NOTE: I don't own this world! I just own the story and the characters.

Ok, so don't hurt me after this chapter. Like I said, this is where Teller truly turns into Raven. So you have to understand this will get dark…and scary…and a little sad.

Also, I'm still taking questions about Teller/Raven. Even if I already pass the time that a question takes place, I'll still answer it. It'll just be in my Author Notes instead of the story. I truly want to answer any questions about Raven. Therefore, ASK!

Review and Enjoy!

Raven's Story Chapter 5

It had been a long journey. Teller was exhausted from riding in the saddle of his white horse. Ahead of him was Fox, riding a bay stallion. He seemed unaffected by the long trip. During the night around the fire, Fox had decided to trust Teller enough to reveal his face. The man was light skinned, with red hair and bright brown eyes. While changing his shirt, Teller caught a glimpse of a massive scar cutting around Fox's left side. The thought of the wound still made Teller shiver. Whatever had wounded Fox must have been a dangerous opponent. Secretly the young man wondered if every one of the Hunters had some sort of injury like that. He decided that most probably did. Fox had informed him that most of the Hunters were former slaves like himself. So most of them probably had some ugly wound.

Rzeka seemed to be normal when they arrived. Teller looked around, searching for signs of the attack on their town. All the damage had been cleaned up, removed from sight. It was as if the attack had never happened. People still bustled around, completely chores and doing their jobs. They moved away from the horses, giving the riders a clear path. Some stopped and eyed Fox with suspicion. After all, red and black combined held some terrifying images, mostly of ravens and blood. Fox never seemed to care. He just rode on. It was his job to get Teller home safe and sound. No one around them was a threat. However, the moment that changed then a darker, scarier part of him would awaken. Teller was his charge. Nothing was going to happen to him without Fox getting involved.

Dull, gray clouds came in from the sea. Teller could almost feel their depressing mood. The people of Rzeka moved on, ignoring the clouds, the depressing atmosphere. That's when Teller spotted Joseph's father working hard in his blacksmith shop. The man looked up at the horses, snorted disdainfully, and went back to work. Later Teller spotted Gorgon's family. Husband and wife were talking outside a shop. Both spotted him and instantly recognized him. Their looks became hard, cold, distant. Teller looked away, passing the message that their son was gone for good. His heart nearly stopped at their reaction…

They just shrugged…

It was as if Gorgon was a lost dog that could not be found!

They passed the couple, who now ignored them completely. Teller's heart pounded deep in his chest. Everyone was acting as if this happened every day. No one seemed to care that seven of their people were gone, taken, imprisoned, enslaved! His green eyes searched the crowd desperately. At least one person would care. That person was Smit, his old friend. Smit alone would care that Teller had returned. Smit would mourn with him. Smit would comfort him, help him move on. Yet Teller could not spot his old friend anywhere. Rzeka was not a big village. Someone like Smit would stand out. But where was he!?
Having enough of the searching, Teller leaned over and asked a random man, "Where would I find Smit Reddleson?"

"Smit!" the man cried out with laughter. "You won't find him here, no sir. After that Skandian attack when he lost all his friends he took the first boat leaving here. Haven't seen him since. Word even has it that a storm took down that very same boat before it reached its port. Smit is gone, young lad. Gone for good." Laughing and crying "Looking for Smit", the man walked off.

Teller stared after him, mouth hanging open. Smit was gone! His Smit, his friend and companion. Gone? Left Rzeka and his family. Dead? Teller just could not believe it. Looking to others, Teller let the question in his eyes be enough. Slowly but surely everyone shook their heads. That meant it was true. Smit, loyal and cunning, was gone for good. No one in Rzeka would ever see him again. Not only that, but a storm supposedly took out his ship. Teller closed his eyes, fighting back tears. That's when a hand closed on his right shoulder. Opening his eyes, Teller faced Fox. The man's face was once again hidden. However, sorrow and compassion seemed to flow from the man. Teller bowed his head, allowing Fox to take his horse's reins and lead them onward.

The house was not hard to find. Fox simply followed the directions that Teller had given him the night before. The old farm looked to be in a state of disrepair. That did not surprise Teller much. Father rarely fixed anything. Then again, he rarely did anything at all. The lone apple tree stood in the front, several meters from the house. Beside it was a small mound of dirt that Teller did not recognize. Above, perched on a branch that extended over the mound, was a raven. Its jet black feathers were not glossy like a crows. No, they ruffled and dirty. The creature cawed loudly as the two stopped their horses and dismounted.

Teller turned to Fox, "What do I do now?"

"Don't ask me," Fox replied with a shrug. "This is your home, your family."

Nodding, Teller turned and trudged towards the porch steps. All was silent around. Even the breeze seemed to have died. Seeing the door hanging by a hinge, Teller felt his heart prick with sorrow. Grandfather had put so much work into that door and Father just let it rot. Not only that, but Teller was hoping that Henry would come racing out to greet him. The boy never showed. Teller pulled open the door gently and walked in.

The room was filled with dust and cobwebs. It seemed as if no one lived here at all. Then he heard it: snoring. The sound was coming from the living room. Stepping around the stairs, Teller got a good view of the place. Empty bottles were scattered everywhere. Some were broken, some were on the verge of breaking, and some even had a couple of drinks left. Broken tea cups and glasses were on the small table built by Teller's uncle, on his mom's side. Dark stains raced down the wooden walls. Obviously Father had been throwing drinks everywhere. Speaking of him, Teller found him sprawled out, half on and half off the couch. A beer bottle was in his left hand, slowly spilling its contents onto the filthy rug. A wine bottle was in his left. The man was snoring loudly. Every once and awhile he would mutter something unintelligible.

With an angry frown, Teller headed upstairs. Seeing that Henry's room was closed, Teller knocked. No answer. He knocked again, louder. Still no answer. Finally he grabbed the doorknob and turned it. The door creaked loudly. Peering in, Teller called softly, "Henry? Little brother?" No one answered him. In fact, no one was in the room at all. Stepping in, the young man saw that the sheets had been stripped from the bed and piled in the middle of the room. All of Henry's favorite books were gone. The only thing left was the furniture and the sheets. Heart now starting to pound with terror, Teller stumbled out of the room and raced down the stairs two at a time. He reached the bottom, entering the living room. Quickly he kicked the beer bottle away and grabbed the wine bottle. His nose crinkled as he smelled the stench coming off of his father. With a powerful slap, he woke his father.

"Wha…What's it…gooooing oun?" Father said, his voice slurring. Then he spotted Teller leaning over him. "Teller? My, my. Nev thought see yous agin."

Teller frowned at his father then asked, "Where is Henry?"

Father gave him a blank look.

Teller gritted his teeth then shouted, "HENRY! WHERE!"

"Oh….Henry…I remember," Father mumbled. He sat up slowly, hands groping for a bottle to drink from. Teller kicked away any within reach. Glaring at him, Father snapped, "Now yous let me drin…k. I have thats right."

Teller shook his head, "First I want to know where my brother is."

"Gone…" Father said then snorted angrily. "Told the brat to work. Farm must go on. Brat came to me one day saying he not feel good. Chest hurt. Coughing. I told him to get to work, he'd feel better."

Teller felt his heart twist.

"A few weeks past. Coughing got worst. Brat starting showing me a cloth he used…had red marks on it. Also kept waking me up about being cold or something like that. Then it turned into being hot and sweating too much. Grant you, this was WINTER! I watched him work and eat. Kept getting skinner, stopped eating, and was tired constantly."

Teller pressed Father when the man stopped. Those brown eyes glared darkly at him. Father then continued, "Got tired of the brat" (he spat the word "brat" out) "so I sent him to the Cokkletons. Two days later then returned with him. Wrapped in all white."

Teller stumbled away, his heart lurching as if it had been personally hit. He began to hyperventilate. Throat going dry, Teller tried to swallow. Father suddenly said with a hint of satisfaction, "Cokkletons were nice enough to deal with it for me. Left me to drink." Teller stopped listening. Father had begun to crawl on the floor, searching for something to drink. His son headed for outside. The young man was seeing the world spinning around him. With numb feet, he stumbled down the stairs and towards the apple tree. Reaching it, he fell to his knees beside the mound. Now he knew. Now he understood. Now he wished he had died beside Joseph, Gorgon, Mother, or Quince. That way his heart would not hurt so much. Running his hands through the grass, Teller searched for it. Every one of them had one. Finally his fingers closed around a hard rock. Crawling closer, Teller read the inscription:

Henry

Devoted son and brother

Last of his family

Tears fell down Teller's cheeks. Sobbing he placed his head on the mound. Every part of his body shook. His mind went blank, remembering nothing, sensing nothing. His shaking hands grabbed two handfuls of dirt. Here was his brother, his little, baby brother. Gone. Gone like Joseph. Gone like Gorgon. Gone like Mother and Quince. His little brother needed him and yet he was miles away. Now his brother was gone. Dead, like everyone else. Throwing back his head, Teller let out an anguished scream.

Failed. Every promise I ever made. I failed.

"No matter what, I will be here, for you…My sssson."

"I'm sorry, young Teller," Fox whispered. "I know this must be hard."

Teller turned and buried his head in Fox's chest. The tears continued to fall as Teller coughed, "I want to go home…I want my father!"

"You sure?" Fox asked.

Teller nodded. Fox patted his shoulder. He knew that Teller needed someone to comfort him at that moment. It was going to be a long journey home. Serpent would be pleased. That's when Fox heard the approaching footsteps. He frowned beneath the mask. Those steps were uneven. The owner was obviously drunk.

"TELLER!" Father bellowed. "The fields need tilling. Get to work."

Fox spun around, the back of his left hand smacking into the man's jaw. Heel catching a root, Teller's father hit the ground. Fox's long knife came out of its scabbard with a resounding hiss. Teller stood there, green eyes stretched wide. Coughing and cursing, his father struggled to rise into a sitting position. Fox glared the man down. Teller had made his decision. That meant this man could be a threat to the newest member. Fox was not going to let anything happen to Teller. Serpent would not like it if Teller came back hurt.

That's when a hand grabbed his wrist…

Then pulled his knife away from his hand.

Fox watched as Teller stepped forward, the knife in his right hand. Those green eyes were hypnotizing, deadly. Just like a snake's gaze right before it struck. A small smile touched the young man's lips. His fingers flexed on the hilt. Yes, he was liking this moment.

The raven took off as the man screamed…

Two lives ended that day.

And thus Raven is born. His first kill: his blood father. Not that he would ever call him that. To Raven, Serpent always will be his Father.

Next chapter you get to meet a young Tiger, Raven's only love interest, and Yalug (i.e. Talon).

Please don't hurt me!