Ravena
The sky was a dark, bleak gray, which never gave way to the sun. The only dull light shown from a tiny cottage on a high crag above the water. The family that lived there was mine, A'Kamid Ravena Silvermead. I lived with my mother and father. My father is a falcon, one of the only ones allowed to live in this land. His name is Nacias Silvermead. He was part of the queen's personal guard. He took over as head of the Tuuli Thea's personal guard when the queen left. He had been for a long time, until the falcon army came along and destroyed Wyvern's Court. My mother is a sparrow, and was just a mother; her name is Darien Silvermead. I was to be pair-bond to the Tuuli Thea's son; when the army came, he fought and was killed. My skin is pale, almost white, and my hair is a raven black. No one but the Tuuli Thea's son ever looked me at, because of my long legs. Also, I also keep my hair braided, which is not proper for any young maiden. Still, my hair is long enough to wrap around any enemies neck and I am the best warrior of my time. My parents always fawn over me, but I know that they will only be proud of me when I set out to find a mate and give them the grandchildren they have always wanted. So, I decided, even though I am still only 16, I'm want to set out and find my pair-bond. The passageway from our tiny cottage to the white city is counted as very dangerous for any young maiden. However, I believe that since I am not pretty at all, I will be in no danger on the voyage. On the plus side, I am also a descendant of two avians, and have the power to shift into a raven. I felt the shiny black feathers on the back of my neck fluff up at the prospect of being up in the air, once again in my raven form. I grabbed my falcon poison dagger given to me by my father, and put it in one of my belts. I put my snake knife in my arm sheath and eased it on up to my elbow. I packed a bag of food, for the first night, and settled down to meditate for an hour or two. My falcon heritage allowed me to center all my powers, allowing my tiny amount of magic to flow around my core. As soon as I was done, I shifted into my raven form and flew into the sky.