Obsidian Eyes and Crystal Wings

Chapter 1 Obsidian eyes

Cora's POV

I'm not a human, nor a fey, nor a animal-folk, or a cave dwelling species. I don't know what I am exactly.

Naturally flower pink hair, reflective black eyes like onyx, fur covered fey ears, and a naturally curvy body. Some really would call me fey touched. The only reason I hadn't been killed was because of my noble blood. We weren't a powerful family but high enough that we could afford to hide me away and pretend they didn't have a cursed daughter. Mother wants me dead. I might as well have a tail, wings, and horns. Wings would be nice. I could fly away, somewhere far hopefully.

The summer breeze kissed my cheeks and the sound of birds filled my ears. I had to get away. I had to breathe. It's too stuffy in my room in that manor. My family's summer home had a great stretch of privately owned land. It was all wild too. I breathed in the fresh air and took my woven basket in one hand as I went off to pick berries and flowers for jam. Perhaps it was childish but it kept me busy and distracted.

Only a hunting knife, at my hip, under my blue dress was my protection from whatever was out there. I don't care. I don't think my family would care either except for maybe big brother Sig. Nonetheless I went out past the garden and past the fence. Past the tree line and past the wards. All to pick some stupid flowers. What a fairy thing to do.

I'm not fey touched! I'm not fey touched! I keep telling myself. For all I know I could be a changeling and not even realize it.

Deeper and deeper I go. Lost in thought, I soon leave the path too far. A patch of dandelions catches my attention. Ooh! Dandelions! Now if I can find some roses that would be a nice tea. I crouch down to them and hold my light blue dress bunched up at my knees. One by one I pick only half of the pretty yellow flowers off the weeds. My basket is almost half full already.

SNAP! A twig breaks in the distance. That's odd. I think nothing more of it. I slowly look around and realize I don't know where the path is. Out of fear I grab my hunting knife. The trees aren't familiar. My socks snag on green brier as I walk through the less muddy patches of dirt. I try to remember where I had stepped, walking unknowingly farther from the path home, and closer to the road to the village.

A swish flies past my back. My feet start running on their own and my basket and knife drops to the ground. Another swish noise comes close to my heels no more than four seconds after I started running. I didn't get far before a pain shoots into my thigh's flesh. I fall to my knees from the arrow in my leg. Quickly, three men are upon me, pinning my arms to my back, and tying my legs and hands. Scream, SCREAM! I try to make the most high pitched cry for help my lungs can muster. A rope gets shoved into my mouth before a peep can come from me. I'm gagged and thrown over someone's shoulder.

I force the panic to fade from my body by slowing my breathing and trying to focus on one particular thing at a time. The man carrying me is human. (No tail, or wings, or pointed ears, and skin the color of a type of chocolate: human.) The other two men are clear elves. (Pointy ears, no extra features, handsome, skin like tree bark and the other with skin pale as the moon: elf.) they are probably a forest/wood elf and a light/high elf. A fourth person is clearly nearby and walking with the group but I can't see them right now.

Why me? Why me? Why me?! I know why. I'm a nobleman's daughter, I'm cursed or fey touched or whatever, and I'm a girl who was a little more than lost in a forest. Perfect target. Any bandits or cultists or evil men could see me as their next prey from the moment I was spotted.

I am hauled into a open wagon and two of the males jumped in with me. The forth person I can now see as a female anifolk. (Canine Tail, furry arms, clawed hands, fur covered ears that are too long and upright to be elf, and fur on cheeks: possibly a wolf anifolk or wolfkin.)