Heartless

There was a time when the world was covered in frost, where the snow and hail never seemed to stop and warmth was a thing of the pass. It was a time where one may be warm today, but be frozen to death the next. Where the sun was forever hidden behind the clouds and summer was only found in legends.

As the animals shivered in their dens, they prayed to the Heaven's to bring them warmth. Even as the the Heaven's heard their hopes and wishes, they simply ignored it.

Without a single word from the Heaven's, the animals got worried and sent a messenger to ask for warmth.

A single animal volunteered and that was the Rainbow Crow. With his plumage colored in the multitude of colors, and his eyes bright with courage, they placed all their trust on him.

He traveled through the landscapes, regardless of the snow and the burning hunger he felt from the lack of food.

He returned with the gift of fire, a fire that burned ever so brightly and warmly. The animals rejoiced at this gift, but the gift came with a cost.

Gone was the colorful plumage that was the envy of all, replaced by a burnt black. His voice, once melodious, was nothing but a croak, burnt by the smoke that he had breathed in.

But from time to time, when the sun hits his feathers right, the image of what he once lost was faintly seen ever so faintly before disappearing yet again.

And so was the legend of the Rainbow Crow.