The Silver Finch and the Raven

In the land of birds there once was a Silver Finch. He was special for brilliant silver plumage. Finches come in many colors. This is true. Finches range from grey to brown to blue to purple to striped to even gold, which really is more of a yellow than a real gold.

The Silver Finch flew faster and more gracefully than the other finches. When a hungry falcon would come in search of a finch to eat, the Silver Finch would fly around bobbing and weaving. Dizzy and confused, the falcon decided to try and eat slower prey. The other finches all loved the Silver Finch.

However, not everyone one loved the Silver Finch. There was the Raven, and he hated all. He was alone most of the time, away from the Finches. The Silver Finch, though, was kind but naive. He truly believed that the Raven was not bad. He believed that the Raven was just lonely. The other finches would not listen, though.

The Old Purple Finch told him, “You are young, Silver Finch. Not all birds are good. Some would do you harm. He is cunning. He speaks sweet words that are laced with poison. Leave him be.”

The Silver Finch could not believe the words that the Old Purple Finch had told him. “I cannot leave him. I cannot believe that not all birds are good. The falcons try to eat us, but they are not evil. Like us, they are just trying to live. How can a lonely Raven who does us no harm then be evil? No, I will befriend him. He will no longer be lonely. He will not have a reason to hate," and with that the Silver Finch flew off to the Raven’s nest. The Raven lived in a deeper darker part of the forest than the Finches lived. The Silver Finch was scared, but he knew that he save the Raven from his loneliness. Because this part of the forest was so dark, the Silver Finch could not find the nest of the Raven. The Raven, however, could hear the fluttering of the Silver Finch’s wings. After looking out from his nest, the Raven quickly realized that the unwanted visitor was none other than the Silver Finch. He hated the other birds, but none some much as the Silver Finch. The Raven came up with a plan and called the Silver Finch over.

The cunning Raven welcomed the Silver Finch, “Hello. It’s been so long since I’ve had any visitors. It gets so lonely here in the dark part of the forest.”

The Silver Finch was encouraged by these words. He knew he had been right all along. “Why don’t you come back with me then? We can show the other finches how wrong they’ve been. I am sure they will accept you. You don’t have to be lonely anymore.”

“You are young Silver Finch, so you would not remember," the Raven replied. "For a time I dwelt with the Finches. I helped them and protected them, much as you do now. The Finches, though, are a jealous lot. As a Raven I was larger, stronger, and more intelligent than the Finches. Of course, I did not hold this over them. Like you, I used my gifts to protect and serve the Finches. The Finches, jealous over my strength and intelligence, would no longer suffer keeping me around them. The Finches would conspire with the hungry falcon and try to kill me off. One day after a meal, I went on a leisurely flight to enjoy the afternoon sun. It was then that a falcon swooped upon me. Slow with food in my stomach, my only choice was to fly deep into the dark wood where the Falcon would not follow. I have been here ever since.” Tears welled up in the Raven’s eyes as he told the Silver Finch his story.

The Silver Finch could not believe the story. “That can’t be true. The Finches have been kind to me. They love me as I love them. Maybe the Old Purple Finch was right. Maybe this is one of your lies.”

“You are blessed, Silver Finch," the Raven told the Silver Finch. "Your feathers glisten radiantly in the sun’s light. You fly faster and more gracefully than the other Finches. Only you were wise enough to realize the loneliness that I have had to endure in these deep dark woods. You are chief among your Finch kin. You protect and serve them. You share your special gifts with the Finches. What have they done for you? How do they repay your kindness?”

“They repay my kindness with love,” the Silver Finch replied indignantly.

“Love, you say. If they truly loved you, the Finches would have made you their king. Instead they use you, and when they start to fear and resent your gifts the Finches will surely kill you, as they tried to kill me,” the Raven said this with a slight smile in his beak.

The Silver Finch was now crying. The words of the Raven were eating away at him. “Enough of your lies! The Finches would never hurt me. I am one of them.”

“Why did they try to dissuade you from visiting me?" The cunning Raven was sure he had the Silver Finch in his clutches now. "I’m sure you know the answer by now. They were afraid that I would tell you the truth! While you are kind and just, even a noble bird such as you would not tolerate what the Finches have done to me. They fear that you will abandon them, and that the Finches, weak without you, would have to fend for themselves.” Unwilling to listen to anymore the Silver Finch flew away from the Raven’s nest.

The Silver Finch was confused now. Had the Raven been lying to him? The Raven’s story very much reflected the Silver Finch’s life. The Silver Finch knew that he was faster, more beautiful, and wiser than the other Finches. He was always content just serving and protecting the other Finches. What did the other Finches do, though? Why did they not celebrate him? As the Raven said, he surely was chief amongst the Finches.

Maybe the Raven was right. Maybe the Finches resented the Silver Finches gifts and merely used him. Maybe the Finches would try to kill him off as the Raven said they had tried to do to him. No! The Silver Finch would not let this happen. As much as he loved the Finches, he could not and would not let the Finches kill him. He would have to kill them first.

The Silver Finch flew like the wind to the nest of the Falcon. The mighty bird was asleep, but stirred as the Silver Finch fluttered into its nest.

The falcon, still lying in its nest spoke, “Silver Finch! Have you come to taunt me? I have grown gaunt thanks to you. I have not eaten as I should and feel myself wasting away. It is a cruel joke. The Finches are numerous like never before, yet I cannot catch a single one.”

This wass the first time that the Silver Finch had gotten a good look at the Falcon. He had not realized the harm he had done to the majestic Falcon while helping the murderous Finches. “No, Falcon, I have not come to taunt you, in fact, very much the opposite. I have come to help you. The Finches have indeed become too numerous. They have grown weak and idle because of my protection. They use me to their benefit. While I risk my life protecting the Finches from you, they grow fat, and now, jealous of my gifts, they plan to betray me.”

The Falcon seemed intrigued, "Betray you? After all you’ve done for them? What an ungrateful tribe you have?”

“Indeed.” The Silver Finch looked with pity on the thin unhealthy form of the Falcon, “I’m so sorry. I had no idea that you were so hurt by my actions. Let us both be happy. Tomorrow I will lead the Finches to the open thistle field on the edge of the forest. I will tell them that it is safe. There you can spring forth from hiding and eat to your heart’s content.”

The Falcon’s hungry eyes glowed, “You are indeed wise, Silver Finch. The Finches will learn not to become so dependent on you, and I will not waste away. Your plan is a good one.”

With those words the Silver Finch flew back to his nest. He no longer trusted the other Finches and went to sleep without speaking to any of them. After his morning fly, the Silver Finch told the other Finches that the open thistle field was clear of danger. The Finches were happy to hear this. The thistle seed was especially delicious, but the field was home to many predators: snakes, cats, falcons, and the like.

The Silver Finch lead the Finches to the field as he and the Falcon planned. The Finches had their fill and became slow in the air. It was now that the Falcon sprang forth from his hiding place. The Falcon brutally knocked as many Finches as he could from the air, saving them to eat at his leisure. The Silver Finch would not protect them as planned. However, the Falcon had tricked to the Silver Finch. Much to the Silver Finch’s dismay, he heard the call of more Falcons. The slow Finches were easy prey for the fast and numerous Falcons. Very few of the Finches escaped. The Falcons would soon turn their eyes onto the Silver Finch himself, but they were slow with Finch meat in their bellies and could not catch him.

While he regretted the number of Finches that died, the Silver Finch did not feel sorrow for the Finches. They did not love him. They did not celebrate him. The Finches merely used him. While the Silver Finch had these thoughts he was visited by the Lord of Birds, the Majestic Golden Eagle.

“Silver Finch, what have you done?”

The Silver Finch was unable to look directly at the Golden Eagle; his plumage was as bright as the sun. “I taught the Finches a lesson. I avenged the Raven, and I saved the Falcon.”

“No, murdered your brethren by conspiring with your natural enemy, and you were fooled by the Raven's lies.”

“I was not fooled by the Raven. I knew his story was a lie, but message he spoke was clearly the truth. I am chief amongst the Finches, yet they use me and become fat! When I would grow old or too powerful for them to control they would try to dispose of me. Better that the weak fall than the blessed.”

The Golden Eagle grew sad at the Silver Finch’s words, “Indeed, you were blessed. I made you special. You were wiser, faster, and more beautiful than the other Finches. I did not give you these gifts so that you would kill your Finch kin. The good king protects his people. The kind king serves his people. The wise king understands the gravity of this role and accepts it. Indeed you were king of the Finches for a time. You were a good king, a kind king, and a wise king. However, you let the words of the Raven poison your heart.”

The Silver Finch listened intensely as the Golden Eagle spoke these words. He realized that he was wrong. He realized and that the Golden Eagle was right, and the Silver Finch wept bitterly.

“You have cursed yourself," the Golden Eagle gravely said. "Silver Finch. I now know that I was wrong in giving you the gifts that I did.” After saying this, the Golden Eagle flew away, and the Silver Finch saw the luster of his feathers fade. No longer were they a radiant silver. They were now a dull grey. The Silver Finch felt his wings grow weak and slow, and he felt his wisdom fade.

The Silver Finch, no longer silver, did not mourn the loss of the plumage, speed or wisdom. He mourned the loss of his fellow Finches far more. The Silver Finch would fly back to his nest to see that more Finches survived than he had originally though, and for this he was glad. The danger was not past, though. There was one Falcon left in the sky, the one that tricked the Silver Finch. Without thinking the Silver Finch flew to protect his people as he had done in the past. Unfortunately, he was too slow to escape the much faster Falcon and was eaten.

The End