Great, frothy clouds of pitch blanketed the sea foam blue, smothering the murderous sun like great, heavenly shadows. Vultures ambled the sky, blank eyes targeted to the stench of sweating flesh. Hoards of silky, raven gloss peppered the sandy earth, screeching in protest to the kings and queens of scavenging arrival, signaling the crow’s dismissal. The witty birds arose in one vast army, the battle of the feathered now begging, the object of victory: an almost dead elfin girl. The vultures, patient yet ugly creatures, waited for her death as the ravenous crows had already perched atop her slumped, skinny shoulders.

The parched earth offered no comfort as the shifter begged for shade. Mother Nature would not even offer a scrawny weed to assist her. Suddenly the clouds broke open. AS the tears of the angels fell Josette rejoiced, singing to mother earth Thank you. the words barley left her cracked lips as she looked at the sky, eyes closed in pure relief. Wings sprouted from her shoulder blades as she transformed. Hitch-hiking crows now aloft, ready to follow their half human princess.

Midnight velvet, a single speck in gray, granted the sky with a glory only a raven beholds. Josette flew, the witch bird of the dead lands, and took residence in a dying willow; taking her maiden shape again she sat atop the highest branch reveling in the glory of down pour.

Nny made his way through the rain that crashed needlessley on the dead lands. The ground quicklly muddied and he continued through, his black clothing covering his body. Hiis short hair drtipped wetley down his face as the mud covered his feet. His long tall body seemed like a small, moving tree in the distance and the corpses which lined the ground cracked as he stepped upon them.

He turned his head upwards as several vultures made their way through the sky, several of them dived down and mistook Johnny for an undead being. He took them by their neck and broke them, leaving them behind in the ground as the 'crunch' noise made itself known when he stepped upon the bones of a giant.

He was confronted by the sturdy bones and chose to stop there. He grabbed one of the behemoth's ribs and pulled himself up, sitting himself upon it's mighty rib.

He looked into the distance and saw a figure sprout wings and quickly turn into one of the very beasts who tried to devour him while still; live. He did not care but instead just gave a smile and slid moff of the rib, snapping it as he came down.

As he turned and walked the opposite direction the being was flying a skeletal arm with strips of flesh shot from the ground and grabbed Nny's leg. He looked at it quizzically and kicked in front of him, breaking the hand off of whatever skeletal being was trying to grab him.

Soon after more came out, but this time with more bodies attatched to them. He groaned as he turned and sprinted as one of the undead beasts quickly swung a blade at him. He had managed to dodge it and escape the undead horde. He was not one to run from any opponent but when outmatched by beasts with nothing he had no choice.

After a moment of running he came upon a dying willow tree. He stopped, kicking up some mud s he slid a couple of feet. He looked up in the tree and saw a woman in it;s highest branch. Johnny saw her as something to mimic considering the beasts that may be after him. He grabbed onto a branch and put himelf in a point where he could watch for any more of the undead burdens. He was not about to join them in their graves.

Josette chuckled at his unlucky predicament; the undead were dangerous but most times slow and, not to mention, a little blockheaded. Kick out their legs... was her friendly hello then you get a head start . She smiled down at him a dropped a branch or two, to perch on the branch directly above him.

She didn’t mention her name, or her reason, but instead looked across the drizzle smeared horizon. Sighing she turned her skinny body towards him giving her absolute attention. Blonde curls cascaded down from an unkempt swirl at the base the base of her neck, her green eyes over flowed with curiosity towards the out of breath stranger and her lips tried to hide a smirk. She sat on her nimble fingers and latched her calves around scanty branch, waiting on him in her quiet, not rushed manner.