T O K I
R E L V
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Relv... didn't have the best start to life. He was born with a tail smaller than normal- a horrible disadvantage for a toki. And his parents knew it. He was immediately abandoned as a runt, with all nourishment being given to his elder sister, who was normal, and had a higher chance of survival. Of course, there was no way he could survive complete abandonment- no, the poor thing was kept alive, but only just, by feeding off of scraps left behind from his "family's" meal. And so, the small boy was horribly thin, and often left alone. So he began to flee. He would venture into the forest, looking for something, or someone, to help him. Or at least not completely ignore him. And that was when he found them.
Relv was unsure when he first found them-- their beady eyes searching and harsh, seeming to pierce directly into his soul. Yet, they indeed would look at him, and that was all it took for the child. He began to bring them his scraps, though he hardly had enough to survive himself, and eventually... a bond was formed.
What this bond consisted of was quite uncertain at first. The child loved the ravens, for they were all he had. The ravens, in truth, had no need for the youngling... but ravens are intelligent creatures, and would not stand to see a mere hatchling abandoned. Especially not one who cared so much for these birds, rumored to be the link to death, that he would willingly give up his own food even though he hardly had any to begin with. And so the ravens got together, cawing heatedly in argument, and came to a decision. This hatchling- big and wingless as he might be- was as good as one of their own, so they were going to treat him as such. After all, the poor thing had come to them every day and night, sometimes multiple times, sharing his story and meager offerings. How could anything with a soul leave him like that?
They decided, though the "hatchling"- as they had taken to calling him- lacked many things essential to being a raven which they could not change, there was one thing that they could. Namely, feathers. They brought to him a complex woven silver... bracelet? Or necklace? And three feathers- two black, and one white from the albino raven, the eldest of the ravens. Relv wove the feathers into the silver, instinctively understanding the importance of this gift, and twined it around his tail. He knew then, as the beautiful birds all screamed their song, that he was no longer the toki he once was. Now, he was much more- he was the son of the ravens.
Slowly, the birds taught him their language, as well as the universal language of life, as well as death. They gave him lessons, and taught him grace and wit. And for each achievement, he would gain one more feather from his Family, adding the small ones to the silver twined around his tail. These additions didn't happen quickly, though. It wouldn't be until well into his adolescence that he would be fully feather. Still, slowly, he amassed more and more, taking the silver and twining it around his legs, adorning them with feathers of his ravens and talons of those lost, weaving them into a cloak he created, creating a mask. While sometimes these pieces were removed, one was never to be removed. The first three feathers he received, curled on the silver twine, would never leave his body. Relv, son of the Ravens, would never give this up.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Relv... didn't have the best start to life. He was born with a tail smaller than normal- a horrible disadvantage for a toki. And his parents knew it. He was immediately abandoned as a runt, with all nourishment being given to his elder sister, who was normal, and had a higher chance of survival. Of course, there was no way he could survive complete abandonment- no, the poor thing was kept alive, but only just, by feeding off of scraps left behind from his "family's" meal. And so, the small boy was horribly thin, and often left alone. So he began to flee. He would venture into the forest, looking for something, or someone, to help him. Or at least not completely ignore him. And that was when he found them.
Relv was unsure when he first found them-- their beady eyes searching and harsh, seeming to pierce directly into his soul. Yet, they indeed would look at him, and that was all it took for the child. He began to bring them his scraps, though he hardly had enough to survive himself, and eventually... a bond was formed.
What this bond consisted of was quite uncertain at first. The child loved the ravens, for they were all he had. The ravens, in truth, had no need for the youngling... but ravens are intelligent creatures, and would not stand to see a mere hatchling abandoned. Especially not one who cared so much for these birds, rumored to be the link to death, that he would willingly give up his own food even though he hardly had any to begin with. And so the ravens got together, cawing heatedly in argument, and came to a decision. This hatchling- big and wingless as he might be- was as good as one of their own, so they were going to treat him as such. After all, the poor thing had come to them every day and night, sometimes multiple times, sharing his story and meager offerings. How could anything with a soul leave him like that?
They decided, though the "hatchling"- as they had taken to calling him- lacked many things essential to being a raven which they could not change, there was one thing that they could. Namely, feathers. They brought to him a complex woven silver... bracelet? Or necklace? And three feathers- two black, and one white from the albino raven, the eldest of the ravens. Relv wove the feathers into the silver, instinctively understanding the importance of this gift, and twined it around his tail. He knew then, as the beautiful birds all screamed their song, that he was no longer the toki he once was. Now, he was much more- he was the son of the ravens.
Slowly, the birds taught him their language, as well as the universal language of life, as well as death. They gave him lessons, and taught him grace and wit. And for each achievement, he would gain one more feather from his Family, adding the small ones to the silver twined around his tail. These additions didn't happen quickly, though. It wouldn't be until well into his adolescence that he would be fully feather. Still, slowly, he amassed more and more, taking the silver and twining it around his legs, adorning them with feathers of his ravens and talons of those lost, weaving them into a cloak he created, creating a mask. While sometimes these pieces were removed, one was never to be removed. The first three feathers he received, curled on the silver twine, would never leave his body. Relv, son of the Ravens, would never give this up.
