A beautiful crow that once dwelled deep within a forest with a witch that she adored beyond words. She was this witch's messenger, gathered of trinkets and herbs, and a loyal guard. Everything within Sóla's life was complete and she couldn't have been happier. That was until other humans decided to take action.

The witch, as she was called, was nothing more than a harmless old woman that had decided long ago that the forest and animals were more in her taste of company than the village she had once lived. In moving to the forest and avoiding the villagers at all cost, the villagers had took to spreading rumors of a nasty witch that stole children during the witching hour and devoured them. Though, some of these rumors were twisted into more fantasy tales that caught the attention of witch hunters.

For many years the old woman had done her best to keep her home safe. She just wanted a peaceful life, one in which she could enjoy nature and the crow she had raised from hatchling.

But it was not meant to be. For the hour before that of the witching hour, a group of villagers ascended upon the old woman's house. They were deteremined to destroy this evil woman and not allow anymore of their children to disappear--though this was never proven by the said village as there was no count of children missing. But those that the villagers had commissioned to kill the old woman did not care for truth they just wanted another bounty to claim fame.

The old woman though had known of their coming as the forest had come to life within the sleeping hours. She knew there was little she could do to escape. A long, hard life had taken its toll on her body but she knew that her beloved crow could still escape. She called to Sóla, from within the house, as the crow appeared before her. She was heartbroken at her next move as she picked up a stone bowl and threw it.

Sóla was scared as she let out a caw of alarm before darting out the window. She thrust her wings through the air as she darted around a tree, hoping to escape. She rested within a branch as she saw the villagers descending upon the pebble path. She watched in horror as the old woman opened the door, asking as to why they had come. Sóla couldn't make herself watch any longer as she took to the sky, escaping.

For many moons Sóla wandered the skies, searching for any place to call home. Though, many that she thought would have enjoyed her company wanted nothing to do with her. It was heartbreaking all over again and she was at a loss of what to do. This loss started to drive her towards the true nature of a crow--in that of collecting shiny objects with or without the knowledge of the original owner. It helped with the loss for a time.

But in one of her outtings to collect these shiny objects she stumbled upon an old shack within the woods. She paused for a mere moment when the glittering of a silver piece upon the window sill caught her eye. Sóla dived towards the window as her eyes were strictly on the shiny piece that rested there. She wanted it and she would have it. Though, the owner of said piece was in no mood to lose that which was theirs. The being that lived within the shack was a witch of true nature. The witch watched as the crow fluttered at the window sill, attempting to figure the best way to grab the watch that had caught their eye.

The witch snatched at Sóla, grabbing her by the wings as she pulled the surprised crow through the window. Sóla peaked and screeched as she tried to escape only to find the witch was not assumed nor afraid. Sóla was placed within a cage as the witch placed the watch once more within her pocket. This cage was Sóla's home for several moons while the witch worked on a punishment.

Sóla had lost count of the days and the nights as she laid at the bottom of the cage. She never tried to escape nor did she respond to the witch when spoken to. She wanted to go home, back to the life she knew. She hated it here and wanted to go home. It was a few days later that her wish was granted--but not without a "curse" to carry with her for the rest of her life.

The witch had been working on a spell to punish the crow. She knew crows could be wonderful companions but the crow she had captured was beyond repair and needed to be punished for attempting to steal from their master. Though, Sóla had never created a bond with this witch--the witch still saw herself as Sóla's new master. And for a pet to disobey there was punishment needed. In her searching she had found a spell that would turn the crow into solid stone. She thought this was the perfect punishment.

The spell was in the middle of being performed but in the casting Sóla found her escape and she darted quickly from the witch's shack. The witch shrieked with rage as the spell had not been completed.

Sóla flew as quickly as she could in the hopes of escaping all humans and their dwellings. She had learned her lesson and wanted to live as far from them as she could get herself. She travelled far during the nighttime hours as she felt herself weakening, a matter she was not understanding. Her orbs searched quickly for a place to land to rest. In her searching her eyes landed upon a hollow tree that had another crow perching upon it. Her heart soared with joy at another of her kind. She dropped quickly from the sky as she made a bee-line for the hollowed tree.

The disappointment upon her face was not seen by any but felt only by her as she realized the crow she had seen from the sky was nothing more than stone. But she had little time to figure out her next move as the first rays of light settled upon the clearing. She felt herself hardening to the spot in which she perched.

There was nothing more she could do as she felt her body settle into a perched position as the sun climbed higher into the sky. She stilled as stone covered her entire body, she blinked once as she froze in time.

As the evening hours would come, she would feel herself coming back to the realm of the living. She fluttered violently as she found herself resting within the hollow tree. She stilled as she saw another standing there. An oddball to say the least as she had never seen such a creature before. It had the head of a shark with the body of a bird. She figured she had died and this thing was the one that would escort her to the Afterlife.

But much to her surprise she found that the thing was offering her food. She took the nuts with grace as she devoured them. She found that the thing was called Gibbit, mainly by guessing from the noise it seemed to squeak from time to time as it moved its treasures around. Sóla couldn't help but seem to settle herself within the hollow tree as she found that Gibbit was just as lonely and broken as she was. She eventually won Gibbit's heart and has remained within the hollow tree, and grove, as a guardian and companion for Gibbit when her spell wears off. In some way, Sóla realizes that the spell that was meant to be a curse was truly a blessing as she has finally found her home.