The Owl - A Shifters Tale

Note: The below story is written by FlashTalon. Please direct any and all comments to the original author. All contributed material is posted with express permission of the original author. Don't steal it!

The night seemed magical to the young raven as she flew above the buildings of the city. In the darkness she felt safe, invisible from all her enemies. Her wings were her safetey, her very soul, and on them she felt that none could harm her. The night was a protective shroud for her. Comforted by wings and night, the raven flew, her wingbeats calm and even.

Soon, the bird was joined by another of her kind, and wingtip to wingtip, they flew together, engaging in mock battles and ariel acrobatics that would put most other creatures to shame. They danced on air in the darkness for a while, playing "keep away" with a ball of wadded up foil. As they danced and played and held their mock battles for "Dominance", the two gradually blocked out the world, focusing on each other and the games at hand.

The two never saw the ghostly shape floating towards them. They never saw the large golden feet with strong black talons as they darted forward, the wings of the being flaring open in eerie silence. They never saw the owl....
The scream of the struck raven imidiately caused the two to break off their play. In horror the uninjured bird squawked and flew off in utter terror.

The raven in the talons of the Great Horned Owl never had a chance once he was struck. The talons had gone deep into his chest cavity, wounding him internally so bad he would never have seen sunrise, even if the owl hadn't snapped his neck with it's odd beak. The owl landed with his prey on a rooftop, and proceeded to eat it, with silence similar to that which was characteristic in all his movements.

Flashbird flew from the scene in terror. Even vampires were not as quiet as the "Demon bird" that had stuck one of her avian "flockmates". It was a ghost of a bird, something out of a nightmare as far as Flash was concerned.
Eagles and Falcons proved to be little trouble for her-- for the former simply didn't care about the ravens (Unless one was stealing their kill), and the later didn't have the guts to pluck a 20-27 inch long bird from the sky..but owls, they were different.

Owls were the terror of many ravens and corvids. They were things to be spoken about only in daylight, things of mythic status in the corvid world. They were called "Ghost birds" by some or "Night-Demons" by others. Whatever the name they were called, it was well understood that owl kind was one of the few threats to a raven's life. They could see and hear better than a raven, and even pure darkness would not stop one. They moved silently, without a sound, seemingly appearing from nowhere to strike, and to vanish with one, or one's friends in their talons.

Flash knew she had escaped death only by chance. She could have just as easily been the meal of the day as her companion. This knowledge scared her, and sent her flying back to her "home"-- the warehouse where "Her" vampires lived. She had a cage there, and a blanket. Quietly, she flew to the warehouse, taking the long way (even though it scared her, now that she was imagining owls to be around every corner)....

The black shape bolted into the warehouse through the window, and crash-landed on a raggey old green blanket. A few of the young men in the room looked at the raven. Most ignored her.
"Hey birdie, you look like you've seen a ghost", one commented.
"Owl", corrected the raven-woman as she shifted forms, slipping on some fresh clothes beneath the pile of blankets.
"Just wait until you hear the story...it was so big that..." Flash began with a grin as several pairs of vampiric eyes locked on the girl, waiting for the tale that would certaintly last all night, and certaintly be nothing like what had really happened.
No one noticed the pair of golden eyes that briefly peered at the odd gathering from one of the warehouses high windows. No one noticed the single silvery feather that floated down to the ground from the window as Flash told her tale...

-Flashbird