CHAPTER 2
Having awoken early in the morning before the intended time, Ryiiko, the thief, felt inclined to stay in bed, and stare up at the ceiling.
Warm sunlight oozed through the cracks in the wooden wall to his left, casting slivers of light onto the bed-covers, flitting across his exposed chest.
His chest rose and fell as he breathed, and the boy turned his head to look at his stolen items, still scattered across the small table near the window covered with a curtain made of bear fur.
He glanced at the mirror, and laughed. "Prince Ryiiko, your hair is a splendid mess. Whatever did you do in the night to cause such a catastrophe?" After staring for a bit more, he decided that he liked the boyish, ruffled look. It fit the way he felt this morning; younger, and more invincible. Ryiiko wasn't invincible, to be sure, but he liked to believe he was. 'No one can catch you. No one can tame you.' he always told himself in the mirror. "What an ego I have." he remarked aloud to his reflection, "But I deserve a bit of pride, do I not? After everything I've been through..."
Ryiiko never doubted himself for a moment, even when he failed at something. What he called optimism, others called arrogance. Perhaps he was, but he didn't care a bit. He didn't care about what anyone thought.
Tossing his head like an indignant horse, he leaped from the bed covers, letting the blanket fly from his torso. Another new day, and there was no time to waste. Or, at least, he acted like there wasn't. In truth, the thief had all the time in the world. Having slept in his clothes so that he wouldn't have to concentrate on picking an outfit in the morning, Ryiiko bypassed the wardrobe, and quickly gathered up the stolen goods from the table. He hefted them over to a rug on the floor by his bed. Pulling the small, round carpet aside, he revealed a large trapdoor. It led to a medium-sized room under the floor. Ryiiko opened it, and carelessly shoved all the stuff inside before shutting it again, pulling the rug back over to conceal it.
After he'd done this, he heard a cocky crow called from outside his door in an evergreen tree, keeping up a boisterous commentary.
Throwing the door open, Ryiiko looked up at the bird, "Ah, my friend." he laughed in a carefree way, "Why don't you come down here and have a bite to eat?"
Grinning, he held up a large piece of bread, and the crow eagerly swooped down, landing on his arm, greedily snatching it from his fingers. In a few gulps, the bread was gone, and the crow looked at the thief, eyes pleading for more. When it saw there was none, it indignantly ruffled its feathers, and resolved to giving his human friend a stare-down.
"You're late today, Raan. I've already gotten everything prepared for today's events." Ryiiko's eyes sparkled delightedly, teasing the crow.
Raan recognized the tone in his master's voice, and stretched out his wings in excitement. Every time he stole something for Ryiiko, the boy gave him food, and let him play with the shiny bell that was always tucked in his pocket. Raan was a sucker for shiny objects. In fact, it's how Ryiiko found him in the first place, tangled up with a long, shiny piece of twine. Ever since then, he'd felt indebted to the human for saving his life. He would never forget when Ryiiko came running to his rescue, chuckling in amusement to himself, unwrapping the twine from the crow's neck, thus freeing him.
"Getting excited, are we, Raan?" Ryiiko teased. He lifted his arm up near his head, and Raan hopped off to perch on the boy's shoulder. He cawed in response, causing Ryiiko to wince. "Raan, you know what I told you about yelling in my ear."
Apologetic, Raan hung his head for a few seconds. His glittering, beady eyes searched Ryiiko's face for a sign that he was forgiven. Catching a grin, he lifted his head, and cawed softly. The grin meant "apology accepted".
Many a-times he'd cawed loudly in Ryiiko's ear, and every single time he'd been scolded until he'd learned to keep quiet. Every now and then, however, he forgot.
"Today is a big day, Raan." Ryiiko began walking forehead, arms casually swinging by his sides, "Everyone will soon know who I am. Me, Prince Ryiiko."
Raan's eyes glittered in anticipation for the boy's next words.
"Wr're going to steal it. We're going to steal the jewel of Almidephia (Alm-uh-deff-ee-uh) right from under the guard's snooty little noses." Ryiiko cackled, "We'll be rich. I'll buy my own castle. Then everyone will have to say that I am a prince!" His eyes narrowed, "But I will still be a thief. The way of the righteous is no good for me, Raan. Many years I had toiled in work, but reaped nothing of any significance. They taxed me nearly to death! The life of a thief is the life for me."
At this point, he stopped at a fork in the road, turning towards the towering form of the castle, "Here we go, Raan." Ryiiko set his jaw, eyes fierce and determined. "This is it. Sharpen your beak, and I'll ready my arrow. Today is the day I take what's rightfully mine."
