#2 Where I grew up
I’m restless when I’m here, back in the little town of Ravnea, and the raven kingdom, that I suppose will always be home. I’m observing the folks that do call this home, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t feel the same. Where I find Ravnea a quint, little town, the shops satisfactory and the company interesting – I still feel restless and a sense of not belonging.
I envy Queen Venla – and for those of you who don’t know, she’s the Queen of Ravnea – she just all of a sudden one day belonged. Forvitri is convinced it’s because her name means ‘to belong’ – and maybe that is her spiritual aspect. She certainly inspires many to feel the same. But as you might have guessed – not me. This too inspired me to search elsewhere, to travel the realm.
I look around. This is the old house where I grew up. The enchantments have kept most of the things intact from how it was the day my family became ravens. My family. Well, don’t misunderstand. I never bonded with anyone, and I have no children – unlike Forvitri. Mother and father had taken my twin sister Undr to visit old acquaintances when it happened – when we all became ravens for an unforeseeable future. They never came back though – not even as ravens. I looked for them – back then when I was only thought – but unsuccessfully.
Many times, I have wished that I remembered where they said they would fly that day, but my mind remains blank. Whenever I’m back here, I wander around the house looking for clues. I open books and close them again. I search the deepest corners of drawers and cupboards – but they all remain as I remembered them from last time.
I guess it’s my house now, but I think of it as ours – and it will be ours again when they return, or when I find them. At times I’m angry that they haven’t come back, but I know many kingdoms suffer after the ancient wars and the erection of the veil. Even if the raven curse happened long after. Perhaps they are trapped somewhere – in one of the kingdoms that need help?
I haven’t even told Forvitri about this – and a part of me is afraid that she will discourage me. Maybe it’s the same part of myself that too thinks this is pointless. That I’m too late.
If I’ve learnt one thing, then it’s this.
Nothing’s ever pointless. It’s a process. It might seem dark at times, but there is always hope.
Feathers and lore,
There’s much, much more,
//Ást
Wild orchids
I didn’t realise walking would take so long. Ravens don’t normally walk for long stretches. We fly. But since Linnea and her father don’t fly, walking is our only option. For a long time, I’ve had no choice but to accept my circumstances. This is just the same. I just have to accept what is […]
#16 A veterinarian
Summer nights are bright, the sun merely kissing the horizon. I’ve taken a seat on the tiny front step to the small cabin – and as I sit here I let my eyes wander. The red painted wooden houses, and the small yard in the middle – then the tree line closing this place in […]
#15 A moment to myself
Travelling by wing is infinitely better than travelling by machine. And you all know how I feel about changing into my raven skin after centuries trapped in it. Still, this is freedom. I find myself rethinking the ways in which to be imprisoned, and I wonder if perhaps my sister is too – somewhere in […]
#14 Maybe we should fly
Pizza lacks enough meat to satisfy my raven and is completely drenched in melted cheese. Remind me to never have it again. My stomach is still rebelling, and it’s known to be made of steel. It might also be the means of travel upsetting my stomach. I’m no longer trying to follow the road with […]
#13 What if it’s a trick
Everything is a flurry of motion. Linnea is here, then there. Making more calls. Someone’s at the door collecting a set of keys to her ‘practice’, and by the time Linnea’s father shows up, she’s all set and ready to go. I’m impressed, despite myself, of the efficiency completely disguised by chaos. “Ást, Hräsvelg, this […]
#12 And then they were four
“I need to make a few calls,” Linnea says, and goes to collect a strange, flat device. When she flicks her fingers over the glass surface it lights up in different colours – just like magic. I study it, pondering what she means with making a few calls. Are we visiting people? A beep is […]
#11 “I thought she was dead,” Linnea says.
Linnea’s eyes grow impossibly wider, and at first I’m convinced Hräsvelg’s appearance crumbled what little progress I’d made with Linnea. But she takes a few deep, strengthening breaths, then looks between the two of us. “Wow,” she says, and shakes her head. Her hair is even lighter in colour than Queen Venla’s, and it’s tied […]
#10 The realm of machines
The morning sky is the same, yet different. Another realm – it’s such a strange and uncanny feeling to be here. I’m further from home than I’ve ever been. “Where to?” Hräsvelg asks me. I can’t believe he’s still here, and yet, undeniably he is. He kept the fire going all night, then he got […]
#9 Please steal me away
We’ve stayed the night at the Gränstorp central inn – a small, quiet town where reality wears a crack. A good night’s sleep has at least restored some of my patience. Still, I don’t blame the innkeeper for the wary looks he’s giving Hräsvelg. My ‘companion’, despite the large variety of elementals visiting this small […]
#8 Friend or foe?
I’m still staring at him – this stranger that I’ve apparently flown into unwittingly. I can’t wrap my mind around how it happened. I was so careful reading the winds and the landscape – I should have noticed another flying creature. Well, I’m supposing he flies, how else could he have been up there in […]