Ravens

Ravens appear throughout the novel and come to stand in as both spectral omens of death and reminders of the souls who have passed on. They first appear as part of the conflict between Krahe and Davan, when Davan kills a raven and Krahe responds with extreme anger; in this case, they are representative of Davan's brooding of darkness, and of Krahe's disdain for what he sees as a lack of respect for life. When Shawnee is near-death in the woods, she sees a spectral flock of skeletal birds coming to take her and her siblings away, creatures that resemble ravens. And finally, when Faye visits Netta's grave at the novel's conclusion, a single raven swoops through her hair and causes Faye to believe that it embodies her sister's soul.

Wolves

Wolves are symbols of the bivalent nature of grief, loss, and danger as both threatening...