A/N: 'ello. Don't mind me….. *peers through bedroom window*, tee hee, nice undies…
– Raven, she is coming through your window, stealing up all your children…..maybe.
I was cold, my whole body ached. Something tugged softly at my dress, my face was wet. I couldn't feel the ground, I was falling? No, something was under me, my face scratched against it. It was slippery and hard. Opening my eyes all I saw was black. Blind and alone, I started to remember what happened to me. Knowing now that I was clutching onto a rock, I gripped it all the more tighter in case I slipped off it, this just caused my muscles to throb. I recalled a story Mama told about the cold freezing men in their steps, keeping this in mind I tried to move my fingers slowing. The blood pulsed strong under my skin, this was a good sign, it meant that my body hadn't forgotten about my hands. That was another story Mama had told, it was about some men who had been caught in the white frost, their body had forgotten about their hands and feet and the limbs had 'died', they became black and couldn't be used anymore.
The blood had dried on my face, I could feel it, pulling at the skin every time I tried to move my eyebrows and eyes. After my fingers could move well enough, I moved onto my shoulders. The process was long and slow and only before I could move without wanting to scream did I look around. Everything was still black, I thought it would change after I could move, I would be blind forever. Lifting my head to where the sky should be I sobbed to the heavens, my pitiful cries echoed in my mind.
Blinking the tears from my eyes, I noticed the fires in the sky. Stars, the souls of lost dead ones. I blessed every God and Goddess, spirit and nymph I could think of. I wasn't blind, day would soon come and I would be able to find my way home.
When the sun broke over the horizon, I noticed that the river bank was not that far from me and if I reached out my arm I could clamber onto it. Doing so, I attempted to ring out my dress once on dry land. I'd lost my shawl, was freezing, my legs were still numb and I had no idea where I was. Don't get me wrong, I totally believed that I could find my way back; it would just take me a very long time… Ripping the hem of my dress I created a makeshift ribbon, wet hair on the back of your neck doesn't make you warmer, and started off into the wilderness.
All along the line of the river was dense scrub, making it almost impossible for me to follow the river directly. Pushing my way through trees, the branches flicking me in the face, I kept one eye on the sun and one on the fast disappearing waterway. After what felt like hours, I stumbled into a clearing. With the river on my right and forest on my left, I didn't feel very safe. Wild animals could leap out at any moment or worse, forest elves. And the deep, crazy river still ran pretty fast and I wouldn't survive if I jumped in again, but the clearing seemed a good place as any to take a rest. Leaning back onto a warm rock, I closed my eyes as I was bathed in sunshine.
By the time I opened my eyes again, the sun had dipped very low in the sky. Crawling over to the river I cupped my hands in the water and drank slowly, making sure I didn't overload my body. I knew I couldn't go any further today as I risked being caught in the middle of the forest at night. At least I had a place to lie down here. I also knew that the weather could take a turn for the worse at any moment and that a shelter and fire would be essential if I wanted to keep my body still in one piece. There were a few sticks around me that had been dried by the midday sun and I put these into a small pile. Walking further into the forest than I wanted to, I found some large branches had fallen from a nearby tree. Dragging these back one by one, I lent them up against the large-ish rock I slept on earlier. Ripping leaves and moss off trees I threw it on top of the temporary shelter to protect me from rain. Next to the rock and under the shelter I started digging a fire pit. My logic was that the fire would be out of the elements and also heat up the rock, keeping me warm. Placing the small bundle of kindling I had gathered and a few more leaves I had found into the hole, I set out to find rocks I could strike together. I had seen the men make a fire countless times and knew that I needed two rocks, finding two that seemed to fit the image I remembered. Smacking them together over the fire pit, nothing happened. I tried many times to get it to work but with no success. Eventually I changed tactic, putting the rocks on an angle I copied the men in my memory, leaning in close I blew softly on the kindling when I saw a glowing piece of rock land on it. Very carefully I gave the fire more air until it was large enough to put more kindling on. By the time I had finished hours had passed and I was near death from exhaustion. Curing up against the rock, the heat of the fire against my face and neck, I was asleep in seconds.
During that night I woke up many times, I had that feeling that something was watching me. I also woke to the sound of my stomach grumbling and I knew that if I didn't find some food soon, I'd never make it back to the Wayless Folk. In the morning my fire had died down and only cinders were left. Crawling out and covering my front in black ashes, I rubbed sleep from my eyes as I staggered towards the river. After drinking my fill and washing my face I stood to survey the area, and find the best path to start on. Before I could leave something caught my eye, next to my shelter was a bundle of leaves tied with string. At first I was cautious when I approached it but after I took a breath, I smelt cooked fish. Untying the bundle 2 fish fell onto my lap, perfectly cooked. Without thinking it through I wolfed down the fish, picking the bones clean. After a few seconds I realised that the food may have been poisoned, it wasn't uncommon. Forest elves are very territorial and poisoning me would be seen as a reasonable way to get rid of me. But since I didn't feel any side effects, I decided to take it as a blessing and praised the gods for my good fortune.
As I continued on my journey I smiled into the trees in case someone was watching, I wanted them to know that I was thankful, and shooting me with an arrow wasn't called for. Following the river, I stopped only to drink and relieve my bladder. I didn't think I had travelled far when I fell into the river and I was proven correct when I noticed a W engraved onto a nearby tree. Every time we made camp men and women went out and carved these onto trees so that anyone who wanders away knows that they're nearly home. Running the last two hundred meters, I burst into the clearing with a yell on my lips.
It died short. The large glade was empty.
A/N: Hope that one was better than the last few. A killer ending right? – Raven xoxo
