*solus shifts uneaily on the log where she had decided to sit, looks into the fire, begins to speak then stops* I think I should begin at the beginning Yes? *she looks up at you with sadness in her eyes." "Yes" you say, and wait for her to coninue speaking. Her voice becomes soft and soothing, like she's reading a story book for bedtime. Okay..the beginning. I was born, to whom I don't know, I don't remember my mother, or my father actually. What I do remember is covered in haze. I remember being a child, playing with children with wooden dolls, and being chases around. I remember playing with the older boys when my parents weren't looking learning to fight as they did. I was the only girl that found it intreging, and got picked on by the other girls for leaning how to fight, with sticks pretending they were swords. And carving knives out of wood, and practicing to throw them. I learned this quickly and soon I could beat all the other boys that had tought me in the first place.
Then I remember being taken away from the people who cared for me, I suppose they were my parents, though I can't remember there face, I have dreams and I see them but I never remember what they look like when I wake. The people that took me were mean, and treated me, as if I was nothing. I no longer played with other children, though none of there faces were familar to me anyway. Though I watched them play. Around that time, when I had no one, I befriended a wounded bird, I named him Maliki , I bandaged his wing and helpled him to fly again. He was a magnificent bird, he was larger then the birds I usually helped, and he was blue black, with a little bit of white on his wings. With a cry that the people who, had taken me were afraid of. As I helped him heal, I becan to understand his words, and he would speak to me in my mind. Telling me when it was save to leave the village that I was made to call home. *she pauses for a moment, lost in the memory* What happend to this bird, Maliki? *a small smile crosses her face* He's around, I feel him close. *shaken from her memory she continues.* I would follow him into the darkest deeps of the forest where even in daylight you couldn't see, no one would follow me, though I know many tried. I would close my eyes and listen to Maliki's words in my mind and follow him. Dissapear into shadows, where I would appear invisible.
I know the darkness, I longed for it many times when, the people would have me doing somthing or other, I would clear my mind and just picture the darkness, and the calming voice of Maliki, and would appear to be doing what I was doing. But in my mind I would be in the darkness, where I was safe with Maliki. Maliki was the one that becan to call me his little Raven. Which I later learned he was, a Raven i mean. I over heard the people talking about the "damned raven bird of evil." As I grew, I watched the people and listened but never talked, I only talked to Maliki, when I was in the darkness. As I learned the strange lanuage of the people I grew to hate them. All they did was speak of fighting and death. And as I grew, I spent more and more time in the darkness. I remember the people saying to me, I was cursed, and that they should have killed me, instead of taking them into there home. I never said a word to them, so they believed me to be mute, though I would Kaw at them as Maliki did, and they would cringe and leave me alone. I cared nothing for these people, the only thing I cared about was Maliki, and the safty of the darkness. The darkness, was where I learned I could turn into a bird, and fly with Maliki, and watch the people. And to steal from them, nothing valuble, though I believe I should have. Only food when they would lock me in my room so I couldn't ecape to the darkness, and leave me there for days with no food. When this happend Maliki would sit at my closed window, and speak to me in my mind, and unlock the window so I could ecape with him, I would become a bird like he and we would swoop down on the people, and steal some of there food then fly to the darkness. *get's another smile on her face, then it disappears.* One day when I was locked in my room I heard the people yelling about the "damned bird" and saying they would get rid of it once and for all. I kawed and pounded on the door, with tears in my eyes. When I was egsausted from kawing and pounding on the door, one of the people came in caring a dead raven, with a smile on there face. In an out rage, I attacked them. I was lost, in the world I knew before the people, that's when I remembered playing with the children, when I had learned how to fight. When I had almost killed the one person, more entered, one held me as the other one beat me. I tried to fight, but darkness over came me. I woke up the next day with blood all over my clothes, and my body aching. I was unable to leave my bed. But the dead raven still lay on the floor, now with flies flying about it. Though my eyes were soar, tears feel from them as I lay unable to go and hold the bird. Then a voice startled me, "Be still my child", it said afraid, and scared, I tried to move and looked around my room. Then in the corner I saw him. Candle light fell on his eyes, somthing about them made me feel safe. He came towards me and wraped his arms around me, hugging me, though I stuggled, I didn't want him to let go. His long soft hair fell onto my wet tearing face, and I stoped stuggling and held on to him, not letting go. I feel asleep in his embrace. When I awoke the next morning, I looked around the room, the dead raven was gone. I was wearing diffrent cloths, and the man was sitting in the corner watching me. My window was open, and sunlight fall on his hair and face. His hair a jet black, and eyes as blue as the sea. He smiled as he saw me looking at him. A sweet smile, one of caring, one I was drown to. I wanted him to come over and hold me again. I layed there watching him for a while, after a time, he stood and walked towards me, speaking in a laugage that I didn't regonize, but seemed familiar. He saw the confussed look on my face, and becan to speak in the laugage of the people, I was again afraid. But his voice, spoke and I lisend. "Don't fret child" he said, "I come to help you." he was standing over me by then and leaned down and whispered in my ear " Maliki, has sent me to take you away from these people." I began to cry again, this time from happiness. And I wrapped my arms around him again and spoke for the first time aloud, in a laugage, I didn't even know "Dum spiro, spero" the man, looked at me, and a smile crossed his face. I myself was afraid, for I never spoke aloud, and the sound I heard, was frighting. For I didn't even know what I had said. The man seemed to read my mind, and spoke to me in a whisper "While I breathe, I hope, is what you said child, and you don't need to hope any longer. I am here, and nothing shall harm you again." I clung to him, he wraped his arms around me, and held me. As he held me he told me in his langage, that he was sorry, for not being able to come for me sooner, and that as soon as he could, he would take me to a place where I would never have to see these people again. And I understood every word he said. He smiled at me and told me I learned fast, and that I had many more things to learn. He said, once I had rested a few more days, and had regained my strenght, we would leave. As the days pasted, he never left my side, he feed me and cared for me, and when ever one of the people would try and enter my room, he would make them leave. Telling them, as soon as I was well, he was taking me with him. They objected, but he told them, he would die before, he would leave with out me. And in the end, they didn't argue with him. I began to feel love for this man, my savior. I felt, safe when he was near, and loved when he would wrap his arms around me, and his hair would fall in my face.
Darkness becomes light
