Patreon Story Preview for October – Fire and Feathers Chapter 2

Hello constant readers!It is time again for a little peek at what is coming next month for my $3+ patrons. If you like what you see here be sure to sign up before the end of the month so that you can get the whole chapter sent to your inbox.And, without further delay, here is chapter 2:

The power of the self can not always handle the intelligences of the beyond. Sometimes one needs to form a communal bond in order to stand against the consolidated powers.— excerpt from Spirit Realms and How they Manifest in Our PlaneA light mist speckled Gwen’s windshield as she started her drive to Gina’s apartment across town. The roiling grey clouds above made the time seem much later than 4pm. She felt less anxious as the blocks passed beneath the wheels of her beat up late 90s Cavalier, and, unexpectedly, the clouds began to thin, turning back the day’s clock to near normal time. The sun threatened to burn through the failing clouds as Gwen attempted to piece together what had happened to her back at the studio.She’d been painting when Ms. Delvino, her new client, arrived. She wanted to completely disregard everything but the success of landing a new client. All of the crow stuff and that old man, no way that had happened. Okay, the old man and his note, Was that a threat? Should she worry about him lying in wait outside her studio door late in the evening and attacking her as she went out for groceries? He seemed harmless up until that day. Regularly, she’d spotted him sitting on the sidewalk across the street from her studio, legs crossed, and staring at her door. That had spooked her, but she always chalked it up as some oddity that all towns, big and small, have in some form.But what about the crows? Again, they are always around the outside of her studio, but never inside or in her fucking paintings!Stopped at a red light on the corner of fourth and main Gwen looked out her driver’s side window. A group of pigeons pecked at a pile of fires strewn across the the pavement. In the center of the group a crow stood motionless, beak pointed in the same direction as her car. Gwen looked away, then back to the crow, still staring at her from the crowd of busy squab.“Leave me alone!” she screamed through her closed window. “Please! Leave me the fuck alone.” Her voice faltered, but in an attempt to assert a human-over-beast dominance she stared back at the black bird, her eyes wide, as tears streamed down her cheeks.The blare of a horn sounded from behind, causing her to jump and hit her head on the roof of her car. A bearded larger man in a white button up glared at her from a much-too-small compact car. Forward, the light was green. Back to the side, the crow was absent from the feasting pigeons.“Shit,” she pounded the steering wheel with both palms. The angry beard honked once more before she rolled the car through a yellow light, leaving the beard to wait for the next green.

Well. What did you think? Let me know down in the comments.