Ravira's POV

I pushed off of the edge of the roof, flying across the shadow-swallowed street and landing in a smooth crouch on the opposing building's roof. I glanced around, my ebony hair billowing around my face in the bitter wind.

I slowly stood up, my black cloak flying behind me as I walked along the rooftop, balancing on the smooth tiles. My black combat boots were silent as I traveled, and the streets were deserted at this late hour. 

I had no real destination, I was simply a wanderer of the night. I breathed in deeply, gazing up at the spiderweb of stars that watched from their vast home in the dark night sky. They whispered tales in the wind, and offered advice in your dreams. Stars were always watching, even when the light of the day made them invisible to searching eyes.

I let the moonlight engulf me, bathing me in its blanket of silver light. I bent down and inhaled deeply, before leaping off of the building and falling towards the ground. 

As I neared the road, I felt the sea of soft black feathers emerge from my skin, and my bones shifted and rearranged to adapt to my second form. I spread my wings to catch the wind, letting it ruffle my feathers and carry me skyward.

I peered down at the town of Blackfalls, examining the few windows that were still illuminated in the soft yellow glow of light bulbs. The streets were indeed deserted, but I could still spot the few roaming stray cats and the occasional dog. 

The feeling of flight was delightful, feeling the wind caressing your feathers, feeling the ability to twirl and dive without any fear of gravity - besides the occasional flap. I was masterful in the craft of aerial agility, and had aced all of my fledgling tests, hence why I was allowed to roam so freely in the human world.

As the Raven Lord's daughter, I was an important figure, but even without the credibility of my title, I was the top of the Raven Guard. My skills outmatched any other Raven I'd encountered, although my Father was stronger than me. My small feminine build proved to increase my maneuverability, speed, and stealth. Since I was smaller than the males, I was able to squeeze into tighter hiding places. 

I tilted my wings ever so slightly and spread my flight feathers, angling my body in a gentle glide towards the park. The park was located in the direct center of the town, and was a tourist attraction, for the few tourists that did venture so far into the mountains. It had a large marble statue of some historical figure which I had never bothered to learn about in the center, while trees, picnic tables and benches were spread around the grassy area.

I extended my feet and spread my talons, landing lightly in a smooth, fluid motion on the branch of a tree. I tilted my head this way and that, fluttering my feathers as I surveyed my surroundings. It was clear, as far as I could tell.

The streets were quiet and peaceful, the absence of the dark creatures tonight was somewhat surprising, considering they usually scattered around the streets by this time of night. It made me on edge, knowing that the streets were now empty besides the mortal night animals, and, well, me.

I crowed softly into the night, inquisitive despite my caution. What if they were plotting something? It would be the first activity they'd have made in a long while, considering they'd been peaceful scavenging creatures for the last few months. Usually, these creatures were spiteful against the humans that forced them to live in hiding, and ambushed unsuspecting victims in the night.

I clicked my beak together in thought. It truly was odd.

 The sun was just beginning to make its appearance so I spread my wings to block the sun from my sensitive eyes. It would take a few minutes for my eyes to adjust. When I first began to leave the Fortress in the daytime, my eyes would sting for long periods of time. Ravens were simply meant to be nocturnal creatures, although we've had to adjust to survive.

After a while I lowered my wings and blinked against the weak golden light. The shadows were beginning to recede until the night came once more, although a few still lingered between houses and underneath trees. I watched as the sky was lit on fire with the colors of the sunrise, spreading warmth across the landscape.

I preferred the cool of the night, but I was grateful that the humans would soon begin to exit their houses. Then I wouldn't feel so out of place in the silent emptiness that the town had become overnight.

Multiple hours later, the humans were indeed beginning to start their day. I watched as a few ran through the park playing tag, and as older humans walked from their houses to their cars. They were most likely heading to their jobs. 

I ruffled my feathers in amusement. I hardly ever had any jobs to do, unless my Father gave me orders.

I was enjoying watching the busy lives of the humans, when a soccer ball came flying towards me. I crowed in surprise, back-winging to swiftly rise into the air to avoid the ball. I hovered there with uncertainty for a few moments, before turning to look at the humans responsible.

There was a little girl that looked around the age of seven, who had light brown-blonde hair and bright blue eyes full of childish cheerfulness. Then there was an older human who looked around fifteen, who had dark brown hair and bright green eyes. Siblings, most likely.

"Tyler you nearly hit the birdy!" The girl protested, turning to glare at the boy named Tyler.

Tyler looked from the girl, to me, to the soccer ball with a frown.

"Well, I didn't mean to nearly hit the Raven. Besides, it dodged anyway." Tyler protested, waving his hands towards me as if to make a point.

I crowed at him, before turning to dive down and land on the soccer ball. I investigated it thoroughly, curious about this object. Ravens never played around like humans do, we spent our childhood training. 

"Look Tyler! The birdy likes the ball." The little girl giggled, and from the corner of my eye I saw her approach me with a grin.

"Be careful, Eliza." Tyler warned, following slowly behind her.

I lifted my head to peer at them, flexing my talons experimentally to test how easily it would be to push off and fly away. I ruffled my feathers slightly when the girl, Eliza, took a few more steps.

She crouched down and reached her hand out, but I turned to stare at her. My hard stare caused her to pause, and I took the chance to spread my large wings and beat them rapidly. I rose into the air and the wind gently guided me away, leaving the young humans to continue their game of... Soccer, was it?

I arrowed towards a dark alley between two empty houses and landed at the very back, where a tall wooden fence blocked me. I landed carefully on the ground, before shifting swiftly into my human form.

I had fairly long black hair, and gleaming silver eyes that seemed to glow faintly in the dark. My skin was pale since I spent most of my time indoors in the daytime, and venturing out at night. My outfit consisted of a tight black shirt, black ripped jeans, a long hooded black cloak and a silver skull ring.

Sure, I was a supposed 'Homeless Orphan', but I could have nice clothes right? Well, it wasn't like I was going to agree to wearing shredded rags for the rest of my life. I rolled my eyes at the thought, before walking back to the mouth of the alleyway.

I glanced left and right before walking out and swiftly walking down the cement path that ran parallel to the park. I was thinking about stealing a few books from the book store down the road, since my life was pretty boring and uneventful during the day. 

I contemplated the pros and cons, before shrugging and heading towards the book shop. I glanced at the sign above the door that read in bold green letters, 'Brittany's Book Shop'. I pushed open the door and headed into one of the darker corners of the store.

The counter was to the right after you walk inside, and was made of oak wood. There were two woman there, who were chatting idly. It must've been a pretty lazy Sunday, considering the store was empty besides for a man who looked to be in his forties browsing on the opposite side of the room.

I turned to search the shelf, blinking at the odd titles. 'A Black Cat In the Compost,' 'The Fields Of Greenhills,' and many other odd creations. I finally found something of interest. It was simply called, 'The Raven Feather.' It caught my eye for obvious reasons, and I quickly plucked it from the shelf to read the blurb.

It looked pretty good, considering some of the things I'd read in the past. It was a decent sized book, so it would probably keep me entertained for quite some time. 

I quickly peered at the staff, and the current customer, and smiled slightly when I saw them completely focused on other things. I wrapped my cloak around my shoulders and slipped the book behind the black curtain of fabric. I walked towards the door, feigning uninterest. 

I felt the cloak shift slightly with my movements, but it was too late to make amends.

"Hey! You haven't payed for that!" One of the woman declared, standing up and pointing at me.

I grinned, and pushed open the door. 

I sprinted down the street, far faster than any of my pursuers. The lady had called the police, before alerting several bystanders who immediately gave chase to my disappearing figure.

My combat boots seemed to glide across the ground with my fast movements, as I whirled around corners and darted through the crowds of people. I felt the thrill of the chase in my veins, and the adrenaline pumping through my body had my reflexes and senses heightened.

My breathing was normal, since my stamina could last for hours on end. Of course, if I pushed myself to my fastest speed, I could only maintain it for around fifteen minutes. But that wouldn't be needed, considering my pursuers were humans.

Police sirens caused a splitting headache to form, since my hearing was very sensitive. I glanced behind me to see a single police car driving down the street. I groaned, biting my lip with irritation. My irregularly sharp canines pierced the soft flesh, drawing blood. I swiftly let go to avoid any serious damage.

I picked up the pace, keeping it somewhat believable considering I had to appear human. After all, a fourteen year old outrunning a police car would be pretty noticeable. Especially a fourteen year old girl who lived on the streets and appeared severely undernourished.

I wasn't undernourished, but Ravens don't need a lot of food. We generally gain our energy from the night, specifically the moon and the stars. But Ravens were what humans see as very thin, although, I think it's just because humans eat more than Ravens do and therefore gain more weight.

As I was contemplating this, somebody stepped forward from around the corner I was about to turn and grabbed my arm. I skidded to a sharp halt to avoid falling over and dragging the person down with me. I shook my head to clear it and glanced at the person who's halted me.

I was somewhat surprised to see that it was the boy from this morning, Tyler was it? Then again, it was a pretty small town and the park wasn't too far away from my current location.

I allowed him to keep a tight grip on my arm, as I turned to check the location of the cop. I was somewhat annoyed to see the cop pulling up, and even more irritated when the loud sirens penetrated my hearing and caused me to wince.

"I can take it from here, thanks though. She's a fast one." The cop nodded politely at Tyler, before scowling at me. 

"What did she do?" Tyler questioned from beside me.

The cop looked somewhat impatient, but replied readily enough.

"She stole a book from that book store a few streets away, ya' know, the one near the Park?" The cop said.

"Just a book?" Tyler questioned after nodding. He looked perplexed that that was all I'd taken.

He peered at me inquisitively. 

"Yeah, just a book." He replied absently, reaching over to attach the hand cuffs.

I shook my head with agitation, my head still ringing from the sirens. I twisted my hand sharply, which caused Tyler to let go. I blackflipped away to avoid the cop's outstretched hands and backed into the alleyway. 

I crouched down and flexed my arms in preparation. The cop jogged towards me, his hands poised to grab and secure me. Tyler watched from a distance, obviously still surprised I'd got this far in my attempt to escape.

I waited a few more moments as the cop grew nearer, then leaped up and rebounded off of the wall to the other side of the alley, then I grabbed a drain pipe and swung myself up onto the roof. I shook my head and tutted at the cop in disapproval.

"I expected more." I saluted and grinned at him, before turning and sprinting across the roof, leaping across the gaps between the houses and making distance efficiently.

I decided to find someplace to sit down and read, especially since the cops were on the lookout for someone who fits my description. I gazed around with boredom, not really finding anywhere suitable to rest. I absently let out a long sigh, and crouched down to pat a cat.

Mortal animals usually know what Ravens are, and if a Raven is currently transporting a soul, they stay far away. But usually, most animals are just cautious around us and still allow us to stroke them. Then again, if they were even listed on the hierarchy they'd be at the very bottom, or close to it.

Ravens were the second most powerful species, with vampires and werewolves following close behind them. The highest ranked species would be the Dragons, since they hold the wisdom and knowledge from an eternity ago. Dragons can travel through the dimensions with a blink of an eye, and can wipe out entire cities with their fiery breath.

Nobody has seen a Dragon for three decades, since they are quite low in numbers. But everyone is positive that if we called a meeting, they'd appear as if they'd always been there.

I tilted my head at the cat as it purred and pushed its head against my hand. It was a beautiful calico cat, with a dappled coat and large ears. Its long tail was curled around it before settling gently on the dirty ground. The cat blinked at me, and I smiled at its reflective amber eyes.

"Want to join me on an adventure, Calico?" I asked, rubbing its ears. 

I decided to call it Calico, since it was a calico. Not very creative, I know, but the cat would probably vanish by nightfall anyway.

Calico mewled and stood up, rubbing against my jeans affectionately. It's a yes then. I stood up and whistled quietly, imitating a blue jay call. It was one of the calls Ravens use if we would prefer to stay unseen, because if we sounded like a Raven... Well, we were pretty obviously a Raven.

 Calico kept up with my steady walk easily, her paws padding against the concrete. I grinned at her, it was good to have some company. Besides, if any dogs tried to harm her I'd be here to shoo them off.

I was more of a cat person than a dog person, although I do think dogs are very cute. Cats are usually a lot more independant, and this one seemed to be a loner like me. Most didn't yearn for attention, or demand to get pets every time you walk by. Dogs were attention seekers, although most people love their cute attempts to gain your affection.

My thoughts were roaming a lot, so I focused on where I was walking.

I gazed at a sign that said in bold read letters, 'For Sale'. Then I looked at the house it was positioned in front of. Perfect! 

The house was small, but would be large enough for a girl and a cat to rest for a while. I walked up and tried the door, and like I was expecting, it was locked.  I quickly shaped my pointer finger's nail into a talon and started to pick lock the door.

Since I was a Raven, I could to transform my fingernails or toenails into the talons a bird would usually have. It came in very useful, although I rarely used it since I was most likely vulnerable to watching eyes.

The lock clicked and a small smile appeared on my face. I reached out and turned the knob and this time the door swung in easily. I beckoned for Calico to follow me inside, and she trotted forward to explore. I shut and locked the door behind us.

I strolled in and sat down on the couch, swinging my legs so they were resting over the armrest. Calico leaped up and curled up on my stomach, swiftly falling asleep. I took the book out from its hiding place within my cloak and began to read. I was a fast reader, since in the fortress I used to spend my a lot of my free time reading.

I'd been here a few hours now, and was rapidly growing bored. Calico seemed a little restless too. 

With a sigh, I stood up and Calico leaped down from on top of the fridge since that was where she'd been laying. I walked to the door and unlocked it before swinging it open. Calico trotted out first, and I locked the door before closing it behind me.

I followed Calico as she trotted down the path, curious as to what stray cats usually did in their spare time.  Calico glanced to see if I was following, then picked up her pace once she knew I was indeed behind her.

I picked up my pace as well, now I had to maintain a light jog to keep up with her. It was easy to keep up.

Calico suddenly turned into an alleyway and used a pile of boxes to climb up most of the way and then leap onto the roof. She waited for me to come up.I frowned at her, then bent my legs and leaped up, using one leg to push off of a high box for a boost. I landed in a neat crouch on the roof, then stood and followed Calico as she walked.

It was odd, following a cat, but heck, what else was I supposed to do right now?

She led me on a wild goose chase for about half an hour, weaving in between alleyways and racing along rooftops. I followed behind her, although I was soon about to call it quits if she didn't find an actual location to stop at.

As if she had heard my thoughts, she leaped down and walked over to a crate in the back of the alleyway. I peered inside and saw a blanket covering something.

I tilted my head and went closer, before pulling the blanket away to investigate. I widened my eyes at what I saw. It was a kitten! Aw, Calico was a mum. But as I looked closer, I saw that the kitten had an oddly twisted leg.

I facepalmed myself. It's leg was broken. I glanced at Calico to see that she was staring at me pleadingly, she wanted me to help.

I glanced at her, then at the kitten. I couldn't leave it here to die. I gently reached out and touched the kitten's fur. I could see its soul in my mind's eye, it was strong. This kitten would be a survivor, even if I had to help it through this stage of its life.

I trailed my hands down to it's broken leg and massaged the fur gently, letting my magic seep into it. I mumbled a few phrases of chants in Ravenic, the language Ravens used.

"Amotolis." I finished, and the kitten's leg suddenly lit up with black fire.

Calico mewled in fear, watching nervously. But the kitten's leg began to mend, and soon it was completely normal. Although, the fur beneath the kittens eyes had three black dots. And the kitten's formerly broken leg was now completely black.

A side effect, since Raven magic was basically black magic. But no real harm was done.

It slowly opened its eyes and peered at me. It's right eye was it's mother's shade of amber, but it's left eye was a twinkling green. It's fur was mottled like Calico's, but now he had even more unique markings thanks to the newly acquired black.

I named him Niko. I don't know why, I just did. I thought it suited him.

The kitten stood up and tested out it's leg, before mewling and leaping out of the crate. It landed at my feet and rubbed against my ankles. 

"Aw," I said, grinning.

I knelt down and rubbed his head, causing him to purr.

I stood up and saw that Calico was wandering over to feed him. I decided then that I should probably leave these two alone until Niko was old enough to follow me around. 

As I started for the mouth of the alley, I shifted into my Raven form and flew off. I'd probably just watch from a tree in the park for the rest of the day. Maybe steal a donut from unsuspecting humans that happened to be sitting nearby.

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Word count: 3699

Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of The Raven! I'm planning to start the second chapter today as well, but it might not be published for a few days.

~Corvi