Raven Saga 01 - Raven

guilty, I couldn't shake the fact that I was being kept in the dark about something important and it wasn't fair. It was my life and I deserved to know. And so I felt free taking those steps into the unknown. If they won't tell me what I have a right to know, then I won't go along with their wishes, I thought.
    I started to walk a little faster, breaking out into a run and as I approached each tree the branches seemed to welcome me in. As my breathing quickened, my face began to become gently scratched by the foliage around me.
    I stopped to catch my breath and to look around. I was surrounded by beautiful tall green trees and wide thick tree trunks but no footpath. What did drift into my ears though, was the sound of trickling water. I strained to hear where it was coming from and followed the gentle, soothing sounds.
    Moments later, the trees gave way to a large open expanse and I stood beside a gently flowing river. The water was crystal clear and revealed pebbles and stones of all shapes and sizes laying on its bed. I sat on a huge smooth boulder and enjoyed the moment, leaning backwards so that I was flat on my back. I looked up into the blue sky and noticed some dark clouds rolling in, but I didn't care. In fact, for the first time in a long time, I didn't give a damn.
    The sounds of the forest and the water beside me gently lulled me and so I closed my eyes, feeling restful, wondering why on earth my grand-father had tried to stop me from walking into the forest. There was nothing but beauty and peace. I felt myself slowly dropping off to sleep and even though my fingers and toes tingled in the cold, I drifted and drifted until sleep overcame me.

    A woman dressed in white appears from nowhere in front of me. She is very pretty with long black hair down her back. Her smile lights up her face and she sits by my side. She says nothing while we sit in silence. Suddenly she lifts her arm and a raven lands on her hand. She looks at me and nods. She's trying to tell me something. I try to ask her what it is but nothing comes out of my mouth. I try to speak again but there are no words. I begin to feel a little frustrated. Why can't I speak? Suddenly the woman disappears and a large cat is sitting by my side, with the raven perched on its back. It opens its beak, “Lilly... Lilly,” it says. I'm frightened. The raven speaks? “Lilly... Lilly.” It becomes louder and louder and suddenly it is shaking me.

CHAPTER TEN

    “Lilly!”
    I woke up and noticed Jo standing beside me, gently nudging me and calling my name, “Lilly, wake up.”
    “You had me worried for a little while, then,” she said. “I saw you lying here and, well, I didn't really know what to think.”
    “Sorry... I just had to get out of the house and I guess I was much more exhausted than I thought. The sound of the water must've sent me to sleep,” I answered guiltily with a yawn.
    “How you can sleep in this cold, I've no idea,” she laughed, “You know, Gabriel would be so disappointed to know that you came here... but don't worry, I won't tell him. After all, I come walking in the forest all the time and I know he'd go nuts at me too,” she added with a guilty giggle.
    A feeling of relief flooded through my veins. Earlier, I had been intent on rebellion but thinking about it now, I didn't want to hurt my family.
    “I haven't been gone very long, have I?” I asked.
    Jo reassured me that my nap was only a short one and she had, in fact, watched me leave the house and had followed me ten minutes later to make sure I was okay.
    Sitting down beside me, I noticed she had a small rucksack on her back which she took off as she smiled at me. “I figured we might need sustenance, so I grabbed a few bits before coming after you.” She opened the bag, revealing scones, sandwiches, fruit and cans of what she called 'soda'.
    My stomach rumbled in response.
    “I guess I was right,” she said as we delved in and enjoyed our own mini banquet out in the cold as we listened to the peaceful sounds of the river.
    As we ate and drank and got to know each other a bit better, we knew that we would become good friends. Jo was a few years older than me and would be celebrating her eighteenth birthday in a few months.
    “I'm so glad you came out to find me, Jo. My life has been so weird over the past few months and so it's good to have someone to confide in.”
    Cocking her head to one side just like the ravens on my windowsill, Jo smiled inquisitively