Crow-Made Human(oid)

Written by Nav Everret for Nav Everret's backstory

”Sometimes, when woodland spirits succumb to boredom, they will meditate for extensive periods of time to take a human form.”

Though the Navigator’s tale is yet to be fully told, as well, it has barely begun, a ray of light has been shed upon the beginnings from decades, perhaps centuries, even eons past.

The humble start from peasantry to physician, merchant to pirate while still true, only speaks to us of his human life, as one form, one being, one mind.

It leaves out a single crucial detail: “Everett” begun as a single seed of thought in a raven’s head, passed onto many more of it’s kin.

This is the story of The Murder, The Dove, And The Desire to Become Human. After the storm passed, hidden within the rafters of a bamboo roof, the raven stared glumly at the streets below.

“How lucky,” it thought. “If only I were human, I wouldn’t have to flee into such a cramped area during the monsoon. I would be able to wear their large brimmed hats and lounge around in the warmth of the room for however as long I’d like.”

A shout startled it from it’s sulking, and his situation only worsened.

''”Papa, papa! The evil spirit is back inside the house!”'' A young girl tugged at her father’s robes, jabbing a finger in his direction, sobbing and becoming almost hysterical.

”She didn’t used to have such a problem with me until her grandmother died.” it sighed, before fleeing, lest it be shot dead. ”Why must they blame me for all the ill Will and misfortune in their lives?”

”No one would blame me if I were only human.”

If only… The figurative oil lantern suddenly lit inside it’s head. His cousins, the spirits within the woods, had heard rumours of creatures such as he taking the form of these bipedal beings. Perhaps they would help him solve his ailments by assisting it in it’s quest.

And so he flew, to visit his cousins in the trees. The journey was hard, indubitably so. The poor thing was not alike to the geese of the lake whom would migrate every year to lands across the seas, nor was he alike to the hawks of the mountains with their incredible speed and agility. It was but a humble raven, and one that was used to hiding in various attics and rice fields at that.

”It will be worth it,” he thought. I must be determined… like a human.”

The solution he was given was not exactly what it had expected.

”Out of all the things, it had to be meditation?” It scoffed to itself. The humans I’m around don’t even meditate! I suppose it’s the only way I can gather enough of this energy to better myself.” the bird sat for a while, soaked in the rain. ”Yes, I will do it, for it is a necessary evil in this journey. I’ll be able to wear shoes one day, so my feet won’t get wet.”

The raven spent decades within the woods, meeting more of his brothers, sisters, and various other relatives who with encouraged his actions, or sneered. “You’ll never succeed,” some of them had said. “You aren’t strong enough, little bird.”

”Not strong enough alone,” he mused. But there is strength in numbers.”

That, was the first step towards the Navigator as we know him.

~

Unsurprisingly, not many of his kin wanted to aid him.

”Why become human?” they asked him, confused and hurt. ''“Why become the ones that hurt us and turn us away? Why become human? When all they do is slave away in these fields. I’d much rather stay as I am, life is easier this way.”''

”But humans can change,” it thought. ”Not all humans are bad, some fed me and looked after me when I was injured. And I’d love to have thumbs.”

By the time that April came, he was never quite treated the same. The rest hid from him, and ushered their fledglings away. “Don’t listen to him, you’ll get strange ideas, dangerous ones,” they’d say.

So why stay? The geese were about to make their journey back north, and no one was going to miss him, it wanted to try and search for others to become human too, maybe he’d have more luck in the West.

The night he announced his departure, five or so of his kin made their presence known. “We’ll join you,” they said. “We were afraid to say earlier in case they killed us dead.” As they flew across the sapphire skies, even the geese had to stop sometimes for rest. Each place they visited, they picked up more strays, more kin who were willing to fly that way. Soon enough, they reached the lonely little island that they knew would be their home, for another while yet. And so they parted with the geese, now fifty strong, to continue on their quest, this time flying solo.

The inhabitants were just as unkind, though they spoke in a different tongue.

Many years had passed by, and as the hundred black birds and one dove filled the clearing, they all knew it was time. The moment they’d all been waiting for.

But first, the dove. Such a gentile creature as she, it was strange to see it surrounded by the unstoppable chaos of her chosen companions. They had all become so rambunctious, she hardly recognised them as their former selves. Their morals were no longer straight, and all they craved was entertainment, any, at any cost, to get them through the day. Though she supposed unlike her, they were not made for such extensive meditation over the span of centuries- no wonder, it was discouraged in the east.

She still had hope, however, for they were not evil creatures. And should they all form to become one human, in darkness, there is always light. She just hoped the gods would listen to her plight.

To build a human not enraptured by riches or gold, but one who’d see the value in the small precious moments of love and wonder that humans can experience and hold.

So it was done, underneath a tree, but you see, none of these beasts have seen a human face for so long, it had been forgotten whether they had a face at all. All was fixed, a well constructed machine, except the face where they left a hole (but how they fixed it is a story for another time). However, after they acquired their face, human and whole, their memories disappeared quickly with the hole, as we all know that the gods love messing with creatures such as they. And after all, they asked for a genuine experience, and what would a human life be with a head full of crows’ memories?