Thought and Memory

It clawed from free of the fleshy sack that had been its haven these past days. Blood and mucus came away from its body in thick strings and it stretched its small limbs climbing awkwardly to its feet. It mewed helplessly into the night but then fear of what might answer caused it to fall into silence.

Looking down it watched as the other struggled for breath, clawing pathetically at the wound in its chest. They shared quiet beastile whines as it tried to help free its twin from the birthing sack. Blood oozed from the wound and then from the others mouth. This could not be, the other could not be lost.

They shared a knowing look and with sudden violence it screamed out and thrust its clawed hand into the wound of the other, ignoring the agony of its twin as it sought the vital organ. Then with a sharp pull it tore free the heart and held it for a moment beating in his hand as the other ceased its struggling.

With a final pathetic mew it brought the heart to its beaked mouth and swallowed it whole, closing its eyes as the organ found its place within. It was shear agony, but it did not flinch or cry out until twin hearts began to beat as one within its chest. Thought and memory made whole.

It studied its own form then. Alien and demonic, this would not do. It needed to be close to mother and her companions. The hag had been so sure of that. It needed to be accepted, to be loved. There could be no answer to the death of its twin now, the bright woman had been slain by the recoiling of the shadows magic, she had already answered for her crime.

With a soft flutter and a flash of feathers it took on a new form and stood over its demon twin in the shape of a young raven. For the first time in over one hundred years it released a proud caw into the night air before settling down to feed on the meaty feast before it.

Its beak was thick with blood when the elf girl came running by. She threw herself down against the trunk of a distant tree and began to weep. It watched her for a time cocking its head this way and that in the way of Ravens. The familiarity of this form was flooding back and with a broad stroke of its wings it took to the air, climbing up amongst the trees only then to descend and come to rest but a few feet from the weeping Luna.

"Caaaw" the Raven cocked its head to one side as it waited for the elf girl to look up.