"Before The Shadow Fell"

By: Sara Angeldust

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Part 2

"Dark Progression"

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'Acoustic #3'

The Goo Goo Dolls

They painted up your secrets,

With the lies they told to you,

And the least they ever gave you,

Was the most you ever knew,

And they'll wonder where these dreams go,

When the world gets in your way,

What's the point in all this screaming?

Who's listening anyway?

Your voice is small and fading,

And you're hiding here unknown,

And your mother loves your father,

'Cause she's got no where to go,

And she wonders where these dreams go,

Cause the world got in her way,

What's the point in never trying,

Nothing's changing anyway,

They press their lips against you,

And you love the lies they say,

And I tried so hard to reach you,

But you're falling anyway,

And you know I see right through you,

'Cause the world gets in your way,

What's the point in all this screaming?

You're not listening anyway…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wind blew effortlessly through the trees, touching leaves, flowers, and the un-expecting cold nose of an animal. It was laden with voices from every walk of life, every village in a ten mile radius, and carried with it every emotion that those places felt. As the wind grew stronger it knocked into a small hidden village in a clearing deep in the forest. The village was fairly large, with at least 50 small to medium sized houses made of wood and sometimes stone. Plucking through this quiet place, the voices of the wind knocked on windows, rattling the panes and once in a while, awakening the person inside.

A shadow fell upon one of these cottage like homes. Alone the figure sat, legs crossed, hands lain across it's lap. The deep even breathing was all that could be heard, chest rising, then slowly, deeply, falling. The figure was a girl about the age of 17, dark raven black hair fell to her shoulder blades and around her face, giving those who looked at her, a dark composure. As she breathed in her left hand twitched, moving the fabric of her nightgown aside so that a tattoo about the size of a quarter could be seen. The skin was still a bit pink from where a hot iron had imprinted the outline of a panther, a cloud lay on it's side. Breathing out, the girl sat, letting all her emotions flow from her body.

Jaina, I have great news! Mary is to have a child near the month of…Don't pick those! They are flowers not weeds! What am I to do with…What? It can't be? She can't be…No!!! Stop!! Please don't …

Suddenly, Raven's eyes surged open. It was times like these that she wished she did not have to continue her training. Stretching her arm muscles and legs, she stood up from the bed she sat on. Taking a piece of flint from the small table next to her bed she lit a few candles to light her small room. Re-adjusting her eyes to the light she took a look around, getting familiar with the setting again. She often lost track of where she was when the wind brought her voices as it had this night. Rubbing her forehead she sighed. At least this was the last time she would have to listen to them, this would be her last entry in the journal Grand Nan had given her.

Shaking out her hands Raven sat down at the small writing table in the corner. From a small drawer to her right she pulled out a vile of black ink and a quill. From the drawer to her left she pulled out a large, leather bound book. This simple book had been in her family for generations. It held inside of it, the recordings of all the voices her ancestors had heard, as she had this night. It had become part of the Shifter training that each newly acquainted shifter write in it three times, each time recording the stories the voices had come to them with.

Raven had been luckier then most of her people. She had heard and witnessed mostly happy things. Things such as the birth of children, news of family members coming home from far off journey's, and even once a wedding. Though she was bound by ritual to write all that she had heard, she wished she could forget the times the voices had not been so kind. She had heard more then once news of the death of a husband or child, and even, to her great disgust, the rape of a young girl by a much older cousin. These were things she would much rather forget, let alone write in a journal for all to see in the future. Yet, still , she remembered reading entry's where all the person ever heard were the horrible things. Silently she thanked her gods she had been spared such anguish.

The candle light began to flicker as Raven looked up from her writing. The candle had been melted at least a quarter of the way down, telling her she had been writing for awhile. Letting her quill fall from her hand Raven sat back in her sturdy wooden chair. She let her dark hair fall over the back as she looked up at the ceiling. How long had it been since she had had a good night's sleep? Three nights? Four? She could no longer count the hours she had slept, let alone how many days she had not. So many things had changed since… no, she would not delve into that subject. It was dead and buried, along with David's body. David…

A sudden rap on the window startled Raven from her thoughts. Looking up she saw that a stick had hit her window, nothing more. Getting up from her chair, she ventured towards the small table that sat next to her bed. On it lay a memory of the past she had faced. A lone dagger etched with small leaves sat glaring from the mahogany table. Raven stared it down, letting her mind slide back to the day David was killed. The day a part of herself she never knew existed died.

It had not been more then a day after David tried to turn Raven that the trial started. Even less before she saw and felt David running for his very life through the clan's woods. The newly enacted Law Of Vampira was strictly clear on what was to be done with people of the clan who went to the darkness of the vampires. Death. And as in any clan, the means of which was chosen by the elder, in this case, Grand Nan.

Raven barely remembered the trial. If you asked her to tell you anything from those two hours, she could say nothing, not even when she spoke against David. It had been as if she had not really been there at all. As if she watched it from far away, not believing anything that was happening. It wasn't until now that any memories of there even being a trial came into her mind.

But, if you asked a different question, like what happened during the chase, she could tell every detail. It wasn't like she wanted to, or even wished to have felt the things she did, but it was impossible not to. His mind had been so close to hers, so real and full that she hadn't the courage or want to tell her mother what he was doing. Instead, she let her feelings run to him, she let him carry her along for the chase, leading her mind and soul on his journey of death. To this moment, she could still feel the cold air waft through his dark panther pelt, feel the chill that flew up his spine when he knew he was surrounded, and even the fear that fell down his face in beads of sweat.

Raven had never felt so alive at that very moment. Never had she felt such extremes of emotions. But it was not to stay that way. Along with these immense feelings came the knowledge of death. The knowledge that in minutes the body she was attached to would be dead. And so, as with the state she was in, she felt it all fall away as David's life depleted from his body. Every blow, every scratch, every bite the clan members inflicted on his body was like a knife in hers.

Yet for some reason, she felt no real physical pain, not like the time he had grabbed her before. This time she felt detached from it, like there was some barrier between the true pain and her soul. Whatever the true reason, the barrier suddenly fell away, and for a split second, Raven felt it all. All the pain and anger, all the hurt and sorrow that flew through David's very soul, as the last of his essence faded and flew away.

Raven shook her head, trying to get the thoughts to go away. Why was it that after all this time she still thought of him? Still reminded herself of what had happened to David that cold night. She knew it couldn't be because she had liked him. Any feelings she had felt for him fell from her body the day he died. Then why did she continue to haunt herself with his image? Maybe it would just be one of those things that would haunt her the rest of her life.

Raven stared at the ceiling, her mind seemingly just coming out of her thoughts. As she slowly looked around her room it seemed to take her back to reality. A place she had once thought, never existed. She found herself staring blankly at the candle flame and sighed. She must be exhausted to just stare into space like that. Deciding to go to bed, Raven extinguished the candle and crawled into bed, pulling back her covers. If need be she could finish her thoughts in the morning.

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The morning light flooded into the small room where Raven had been. It fell in waves as it glinted off of tables and chairs, finding it's way to the floor to shine off a brass bed post here and there. But this morning found Raven not in her room per usual, but in the medium sized garden behind her house, using a hoe to upend newly ripened soil.

She had been working since early light and the dirt showed in patches on her work apron. Raven had pulled her black hair into a ruff pony tail and tried to pull her sleeves back as efficiently as possible. Even after her attempts to keep herself fairly clean, mud spots could be seen on her face and arms.

Her breathe came with a small puff of air. The days were getting colder, winter would be here soon. She smiled at herself for remembering to hoe the garden before the first frost. It seemed that it was getting easier and easier to remember things lately. Finishing one row she moved onto the next. So into her work, Raven never even heard her little sister come up behind her and sit on a bench not far from the small garden.

A small breeze wafted through the garden, stirring up leaves that had been made into mulch and set about the garden. The small draft found it's way to settle beneath Amelia's hair and caused it to flutter around her face. It was this small sound which caused Raven to look in her general direction. Placing the foot on her hoe on the ground she smiled at her 13 year old sister.

"I'm surprised to see you. You don't usually get up this early in the morning."

Amelia gave her sister a light hearted smile and continued to stare at the ground. A small frown appeared on Raven's face. Amelia was acting too depressed, especially for a girl of her age. As the breeze flew through the air it lifted the 13 year old girl's hair, tussling it a bit. For the first time Raven looked at Amelia's appearance. Her sister was pretty by any accounts, her bright red hair fell to her waist and was tied with a piece of string. Her light hazel eyes were always thoughtful and looking for new adventures, even if it meant getting in trouble for being outside of clan lands. She was taller for her young age, and of average weight.

Raven smiled again. She could remember that Amelia had been having run-in's with growing boys who also had found her beauty. Could that be why she looked so depressed? Was she having problems dealing with the attentions that came with overly active boys? Putting down her hoe, Raven went to sit next to her sister.

The wood of the bench was cold with the coming of winter, but as she looked towards Amelia she didn't even seem to flinch at the cold. She sat with her hands on both sides of her, her head down, her legs dangling off the end of the bench. It was at this that Raven finally frowned.

"Is there something bothering you sister? You're not acting yourself."

Amelia's feet, which had been swinging back and forth below the bench, stopped. Raven stared at her with a heavy heart. What troubled her younger sister must be big, not many things depressed the usually fiery and cheerful child. Raven watched as her sister's chest took in a breath then let it go, and prepared herself.

"Raven… do you. Do you think I'm different? I mean, do I look different?"

Raven gave her sister a quizzical look

"Different? I don't know what your…oh, oh my gosh!"

Amelia's eyes shot up to stare at Raven. Panic was evident in them and she waited in stillness for her to finish.

"What, what's this? Oh my Amelia! Your ears, they're.."

Raven gasped as Amelia grabbed for her ears, touching them and checking them out. Suddenly she stopped and gave her sister a mean glare. Raven giggled and covered her mouth.

"That wasn't funny." Amelia said stubbornly.

Raven finished her laugh then smiled. "There is nothing different about you Amelia." She put an arm around her little sister to comfort her." It's called growing up, you only feel different on the inside, but on the out, you're the same sweet sister I've known all my life."

Amelia looked up at Raven, still a bit perturbed at the earlier comment, but thankful all the same. Placing her head on Raven's shoulder, she gave her a hug.

Well, that wasn't too hard, now was it? Raven thought to herself. The two sisters enjoyed some few minutes of quiet silence, looking at the lighting sky, when Amelia spoke again.

"How old were you when you first changed, Raven?" Amelia asked quietly.

Oh, so that's what she's worried about. Raven thought, getting herself comfortable for another discussion.

"Well lets see. Umm, 13, about your age. That's the age that all Shifters change." Raven said matter-of-factly.

"Oh." Amelia said, with her head still leaning against Raven's shoulder. "Has anyone ever, I don't know, not changed?" Amelia asked sitting up from her leaning position.

Raven gave her sister and good hard look then answered.

"Well not that I've ever heard of. The only way one could not change is if they weren't Shifter. But that's highly unlikely. Grand Nan has a very strict policy of not allowing other creatures into the family. She's said as much at the few meetings I've been to." Raven said getting up from the bench. She put her arms high above her head and stretched, looking much like the panther that she loved to shift forms to frequently. As she came out of a yawn, she noticed Amelia looking at her, hands in her lap, face as innocent as a lamb. She stifled a laugh as she put her hands on her hips.

"Speaking of changing, I wonder what animal would be most appropriate for you to hunt first. I know!"

Amelia looked up suddenly at Raven's loud voice. Her eyes wide at her sister's abrupt comment.

Raven smiled as the thought came to her mind. "Haha, a bunny rabbit!"

Now Amelia's eyes really did go wide and she gave her sister a funny look. "A bunny rabbit you say?" She inquired.

Raven smiled. "Why not! You're just like them. You're scared of everything, and you constantly hop around." Putting her hands up to her chest in mock bunny form, Raven then proceeded to hop around the garden, stopping here and there to take a good look at the greenery. This got a huge spurt of laughter out of Amelia who almost fell off the bench.

Smiling, Raven turned back to her sister, who was dying of laughter. The worst sight she had ever seen was her sister unhappy. It was as if the world revolved around Amelia, and if she wasn't happy, no one felt happy. Though her sadness could cause rain, her laughter could brighten the deepest depths of depression. It was times that she saw her smile and laugh that Raven was most at peace with the world, when nothing seemed to be bad. Still smiling she watched as Amelia gave in and fell in a heap on the ground, still having fits of laughter. Raven couldn't hold it in anymore either and began to laugh herself. Neither could see the dark shadow lingering on the outside edge of the forest less then 100 feet from them.

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A hawk, wings black as the deathless night, stood on the back branch of a large oak tree on the edge of the forest. It's eyes blazed the color of the Devil's abyss, a stark black, much like it's feathers. Yet there was life in them, not the fun spirited life mortals, witches and shifters knew, but a death life. One that swallowed its bearer hole, devouring all forms of humanly or even animal like sympathies. This creature, this, lifeless being, stood watching, no, preying upon the two laughing girls below. Pure instinct and the need for blood poured themselves into the very soul of this creature, yet to his disgust, the twisted human mind he still possessed, kept him from taking what he yearned. The time would come, though, for his plot to move into action. He could wait as long as need be for this child, this shifter child.

Vailor!

A voice to his right and below him caused him to twitch in the tree. Anger coursed through his veins and he shot a huge amount of power at the source, clearly causing the creature behind it much pain.

Shut up you idiot! They aren't completely deaf to telepathy! What is so important that you needed to come over here anyway! I told you people to stay far from here. What if they see you! Then none of this will work!

The hawk swiveled its head back towards the small garden he had been watching. The two girls had left, and were walking towards the more occupied village. Instinct screamed at him to take them now, while they were still far away from people, but his mind took over and stopped any attempt his body might have made. Angrily he turned his hawk head back towards the person he had scolded and gave him another blast of power. This time knocking the man to the ground in pain.

Speak before I kill you, you dolt! He screamed.

We were just wondering when we were going to get the shifters!

The man blurted out from a pain filled chest, his pitch black eyes wide. Jumping down from the branch, wings spread, the man known as Vailor changed. His black wings became lightly tanned human arms, his figure was broad and tall, about 6" 1', and his hair a dusty color of blonde. Standing only a few feet from the older man below him his eyes showed no compassion. If anything they showed the annoyance he felt at this disruption of his activities. He had been so close to the Shifter this time. So close he could smell her, and almost feel her raven hair. Had the man not have shown up and interrupted him he might not have been able to resist the temptation of taking her then and there. But he had not taken her, so now it was his turn to deal with this impotent vampire.

"I should kill you here and now for messing up my spying," Vailor said, taking a step closer to the man. "But I won't, I still have use of you." Walking past him, Vailor began to head back from where they had all come, the darkened end of the forest. He could hear the leaves rustle as the vampire got up and scurried to catch up behind him. As he finally reached him, Vailor turned in a second and grabbed his throat, snapping his useless windpipe in two with a sickening crunch. For the second time that night, the vampire looked upon his sire with fear and some arrogance, a trait that Vailor could not seem to take out of the new fledglings he created. But this new encounter with the shifter's had changed his ideas about his methods. Why try and break a fledgling of its habits, when he could just change someone who already had the instincts of prey? He smiled at his brilliance and reveled in what would take place that night.

Loosening his grip on his captives' throat he let him stagger backwards, trying to get his balance.

"Go now," He said, voice cold as the winter ice. "Tell the others that it will be this night that we take the Shifter. And don't make a game of it, I want her tonight, no mishaps."

With that the vampire ran from the wooded area, headed for the darker, unknown parts. Vailor watched him as he fled and then turned toward the small cottage near the edge of the Shifter village. A wicked smile graced his lips and he traced his tongue across them.

Tonight Raven. Tonight I will have you all to myself.

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A soft wind blew through the area where all the Elders and hunters of the clan had gathered. Raven stood to the left of them all, still a bit shaky over what would take place this night. Pulling her shawl up from below her shoulders she held it tight against her body. The night wasn't cold but for some reason she couldn't stop shaking.

"My Children! Tonight will be the night of the first moons' hunt!" She could hear Grand Nan's voice as the sound of people talking around her grew quieter. The intire clan, all 200 some members had come to see the hunting party off. Children huddled under their mothers' skirts, husbands stood proud, showing off how brave they were for all to see, and first time hunters, such as herself, stood apprehensively as Grand Nan addressed the crowd. "Tonight we have some new Adult members joining us in our hunt," She paused so that others could take a look around, and Raven noticed only a few people look her direction with either a smile or nod of recognition. "And some experienced, older members." Again she paused for people to acknowledge those spoken of. "But more then who is experienced and who is not, we have a group of fine individuals who will lead us to a successful hunt!"

Cheers erupted as Grand Nan ended her brief speech and stepped down from the log on which she had used to stand on. Raven looked nervously around at the other adult members who had gathered around her. As she was searching, a warm hand squeezed her shoulder. Sighing, Raven turned to address her mother, her eyes showing the bit of worry she felt inside. Her mother smiled, knowing all to well what Raven was feeling.

"Don't worry dear, you'll do fine. And remember, I'll be with you the whole time, it's not like you'll be on your own tonight." She emphasized her talk with a squeeze of Raven's shoulder, setting some of the girls' nervous thoughts away.

Waiting seemed to be the true factor that was making the skin on Raven's body crawl. An air of tension and excitement had gone up between all of the Adult members as they stood, waiting for the first sign from Grand Nan to change. It was during this wait that Raven tried to remember all she had been taught about what to do during the hunt. Grand Nan had explained how they would be divided into five different hunting groups and that each group was responsible to bring back one game. She also explained that the significance of the hunt was not to gather meat for the clan, although that was a bonus, but o keep their Shifter blood alive and pure. Without these hunts, the clan would surely disintegrate.

Earlier that day, the group Raven had been assigned to had decided to try for some deer they knew roamed around the eastern part of the Clan lands. Raven knew the lands well, for she had used them as one of the first places she ran wild, as a panther. She pulled a mental map from her head and studied it inch for inch. She did not want to mess this one up. As she studied her map, something in the air made her look up and towards the area where Grand Nan had been. It was not a sight that she beheld, but more of a smell or a presence. That of a Shifter changing. She could see people from all angles of her changing, a wolf tail here, a birds' wing there. The aroma of animal pelts was too enticing for Raven to evade and she felt her body too, begin to change and morph, easily slipping into her favorite panther body.

Raven lost herself in the change itself, giving into the feeling of her bones cracking and mending, and of her spine bending in ways no human could manage. Black fur grew from every part of her body, covering her in a huge mass of it, warming her body and comforting her. Next to her, raven could see her mother changing into a large wolf, as many others were also. And as she finished her change she could see a multitude of animals where humans had once been. She could see many different predators, from bears, to wolves, tigers, foxes, lynxes, hawks and other birds of prey, wolverines, and even some large domestic looking dogs. Every adult member had changed into his or her favorite form, ready for the hunt ahead. The readiness was so prevalent in the air that is threatened to engulf Raven into a sea of her own panther instincts. An act which could be extremely dangerous if left unchecked. She could feel that many felt the same way, but years of experience and training had helped them to be able to control their animal instincts better then what Raven could at the present moment.

A soft muzzle, her mother's dark wolf one to be exact, lightly brushed her shoulder, once again reassuring her fears. Again, taking a look around the huge pack of misfit animals, Raven noticed a large, shaggy wolf. This could only be Grand Nan since all knew her favorite change was a wolf, and also by the grayness which engulfed the once dark colored wolfs' pelt. Suddenly the thought of the adversity of all these animals hit her. What would people think if they happened to come upon any of these groups of misfit animals? It would be very easy to tell that such a diverse group working together would be very suspicious. But then she remembered. The clan lands were so huge and so far from other villages that it would be almost impossible for any people to see them. Pulling out of her thoughts Raven returned her attention to Grand Nan. It was no earlier then Raven had looked towards the wolf, that it silently nodded to a group of about twenty or so other animals, thereby giving them the signal to move out. So preoccupied with the events going on to her left, Raven almost lost her own signal to move, had she not been nuzzled by her mother.

Come on dear. Don't hold us all up! Her mother said playfully.

Raven mentally smiled and followed the black wolf pelt of her mother into the forest, in the opposite direction of Grand Nan and her own group.

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The trees of the woods flew by Raven as the intire group ran. All she could see ahead of her were dark pelts of a little more then twenty animals and a small bit of the path ahead. The smell though, was almost deafening to her panther nose. Each adult member had chosen his or her favorite predator for this hunt, and the smell of wild animal instinct and energy was almost to a point that she might lose herself in her own instincts. One had to always be cautious of the instincts of the animal that one changed into. Letting yourself get caught up in animal instincts, and forgetting human ones, lead many to their deaths. Stories had been told for years of those who had lost their minds and either been killed by hunters or clan members, or worse yet, stayed animals forever. A Shifter's life was mostly spent as an animal, yes, but all shifters needed human emotion from being just that, an animal.

So as they ran, Raven tried as hard as she could to keep the thoughts from entering her mind and taking over. However, many in the group had given into their instincts, though years of training had enabled them to separate their human mind from their animal one, so the threat of falling into an endless mind chasm was never there. Raven wished she could do this, but had more sense to also know that she was not old enough, nor experienced enough to try and let herself go yet. So even the running was painful for her, but her training by her mother to bear this was coming in handy, and she ran at full speed with her pack.

It seemed like forever that they ran. Through groves of trees and briars, past streams and small ponds, always searching, always sniffing the air with all sorts of nose's. The thought of running into the clans' border occurred to her more then once. Even though their territory ran for at least 30 miles in all directions, she still felt they could have run that distance many times over by now. Yet as she searched the mind of the lead hunter, Roland, a dark brown shaded panther, she could tell that he knew exactly where it was that he was going. Rolland was an older member of the clan and father of at least four children who all were in their thirties by now. So her mind was at rest with his confidence and she let herself fall again into the exuberance of running with her pack. Suddenly a smell happened upon her nose. One that filled her soul and awakened her instincts as a hunter to chase. She slowed in her run and fought to control this emotion. Deer, she could smell it so closely now, so delicious to her almost tired panther body. As she slowed to an almost dead stop others did too, her mother still close to her left. They could smell it too and the same thoughts seemed to be on everyone's minds. Prey.

Letting her panther mind take over for a second, she opened her mouth and wafted the air, making sure to get in as much scent as she could. The smell was faint, but still prevalent and coming steadily from the west. It seemed that electricity flew through the hunting party as they had all come to a stop to waft the air as she had. The hunt was now officially beginning and all knew it. Even her mother, who by now had let go of her human mind entirely, could tell what was coming.

Yes! We've got them! Can't you smell it so rich it is on the air. Deer!

Raven mentally nodded at her and stared at a rock ten feet in front of her. Hiding behind it was the dark brown panther, Rolland.

They are close. Everyone stay low, you know what to do. Only take three, no more, but no less.

Mental growls of 'yes' went through the link that had formed between all members, and everyone seemed to crouch lower then they had already been. Raven did so too, getting as low to the ground as she could has she followed the hunting pack. As they walked farther into a grove of trees, the scent of deer became stronger, filling every part of her with the instinct to hunt and kill. Without having to speak, the group split up, turning to the left and right, creating a circle that would be the barrier for the group of deer. Soft paws fell to the ground as finally, the scent came to its bearer and they could see the small herd. There were at least 6 females and maybe one or two young males not yet grown into their antlers. But the big price was standing less then a foot from the group, the buck. It was the beginning of his antler season when the male would begin to grow his antlers for the rutting season to come and his were almost fully grown. They were huge, at least a foot or two each, and all the predators eyed him, wanting to have the privilege to take him down themselves. While all of this went on, Raven kept her eyes on a medium sized doe who had been wondering around the outside ring of deer, a bad choice for her.

By now the hunting party had created an almost complete ring around the deer and were coming in closer. Small groups of five or and wild cats were making their choices on who to go after. Raven still stood singly sighted on the doe, watching it's every move, judging when might be a good time to go after it. The air seemed to tense as the buck looked up, clearly spooked. Raven saw him in her peripheral vision but knew that he had looked too late, they had already surrounded the group of deer and there would be no escape now. At least three would loose their lives tonight. Suddenly, a flash of gray swooped past her and after another doe. Raven couldn't tell who it was that started the deer to flee, but she was so wrapped up in her own instincts and animal instincts now that the action caused her to chase the doe she had in her own sights. As she flew after the doe she could sense at least four other animals, her mother included, follow after her into the forest.

The air hit her open, panting mouth as she flew past trees and briars following after the frightened doe. Once in awhile she would see a shadowed figure come up beside her, but it would not be able to keep up so it would fall back behind her and out of her sights. It was at these times that an emotion of almost hatred would fill her. She so wanted to have this doe herself, she so wanted to prove herself an adult that it would almost cause her to snap at the approaching figure. Then the reality of her situation and her human instincts would kick back in and she would be on the chase again. Her lungs heaved as she found she was getting out of breathe. She was almost going to drop from the chase when a voice came into her head.

Raven! Run around to the front of the doe and make her turn back! She's getting to far out of the territory!

This was her mother's voice, and she agreed with it. With a small nod and a fleeting foot Raven took a hard left, away from the chase, and speed up. Her legs fell hard with every step she took but she knew she had to run faster if she wanted to pass and get in front of the doe. She was on one side of a tree line, the doe on the other and she struggled to pass her, but once she did glee flooded her brain. She was actually going to finish this! Finally, as she reached a point where the doe and running group was behind her, she took a hard right and fell straight into the path of the oncoming doe. As it got ten feet from her it's eyes grew wide and it skidded to a slower run in front of her, turning sharply to the left to avoid her. The urge to start her chase was burning in her panther ears, but she found she could not get up from her sitting position. Her mouth was agape and panting, and her muscles' twitched with the extra strength it had taken to get ahead of the speeding doe. So as the group followed the doe on the extreme left she had taken, Raven just sat there. It was all she could do without falling over. And as the group fell from her sights the woods became quiet, less her panting breath.

A soft air floated past her, lifting the hair on her pelt ever so slightly, airing it out. She slowly closed her eyes then opened them again, reveling in the cool air that passed over her body. She was so tired from the chase, yet her mind screamed for the kill. She mentally sighed at her poor emotion, there would be no kill for her tonight, she was too far from the group to catch up and kill the doe herself. The kill would inevitably be someone else's. Raven's ears perked as she heard a sound behind her. Turning her head all she saw was dark woods. Looking deeper into the forest she swore she could see a shadow, but…

Raven! Where are you! Brendan got the doe, come on back honey.

Raven heard the tired, but happy sound of her mother's voice in her head. She snapped her head back forward and stood up, her muscles giving protest to her quick movement.

Alright. I was just resting. How'd the other hunts go? Raven asked as she began her walk back to the meeting area. But in the back of her mind she still wondered about what it was she had seen in the back of the forest. Shaking her head she pushed the thought aside and tried to concentrate on her aching muscles. Great! The other groups brought down another doe and that big buck. Grand Nan says that the rest of the pack was similarly successful. We'll have a great New Moon Feast tonight!

Raven mentally chuckled at the sheer joy in her mother's mind and smiled inwardly. Yes, this had been a successful night, even if Raven had not killed anything. But there would be other hunts and plenty of chances to do that.

So Raven slowly made her way back to her clan, totally unaware of the scowling figure standing less then five feet from the place she had sat just moments before.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Heard about your chase Raven. Nice job!"

"Must have been exhilarating!"

"Not bad for a first time Rav!"

"Maybe next time you'll take it down!"

All this comments had been coming at Raven all night, as the story of her chase floated through the clan. She beamed with pride as people came up to her now and again to tell her how great a job she had done for her first time out. Of course she was proud, but also a little confused as to all the praise. Her mother explained to her some stories of first timers that had not gone so well in the past and Raven cringed. Even she had the sense not to crash into a tree, unlike one poor guy from a story her mother told her. So as the night progressed the praises died down, but Raven seemed to be on a high. The act of chasing but not bringing down her prey had left her unfulfilled in a predator's sense, and almost giddy with the left over adrenaline.

All in all, the hunt had been a huge success. Grand Ann's hope of a good hunt had come true and the amount of meat that had been brought down that night would sustain the pack for awhile. In this honor, a huge fire had been lit near the center of the village and some people had already skinned a couple of deer and Raven could smell the meat roasting on the fire. Huddled around this fire were most of the adult members, chatting about the hunt and their own triumphs and tribulations of that night. As Raven looked up into the moonlit sky, she sighed. How beautiful the moon looked tonight, she thought. Suddenly she had the greatest urge she had ever felt to run. Run free of her human body and soul, run just to sniff the wind and hop from tree to tree. As she was caught up in her dream she didn't notice the shorter figure come up behind her. But a small tap on her shoulder woke her from her thoughts and back to the world around her.

"Hey Raven. So…how'd the hunt go? I'm tired of hearing it all from everyone but you."

Raven turned to smile at Amelia, who's eyes sparkled in the pale night. As they walked farther from the fire and sat on a wooden bench about a hundred feet from the large fire, Raven told Amelia of her first hunt, and most of the emotions that she had felt during it. Amelia smiled and nodded at every interesting thing, and gasped when she heard of Raven's run to get ahead of the deer before it got away. She seemed to be totally interested in what her sister had to say, but as Raven dragged on her speech Amelia slowed down her listening skills and Raven could tell something was on her mind. The idea that Amelia asking her about the hunt just to get a chance to talk to her also came into Raven's mind. As Raven stopped talking it became apparent to her that this was the reason Amelia had sat Raven down in the first place. With a heavy sigh of frustration Raven spoke.

"Ok, so what is it this time Ames. You want to ask me something again, don't you?"

Raven saw Amelia's hands twitch as she knew she had hit the nail on the head. She wondered what Amelia would want to talk about now. She had thought that their conversations had ended that morning, but her hunch had been wrong.

"Well." Amelia started, looking towards the fire where about all of the clan was gathered, having a good time. "I don't really know what it is. All I can gather from what I'm feeling, is that I feel different, very different. And I've tried to connect it to just growing up and beginning to change, but it's not. I know it's not. I still haven't changed and I'm almost 14 Raven. And.." Amelia paused, her head sinking lower so that she looked at the ground. "Strange things have been happening to me, and I really can't explain them."

Raven's eyes were staring straight at the sky now. The moon taking up all of her vision until it became the only thing she could see. The feelings that had come before, the ones that screamed for her to run far from this place, thundered in her head now. It was hard for her to pay attention to anything that Amelia had said. But frankly, she didn't really care what she had said. For some reason, the only thing she could think of was running, and it was going to make her burst if she didn't. So as she heard Amelia stop talking she jumped to her feet, turning as she did towards the woods behind her. She could see the worried look on her sister's face, but all she could think of was running.

"I'm sorry Ames, I need… I need to go now. I'll…I'll talk to you later. I promise!"

Raven yelled as she ran off into the woods, her voice trailing behind her, her hand the last thing her sister would ever see.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Deep in the woods an ear splitting crack filled the air. And as the smell of fear filled the small dark covered grove, Vailor wiped his hands on his dark pants. He really hated to waste his energy on fledglings who couldn't do their jobs. Actually he usually only broke a leg or too and let them on their way, but tonight he had no time for any kind of patience.

What and idiot. He thought looking over what was left of his little vampire group. He could smell the raw fear emanating from them and smiled. Maybe now they'll learn to catch a girl when I say to catch her.

Vailor was still fuming over the pure idiocy of the first attempt to grab the girl. She had been less then ten feet in front of the now dead fledgling and he had failed to grab her, stating to him later, that she had moved to fast to be taken. Vailor didn't take this very well and killed him, snapping his neck in two. It was now that he was trying to think of another plan in his anger, that a voice came into his head. Before even hearing the voice he made sure the bearer felt his anger as he pushed his power into their head. This caused whoever it was to fall out of the tree they had inhabited with a thud. Vailor walked towards the sound then stopped, standing near the edge of the clearing.

What do you want. Unless you have something really good to tell me, I suggest you leave now.

Vailor felt as the person he had hit with power tried to right himself, shaking his eagle head as he got his baring back.

Oh you'll like this one Vailor. The shifter girl has gone out by herself into the woods. I just saw her about three minutes ago running towards the edge of the Shifter territory.

A crooked smile graced Vailor's lips. Finally! The girl would be his!

Hmm. Good. I'll let you live this time. "It's time!" Vailor said addressing the remaining eight members of his little group. "I'm going after the girl. I want all of you to go do something, I don't care what, just cause a distraction. Kill as many as you want, the clan means nothing, it's the girl I want."

With this eight pairs of eyes lit up and in a matter of seconds, Vailor was alone in the clearing, listening to the silence.

Finally. Watch out Raven. I'm coming……

And a dark laugh filled the woods.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Freedom. Pure freedom filled all of Raven's veins with an amazing burst of energy she never knew she had. She giddily ran and pranced through the forest in her panther form, letting tree limbs and bushes brush past her skin, causing her to shudder at the pure ecstasy of it all.
It can't get any better then this. Raven thought as she rounded a bend through the forest and fell into a clearing.

Sniffing the air, Raven came into the clearing with a thud as she fell to the ground exhausted for the time being. For those few minutes she let her body rest, catching up with her heart as she lay listening to the silence of the forest. Had she been anything but off on a run for pure pleasure of soul, she would have found this rather curious, but as she was too into how she was feeling she did not and leaped back to her feet. Running full throttle, she could feel the cool breeze given off by her speed lay past her body and flow behind her. The sound of the wind rushing past her lightened her feet and she seemed to be flying through the forest.

Raven…Raven where'd you go? Raven…

Voice flooded lightly into her head, causing a stirring in her mind that she knew these were of some importance. A twinge in the back of her head informed her that these were the voices of her mother and sister but for some reason, she could not focus on their meaning and continued to dash through the forest, her panther skin tingling in the night.

She continued on her beaten path, the trees around her growing more and more unfamiliar by the second, but as he came to the end of the forest she still did not care where she had ended up. A small voice whispered something about being outside the boundaries of the Clan but again, she could not seem to make herself care. As she slowed nearing the edge of the forest, a beautiful scene of golden flowers filled her sites. She had come upon a large meadow, filled with a certain flower that only bloomed at night. The name failed her, but she knew that these were very rare and the urge to leap through them filled her body and soul and she left the comfort of the forest behind her.

The flowers floated beneath her feet as she leaped and pounced in the small meadow, letting her childhood memories and feelings come up from their hiding spot beneath her mind.

I could stay like this forever. She thought as she pounced on one flower then another. But as she was preoccupied with these antics, she never saw the shadows surrounding themselves around her. As she pranced through the small meadow, it wasn't until she heard a sound that she turned around, coming face to face with a human. Yet there was something different about this human. First of all he did not shy away from her panther form, and secondly his eyes were a strange, unearthly shade of black.

Suddenly her mind snapped back into reality and she began to panic.

What, where am I? She thought, looking about her at the group of about eight vampires that had surrounded her. Oh no, this can not be good. How did I get so far from our lands?

You ran, did you not? A voice in her head made her wince as she looked about the closing circle of vampires. Standing her ground she looked for the source of the mental connection, her instincts kicking in.

Who said that? I demand to know what is going on! Raven said, suddenly feeling very nervous. Suddenly a laugh erupted in the meadow, seemingly shaking the grass down to its roots. It was then that she saw him, a beautiful sight in the pale moonlight, but she knew better then to let her mind wander to his pretty face. His hair was the color of sunlight, a pale yellow hanging down to his shoulders. His face slightly tanned by being out in the sun before he became a vampire, and his muscles shown through his long-sleeved shirt, giving him an aura of pure power. Raven had to balance her panther legs as she felt this aura get closer to her, pushing her down with the shear force of it all. Her eyes flurried as the vampire got within a few feet of her then stopped, smiling down at her.

Why so worried shifter? I have big plans for you, I've no wish to kill you. Raven could almost taste the maliciousness in his voice, but barred it all the same.

Big plans? I don't know who you think you are but…

Suddenly she was knocked to the ground, her legs giving out beneath her. As she was flung to the ground backwards, Raven was knocked into someone's legs and felt as they grabbed her panther body so hard that she gave a gasp of pain.

Silence! I demand that all my fledglings be subordinate to me. But you will learn your place in time Raven. I will see to it myself.

As she stood immobile by unseen hands, her head snapped up at the word fledgling.

No!! I will not bend to you!! Raven shouted, trying as hard as she could to pull away from her aggressor, but it was not use, who ever had her had grabbed the scruff of her neck and she could not move.

A light laugh again filled the air and almost made her stop her struggling. Almost. This unbalance who ever had grabbed her and he let her go, but as she tried to run for it she was intercepted by the blonde haired vampire. Grabbing her roughly by the throat, Raven became stunned. She could feel her panther form slipping with every movement she made against him. He was so strong, how was she ever going to get out of this? It was then that a power beyond anything she had ever felt consumed her head, causing her to gasp out in unbelievable pain as she hung in mid air. She heard the laughter inside of that power as she tried to maintain her consciousness.

Hahaha, too much for you? Well you won't have to worry about that anymore…

As her final breathe came, Raven lost power over her panther form. She felt it slipping from her, and her human body coming back as she struggled still against the vampires' hand.

I'm sorry mom, so sorry Grand Nan. Amelia…I…I'm so sorry… Amelia!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The night was so dark, so dark she could see nothing beyond her nose. And even then she was having a hard time even seeing that. Slowly but surely she began to take a step, then another, walking as if she were a child taking its first steps. But it was so dark, so she couldn't help but do so. As she walked in what she thought was a straight line, a dim light began to come into her field of vision. It was a little more then a hundred feet away but she didn't care, the idea of light and maybe another person made her heart ache.

How did I get here in the first place? She asked herself. She could remember nothing about what had happened before she arrived the in darkness but didn't dwell on it. Right then and there she needed to get to the light.

As she reached the lighted area she could see a figure sitting on the ground, leaning against a wall. Staring she realized that she was in a room, and now that she thought of it she could feel the stuffiness of it and could almost see the walls around her. Knowing she needed to find the door, but also curious about this figure, she decided to check out the person sitting before she looked for a way out. Creeping closer to the body she saw that the person was a young man, knees up to his chest, head down, with his hands clutching each other below his knees. Not knowing why she felt she knew him she sat down next to him, pulling her legs beneath her and putting her hands on the ground for support.

"Hello?" She whispered, afraid of startling the boy. "Umm, are you ok?" She said a little louder, wondering if he heard her at all. She was answered when he lifted his head, black, pit like eyes staring back at her in sadness. Suddenly she was almost thrown back in recognition. She knew this boy, but how? She tried to remember his face, his blonde brown hair, and his strange eyes but came up blank. Or at least she thought she did until horror struck her. It was David! David, the one who had been her childhood friend. The same boy who had played with her only a few months before. The very one who had let himself be taken in by vampires and changed. David. The traitor. Yet, for some reason, none of these things could break the happiness and sadness she felt at seeing him alive again. Nothing could make her run like she knew she should, so she just sat there, staring, waiting for him to react to seeing her.

"David? Is, is that you?" She said, moving a bit closer to him.

David's eyes looked blankly back at her, squinting in the darkness. For a spilt second she saw his dead eyes light up in recognition then fade back to nothing, a ghost of his former self resurfacing only to be stomped back down.

"Raven? It's you isn't it? You look so tired." David said, not moving an inch.

Raven tried to smile at him but couldn't make her mouth muscles move to do it. Why was it that something didn't feel right in the room? Why couldn't she show the happiness she knew she felt at seeing him? These thoughts opened doors Raven never knew she left open, and a million questions flooded into her head. She totally forgot to answer David's question and asked one of her own.

"Why David? Why did you let them do this to you?" She said, hearing her words vibrate off the walls.

There was silence for a second, David was thinking, then he spoke.

"Because. I was tired of being a Shifter. Tired of all the rules, all the codes of conduct. I wanted to be free." He said in a monotone voice that almost made Raven shudder. "I…I was lonely."

Lonely? Raven said in her head. How could you have been lonely? You had me.

"But David," She said, forgetting the thoughts in her head. "Why become a vampire? Why sell your soul to such a loathsome creature? David I..we could have changed your feelings. I know we could have made it work out." She was almost pleading with him now. Trying to make him feel the way she did, that she couldn't live without his company.

David just sighed. A strange feeling come through Raven then, one that made her feel that his breathing was wrong, or unearthly. But it evaporated from whence it came when he spoke.

"Maybe. Maybe "we" could have changed it, but Raven, they gave me an offer, and I took it. And as sad as it may seem, I'm glad that I did." David was now staring openly at Raven, his eyes wondering like a predator from one part of her body to the next. All that had been David had again been depressed into his mind and left there to die. She could feel it dying.

"David. David no, no your not glad. You can't be!" Raven pleaded, standing up from the now cold ground. As she did, David did too, taking his arms and putting them around her body, hugging her. He was so cold, so very cold. So very, dead.

"Raven," He whispered, letting his lips touch her left ear as he spoke, sending small but muted shots of electricity through her. " I was so close to bringing you into my world. So close to making you mine. I loved you so much Raven, but as a shifter, I couldn't tell you so, couldn't share my feelings with you. Not in that body, not with those powers. But now..." He paused to kiss her neck softly, leaving a trail of butterflies in the wake of his lips.

Raven didn't move. She couldn't. And yet, even if she had been able too, she felt that deep down she didn't want to. She had missed David far too much, she realized. Had missed his laughter and his smiling face, and now that she knew how he really had felt about her, she missed the small things, like how he had called her Rav, or even to her disgust, 'little black bird', from her name's sake. She knew that she wanted to stay in his arms forever, wanted to feel him close to her like this again. But something was different this time. Something didn't feel all that right. And as she thought about it, she realized that it was how he was treating her. The vampire blood had perverted him, for he would never have been so forward in these advances had he been normal. But Raven never moved. Not an inch.

"David, I.." She tried to say as he began to kiss towards her throat.

"Shhh," He said, moving back up to the area of her neck right below her ear. "I want to give you something. Don't try and move."

Slowly Raven began to feel a familiar pressure on the area of her neck where David's lips were.

Oh God! She screamed in her head. No! Not again!

"David…" She croaked through her throat as she put her hand behind his head, trying to move him away from her. But he didn't seem to hear her, he just grabbed at her tighter and tighter, forgetting that she needed to breathe to live.

"Shhh, this won't hurt too much. I promise." Suddenly the pressure on her neck became heavier and every muscle in her body screamed.

Nooo!!!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Raven never remembered anything about how she had been dragged through almost all of her Clan's woods. Nor did she remember how she had gotten the scratches on her body from being pulled through those woods. She couldn't even remember how long she had been unconscious, talking to David's ghost. But what she did remember was waking up in the arms of a vampire that had kidnapped and knocked her out. And not only that, but the memory of being in those harsh arms in front of her intire Clan would always be sharp in her mind. For she was sure that both the looks on her face and those witnessing the act were identical. Pure shock.
"…and as you can see, she won't be with you much longer." Raven caught the last bit of his conversation with her family as he pulled her closer to him, getting ready to do something. Her head swam with the possibilities, the most obvious was that he was going to kill her. But in front of the clan? If he had been planning that, he would have already done it. Right?

Panic flew in her body and she tried to make a break for it, but Vailor's arms were too tight around her. As everyone saw her try to move someone moved in the group, someone with dark brown hair and flurried eyes. Her mother. She could see her dashing towards the vampire and Raven, almost as if she was in slow motion, her mother's feet making delayed plops in the mud. Just as she thought that her mother might be able to get to her, her body was flung backwards, as if strings had jerked her. Laughter from the vampire holding her startled everyone but Raven, who was too busy trying to see if her mother was alright to pay any attention.

A sharp pain brought her attention back to the vampire and she looked up. Eyes so familiar to her shone back at her, laughter heavy in the endless abyss that they were. From nowhere, a voice came into the air.

"Mother! No!" It took her brain a second to realize who it was, but when she did her eyes flew open. It was Amelia. As she looked out of the corner of her eye she could see her little sister, muddy and scared, bending over the limped form of her mother.

She realized then what she had done. Vailor now knew who were important to her, and wasted no time in putting this too good use.

"Well," He said, pulling Raven up so her neck was near his mouth. "Now that the audience is settled in…"

A gasp came up from Raven's lips as Vailor plunged his fangs into her neck, leaving no amount of pain from the experience. All the memories she had ever had of David trying to do the same came flooding into her brain, causing tears to well up and fall from her eyes.

No…no. It was as her life was draining from her that Raven looked up, towards the crowd of people. It was there that she came into eye contacted with her sister, her young face full of terror and desperation. That image haunted Raven. It would haunt her for the rest of her life, and she knew it. It would be the only thing she would remember about that night, and would dream horror filled nightmares about it. Ones that would strip her very soul from her body.

The pain of Vailor's bite fell away from Raven's body, but the image of her sister's face did not. It would stay with her forever. Even as she felt Vailor pull his fangs from her and force some kind of warm, sticky, liquid down her throat, the image never left her eyes nor her mind.

My… my sister…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

YESSSSSSS

Well that ends this part of Before the Shadow Fell.

YES YES YES, I'm DONE with THIS. Woo woo

Ok I'm done partying. So???? What did you thinky? I love reviews and please leave tons!!!!

I know this one took me far too long, and I ,again, have no idea how long the next one will take me. I pray I get it done before fall, but that may be hoping too much….

For the first time ever, I want to send out a dedication for this story…. first to Aya for reading and reviewing this story on Fanfiction.net. You were the only one to review the first part of this story and I thank you, it kept me going when I wanted to just shut this down and forget about it. Second to my dad for being the most amazing person that he is and getting me more GB's for this computer (I have 6 now instead of 1 ½ , and that was tons of help in how much story stuff I could save on this computer. YAY!!). And lastly to Amelia Atwater-Rhodes, cause think about it…without her stories I would be NOWHERE!

Ok that was cheesy but I had nothing else to write there. Just read and review or e-mail me with comments (I don't know why I write this cause I never get any. *pouts*) to:

Saiyengirl613@yahoo.com

Thanks TONS for sticking with me guys. See Ya when I bring out the next part:

Before the Shadow Fell, Part 3: "Hard Truths"