A/N: Hello everyone! So, as you may have guessed, this is my re-attempt to write a Maleficent story. It is completely different from the one I started six years ago, which hopefully everyone will like this better! Especially since I started this when I was fifteen... ew. I'm really hoping I will redeem my fifteen year old self with this revamp as well as give my readers a good story they deserve and will enjoy. Please read and review, letting me know if you like these changes! Thank you for sticking with me through all these years. I hope I can give you all some justice.
Previous title: Anastasia
Early morning mist rolled lazily across the land, making the warmth of the morning feel cool and pleasant. The sun peeked over the horizon, sending bright rays down upon large, towering mountains and dark green forest as it shone in the cloudless blue sky smeared with reds, oranges, and pinks. A hug of browns, a shelter of extended limbs resting beneath foliage hues, the forest acts as a protective mother to all; a promise of holy sanctuary that seemed less likely to be fulfilled in recent days. It is a place of ancient souls, of the creatures who dwell with the sweet sounds of moving water and bird song, though the forest grew ever stiller, ever quieter. Among the giants whose roots clung to the earth was a black bird; a raven whose wings were carried by the wind about and through the thick branches that reached for the sky above. The raven spotted a shadow beneath a particularly tall tree; a dark spot upon the green smear of the surrounding forest that drew him near.
A shrill caw echoed through the small clearing, capturing the attention of the shadow. It was a woman; her tall, slim body hugged tightly by a dress as dark as the feathers on the raven's wings. The woman's pale skin was free of any blemish, her face framed by a pointed chin, sharp cheekbones, and a dark snakeskin leather that wrapped around the curve of her horns, concealing her hair. Her round, glimmering green eyes watched as the raven soared between the trees, coming to a hover before her. The raven cawed again, its desperation clear as it frantically flapped its wings. With a short wave of her hand, gray smoke consumed the raven in a thick cloud of swirls that continued to grow, spiraling and encircling its elongating body. The smoke cleared in a puff of thick vapor and black feathers, which all teetered and floated to the ground below.
In place of the raven, a man dressed all in black stood. Mumbling incoherent, agitated words, the man dusted himself of nonexistent dirt as he fixed the position of his clothes, shaking his dark boots to place and repositioning his rather tight tunic. "Could have spared a warning," he huffed under his breath, his pale hands brushing back dangling obsidian strands of hair from his dark eyes. A stray feather fell loose from his head, tickling his sharply pointed nose and causing him to sneeze.
The woman said nothing to his remark, patiently waiting for him to settle as her bright eyes watched his every move much like a snake laying in wait. Once she was sure she had presented him with enough time to calm, the woman spoke. "What news do you bring me?" The man's deep eyes flashed to the woman, wide and stirred as he struggled to gain enough air for his resized lungs.
"We have a problem, Mistress," he breathed, his chest thundering. "A terrible problem."
"Humans?" she asked. Although her face remained placid, the instant tension in her shoulders did not go unnoticed by the raven man.
"Worse," he said gravely, the horesness carried in his tone not only resulted by his recent transformation. "There are wolves in the forest."
At first, the woman said nothing, her fingers upon the tip of her staff remaining clenched tightly. Then, she let out a harshly critical chuckle. "Wolves?" she repeated incredulity.
The man's face wrinkled with offendedness. "It's no laughing matter!"
"Wolves are no concern, Diaval."
"Well they should be!" he insisted, obviously wounded. The woman only rolled her eyes, beginning to walk away from the desperate man. He trailed after her quickly. "Wolves are vile, terrible creatures. They will bring havoc upon the forest, surely!"
"And what do you suggest we do?"
"We should get rid of them!"
The woman pushed a particularly thick branch from her path, leaving the bark to slash behind her like a whip. Diaval only just managed to dodge the oncoming branch headed directly towards his nose. The woman took little notice of his struggle, already accustomed to his endeavor with human appendages. "We have little time to waste with the likes of wolves. The humans are growing bolder, straying further into the forest each day."
"Yes, Mistress, but you've got to understand. The birds are shaken. Whispering of growing hardships is thick upon the land." The woman did not falter in her steps, easing through the brush simply and without worry. Diaval felt his apprehension rise at the dismissal of his plight, so much so that he found himself grabbing at the woman without a second thought. He snatched her by her shoulder and the woman halted, rounding on him in an instant. He let her go, his hand dropped and head bowed in shame at his rash actions, but he could not allow himself to remain silent. "I apologize, Mistress, but you must realize how distressing this news is. The forest can not withstand a pack of wolves. We are already low in numbers due to the proximity of the humans. If the wolves are permitted to stay, I fear the forest will be bare of life within the year." The woman's eyes narrowed, piercing through the man's very core as he averted his gaze respectfully. His fingers twitched at his sides, begging to take flight for release of his nervousness. Still, the man swallowed and forced himself to meet his Mistress's eyes, steady and unwavering with his desperation. "Please, Maleficent."
"Alright," she said, and the man let go of a breath he had not realized he had been holding. Just as his mouth parted to spout some grateful praise, however, the fae creature spoke again. "You can watch over the wolves in your spare time and report back to me as you wish. If you believe they have become a problem, I'll see to their removal."
Diaval groaned, his foot stomping the earth in a short tantrum. "Why must I look over them? Can you not chase them away now?"
"That is all," the woman hummed. Before he could voice his complaints further, Maleficent flicked her wrist and the man was a raven once more, squawking and fluttering his wings in his agitation. This went ignored as the woman again turned her back, wading through the thick brambles and toward her grand wall of thorns that hid away her home and the creatures of the Moors alike. With a lasting caw, Diaval gave a heavy flap of his wings, forcing himself up and into the bowl of the blue sky, choosing to abide by his duty to the fae woman. He set out towards the last sighting of the wolves, albeit begrudgingly.
It did not take him long to find the wolf. After all, a wolf sighting this far South was sure to buzz through the trees like a growing fire among the animals. The forest had its fair share of predators, bears and humans alike. Wolves were a different matter altogether, however. Wolves traveled as a pack, very rarely being caught alone and unaware. There was a human town not far from the forest, accompanied by a kingdom that grew by the day. There was already enough danger in living so near to humans, especially with the recent events that had transpired between the grand kingdom and the magical creatures that thrived in the center of the forest. An oncoming wolf pack would only worsen the lives of the already struggling beings that resided below the trees.
This wolf was alone, Diaval took quick note of as he peered down safely from his high perch. He could tell it was starved as well, despite its large size. It's pelt of gray and white was coated thickly in dust and muck. There were visible patches of skin along its flank, caused by hair loss or scars, he could not tell. The bony prominence of its hips stuck out through its stretched skin, giving it an overall sickly look. 'Diseased thing,' Diaval scoffed inwardly. 'It's belly must be filled with worms.' He felt a nauseating tremble rattle his feathers as he eyed its round, swollen stomach swaying side to side with each step it took.
He concluded that this wolf must have been a scout as he gauged its large size. Surely this wolf had been sent ahead of the others to determine if this forest was good enough to settle in. He would be damned to allow it. This beast could not stay, it would not stay. His Mistress, Maleficent, would protect her fellow fae creatures of the Moors with her life. Now, Diaval would undoubtedly do the same for the forest he called home. This wolf was an unwelcome guest, and he would be sure to make that known.
The bird followed the wolf for many hours, watching as it roamed through the forest with a confidence only a wolf possessed. It wasn't until another hour had passed that he realized the pattern in its steps. The wolf was traveling in a large circle, marking odd bushes and large trees as it went. Diaval shivered, repulsed by its territorial markings. This only confirmed that the wolf would be a problem. If it were simply passing through, it would not have taken the time to mark a territory so large. The wolf came to a stop at another bush, urinating upon the leaves and grass as Diaval let out a short, disapproving caw.
Suddenly, without warning, the wolf took a sharp left and began to run. Caught off guard, Diaval fluttered his wings and let out a string of panicked squawks before he took pursuit. The raven followed the wolf, soaring through the trees as fast as he could manage without either losing sight of the dog or flying head first into a branch. Luckily, it was easy to keep the wolf in his sights as it followed a straight path, but it's long, powerful legs made it nearly impossible for Diaval to get any closer. His wings pushed and his chest heaved, his small heart thundering like a dozen horse hooves as he raced against the enormous predator. Just as he had begun to get closer, the wolf darted to the left behind a grand weeping willow. He passed the tree, his oil drop eyes rounding in a sickening realization that he had lost sight of the wolf.
Diaval landed, his chest rising and falling rapidly as his claws tightened around the branch, his talons digging into the bark. His head swiveled back and forth, looking for any sign of which direction it had gone. In a split second decision, Diaval raised his wings and prepared to take flight down a random path, but paused when he heard a new sound of rustling. His head whipped around, eyes landing upon the sound. Just below the large weeping willow was the wolf, its claws scratching furiously at its roots.
The wolf forced her scratched and bleeding paws deep into the dirt, dragging piles of grass and soil out from around the roots of the willow and kicking it out behind her in a flurry. Her ears perked ever so slightly, twitching in time with the annoyance that was the raven in the tree. She had known he was following her for quite some time. It mattered not to her, for a mere bird was of little worry to her. After all, there was a more prevalent issue at hand. The wolf continued to dig.
The weeping willow tree was surely grand, her roots peeking from the ground in their vastness. After wandering the forest for two days, this tree was the only promising thing she had come across. The wolf had begun her work on the night of her arrival, hoping for a better solution, though leaving her option open. She wished to find something better, but the frequent pains deep within her stomach was a constant reminder that her time was drawing near. She needed a den, and this was the best she could manage.
The wolf had already dug out a shallow hollow beneath the bulk of the roots and under the trunk, which acted as a barrier to the outside world. And yet, to her dismay, it was in no way a proper den yet. She had to make it deeper before it was too late. From behind her, the bird fluttered its wings once again, causing the wolf to growl in annoyance. The raven let out a small caw and the wolf flashed her head around, her icy eyes coming to land upon the raven. Her eyes narrowed sharply, the corner of her lips turning up in a warning snarl. The bird froze.
Predator and prey locked their eyes on one another, watching and daring the other to make the first move. She could practically hear the fearful fluttering of his small heart, racing against the fragile bones of his breast. Then, to her surprise, the rave puffed up his feathers and raised his head defiantly as though he thought himself superior. Like he knew something she did not. The black bird flapped his wings and disappeared into the trees, finally leaving the wolf be. The wolf huffed, making a mental note to kill that damned pest if it were to come back. She returned to her work, now surrounded by a peaceful silence.
The dangling leaves of the weeping willow tree rustled in the breeze, ruffling the haunches of her fur coat. Despite the coolness on such a warm day, the wolf could not help but feel a great apprehension settle deep inside her chest. Her paws tingled and her tail twitched for a reason she was unsure of. The wind brought a sense of change; something the wolf could not decide would be a welcomed one. Like it or not, she growled inwardly, this forest would be her new home for a time. With humans in the near distance and magical creatures centered within the forest, the wolf could only hope she could manage to survive the coming hardships she surely would face.