"I was going to ask you to give me a boost," Urushihara said, his eyes clearly wary, even in the low light. "But I think I can manage."

He turned to the tree he stood against and scaled it with an athletic aptitude that didn't seem to fit one who so rarely left their one-room apartment. He spread his wings as far as the impossibly dense trees would allow, making a slight sound of discomfort. Once he was clear of lower, overhanging branches, he flapped. Hard. Just once.

The effect swept away all the leaf litter, all trash and debris, everything but the rooted trees and Maou himself. Urushihara cleared the treeline and made another pained sound, this one more of frustration than anything. "...We're going the wrong way. Get up here."