The Wings of the Raven

Chapter 4 - Phase Two

Pain ripped Raven out of the blissful numbness she resided in. Bright colours and loud sounds berated her system. She felt herself scream. A bone rattling scream.

"Shh," a voice said in her ear. "Calm down, Raven. We are almost done," pause, "Grey was not supposed to shoot you. At least not with an arrow. You must forgive him, he has never felt the pull of the phases. It... overtook his system. Sleep now, Domina Draco, while I complete the healing process. You shall be back to your old self in no time."

Warmth overtook the pain in her side, spreading across her body as she drifted into slumber.

*

Once the warmth left Raven slowly drifted to the edge of wakefulness. In this odd state her mind is much stronger than the world around her. Let's test the limits of this power, shall we. She thought to herself.

Raven's mind stretched away from her body. It wandered outside the cabin where her body was. Past the Caon encampment, towards a field of wildflowers. In that field stood two open minds. One human, one dragon. Wolfe and Hero.

Raven's mind spiraled towards them. I have never touched a human mind before, she thought to herself. What does it feel like? she wondered.

Raven chose to enter Wolfe's mind, rather than Hero's.

Wolfe? Can you hear me?

His mind jerked at her touch. No words formed, only emotions, moving far too fast for her to pinpoint exactly what they were.

Wolfe! Calm down! Think it through, plan what you want to say. Just don't say it out loud.

Raven? He tentatively responded.

Yeah, it's me. Listen I don't have long. I'm not dead, obviously. You need to rally the others for a rescue mission. I'm about two kilometers south of your current location, in the middle of a Caon encampment. I need to be safely extracted within the week, with NO casualties. Whether ours, or theirs. Now, go. Oh, and Wolfe?

Yeah?

Welcome to phase two.

*

When Raven finally accepted that her body was awake she opened her eyes. Too quick, she thought. She turned and retched over the edge of her cot and onto the wooden floor of a cabin.

Once Raven was done emptying the contents of her stomach she surveyed her surroundings. She was in a private room. In the room was a cot, a bedside table and a chair. Through an archway she saw a bathroom, complete with a full-length mirror. I suppose I should survey the damage. She stood and wobbled over to the full-length mirror. Seems my strength isn't fully up to speed.

Raven looked into her glowing yellow eyes before taking in the rest. Tan skin, sleek black hair, soft red lips. Her black tights now have rips on the knees, and her black tank-top now has a hole where the arrow pierced it. Raven's hunter green hooded cloak, made of dragon scales, is absent from her shoulders. At least I still have my silver triskele earrings and necklace. They were, after all, a gift from her mother. Her silver armbands and black knee-high boots completed her outfit, making her look both roguish and dangerous.

"I thought you were above vanity, Paulo Lupus," said a voice to her left. She spun to see an old woman sitting on the edge of her cot. Silver streaked her already grey hair. Laugh lines were set deep into her tan face.

"It is not my mirror, Sapiens Animae." Raven replied. "Therefore I am not the vain one in this situation. Although, vanity is relative depending on who's perspective you look at it from."