The room fell into silence; even the raven sat hunch-shouldered on his perch in the massive cage, momentarily at peace. It didn't last. The orange tabby behind the draperies poked cautiously out, peered up at the bird, and put a paw tentatively into the fabric. He followed it with another. Soon he had climbed almost level with the beady eyes of the raven; the bird glared back.
Perhaps the cat believed he could fly. Perhaps his claws began to flail in the drapes. Perhaps he thought the leap worth the risk. Whatever the case, his body sent the cage rocking when he hit it, setting off a storm of feathers and squawks. He slid, pawing frantically for purchase, and dislodged the latch that held the door to the cage shut on his way down. He landed on the thick carpet unharmed and ran under a settee near the hearth.
When the cage door swung open the raven tilted his head to one side, eyed the cat's escape, and stepped to the frame of the cage door before gliding to the floor in pursuit. His beak fit under the settee, but the rest of him did not. After squawking in frustration for several moments he gave up.
The room provided little room for flight, and his circuit quickly ended when he perched on the pole above the windows. From there he surveyed the entire room, his beady eyes taking in every object until a shiny one caught his attention, and he glided to the desk. He walked across the blotter, turned his head so one black eye could examine the contents of the little crystal bowl, and began to root through the pebbles with familiarity. He picked up a pebble in his beak, dropped it, and latched on to the ring instead.
The cage rocked wildly when he flew into it like a shot, so wildly that the door slammed shut and the latch fell into place. Hrafn gave a raven-like shrug and dropped to the bottom where a pile of pebbles identical to the ones in the bowl lay in a heap along one edge. He dropped the ring and used his beak to nudge it under the rocks before returning to his perch to glare balefully at the settee with the cat beneath it.
YOU ARE READING
The Ravenstone Heir
RomanceA cat, a raven, and a missing ring lead to scandal for the old earl's bastard grandson and the baker's daughter. The missing heir to the Earl of Ravenstone has come forward, cutting out Fletcher Graham's brother. The new heir offers proof of his ide...
