Jarrak - The Raven's Reaping

Once, deep in a primeval forest, there was a raven. This raven had come to live in the forest, as it was far away from the plains and cities that his brethren preferred. He had been chased away from his conspiracy because he did not want to do the same things that other ravens did. This raven did not want to be a thief, nor did he want to be a nuisance, and he did not love the things that the ravens did to all other birds in the name of their cruel goddess. He only wanted to live his own existence as his own bird.

One day, this solitary raven met a pair of wonderful and beautiful doves, and one of those doves caught his eye and would become his mate. All of the other birds, though, felt as if the dove should not be with this raven, because all ravens are trouble. The raven and the dove ignored the other birds, trying to live their life happily, even meeting another who was part raven, who also wanted to live differently from the conspiracy of ravens and be one with nature. This new bird was welcomed, and the small flock grew. Soon, the dove would lay eggs, the eggs belonging to both the raven and the half raven, and they were all overjoyed.

Even though the raven had shown he was not like any other ravens, he was still treated like such... mockingbirds hurled insults at him, hawks threatened him, and timid sparrows hid in their nests when he flew by. The raven, though, kept on trying to live like he wanted to live in a better way than the ones he had left behind.

One day, a traveling quail came along. He did not like ravens, saying that ravens had once made awful sport of him. This raven understood, and he would not trouble the quail, and once, even helped the quail to find trinkets for his own nesting bush. But this quail, knowing of the raven's small flock, laid his eyes on the dove, and thought that she was too good for the company of ravens. He sought to make her his mate and his alone, wanting her to abandon her flock. The raven, though, found out about this. The other birds had done everything they could to make him feel unwelcome; trying to take what he cared for...

...well.. this was the last. The raven went to the aerie that he had in secret, and made his plans. The other birds had wanted the raven to act as a raven should, and now he would give them what they had asked for.

I do hate to leave this at a cliffhanger, but the raven's work has only just begun.

//Originally told at Story Night on 10/18/19 by Jarrak