Crows in the area screeched and swarmed the holy turkey. Their wings, claws, and feathers blocked my path and my sight. Despite its fragrant scent spreading across the battlefield, no creature managed to make contact with it. They phased through the object. They also tried to peck the turkey, but they all failed. They tilted and cocked their heads in confusion.
It was my turn. I reached for the turkey's leg. My fingertips touched it. Sensations rippled back through my fingers.
My hands seized the turkey and tore it apart. Shoving the leg piece into my mouth, I chewed.
It was the most delicious turkey I had ever tasted. I almost cried.
As I held the leg in my mouth, I picked up the wine jar and unsealed the cover. I gulped down half of what was inside.
Energy returned to me. I forgot about my bleak future and my current situation.
Unfortunately, the gluttonous crows grew envious of me. One landed on my right shoulder, attempting to snatch the food from my hand, but its beak passed right through it.
"CAAA!!"
It protested and pecked at my hand holding the turkey's leg.
I knew it was frustrating, but this was mine. I glanced at it and smirked to mock it. A second later, I changed my mind.
The crow's eyes were teary, and it looked thinner than the others. Its body was riddled with small wounds. Its feathers were fewer than usual, revealing its frail frame.
I frowned and pointed at the corpses nearby.
"Hey, your food is over there. There are plenty of corpses. Why are you fighting me over this?"
"CAAA!!"
It opened its beak and flapped its wings before speaking like a human.
"PLEASE!"
I was speechless. A crow knew how to beg politely. I did not know where it had learned human language, but I pitied the creature. I offered a small piece of turkey, hovering it in front of its face.
"If you can eat it, then eat it. But if you cannot touch this, I can't help you."
It turned to my face. Its tear-filled eyes met mine. The crow bowed deeply once more and spoke.
"Thank you!"
I slowly nodded. This one deserved all the love in the world. I sincerely wished it could touch the food. The bird softly pecked the turkey, then grasped it with its beak.
Wait
"Did you just touch the turkey?"
I couldn't help but laugh. But how? What was the secret behind this phenomenon?
While I was in shock, the other crows mimicked the bird and swarmed the turkey's leg in my right hand. However, they managed to touch nothing but my skin. Several pecked me.
As picking a fight with crows was a bad idea, I waved my hands to shoo them away instead of harming them. Every crow flew away, except the polite one. The others squawked at me but kept their distance, observing us. Every bird exuded killing intent. The shoulder crow shuddered, but it stayed.
I spat out a piece of turkey bone. Ignoring their resentment, I continued eating and shared some with the poor bird on my shoulder. Minutes later, I was full, but half of the turkey remained. I turned to look at the polite crow, but it was as full as I was.
Nearby crows surrounded us, staring at the turkey with gleaming eyes. I tore a piece and waved at them in a friendly gesture.
"If you stop being a dick and behave, I'll give you the rest of the chicken! See this fella on my shoulder?"
The shoulder crow extended its neck, mocking its comrades. The surrounding crows blinked and tilted their heads, comprehending the situation. I grabbed the remaining turkey on the floating plate and tore it into smaller pieces. With food in hand, I threw it to the crows standing on the corpses nearby.
The birds swarmed the food like hyenas. Strangely, they could eat the turkey now. Several cunning crows still tried to steal from my hands, but their beaks passed through the objects. The only thing they touched was my palm. Their beaks were sharp and tough. After a few pecks, my hands bled.
"Get off, you greedy pigs!"
I pulled my hand away from the greedy ones and tossed the remaining pieces toward the crowd, away from the rude birds. Then, I checked my palms. The wounds… were healing.
The crow on my shoulder flapped its wings and squeaked. I turned to it and noticed an anomaly. Its black feathers grew back at a rate like a budding plant in a time-lapse video. In seconds, it recovered all its lost feathers. Its wounds healed.
The polite crow looked at my face and blinked several times. Moving closer, it gently pulled my hair behind my ear with its beak. My head felt like it was on fire from the beak's burning touch, which was odd, but the pain didn't last long. On the contrary, a sensation of coolness and lightness pervaded my head.
I rubbed its head with my finger while scratching the back of my own.
"What did you do to me, you punk?!"
It shrank its neck and blinked again.
Wasn't it cute?
Too bad. I couldn't keep it as a pet. A blood infection would soon claim my life… or maybe not.
The pain vanished.
Was I fully healed? I wondered how.
I inspected my arms, legs, and stomach. My skin was no longer yellowish, and the red dots under my skin were gone. There should have been scratches everywhere from climbing out of the mass grave, but they were gone.
Confused, I removed my leather armor, causing the polite crow to fluster and land on my head instead.
Looking at my chest and stomach, I grew depressed. I was a walking skeleton. Where were the fat and muscle? How could anyone send this person to war? But that wasn't the point. I saw no wounds or scratches. Only bloodstains remained.
I wished I could take a bath to remove the stains and recheck my body. I inspected further by removing my leather pants.
Nothing. No wound.
As for my… thing… impressive. Was I even human?
I put my armor back on and gazed at the half-eaten turkey. It still floated in the beacon of golden light. Was it because of the magical food? Did it have the same healing effects as food items in hack-and-slash games? Whatever the case, I was grateful. Actually, I wanted to keep the turkey for myself.
The crows drooled, waiting for more holy chicken. Their pitiful black eyes stared into my soul, begging for charity.
Crows could be quite an asshole, yet my belief was that wild creatures possessed an inherent innocence akin to that of a baby. I sighed and gave the magical turkey to them.
"Easy come, easy go."
It took a while to distribute the remaining turkey. As soon as I stuffed the last piece of vegetable into a begging crow, the magical beacon and plate vanished. The empty wine jar was gone, too.
What a pity. It could have been a good water container.
All plans had changed. Blood infection might no longer be a threat to my life. Now, my concern shifted from the short-term survival plan to the long term, which was troublesome. Food and residence became an issue.
I turned away from the corpse-filled field and started walking. As soon as I picked up a short spear in good condition, the surrounding crows parted ways but still stared at me. The polite one sat on my head.
"Hey, birb. My hair is not your nest," I jested.
"NEST! CAAA!"
"Okay, you're smart. I understand. But why my head?"
"ME FULL! ME HEAVY! CAAA!"
In short, the bozo had eaten so much it couldn't fly.
"Anyway, are you a boy or a girl? Do you lay eggs or do you hump ladies?"
"CAAA!"
It flapped its wings. It didn't seem to understand every word.
And thus, I had gained a companion. No—many companions. The crows I had fed earlier followed us as I left that place.