FORM

Chapter 6 : eating of the dead

With this newfound power to create her fictions, to blur the lines between what was and what could be, she reveled in this grove of change. All manner of fantastical creatures and marvelous new butterflies spouted forth from her ever-busy song. Her dances consumed her, consumed the intervening days until Raven returned, he wasn't the only one who still had questions. It was Purl who noticed first. Hunched low on his little powerful legs, his tail standing straight taught like every member of his body. The unmoving complete attention of his small eyes, almost glowingly blue pools, should have made Raven shiver, but he hardly seemed to notice Purl or his eyes. He landed neatly on one leg, already beginning to form questions with his other.

"Why do the butterflies follow Jay around?"

"I will answer your questions but first you must answer mine." Her whiskers emphasized the point with a slight downward jab. "Why did my father turn my remains into a tree warning of the Devil's influence?"

"Perhaps you should ask your father, or perhaps read the tree itself."

"Purl sought out the tree and told me what it said, but my father has never spoken to me, why would I have to ask you anything if I had anyone else at all to ask?" Raven's eyes looked wet again.

"They thought you were drawn in by my master, because your tree looks so much like one he formed a long long time ago. They had always feared him because of his skin, but the tree realized their fears. It is because of the tree that you branded him destroyer of trees." He delivered this all very slowly either unwilling to reveal too much or unsure of what needed explaining.

"So they destroyed his tree, why didn't they destroy mine as well?"

"They couldn't deface his tree, not only would it legitimize the destruction of such trees but it was holding other trees hostage."

"A tree held other trees hostage?" she had never told a story of a thing such as this, it was hard to imagine. "Why didn't they drown him for defacing the trees?"

"It was more a de-coloring of trees, but in answer to your question, their fear prevented them from killing him. Afraid he would touch one of them and inhabit their body as well."

"He can possess other people?" she thought of stepping back from the large darkness who sat idly chattering, wings folded, eyes wet.

"Not at all, but irrationality has always been their first reaction when dealing with him." As his eyes grew more wet they seemed almost silvery. She felt her defensive posture slipping but Purl's unwavering tension picked up the slack. She resolved not to be irrational though, even regarding a devil.

"Where is this tree?" You said it resembled the tree of change?"

"That was long ago, but even now the resemblance is there, you won't destroy it though."

"I'm not like him, I won't destroy things."

"No. No you aren't like my master, it is true. Maybe he will let me take you to it some day, but not now, I still have questions."

"You tell this devil about me?" she felt the tinge of Raven flowing beneath her skin. It effected a shudder of revulsion.

"Why do you think I watch you?" He broke the silence after she seemed unwilling. "That wasn't one of the questions I cam to ask you though... Why do the butterflies follow Jay? Why did you send him to us? He refuses to talk to me."

"I didn't send him to you. I sent him---" Well she didn't exactly send him anywhere but she had a feeling he was going to find and take care of Ipni. That hurt and scared her, if Jay had ended up with Raven and the Dark one, that meant her son was there as well. She was up and out of the grove before Raven could beat a wing. Running at full speed, jumping shrubs and narrowly avoiding crushing swathes of flowers. The large almost man-sized winged shadow caught up with her. Stroking lightly, almost effortlessly matching the over-exertion of her fiery strides, the butterflies knew to avoid him.