I followed the half frozen half trickling creek south. The whole time, I was looking back and forth from my footing in the snow and ice, to the trees up above. Where was he? He was so hell-bent on me showing up. Now, he was nowhere to be seen. I slid between steps. My face was so numb to the point that it almost felt warm. I was sure that my nose was running, but I couldn't feel it enough to know.

"Caw!" I heard him at last. I looked up to see the crow sitting on a branch just ahead.

I couldn't hide my relief; I was just glad this was finally getting started. "Oh, thank God!" I told him, "I was wondering how many miles I'd have to go before you showed up! Lord, I can't feel my feet! It's freezing out here!"

I waited for him to respond. He just looked me over, his head bobbing this way and that.

"What's wrong?" I asked, "Am I late or something? Look, I can't walk as fast as you can fly!"

I heard his voice at last, "Who are you talking to, kid?"

I turned around and saw him sitting on the branch behind me. "What?" I looked back and forth between the crows. "I thought."

"Oh." He noticed the crow ahead, "You thought that was me. Because all crows look the same, right? That's a very racist of you, kid. And frankly, I can't even say I'm surprised. Just disappointed."

"Oh, get off your high branch!" I tossed my hand up, "You probably think all humans look the same, too!"

"False." He blinked as he eyed me hard, "A crow never forgets a face. You'd know that if you bothered to do even an ounce of research on crows. But do you ever think about crows? No. You only think about yourself."

I was already annoyed. Even more so now with how cold I was. "Look, I'm here! Now what do you need my frozen hands for?"

"This way." He flew to another tree past the crow up ahead. Then he turned to look back at me. "Come on."

"Even deeper into the woods?" I should have been mortified. But I was just over this whole thing. At this point, if he wanted to lure me to my death, I was ready just to feel warmth again.

Reluctantly, I followed him. Watching him fly or hop from tree to tree, making sure I was behind him and keeping a steady pace. I followed him for what seemed like forever, zigging and zagging through the snow-covered trees. Finally, we came to a large mound of snow. I'd say it was roughly the size of a car. That's because it was definitely a car that was covered in snow. I shined my light over it. I wasn't a car guy. I couldn't tell exactly what it was. But I could tell it looked like an older model. It was white, so it looked practically perfectly camouflaged in the snow. The tops and the windows were covered in a thick white, snowy blanket.

"Whoa." I let out my surprise audibly. I walked around the car, coming back to stand in my original tracks. The snow was so fresh that I couldn't see any tracks for how the car got here. I looked around. The trees seemed to close together for a car to even drive into this space.

The crow landed on top of the car causing some of the snow to fall off the top and roll down the side. "Here." He tapped at the snow with his beak, "Open the door."

"What?" I came back from my dazed state, "You called me all the way out here to break into a car? No way!"

"Relax." He grumbled, "It's my car."

"Yours?" I raised an eyebrow, "You just happen to own a car?"

"Of course I do." He said this like I had just asked the dumbest question in the world. How it should have been so obvious.

"Oh, if I would have done even the slightest bit of research on crows, I would have known you guys all own vehicles and are registered with the DMV."

He tutted at me, "Your way of thinking is very narrow-minded and borderline racist. Now. Open this door."

"No way!" I denied him yet again. As if I could trust a word he said. "You think I am just ready and willing to leave my fingerprints behind on any scene you're leading me to? What's in the car?"

"None of your business." He scolded me. "Also, nothing."

"And you want me to open it... why?"

"Because I don't have opposable thumbs, thick-skull."

"And I'm supposed to help you while you insult me?"

He suddenly flapped his wings and if I hadn't ducked in time, he would have barreled right into my head. He took his spot back on top of the car and fluffed his feathers. "Sorry. I lost my temper back there for a second."

"What's your problem!?" I snapped, "You tried to attack me!"

"I have anger issues."

"You don't say!"

"Just open the door." He coaxed me again. It had the same energy as a very aggressive drug dealer trying to push his product on an unsuspecting passerby.

"What if it's locked?" I brushed the snow off the window and tried to look in through the window. It was too dark, and the windows were heavily tinted. Like, no way was that street legal.

"It's open. Now hurry up."

I didn't understand any of this. I understood he wanted me to open the door. But everything else surrounding the situation is what puzzled me. I was talking to a bird. A bird that owned a car. A bird that couldn't even open the door or drive yet was here asking me to open his car door in the middle of the woods.

"Fine." I gave in. What else was I going to do? I was already all the way out here. It was just a car, right? Worst case scenario - there was a body in the car. But maybe that was what he meant by calling me narrow-minded. I grabbed the handle. Snow fell off from around my hand. I pulled the handle and heard the distinctive pop of the latch. It was unlocked. He had been right. When I pushed the door all the way open, the remaining snow on the door fell off and landed in a pile with the rest on the ground.

The inside was extra dark due to the windows all being covered. I shined my light into it. The interior was all dark leather and as clean as a bone. The car looked pristine. Again, not a car guy, but someone somewhere would have appreciated this beauty. I was tempted to climb inside for a closer look.

"Finally!" The crow exclaimed and flew his way inside. He climbed onto the steering wheel and almost lost his footing.

"Well?" I asked him.

"Well, what?" He hopped back down into the seat and then jumped on the center console to peck away at some of the controls.

"Well, now what?" I shrugged, "Can I... go?"

"Not so fast, Mr. Phalanges." He came back to the seat to stare at me. "Try these buttons."

"The buttons?" I slowly approached and he hopped into the passenger seat. I leaned in but eventually, I sat in the driver seat. It was a relief to be out of the snow and wind. Maybe I could turn on some heat in this car to warm up. I looked around for the keys.

"What are you looking for?" He jumped up and down, "The buttons are right there!"

"Well, the buttons won't work without power. We need the keys."

He studied the buttons, "Which one is the keys."

"Seriously?" I questioned him, slightly more suspicious than before, "I thought you said this was your car. You don't even know what keys are?"

"I don't drive cars very often." He muttered. "Find the keys, kid."

"Where did you put them?" I checked under the seat and in the visor. Nothing. I checked under the passenger side. I checked in the glove compartment and in the center console. I had no luck. "I don't see them." I told him flatly. "But I can't start the car without them."

The crow clicked and squawked in his frustration. "Well, it has to be here somewhere!"

"This is your car, remember? Not mine!"

"What does a key look like?" He hopped into the back seat.

"I don't know!" I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with all of this, "A key? A little metal piece? With a carving into it that fits this car's ignition?"

"Help me find that key!" He sounded desperate, flapping all around in the back.

"Are you sure this is your car?" Why was I even asking this? He was a bird. No way was this his actual vehicle. This whole thing was insane.

I climbed out of the car and back into the snow, "I'm going home."

"You can't go home!" He protested, "I need those keys, kid!"

"For what?" I waved my hands around to indicate to all the surrounding trees, "You gonna just drive on out of town if we find them?"

"Yes!" He surprised me with that one, "I'll leave town! You'll never see me again!"

"I knew birds migrated south, but I thought they just flew?"

"And leave behind this baby?" His wing slapped the steering wheel, "No chance. I need those keys."

"I don't know where they're at." I told him, "And frankly, I'm sketched out here."

"You gotta help me!"

"I opened your door for you!" I reminded him, "Which, you didn't even say thank you for!"

"Find my keys and I'll be out of your hair." He flew out of the car and back on top of it.

"I have to get back home." I shook my head. I figured I had already done more than enough to help a bird. He had caused me more stress than he was worth. I still had to walk all the way back home. If my parents discovered I was missing, I would be dead meat.

"You're useless!" He shouted at me, "Stupid, useless human!"

I sneered at him then while maintaining eye-contact, I shut his car door, sealing him outside of his precious car.

"Hey!" He flew to the door handle and flapped like a madman trying to get it opened again. All with no such luck.

"Now, if you'll excuse me." I trudged through the snow once more with the crow cursing me the whole time. Even though more snow was coming down, my tracks hadn't been completely covered. I was able to follow my tracks the whole way back to the shed. By this time, it was close to midnight. I walked back home and took the hottest shower I could possibly stand.

In the morning, I met Phil outside my house as usual. I was surprised when we had walked all the way to school, and he hadn't asked me about my note. Was he not at all bothered by a thing? He hadn't cared that I was going off into the woods alone at night? I decided to reassure him anyway, despite his lack of concern. "I made it home from the woods."

"Hm?" We went to our lockers to put up our bags.

"Last night." I reminded him, "When I went to the woods. I made it out alive and safe."

"You went to the woods last night?" He looked so lost and confused.

"Yes." I stopped what I was doing to stare at him. "I gave you that note! Remember?"

"Oh, that?" He shrugged, "I forgot to read it."

"Forget to read it?" I facepalmed. "Dude, my life could have literally depended on you reading that note!"

"My bad." He didn't sound concerned. "Next time, just tell me what you want to tell me?"

My own best friend. I really shouldn't have been shocked. I should have expected as much. But if I couldn't trust him with that, it wasn't likely I could trust to tell him what had happened the night before. Again, like always, I was alone.