Raven's back story

1

An orphan, or perhaps just an abandoned child wandered down the road, dragging the bloody carcass of a rabbit behind her.2

Raven watched this as she made her nightly rounds.3

Drawing as close as she dared get to a dreaded featherless, she aimed for a familiar perch. 4

Where blossoms used to dance under moonlight, talons now confronted slick ice and snow, bare and brittle offering small shelter from the wind, but a clear view of the show.5

The child was determinably singing through chattering lips.6

A woman who, by all appearances was distraught, crested the hill just as Raven hopped from one leg to the other, successfully jump starting her ½ an ounce heart.  She barked a little bark of pleasure as a pulse of warmth moved from her belly to her back.  7

The woman, now facing the bitter winter, had her words ripped out of her throat by a sudden diversion of wind. She thought better and silently began waiving  warnings at the star gazing girl.  But the wind grew stronger, forcing the woman into slow retreat.8

Raven knew by the red path marking the child’s movements it wouldn’t be long before the raggedy pack of moon followers would make an appearance.  So far they had respected her hunting rites, but still, this winter had already claimed many lives.  Both furry and feathered.  She herself was near to starving, and it was only mid December.  9

Then something remarkable happened.  While the wind tossed and garbled the language of the figure still doing windy battle on the hill, Raven found she could clearly hear the child’s voice. Indeed, she could feel it down deep in her hollow bones.  10

Rhythmic chanting was calling to Raven, the child it seemed was offering her a meal.11

Raven’s belly turned over.  12

“Hurry now blackened sister, come eat your fill.  Hurry now feathered brother, dontchoo git ill.”13

Raven, cautious as she was hungry flew from her perch landing a decorous five feet from the child, who now laid the rabbit softly on the snow in front of her.  14

She kept singing, half humming the words while she backed away from her gift ever so slowly.15

Raven took a leap forward, squawking and flashing feathers.  Habitual defensive stance showing off mean talons and malachite blades of beak.16

The girl made a grimace that might have been a smile.  She lifted her arms, eyes, and voice to the sky and began dancing in a lazy circuit, swaying back and forth as gently as Raven’s Cherry tree.17

Raven crept forth wanting to trust.18

The wind swept up icy snow flake dust.19

A tinkling could be heard in the night.20

That’s when Raven caught it, the catch, the price and payment of this pledge of meat.  The child sang her heart song, a wish so deep and sweet as Raven listened to this little girls tale, she actually began to weep.21

A feeling, powerful and alien flooded Raven’s powerful breast, she moved forward barely registering the ice gathering around her feather tufts.  “A ride, a ride, this meat for a ride!  Take me far, take me high, take me to far flung places wild!” The child’s prayer reached inside Raven’s skull and words to pictures tumbled through.  A stream of consciousness issued forth and carried Raven away.22

Nests and feathers, cracked shells, predator smells.  Raven’s own memories bubbled up adding a new dimension to the unspoken conversation.  Raven’s pain of loss melded with the needs of the child.  At once, the raptor knew what she had to do. 23

Silence broken by twinkling of falling stars brought Raven back to point.  Red rabbit sending steamy heat north.  Raven dug in.24

The rabbit was mainly bones and skin, but Raven was starving, so a little went a long way.25

Sated and slow, Raven rolled over in the snow three paces from her meal.26

Accompanied by a feeling of floating, she felt warm again.27

She sensed the girl coming closer, felt her soft hands smooth her feathers, Raven’s sense of well being grew. The girl dug her nails gently between raven’s wing blades sending ripples of pleasure through the great bird. “Will you?”  she was asking, “Will you?  Please?”28

Raven lifted her stern head, blinked twice at the child and let open her beak, loosing a resounding note of acquiescence.   The girls eyes sparkled with a something new to her.  Hope.29

Rising quickly around them, a column of snow and ice obscured their transformation from the world of night. Amid a sound of thunderous silence, bird and flesh, skin and feathers melted, melded, combined and reordered.   Their hearts began beating in time, their breathing slowed and sped, meeting together somewhere in the middle.  Peace, strength and the love born of companionship bloomed in twin souls that wintry night.  30

At point of transformation, a lightening strike struck the Cherry tree sending sparks and slivers into the air.31

These words might have been heard…32

Free flying lover of freedom and truth33

Little dancer behind eyes covered in earth34

Twin Flames that were once separated35

Now united in One Heart Beat36

A Sacred union interlocking air, and Earth, 37

forged in fire, suspended in water38

Let no one in Heaven Earth or under39

Rip apart, what we have put together.40

Behold our creation41

Part shadow, part light 42

Half dream, half human43

Neither, neither nor or44

Here together for the duration45

Not to separate until the time of dissolution46

The time of natural nature reclamation47

Of the Earth Moon and Stars.48

The voice receded, the column abated, the wind went to sleep.49

Under inky night, a small girl lay curled under the burning branches of a Cherry tree.50