It was old, perhaps a few hundred years old. It was made completely of silver,
tarnished to a dirty black and intricately carved with each of the four sides
depicting distorted faces: one with a wicked looking grin and teeth like
daggers, dripping blood; another showed a malevolent face, the eyes flashing
with strength and power; a third showing a blank face, the eyes carved and
perhaps enchanted in such a way as to simultaneously display purpose and
cluelessness; and the fourth face downcast, full of sorrow. The border along
each of these sides was a myriad mess of disjointed angles, imperfect yet
concentric circles, and violently twisted lines. It was not large, small enough
to hold in the hands but large enough to not fit easily in one's pockets. This
heavy pyramid was a master of macabre art.

Who would own such a disturbing object? The surface was almost luminescent,
polished to reflect its surroundings, though the reflection came out blurred no
matter how much it was buffed. But the aura! It gave off a dark, dissonant
feeling when held. I did not want to touch it, though I did not know why. I
turned the pyramid over to look at the bottom and then is when the true
artisanship was reviled. There, in painstaking detail, was a forestal scene:
large ravenwood trees framed the image, growing smaller towards the center it
indicate depth. Rising from the heart of the wood was a magnificent tree, the
branches twisting around each other and small spiders crawling up and down the
trunk. Scattered throughout the branches could be seen crows, larger than
normal, perching ominously. Set within the trunk of the tree was a smooth piece
of highly polished silver. As I glanced into this miniature mirror I saw... me.

My breathing suddenly became labored and my soul was struck with a sense of
foreboding the likes of which I had never felt before. It felt as if I had no
control, like my soul was watching as my body moved through the motions. In
immense feeling of panic over took me as I glanced down and saw my hands moving
of their own accord, twisting the pyramid along some previously unseen track
within the object. I heard myself scream, though it seemed that it had not come
from my throat, and I felt my eyes widen as small crack appeared in the polished
surface, spreading like water from edge to edge. The four faces came alone,
their mouths twisted up in a mocking laugh as the entire thing shattered into a
million pieces; and with it, reality.

I was overcome by a strange, black, light-sucking light and then my sense went
numb. It was as if I did not exist. I had no body, no thoughts… all I had was
sight. Without a conscious command my vision was turned and I found myself
standing within the forest from the pyramid. I was standing before the giant,
magnificent tree. What I beheld was madness! There were people, shells of
people, their gaze glazed over and their movements slowed. They seemed to walk
without walking, here one moment and there the next, with no in between. They
traveled en mass, all going one way. I found myself following, though how I do
not know, seeing as how I had no body, no sense. Only sight.

Suddenly I had sound, and what a devilish noise it was! I heard laughing, not
joyful but forced and maniacal. I heard weeping, the sobs of those who cry but
have forgotten why. There was music as well, haunting and harsh. Notes rang
without reason but formed an odd, eerie melody.

And then came the crows.

What horrible creatures they were! They were coated in oily black feathers,
their talons coated in fresh blood and bits of carrion hanging from their beaks.
Their eyes flashed and their beaks twisted up into cruel smiles. With a
deafening screech they fell upon the group, tearing into them with beak and
talon and I could not help but throw my hands up to my ears to deafen the sound.
I started suddenly, realizing that I now had a body. The crows took no notice of
me however as they finished their sadistic work.

And then they were gone, vanished. There was no evidence of the slaughter that
had just taken place; no blood, no feathers. Only then did I begin to take in my
surroundings. The sky was a dark gray, as if before a terrible storm. The ground
was equally dark, muddy tracks scattered here and there and filled with fallen
leaves and branches. All around me within the trees could be seen giant nests
reeking of rotting corpses. My eyes widened in terror once more as I took in the
gravity of my situation. All around me could be seen these giant crows,
torturing the hollow people. They could be seen tied to the trunks of trees,
hanging in various states of completion from branches, and some even walking
around with their stomachs torn open and their entrails hanging out. They were
somewhere in between life and death, each moaning and crying out for a death
that refused to come.

As I was watching, one of the crows turned and looked directly at me. My soul
shivered with disgust and bile climbed up my throat at the glance. The creature
sped towards me, its foul wings whipping up dirt as it took flight. Just before
reaching me it climbed, up above the trees and out of sight. With a thundering
caw the limbs above exploded as a black form crashed through. I was thrown to
the ground as two taloned feet tore into my shoulders and clamped down on the
bone. I was lifted into the air and carried a short distance before I felt
myself falling. I felt nothing, thought nothing, and as I crashed painfully into
a sickeningly wet nest my vision blurred again until I saw nothing.

And so here I am, a pet owned by this hellish creature.

A slave to the Murder.