The Crow (Solo)

[Aello]

Fall 8, 511 AV Aello strode through the alleyways of Ravok, crossing over narrow bridges that led over the lake, and through slender paths overrun by the city's many citizens. She was looking for a quiet place. A place in which she may clear her mind, and check over her belongings, just to be certain that everything was in order. As she made her way through everything, Aello had the perfect place in mind. A street buried in the center of the city, between two narrow strips of water. The only way onto and away from the narrow street she had in mind, was a small, rickety bridge, to the south end of it. As she pushed through the throngs of people, everything seemed to lessen after a time. The width of the streets, the noise, the amount of people that surrounded her, until she was met with nothingness. With only the path set before her two feet. Instead of making Aello anxious, this served to calm her, for it meant that she would have a bit of privacy. Yet, even so, the girl tightened her grip upon her father's old bow, which she kept in her left hand. This seemed to be more out of habit, than anything else. Yune rested atop her left shoulder, as Aello strolled through the city in silence, until she reached the rickety old wooden bridge, and crossed it, stepping down on the road at the other side. It surprised her that the creaking boards failed to rouse whoever sat in the center of the street in the lotus position. Surprised her even more than finding another living person in this portion of the city. Instinctually, Aello called her magic forth, so that she may peer into the man's aura, and see if he was a threat. She could hear birds calling off in the distance to each other. Cawing really, like crows. She could make out the sound of the wind whistling, softly, tossing something around. Something that produced a low hissing noise, like sand. Although, Aello couldn't make out the sound of water too, which she was certain, should accompany the sand. This finding, or lack thereof, confused her, as she felt the heat of the sun warm her face. Make it feel as though it were sizzling. Aello could just make out a series of black feathers, producing something along the lines of a halo around the man. They were transparent though, and allowed the girl to take in the dark waters of the lake, behind him. He comes from a place of immense heat, Aello's mind whispered, as she simply stared, stupidly, her pupils dilating. He is calm, and should not pose a threat to you, unless you provoke him. Aello nodded, as she willed her magic away, and inched closer to the man, as silently as she could. As she neared, she could just begin to make out his features. His copper skin, his large hands, which rested upon his knees, palms facing up towards the sky, as though he were in meditation. His jet-black hair tumbled down the length of his form, until it settled in the center of his back. A single white feather, was beaded into place. Aello hadn't seen anything like him before, and thoroughly, wondered who and what this mysterious man was. She crept closer, raising her legs high, before placing them down, to lessen any sound she would make as she approached. Yet, despite her being relatively quiet, the man opened his right eye, revealing a single, black orb. Dark as night. Taken aback, Aello took a half a step away. The man smiled knowingly. "What are you doing here little one?" he asked. "I might ask you the same question," Aello replied. The man's smile widened. "Meditating." "Meditating on what?" Aello asked. "You seem to be at great peace, and I would like to know what brings it to you." "I am meditating on the sight of a majestic crow," the man answered. "A crow? Majestic? But where I come from, they are always seen as pests. Ugly things, how have you come to find the crow so beautiful? So calming in their caws?" Aello asked. "Where are you from?" the stranger inquired. "Not around here, really. I grew up in Zeltiva," Aello responded. The man nodded. "That explains a lot." Aello's brow furrowed. "What is that supposed to mean?" The man closed his eye. "Nothing," was all he said.

[Aello]

Aello stood for a moment, in silence. Completely and utterly confused by the strange man's remarks. Finally, however, she shrugged, and decided to give his words a chance. Just to see if he was truly off his rocker, or if they held any merit. Thus, she inched closer to him, and gently, eased her belongings down, placing them in a large pile to her right side. When she was done, she took up the lotus position just in front of him, no more than a few feet away. The man opened a single eye. He was watching her. "Come to meditate?" he asked. Aello nodded. "Perhaps, if given the chance, the crow will serve to calm me too." The man nodded, and closed his eye again. Following suit, Aello closed each of her eyes. She pictured a stark white background, with nothing else. A white blanket, which stretched out in every which direction, for as far as her eye could see. As soon as this simple image had taken hold within the confines of her mind, Aello began to add more. At first, she pictured a simple black orb in the center of the white space. But after awhile, she gave it texture. Allowing little lines to form across the length of the orb, before she turned each of these lines into a more clearly defined shape. Feathers. Hundreds of them. She stretched the orb out, and formed the crow's back. Before adding two wings. One sprouting out of each side of its back. Next came its tail. Its head. Its beady black eyes, and black beak, with a slender white line in a middle. Last were its two legs, with four long, sickly-skinned looking toes. Three pointed forwards, one back. With a curled, sharp looking black nail, similar to wolf claws. Aello imagined hearing it call to an imaginary friend. Cawing, as it flapped its wings. Spreading its feathers out, fanning them, for all to see. The sound seemed to reverberate within the confines of her ears. Cause her to cringe, as she imagined the bird taking wing. She imagined it looking across the white in search of something. Food perhaps. Someone to bother. Something shiny to steal. Aello cringed again. This simply, was not working. Aello opened both of her eyes, settling the brown on the man's copper-colored skin. Several beads of sweat had appeared on her brow. "What do you imagine this crow doing?" she asked. "For I cannot find a way for it to settle me." The man opened a single, coal black eye. "Then you have not tried hard enough. You should try again... perhaps think of it playing with the companion on your shoulder." "Yune?" Aello asked, as she raised a single brow. The man nodded, and closed his eye again, shutting her out, in favor of his meditation. Aello sighed, and closed both of her eyes. It was easy enough to call the crow back, to add a touch of brown, and a pinch of gold, in order to create her own companion. The sparrow she had grown to know so well. To love. To care for. She imagined both of the birds on the large white expanse. Flying together. Yune leading the crow, and chirping back to it. As though taunting him. Calling to him, that he should catch up, if he could. Go a little faster, if he could manage. The crow cawwed back, seemingly saying that he would. The crow seemed to pick up speed, gaining on Yune, who, taking the increasing speed as a sort of challenge, simply flew faster. Aello laughed inwardly, as she watched the two birds dart about. Winding this way and that. Yune trying to get the crow off her tail, as the crow tried to catch her. After several moments, Aello opened her eyes. She felt a bit better, but still, this sort of meditation didn't do as much for her as some of her other ones had. "Stranger, how is it that you grow so calm thinking of the crow?" Aello asked. "For even when Yune accompanies him, I do not find these thoughts as calming as some others. As calming as some other points of meditation." The man opened a single eye, and peered at Aello. He breathed deeply in through the nose, and out through the mouth, calming himself. Perhaps he found Aello's questions annoying, and found the need to calm himself in order to remain patient with her. Or perhaps, he found the questions simple, and without need of explanation. Or, he could simply, wish not to lose the sense of inner peace he was experiencing, while trying to explain. He seemed calm enough, willing enough, should Aello remain patient with him. Even so, after having taken several breaths, the man said nothing. Leaving Aello confused. Obviously, he had heard her question. Surely, he had an answer. "Does the crow mean something to you sir?" Aello asked. "Is it as special to you as Yune is to me?" she asked. The man smiled. The gesture overtaking his face. "The crow is like a brother," he said calmly. "How so?" Aello asked, as she tilted her head slightly to the side. Showing that she was more than willing to listen to what he had to say.

[Aello]

The man raised his right hand, and scratched his chin, before returning it to his knee. "Perhaps your question is best answered with another series of questions." "But that isn't a question, or a series of them," Aello commented. "No," the man responded simply. "But the following is a question. Do you know what I am, little one?" he inquired. "You mean, to which race you belong?" Aello asked. The man nodded. "No, I have never seen anything quite like you before... or at least, I don't think I have." The man smiled weakly. "That is not surprising. I too, am a long way from my home. I am a Chaktawe, come all the way from Eyktol. An area mainly comprised of deserts." Aello nodded, although, she wasn't entirely sure what a desert looked like. Considering she'd never found herself in one. She just knew they were hot, and had a lot of sand. "There, my people worship two gods, predominately. The first, is Makutsi, goddess of all waters but the sea. The second, is Eywaat, the god of crows." Aello smiled. That explains a lot. One of his patron gods is the god of crows... no wonder why he feels so calmed by the image. "Does this god take the form of the crow?" Aello asked. "Is that why you envision the crow? To be close to him? Or is it simply because your god favors them so?" "Sometimes he takes the form of a crow. Sometimes he is said to appear as though he is any other sort of bird, but far larger than they would normally be. Sometimes, he comes as a man with dark hair, and a larger nose. Presumably, like a beak," the man explained. "So why imagine him that way, if he seems to favor all birds? If he can manifest in all those forms?" Aello asked. "Because the crow and the raven, dark-feathered birds, seem to be those he favors most. Those he is closest to," the man replied. Aello nodded. "How do you get past their caws? How do you get them to play tunes that are music to ears, much like the songbird?" Aello asked. "I don't mean to insult your means of meditation, or your god, but, the caws always put me ill at ease. Perhaps it was simply how I was raised... It can be difficult to break a habit, once it has formed." The man smiled, knowingly, as he opened his other eye. The sunlight seemed to make them sparkle. Like a night sky with a single star to illuminate it. "Perhaps, little one, it would be best if you started without the crow's song... until you could learn to truly appreciate it. The way it moves. The sound it makes when its wings flap, or it perches upon a tree branch... for although you may, putting another bird's words in a crow's lips, simply, does not seem proper." Aello nodded. "That is sound advice, stranger." He closed his eyes.

[Aello]

Shortly thereafter, Aello closed her own eyes as well. Shutting out the world. She pictured the large, white expanse. Sweeping from one end of her vision, to the other once more. Within seconds, she had added a single crow. She watched as it turned its head slowly, back and forth, as though looking for something, before it spread its wings. She saw each of its deep, black feathers fan out. Stretch, so that she could see each of them. She began to count them, one... two... three... four... The bird began to flap its wings. Slowly, producing a low whistling sound. As the wings picked up speed, it was more of a whooshing sound. And as it leapt off an imaginary perch, and flapped them in order to remain aloft, the crow's wings produced an even greater noise. Is this the music of the crow? Aello wondered, as she watched the bird in silence, as it flew across an endless sea of white. As it flicked its head back and forth, adding to the noise it produced. As it curled and uncurled its feet. As though grasping at an imaginary perch, and then thinking better of it. She imagined it cawing once, as though asking for a companion to join it. Aello imagined a second crow then, simply to put the first at ease. She imagined them flying together, next to each other. Their dark wings nearly touching. The flapping of their wings beating in unison. Is this the music? Or did the man mean something more? Aello wondered, as she continued to watch them in silence, until she felt something upon her knee. Aello opened her eyes, to find the man's right hand upon her limb. "Did you find the song of the crow?" he asked. "You have been meditating on it for a time." Aello blinked a few times. It hadn't felt like it was too long, but as she glanced up at the sun, she realized it must have been at least half an hour. "I just listened to the flapping of its wings, the sound it produced." The man nodded. "Is that the song of the crow?" Aello asked. The man smiled weakly. "Only part of its song." Aello glanced down at the ground, clearly disappointed in herself. She wished she knew what the rest of the crow's song consisted of. But she had a funny feeling, that the man wouldn't tell her, and she wouldn't find out for a long time. "Perhaps if I ask Eywaat, he will help me to find their music," Aello whispered. "Perhaps," the man said simply, as Yune woke, chirping in a mass hysteria. Her own music. Her own sound. Aello sighed. "Someone is hungry," she whispered, as she eased herself onto her feet. The sound of her bird, simply could not be ignored. "Enjoy the rest of your day," she remarked, as she gathered her things, and moved to another section of the city, where she could feed her bird without disturbing the Chaktawe.

[Paragon]

Aello : Aello Skill XP Reward Meditation +3 Auristics +1 Land Navigation +1 Interrogation +1 Lore: Recognising a Chaktawe, Eywaat the Crow God, The Crow's Song Other: N/A Nice little thread - I enjoyed the descriptions of Aello meditating! You'll recognise Chaktawe in future, and I gave you a few XP for meditation since you went into detail. With auristics, you'll get more XP if you go into more detail - if you have ANY questions or concerns about this grading, don't hesitate to PM me.