Chapter 6 - Ethan
The road looked like a treadmill. It didn't seem to go anywhere and kept returning to itself over and over again. Jim felt he didn't need the exercise. He looked back at the tower in wonder and concern. Going away?, he thought. He didn't like the sound of that. Not one bit.
The sun shined down upon the beaten path the titans traveled. It was ten o'clock in the morning. The birds chirped their songs; the crickets ended theirs long ago. Unusual for February, waves of warm air basked the land and cleansed it of its impurities. Jim's shoe touched and made friends with the ground as the Titans jetted even further ahead of him. He stood and contemplated the meaning of Raven's words. Leaving...
"Cyborg, what is wrong?"
Starfire had come back to get Jim moving again, but Jim instead squatted and hovered over the dull rocks that were scattered in the vicinity. He picked one up. "Nothin', Star." He was tempted to tell her what Raven had spoken, but he couldn't be sure if her words were meant for his ears only. He attempted to crumple the rock with his human fist, but it wasn't like the old days anymore. It cracked and fell into two. "Nothin'." He got up as fast as he sat down and ran. Starfire, staying behind, looked at him and wondered, just as any alien girl would do. She soon followed, the sun close behind her shining red hair.
Water dripped down and splattered against the cool rock ground. Another drop fell, but it found home upon the back of a lizard as it crawled into the path of the water. Hissing, it escaped out of the cave and through Raven's legs as she entered. A bat got spooked and exited with the lizard.
Alone, Raven sat down by a stream of water and doused her already soaked face into it. The tears were eradicated, but Raven's emotion remained. Anger radiated from her very being, as did sadness and woe. Her newfound powers were wonderful and terrible at the same time, and it would cost her freedom and a life her mother had so wished her. Soon, the pool of water had a new fountain contributing to its mass, as memories attained by her powers of premonition came rushing to her...
It was a morning like any other. The dew on the leaves of the Oaks shined in correspondence with the slowly rising sun. Crickets coursed their siren song, and slowly it dwindled until it was replaced by the happy chirping of the birds. Jacks and fawns played together in harmony with the new day. Even the bears came out and greeted the sun; for it was the first time in a while many of them had done so. A small clearing with a tent and a ring of rocks with a burnt out fire completed the scene. A man's silhouette formed on the side of the tent and showed that he was sleeping soundly upon his back. A dog's golden nose stuck out of the tent and sniffed the morning air. Much to its owner's discontent, he too decided to greet the sun with a happy bark. With a yawn and a harsh comment to the dog (apparently named, 'mutt'), the man crawled on all fours and emerged into the light. He rose and stretched, and decided it is best to dress. His backpack containing his clothes lay half open leaning against the pole that held up the tent. He crawled back into the tent and came out fully clothed, ready for nature's hardships. He walked towards his bow and arrow when his eye caught something in the far reach to his left. Curious, he ignored his bow for the moment and walked towards it. No sooner did he walk 6 steps did he take an equal amount of staggering steps backwards, for before him floated a heavenly angel.
His jaw dropped and touched the ground, and in awe he spoke nothing. The morning rays of the sun outlined her beautiful figure and fringed the tips of her gorgeous white wings. Blood stained the lower feathers on their tips. The angel's garments consisted of a white full cloak, and covered all parts of her body. The hood, however, was down, and thus revealed an oddity among normals with long flowing purple hair and a face that would make Aphrodite jealous. Most peculiar of all was what she held in her arms. The marksman eyed a baby with purple hair as well, wrapped in what appeared to be a large piece of cured human flesh. The marksman's eye did not lie, and the baby tossed and turned in its foul cradle without making a noise.
Eyes shifting attention, he graced his vision upon the beautiful angel once again. This time, she spoke. "Nobel ranger, whose power and innocence awes me, I require a favor of mankind, a favor that can only be fulfilled by humanity. The child I carry is the scourge of two worlds and will not be accepted by those who hate her. She is my baby child, and as a mother, I am responsible more so than any to raise her. This task that is assumed upon me I must reject, for if it were I to raise her, her future would find death more quickly than health. It is you who I have chosen to protect and raise my child, for you are strong, elegant, and one with nature all at once. Please, I beg of you, raise my child."
The man took another step backward and his foot collapsed his tent. His dog sat astute and alert, eyes and ears focused upon the angel. His mouth moved without his will, "How is it that I, a Ranger in these uncharted woods, comes about an angel bearing a gift that I cannot comprehend? How is it that one so divine as yourself bestows such glory and responsibility on me?"
"A fair question, Ranger. But I have no time; they still have no knowledge of the child. Please, you must take care of her... she has wonderful and terrible prophecies that must be fulfilled. You must..." The angel cried.
The winds blew hard suddenly, and leaves picked up and blocked the ranger's vision for a moment. As fast as they came, the winds died down yet again, and the divine being was nowhere to be seen. In the burnt out fire ring lay the child that was never meant to see day, wrapped in its corrupt blanket of torn human flesh. The Ranger picked up the still, silent child, and cradled her in his powerful arms. By divination no doubt, a raven, carrying a worm in its mouth flew by and landed on the Rangers arm and looked into the child's sleeping eyes. It cocked its head, and dropped its worm onto the child, flying off soon after.
The ranger removed the foul wrap and removed his own shirt to substitute for it. He towered over the beautiful child, and in innocent delight, reached up to grab his nose. He spoke, "My name is Ethan, and nature is my mother. In a way, the earth, too, is your mother, as she has granted you something the ages will remember. Your name will be... Raven."
Raven stood up. Her nose felt cold against her bare skin as she moved her arm across her face. Ethan had died 50 years ago today, Raven's abnormal growth pattern outliving him by a long shot. Ethan was her father, and it was on this day she mourned for him, and it is today that she mourns for her future. Mother had put Ethan in an impossible position, but he raised her well anyway. It was fitting somehow that her doomsday would be the day after her birthday.
The cave accepted the woeful child as its new occupant, and seemed to accelerate time as hours passed unnoticed. Raven laid down on the hard wet rock and tried to get some rest. Sand filled her eye corners, and the slow dripping of water from the caves top to its floor lullabied the pensive teenager to sleep.
The road looked like a treadmill. It didn't seem to go anywhere and kept returning to itself over and over again. Jim felt he didn't need the exercise. He looked back at the tower in wonder and concern. Going away?, he thought. He didn't like the sound of that. Not one bit.
The sun shined down upon the beaten path the titans traveled. It was ten o'clock in the morning. The birds chirped their songs; the crickets ended theirs long ago. Unusual for February, waves of warm air basked the land and cleansed it of its impurities. Jim's shoe touched and made friends with the ground as the Titans jetted even further ahead of him. He stood and contemplated the meaning of Raven's words. Leaving...
"Cyborg, what is wrong?"
Starfire had come back to get Jim moving again, but Jim instead squatted and hovered over the dull rocks that were scattered in the vicinity. He picked one up. "Nothin', Star." He was tempted to tell her what Raven had spoken, but he couldn't be sure if her words were meant for his ears only. He attempted to crumple the rock with his human fist, but it wasn't like the old days anymore. It cracked and fell into two. "Nothin'." He got up as fast as he sat down and ran. Starfire, staying behind, looked at him and wondered, just as any alien girl would do. She soon followed, the sun close behind her shining red hair.
Water dripped down and splattered against the cool rock ground. Another drop fell, but it found home upon the back of a lizard as it crawled into the path of the water. Hissing, it escaped out of the cave and through Raven's legs as she entered. A bat got spooked and exited with the lizard.
Alone, Raven sat down by a stream of water and doused her already soaked face into it. The tears were eradicated, but Raven's emotion remained. Anger radiated from her very being, as did sadness and woe. Her newfound powers were wonderful and terrible at the same time, and it would cost her freedom and a life her mother had so wished her. Soon, the pool of water had a new fountain contributing to its mass, as memories attained by her powers of premonition came rushing to her...
It was a morning like any other. The dew on the leaves of the Oaks shined in correspondence with the slowly rising sun. Crickets coursed their siren song, and slowly it dwindled until it was replaced by the happy chirping of the birds. Jacks and fawns played together in harmony with the new day. Even the bears came out and greeted the sun; for it was the first time in a while many of them had done so. A small clearing with a tent and a ring of rocks with a burnt out fire completed the scene. A man's silhouette formed on the side of the tent and showed that he was sleeping soundly upon his back. A dog's golden nose stuck out of the tent and sniffed the morning air. Much to its owner's discontent, he too decided to greet the sun with a happy bark. With a yawn and a harsh comment to the dog (apparently named, 'mutt'), the man crawled on all fours and emerged into the light. He rose and stretched, and decided it is best to dress. His backpack containing his clothes lay half open leaning against the pole that held up the tent. He crawled back into the tent and came out fully clothed, ready for nature's hardships. He walked towards his bow and arrow when his eye caught something in the far reach to his left. Curious, he ignored his bow for the moment and walked towards it. No sooner did he walk 6 steps did he take an equal amount of staggering steps backwards, for before him floated a heavenly angel.
His jaw dropped and touched the ground, and in awe he spoke nothing. The morning rays of the sun outlined her beautiful figure and fringed the tips of her gorgeous white wings. Blood stained the lower feathers on their tips. The angel's garments consisted of a white full cloak, and covered all parts of her body. The hood, however, was down, and thus revealed an oddity among normals with long flowing purple hair and a face that would make Aphrodite jealous. Most peculiar of all was what she held in her arms. The marksman eyed a baby with purple hair as well, wrapped in what appeared to be a large piece of cured human flesh. The marksman's eye did not lie, and the baby tossed and turned in its foul cradle without making a noise.
Eyes shifting attention, he graced his vision upon the beautiful angel once again. This time, she spoke. "Nobel ranger, whose power and innocence awes me, I require a favor of mankind, a favor that can only be fulfilled by humanity. The child I carry is the scourge of two worlds and will not be accepted by those who hate her. She is my baby child, and as a mother, I am responsible more so than any to raise her. This task that is assumed upon me I must reject, for if it were I to raise her, her future would find death more quickly than health. It is you who I have chosen to protect and raise my child, for you are strong, elegant, and one with nature all at once. Please, I beg of you, raise my child."
The man took another step backward and his foot collapsed his tent. His dog sat astute and alert, eyes and ears focused upon the angel. His mouth moved without his will, "How is it that I, a Ranger in these uncharted woods, comes about an angel bearing a gift that I cannot comprehend? How is it that one so divine as yourself bestows such glory and responsibility on me?"
"A fair question, Ranger. But I have no time; they still have no knowledge of the child. Please, you must take care of her... she has wonderful and terrible prophecies that must be fulfilled. You must..." The angel cried.
The winds blew hard suddenly, and leaves picked up and blocked the ranger's vision for a moment. As fast as they came, the winds died down yet again, and the divine being was nowhere to be seen. In the burnt out fire ring lay the child that was never meant to see day, wrapped in its corrupt blanket of torn human flesh. The Ranger picked up the still, silent child, and cradled her in his powerful arms. By divination no doubt, a raven, carrying a worm in its mouth flew by and landed on the Rangers arm and looked into the child's sleeping eyes. It cocked its head, and dropped its worm onto the child, flying off soon after.
The ranger removed the foul wrap and removed his own shirt to substitute for it. He towered over the beautiful child, and in innocent delight, reached up to grab his nose. He spoke, "My name is Ethan, and nature is my mother. In a way, the earth, too, is your mother, as she has granted you something the ages will remember. Your name will be... Raven."
Raven stood up. Her nose felt cold against her bare skin as she moved her arm across her face. Ethan had died 50 years ago today, Raven's abnormal growth pattern outliving him by a long shot. Ethan was her father, and it was on this day she mourned for him, and it is today that she mourns for her future. Mother had put Ethan in an impossible position, but he raised her well anyway. It was fitting somehow that her doomsday would be the day after her birthday.
The cave accepted the woeful child as its new occupant, and seemed to accelerate time as hours passed unnoticed. Raven laid down on the hard wet rock and tried to get some rest. Sand filled her eye corners, and the slow dripping of water from the caves top to its floor lullabied the pensive teenager to sleep.