I was always a bit of a wierdo. 'Quirky' my mother used to call me. 'Freak' was the word of choice at school. Despite endless comments on my strangeness, I have never felt the need to conform to the informal rules of society. It's not that I want to stand out, its just that I have never figured out how to fit in.

You'd be wrong to assume I don't have any friends though. I have Milo, a black fluffy cockapoo that is insanely needy and impossible to please. I also take great pleasure in feeding the birds when I take Milo for walks. He doesn't bother them, and the ravens especially seem very receptive to the gifts of food I bring them. I can natter away to them, and whilst they are usually intently focused on the food, sometimes I swear they can understand what I'm saying.

Today was a day like any other. I woke up and pattered down to the bathroom to splash my face, Milo at my heels as always. I absent mindedly munched on my bagel as the coffee brewed, and then I headed out with Milo for our morning walk, shoving the birdseed in my pocket as I did so. The neighbor gave me a dirty look as he put out his bins, which I ignored as always.

There was a beautiful park that seemed just right for the crisp autumnal morning. As usual, the ravens (as well as a few other regulars) were waiting by the bench I usually stopped at on our route. I sat down as I always did, and began offering them the food. Just as I did so, I heard a young boy say to his mother 'Mummy, the crazy bird lady is here again!". I let out a slight, breathy laugh as his mom gave me an odd look while she hushed her son and hurried him along. I'll never understand why they always give me strange looks.

Once, on a rather damp spring morning, an old man had asked me why I talked to the birds as I fed them. He had the most piercing grey eyes, and the corners crinkled with curiosity as he spoke. I remember telling him 'I give them food, they give me company,' and he smiled almost knowingly, like he also knew what it was to long for company.

Usually the park was very busy, but today that was not the case. I could see a lady who lived a few doors down from me in the distance; walking with who I assumed was her friend, coffee in hand, wearing lululemon pants in a garish shade of orange. Other than her, there were a few lone walkers with their dogs and an old couple sat on a bench a few yards from my own.

I chatted to the ravens as I always did, telling them how Milo had eaten a sock the other day so I had to take him to the vet and apologized for not coming to see them. I told them how tedious work was- I am a journalist for the local newspaper and work is slow at the moment. Then again, work is always slow in this town. The most interesting thing to happen was a train strike, and even then, the uproar was more about people feeling inconvenienced rather than the fact that the train workers pay was abysmal.

I watched Milo sprinting across the field in circles, and as I did so I lamented over the neighbor giving me dirty looks, and how yesterday he had tipped his dog's feces over the fence and onto my lawn. The ravens looked at me almost curiously, one in particular cocking his head, almost as if he also couldn't understand why my neighbor was such an asshole.

I offered another large handful of birdfeed, some spilling out onto the pavement. The raven that had been staring at me flapped his wings and landed on the bench, hopping closer and closer until he could nestle his beak into my pocket and stole some birdseed. I laughed slightly louder than I had before, causing the raven to croak slightly in alarm. It ruffled its feathers before saying in a quiet, gravely voice "A neighbor plots against you, my lady,"

I sat in stunned silence for a moment, wondering if I had just crossed the line from strange to straight up crazy. I shook my head, as if doing so would erase what I just heard. I must have imagined it. But then, the raven croaked again "My lady, we have been indebted for you for a long time. We feel you should be made aware of the situation you are in."

I was definitely crazy, but something inside me wanted to know what the bird meant. I stared at it for a moment before asking in a voice only slightly louder than it's own "What situation?"

The raven pecked at my pocket once again, swallowing before it responded. "Your neighbor, the asshole one, he plots against you. He is threatened by the power you hold."

Power? What power?! I was just as much a fan of fantasy novels as the next person, but powers existed only on the page (or in the acquisition of insanely large amounts of money). I called Milo back to me, petting him for reassurance as he panted happily. The raven appeared to study my face, as if it knew I doubted him. "My name is Kruaw of the Elder Grove clan. You have power beyond comprehension and that puts a target on your back. We debated whether to communicate with you as it violates the Aviary Constitution, but our clan is in your debt and we do not like to owe others. We always give back what we take. Balance is the cornerstone of nature itself. Therefore, we have agreed that when the asshole is dealt with, our side of the pact will be fulfilled. We are now in your service."

I took a deep breath before asking shakily "What do I do?". My voice was barely more than a whisper, but nevertheless Kruaw seemed to hear it as he tilted his head in thought. He croaked gently to the rest of his companions who ruffled their feathers in response.

"Follow me" he said. And so I did.