Raven Saga 01 - Raven

within those trees and so I was truly grateful to Jo for following me. After voicing my thanks, she became a little more serious... “If I'm totally honest with you, Lilly, it was Rose that saw you leave. She asked me to make sure you were okay and it was her that gave me the bag with the food. Of course I would have followed you had I known you'd ventured out into the forest alone but I hadn't actually noticed.”
    “Well, I am grateful to you both,” I said, gently punching her on her shoulder as we approached the log home that was full of the sounds of music, voices and laughing.
    Although gratitude enveloped me, I knew it wouldn't be the last time I ventured out into those woods. Although I knew I could easily get lost in there, deep down I had the feeling that the forest held the key to this secret and if nobody would tell me, I would have to find out for myself.
    That night after everybody had gone home and I lay there in the darkness, I thought about Oliver and how stupid I must have looked on our first encounter. Fortunately Jo had assured me that Oliver wasn't the type of person to think of anyone as stupid. Apparently he was a great guy, loved by all and she was sure my initial reaction had just left him curious to find out more about me.
    When we'd returned to the party, albeit briefly, I'd scanned the crowd for him and he'd looked up and seen me. I blushed like an idiot but he waved and flashed those beautiful white teeth at me in what can only be described as the most stunning smile... ever. My stomach had flipped before I'd disappeared back into my bedroom.
    I was fully aware that I was beginning to look like a lovesick puppy and I felt stupid. Although I had never had a boyfriend, I'd had my share of crushes at school. None of them were like this though. Perhaps it was just an after effect of losing my parents and I was looking for someone to love and to love me back.
    Before I closed my eyes that night, I took one last look towards the forest – I'd purposefully left the blinds open so I could see outside. But there was nothing but pitch black all around, the only lights were those coming from the sky above, where a million glittering stars squinted brightly. The night sky in this part of the world was amazing. But just as I admired them, the pitch black reminded me once more about something Gabriel had said before, that black was the colour of magic. I wondered then if there was, in fact, magic around me as I dozed off to sleep.
    I found myself back in the forest, surrounded by the sounds of running water and hundreds of birds twittering away. I was standing in the same spot where I had stood earlier and so I decided to do a bit of investigating. I climbed down the smooth rocks towards the water. It was icy blue and sparkling so bright that I had to shield my eyes.
    As I bent down to touch it, a raven flew down and stood to my left, followed by another one to my right. They pointed with their wings to the opposite side of the river bank. I looked up and saw two cats – one pure black and one pure white. Their eyes as black as the night. They sat and watched my every move. Even when the ravens took to the sky, they didn't take their eyes off me. I looked upwards and saw them flying high above me, watching me from above and I felt as though I was being pulled between the birds and the cats. I couldn't understand but it was as though I needed to follow them... but did I cross the river to be with the cats or did I go upwards to be with the ravens? I looked up again and in a matter of seconds, I was up there with them, flying in the sky looking down on the two majestic creatures below. Again I felt a pull between them but for now the feeling of freedom, of flying, was just too good and so I remained with my two friends as we glided effortlessly above the trees. As I swooped down towards the water I saw three birds below. Three black ravens, graceful and serene. Then I realised what I saw was a reflection in the water. I was a bird. I was no longer a teenage girl. I had become a raven. The shock of the realisation temporarily stunned me and I had no control over my body. I fell towards the water.
    I awoke with a thud... I'd fallen out of bed.
    “Lilly... are you all right my dear?” said a concerned voice as a light was flicked on and my grand-father rushed in towards me.
    “I heard you scream and then there was a bang,” he said worryingly.
    I explained I'd just had a strange dream and it had