Krakarak

He could see the "line" from the sky. Some great weird thing. He didn't know what it was, it seemed too straight to be... normal. So, it demanded more investigation from him.

He came down from the sky, hovering above the great thing as he inspected it with his head tilting this way and that. It didn't seem dangerous, and so, he came closer and closer until finally he landed amongst the snow and stone. He used one of his taloned feet to kick snow away so that he could expose the stone beneath more easily. Then, he began tapping at it. Hm! It seemed normal. Just far too straight. How strange. He tap tap tapped it once more for good measure before sitting up and looking around.

He could feel his stomach starting to complain. What he wouldn't give for something tasty to munch into. Maybe he could find some carrion or harass another bird off its meal. Pfft, as if. He hadn't seen hide nor feather of another bird since he'd gotten to this place.

"Kaw!"

Images © Vlad Bagacian, Rilvin | Coding © Plymouth

Absinth moved silently along the wall bordering the Syndicate’s territory, her flock a dark, whispering cloud in the tree line around her. They came and went as they wished, offering her trinkets and morsels alike; and she offered her emerald gaze to each, appreciative of their attention. Her job had been easy thus far, the patrols of her birds, the constant kraws of a secured network — the woman merely had to do what she loved all the while. Keeping them content and loyal as she raised the first generation from the ground up.

Today however, they alerted her to the presence of a bird they did not recognize, a speck which had descended from the sky. By the time she herself had laid eyes on it, she doubted it was any kind of enemy reconnaissance corvid. Intrigued, she watched as it hovered above the wall, its head tilting curiously. Just another wild soul, most probably.

The bird didn’t seem suspicious, just out of place. It landed amongst the snow and stone, kicking away the snow to reveal the stone beneath. Its tapping echoed in the cold air, a constant, rhythmic sound. Absinth smiled, that impish curl of her inky lips splitting her face in two. They never ceased to amuse.

She signaled to her ravens, their beady eyes following her command. They circled lower, their black wings creating a dark halo against the gray sky. She stepped forward, her movements fluid and silent, until she was close enough to be seen but not be a threat. “Curious, aren’t you?” She called out, her voice carrying just enough to reach the new bird. Her eyes gleamed with a mischievous delight as she studied it. It wasn’t as though she had a shortage of Ravens to entertain and be entertained by, but that did little to deter her from seeking their companionship anyways. “You are not one of mine, but brave enough to poke around here in this cold north.” She smiled, the antlers strapped to her skull occasionally gained and lost a perched feathered friend who took a turn peeking at the new bird as she stood there. Fickle things.


wormwood

Krakarak

It was hard not to notice them as they neared, the flock of ravens. He hadn't seen any birds and then now, there was a whole slew of them. For a few panic-stricken heartbeats he thought that his former group had tracked him down. That they'd crossed the waters just to find him and bring him to trial or execute him or both. However, before he thought to take off, he saw that he didn't recognize any of these birds. They were completely unknown to him which was a relief. He wouldn't be hunted down and killed today.

Or maybe he would be. If they were horribly territorial, anyway.

However, that didn't seem to be the case as he watched them all warily with wings half-spread, ready to fly at any moment if they seemed to be turning on him. Instead though, they all took a great interest in a wolf. A white one with a lovely dark head, as dark as any raven's feathers. The same went for her tail, dark as night. Neat.

She didn't seem aggressive to him either. Nor did she mind as the ravens flitted about her head and those antlers. Were they connected? He leaned forward, head tilting this way and that as he peered closer. He blinked at the other ravens, looking back as they looked at him. None of them seemed aggressive still and so, he let his wings rest at his sides. No longer poised to make a hasty getaway. "Krakarak never has seen straight-line-stones like this. Is different! Krak!" He explained, using a purple talon to tap the stone. "The cold make Krakarak think of home!" You know, before it got all terrible and murdery... Although, brave? He clacked his beak appreciatively at that. Yes. Yes he was quite brave. "Yours? Krakaw? You speak Corvid Tongue? Krak? Make friends with ravenfolk?" The curiosity could clearly be seen in those beady purple eyes as he looked from the wolf to her ravenkin. "All friends?" The question seemed to be posed not only to her but to her ravens at large.

"Kaw!"

Images © Vlad Bagacian, Rilvin | Coding © Plymouth

Absinth's gaze was alight with a mix of pride and affection as she observed the newcomer. The ravens fluttered around her, like a living cloak of feathers and whispers. They seemed just as curious about the strange bird as she was. She watched him closely, noticing the initial panic in his eyes give way to cautious curiosity.

As he relaxed his wings and spoke, Absinth grinned widely, nodding as she heard his broken speech. She quite enjoyed speaking to them, and as Aresenn had once said — she may have been more raven than wolf now. She stepped closer, her movements consistent and unthreatening to not jostle the birds atop her tines, allowing them to continue their dance around her antlered head. “Krakarak, is it? A fitting name for one so handsome as yourself,” She said, her voice gentle and welcoming, a purr to the timbre as she eyed him. “Yes, these straight-line stones are strange, aren't they? This is called The Wall.” She spoke normally, or what she considered normal for simple conversation with a corvid. Who could tell? At times there were some so very intelligent, and there were some who did not speak at all.

Her emerald gaze met his beady purple eyes, and she saw the curiosity and wonder reflected there. “I am from a cold place as well. It is very comforting here, much better than the heat of the south.” She smiled, her lips curling in that impish way, making her seem both kind and mischievous all in one monochromatic package. “My name is Absinth,” She continued, tilting her head down slightly in a bowing greeting. Her ears perked at the sound of her flock, who seemed to enunciate her words and lend their own introduction. They cawed loudly, a chorus of Lady Absinth! and Wolf-RavenKin! their eyes never leaving Krakarak. “And yes, these ravens are my friends, my kin. They speak to me, and I to them.” She raised a paw, and one of the ravens landed on her arm, its dark eyes studying Krakarak with interest. A kraw-ed Hello came from its thick beak.


wormwood

Krakarak

Krakarak could see her moving closer but he didn't move away. There was sincerity in her eyes along with a healthy dose of friendliness that lulled him into a sense of security. Her words pleased him even more, so much so that he began to shift from foot to foot. Almost like a little dance. "Is good name, ya? Krak Krak! Krakarak pick himself!" It was a point of pride for him as all the ravens in his old flock picked their names as hatchlings. A rite of passage, so to speak. As such, they were all very proud of their names. The very few times he'd talked to wolves they'd always had such strange names. Names that they didn't think up themselves. Weird creatures but this one? Yeah, this one seemed fine. He could see it in her eyes. He could hear it from her companions. "The Waaaaaallll? Wall! Krak!" Blegh. Stupid English words. They felt so wrong and strange on his tongue. "Шге уьвв!" The wall! He translated into his native tongue.

"Ya, ya! Krak! Cold better! Heat makes feathers feel heavy! Krakaw!" Probably because they were so dark. He was also just plain not as used to heat.

Then, she introduced herself and around her, the chorus of caws echoed. It excited him. Made him think of his home before the madness happened. "Ab! Abs-Absinth! Lady Absinth! Krak! Krak!" He croaked with them. Allowing himself for a moment to be taken by the feeling of being with the group again. "Геввд! Гду вдхж гьэе щдк феех оисехая усшг шге Вьащ ѝфясхшг?"Hello! How long have you been friends with the Lady Absinth? He fluttered forward as he spoke, closing the distance as he landed in front of the ravenwolf. Never before had he seen such a canine. Color him quite intrigued and drawn in. It was clear how taken she was with them... and them with her. "Ад щдк ьвв всэе хеьифщ?"Do you all live nearby? He wondered if she could understand them? A true kin of ravens.

"Kaw!"

Images © Vlad Bagacian, Rilvin | Coding © Plymouth