Status: A short story.
Sheading Wings
Sheading Wings
I looked at my brethren, as we sat on the tree that stood in the centre of the grave yard, watching the body of the dead prince being buried. A sinister grin spread upon my sister’s faces, and I knew there must have been one on my face as well. For we needed the young princes blood to survive.
There were only three of us left, Ahha, Eba and me Kиpa. My oldest sister Ahha was holding the blood red bag in her beak, which contained the magic table cloth and the crimson wand.
You may be wondering, how we were not spotted, because you think that three lovely ladies such as ourselves, would be quiet difficult to hide. Well the thing is we were cursed, by a witch, during the light of day we are shining, white doves with Topaz yellow eyes. But when the moon raises its self, we become the beautiful, graceful yet blood thirsty Dove Maidens.
We sat in the safety of the trees we waited, once the dusk begun to fall the towns folk and the king left, as the fear of the things that go bump in the night, were fresh in their minds.
They had never experienced the wrath of the Dove Maidens, but we were not the only thing mortals feared. Just read one of their in accurate accounts of the Legends, blood curdling acts.
The exotic Luna rose from behind the shadowed mountains. Eba quietly fluttered down into the moonbeams, her form morphing into her human form, Eba's feathers fell from her skin.
I was next to go through the sheading of the wings, I breathed a sigh of relief; it felt good to be human. Breathing in the night air, cold and harsh felt good also.
Ahha was human and heading towards the grave of the prince by the time Eba and I had finish celebrating our freedom. Ahha draped the snowy cloth just in front of the headstone.
I reached into the backpack which was magically slung on my shoulders. I carefully placed out a banquet of bread, rich fruits, scared meats and empty gold goblets.
In the time it took to set the banquet, the moon had reached moon high, which is when her magic is in its most powerful stage.
We placed our six hands, in a star on the renewed earth; slowly we began to chant;
“To the moon so high.
Our Mistress of the night.
Bless us the blue blood of the mortal.
The one who life no longer encompasses.
Allow us to live another day.
Allow us to bask in your beauty for another night.”
Eba delicately picked up the twisted crimson wand, and tapped on the stone grave, three times. On the third time the wand shattered. (Do not be alarmed, it breaks every night and during the day it reforms in the bag.)
We backed away to the edge of the grave, as we watched a certain area of earth crumble. A body of what we guessed must have been the prince rose and was deposited on the white table cloth. He looked stunned for a moment, he tried to say something but his mouth just opened and closed like a fish.
Slowly we surrounded him, sinking our teeth into his cold, yet soft neck flesh. We were like this for hours, just slowly removing what was left of his dwindling fluids.
All too soon the sun rose and with the first rays of light, we were filled with a burning sensation, and my wings were back. And the prince’s body became lifeless, flopping to the ground.
Around sun high, the King came into the graveyard, a look of horror washed over his face, as he saw the dead princes body slumped on the dirt. Quickly he rushed of returning with a hoard of people following, him towards the prince.
They all were in shock, faces wide, eyes filled with terror. A few of them ran off and returned with shovels. Before nightfall the prince was buried again. But little did they know that they would have to bury him again, the next day.
There were only three of us left, Ahha, Eba and me Kиpa. My oldest sister Ahha was holding the blood red bag in her beak, which contained the magic table cloth and the crimson wand.
You may be wondering, how we were not spotted, because you think that three lovely ladies such as ourselves, would be quiet difficult to hide. Well the thing is we were cursed, by a witch, during the light of day we are shining, white doves with Topaz yellow eyes. But when the moon raises its self, we become the beautiful, graceful yet blood thirsty Dove Maidens.
We sat in the safety of the trees we waited, once the dusk begun to fall the towns folk and the king left, as the fear of the things that go bump in the night, were fresh in their minds.
They had never experienced the wrath of the Dove Maidens, but we were not the only thing mortals feared. Just read one of their in accurate accounts of the Legends, blood curdling acts.
The exotic Luna rose from behind the shadowed mountains. Eba quietly fluttered down into the moonbeams, her form morphing into her human form, Eba's feathers fell from her skin.
I was next to go through the sheading of the wings, I breathed a sigh of relief; it felt good to be human. Breathing in the night air, cold and harsh felt good also.
Ahha was human and heading towards the grave of the prince by the time Eba and I had finish celebrating our freedom. Ahha draped the snowy cloth just in front of the headstone.
I reached into the backpack which was magically slung on my shoulders. I carefully placed out a banquet of bread, rich fruits, scared meats and empty gold goblets.
In the time it took to set the banquet, the moon had reached moon high, which is when her magic is in its most powerful stage.
We placed our six hands, in a star on the renewed earth; slowly we began to chant;
“To the moon so high.
Our Mistress of the night.
Bless us the blue blood of the mortal.
The one who life no longer encompasses.
Allow us to live another day.
Allow us to bask in your beauty for another night.”
Eba delicately picked up the twisted crimson wand, and tapped on the stone grave, three times. On the third time the wand shattered. (Do not be alarmed, it breaks every night and during the day it reforms in the bag.)
We backed away to the edge of the grave, as we watched a certain area of earth crumble. A body of what we guessed must have been the prince rose and was deposited on the white table cloth. He looked stunned for a moment, he tried to say something but his mouth just opened and closed like a fish.
Slowly we surrounded him, sinking our teeth into his cold, yet soft neck flesh. We were like this for hours, just slowly removing what was left of his dwindling fluids.
All too soon the sun rose and with the first rays of light, we were filled with a burning sensation, and my wings were back. And the prince’s body became lifeless, flopping to the ground.
Around sun high, the King came into the graveyard, a look of horror washed over his face, as he saw the dead princes body slumped on the dirt. Quickly he rushed of returning with a hoard of people following, him towards the prince.
They all were in shock, faces wide, eyes filled with terror. A few of them ran off and returned with shovels. Before nightfall the prince was buried again. But little did they know that they would have to bury him again, the next day.