House Of Fire

Chapter 3

The wind whipped around her back. Her feathers ruffled slightly but stayed put protectively. Goose bumps erupted on her arms in glee.

She hadn't gotten so excited in a long time. The previous had been the ending of some book where the main character had died. It was a perfect cliché.

The snow felt more like ice shards attacking her skin. Tucking her wings closer around her torso she couldn't fight down the grin on her lips. It was beautiful in it's isolated form.

The ridge was bare and slim. On a clear day one could see forever. The forest slanted off at about 5 meters down the slopes on either side. This created an effect that would be like a green carpet extending from the trail.

The horse moved slowly along. The wind battering on from the right and trying to push them down the deadly cliff. Ducking her head down and moving her wing a little higher she created her own shelter. Her hair was flying around her ears and slapping her eyes until they stung.

Nearly reaching the part of the trail that lead behind the exposed rocks and onto the sheltered side of the ridge a whistling began to draw closer.

The noise kept increasing in volume until it was piercing her ear drums. Looking around she couldn't see anything. The snow flew into her eyes, caught onto her lashes and glued itself into her hair.

Just then the noise grew unbearable. A gust threw her hair over her shoulder and her wings glued themselves to her skin.

Out of the maelstrom of sleet and snow a black shadow approached. Fast. Extremely Fast!

Just in time, she kicked the horses flank. Jumping forward it brought them out of the path of the incoming missile. She was whipped around by the speed of the thing. As it passed the distinct shape of four legs and wings was visible through the storm. A black banner flying from its stretched neck and behind it. Just as fast as it had come, it disappeared into the forest slope.

A horse!

It had to have been a horse!

She hadn't come across such a creature before. Although it was new to her it didn't surprise her.

Then a realisation came. There were myths of flying horses. Or more particularly, one flying horse.

The Pegasus.

Only, one thing didn't add up. The Pegasus wasn't black. No. The winged horse of Greek Legend was pure white like a cloud. It was the horse of Zeus. The God's loyal servant.

Which meant that the thing wasn't the Pegasus.

Raven looked at her own wing that was now tightly wrapped around her arms and shoulders. The feathers were a honey golden on the inside now. But on the outside they were pitch black. Could it be that this creature came from where she was born? Was it from her birthplace?

She was curious now. Her horse was still sheltered behind the rock crevice and she watched on as another whistle grew louder. The pitch increased to another boiling kettle. This time two figures appeared. They slowed down as they approached the ridge. They spread their wings and landed silently on the snow. The wings were larger than hers, she noticed. Until this moment she had never met anyone like her in her life.

She was about to ride out of her hiding place when the glint of metal alerted her to the armed state the strangers were in. Both held long beautifully crafted swords. They were of a steely blue colour that looked like the sky on a clouded day.

The two figures started to look around. They hadn't said a single word so far.

The wind picked up speed and was blowing their wings all over the place. Unlike hers, their feathers were a light mint green. Both had blond hair that was unevenly cut short. Their upper bodies were bare and slightly red from the small ice shards that were being spat out by the clouds. The similarity between them lead her to believe them to be brothers or cousins.

She stayed hidden behind the outcrop, thankful that the storm had by now hidden her tracks under a few centimeters of snow and drowned any sounds her horse was making in it's howls. After some time the two figures came to a silent decision as both opened their wings a bit to catch the gale and glide silently into the trees.

Waiting another ten minutes to be sure they were out of hearing range and wouldn't come back, she turned her horse and rode on. What should she do? Follow them? Or go on as if she hadn't seen them? A smile returned to her lips. She was too curious to turn her back on them. Not only them but the mysterious winged horse too. But first she had to get to the cattle. They were her top priority for now. Her family depended on her to get the cows back.

Now that she had crossed the ridge she kicked the mare into another brisk trot. She had to hurry, the cows wouldn't be too far away. Entering the forest that covered the wind sheltered side of the mountain she could hear the bellowing of the frightened animals. They were still another mile away.

The horse moved into a gallop. It's hoof beats were silenced by the ever increasing layer of snow. Raven's cheeks burned from the biting wind and she crouched low over the horses neck. The animal's mane whipped into her eyes but she didn't care. She could see the cattle ahead.

The cows were huddled into a tight group. As she approached they moaned sorrowfully in fright. Doing a quick head count she was relieved to find the whole herd together.

Around fifty animals moved in the direction of home. As she herded them she took out the satellite phone. Turning the channel she heard the static crackle. Tuning to the 'family' channel as they called it she recognized her Dad's voice.

"No, haven't found a single one. Over."

"None in the valley either. Yo Raven, you there? Over" Her brothers voice answered her Dad's.

"All cattle safe and sound. Crossing the ridge now. Over" she spoke into the speaker. The satellite phones were the best way of communicating in the mountains. At worst you got a bad signal but that was it. One was never unreachable.

"OK. Head back to the homestead. Good job Rav. Liam, head up through the forest and join Raven. Help her bring them home. I'll meet you there. Over." Her Dad responded.

"Roger Dad. Liam I'll meet you soon. Raven over and out." Placing the phone into the pocket on her belt she cracked the whip and moved them along faster. She was close to the other side of the ridge again. The cattle entered the treeline before her. After the last passed under the cover she followed until the group came to a trail branching off down into the valley.

At the junction a horse and rider were waiting. The cows moved past the familiar figure and as she approached him she slowed her horse down.

"Get them home safe, will you?" She asked her brother. His eyes widened a bit as he looked at her incredulously.

"You can't be serious, Rav" Liam scolded her. "It's way too dangerous. What do you expect to do, huh? Kill yourself?"

She sighed in frustration. Even though her wings were free they still ached. She was sore and somehow she knew she'd get some answers if she followed the three creatures. She looked behind herself back to the ridge. Dismounting she handed the reins to her brother.

"I need to. You know I'm different Li. Since your Dad adopted me you all knew from the start I wasn't normal. It's time for me to find out the truth. I found something back there that might help me figure some of this shit out. It's killing me to not know what I am or why I am the way I am. Please understand Li. You are my brother. You know I won't freeze and you know I'm strong. Take care of Dad for both of us, alright? I love you, I'll come back when I can."

"Please don't" Liam said in a soft voice. Raven smiled at him sadly. She unstrapped the saddlebag from the mare and placed it over her shoulder. Liam still hadn't noticed her wings. She'd never shown them to anyone before today. Hell, she had only seen them a few times herself. They'd always been there, but it was like a survival instinct to not let them be seen. So now, the only person that knew they existed so far was an Alpha werewolf whom she'd met a few times.

The irony of her situation wasn't lost on her on trusting blindly.

Smiling at Liam for it felt like the last time she shifted the bags on her shoulder and kept her wings tucked in close to her body.

Turning around she began the slow march back onto the ridge.