Of course the raven had not expected the yearling to understand him, but for Karpos to stop and actually speak to him was appreciated. "Have you come to take me to join my father? he had asked. Are you the raven of death he always spoke of?" As much as he wanted to chuckle and giggle, titter and snicker in an assortment of tickled notes like a common songbird, he didn't. Instead, he merely stared at the youth, whose tone of voice had made him think twice about being forward and audacious.

The plumed aviator straightened and with a shake of his head from left to right, he universally told the boy that: No, he was not going to take him to join his father and No, he was not a Harbinger of Death (as most wolves, he realized, believed). Whether this chance meeting was an omen or not, it was for the Slayer to figure out, but for the raven to be here, right now, in this very instant was for the sake of his companion's comfort, curiosity, and hope.

He folded his wings close to him, observing the heir in utter silence. A part of him had wished he had brought something as an offering, just as he had with the other sacred sites of the Lore. "Awwwk" he sounded, the singular syllable meaning nothing in particular as he wondered why exactly the winds had summoned him here. Truth be told, he had an inkling of an idea, but he was not entirely sold just yet as to whether or not it was appropriate for this certain encounter...

The more the rook stared, the more he realized just how much had changed, how much Karpos had endured to get to the very place he had first started from within Relic Lore. Just like Sceral, Serach, and the other yearlings, he had also seen the young Slayer mature and grow up. The bird might have smiled with a slightly parted beak, but as the youth gazed back up at him, he did the same. His head tilted to one side for a brief moment before straightening.

Cawwwwww-CAW, he sounded out with a small flap of both his wings. In the language of raven-speak, it might have been translated as something like: Don't you worry yourself, lad. As it stood, the spirit could only hope that maybe the young wolf would somehow come to his own conclusion about what he was trying to say on behalf of the woodlands.

He trilled a lilting sort of note as some sort of added affirmation, then repeated the singular sound again, "Awwwk." His tail feathers quaked below him and he fluttered down to the ground not far from Shade's grave. For a while he stared at the dark yearling, watching and waiting, as if anticipating a reaction that would either invite him closer or shoo him away. He hoped it would be the former of the two reasons. A part of him had been sorely affected to see how such a young heart ache the way Karpos' had. While standing completely still, he slightly expanded his wings, ready to take off if he had overstayed his welcome...

Expectation hung heavily in the air surrounding the feathered spirit but as Karpos turned to further acknowledge him the bird let out a rather happy string of notes as he trilled back in appreciation. Even if the boy had commented that he believed himself to be crazy for {trying to} communicate with him, the bird was happy to have been around; and, it seemed that he had done his job, just by being there to listen to the young Slayer.

The raven issued a murmured squawk - which sounded more like someone saying the word "mip" - and took a step closer to the yearling. He was stopped however by the faintest sound of small, flitting wings. It buzzed past his hidden ears and when his eyesight focused on what it was that had flown into their midst, the bird repeated the word he had said before with a different tone. Look, he had meant to say. He looked to the young Slayer, his wings flapping excitedly. The dragonfly hovered over Shade's gravesite just long enough for Karpos to take note of it if he managed to also catch sight of it before zooming about Karpos' head and hovering just past the boy's leathery nose.

Mip-mip-mip-mip, he sounded out again, hopping forward just once while curiously staring at the large black-hued dragonfly. Truth be told, he really was not Shade Slayer's spirit reincarnated, but if first impressions could be held accountable in this instance, the bird could have believed that perhaps this impressive, large-winged dragonfly was a sign the heir had asked for and needed...

The dragonfly took flight, hovering in front of Karpos before zooming away in the depths of the fen, leaving the black-plumed bird in a sort of awe that left his beak parted in unmistakable wonderment.