Ravenwings (Imaged + Completed) [1st in Trilogy]

Part I: Chapter 13

I was too tired last night to be mad at him for sneaking more seeds from Grandma's feeders.

And by the time morning came, when I woke up and found him gone, probably hiding from my wrath in the attic, though luckily for him I'd pretty much forgotten it. For now. So I threw an outfit on and stumbled down the stairs yawning.

Grandma was sitting in her rocking chair right in front of a window facing the side-yard.

"Morning, Grandma," I yawned.

She didn't reply. Or move. Or anything.

I was immediately alarmed. I wandered over. "Grandma?" She didn't stir.

"Grandma?" I rushed to her side. Oh no, oh no, oh no...!

I frantically put my hand on her shoulder to shake her awake. "Grandma!"

"What?!" she snapped, not even opening her eyes. "You just woke me up from a hell of a dream, Melly!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... Wait, were you here all night?"

"Yeah, now go start on applesauce toast, I'm hungry."

"Were you awake all last night?"

"No, but it done worked. That big bird must've known I was nearby and didn't steal any more feeders."

"Oh? He...It didn't steal any..." I glanced outside. To my wondering eyes, there were all nine feeders, up in their trees. Yet...stray pieces of tape and twisty-ties were littered across the yard. The feeders were half-empty. 

So he had taken them down and put them back... You're still in trouble, Raven... But if Grandma didn't notice with her smudged glasses, all the better.

"Mind you, he did eat the whole thing before he put it back," she muttered. "But oh well, as long as my feeders are safe and sound, and he's leaving some for the little birds, a birds a bird."

She saw it get put back? She's calling the bird 'he?!' 

What all did she see?!

At first I was in a panic...then remembered the sorts of things Grandma usually believed. This wasn't anything out of the ordinary. No one would believe her if she tried to tell them anyways.

I nodded slowly, already rehearsing my speech to Raven, and made my way off to the kitchen. For breakfast Grandma liked to have cinnamon applesauce on toast. I always had some with her; it was actually pretty good.

But you can guess that after breakfast I went straight upstairs to scold Raven.

"Raven." I glanced around the attic. "Raven?"

"Ohió," he said with a smile, kicked back and reading a book.

"Hey Raven, want some pizza?"

He shrugged. "I—"

"Or would you still be full from the sunflower seed feast last night?"

He reddened and shut up immediately. We both knew this wasn't going to go well no matter what he did.

"I said no more stealing the bird feeders," I reminded him.

He swallowed, at a loss for words.

"Why'd you even go back out?!"

"I didn't take the feeder."

"You took it and put it back, and all the seeds in it are gone and now I have to go spend forever re-filling and then re-taping and tying it!"