Aia was not looking for a pet when she met Raven.

She was only enjoying the day under a tree while the sun was in the sky. Heat is something people avoid, so they stay home to cool themselves.

The crops seemed to die that day on the island. Aia sensed that the goddess of life and the god of death were arguing about whether they should kill the plants or let them live for a moment more.

Despite their debate, Aia sighed and was glad about the quietness of that day until she heard something move above the tree. She expected to see the god of lie, for he often tried to surprise her. Instead, something fell on her head.

It was not yet a grown raven. It seemed hungry because it kept opening its beak. It fell from its nest. Aia can see the redness of its tongue and mouth. Its eyes stared at her, so Aia knew its mother was no longer on that tree. It left along with the other siblings of the raven. The mother knew the chick it left behind was weak.

Aia looked up at the tree and wondered if she should still leave it in its nest. She stood and left it alone. She walks back to her temple, not knowing it would follow her tracks. When she looked back, the chick kept trying to talk to her. But there is only a faint sound coming from it.

“You should not enter here,” she says. “Go away.”

Aia left it at the entrance, knowing her barrier would not let it inside. A day after that, it rained hard. And the people stayed again in their homes.

It seemed that the goddess of life had won the argument. And Aia could not help but smile.

She walked to the doorway of her temple and saw the pouring rain. Near her feet, she saw something move toward her. It was the chick carrying a dried wheat. It thought that the goddess will allow him to enter her temple by bringing an offering.

“There was nothing for you to do inside.”

The chick can only stare at her because it also knew no answer as to what could happen if he entered her temple. It only wanted to live. The chick is becoming weaker as hours pass by.

“You should go to my sister instead. She might extend your life,” Aia said before an idea came to her. Humans are becoming wary of her because her tongue knows no boundaries. Yet Aia could not help but care for them.

“Hmm… people no longer want to visit me, for I tell them the truth. And they will avoid me once they see me out from this temple. If I could stay here and use you as my messenger, they would no longer feel afraid of me,” Aia thought loudly. “Come,” she let the chick hop on her hand and brought it inside.

She let the raven grow for a while by feeding on her strength. Then, Aia taught the raven how to fly within the walls of her temple. She healed its broken wings.

Whenever an animal stayed with a deity for too long, it grew more than an average human. Eventually, it will learn to change its shape and appearance. And that is how an animal becomes a shapeshifter.

The shapeshifters are another kind higher than mortals but below the deities. Shapeshifters were often called pets or friends of immortals. It was another proof that the gods and the goddesses had odd ways of entertainment. Sometimes, a deity needed aid to transport them faster or have someone who could serve them unconditionally.

Whenever the raven flies, it goes to places where people are suffering. Like Aia, the bird seemed eager to help because he knew pain, loneliness, and suffering. Aia saw what the raven saw by looking through its eyes.

“That girl will die this week. There is nothing they can do to stop Klaus from taking her,” she said after seeing the places the raven explores.

By this time, the raven was now a healthy bird. But it keeps growing, so the village people get wary of its appearance. They could not hurt it for they knew it was a pet of a god or a goddess. But they get afraid whenever the raven is nearby. They did not know that the raven was only there to observe. The goddess of truth only wanted to know if the village was more peaceful now that she remained unseen.