Placing the last egg into the bowl I glanced up into the aviary. Smiling, I put the feeding bowl out "Boys!"

The call was met with a buffeting of wings as 7 ravens landed in the feeding area. "Breakfast, boys. Mathies, Elias, Tobias, Liam, Leon, Hugo, Matteo."

Each of the ravens trilled as I walked by and stroked their beaks. "We've got fresh chicken eggs, grasshoppers, with a bit of cereal grain."

The menu was met with a chorus of "Jaybird! Jaybird!"

Chuckling, I stepped back. Watching them as they picked up the eggs and dropped them onto the straw strewn floor. Each of them alighted and gorged themselves on the orange yolk. Tobias threw back his head as he gulped down his eggy breakfast. After picking over some of the cereal grain, he flew over and landed on my shoulder. Before I could stop him, he picked through my hair with his slime covered beak. "Tobias! Christ, common! Gross!"

The bastard warbled, as if he were laughing. Batting him away I picked at my hair. "Honestly, every morning with you guys!"

Bits of gooey egg white clung to my hair. My Unkindness of ravens all began to chortle as I attempted to clean the mess. "Glass Mountain… rrrr glass mountain!"

They started to flit around me until I waved them off and made for the aviary exit. Just as I stepped out and closed the door, I heard footsteps. "A new haircare regiment, Ms. Vesper."

The voice made my skin crawl, locking the door I pushed past my visitor. "Madam Mayor, what can I do for you?"

Her pretty painted lips quirked a little as her eyes narrowed as she took in my feathered family. "Disgusting creatures."

Walking past her, I found myself muttering "Yes, yes you are."

"Excuse me?"

I turned and smiled "I was just commenting on this vicious weather we're having."

Fixing me with one of her venomous smiles, she agreed "Yes, it looks like we're in for a rough winter."

She wanted something, or at the very least to complain about something, "I'm sorry Mayor, but I have to get back to my garden, was there something you needed?"

Regina nodded, that little smirk very much present. "I've been receiving complaints about the damage your ravens are doing to the local crops."

This again, honestly ever since my apples almost beat the Mayor's in the Farmer's market competition, she's always had it out for me. Particularly my ravens. "Madam Mayor, we've already talked about this, my ravens never leave the aviary unless I am with them. I only move them when I bring them closer to town for the winter."

Regina continued to smile "Yes, and they riled up the wild birds and started eating my apples."

Raising an eyebrow, I glanced at my semi-behaved brood and shook my head. "Regina, I don't have control over the wild bird population. The fact that you think I do, is a bit worrisome, I'd have to be some sort of witch…."

The mayor sneered and I leaned in "And that wouldn't work, because Storybrooke only has room enough for one witch."

Her face turned a delightful shade of apple red. "Excuse me!?"

Turning away, I walked back toward my garden, throwing one last dig over my shoulder. "Or you could invest in a good scarecrow, better yet, just stand next to your precious tree, Regina. You scare my boys enough, I'm sure the wild birds will be the same."

Opening the gate to my garden, I slammed it shut and watched as Regina stormed off the property. With a sigh, I pulled on my gardening gloves and went about exhuming the beets from the cool earth. Tomorrow was Saturday and that marked the weekly Farmer's Market, which was held in the town square. It was one of the few instances where the locals of Storybrooke willingly interacted with me. After all, I was the weird lady with an affinity for flying scavengers. Smirking I looked toward the aviary, the ravens were stirring up a bit of noise, as if they were carrying on a rather heated argument.

With a sigh, I fell back on my haunches and pulled out my gardening knife from my toolbox and set to cutting away at the large spray of chives, and then turning to pull out the green onions. I spent the next few hours tending to the garden and harvesting my wares for market tomorrow. Getting up, I went and took a seat on the stump that sat in the corner of my garden, under my small grove of apples. Wiping away the beads of sweat on my forehead, I began to sing to myself.

There were three ravens, sat on a tree

Down a down, hey down, hey down

They were as black, as black could be, hey down

Then one of them said, unto his mate

Where should we, our breakfast take?

With a down, derrie, derry, derry down, down.

The ravens had gone quiet at my voice, as if they were listening. When I looked their way, they were lined at the aviary door, almost as if in a trance. Getting up, I walked over to them

Down in yonder green field,
Down-a-down, Hey! Down-a-down,
There lies a knight slain under his shield, with a down
Down there comes a fallow doe,
As great with young as she might go
With a down, derry derry derry, down, down.

Their beady black eyes seemed to be staring into the depths of my soul, there seemed almost a sadness in their eyes. Reaching through the mesh, I stroked each of their beaks. Mathies clicked and trilled "7 blackbirds in a tree, count them…. Count them…"

Chuckling, I stroked the bit of plumage on his chin. "Where do you learn these things?"

She lifted up his bloody head,
Down-a-down, Hey! Down-a-down,
And kissed his wounds that were so red, with a down
She got him up across her back
And carried him to the earthen lack.
With a down derry derry derry down, down

Chuckling, I wiped my hands on my jeans and went back to the house. I needed a coffee, and I didn't feel like making it myself. Grabbing my shoulder bag from near the door along with my keys, I locked up and made for the truck. One could always use a cuppa from Granny's, honestly it was just a simple cup of black coffee, but there was something nice about sitting in the back of the diner and basking in everyone's innate desire to avoid me.