Silent Symphony wrote:
Le Corbeau {m} ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦ Unloved {f}
His swirling yellow orbs bore into my own; they searched for an answer. An answer to his question. But I couldn't answer. No, I couldn't answer. Wouldn't. At most he had said ten words to me. But I knew who he was.
"Le Corbeau..."
I didn't even notice I spoke his name before it was too late. His almost seemed amused. Surprised that I knew his name. Without saying a word, he asked how I could possibly know who he could be, he asked with those golden-golden eyes.
"I-I've always seen a single black feather after someone d-d-ies. If y-you look for it, it's n-not hard to find. A-And there are l-l-legends- about y-you."
I stuttered, my heart beating too fast. No one would hear me if I screamed. No one could save me if he tried to take my life.
In my village, he was feared. Only the brave spoke of him during full moons, behind towering walls and secured dens. Only then would the legends, the tales, the stories come out about Le Corbeau. He was an assassin for reasons unknown. No one knew why he would enter the village - or how - to end a life so silently. Then he would simply slip away. But now I knew how he would evade all of our defenses. His wings. I could see the tips of the feathers by his dark tail. The feathers that I had found and kept after every death by his paw.
"Who are you?"
His question was so shockingly normal that I just gazed at him for a moment, hypnotized by those lanterns of his eyes. I was never good at reading eyes but I could read his so clearly. He was hurt, lonely. I didn't see any wounds on his but then it came to me: His wings. He would have flown away but he couldn't. I couldn't see much of his silent wings but I knew they were there.
And loneliness? How could someone that was so cold-hearted that killed in cold blood be lonely? My only answer: He wasn't who we thought he was.
"U-Unloved."
I always stumbled over my words. I was always day dreaming, never focusing on what I was suppose to do. And I was left alone only days after I was born. Unwanted. I could never be the perfect little lady, I always messed out when it counted most. But it hadn't escaped my sharp mind that I hadn't stumbled over his name. "Le Corbeau," I whispered, to solidify the fact. I didn't stutter over his name! Was it an omen?
He paused, tilted his head to one side ever so slightly, the feathered crest by his ears swish-swishing quietly. His frown deepened.
"How... unfortunate. You are, indeed, loved."
Then he disappeared into the dark. I was afraid I would never see him again.
If only I'd known.
♦♦♦
Time past strangely. It was quick on some days, but then I would find myself longing for another encounter with the mysterious Le Corbeau.
I know for a fact that it was at least a month before I saw those shining eyes.
I was searching for a certain flower I knew would comfort me. It was slowly turning to dusk but I was determined to find that flower before I had to return to the village. Despite the majority of the time that I kept to the rules - somehow it was a false hope that if I followed the village rules, people would like me more - I enjoyed cutting my curfew close. Inside of the walls the air felt stuffy and stifiling after a while. Out in the woods I felt like I could actually breathe and relax, letting my shoulders sag with fatigue and longing. I longed for him. I felt cheated, fooled. As if he would never return. And it wasn't a comforting thought.
"Giving up so fast, dove?"
I nearly had a heart attack but without turning I knew exactly who it was.
"Le Corbeau," I paused, regaining my thoughts that had so quickly scattered. "W-Why return? I could e-easily tell the w-w-whole village about y-you."
That seemed to cause him to ponder the situation. Briefly.
"No one would believe you. No one has caught me yet."
A sly smirk touched his face. For a moment, just a moment. Then his lips fell down into his normal aloof mask.
I didn't know what to say. He was right. Painfully right. I was at his will. I didn't have proof but my memories. And even the village doctor wouldn't be able to read my mind. But I had a hunch he could...
A minute past... Seven minutes... I was speechless. What should I say? My heart felt like it was going to run itself out, yet I knew my adrenaline was the source of my speedy heart. And him, of course.
"I do not believe I shall hurt you, Lady Dove."
His voice gently broke the heavy silence. It wasn't teasing nor mocking, his voice, just curious. I was too far away to try to read his eyes but he didn't act as if he was in pain. His voice was easy, smooth like a warm summer rain. His voice caused me to shiver but I quickly blamed it on the falling tempature.
"Why d-do you call m-me Lady Dove?"
I inquired, puzzled. Could he know something from my past? From his appearance and the way he spoke I assumed he was at least four years older than me. But he didn't sound as if he was from around here. And I had always wanted to leave this place.
"Because of your exquisite markings."
He began to come forward, breathing seemed impossible, but he only started to circle me. Then he nodded and placed himself in front of him, a few leaps away.
"Like a dove's, those wings on your back. I've always wondered why some of us are gifted with wings whilst others are not..."
Risking pulling my gaze away from him, I turned my head as much as I could so I was able to look at the soft coloring on my back - making up the wings he had been talking about.
"Oh,"
I said softly, surprised once more. He seemed to be full of surprises and I just knew from that moment that I could, would, never learn them all. He was too complex, too clever and witty for me to understand at all.
And with that, he flashed a smile full of razor sharp teeth and disappeared, his deep chuckle lingering as my eyes fell on a tiny flower - the very flower I had been looking for - waving in the breeze.
♦♦♦
After that moment of twilight in the clearing, I tried to brace myself for another long month without him. In a few days I found him again and we spent all afternoon just speaking and laughing. But now, seven days from when I last saw him, his words still rang in my ears. Again he had commented on my markings. He seemed entirely confused as to why I couldn't soar in the clouds like he could. I had tried to explain to him but I hadn't been able to find the words. Why was that so? Was I really so different from him? But of course I was. We were so different. I enjoyed the warmth of the sun while he loved the darkness of the night.
It was strange but I wasn't going to try and pretend. I was craving to see him, hear him call me 'Dove' again. It was thrilling to know something everyone else doesn't. So for a few days I was... happy. No one noticed. No one asked me why nothing could dampen my smile. And that was alright. I didn't need to share my discovery with the village - that would only cause trouble.
As I was brushing some leaves from my den with my tail, I heard a commotion towards the center of the village. With a small sigh for my chore would have to wait, I padded toward the ever growing crowd. As I settled in a spot where I could see the action of whatever was happening, I noticed much whispering and muttering going on. What could cause such a riot?
"Are we going to stand for this? Cowering in fear of who might be next to die in cold-blood?"
The crowd gathered met with a mighty
"NO!"
I was too surprised to say anything. They were talking about him, I just knew it. The village was finally going to hunt him out, once and for all. Numb with a fear very different of what the rest of the village was talking about, I listened and watched as the Alpha and Beta turned the crowd into raging hunters. And they only had one single wolf as their prey: Le Corbeau. I had to warn him.
So, thinking everyone was too preoccupied, I turned my back on the crowd and ran as fast as I could. I knew I ran faster than I ever had through those trees. I like to think that the only reason I found him so quickly was because I had been thinking about my markings, imagining that I really did have a pair of wings so that I might be able to fly to him.
"Le Corbeau, Le Corbeau!"
I called and soon enough he landed lightly in front of me, having dropped from the sky.
"Hush, hush what is the matter, Dove?"
His golden eyes were narrowed in confusion and - causing my heart to skip a beat - worry. Worry for me.
"Y-You have to r-r-run. F-far away f-from here! T-T-They are c-coming, for y-y-you!"
My vision blurred. Tears were filling my cornflower-blue-eyes. I was so frightened, so scared for my Le Corbeau that I could scarcely breathe. But what I was really terrified about was that if he did indeed run, he would be lost from me f o r e v e r.
♦♦♦
Howls broke my concentration. Sniffs could be heard and shouts, yelps, growls, and over all great blood-thirst.
Panic
I turned towards the voices, my tears finally slipping onto the fur of my cheeks. I had led them to him! I was stupid to run, of course the crowd noticed! And now they were going to trap him, kill him. Quickly, I looked over at him and shook my head slowly.
"I-I-It's over. I'm s-so sorry."
I had failed with the only secret I had. I was going to lose him, the only one who cared for me. Who told me every time he saw me that my name shouldn't be what it was.
"It's not over yet, Dove. Hide. Please."
It was the first time I had ever heard him sound cold towards me. His eyes were boring into my own and I knew that this wasn't going to work out. I was going to lose him.
"N-No, I c-can leave y-you to the p-pack of h-hungry w-w-wolves!"
But with one look from his intense gaze and felt as small as a mouse. And gave a small nod and slunk off to a cluster of bushes. I couldn't argue with that stare...
Then everything happened in a span of a few minutes but it felt like thousand years.
The pack got closer and closer - I could tell by the noise they were making growing ever louder - but I only had eyes for on wolf: Le Corbeau. He took a deep breathe, straightened up, and I saw his muscles tense readily. He was actually going to fight the whole pack. Before they would hear, I whimpered to show him how I thought this was such a bad idea but the only sign I saw that he noticed was that his ear flicked towards me. Then we weren't alone.
The Alpha male was at the lead and when he saw him, he snarled.
"We are tired of being the victims, of watching you kill off our pack one at a time! We'll end this now."
Wait a moment, no one has been killed since I had befriend him. Why are they worry- Oh no. I had realized something. If no one else had lost their lives, did that mean that-that I was the next on Le Corbeau's list? Would he kill... me?
Then at least six of our strongest hunters lunged at him, all at once.
My heart almost stopped.
They nipped at his tail, his ears, his throat, his precious wings. They were merciless. But he was strong, so strong. Then they started to try to pin him down. They trapped his wings by using ropes that I figured they had gathered near where the humans lived. He was hurting, he was growing weak with so many attacking him at one time.
I started to move up from my crouch beneath the bushes but he noticed my small movement. His golden eyes bore into mine and I knew that he wanted me to be safe, to stay out of it. Torn, I kept back and waited, waited, waited.
As if time moved so slowly, his headed hit the ground hard. They had finally pinned him.
NoNoNo!!
He didn't let his pain show but as the Alpha got closer, a deep rumble sounded. I glanced around, the setting sky was clear. Then I realized it was coming from Le Corbeau. He growled like no one I knew could. It was seriously chilling for it caused my hackles to rise and my heart stuttered slightly.
"Mutants don't belong here, they don't belong anywhere..."
The Alpha sneered. Then I saw the midnight black form rise up from the ground - having mustered what must have been an incredible amount of strength - and bit the Alpha right on his soft nose. That caused the lead wolf to rear back in surprise and a few drops of blood fell onto the grass.
It was an act that proved how much he wasn't like us. The order of packs was pointless and lost on him so he showed they by teasing the Alpha.
"Take him away!"
They didn't even bother to pick him up. They purposefully dragged him across the roughest terrain made up of roots, rocks, thorns, and even patches of burs. I watched in numb shock. They were breaking his spirit. How could anyone come back from that?
Once the voices dimmed, I shakily stepped out of my hiding place.
"No... No..."
I was shaking all over again. Tears filled my eyes once more as the last few minutes replayed over and over and over again. THis couldn't be happening. I have to do something! But what, I'm just one person trying to save everyone's swore enemy. I let out all the sobs I had been holding in, then I dried my tears, perked my ears and started off towards the village. I couldn't just sit here and cry.
Everyone had gone to sleep by the time I had entered the village. Being so frazzled I had lost my way a few times but soon enough I had found it, of course. The tears threatened to spill as I laid my blueblue eyes on the center where the crowd had gathered to create the hunting party. There was a make-shift cage - of all things, a cage! - and in it was a curled up Le Corbeau. After checking that we were indeed alone, I ran to him and as I got closer my breath caught in my throat, and I was afraid it might strangle me.
Feathers were bent or missing, clumps of his soft fur had been ripped out, scratches and cuts were gouged deep and blood - golden like his beautiful eyes - was oozing out of the deepest wounds only to mat his dark fur. His back was to me but I didn't care. I had heard the insults and taunts that had been howled at him from in the forest. Terrible, horrible words had been thrown at him.
"I-I'm so s-s-sorry. I should h-have done s-s-something before t-they b-b-b-broke you!"
I whispered, the tears spilling down my fur. He didn't move. Didn't speak. I sat there, waiting for another thousand years. Then, he picked himself up and making not a single rustle of noise, he turned to look at me. His eyes showed hurt, the very same hurt I had seen when I had first met him, and I knew he was scarred for life - physically and emotionally.
I closed my eyes, not able to see him like so, and a cold nose touched my tears.
"Why do you cry so, Lady Dove?"
♦♦♦{ More to come (?) }
{ I'm in love with Le Corbeau *fangirlsqueal* Ah <3
Sorry for massive word-wall >3< }
Sorry for massive word-wall >3< }
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