Raven Kills Everybody

Raven Kills Everybody 

People don't talk about it any more, about the first man to break the rules. Was he even a man at all? Perhaps, he was moreso a god, before the gods were ever conceived...a people who have been incarnated in the forms of celestial beings and ethereal creatures, the inspiration behind them all.  

Excuse me, as I sip my tea. Ah, yes, now, where were we. 

Well, as you know, in a time long ago, it was the Changing Times. Falcon had been soaring the skies all day, in search of his prey. He wanted to get a good meal to bring home to his wife. As he flew over the lakes, in what we now call the Great Lakes region, he spotted Duck. Duck’s succulent body called out to Falcon, finding itself gripped in his talons...his entrails stretching from his abdomen to the end of Falcon’s sharp beak.  

While Falcon feasted on his prey, his wife, Nightingale, was fluttering through the forest. She was following a sweet song, a rhyme singing through the air. 

A lady so sweet 

How shall we meet 

Shall we dance 

And move our feet? 

The rhyme repeated, over and over again, drawing the Nightingale ever closer to the source. When she finally happened upon a bed of Black Eyed Susans and Queen Anne’s Lace, before they were known as such, she spotted the majestic Raven. The sunlight shining through the trees reflected off his glossy black feathers as Nightingale approached him from behind, his head raised to produce his song. 

Nightingale fluttered to land beside Raven. He turned his head slightly, never missing a note. Before long, Nightingale was joining in the chorus. She put her soul into four little lines, her voice intertwining with Raven’s, forming a sonic child of melody and harmony. They were joined by Cardinal, Canary and Blue Jay, conducting a symphony. 

Together, Raven and Nightingale sang into the night. At night, it would be too dangerous to sing and song, even for beings in a time before gods were gods. The two parted ways without words. 

When Nightingale returned to her home, Falcon was patiently waiting. Falcon was fierce, a bold hunter, the king of the skies, the Sun. Nightingale thought about Raven. Raven was like the dark night, full of mystery, the shadow of the world, but he was no hunter, just a lowly scavenger, akin to a flying roach...but his song was so beautiful. She wanted to know more about Raven, the night clad singer. 

Any time Falcon went out to hunt, Nightingale would go on a search for Raven’s song. If successful, she would join him. There were moments when Nightingale could not pronounce the words, because they were simply sounds, the sound of a dripping faucet, for instance, before there were faucets. In fact, I am fairly certain that the sound of a dripping faucet was invented by Raven himself, on that day, for the ears of Nightingale as he would begin to do, with regular frequency. 

Raven began seeking Nightingale out. His influence had enticed her to sing on her daily flights around the forest, in moments when she was perched a tree branch moved by what ever natural phenomena she’d witnessed that day. Each time he found her, he would have a new sound that she had never heard before, a new rhythm, a new tempo.  

As time moved on, Nightingale began to fall out of love with Falcon. She had no doubt of his immense talents, of his strengths and virtues, but Raven had stolen her heart. Although she loved the luxuries that came with the love of Falcon, Raven seemed to be as close to a god as one could be. He could create things, make ripples in space every time a song formed in his brain, before brains were brains. There were moments, on days when Raven and Nightingale would be fluttering through the forest, playing in the sky, when Raven would craft a small tool from a stick and draw in the sand, capturing Nightingale’s beauty. 

Nightingale came home less and less. In a time before days were days, and weeks were weeks, everything just happened as one long moment of existence. Life happened to Falcon, blossoming into a life where his greatest love, aside from hunting, was slowly moving away from him. Falcon’s anxiety over Nightingale’s long absences kept him up at night. 

One night, Falcon finally asked her. “Do you still love me?” 

Now, Nightingale may have fallen in love with another being, but she was far from a liar. “I don’t know.” she admitted. 

“Why don’t you know?” 

“I’ve met someone else.” 

“It is Raven. I know.” Falcon said, sharply. 

“How? You have seen me?” 

“I am King of the Skies. I see all.” Falcon huffed. “So, who will it be? Me, or the scavenger?” 

“I must have time to think. I’m sorry, I just...I don’t know.” 

Falcon made love to Nightingale and her memories of why she’d fallen in love with him in the beginning came flooding back. She had no clue as to what kind of lover Raven was, but she was sure his song might be evidence that he was a good one. Falcon was good too. She loved how he hugged her and whispered into her ear, kissing her earlobes. 

Nightingale began spending less and less time in the forests with Raven. However, when ever the Sun was falling, Nightingale would sit outside of her window, in a time before windows were windows, and sing her song. She knew Raven would hear her and come find her, if he truly loved her. If he truly loved her, she thought, Raven would create a way to make her fall in love with him and prove himself as the one worthy of Nightingale’s hand. 

“Your song is so beautiful.” Falcon said, rubbing Nightingale’s shoulders. 

“It is full of love...” she replied, kissing him. 

There came a day when Raven would finally make his appearance. It all started while Nightingale was fluttering through the forest, gathering food and playing with Squirrel, Rabbit and Mouse. Cardinal, Blue Jay and Canary arrived, singing a song Nightingale had not yet heard.  

“Where did you learn that?” she asked the trio. 

“From the Great Raven. King of the Skies!” they replied. 

The Trio held Nightingale’s attention. Meanwhile, Raven was flying to the place where he’d heard that familiar sound, the sound of Nightingale’s voice singing into the sky. He’d flown by for night after night, just to hear it. He knew it was Nightingale and his heart ached to finally be her one true lover. Raven knew that Falcon would never give up his beloved Nightingale unless he felt that Nightingale did not truly love him. And so, Raven decided to wait inside Nightingale and Falcon’s home. 

As Falcon approached, Roach alerted Raven. When Falcon reached his home, Raven called out. 

“Honey, don’t come in here!” Raven shouted, in Nightingale’s voice. 

“Why, my beloved, what is wrong?” Falcon was shocked. 

“I have chosen Raven to be my lover for now and eternity.” Raven twisted and turned his voice to imitate Nightingale’s. “Leave me!” 

Falcon stumbled back from the door, in shock. His heart sank in his chest. For the first time since infancy, tears formed in his eyes and dripped down his face, dangling momentarily, off his chin. Rather than beg and plead with who he thought was Nightingale, Falcon flapped his wings and flew off into the sky with his heart broken into a million pieces. 

When Falcon was out of sight, Raven cackled to himself. Soon, he would have Nightingale all to himself. With Falcon out of the way, Raven would be free to love the woman of his dream and compete with no one. 

By the time Nightingale returned home, Raven was gone. She waited night after night for Falcon to return, but he never showed. Even more strangely, the Sun never rose in the sky either. The dark night lingered over the sky for weeks upon weeks. Nightingale shivered as snow formed in the clouds and the cold wind blew a blizzard over the entire land. 

Sighting his opportunity, Raven went to comfort Nightingale, slowly reeling her into a kiss. Feeling abandoned by Falcon, Nightingale melted in Raven’s arms. The heart that ached for Falcon was renewed with a love for Raven. For months on end, Nightingale fell deeper and deeper in love with Raven, while the land plunged deeper and deeper into a dark winter. 

Before long, the lakes froze into solid ice, killing all of the fish who called them home. Then, the trees and bushes withered into wooden skeletons. There was no food for Deer, Rabbit, Squirrel, Raccoon or any of the other animals, save for Wolf, Bear, Fox, Coyote and Cougar. Though Nightingale was full of love, her stomach was empty. Soon, the world would be empty too. 

With the Earth plunged into death, Raven had plenty of food to eat. He traveled the land feeding on the corpses of his fallen brothers and sisters of the Earth. While most of the others were starving, shriveling into skin and bones, Raven was growing larger and more powerful. Nothing he ate could satiate his appetite. Eventually, everyone was forced to accept that with the Sun gone, Raven had become King of the Skies. 

However, there came a day when Raven’s appetite would finally get the best of him. As all life faded away from Earth, the number of the dead began to dwindle. Soon, there were no other corpses for Raven to consume. All he had left in the world was Nightingale, who’d only managed to stay alive out of her love for Raven. She had withered away like all the others. Raven joined her in her suffering and when he realized what life was like without food, he began to regret his decision to steal Falcon’s wife. 

Had Raven not stolen Falcon’s wife with trickery, Falcon would have never become heartbroken and made the Sun fall. Life would be flourishing on Earth, with new food popping every second of every day, as things were born and died. The entire Animal and Plant Kingdoms would not have suffered, starved to death until nothing was left. 

This was in a time before gods. This was when Earth saw what would happen when her children were given responsibilities they could not handle. And so, Earth shifted into a new age. Every soul got a new body, sprouting into a new era, an era in which everyone would be forced to stick to one body and no one but the Earth could change. Earth deemed that everyone would be born with the tools to survive in the bodies they were given for however long they were needed. This was in a time before Man.