More like teasers than excerpts

…The raven glistened as it stood on the branch.  Such fine creatures these birds are. Children of the night and so indistinguishable from it that they almost look alien in the day time. Sleek and spectacular beasts that devour anything that peaks their appetite. The silver reflections of the light were the only interruptions to the pure black of its plumage. The feathers were all so expertly arranged, to look at it you wouldn’t know it was dead. The taxidermist had done such a fine job she was loathe to touch it let alone take a feather from its neck, but the spell called for it and where else would she get a feather from a hundred year old raven at this time? This one had belonged to her mother and her mother before her. It was the guardian to the long line of spell casters in her family and she felt like she would be dishonoring her forebears if she mistreated it but her mistress would never take no for an answer and the reward was more than worth it. With the gift of immortality she could catch a thousand magnificent ravens and mount them on branches on her desk and watch them age as she never would. With a pair of tweezers she carefully plucked a tiny feather from the bird’s chest making sure to smooth over the rest with her tired fingers so that they covered over the little hole that had been left behind. With a deep sigh she dropped it into the potion…