EyrthTales - Short Stories

Daughter of the Crows

A heavy mist creeps lazily across an expanse of grass and straw that split through thickly wooded hills like a birthmark on the earth. The mist caresses the skin of a young girl walking, gently raising goosebumps on her arms. The air is damp and chilled in the very early dawn, the sun not yet risen but sky glowing blue with its coming. The rustling beat of feathered wings nearby causes the girl to pause and observe, only a very little way off, a crow landing; one beady eye resting on her. She lets her empty water buckets gently to the ground and crouches, eying the shining black creature in return. It chirrs roughly in her direction and she smiles, reaching into her thin wool overcoat to pull out a slice of bread. She plucks off bits of crust and throws it towards the wary winged critter, who snaps it up and hops into longer grass further off the path, to eat its morsel in privacy. The girl stands and takes her buckets in hand once more, heading to the creak by woods edge that watered her village.

The girl walked the path to the creek and back twelve times every morning, fetching clear water for drinking. The village well water was stale, and the village people paid their resident orphan a tuppence a day to fill their communal water barrel. The girl did not know if she had a name, she only knew herself as 'girl', 'child', 'dearest', 'young'n', or 'love'; the people of her village must also have forgotten her name at some point, but she didn't mind, she was loved by them, and cared for; always given a place at a family table, always prepared a mat by a fire to sleep. She was content.

The crow began to stop by her every morning in search of breakfast. This amused the girl and she became fond of her crass and handsome fowl friend. They became so comfortable with one the other, that the crow, whom she named Anouk, would come rest on her shoulder as she walked, preening it's brak against her ear. Often, while filling her buckets, she would notice Anouks kin resting nearby on branches and mossy boulders. She began bringing an extra slice of bread to crumble and leave scattered creekside for them to feast on once she left; and soon they did not wait for her to leave before swarming her offering with happy cawing and clacking chatter. She soon had crows walking and flying with her on her short morning journeys, often having one rest on the shoulder Anouk did not occupy. She would mend crows that came to her with injuries. Sit and talk with them and laugh at their playful fights and games. The people of the village began to call her Crow Girl, and grew accustomed to Anouk remaining with her at mealtimes and rest next to her at night.

A woman wandered into the village one night, grizzled and hunched, looking older than her age. She was bitter and nasty, and stole corn and goods from the community larder; not that the people would have minded feeding someone in need, but the woman refused help or care, insisting the good people meant to harm her or laugh at her. She pointed fingers especially at Crow Girl, saying Anouk was an omen of death, that Crow Girl conspired with the creatures and had the seeds of evil in her. Crow Girl especially disliked the woman. On a particularly windy day, the town gathered for company and general companionship in the village hall, there was laughter and mild feasting and all that might be expected of a large friendly gathering. The grizzled woman stood and pointed at Crow Girl. "She, she plans to murder you all! She plans it!! She and her raven speak to eachother, the day will come, you must send her away, exile her! You must, to save your village!" Crow Girl began to cry, deeply hurt by the woman's raving. The villagers had enough, they came together and forced the woman from the village, sent her back to the woods from whence she came. As she left she clutched Crow Girls arm with tight, bony fingers, staring with crazed eyes. "Come with me, I don't want to be alone, they will turn on you anyway just as they turned on me. Don't let me be alone, come with me." Crow Girl frowned and pushed the woman's bruising grasp off her arm. The woman screeched at her. "Witch!! You all will see!! She will kill you all, she conspires with the raven!!" She spat at the village and faded into the woods. The village was shaken, they comforted Crow Girl, all but Sybil who's family farmed the village wheat. Sybil was superstitious, and had Spoken to the madwoman a time or two, Sybil had never like Anouk, she thought the dark creatures affection for Crow Girl unnatural; she spoke of these things to her family and her few friends in town, though though of nothing malicious.