Fan Fiction ❯ The Sparrow's Burden ❯ Dawning in Raven ( Chapter 1 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Fulawkam 
After a day of tough combat exercises, Raven's daily routine takes a turn into the unknown.
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.07.2005 | Updated On: 04.24.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 334 | Status: Completed
After a day of tough combat exercises, Raven's daily routine takes a turn into the unknown.
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.07.2005 | Updated On: 04.24.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 334 | Status: Completed
!Final Update!: By request, I’m illustrating pictures for this story and posting them on my Deviant Art account. The cover pic is done and up, though it’s not colored yet. There’ll be a black and white illustration for each of the chapters, plus an ending pic. I’m not sure when I’ll be done. It’ll probably take a while, but you can see what I’ve got so far here: http://noeymcname.deviantart.com/
I guess now is as good time as any to tell you I have no affiliation with Time Warner, DC Comics, or the Cartoon Network. I really have no idea if what I’m doing right now is even legal, so any lawyer-types should know that I have no money. If they still decide to sue, then I’ll just plead ignorance.
-Author-
PS: A friend of mine insists I tell you that I haven’t seen the episode “Switched”. It’s true I haven’t, but I don’t see why you have to know.
There are a lot of references to my favorite books, movies, and TV shows in this story. I’ll buy a pretzel for whoever can find them all.
*
The Sparrow’s Burden
1.
Raven never wished the others a good-night whenever she retired for an evening. Tonight was no exception. She rounded the corner into the open doorway of her room. Her body ached as though it were put through a tremendous battle, and she found her focus soley on the tiny mattress positioned carefully in the corner of the room.
She shut the door behind her quickly, glancing to see that no one was watching from the hallway, as she always did. It was not as though Raven distrusted her fellow Titans, it was quite the opposite. But it was very much habitual to be generally suspicious of her surroundings. She had seen and experienced enough to know that there was not much outside her sancturarious room that could be relied upon completely. The Tower had been the subject of more than its fair share of sieges, and there was no telling when the very sky itself may fall.
Robin’s combat exercises were growing more intense by the day. In the past, he used them to keep the group’s already existing skills sharpened and ready. There was no more than an hour or so a day, after which, each Titan would retreat to whatever activity he/she felt suitable until the team was called to action. Once in combat, the group was expected to rely more on their supernatural abilities and teamwork rather than hardened training and technical prowess.
Now Robin seemed more severe as a leader. Ever since Slade, Robin had pushed them. Encouraged them to run just a little faster, hit a little harder, and reach a little further every day. Quickly and subtly, his ambition took shape. Combat practice had begun to take up most of the day, and Robin’s friendly coachings and words of encouragement became a harsh boot camp. Being a Teen Titan had once been a job, now it was a lifestyle.
The results were showing on the battlefield. No question, the Titans were much more effective when fighting. Villains who once posed a serious opposition to the team now crumbled, ran, and oftentimes, unconditionally surrendered without much of a fight. So the results vouched for the training, and thus the training continued, and the training increased.
To those who thrived in such a situation, like Robin and Cyborg, they met the challenge head on. Robin’s lack of any supernatural abilities and still growing body ensured he would reap the most rewards from a life of discomfort, and Cyborg seemed predisposed to hypothetical scenarios. Cyborg had always exercised constantly, ensuring he would always be bigger and more competent than the most able-bodied foe.
There was no denying what the team required of themselves when it came to being constantly placed into life or death situations. They had to be ready for anything, and when they weren’t, had to be in a position to turn the tide in their favour. Robin had done a tremendous job in conditioning the team, and he never lost his demeanour of being approachable and a trusted friend.
But the Titans were kids. Their priorities should have been what they could discover for themselves, not what else was waiting to level Jump City or turn the group into squirrels. Being a superhero meant learning about what the world could produce on its’ most terrible day, and then finding a way to stop it. It never should have been a job that fell soley on the underdeveloped shoulders of five teenagers.
“Robin has it wrong,” Raven muttered, pulling her hood off her face. “He is preparing for a war that will not come.” The young girl ran her hands in a soothing stroke down her hips. She knew they would be lead weights by morning, along with most of her upper body.
She stared out the arrow-shaped window above her bed’s headboard. There were no clouds tonight, and the lights of the city were quite beautiful against the backdrop of stars. Raven stepped closer to the glass and strained to see the moon. She did, it was white and large. Raven attempted to transfer it to an image of a “resplendent shining jewel”, as Starfire had described it, but only saw a large colourless dot. Now and again, Raven made an attempt to understand Starfire and see the world as she did. The Alien girl seemed so joyous, and never attempted to fane emotions. This puzzled Raven, and Raven knew that her reclusive nature and dark disposition puzzled Starfire. The two often attempted to build bridges, but their relationship had never moved beyond admirable respect or polite friendship.
Although with the affection that Starfire, at times of great emotion, showed towards even the most platonic associate, Raven was not sure if she could even handle how the Tamarainian girl would treat a best friend.
Raven pulled herself away from the window. She moved to the centre of the room and pointed her gaze towards the shadow-vailed corner to the right of the door. As much as she wanted to feel the soft pillow under her cheek, there was another daily chore that she alone could conduct.
Raven lowered herself to the ground and folded her legs. She took a moment to ensure her circulation was not disrupted by her position and began to regulate her breath. Her focus lay on the dark corner of the wall and her chests’ constant pattern became the only movement through her body. With the next breath she took in, Raven allowed her eyes to close.
Slowly, the room she had once been sitting in began to break away. The walls around her retreated further and further into the distance until Raven was left sitting in a blank void. Raven did not open her eyes, however her breathing noticeably slowed.
The void began to break into a smoky haze and quickly took form. Underneath Raven, there floated a barren, rocky platform about twice the area of her room. Around her was darkness needled by a few bloodshot stars and what seemed to be red nebulas.
Raven opened her eyes and uncrossed her legs, fully aware that she, in fact, was still sitting in her room, unmoving. She straightened herself to her full height and routinely scanned the physical manifestation of her mind.
Her mind was immense, and it could only be growing. It had become impossible to completely patrol, but Raven usually felt when something was wrong, and knew exactly what to do to quell it. Any problem arose from an emotion, all of which had taken physical form in her mind, being out of place or restless. She meditated to enter her mental world and keep these emotions in check. Failure to do so would have unknown effects on her physical self.
Raven sighed. Things looked fine from where she stood, and she had not experienced anything to say that things were anything but. Of course, it would not hurt to look around and catch a problem before it surfaced. Raven began to focus her telekinetic powers upon her own body. Her feet lifted from atop the granular surface and she soared past it.
Raven increased the altitude of her flight and gently gazed down upon the terrain. There was not much to see. Large stone stages floating like thick clouds, and the occasional red-eyed crow darting past.
She did see something that caught her attention; Happiness. The pink-cloaked duplicate of Raven had drawn boxes in some dirt and was now playing hop-scotch. Upon noticing Raven fly overhead, she giggled and waved. As usual, Raven did not wave back and continued on instead. That emotion was not doing anything she was not supposed to be doing, thus Raven deemed it beneath her notice.
Concentrating her powers on herself made the gothic girl remember exactly how tired she felt. Satisfied, she started towards the portal that would bring her back to her body and end another day of meditation.
But something caught her eye before she could reach the stone arches. A distant glint to her left had appeared and seemed to be moving across the structure of her mind. Raven stopped and hovered, squinting to get a look at what the source of the light was. It did not seem hostile or intent on causing trouble, whatever it was. It seemed to simply transverse around, content on following a consistent and steady path.
No chances could be taken, Raven decided. At a somewhat increased speed than her patrol, she moved to investigate. The tiny star did not speed up or slow down, and did not react to Raven’s change of course at all. As she drew closer, she saw that the glimmering light was not as distant as she initially thought. It began to take shape right away, and Raven was taken back at her first full sighting of the object: It was her.
It was an emotion, rather. One that had not existed before and looked very unlike the others. The cloak it wore was gleaming platinum, as was the leotard. They almost seemed to radiate light rather than reflect it. The face of the emotion had the same colour of makeup, something that Raven herself wore little of. Silver eyeshadow extended from the eyelid to the bottom of the eyebrow and lipstick helped give the would-be girl a face that was actually quite becoming.
The emotion was leisurely drifting, not looking like it had anywhere in particular to go. Raven stopped before crossing it’s flight path and lingered. The silver girl then looked over and took first notice of Raven. It stopped in front of her just out of arms reach and the two inquisitively gazed for several moments. The emotion gave her master a trustworthy smile.
Raven began to speak. “What are . . . ?” The soceress was not really sure how to begin.
The emotion broke forward at the words, pulling back her cloak and swinging it violently at Raven’s face. Raven was completely taken, and attempted to evade the supposed attack. The silver girl stopped, however, holding the inside of the drape close to Raven’s eyes. Raven brought her guard down and cocked one eyebrow, not knowing what he was expected to do.
The girl did not move from her position and used her free hand to motion toward the open cloak. Raven advanced cautiously, staring at what appeared to be simply a cloth held open to look like a blank canvas. Then she saw something, as though looking at a magic-eye painting. As surely and steadily as she moved, the dim silhouette of a person began to grow clear as Raven drew closer.
Just as she thought she could properly identify the young man that came to be, the figure jumped from it’s backdrop, encompassing her peripheral vision and became all that Raven saw. The image was horrifying, and Raven attempted to close her eyes but couldn’t. A young man upon his haunches, battered and beaten. His head hung without any support from his neck, looking down his chest. Rising at an angle from the left side of his chest was a copper lance, pointed at both ends and exiting out his back.
Raven covered her mouth with her a shaking hand, both to keep from screaming and vomiting. The boy was all too familiar, the one who had saved her life on countless occasions. Raven began to scream.
As the room where her physical self had been meditating came charging back to it’s full and correct form, Raven gasped and managed to let one word through her painfully clenched teeth.
“Robin!”
Raven: Using her telekinetic abilities to fly and hurl large objects at her enemies, Raven is a formidable addition to the Teen Titans. Her powers are drawn from the emotions she is forced to contain, and hers is a life of constant caution and control. Her emotions have taken physical form in her mind, and Raven is forced to meditate daily to keep them in check. Any unbalance is dangerous, and should Raven become too emotional, she puts herself and those close to her at risk.
Physically, Raven is a blandly attractive female. Her hair is thin and dark purple, her complexion so pale, she’s almost grey. Her life of constantly fighting bad guys keeps her in excellent shape. Raven’s uniform consists of a dark blue leotard, fully exposing her legs but covering her arms to her wrists. She is almost never seen without a heavy, navy-coloured cloak. The hood is usually draped over head, keeping her eyes in shadow. Her blue footwear is laceless and very modest. Hanging off her hip is an ornamental red-emerald chain belt.
Ravens’ hefty job of controlling all her feelings forces her away from the other Titans, and makes her somewhat anti-social. She’s a bit of a loaner, often retreating to her room and never allowing anyone to follow. Still, Raven considers the other members of the group close friends, and her loyalty is never questioned by them. Although she almost never laughs, she has a very dry sense of humour herself, and can unintentionally become the life of a party.
I guess now is as good time as any to tell you I have no affiliation with Time Warner, DC Comics, or the Cartoon Network. I really have no idea if what I’m doing right now is even legal, so any lawyer-types should know that I have no money. If they still decide to sue, then I’ll just plead ignorance.
-Author-
PS: A friend of mine insists I tell you that I haven’t seen the episode “Switched”. It’s true I haven’t, but I don’t see why you have to know.
There are a lot of references to my favorite books, movies, and TV shows in this story. I’ll buy a pretzel for whoever can find them all.
*
The Sparrow’s Burden
1.
Raven never wished the others a good-night whenever she retired for an evening. Tonight was no exception. She rounded the corner into the open doorway of her room. Her body ached as though it were put through a tremendous battle, and she found her focus soley on the tiny mattress positioned carefully in the corner of the room.
She shut the door behind her quickly, glancing to see that no one was watching from the hallway, as she always did. It was not as though Raven distrusted her fellow Titans, it was quite the opposite. But it was very much habitual to be generally suspicious of her surroundings. She had seen and experienced enough to know that there was not much outside her sancturarious room that could be relied upon completely. The Tower had been the subject of more than its fair share of sieges, and there was no telling when the very sky itself may fall.
Robin’s combat exercises were growing more intense by the day. In the past, he used them to keep the group’s already existing skills sharpened and ready. There was no more than an hour or so a day, after which, each Titan would retreat to whatever activity he/she felt suitable until the team was called to action. Once in combat, the group was expected to rely more on their supernatural abilities and teamwork rather than hardened training and technical prowess.
Now Robin seemed more severe as a leader. Ever since Slade, Robin had pushed them. Encouraged them to run just a little faster, hit a little harder, and reach a little further every day. Quickly and subtly, his ambition took shape. Combat practice had begun to take up most of the day, and Robin’s friendly coachings and words of encouragement became a harsh boot camp. Being a Teen Titan had once been a job, now it was a lifestyle.
The results were showing on the battlefield. No question, the Titans were much more effective when fighting. Villains who once posed a serious opposition to the team now crumbled, ran, and oftentimes, unconditionally surrendered without much of a fight. So the results vouched for the training, and thus the training continued, and the training increased.
To those who thrived in such a situation, like Robin and Cyborg, they met the challenge head on. Robin’s lack of any supernatural abilities and still growing body ensured he would reap the most rewards from a life of discomfort, and Cyborg seemed predisposed to hypothetical scenarios. Cyborg had always exercised constantly, ensuring he would always be bigger and more competent than the most able-bodied foe.
There was no denying what the team required of themselves when it came to being constantly placed into life or death situations. They had to be ready for anything, and when they weren’t, had to be in a position to turn the tide in their favour. Robin had done a tremendous job in conditioning the team, and he never lost his demeanour of being approachable and a trusted friend.
But the Titans were kids. Their priorities should have been what they could discover for themselves, not what else was waiting to level Jump City or turn the group into squirrels. Being a superhero meant learning about what the world could produce on its’ most terrible day, and then finding a way to stop it. It never should have been a job that fell soley on the underdeveloped shoulders of five teenagers.
“Robin has it wrong,” Raven muttered, pulling her hood off her face. “He is preparing for a war that will not come.” The young girl ran her hands in a soothing stroke down her hips. She knew they would be lead weights by morning, along with most of her upper body.
She stared out the arrow-shaped window above her bed’s headboard. There were no clouds tonight, and the lights of the city were quite beautiful against the backdrop of stars. Raven stepped closer to the glass and strained to see the moon. She did, it was white and large. Raven attempted to transfer it to an image of a “resplendent shining jewel”, as Starfire had described it, but only saw a large colourless dot. Now and again, Raven made an attempt to understand Starfire and see the world as she did. The Alien girl seemed so joyous, and never attempted to fane emotions. This puzzled Raven, and Raven knew that her reclusive nature and dark disposition puzzled Starfire. The two often attempted to build bridges, but their relationship had never moved beyond admirable respect or polite friendship.
Although with the affection that Starfire, at times of great emotion, showed towards even the most platonic associate, Raven was not sure if she could even handle how the Tamarainian girl would treat a best friend.
Raven pulled herself away from the window. She moved to the centre of the room and pointed her gaze towards the shadow-vailed corner to the right of the door. As much as she wanted to feel the soft pillow under her cheek, there was another daily chore that she alone could conduct.
Raven lowered herself to the ground and folded her legs. She took a moment to ensure her circulation was not disrupted by her position and began to regulate her breath. Her focus lay on the dark corner of the wall and her chests’ constant pattern became the only movement through her body. With the next breath she took in, Raven allowed her eyes to close.
Slowly, the room she had once been sitting in began to break away. The walls around her retreated further and further into the distance until Raven was left sitting in a blank void. Raven did not open her eyes, however her breathing noticeably slowed.
The void began to break into a smoky haze and quickly took form. Underneath Raven, there floated a barren, rocky platform about twice the area of her room. Around her was darkness needled by a few bloodshot stars and what seemed to be red nebulas.
Raven opened her eyes and uncrossed her legs, fully aware that she, in fact, was still sitting in her room, unmoving. She straightened herself to her full height and routinely scanned the physical manifestation of her mind.
Her mind was immense, and it could only be growing. It had become impossible to completely patrol, but Raven usually felt when something was wrong, and knew exactly what to do to quell it. Any problem arose from an emotion, all of which had taken physical form in her mind, being out of place or restless. She meditated to enter her mental world and keep these emotions in check. Failure to do so would have unknown effects on her physical self.
Raven sighed. Things looked fine from where she stood, and she had not experienced anything to say that things were anything but. Of course, it would not hurt to look around and catch a problem before it surfaced. Raven began to focus her telekinetic powers upon her own body. Her feet lifted from atop the granular surface and she soared past it.
Raven increased the altitude of her flight and gently gazed down upon the terrain. There was not much to see. Large stone stages floating like thick clouds, and the occasional red-eyed crow darting past.
She did see something that caught her attention; Happiness. The pink-cloaked duplicate of Raven had drawn boxes in some dirt and was now playing hop-scotch. Upon noticing Raven fly overhead, she giggled and waved. As usual, Raven did not wave back and continued on instead. That emotion was not doing anything she was not supposed to be doing, thus Raven deemed it beneath her notice.
Concentrating her powers on herself made the gothic girl remember exactly how tired she felt. Satisfied, she started towards the portal that would bring her back to her body and end another day of meditation.
But something caught her eye before she could reach the stone arches. A distant glint to her left had appeared and seemed to be moving across the structure of her mind. Raven stopped and hovered, squinting to get a look at what the source of the light was. It did not seem hostile or intent on causing trouble, whatever it was. It seemed to simply transverse around, content on following a consistent and steady path.
No chances could be taken, Raven decided. At a somewhat increased speed than her patrol, she moved to investigate. The tiny star did not speed up or slow down, and did not react to Raven’s change of course at all. As she drew closer, she saw that the glimmering light was not as distant as she initially thought. It began to take shape right away, and Raven was taken back at her first full sighting of the object: It was her.
It was an emotion, rather. One that had not existed before and looked very unlike the others. The cloak it wore was gleaming platinum, as was the leotard. They almost seemed to radiate light rather than reflect it. The face of the emotion had the same colour of makeup, something that Raven herself wore little of. Silver eyeshadow extended from the eyelid to the bottom of the eyebrow and lipstick helped give the would-be girl a face that was actually quite becoming.
The emotion was leisurely drifting, not looking like it had anywhere in particular to go. Raven stopped before crossing it’s flight path and lingered. The silver girl then looked over and took first notice of Raven. It stopped in front of her just out of arms reach and the two inquisitively gazed for several moments. The emotion gave her master a trustworthy smile.
Raven began to speak. “What are . . . ?” The soceress was not really sure how to begin.
The emotion broke forward at the words, pulling back her cloak and swinging it violently at Raven’s face. Raven was completely taken, and attempted to evade the supposed attack. The silver girl stopped, however, holding the inside of the drape close to Raven’s eyes. Raven brought her guard down and cocked one eyebrow, not knowing what he was expected to do.
The girl did not move from her position and used her free hand to motion toward the open cloak. Raven advanced cautiously, staring at what appeared to be simply a cloth held open to look like a blank canvas. Then she saw something, as though looking at a magic-eye painting. As surely and steadily as she moved, the dim silhouette of a person began to grow clear as Raven drew closer.
Just as she thought she could properly identify the young man that came to be, the figure jumped from it’s backdrop, encompassing her peripheral vision and became all that Raven saw. The image was horrifying, and Raven attempted to close her eyes but couldn’t. A young man upon his haunches, battered and beaten. His head hung without any support from his neck, looking down his chest. Rising at an angle from the left side of his chest was a copper lance, pointed at both ends and exiting out his back.
Raven covered her mouth with her a shaking hand, both to keep from screaming and vomiting. The boy was all too familiar, the one who had saved her life on countless occasions. Raven began to scream.
As the room where her physical self had been meditating came charging back to it’s full and correct form, Raven gasped and managed to let one word through her painfully clenched teeth.
“Robin!”
Raven: Using her telekinetic abilities to fly and hurl large objects at her enemies, Raven is a formidable addition to the Teen Titans. Her powers are drawn from the emotions she is forced to contain, and hers is a life of constant caution and control. Her emotions have taken physical form in her mind, and Raven is forced to meditate daily to keep them in check. Any unbalance is dangerous, and should Raven become too emotional, she puts herself and those close to her at risk.
Physically, Raven is a blandly attractive female. Her hair is thin and dark purple, her complexion so pale, she’s almost grey. Her life of constantly fighting bad guys keeps her in excellent shape. Raven’s uniform consists of a dark blue leotard, fully exposing her legs but covering her arms to her wrists. She is almost never seen without a heavy, navy-coloured cloak. The hood is usually draped over head, keeping her eyes in shadow. Her blue footwear is laceless and very modest. Hanging off her hip is an ornamental red-emerald chain belt.
Ravens’ hefty job of controlling all her feelings forces her away from the other Titans, and makes her somewhat anti-social. She’s a bit of a loaner, often retreating to her room and never allowing anyone to follow. Still, Raven considers the other members of the group close friends, and her loyalty is never questioned by them. Although she almost never laughs, she has a very dry sense of humour herself, and can unintentionally become the life of a party.