"Aaaannnnggguusss, it's getting dark, time to come in", shouted headmaster Matilda. "I told you to quit playing with those birds, you're gonna catch the blight one of these days, then what'll you do?" Head hung low Angus trudged back to the orphanage he called home for the past 2 years, leaving behind his "friends" he had made that day. The crows squaked violently in protest as Angus left them walking toward the setting sun that lead home. "Sorry guys, I'll be back tomorrow" Angus called back to his avian friends, "or maybe sooner..." he muttered under his breath to himself. "Good, you're back. Now finish your chores before you get dinner, go on, hurry up." demanded Matilda. "Okay" Angus said defeated and deflated. Since it was Wednesday it was his turn to clean the bathrooms, a job both feared and hated at the orphanage. As he was making his way to start he could hear the headmaster screaming at one of the other kids and Angus knew this was his moment. She was distracted enough that he had time to pack his essential items from his room that he shared with a dozen others and make off into the freshly darkened night. Taking his staff, which was really just an oak branch whittled down a bit, out of his bag Angus made his way back to where he had found those mysterious birds. "huh, must've left for the night, oh well" conceded Angus as he sat on a tree stump deciding his next move. Looking up at the vast night sky and feeling so alone and small he almost thought about going back to the orphanage, as miserable as it was at least there was always food. Just at that moment a rustling through the trees caught his attention and in flew one of those crows. Perching right on top of Angus's staff, the bird looked at him and made as gentle a noise as a crow is capable of, letting him know that he was not alone.
"So what do you wanna do" asked Angus, the crow jumping to the ground in response started hopping along in a path gesturing with body language that seemed to Angus to say, follow me. So he did just that, making their way through thickets and bogs, even crossing over a small creek that had a perfect log bridge from a fallen sycamore. All the while the bird was hopping along never taking flight even when it would be easier. Along the banks of the creek that they had crossed they came up a small entrance to a cave in the hillside. Hidden from view by the nearby bramble bushs that had grown over the entrance Angus made his way in, gently pushing aside the thorny shroud over the cave. Once inside, the cave opened into a grand foyer complete with
benches carved out of stone lining the walls, fixtures for lamps and candles even somehow a water feature in the center. A beautiful fountain illuminated by some irridescent blue light that seemed to be eminating from the depths of the water. Suddenly the crow took flight for the first time on their journey up to the top part of the fountain. The highest point of it looked to be at least 20 feet tall to Angus, and water shot out of the top and showered down into bottom pool. Approaching the base of the fountain something in Angus burned and before he knew he was kneeling down drinking from the fountain. The blue water soaking into his body from the inside, he could feel something was different. Almost like a new awareness, seeing things that were always there but never noticed. Looking around the cave Angus realized that there were now symbols etched into the walls of the cave glowing that same irridescent blue that the water had. Walking up to them he could feel different powers just by holding his hand up and syncing up with these mysterious symbols. Some of the symbols he tried felt awkward or just plain wrong, while some were nice or maybe just non offensive. Then finally there was one that felt like home. In an instant when his hand was held up to that etching he felt a flowing in of energy and then out, like many pieces of metal in the furnace they were melded into one.
Just like that Angus' life would never be the same, the inner strength was found and he had a visual symbol of that. Never to return what many would call a normal life Angus lived out much of his early life practically alone in the wilderness save for his animal friends and the occasional nomad traveler.

Entered by: 0x437E…3764 and preserved on chain (see transaction)