Join the new world

Part VI: Where things are a bit more comfortable and violent.

As the sun began to drop from the sky, the hills began to give way to a light sprinkling of trees.

“I hope you like trees,” Sonja said. “Tomorrow you are going to have to deal with a great many.”

“Why is that?” Andrew asked.

“Between us and the Royal Court is The Green. There isn’t any was around it, so we’re gonna go through it. Many, many trees.”

“How many is many?”

Sonja laughed and pointed over to a small flat area with a few large rocks and trees. “We can stop for the night over there.” She said. “How many? Well, it’s a forest of trees, which would suggest a lot. Plus, it’s the biggest forest ever. So, I’d say very many.”

“How cold is it going to get?” Andrew asked lifting up the flimsy material of funny shirt.

“Well, you are going to get us some firewood and I am going to light it up and then if your lucky, maybe I will like scrunch up close to you to share body warmth.” She said winking at him.

Andrew smiled and laughed softly as he went about gathering small branches. After a full day of walking with her and enduring her constant flirting, it had stopped embarrassing him and had started to become almost comforting.

He made a small pile of woods as he listened to her humming to herself. All in all, with the massive confusion he felt from all the crazy stuff that had happened to him, Andrew was finding her pleasant company.

He was about to ask her how much wood he needed, when he noticed the humming had stopped. He turned to find her standing absolutely still looking off into the distance, her head cocked slightly.

“What?” he asked trying to see what she was looking at. “What’s wrong?”

Sonja raised a finger to her lips telling him to be quiet, but not once did her eyes shift off that point in the distance.

Andrew picked up one of the larger pieces of wood and brandished it like a club as he took a couple of steps to stand next to her. They stood there in silence for a few moments then Sonja broke free of her trance and looked down at the club and shook her head.

“That is not going to do you much good.” She said.

“Why? What’s the matter?” he sounded a bit panicked.

The gold specks in her eyes stopped their usual dance and her pupils locked on his.

“This thing we are doing,” she said slowly, her voice even and measured. “There will be a time where you will have to take charge. There will be other times where we will work together. Right, now, though,” she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, “Right now, hon, this is all mine.”

“What’s all yours?” he asked looking around quickly.

“Are you going to trust me?” she asked.

He really had no reason to. They had just met under bizarre circumstances, but as he looked in her eyes, watching the deep green unexpectedly teasing with blue explanation, he knew that he not only could trust her but that he did trust her.

Andrew nodded and she smiled. “You’re one of the good ones, aren’t you.” Sonja reached up and placed two fingers on his forehead. “I need you to think of two things. Stay in the air. Don’t wander off.”

“What??”

“Remember.” He voice raised in volume slightly. “Stay in the air. Don’t wander off.”

The unsettling quiet ended abruptly. There was an echoing sound of a horse screaming, something burning, ripping. Sonja muttered the word “Bran” pushing on Anbdrew’s forehead and he was no more. Or better, he was Andrew no more. A large black raven had taken his place.

“Stay in the air!!” she shouted and spun as the Raven Andrew took to the air.

It was a good thing that she had turned him into a bird, because his simple little mush brain would not have been able to handle what Sonja had turned to face. The thing seemed to be based on a horse; black and sleek with it’s legs flexing with power and muscle. Its eyes, though, shined with yellow fire and flames leapt from its back lighting up the rapidly dimming sky. An acrid smell caused Sonja’s nose to twitch slightly, but still she smiled at the thing.

“Sure, Pooka, I’m not wanting to kill you here.”

The pooka stomped the ground with its powerful hoofs and tossed its head back snorting flames from its nose.

“He travels with me.”

The two of them stood staring at each other for eternity and then the pooka turned and charged off away from her.

“Oi dei,” she muttered and took a battle stance; her legs grabbing a balanced position.

The pooka turned to face her, eyes blazing angry.

The Raven Andrew, who had taken perch at the top of a nearby tree, cawed loudly as this woman he had traveled the day with transformed. If his brain was larger than a pea at that moment, he may have blushed not realizing that he was seeing her true and accepted form. Her great moth like white wings stretched out; two sets trimmed in a deep red proving both powerful and delicate. They fluttered twice as she literally pulled a four-foot sword from the air. As her hand wrapped around it’s hilt, the blade almost hummed a metallic welcome to her. Woman, wings, and weapon; this was not a cute lost little girl, this was a warrior.

Her feet came off the ground and she let the tip of the blade trace a thin line in the dirt or their campsite. Her head was tilted, her eyes focused on nothing.

“Try and hurt me, pooka, and I’ll be feasting on your flank tonight. Go on your way, and I will not remember you longer than your leaving,” she said.

The Raven Andrew screamed a warning, but she was already moving as the Pooka jumped at her. Her wings lifted and twisted her as she dodged it flailing hoofs and threatening, burning breath. Sonja let her wrist dance, twisting slightly. Blade tip met horseflesh and she drew first blood.

The pooka howled, piercing the air with its painful screech and charged her again. She was quick, but this time, the fiery beast was ready for her twisting and its rear hoof found her belly knocking her breath away and putting her on the ground.

She rolled, her wings giving her added balance. Her lungs heaved and grabbed greedily for any air they could reach. The pooka was not going to give her any quarter and came at her again. Kicking out front legs, reaching for her head.

Sonja proved herself faster though. Her wings pulsed sending her up, above the creature. The sword pointed down, she dropped on it’s back, driving her sword down, deep and wet.
The sound the beast let loose shook the ground. Flames reached from its mane pulling at Sonja. The pooka danced violently, then dropped and tried to roll. She let go of the sword and swooped off a short distance. Her flight was shaky though and she winced grabbing her side as she landed. The blow had hurt her.

The pooka stopped struggling, realizing the blade had killed it fighting that truth was pointless. It looked at Sonja as she approached, the yellow eyes glowing with the question of mercy in them.

She shrugged and pulled her sword free. “I gave you the chance to leave in peace, Pooka. You chose to hurt me.” Sonja turned her back on the dying monster, which cried after her. Closing her eyes she nodded. “You tell your friends in whatever hell you land in, that my mercy ends with you. Any more attack on me or mine, someone suffers.”

Her blade flashed and the pooka’s pain ended in a puff of poofing sulfur and blue flame. Sonja dropped the blade into the nothing that she had pulled it from and poked at her side frowning.

“That’s going to leave a mark,” she complained as she let her wings also fade into nothingness.

She raised her hand up for Raven Andrew to come perch on. “Let’s get you back to normal.” She said looking up for her newly feathered companion.

Sonja frowned again. There was not a raven to be seen. She breathed in deeply, winced from the pain, and sighed. “I suppose I should have figured a mush would get confused with the simple instruction of not too go wandering off.”