Rigor Mortis

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The second week passed. The pup finally opened his eyes. Corax asked himself if that wasn't a bit early for a wolf, but he actually didn't really know. It wasn't his division. But it had happened anyway now.

Corax discovered that the pup had opened his eyes and ears after waking up. He didn't like sleeping on the ground, it felt wrong, but he had to in order to keep the pup save. It felt even worse to leave him alone on the ground.

When Corax woke up, he saw the pup was missing. He quickly left the cave only to feel a huge relief when he saw the bright white pup exploring his surroundings. He walked a little clumsy, but it didn't stop him. Corax flew towards the pup. He landed in front of him. The pup recognised the smell of the raven who took care of him for two weeks now and his tail wagged almost harder then it could take. It was a reward for Corax to see the pup happy, alive and curious. They had reached the next stage. Learning and exploring. Mostly exploring, but he could learn from it at the same time.

Corax looked into the eyes of the pup.

"I see, I see. Now I understand." he whispered to himself. There was a strange shimmer in his eyes. It was the explanation to why Corax had found him different.

Corax flew off and landed in a tree. The pup wouldn't leave this area. There was too much to explore for him just here now. The raven could finally take a little distance, watching over him from above. There was a lake nearby, but it wasn't a place he would discover today.

"You strange little puppy." he said to himself again. The whole day Corax just sat there, watching over his foster pup. Every once in a while he left him alone for a few minutes to get him water. Soon he had to learn to eat meat. Corax soon discovered that that day, was today. He then left the pup to himself again to find something to eat. He returned later with a mouse. It wasn't enough, but the pup snacked on insects all day long, so it would do. Corax fed him little pieces to get his jaws and teeth used to the structure of what he would eat for the rest of his life. After that, Corax had to eat something himself.

The night fell. Corax saw the pup had already got tired after a long day exploring. Tomorrow he would do it all again.

"Ok puppy, come back and get some rest. You will need your sleep more than ever now." The pup walked towards the cave, entered it, walked to the back and lay down to fall asleep. Corax waited next to him untill he was sleeping. Then he went outside and picked another tree to sit in.

"Corax! I haven't seen you in a long time!" a voice said. Corax looked around and noticed Dux landing next to him on the same branch. Dux looked at him curiously.

"Anything happened since I was gone?" the kind voice of the crow asked him. Corax nodded.

"Something did happen. But first you tell me, how was your first time working alone?" Corax answered him. Dux was a fellow Grim Reaper who had learned the Ways of it from Corax. After he learned the Ways, the two parted. Corax wanted to let him work alone for a while and get experience by himself. It had been five years since they'd last seen each other. Dux was somewhere around 25 years old now, so he sure was a young one.

"Learned a lot, seen a lot. But nothing really special. I was excited when I had to work alone for the first time. It went really well and since then I made a lot of progress. Not very experienced yet, but everything is going better than I hoped for." Corax only listened in silence to his answer. He nodded when he finished. That sounded promising. He would be a fine Grim Reaper.

"So what about you?" Dux asked again. Corax briefly looked at him.

"The usual business. But about two weeks ago something different happened. Since then I had only to calls. You see, I found a wolf pup." he proudly answered. Dux was a bit confused. In his ears it sounded like any pup, nothing really special and surely something a Grim Reaper was forbidden to work with. As a bird of death you were only allowed to work with other Grim Reapers and normal ravens. In Dux' case; other Grim Reapers and normal crows.

"I'm only guessing there's more to this story." Dux said. Corax wouldn't betray the Ways.

"You guessed correctly. There was something up with this one. I received a call out from a mother wolf and her four pups. When I arrived I discovered a fifth one, but he was still alive. So after I guided the souls I inspected him." Corax took a quick look to the entrance of the cave. Nothing. Good.

"So, let me guess again: wolf pup special edition?" And Corax smiled and nodded. Dux also smiled after this reaction.

"I couldn't figure out what it was, but I just couldn't leave him. I stayed with him, wondering what it was. After a week we moved to here because of reasons. This morning he was gone when I woke up. It turned out that he had opened his eyes and ears and was busy exploring. I did see why he was so different though. His eyes. He is the Prophecy." Corax finished his story proudly, but calm.

Dux almost choked.

"Kidding me right? That can't be! How can you be so calm about that? It's the damn Prophecy, but how?" Dux was very confused. He couldn't realise it.

"So it's happening? Yggdrasil is falling apart?" the worried voice made Corax realise it too.

"I felt fine untill you said the thing!" Corax turned to him with an angry expression.

"Calm down! I can't help that, I just can't imagine this. I'm baffled." Dux said defensive.

"Sorry, I just hadn't really thought about that when I discovered it this morning. Maybe I was just too afraid to let it cross my mind." A silence followed. A very uncomfertable silence that made the two birds think.

"Rigor Mortis." Dux looked up. He was confused about the sudden words that took away the silence.

"What?"

"The pup. I will call him Rigor now. Rigor Mortis."

"It fits his job."

"It does. But he will learn from me."

"Ofcourse he will. He will learn from the best, just like you teached me."

"Exactly, only a tad different."

"Corax, he will do just fine."

"He has to. He's Rigor Mortis."

The two birds just sat there in the tree on a branch. They talked to each other absent minded, realising what was happening. All hopes settled on Rigor Mortis.