Sera noticed the crows first because they weren't doing anything.
They lined the fence posts and the dead limbs of trees that shouldn't have been standing anymore. Their black shapes were harsh against the bright blue sky, as their heads angled in unison toward the truck as it slowly drove along the broken road.
They didn't scatter at the engine noise. They didn't fly off when the wind shifted or the trees under them shifted.
Instead, they seemed to be watching the people in the vehicle like they were something special.
Sera leaned slightly toward the window, chin resting on her knuckles, eyes tracking the line of them as they passed.
Interesting.
She didn't feel threatened. There was no pressure behind the attention, no hunger in it. It felt closer to… acknowledgment. Like a pause taken for her benefit.
Zubair felt the pressure of their gaze as well.
