gravity of certain situations yet, so their judgement was faulty. Exploitable.
Not all of them, but at least most did.
The less unfortunate usually did understand and seemingly, whoever had hurt this poor girl, didn't have a heart worth of to keep beating.
And that made Phil seethe. His blood began to boil as if it could melt all the snow around them into puddles of water. His wings puffed up in irritation and spread open almost reflexively.
The girl saw it from the corner of her eye and turned to him, eyes growing wide but this time with curiosity rather than fear. She watched his wings, well groomed and shining in the moonlight, catching the breezes and wind graciously with an awe that only a kid could express with looks alone.
It calmed a part of Phil's rage, softening his expression into something empathetic.
"Whoever did this to you," he then told her, leaning in. "I will find them, okay?"
The kid looked back at him, still astounded, before speaking up hesitantly. "Are... are those yours?"
She looked back at the wings as she said so, her voice weak and small but audible nonetheless.
She sounded... very sweet.
Phil was so stumped by the question that he didn't know how to answer at first. He looked at one of his own wings, a little baffled, before actually realising what she meant.
He then pointed towards them.
"Oh- you mean these?" he asked and the kid nodded with more energy than he thought she would have.
"Yeah.." she said, the ghost of a smile appearing on her face. "...they are so cool."
"Aw, thank you, mate." Phil couldn't help but chuckle, gesturing over to her. "I have the same as yours. Raven, right?"
The girl's eyes widened in response and nodded joyfully, a smile appearing for real this time. "Yeah! Though..."
Her excitement halted for a second as she glanced back to said wings on her back, her smile faltering. "Mine are not as pretty. They're a mess."
"Well, that's understandable," Phil told her. "Out here you have no real place to clean them. You have to be constantly on the move to survive."
"Are you from here?" The girl then cocked her head to the side, looking around. "You look like you're from here."
"Somewhat. I live nearby, but I come out here to stargaze sometimes. It's quiet here, I like it."
"I also like it. I find it nice. The moon is pretty."
"She sure is, mate."
He smiled softly, the tension between having loosened enough that he dared to move a little closer. He scanned her form again, her thin frame for which it wasn't surprising that he could make out the bones beneath the flesh.
His smile grew smaller and thinner, but remained on his face regardless to not unsettle the girl.
"You look like you're hungry. When's the last time you've eaten something?"
The girl was startled out of her little gaze up to the night sky, her look flicking back down with an unsure look on her face.
"Berries." she merely said and Phil raised an eyebrow.
"Just berries? From here? The wild?"
She nodded shyly and a little sheepishly, ashamed. That simply couldn't do.
His hand wandered into his satchel, fingers wrapping around a small bundle of cloth. He brought it forth before unwrapping it fully, revealing a sandwich he had made prior before departing.
It was supposed to be a midnight snack for him to munch on when he felt a little peckish. The loaf had some slices of ham, cheese and salad in it.
Now it had way more meaning than that.
He could tell the kid had been looking when he glanced back up and she took one moment too late to avert her eyes. He smiled at that, holding his food out a little.
"I was considering eating it earlier, but I am glad I didn't. Here," he moved closer, subtly and slowly, clear for the girl to see. She didn't move away. "you can take it. It's yours."
"I'm not hungry." she deflected weakly, her grumbling stomach telling a different story.
It was a little comical, so much so that Phil had to stifle a chuckle.
"I think that one would disagree." he teased as he nodded to her stomach and the girl pouted and protested. "It's stupid."
"But important either way." he said and held it closer and that finally seemed to get her.
He couldn't even tell at what moment the sandwich had disappeared from his grasp, but she was already biting into it once he realised, tickling another chuckle out of him.
"You're a quick one!" he said, watching the kid eat. She merely looked over before smiling sheepishly and a little proud of herself before taking another bite.
She hummed and sighed with more bites, visibly looking more and more energised as time passed by and more sustenance was consumed.
Just two avians sitting in the snow under a beautiful night sky.
But it was cold, freezing cold in fact.
Despite the warmth that the conversation had created, it was obviously not enough to keep the real danger of this place away.
The cold and frost was slowly killing this kid and Phil didn't even need to think to see that.
She was trembling, pale and some parts of her skin have definitely been affected by frostbite. Snowflakes still covered her brown hair and black wings, some even having gotten stuck on her eyelashes.
She couldn't stay here.
She would die if she stayed here.
"Do you have a place to stay?" he then blurted out, the question sudden and heavy.
He could tell the girl hadn't expected it, judging by her hard swallow and the rigid shaking of her head, the topic clearly making her sad and uncomfortable. Phil couldn't say that he was surprised, sadly.
"I can take you in." he proposed, instinctively and firmly, as if there wasn't any room for second thoughts. "You can stay however long you'd like. I have shelter, food and warmth."
The kid paused eating then, looking a bit confused. "Really? Why?"
"Why?" Phil echoed her, even more confused, but at the back of his head he did know why. It just didn't occur to him at the moment.
He may be a raven just like her and she might be of similar personality, but he was still a stranger. A man that just randomly stumbled upon her and gave her food and now is asking her to come with him.
Of course she would hesitate.
That was logical.
Once Phil realised, he slowly moved to take his hat off and ran his hand through his hair.
"I get why." he said. "You're scared. You don't know me. I don't know your name. That's fair."
"Yet..." he frowned before holding out his hat towards her. The girl looked at the gesture with wider eyes. "...I feel like you would like some company. You can't stay out here without getting hurt further."
"I can take care of myself!" she defended herself and he chuckled with a head shake.
"I don't doubt that, little bugger, but even the greatest warriors have limits."
"That cut-" he gestured to her cheek. "that needs healing... and maybe also some medical attention. A great warrior knows when to take a hand that offers aid."
"And you promise you will not betray me!" she pointed at him, suddenly with a declaration. He raised his hands with the hat in surrender, ignoring the implications this statement alone had.
'You won't betray me' god what did this girl go through...?
"I will not. I will swear on everything, even on my hat." He set said hat down for the girl to take and she wasted no second before snatching it away, holding it loosely in her grasp.
"This is yours now. It's something I hold very dear." Phil told her, raising his index finger. "If I break your trust, you can break my hat and more. Is that a deal?"
He offered out his hand and she eyed it for a second and made a show of tapping her hand against her chin.
"Mmmmmm deal!" she shook his hand tight and he smiled with a thankful nod.
"Okay then, you're a smart cookie. It was a pleasure doing business with you!" he laughed before getting up, brushing the snow off his legs. "We should get going. You look like you're incredibly cold. I can get you to a place to warm you up."
"But I want to look at the stars!" she lamented and he laughed at her silliness.
She was actively freezing and injured and her priorities still laid with the stars? God, she really was like him in a way.
"I have a warm place to look at the stars from, trust me." he tried to argue while putting his hat on her head. It looked ridiculously big on her, but it was adorable. The girl's hand shot out to point at him.
"Another promise!" she exclaimed. "What's your next item you will put on the line?"
"Oh- uh, maybe my name does suffice?" he offered and she nodded in approval.
"Phillip!" he said. "But some also call me, Philza. Most go with Phil though."
"Pearl!" the girl said, smiling and bouncing her legs up and down when she finished her sandwich.
"Oh that's pretty. That's your name?"
"Yeah. Actually- it's Pearlescent buuut-"
"Pearl's shorter, ey?"
"Yup!!"
With that she ate the last bits of the sandwich. She looked content and satisfied, moving to get onto her feet and continue on.
Or rather she tried to, because she collapsed under her own weight the second she actually took a step.
Phil caught her immediately, holding her steady.
"Woah there, lil guy. Careful." he warned as he held Pearl. "You've not been up for a while."
"S'cold..." she weakly defended herself in his arms, her shivering now much more noticeable. She stepped closer, keen on hiding in the confines of his cloak. He let her, allowing her to use him as a shield.
"I know.." he patted her back and shoulder comfortingly. "...I know. It will be better soon."
"M'promise?"
"Promise."
They then just stood there for a moment, letting the promise sink in. He then leaned down, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.
"You're ready to go?" he murmured softly as he asked and Pearl nodded into his cloak with a muffled 'mhm', clearly tired. It was the most adorable thing already. Phil couldn't help but smile.
Then, slowly but surely, they departed.
He held her close while she hid in the confines of his cloak, occasionally complaining about the cold. Hidden, but a new weight that was unmistakable and soon irreplaceable.
Phil hadn't expected to adopt a stray today.
It was unplanned, a surprise, but surely not an unwelcome one.