The story told long ago soon became a legend of a different sort; it evolved into a forbidden but beautiful tale; a tale only the mouth of the exotic could crave. Those who saw past the surface; they were the one were blessed with the curse of misunderstood light. Under the raven's black feathered wings was a darkness so dark that the untrained eye was blinded. A sinister orb hidden beneath the unrequited voice echoing from realm was held by the raven's wing. It was mysterious, an unknown lurking in uncharted territory. It was an obscure place; a palace no one dared to enter. Only the robin dared to look and see the veiled light hiding in the raven's dark eyes. And, oh, if the world was to know, they would say, but the raven can only be with the changer; the deceiver; the one who can transform into any being…the one who can be anyone, the one who could deceive without lying. Oh, the world would say, such a dark creature must be involved in such an indigenous web of lies. She, who lives amidst the darkness, must easily be made a fool and fall for the changer. And, oh, the robin, they would say, he must be with the beautiful star. But her beauty is only of the flesh; and although her soul echoes of innocence, she is also naïve; too naïve for the robin. Oh, but she could not possibly understand all of his hidden fears; his true face masked by the jubilance of his red-winged cloak. Oh, and though the star is strong, the raven is stronger.
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Mullet Fingers was awake, even though it was the middle of the night. He watched as his lover, Miley, and his sister, Beatrice, slept, so serenely, their faces so solemn and beautiful. He stared up at the ominous blue moon, smiling at its luminosity; frowning at its omen. He watched as the moon watched over the three of them. He knew that the moon was only a guise; a mere semblance representing all of the beings who have died and went to heaven. He knew that they were watching them…protecting them, yet also envious of what they could never again have themselves. Mullet Fingers was young, but he wasn't naïve. He had wizened to the subtle ways of nature, and he respected them. Sometimes he wished that there was some way he could speak to the eternal beings, just to let them know that he was grateful, that they had chosen to protect him instead of destroying him. It would have been easy, to destroy him.
Mullet Fingers sighed and tried to close his eyes, but he couldn't fall asleep. Every now and then the night was just too luminous for him to fall asleep and be oblivious to it all. Suddenly Mullet saw the shadow of a creature hiding behind a branch of a tree not that far away. He quietly got up and crept closer, careful not to disturb it. He respected its presence; usually such a creature strayed farther away, high up in the darkest sky of the night. Coming closer, he saw that it was a raven. The raven sat on the branch, its claws gripping the sandy wood not too tightly. It seemed to be staring afar, its glance averted, staring at the moon. Sometimes Mullet wondered why the raven only sang its true song during the night, but, really, he knew why. The raven was a dark creature; she must be, to hide her true identity; she must be, to protect those she loved from getting too close….to protect those she loved from her enemies destroying them. Animals had souls, just like humans did. Some might think that they were far simpler, but in reality they were far more complex. They were mystical, hard to understand, but if one took the time to look deeper, they were beautiful. Mullet listened as the raven started to crow; it was not a loud, agitated sound but rather a bittersweet melody, raw yet somehow gentle. Mullet watched in awe. He wanted to touch the raven but he knew that it would disturb the raven.
Mullet smiled and walked back to his sleeping place, and laid down besides Miley and Beatrice. He was a wanderer, a nomad. He had a restless spirit. Somehow, he knew that the only two people he loved, Miley and Beatrice, knew that and respected it. It felt great that there were actually a few people in the world who could accept him for exactly who he was. With them, he didn't have to wear Jake Ryan's red robin feathers to be loved.
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Legend says there will always be a happy ending. But there is more depth to legend than that which is always said and known. Yes, it radiates much deeper, into the orb of the unknown. Smiles would fall on the faces of only those who could accept that it was a bittersweet tale in nature.
Could the robin and the raven ever be together forever happily ever after? Maybe not. But they could be together the best they could, and maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't fall apart.
