Chapter 1
So I had done it.
I had finished my first test.
I had to admit I knew I would. Despite the bitter pretests from Ron and the other Pages.
The nick name Horse stuck with me. Every time I did something stupid or foolish-or even if I made an honest mistake.
I didn't care.
I was a loner, I didn't need anyone's help.
Though I thought it would be nice. My arms and legs burned all the time from the hard work.
And my eyes strained to see my work at night.
Me and Rake became even better friends. I don't really know why, seeing I am so mean to him all the time. But it is good to have at least one person to do my work with. Even if he is just a gardener.
It was Sunday, the day I had off when I was with Rake rushing to finish my homework.
I finished quickly, hoping to be able to go down to a stream outside of the city to bathe, or maybe just play around in.
I finished my work, said good bye, and started off to my room.
I was going past a courtyard door when something caught my eye.
Movement mayhap.
I stopped to look.
In the center of the empty cobblestone courtyard was a small dark lump.
It was rather big-maybe the size of my head, but longer.
I stared at it for a second or two before I realized what it was.
It was a bird. With sleek black fathers and a shining black beak. It stayed impossibly still. So I walked up to it. Looking down at it.
It looked as if it's wing might be broken. It lay there helpless, it's yellow eyes darting up at me with a pleading look.
I don't really know why I picked that bird up. I don't like animals much, in fact I hate most of them. Like my filly in the barn. But something told me to pick this little bird up. I did. I cradled it against my body without dropping my books, and walked out of the courtyard.
I guess I thought that I should take it to Diane, the wild mage.
Well, that's what I did, because next thing I knew I was knocking on her door.
She flung it open, a smile on her face, her curly hair bobbing.
"What's this?" she asked, her face going dark. She gently took the bird from my hand and cradled in in her own, gently cooing it.
I stood in the doorway, unable to move.
"Oh the poor little bird. Flown in from quite a ways off didn't you?" She soothed.
Then looked over its wing. When she had bandaged the wing I came into the room, which smelt of animals and had them crawling everywhere.
Then Diane looked at the crow in the eyes.
She almost yelped, then muttered sorry quite a few times to the bird.
She handed me the bird.
"There you have it." She said brushing the hair from her eyes.
"Have what?"
"Your bird. He will be as right as rain in a week or too, just make sure he stays off that wing of his."
"But he isn't my bird." She snorted.
"Of course he is. He chose you-oh my, I am terribly sorry how rude, I didn't even ask your name." She looked me in the eyes.
"Alanna." I finally managed.
"After the Lioness? How nice!" Diane had turned and started shifting through boxes of things. "Mine is Diane, though since you found me you probably already knew who I was."
"Why can't you keep the bird?"
"The Bird, has a name. And he doesn't want to stay, he told me that you were his master." I almost laughed, but the seriousness of her words made me not.
"What is his name?" I asked, looking at the bird. Diane stopped, rubbed her chin in thought.
"To say it in common is-more than difficult."
"Caw!" he cried.
"Oh yes, that's right, you told me she can call you Caw." Diane then looked at me.
"How original." I muttered. Why was I getting stuck with this bird? I should have just left him in the courtyard.
Diane had finished digging through boxes and pulled out a bird cage, then went across the room and dragged a hook that would stand on the floor up next to it.
"Here you are." She said, then went through her cabinets until she found a bottle of something. The label was worn off, and there was about half a bottle left.
"Go ahead and put a drop of it in a water dish for him, it will help him get better." She then looked me up and down. "I'll call a page to help you take this stuff to your room."
"No, no!" I said suddenly. "I can take two trips." So I left the bird with her and put the medicine in my pocket, pulled the heavy pole to the bird cage stand over my shoulder and grabbed the cage in the other. I made off to my room. Getting sneers from my fellow pages. And then went back. I gathered my homework and Caw, whom Diane had wrapped up in a blanket, and set off back to my room. When I had Caw all settled in the cage, with an empty inkwell full of water, and bread crumbs on the bottom of the cage Diane had knocked on my door. She brought me seed for Caw, a small one pound bag, but it would last awhile, mixed with bread crumbs as she told me too.
That night Caw was silent as he slept. And I fell asleep thinking how stupid I was for picking up a bird-now what was I to do?