Chapter 2
The ground came up, nearer and nearer to my feet as I landed by a cave for my first night's sleep. I only shifted into my Demi form. Allowing my large, soft, black wings to cover me as I slept.
'A bright field was covered in flowers; snakes and avians alike lived together in peace. Some of the children were even half avian and half snake. There was a dark shape in the sky, and that puzzled me. I was also a gyrfalcon. My black and white wings cascaded down my back. My hair was a pale blond, and stripes of blue hung down in front of my face; a little girl, a tiny gyrfalcon, pulled on my hand. "Mommy, can I go play with Ay'lee? Huh? Can I?"
A man, his hand around my waist, stood by my side, his gyrfalcon wings stood out from the crowd, same as mine. The little girl shifted to a gyrfalcon and flew away. Out of nowhere, a giant male gyrfalcon came a swooped her up, and I could tell by the way she fell that she was dead.'
I woke up, crying out with a yell and sweating profusely. My heart was beating wildly, and I knew I had just looked into the future, a sakkri'a'she. I flew over to the spring up on the top of the mountain. I looked in and saw my eyes, normally a pale gray, had turned violet. At the front of my hair, it had turned a light blue. I was in my Demi form, something I usually didn't do, and I had done it unconsciously. My father's eyes turned violet whenever he used magic, but I had so little it was only enough to protect me when I was attacked. Then, I started to wonder. If my mother was a sparrow and my father was a falcon, how was I a raven? I could not find any ravens in my heritage either. I sat down on a log and started thinking. It was sunset when I heard a sharp, falcon's cry from next to me. I jumped, and looked beside me to find a male gyrfalcon, about my age, sitting next to me.
"I saw your hair, and your wings, and your complexion, and it just didn't make sense to me. I mean, how can a falcon be a crow?" The young man pondered this for a second, the continued. "My name is Zachary, and I am on a quest to become an alistar. I am looking for an eligible lady falcon. You haven't seen any around here, have you?"
I answered, not quite comprehending, "My name is Ravena, and, um, my mother was a sparrow. I think I was just pondering that same thing. I would appreciate it if you could help me with that, and then, we could help each other. I am looking for a compatible alistar, for I am 16 and old enough for a mate."
The man, Zachary, thought about my offer, then replied, "Hmmmm. I think I could help you. Have you ever heard of force-change?" When I shook my head no, he continued. "It is when a falcon uses it's magic to bond you to a different shape-shifter, and you steal that shifter's shape. Let me try to fix it, if you really are force-changed, my magic should be strong enough to get you back to your original form. It will probably be a sparrow, unless your father was a falcon, then you will be a falcon too. Give me your arms."
Zachary put his hands on my arms, and I felt a sort of warmth spread up them. Sleep overtook me, and I let myself succumbs to it's grasp. When I awoke, it was by his falcon cry again, but this time, it was sharper, as if from surprise. The man stuttered, looking for words.
"Mmy, mmy, lady! I should have, but I couldn't, but maybe…look at yourself in the spring!"
He led me over to the spring and showed me my reflection. My hair was the same pale blond it had been in the dream, my eyes had turned shockingly violet, brighter than last time. I had tanned brown skin and my wings were that of a gyrfalcon. My face was sharp, but soft, and I realized that my face looked like my father's, and also the Empress Araceli's.
"What, does, this, all, mean? Why did you call me 'my lady'? Am I royalty?" I looked at him in shock, seeing his face for the first time.
"Yes, I do believe you are royalty, for you have the same face as my empress. I must formally introduce, myself, and give you your proper title. I am Lord Zachary of Ahnmik, and you are Princess Ravena of Ahnmik. I am a lord of the court at Ahnmik. And, I think that my mother was a good friend of your father, when she was at Wyvern's Court for two years. My mother is part of the Empress' Mercy, a group whose only job is to protect the empress in any way possible. If I had not found you, I would have been named Emperor after the current Empress died. Which, of course, would have taken a long time; she has already lived one millennia on this earth. Now, if you are ready to go, I would get yelled at by my mother if I didn't bring the Princess home."
He shifted into his gyrfalcon form and flew into the sky. I shifted into my falcon form and relished at the new heights I could soar to. I let out a falcon's cry, and felt Zachary's voice brush against my mind.
Ravena, don't fool around. I ask you to just follow me and go.
We dived through the trees, twisting through the undergrowth to a cave, much higher than the one Ravena had picked before. This cave was already set up, as if somebody had been living here for days. Zachary shifted into his Demi form, and I noticed he had a shirt that had a low back. I was glad I was not dumb and had worn a low backed shirt and brought one to change into when I had to wash the one I wore. There was a wash of crystals on the wall inside the cave and I was surprised to find that my eyes had turned to a pale blue. I curled on the ground, shifting out of Demi form. I was already drifting off when Zachary pulled up a blanket and lay it down over both of us. His breath was sweet like mint, and it calmed my mind. I soon fell into a light sleep, just barely registering when Zachary put his arm around me.