"Garfield?" Raven called out, seeing a green figure not far from her, unbelievable to its existence.
She began walking towards it, jogging, then running, overjoyed to see him once more. Tears began forming in her eyes, not those of sadness, but of happiness, and outstretching her hands as she ran forward to him. Raven leapt off the ground and into his awaiting arms, swinging her around in a hug, one to heal the wounds of separation.
"Oh God, I missed you," she managed, still overly happy, looking into his deep, emerald eyes.
"So have I, Raven," he replied, still embracing her, letting her know that he was there for her.
"Promise me," Raven began, "promise me you will never lose me again, I don't want to be alone."
"I do," he replied, "I could never live without you, you are what I am missing in life, without you, I am incomplete."
She smiled, leaning forward for a kiss, as did he. The neared each other, within less than an inch of contact, only to have it shattered. He disappeared, and the faint sound of knocking grew louder and louder with each knock.
"Raven," Hienrich called out from behind the door, "it is time to wake, you said you wanted to help me, so come on."
Her eyes groggily opened, the confines of her room coming into focus, but still darkened. She rolled over, seeing that the sun was only a sliver above the mountaintops.
"Damn it," she thought, "it was only a dream. I wish I wouldn't torment myself like that."
He knocked a little louder, trying to get her to wake.
"I'm up, I'm up," she announced, yawning, slowly swinging her feet over the side of the bed.
"I'll be waiting outside," he informed, his footsteps signaling he had walked down the hallway.
Raven stretched her entire body as far as it would go, getting the stiffness out of her muscles before she even rose to her feet.
"He wasn't kidding when he said at the crack of dawn," Raven commented, rising up, her feet touching the cold, wooden floor, "I can barely see the sun."
She walked to the end of the bed to retrieve the clothes she laid out the night before, beginning the ever-so seemingly monotonous task of undressing and dressing. After donning the brown pants, as well as the jacket with an undershirt, she slipped on her socks, and began tying her shoes. Raven opened the door and walked down the hallway she did the day before, except she found her way to the door that led outside. She slowly opened it, the cool air hitting her in the face, not sharply, but merely invigorating to her skin, after being sheltered for so long. No sooner than she closed the door and stepped down the trio of steps that led up to the door, she heard a distinctive thump noise resonate from around the other side of the homely cabin. She paced down the side of the cabin, her feet making minute noise as they shuffled through the lush grass. Raven rounded the corner to hear the noise once more, except she knew what was the cause of it now. Hienrich was splitting wood for the fireplace, as well as the stove. He looked up as he sat another small log on the chopping block.
"Ah," he announced, "glad to see your awake now. Are you ready?"
"As much as I'll ever be," Raven replied with a smirk, "what do you want me to do?"
"You see those buckets there?" He asked, pointing to a small yoke with a bucket at either end, suspended by rope, "take those down to the stream and fill them, and bring them back, I'll try to find something else for you to do."
Raven nodded, but at the same time, felt a little undermined. She retrieved the buckets, hoisting the yoke between them up on her shoulders with ease, and began walking down the gentle hillside to the stream below.
"Just because I am girl," she thought, "doesn't mean I'm weak. I could split that wood just as good as he could. I know he still thinks I'm injured and whatnot, but that's besides the point, the point is...is he won't let me because I'm a woman, and fetching water, cleaning, all that crap is things I'm supposed to do. Hell no, I'll do what I please, if he doesn't like it, tough, I guess I'll have to leave a lot sooner than planned, because I am not going to be forced to do a housewife's work."
Raven neared the stream, slowing her pace to nothing. She knelt at its edge, pulling the yoke over her head, setting the buckets down upon the smoothed rocks that served as a bank. The rope binding them to the yoke slackened, giving her what she needed to tilt them and allow the gentle, natural flow of the water fill it. She positioned herself to fill the second without spilling the first, only to find a familiar and menacing figure staring back at her.
"Look at yourself, Raven," Slade pointed out, "once a feared and menacing individual, now reduced to nothing more than a lowly errand girl. You really do sicken me."
"Could we please talk later, I'm kinda busy right now," Raven replied, trying to ignore the apparition that continued to pain her.
"The time for talk is now," He ordered, "I will speak and you will listen."
"What did you say?" Raven replied once more, "I didn't quite get that, you know, I was ignoring you and stuff."
"You can't pull off this charade forever, child," Slade beckoned, "you will eventually give in."
Raven just hummed a tune to herself as she filled the second bucket, not even paying enough attention to him to tell him the time of day. After a moment, she figured out that he had decided to give up for the moment, so she positioned herself to lift the yoke with the buckets full of water. Raven hefted it up, slowly, but steady, finding them to be much heavier than she predicted.
"Wow," she commented, huffing for breath, "this is pretty heavy, a little more than I thought it would be."
She began walking up the slope once more, only to have her foot sink into a hole, causing her to fall and spill the water she just collected.
"Damn it," she cursed under her breath, getting to her feet, brushing the dirt off the front of her white shirt.
Once again, she made the short walk back to the stream and filled the buckets, lifting them in a similar manner. Raven was able to get much further this time, the full weight of the full buckets resting upon her shoulders, slowing her ascent up the hillside, as well as making her feel the soreness of her muscles grow more intense with each step forward she took. Her face grimaced with pain, gritting her teeth against her body's injuries that shot pain through it, coursing through her very veins. Slowly, but surely, Raven made her way up the gentle slope, each step forward was one step closer to her destination, fueling the fire within her, telling her not to give up. Hienrich's person came into view over the gentle crest, he still splitting wood for the humble home's fireplace. He looked up, wiping his brow, seeing Raven, but also seeing how much she was struggling with the weight of the full buckets, the force draped across her shoulders.
"Good," he stated, setting the axe down, leaning on it, "I told you so."
Raven dropped the yoke, the buckets landing on the ground simultaneously, a small amount of water sloshing up and out of the bucket.
"What?" She questioned in an exasperated voice, confused, yet slightly angered over the way he said it.
"I told you so," Hienrich repeated, "You wanted to help, I told you that it wasn't going to be easy, and you took water-fetching to be something simple, a woman's work."
Raven looked at him quizzingly, surprised, yet expecting him to say something along the lines of that.
"Nothing is separated by man's or woman's work, Raven," he informed, "work is work. Yes, some work is more difficult, challenging if you will, but there is no separation by gender. The separation may exist in America, but here, there is no such thing. Do you understand?"
"Yes," she replied, still catching her breath from her exhausting trip up the hill, "so you are saying that I can do anything and everything?"
"I suppose," he answered, "but I don't think you should be doing strenuous work, well more than what you did anyway, your wounds will only be aggravated that much further."
Raven shifted her hips and cocked her eyebrow, folding her arms across her chest.
"You don't think I'm capable of doing much more?" She asked, feeling as if Hienrich was slightly sexist towards her.
"I didn't say that," he defended, "you're welcome to do whatever you wish, but I don't recommend it."
"Uh-huh," Raven replied, shifting her vision to the axe he was leaning upon, "let me see that axe."
"Come on, Raven," he pleaded, not wanting her to hurt herself, among other things.
"No, you said work was work, let me see it, I can split wood just as well as you can, so let me see it, or are you afraid I might show you up?" She pressed, pressuring Hienrich into a decision.
He lifted off of the axe and handed it to her handle first.
"I'm not responsible if you hurt yourself," he warned, "I really wish you would reconsider."
Raven tested the weight of the axe head, gently swinging it a few times, landing the handle in her hand, stopping its descent.
"Just put a log up there and I'll show you my reconsideration," she bravely stated, knowing what she was truly capable of, and prepared to show Hienrich.
He shook his head gently as he put it up on the stump that served as a block. Hienrich retracted his hand and stood back, motioning for her to proceed.
"Now watch and learn," Raven taunted in a playing manner, stretching, and placing the palms of her hands upon the wooden-handled axe.
She picked the steel-headed axe off the ground, bringing it into a position in which she could begin her swing. Raven did so, using both arms to bring the axe above her head, and in the same motion, using the momentum, swung forward with all her might. The axe sped towards the log with high velocity. It connected with it, the force from the mighty blow started a small split right down the middle of it, but the axe continued to cleave through the wood, not stopping until it found the block beneath it, sounding the ever-familiar "thump" as it dug nearly two inches into the block. Both halves of the log fell to each side of the axe head, Raven looking up with a smirk on her face, seeing Hienrich wasn't really surprised, but amazed as to how clean of a cut she made.
"Not bad, eh?" Raven broke the silence, getting his attention.
"Not at all," Hienrich replied, "not so much that I couldn't believe you could do it, but at this."
He picked up one of the halves of the log, seeing that the cut was nearly a perfect line, both halves nearly identical to one another.
"I know," Raven added, "I just seem to have a higher sense of concentration and whatnot, nothing of importance. Here, you may continue," she finished, handing the handle to him the same way he did to her.
Hienrich only pushed it away gently, pushing it back to her.
"No, no, you started, now you must finish," he informed, motioning to the side, a rather large pile of unsplit logs stacked there, "all of this needs split for the fireplace."
Raven shrugged, not seeing the harm in it, but knowing that it was going to be another one of his life lessons in disguise, only to reveal its true meaning after she did the excruciating and painstaking work. She didn't really mind, seeing how she needed to stay active and keep in shape if she hoped to survive, as well as use what knowledge that she still retained of her combative skills to their fullest extent. As she sat another log on the block, Hienrich started walking back towards the cabin. Raven figured he had other business to attend to and would only reveal himself after she was done with her assigned task. She also noticed that the sun was about halfway above the horizon now, the darkness of night finally subsiding, giving way to the light of day, also warming the cool air, which was cool enough to see one's breath, so the heat was extremely inviting to her. As Raven continued with her work, she thought as well, even though at times she felt as if she maybe did a little too much thinking, well, too much for her own good anyway.
"I know why Hienrich is doing this," she commented as she split another log, same as the last, "he wants me to learn through action and life-lessons, and so far, are successful. I wish I had someone like him around when I was younger, then things might be a little different, maybe a lot different."
Raven stopped for a moment, looking up.
"Then I would probably have never met the Titans, never would have had them as allies and friends, and the world would be at its end, all because of me. Do I regret what I have done in my life? Yes, I do, very much so, but if many of these events never took place, then the things of enjoyment I loved afterwards wouldn't have been a possibility. I know they think I'm dead, well, know I'm dead, seeing how the possibility outweighs the chance I'd be alive still. If they continued to think and hope that I was alive, it would only force them into denial, and that would prevent them from doing their tasks as the Titans effectively. All in all, I know all the pain I, as well as they, have endured will be worth it, I don't know when, I don't know how, but I just know."
She felt as if she was beginning to let her mind wander too much, losing focus on her task at hand. Raven shrugged her shoulders slightly, gently shaking her head, trying to keep her mind from getting upon thoughts she didn't want to go into detail upon, especially not at a time like this.
Once more, and time after time after that, Raven would place the moderately sized pieces of wood upon the block, placing her feet, drawing back, and swinging the old axe with all her might, splitting the hapless logs into neat halves, only to repeat the process until the seemingly-endless pile of wood slowly dwindled. Raven finished off the final log with a fell swoop of the axe, imbedding it deep into the block, allowing it to stick there. She looked up at the sky, wiping her brow now saturated with sweat from her hard labor, noticing that the sun was finally fully visible, the heat as warm and welcoming as ever on what would usually be a chilly, late winter, almost early spring morning.
"Now then," she stated, clasping her hands together, looking at the piles of wood on either side of the block where the landed from being split from one another, "I noticed a rack next to the door to the cabin, so it's safe to assume that is where all of this is supposed to go."
Raven decided that what she thought was indeed correct, leaning down, and beginning yet another tedious task of moving the wood from its current position, across the lush grass, and next to the kitchen door she came out of earlier. She stacked as many as she possibly could upon one another, making it accessible for her to pick it up with both of her arms, grasping it tightly. It was difficult for her to see over the stack, as well as strenous upon her sore muscles, making them feel that much more heavier in weight.
"Once again..." Raven said to herself through the gritting of her teeth, "I underestimated my task at hand."
She continued to press forward, feeling her knees beginning to buckle from the immense weight in her arms. Her slow walk became more of a waddle as she grew closer and closer to the rack upon which she was to place the wood. As she approached the rack, her strength began to fail, so instead of simply setting the stack of split wood down on the rack, she released it, dropping it, but luckily, it all remained intact as a stack, as if it were one, landing on the rack, causing it to flex as well. Raven rolled the sleeves up on her outfit, her bare, pale forearms still showing some of the scars left from the fated battle she endured with her former master. Yet, she no longer paid attention to these, seeing how the past was the past, and nothing was going to change it, so the only thing left to do was to press forward in the present and prepare for the future that laid ahead of her.
"Good lord," she huffed, catching her breath as she walked back for another load of wood, "I really need to take it easy on myself, but I can't, for some reason, I can't. I don't know how to explain it, but I must keep pushing myself as far as I possibly can go, especially right now."
Raven prepared to complete the task once more, except she loaded on a few less this time around, allowing for her to not be as strained as she moved them to the side of the cabin. Even though the gentle slope was astetically pleasing, it was Hell on Raven as she made the ascent to the cabin. Feet felt like miles as Raven's injuries began to aggrivate her. As with the splitting of the wood, Raven made multiple trips from the split wood to stack beside the house, neatly placing each the same as the last. As Raven turned around to make her final trip to the wood pile, the kitchen door opened, Hienrich stepping out. Before he said a word to Raven, he noticed the amount of wood she had stacked beside the house.
"Once again, Raven," he started, getting her attention, "I'm impressed, you completed this only in a fraction of the time it would take for me to do it, for this, I applaud you."
Raven smirked, knowing that she was trying her hardest, and it seemed to be paying off.
"Nothing at all, really," she replied, feeling confident about herself, "once I put my mind to something, I don't stop."
"Well, I'm glad you're finished then," he commented with a smile, "because breakfast is ready, come in."
"Breakfast sounds really good right now," Raven quickly replied, her stomach telling her the same thing. "Not being one to usually eat breakfast, I freakin' starving," she thought, following Hienrich back into the house, the aromas emitting from what she percieved to be food smelled better than anything she had experienced, but once again, the food didn't look promising at first glance.
"Here, Raven," Hienrich motioned, pulling a chair out for her to sit, "take a seat, I'll bring you're plate to you."
"Why aren't you a gentleman," Raven replied with a smile, not used to such treatment, but gladly growing used to it.
"I was taught and raised to treat every lady with the utmost respect, Raven, and last time I checked, that includes you," he added with a smile, pulling the cermaic dinner plates from the cuboard.
Raven grinned once more, clasping her hands together in front of her.
"I'm glad to see that there are people like you left in the world, otherwise, I would have long ago given up hope on it," she commented, looking around.
"Likewise for you, Raven," he informed, placing the concoction upon one of the plates, preparing to do the same for the other.
"Where's your mother at?" Raven questioned, notcing she wasn't anywhere around.
He turned around with two full plates of food, walking back to the table.
"She went to town not to long ago," Heinrich informed, "not after yelling at me for letting you do my chores, of course."
"Did you tell her I wanted to? I don't want to get you into trouble." Raven stated, letting him set the plate in front of her.
"Yes, but she is more...old-world than anything, and she didn't believe that you should have been out there this morning at all, especially with your condition." He answered. "Besides, It's not like I have never been yelled at by my mother, I was child once you know."
Raven only smiled, remembering some of the far and few in between enjoyable moments she shared with her own mother on Azarath. She broke her trip down memory lane, studying the contents of the food that layed before her. It similar to what she had consumed the day before, but it didn't smell awful, so hopefully it tasted as good, if not better than what she had before. Raven tested its contents, letting it drip from her spoon, plopping back onto the plate.
"Once again," Raven thought to herself, getting another spoonful of the mysterious food, food she was still not accustomed to eating, "here goes nothing."
Raven tasted it, and to her surprise, like the day before, it was delicious, having its own unique taste, but still of breakfast in nature.
"What do you think?" Hienrich questioned, "I made it myself."
"It's good, very good," Raven quickly answered, putting another spoonful into her mouth.
He smiled, proud of his cooking, as well as seeing Raven content, a lot more confident about herself since she awoke, knowing she was well on her way to recovery, both physically and mentally.
"Since you are going to be here awhile," Hierich finally stated after several moments of silence in their eating, "I figured I could help you out."
Raven looked up, confused.
"How so?" She questioned.
"For starters, you are in a completely different country, my dear," he informed, having a point, "so it will be necessary to understand how things work around here."
"As in?" Raven continued, not quite understanding.
"Language is the biggest factor, you are going to have to learn enough to function while you are here, as well as customs, but those will eventually come to you as you continue on to wherever it that you must go." Hienrich stated, seeing that Raven now understood.
"I'm ready to learn whenever you feel like teaching it," Raven announced with a smirk.
"Good," he replied, "I suppose we'll start sometime today, maybe after lunch or something, until then, you are welcome to do as you wish."
"Sounds like a plan," Raven finished, placing the last bit of breakfast in her mouth.
She wiped her mouth with her cloth napkin, excusing herself from the table.
"If you need me, I'll be outside," she informed, heading for the door.
He nodded, continuing with his meal as she closed the door behind her, the sun basking across her skin as she entered the beautiful surroundings of the cabin. The sun was now beginning its usual ascention into the sky, yet it was still young in the morning, leaving plenty of daylight for Raven to do as she wished.
"Where's my clothes at?" She questioned herself, remembering what Hienrich had said behind the reason for her being nude.
She walked around the other side of the cabin, the side she hadn't traversed before, finding a quaintly-made clothesline consisting of nothing more than two wooden post drove into the ground with a cable between them. Raven trodded closer to it, seeing that Hienrich was true to his word, finding the oufit that was upon her when he found her. The black undersuit, made up of the long sleeve shirt, pants to match, was ripped and tattered. Upon closer inspection, dark crimson, nearly the same color as the material itself, but contrasted in greatly in comparison. Raven gently caressed the clothing, running her fingers over the crimson areas, feeling the hardened difference between it and the normal color around it. Memories of the battle danced through her mind as she touched it, each showing each blow dealt to her person, causing her to quickly release it in hopes of keeping control of herself. As it happened, it felt as if someone had gripped her by the throat, squeezing with all their might, siezing her ability to breath completely. Raven stepped back, feeling her throat, surprised that by merely touching her former outfit that it would send such a recourse of pain through her body in such a way.
"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" Slade's eerie voice announced itself in her mind, Raven not being surprised for the most part.
"Maybe," Raven replied, "but, seeing how you aren't going to just leave me alone, I have some questions for you, and you will give me answers."
"What makes you think I will do as you say?" Slade second-questioned her, almost as if he was in flesh and blood in front of her.
"I didn't say that I was forcing you, I am merely curious, since you aren't going to just simply quit pestering me," Raven reasoned with the figment.
A short pause took place, actually forcing him to think about it.
"Ok, Raven," Slade agreed in a slightly different tone, amused with her actions, "go ahead, ask away."
"Since you are nothing more than one of my memories that has managed to manifest itself into a figment of my wandering imagination, only allowed by what power I do retain within my vessel, why do you torment me so? What are you going to get out of it in the end?" Raven pressed.
"Think about it, my dear," he hissed, "you killed me, ended my life, however you want to put it, I no longer walk this plane, and the only other individual I have to thank is you. If I can make you suffer for the acts against me, then so be it, I will."
"Ok," Raven reasoned, "but what are you accomplishing, what are you going to get out of it if you can no longer actually enjoy it?"
"Your rage and uncontrollable anger are, well, dangerous, you and I both know this," Slade answered, "and since I can manipulate you to do what I tell you to do, I will use it to my advantage."
"You still didn't answer my question," Raven continued, not being phased one bit, "what are you actually accomplishing, I mean, you're dead."
"True," Slade finally replied, "but I will make you're life a living Hell since you seemed to have sent me on the way there already, so you may consider us...even."
Raven thought for a moment, as well as surpressing her raw hatred for him.
"I suppose you are...right," she reasoned, but didn't want to believe it, "but in all honesty, I do believe you have it better off than I do."
"How so?" Slade quickly questioned, "you are the one still breathing, aren't you?"
"That may be," she continued, "but at least you aren't suffering in general. I, on the other hand, am. I am basically powerless, I can no longer use them as weaons, I've lost vision in one eye for the rest of my life, and I am in the middle of nowhere in a completely different country halfway around the world. What power I do retain, as you managed to use to your advantage, is extremely dangerous to everyone and everything around me. Even if I could return to Jump City, to the Tower, and to my friends, nothing would ever be the same again. All in all, I'd rather be deceased than to continue living like this."
"At least you are honest," Slade replied, "but, no matter what you do, no matter what you say, and no matter where you go, I will always be there, watching, waiting."
"Yeah, yeah," she nonchalantly replied, "I've heard it plenty of times."
"And you will hear it plenty more, Raven," Slade added, "until I feel as if my work is complete, I will always be here."
"Do whatever it is that you need to do then," she ordered, "the sooner you are out of my mind, the better. I will not let you hurt anyone else through me."
"I beg to differ, Raven," he chuckled, "I will do as I please, whether you like it or not. Well, it has been fun chatting with you, apprentice, but I must get going, Rage said she wished to speak to me about something, so, ta-ta for now." He finished, letting out a deep, throaty chuckle, one that would send shivers down the most brave's spine.
Raven cringed as she heard the word "apprentice", making her extremities go cold with icy chills of a mixture of fear, pain, and anger.
"The nerve of that, that... monster," Raven growled to herself, clenching her hands tightly into fists, dark veins starting to protrude from the backs of them.
"No," she said outloud, loosening her threatening hands, "that's what he wants. Slade wants me to grow bitter, to hate, turn into him. I won't, I will do everything I possibly can to prevent it. I've already made enough mistakes in my life, I don't need to make anymore, especially one of the magnitude."
Raven took keen notice to the boots that were sitting there as well, picking one up. Their black color still stood the test of battle, but the metallic toe and heel were scuffed beyond allowing their brillant shine, even a small speck of hardened blood visible, Raven knowing who it belonged to. The metal sole on it as well scarred from the climatic conflict that costed both contestents something they held dear.
"These were a decent pair of boots," she commeted to herself, setting it back down next to the other one, it in the same condition as well. "As I said, I didn't like him, but the clothing was something I actually enjoyed, but, the past is the past as well."
She walked away from what formerly bound her to him, making her way slowly across the open expanse of lush, green grass that had managed to escape the bitter cold of winter, spring beginning to give way to it. Her amythest eye also took notice to the sun, seeing how it was positioned nearly perfect in the sky, almost at its apex of its arc it followed everyday, from morning to evening, as it had done for many years, more than the human mind could comprehend. The shade of several trees along the edge of the forest looked extremely inviting to her, as if it were drawing her there. Raven answered the calling willingly, while not seeming to feel it drawing it to her.
"I can see why Hienrich likes it out here," she commeted, entering the shade, but still taking in all the sights around her, "this place is simply amazing. There is really no way to fully explain the beauty of this place, I mean, any mortal words would undermine it greatly."
Raven remained still for a moment, thinking, also listening to the ambient sounds around her, few and far between they were, yet the ones audible were relaxing to her very soul. She gingerly removed her jacket, only her white undershirt gracing her torso, allowing for her arms and much of her shoulders to be visible. Her pale flesh begged for sunlight, but Raven never seemed to allow it, yet, it felt refreshing as the gentle, cool wind whipped across her exposed skin. She layed her tan jacket over a low branch on one of the many nearby trees, pacing back out to the center of the shaded area, measuring no larger than 15 meters squared, a scene of nearby mountains gracing her vision in the direction she faced.
"Might as well do something productive," she thought to herself, taking up one of her martial arts stances, yet this one seemed to be less agressive in nature overall. With gently sweeping motions of the hands, as well as small twirls of her entire body, she continued to move about, relaxing as she did so. This movement wasn't strange, nor forced, but more of an overall liquid motion of the body, as it would naturally move. As she did this, her eyes gently closed as well, as if she was attempting to phase out any outside distraction, yet, still able to distinguish her surroundings by her other acute senses. After several minutes of these gentle, wave-like movements, she finally drew her body into an erect posture, tensing up, then relaxing, opening her eyes as she let out her breath. About this time, Henrich had found his way to the window of the living area of the cabin, overlooking her upon the gentle slope below, noticing how her natural motions quickly turned into those of a rigid nature, as well as more agressive and threatening in nature.
"What on Earth is she doing?" He thought to himself, making his way to the door, curious, watching Raven lash out at what appeared to be an unseen opponent to him, only striking the air in front of her with a multitude of attacks, each of them in quick sucession and growing in strength and devestation it would wreak upon a foe. Heinrich gently forced the old door open, beginning to hear Raven yell out much like any other martial artist would when performing these various attacks. As he made his way to her across the grass, he took notice to how fluid her combinations were, as she linked them all together seemlessly. Just as Raven finished yet another long string of attacks, ending it with a graceful, cartwheel-like kick that brought her to a squatting stance.
"Your agility is amazing, Raven," Heinrich commented, surprising her enough to cause her to wheel around, standing up as she did so.
"How long have you been there?" She questioned, embarassed slightly.
"Not long," he answered with a smile, "you seem to know what you are doing, but from what you told me, it still wasn't enough to defeat the greater foe, was it not?"
"I don't think anything would have been enough," she solemly commented, "I think destiny had something to do with it, as if it was foretold that all of this would happen to me, either way, it still wouldn't have mattered."
"From what I saw, I don't see how anyone would want to test you," he complimented, "I certainly wouldn't have, I know that much."
Raven smirked as she walked towards him, seeing that he had two glasses, presuming that he had broght one for her. She wiped her sweat-drenched brow with the flick of her hand, taking hold of one the glasses as he held it out for her.
"Thanks," she polietly stated, finding a stump to sit on in the shade.
"My pleasure," he replied with a smile, "so all of that is what you were taught by this...Slade character, correct?"
"Well, part of it," Raven replied, shifting her hips slightly, "that isn't all that I'm capable of."
"Really?" Heinrich said, his face showing the expression of surprise. "Do you care to demonstrate?"
"I can''t," she hesitently stated after taking a drink, finding it to be water, "I should only use my abilities for defense, as well as for the greater good, either way, I really shouldn't just show off."
"Oh, come now," Hienrich pleaded, "I haven't asked anything of you yet, please, just show me what you can do."
Raven thought for a moment, knowing she really shouldn't, but he was right, he hadn't asked anything of her yet, so a simple request didn't seem to far out of reach for her to honor.
"Alright, alright," she finally succumbed, setting the glass down on the stump, "I see your point, so, a demonstration it is. What would you like for me to do?"
"I didn't really think about that," Heinrich replied, looking at one of the smaller trees in the clearing, "how about one to test your strength. I know your fast, but let's see how much power you pack in a punch."
Raven took notice to him eyeing the tree as well, giving a small smirk of satisfaction, knowing that the tree was going to be nothing more than splinters by the time she was done with it. She approached it, coming within striking distance. She widened her stance, preparing herself.
"Are you ready?" Raven questioned. "Don't blink, you'll miss it."
"You may proceed," he motioned with a laugh.
Raven smiled, turning back to her target, the unsuspecting tree. She brought her hands into position with a gently sweeping motion, remaining relaxed, closing her eye as she did so. Raven drew breath in, her lungs filling with air as she concentrated. Hienrich saw how loosened up she was, and also took notice that her open hands were gently closing tightly into fists, her knuckles beginning to turn white, even compared to her ashen-grey skin. Raven's visible eye quickly snapped open, letting out her usual martial artist cry as she performed her attack, sending her fist towards the destined target at blinding speed. In the blink of an eye, it connected, a distinctive, hollow thump was all that was audible, along with the rustling of the leaves above. Raven held there, her fist still touching the tree where she struck, several seconds passing by.
"Is that all?" Hienrich questioned, expecting to see something spectacular. His second doubts were quickly squelched, hearing the sound of wood splintering. He took a closer look where Raven had struck the tree, fissures and cracks forming, spreading throughout it. Large shards of the cracked wood fell to the ground before the rest of it toppled over, the tree essentially snapping where Raven had struck, crashing to the ground. Raven turned around with the same smirk upon her face as she saw Hierich's mouth agape, eyes wide with surprise.
"You actually doubted me?" Raven questioned, snapping him from his trance.
"Of course not," he lied, getting a small laugh out of her.
"I know you did, it's ok, I don't blame you," Raven reasoned with him, " but you should never underestimate anyone, especially me."
"Now I can see why," Hienrich commented, still studying the damage she wrought upon the once mighty tree, reduced to nothing.
"Look at it this way," Raven began, "at least you have some firewood in the future now."
Hienrich shook his head with a smile, but sadly, it was true, and it was going to be used for that.
The remainder of the day consisted of nothing more than Hienrich beginning his lessons on the German language to her. Raven paid attention to everything he taught her, wanting to learn as much as she could before she had to depart, making it easier for her to function in Germany, as well as some of the surrounding countries, hoping that by then she would have found a goal or a destination that would explain why she was placed halfway around the world from her true home back in Jump City at the Tower. Time seemed to move on, quite quickly at that. Day after day, week after week, Raven lived with Hienrich and his mother, her daily routine seemingly unchanged, consisting of morning chores, even having them done well before Heinrich awoke some days breakfast, medetation and practice, lunch, her language study with Hienrich, which included a short break about midway through, dinner, washed up, and prepared for bed, only to repeat it the following day. Raven liked this way of life: simple, yet, somewhat refined, not having to worry about what was going on around you, and only did what you needed to do to live. Yet, Heinrich knew that no matter how much she liked it, she was going to leave sometime, and he knew it to be soon. Raven began requesting things that she was going to need, such as a backpack and other hiking or camping gear, including a survival knife, as well as a map. Upon this map, Raven marked out where the cabin laid, hoping to visit again one day, but at the moment, that was all that she could do, is hope. Well into the summer though, on what seemed to be a morning the same as any other, it was different, and Heinrich, as well as his mother knew it, knowing what this day was going to mean to them. Raven walked in from her morning chores, breakfest laid out before her. She sat down, but both Heinrich and his mother looked at her. She looked up, confused as to what was going on.
"What's going on, did I do something?" She questioned, eyeing both of them.
"No," Heinrich replied, "it's just..."
"Just what?" She pressed, locking her eyes onto him.
"Just that we know that you are leaving soon," he explained, "and both my mother and I really wish that you wouldn't. Think about it Raven, you have a home here, you pull your weight around here, and you are well taken care of."
She sat her utensils down, seeing how serious he was.
"Heinrich," Raven began, reluctant to dwell upon the subject, "believe me, I want to stay here, I really do, but I can't. I must go. I must go and find out what my purpose is now, you understand from what I told you, didn't you?"
He solemly nodded.
"I must, and I must do this so I could possilby return to what I once had, my friends, my life, all of it. If I ever hope to do that, I must leave."
She noticed how down-trodden he was at hearing this news, actually hoping she would stay.
"But," she continued, getting his attetion, "when I do what I must, I will return here and rightfully thank you for all the kindness, compassion, and understanding you have shown me over these past 2 months. I will not let your hard work go unrewarded."
There was a long pause between them, Heinrich thinking of something to say in an attempt to respond.
"You promise?" Is all that he could muster.
Raven smiled, looking into his vivid, blue eyes.
"I promise," she said as believeably as anyone possibly could.
"So," he began, still slightly depressed over hearing of Raven's choice, "when is it that you are leaving?"
"I don't know," Raven replied, once again, not wanting to speak on the matter "but, what I do know is that it is sometime soon, I just haven't decided yet."
"It's tomorrow, isn't it?" He pressed, knowing she was trying to avoid it.
Raven was silent, all that could be heard in the kitchen was the sound of the rustic clock upon the wall ticking away time.
"Yes," she finally replied, as if she was ashamed.
"We will have to give you a proper send off then, now won't we?" He added with a smile.
"You know what?" Raven answered, looking him in the eye. "You're right, I'll be expecting something...well, surprising, seeing how you are full of them."
A surprise indeed. After a night of restlessness, Raven awoke the next day, but to her surprise, it was well into the morning. She quickly dressed herself in clothes Heinrich had just bought for her: a simple pair of denim shorts, a black shirt, and a denim jacket. Raven also donned her newest pair of footwear as well: black hiking boots. Her backpack had been loaded over the course of the past several days, but after putting in the last articles she owned and needed, she walked to the desk that sat next to her. She stuffed the silver necklace that was given to her by Slade into her pocket. Raven picked up her final belonging, wiping dust away as it had sat there motionless for nearly the entire time of her stay: her communicator. Though non-functioning, she would search for someone that could fix the malfunctioning piece of technology so she could contact her friends, and return. Yet, all of this was far-fetched, Raven knew that it was a one and a million shot if that were to happen, but she also knew that this journey was meant for her, and she wasn't about to give up. She slid the device into her pocket, walking back to the chest at the foot of the bed that played host to her for many nights, picking up the loaded backpack, realizing how heavy it actually was as she hefted in onto her shoulders, clipping the connectors in the front between the two shoulder straps. Just before she walked out the door, she looked into the mirror, seeing that she was nearly back to normal, all except the scarred wound that caused her right eye to never see anything again, only turned a ghostly white. Raven finally broke eye contact with the mirror, not wishing to see the permanent damage wrought upon her any longer. She exited her room as she always did, going down the short hall, through the kitchen, and out the door. Raven closed the door behind her, turning back to find Heinrich and his mother standing there, waiting for her. She approached them, but silence still remained between them.
"So," Raven finally stated, breaking the eerie calm, "this is it."
"It is," Heinrich replied, holding something behind his back.
She turned to his mother, taking hold of her hands.
"Danke, danke für alles," Raven stated, her accent superb, many thanks to all of the tutoring that Heinrich had given her.
"Denken Sie nichts an es, Kind, es war unser Vergnügen," she replied with a smile, "aber, Ich wünsche, daß Sie nicht gehen würden."
"Ich weiß, Ich muß zwar, aber ich bringe einen Tag zurück, um die Dankbarkeit zurückzubringen, die Sie Erscheinen ich haben, Ich verspreche," Raven assured, releasing the elderly woman's hands, her nodding as she did so.
She turned to Heinrich, seeing him smiling as well.
"I hope you find whatever it is that you are looking for, as well as return to your friends," he promised upon her, knowing that is what she needed at the moment.
"So do I, so do I," Raven replied.
"I have something for you," Heinrich stated, keeping his hands closed as he brought them forward, "consider it a gift. Hold out your hands and close your eyes."
Raven did so, a smirk on her face, wondering whatever it was.
Heinrich released whatever it was in his hands, allowing it to gently settle into Raven's. She could tell it was something light, but still, she didn't know what it was.
"Ok," he stated, knowing she was going to enjoy it, "open them."
She did so, gasping as she did, seeing the "gift" that Heinrich bestowed upon her. Bill upon bill of European Euros, money, and by the size of the stack, a lot of it.
"Heinrich," she finally managed, "I can't take this."
"Yes you can," Heinrich relplied, pushing her hands gently towards her, "keep it, you earned it. Besides, we really haven't the need for so much, we have almost everything we need right here."
Raven was silent for the moment, unable to find the words that would truly thank them for the generosity, but they knew that she was as thankful as one could possibly be, there was no need for those words.
"You better get going if you want to make it out of here before nightfall," Heinrich informed, motioning down the long, narrow lane between the dense, evergreen forest, two paths of the tires of a vehicle worn into it.
Raven looked down the path, quickly turning back to him, her eyes beginning to shimmer, lower lip quivering as well. She lunged herself forward, wrapping both arms around him in a tight hug, catching him off guard. He smiled, gently patting her on the back. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally released, wiping tears from her eyes, managing a smile as well.
"Take care, Raven," he managed, his voice beginning to break.
"I will," she replied, "I'll never forget you or the kindness you showed me. I really hope there are more people like you out there in the world."
"There are," he stated, "but you must go find them."
She nodded with a smile, turning to begin walking down the lane, each step taking her farther and farther away, growing nearly out of sight.
"Well," Raven thought to herself as she trudged along, "this is it, I officially have started my quest to search for the answers behind my being here. I have no idea what lays on the horizon for me, but I do know that only time will tell. I will accomplish my goal, I will return home, and I will return to Garfield. If not for him, I would have made the worst decision in my life, and I would have made the remainder of my life cold, bitter, and lonely. He saved me, that's as about as simple as it gets, and I will repay the favor as soon as I return to Jump City."