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Gotham, 1600's
Ava Clawthorne was seen mostly as an outcast among the small group of colonists as she simply lived alone away from the small town as the local children were told to stay away from her home due to the several claims that she was a practice of dark and blood magic although she mostly stayed inside and rarely came out until one day when she had found a small bird with a broken leg to which she then took it in and soon more of them would stand outside from small songbirds to woodpeckers and much more as they would sometimes leave feathers that would fall off them to which Ava then sewed into her clothing while carving small models from tree bark.
Then one day was when a small group of young children had dared each other to go inside as they heard the cawing off birds seeing lots of them in the trees and some hovering in the sky. "Well do it then." A young girl said to her boyfriend to which he did as all the birds started looking at them as they entered the small wooden house seeing a few lit candles, knives, feathers all over the floor, birds carved into the wall, and a large boiling cauldron hanging over a fire with a spoon inside it as they looked and saw it was boiling red.
"Go on try it." One of the boys said. "What if it's a witch's brew?" "It's not."
A voice came from behind as the young teens jumped to see Ava standing at the door wearing a feather-covered dress wearing a hood which she took off showing her pale face and bright grey eyes as she held a basket with berries and mint which she then dumped into the cauldron and stirred. "Stew? No more for me and my companions then." She said while drinking from the cauldron as she slipped a mouse's tail and chewed on it with her sharp pointed teeth.
The teens then quickly ran out the door only for a large flock of birds to fly inside causing them to get sharp cuts from their talons and beaks as the birds then gathered around and started pecking at the cauldron to which Ava then spilled onto the floor showing fish heads, dead rats and mice, live worms, and nuts to which the birds then started eating while the teens then ran off as Ava simply croaked and moved her arms like a bird flying while the birds than landed on her arms and body.
Soon a small mob came in as they banged on the door to which Ava simply opened with a smile showing her bloody teeth and mouth. "Yes?" "Seize her." Soon Ava found herself tied standing in front of an audience as the crowd then shouted at her calling her things suck as "Devil's servant" "Witch" and "The Bird Woman." the last one which made her laugh.
Soon despite the several accusations, Ava was simply charged with attempted murder on youths and was sentenced to hang during which she was locked and chained to a cell as one of the victims' family members then visited her the night before her hanging. "Ah... yes Philip Wittebane what an honor it is," Ava said chuckling as the man then starred at her with hatred.
"Your birds scarred my brother, nearly took out his eye!" "Birds will do anything to protect the ones they care about." She told him as he then tried to reach for her but she simply moved out of the way while cackling. "Why are you here? Want to see justice done yourself?"
Philip simply glared before drawing out a small flintlock and pointing it at Ava's head. "Damn you to hell." BLAM! Ava then stumbled before falling on the ground with a bleeding chest as she coughed out blood and laughed. "What is the matter with you!?" Philip yelled as Ava then stood up and grabbed his arm bitting down on his hand as it drew blood as she then placed her blood-soaked hand onto his.
"Two families, Torn Apart, Now alone, Two Hearts one of Stone, A Curse Of Feathers And Mud, A Betrayal Of Blood!"
Ava said cryptically before falling to the floor as she slowly bleed out and soon the sound of caws and croaks of birds came closer as they surrounded the courthouse as they flew inside and surrounded Ava while Philip ran out of the building and went straight home where he quickly slammed the door and looked outside with fear. "Brother is something wrong?" "No... just go back to your studies."
Philip said as his brother did writing down another entry in his journal as his scar on his cheek was still healing as he heard what sounded like a knock on his window and he opened it to find a small cardinal at the window still as it flew in and landed on his desk. "Why hello there little one." He told it while gently patting its head. as it chirped causing the young teen to chuckle in delight as he started drawing it into his journal.
Later Philip then went to Ava's home torch in hand which he then tossed at it setting it ablaze as the cries and sounds coming from inside as the sound of screeching birds as the house then collapsed as the windows then broke as several birds then flew out while also attacking Philip clawing and pecking at him as he struggled to get away before he then blindly ran only to slip and fall into a ravine as it began to rain making it harder for him to get out of the water until he then pulled himself out now covered in mud as he was bleeding to the point where he could barely walk as he laid down in the cold wet mud as the rain made the water rise more as Philip struggled to get out as the sound of lightning came down on a tree which then broke and crushed him as his hand twitched a bit.
"Are you sure this is the place?" "Yes, my son it is." A man said to his young boy as they entered the small colony and built a large home next to a swamp. "Is it true what they said about mother?" "She was special and had her way with nature, Ill but special, I just wish she didn't come here before us. The man said as they two then made a makeshift grave with a rock as they carved the name Ava Clawthorne, beloved mother and wife.