The Wings of the Raven

Chapter 7 - Retreat

Raven awoke in her room, groggy and exhausted. Traces of Solace's mind followed her into the waking world. She looked at the world around her and felt severe trepidation. What happened to me? Her mind said angrily.

Mama?

Kita?

Mama!

Raven jumped out of her bed and ran to the terrace. She threw open the double doors and looked at the rolling fields of green grass and beautiful wildflowers. She saw the vast expanse of trees beyond them and the white capped mountains just behind her home. She saw the hatchery in the northeast corner of her land. She saw the dragon-stables to the south and the farm to the west.

Raven searched the dragons flying above for one of blackest night. Her gaze landed on an orange dragon. On its back was a girl. Phoenix and Dove. They flew in a strange pattern. She racked her brain, trying to understand why it was strange. Then she realized that it was what she did when she was trying to clear her mind.

Raven stepped up onto the railing and looked down. The ground was a couple hundred meters down. She mentally called Kita and jumped. She fell about thirty meters before she landed on the back of a large blue dragon. Griffin BloodHare. His large wings beat in time to her heartbeat, pushing them higher up into the air. She stood on his back and walked towards his tail, arms out for balance.

Raven jumped off his tail landing on another dragon, this one a pale yellow. She rode the dragon for a few hundred meters then leapt upwards. Two small grey dragons grabbed her arms flying higher into the air towards Phoenix and Dove. The two small greys brought her into Dove's line of sight and released her arms.

Dove's eyes stretched wide as she reached for Raven's hand shouting, "Raven, grab my hand!"

Raven looked at Dove puzzled as she dropped through the air. She realized with a laugh that Dove thought she was falling to her death. She smiled up at her as she landed on Kita's back. They flew up beside her and Raven said, "you needn't ever fear the sky. For your dragon will always catch you, and if she thinks that she won't make it there on time she will simply tell another dragon to catch you."

Dove sputtered at her, then blurted out, "what'd you do that for? You gave me a heart attack."

Raven laughed out loud. "Oh Dove, I do absurd stuff all the time. You ought to get used to it."

Raven slid into the nape of Kita's neck and nuzzled her long, reptilian neck. Her chest rumbled as she purred in response to Raven's touch.

Raven looked at Dove and asked her, very seriously, "Dove? Do you trust me?"

"After the stunt you just pulled? No, no I don't," she replied in a huff.

"I suppose I should leave you to your thoughts then," Raven said with amused sadness. She directed Kita towards the house.

Raven felt a tug on her mind and spun Kita around. She hovered in the air as she sought out the mind. Dove flew up beside them and looked a question at her.

Shh! Raven told her thoughts. She felt her mind blank as she looked at her dumbfounded.

Raven stood and clutched her temples, attempting to concentrate on the tug. Her mind hyper-extended and enveloped her entire territory. She cried out in pain as she heard every thought and whisper of emotion from every living creature within her domain.

It's too much! Raven's mind screamed out.

Thousands of minds responded to her touch. All speaking at the same time.