Epocheia

[Sparrow]

The crow above flies down and lands on top of the cage. It caws loudly looking down at the huddled figure. A cold wind nearly blows the bird off of the cage, but it remains in place by hugging against the bars. The chain creaks in the wind and lightning cracks the air not to far off.

~~~

The crow begins pecking at the window, but quickly gives up. It flies away only to smack headfirst into the glass seconds later. It repeats this three more times. On the third time a hair thin web crack forms about half the size a dime. The crow catches the ledge and tilts its head at the glass. Then begins pecking at the crack, working to chip its way through.

[FoxTrott]

Ericken pulled his legs closer to his chest, if that was possible, huddling into a ball to keep warm. He tried not to think about falling hundreds of feet to his death, with the creaking chains just waiting to break. Tears streamed down his face. He regretted ever coming to Epocheia in the first place.

~~~

Vince's eyes widened in realization. The crow was trying to break through the glass. Paranoia overtook him. What would it do after it broke through? Try to attack him? He shook his head, and sighed.

[Sparrow]

The crow caws several times, looking out over the ocean. It repeats this several times before the distant call of other crows it heard. A murder of several dozen crows’ fast approaches. They circle the cage, not yet daring to land on it as a group. One lands on the underside of the grate flooring and hangs upside-down from it. It peaks lightly at the bottom of Ericken's left shoe; Testing if it had strength to it.

~~~

The glass creaks and cracks as the crow busily chips away at it, though its work is slow going. The water level rises at a now steady pace; It has risen at least several inches. Every now and then a fish surfaces and causes a swishing sound.

[FoxTrott]

Ericken jumped up, seeing the crows approaching fast. The sudden movement caused the cage to creak, and he clung to the side of it. The rough bars scratched his soft hands, drawing a few droplets of blood. Something pecked the underside of his shoe. With a yelp of surprise, Ericken tried to push the crow away with the toe of his shoe.

~~~

Vince watched the crow chip away at the glass. He shivered, thinking of what would happen if it got through. A stronger shiver was sent up his spine as he noticed the water rising. A quick glance below showed a fish jumping out of the water. He closed his eyes tight, imagining he was back in the penthouse.

[Sparrow]

The hanging crow pulls its beak out of the cage to avoid damage. It tilts its head at him and begins cawing before releasing itself and dropping. It quickly catches the air and flies up to join the others. Seeing that Ericken was against the cage side several of the crows spring an attack. Three grab onto the bars and snag his clothing in a poor attempt to keep him still. Three others land on the bars and begin pecking and snapping at him.

~~~

The crow continues chipping at the glass. After several minutes it pauses and looks down to him. The outermost ring drops while the water continues to drip. Several of the fish are sucked under, but quickly recover and begin circling again. The crow caws lightly before starting back to its work.

[FoxTrott]

Ericken exhaled once the crow fell off the cage. His relief was short lived, though; soon more came, and began snapping and grabbing at his clothes. With a scream, he fell against the other side of the cage, sending it swinging and creaking. He landed hard on his butt, his head slamming against the bars. Tears welled in his eyes. It was just too much...

~~~

Vince sat down in the exact middle of the platform in time for the outer edge to fall away. He almost felt claustraphobic, but the majority of him felt plain terrified.

[Sparrow]

The murder fly up the Cliffside and land on the rocks above. Several of the crows that had attacked were injured by the rusty bars. Only one remains on the cage side; caught partway through the bars, one wing pinned to its side. It had been overly determined to hold on when Ericken had fallen back, and was now struggling to get loose. It makes a pathetic caw and flaps its free wing to no avail. After a moment it droops its wing and head and lets its legs hang down having tired itself out.

~~~

The crow stares at the webbed crack for a few good moments. It then aims and strikes the center of the crack with a stronger force. The window cracks to the panel on both sides and the crow’s beak breaks through. The crow struggles a moment to pull it’s beak free with a sharp tug. After getting free it caws and sits, preening its feathers of the fine glass powder and shards that had come loose on it. A mechanical grinding is heard, seeming to come from the walls at the waters surface.

[FoxTrott]

Ericken rubbed the back of his head, as if that would get rid of the pain. He sniffed, trying not to cry, remembering to be strong. He glanced at the crow stuck in the bars, and watched it struggle to free itself. Unconsciously, he reached out, and gently tried to free it.

~~~

Vince looked up at the crow, noticing it had broken through the glass. Maybe if it broke the entire window, he could call outside, and his voice would be carried by the wind to Ericken. Just maybe--

Why am I thinking of him at a time like this?

Vince scowled, and dared to look down at the walls near the water, trying to discern where the grinding was coming from.

[Sparrow]

The crow darts a look to Ericken as he nears it. It caws pathetically again and nips on his sleeve, thinking Ericken is going to harm it. The crows above call to each other seeming to be in confusion of what to do. The crow caught between the bars releases Ericken’s sleeve and caws and looking up to the others while flapping its free wing several times. After a moment it giving up on freeing itself having worn itself out again.

~~~
The fish swim in a panicky fashion and dive deep down. A slit opens around the walls about 20 inches under the water. A small wake passes from the wall to the pillar and the sound stops. The fish swim back up but remain about two feet below the surface.
The crow snags the glass inside the hole and begins pulling on it, trying to peel the glass away. The glass cracks and creaks.

[FoxTrott]

Ericken pulled his arm back once he decided he wouldn't be able to free the bird. He mindlessly inspected his sleeve, and looked back at the crow.

"Well, we're both stuck here now," he sighed, telling himself not to look down.

~~~

Vince knew for a fact he didn't want to know why the mechanical noise had sounded. He glanced up at the crow making its way through the glass, and shuddered.

[Sparrow]

It caws in reply, sounding defeated and worn out. The ones above call to one another. A strong gust blows past, causing a few of the crows to take to the skies.

~~~

The crow stops pulling at the glass and looks out over the ocean. It takes off in flight, heading a good distance away before making a U-turn. It dives full speed into the glass, breaking through to the other side. Surprised it made it through the first time, it barely catches itself in the air. It circles above cawing every pass or two.

[FoxTrott]

As the gust rolled through, Ericken clung to the bars of the cage in hope that it would keep the cage from swaying. He closed his eyes and shivered.

~~~

Were he standing, Vince would have jumped as the crow broke through. Instead he just started and looked up, watching the shards fall into the water. A shudder wracked his body, and he tried to ignore everything, including the crazy crow circling above.

[Sparrow]

The cage stays relatively still as the winds die down. The caught crow looks up to the cloudy sky above and tucks its head back, shivering. The roosting crows call to each other before flying off out of site in the direction of the building. Thunder sounds once again and it begins to rain lightly. The caught crow makes a grinding sound with its beak before tucking it’s head down.

~~~

The glass seems to stop descending through the water and settles after about two feet. The fish circle underneath it. After several calls the crow flies up all but vanishing in the darkness above. Just as soon as it vanishes it dives back down at him, swooping over his head. It uses a single foot to make a grab at his hair as it passes.

[FoxTrott]

Ericken sighed with relief when the cage didn't rock too much. He shivered at the thunder, and tried to curl into a ball to keep himself warm... then it began to rain.

"Seriously?!" he shouted to the heavens.

~~~

Vince concentrated on a spot on the far wall, trying to block out the rest of his vision. Something whooshed above him, and he instinctively ducked. He didn't duck low enough to avoid having a bit of hair grabbed by the crow. He scowled fiercely.

[Sparrow]

The rain increased, shortly after his comment.
The crow quickly becomes drenched. After a moment it begins struggling violently, flapping it’s free wing. A few flaps later and the bars grip on it loosen. It stops moving, seeming surprised that it managed to budge. Realizing it could now get free it grabs one bar in each foot and starts to work itself through the cage.
~
The crow flies up to the window and lands. It examines the bit of hair it had snagged on its swoop, then turns back to look at him. After a moment of staring it caws several times, but then becomes silent and backs up a few small paces, looking up to the dark void of the ceiling. What little sound it makes is a pathetic cooing, shivering as it does so.