Crow - The Awakening Read Online Free PDF Page B

various favorite spots to dive into his own worlds through imagination and art.
    His godparents used to be fearful of the predators in the forest when Steven ran off on his own. Attacks were not all that common, but he spent a lot of time out in the woods so it was hard not to get nervous and imagine the worst. But Steven always seemed to have an unspoken rapport with animals of the forest. Many times they would see wolves or bears sitting next to him way out in their little pasture while he was off in his own little world drawing something or reading one of the many library books he was constantly digesting. Their most memorable moment was when, at barely five, a lost Steven was found being towed back to their homestead clinging to the tail of a puma. After that, they no longer worried, and the forest was the one place where Steven was truly free and unfettered. So long as he made it back before nightfall, of course. His godparents had to set some limitations.
    Fresh from a morning at the market, which was usually all it took to sell out of his honey, he was eager to get out to the forest, especially to his secret spot where he tinkered with his computers. He hurried to unload his empty crates next to the bee boxes that were waiting to be extracted, and then went back to help Sally and Jonah unload their wares. Then he had to put up his textbooks and perform various after-market chores before leaving for the forest.
    All he could think about was the final step he needed to get his computer networked and every little delay seemed like hours to him. In a rush to leave, Steven stuffed his sketch pad and a handful of pencils in his backpack. He rarely went anywhere without those essential tools, and his bedroom walls were plastered with drawings he had made of virtually anything that caught his eye out in the forest.
    Looking around, he reached under his bed, grabbed his moccasins, and hung them from his belt. He preferred to roam the forest barefoot, but the footwear came in handy just in case he ran into a rough patch or very sharp rocks. But most of the terrain out there was covered by forest floor detritus, moss, ferns and various understory plants so he rarely used them. When climbing, he found that bare feet could not be beat.
    He secured his computer parts in a pocket of the backpack, then went to the kitchen for some snacks. Steven's favorite foods were the many types of wild mushrooms that grew on the forest floor and the trunks of trees. He liked to supplement his foraging with dried or honeyed fruit and nuts and whatever mushrooms were left over from the market. As he scurried around getting stuff together, Sally handed him a canteen of water and gave him a quick hug. "Hey, you. Don't stay out late tonight. We're having trout for supper." Steven smiled and wiggled out of her embrace. She tried hard to hold onto him but he still eluded her grasp as he got away and ran out the door.
    "I'll be back by supper," he yelled over his shoulder as he sprinted down the trail. Sally shook her head as she watched him race away toward whatever adventure he had planned for himself that day. She marveled at how he was always doing something and wondered where the energy came from. Looking around the kitchen and the chores she had to accomplish, she sorely wished she had some of that abundant vitality.
    Steven’s staff was leaning against the rustic fence post where he’d left it. He grabbed it without breaking stride as he dashed past. Before he knew it he was in the forest on the other side of their small pasture, ducking branches and jumping over roots as he went. The forest was a very familiar place to him, as familiar as his own bedroom. Every trail, bush, sapling, and tree seemed like old friends to him. As he ducked through the underbrush he knew exactly where to go to avoid getting snagged or slowed. At times he'd swear the forest was getting out of his way or helping him along.
    In spite of entering the dense wood, the world