A jet-black crow looked around the small enclosure, a complicated lock system on the door.

It is only meant to be opened from the outside the crow realized, studying the lock. She jumped forwards and began pulling and twisting, slowly loosening it. The final bolt sprung off and she glanced over the edge of her cell, there were many other enclosures similar to hers scattered around the narrow ravine, a small crow in one of them looked at her mournfully. She studied the other enclosures, some of the crows inside of them were dead, and others looked like they'd given up, she was the only one with hope.

She jumped off the ledge, embracing the feeling of wind in her feathers. I must get back to my egg she beat her wings, giving her altitude, I must! She sprung out of the top of the ravine, spiraling and beating her wings faster.

As she got farther away from her enclosure, an evergreen forest stood on the horizon. Must get back to my murder, must get back to my egg! She beat her wings faster still. In the distance, the sound of wings could be heard. She frantically flew towards her home, light was seeping over the horizon as the wing beats grew nearer. Faster, faster! She willed herself silently. The forest was now closer, an angry sea throbbed beneath her. The wing beats were with her now, cutting her off, a crow appeared in front of her, a long scar down his body.

"You have been brave, smart," he began, she tried to push past him, but he kept the path well guarded. "Shame you didn't accept our ways," he continued, flying closer. She kept her eyes trained over his wing joint, toward her home and her murder. "For now you must die." He leapt at her and grabbed her wing in his claws, she didn't resist, she couldn't. The crow flung her in the air, her wing was bleeding heavily.

"My egg," she whispered, weak, "Must get back," she attempted to fly, but too much bloodshed had occurred, delivering her into his claws. He reached for her chest, and tore into it, leaving his claws bloody. He continued to hold her from inside her chest, and threw her downwards this time, towards the ocean. "My egg!" She cawed, blood coming from her beak, "I can't leave my egg! I can't-" the rest of her words where swallowed by the throbbing waves of the ocean. The crow looked at the place where the female crow had fallen, the flew off back to the ravine.