THE LORD AND HIS RAVEN

The beginning of another story

The wolf grunted, his canines clear as day for me to see. He clearly understood what the other man said. He was rather adamant about digging his canines into me because he didn’t go away and kept growling at me.

“Phineas….” That growl came again and I shook. Unable to understand who I should fear, the wolf that was a wolf or the man who sounded more dangerous than the wolf. The wolf let out a disappointed grunt and slowly moved away but not so far away that I could not see him.

However, in the next minute, it went down on all fours and a horrific sound filled my ears. Cracking sounds, almost like bones breaking. It was skull crushing. The man still stood there and stared at me but I forced the corners of my eyes back to the wolf.

I gasped, when I noticed his body changing and the sound getting louder, quicker, it terrified me. But what was more horrifying, was when it stopped.

A man suddenly appeared at where the wolf had laid. With legs, hands, skin that looked like mine and black shiny hair.

“Way to kill my fun.” He said and started towards me, naked.

I screamed, needing to get away from them. But it seemed like my body had been buried underneath the ground.

I tried to look around, for help, but that seemed futile as pain snapped me back to place. So, only my eyes, ears and nose worked.

“Please don’t hurt me.” I pleaded. And both men turned to me. Their eyes were a little more serious than it had been earlier. I turned to the wolf, his eyes a perfect shade of brown and not red.

“She might be unhinged, we should kill her.” The wolf entered, his voice dim and serious. I snapped my gaze to him.

“Or she might be acting unhinged.” The other responded.

“Let’s just take her.”

“She is filthy.” The other retorted.

“Indeed. Now let's go.”

“No…” I found myself saying when they suddenly grabbed my arm. Their hold, strong, it hurt. At least, I still had my arms.

“No, you can’t…” I tried struggling. But quite easily, they lifted me up. However, my legs gave up underneath me and I fell while something fell beside me. They pulled me back up, and my eyes fell on what fell to the ground.

It was a bird, a black bird. A raven. Instantly, the images of that rainy night, the birds and their sound as they followed me into that pit resonated in my mind. The bird was still, its feather’s wet.

“What’s a raven doing in these parts of the woods?” One of them asked, taking it into his arms.

“It’s wet and weak.” He caressed it and the wolf man scoffed.

“You are so lame.” He tightened his grip around my arm harshly and the other joined in. Holding me with one arm and the raven with the other.

“It’s a bird. Having interests in birds isn’t lame.” The other retorted before they pulled me along, while my legs rolled along the ground like nothing but a lump.

“Where are you taking me? Who are you?” I asked, my heart racing inside my chest. No one answered and only then did I take a better look at where I was. There were trees around, large, tall trees. But they were not as thick as where I had been. And there was a meadow, with the greenest of grass by the far edge. And at the opposite side, another meadow. It was beautiful, the sight was uncanny. It was unlike anything I had ever seen, even with all the travels I had made.

They stopped and I looked forward, to find that below us were houses, large, small, simple, wealthy. In all kinds of shape, colours and design. It was big, almost like a city. And right in the middle of that city was a tall, large, sophisticated building. It looked like a castle. The kind seen in movies and well animated fairytale cartoons. I looked up to the people who held me, just to be sure I was sane. We were standing on a hill, they looked human and there were no cameras to say this was a movie scene. Though they were in strange clothings and none of this looked like Los Angeles, New York, Greece or even Italy.

“Where am I?” I asked, turning to the man. I still wasn’t sure I saw right. He stared down at me, his eyes anything but gentle. And I instantly looked away, knowing he would say nothing. But at the same time, I realised I could move my neck now. And my legs were beginning to hurt too.

“At least I'm not paralysed.” I sighed in relief.

“And this might mean that I wasn’t dead.”

But I had no idea where I was and how I got there. I was still in the same clothing as of the night I was supposed to die. I could still see the gashes and bruises from my escape. My clothes were still damp from the rain. So, this was probably not death. But again, I have never died before so I had no idea what was going on. One minute I was falling and the next, I was there. And that light?? What was that light?

“Are you taking her?” The other directed at the wolf man, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“I will kill her, if I take her. You are the one who wants her questioned.” The wolf man responded and let go of my arm. Then he suddenly jumped down the hill.

“Bastard.” The other cursed. And pulled me up till I was looking right in his eyes.

“Your legs seem to be walking fine now.” He smirked. And cold ran down my spine as his eyes flashed red before me.

“Try not to die.” He entered, and lifted me over his shoulder. The next second, he jumped and I screamed.

~

Something cold slapped against my skin. It stung and I jumped. Cold suddenly overwhelmed me and I shivered, my teeth clapping against each other. I pulled into myself and tried to ward off the cold.

Almost immediately, a giant bucket of water fell on me from above, slapping me hard. I screamed and tried to get away from there. But found my legs were chained to the ground. I paused, shivering and looked around for the first time. This wasn’t the open sky, filled with meadows or strange houses or a wolf turned man.

“That was probably a dream.” My thoughts came. This was a cell, made with iron bars. And I was right in the middle of it, chained to the hard concrete floor.

Cold, icy water rained from above again, slapping against me and pushing me right into the floor. With nowhere to run to. My teeth clapped against each other and my hands trembled as I wrapped into myself. I had no idea where I was or why I was being rained on. But I wanted to get away from there, before I died of cold.

“She is up.” Someone suddenly yelled and my gaze snapped to the bars. My eyes fell on that familiar face. The wolf man. And I quickly realised that earlier had not been a dream.

His eyes turned grave and serious almost immediately. But more than that, I thought I saw his eyes glow red. Right before the air turned thick and heavy. A pressure pressed against me, like gravity, but it wasn’t. This was different, horrendous, frightening.

“Is she cleaner?” Another voice came.

“Yes.” The wolf man answered. His voice was a monotone of dimness and coldness. It was different. And it terrified me.

“Get the prince.” He entered right before the other came beside him. A gasp escaped his mouth and his eyes widened.

“Lady Meredith…”

“That can’t be. You died.”