Novel
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
The lazy days of summer had drifted on past her, and she had barely taken heed. Now the days shorten as the nights grow ever longer and still she barely takes note. But then, she has rarely paid attention to such things. As the weather grows colder, she simply fluffs her feathers and carries on. Snow is hardly an obstacle for one with wings.
Tonight is no different, at least on the face of it. The moon hangs bright and cold in the sky, illuminating a world breathing it's chilly exhalation as it fades from summer to winter. Leaves still barely cling to the trees, a stubborn determination she can appreciate. For the small raven flitting from tree to tree however, the shifting on seasons hardly signifies.
No, what catches her attention is a horse. At first glance, he hardly appears special. In fact, she almost overlooks him, content to ignore what does not interest her. But then, she doesn't.
For a while, she clings to the sparse trees heralding the start of the meadow. But soon enough, curiosity overwhelms her. Especially when the odd hat appears magically atop his head. With a loud squawk and an abrupt flap of her wings, she flutters across the meadow until she has landed close enough to allow her quite conspicuous study. With another caw, she fixes beady black eyes upon the strange beast before her, head tilting first one way, then the other in distinctly bird-like curiosity.
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to dream before.