The creature lifted a clawed paw and stared at his palm.
"Raven", he said softly, so softly that Caeli was unsure if that was what he had truly said.
The creature looked at her directly, and somehow, Caeli knew that he was feeling joy. His eyes, the only thing he possessed to express his feelings, shimmered and flickered like the lit wick of a candle. Warmth and light in the darkness. He felt hope.
Hope for what? Caeli wondered to herself. Hope of belonging? Hope of self understanding and identity? Surely all of the above.
She felt an exhaustion coming on like nothing she had felt before but the adrenaline of his transformation and happiness electrified her.
Caeli smiled broadly at the beast, her eyes half closed. She felt laughter bubble to the surface, her tiredness making her giddy. She smothered her giggles the best she could under her hand. For the lack of facial expressions, she could tell the creature was shocked and moved.
The beast charged her suddenly and she drew a quick breath in, startled.
He dove and scooped her onto his back and began racing around the pond. Before she knew it she was laughing loudly, face turned to the sky. She felt like she was flying. Like she was dreaming.
Still yet, she felt a darkness at the back of her mind moving forward to consume her.
Caeli lifted her arms and face to the night sky and relished the force of air, billowing all around her from being astride the beasts back at a break neck pace. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, the air was crisp and cool but generous warmth radiated from the earth and the trees, presumably from the sun that would have baked the surface hours before.
She felt as though she had sat like this for hours until something cool suddenly enveloped her arm, and then disappeared.
She slowly opened her eyes to find that she was amid the clouds. She stared at the portion of cloud her arm had gone through causing the sensation that had broken her revere. Her eyes widened and she turned to look at the beast.
He turned slightly to see her and chuckled deeply.
"What do you think Caeli? Of being amongst the stars?"
Caeli looked all around her, the ground was barely visible with the height they'd made and being just above some of the clouds. The moon shone onto the fluffy masses making everything incredibly bright.
She began to laugh wildly again. Never in her life had she thought that she would get the opportunity to have her feet off of the ground. How many times had she watched the birds in her village fly away? How many times had she dreamed to be one of them? To spread their wings and go anywhere, leave from any place when it struck their fancy. What she would have given to be able to do just that when she was rejected for her uniqueness, for her ideals or her habits. To fly away from the aunt and uncle that treated her like little more than a slave. To simply leave behind the expectations of those she lived with in the village.
For the first time since Caeli had left home she felt a rivers worth of tears roll down her cheeks. She had told herself that this was the way it had to be, a small part of herself had always known that one day she would have to leave the village.
Although she knew these things in her heart, she missed Demetri and all the kindness he had shown her over the years. The countless books, that had changed her life, that he himself had provided her. She missed the spirits that had become her only friends in a solitary home, devoid of love and acceptance. For all the excitement she had focused on at the idea of freedom and finding herself, she had buried the hurt she had felt the day the village had cast her out.
Caeli felt her face begin to twist in pain and felt her body shake with sobs. For the first time, in a long time, she allowed her grief and loneliness to consume her. The oncoming exhaustion she had been fighting back allowed for nothing else. In the sky, surrounded by the clouds and stars, Caeli released the dam inside of herself. The anger, the pain, the sorrow.
Raven felt the atmosphere change before he was aware of how Caeli was feeling. The pressure around them grew rapidly, threatening to squeeze the air out of their lungs. Raven turned his head to see Caeli clenching her fists to her chest and her body shaking.
Raven rapidly descended back to the ground. As he touched the earth he circled to look at the woman. Her heartache was manifesting itself physically. Her hair began to float around her and the magical aura she emitted grew dark.
"Caeli?", he said gently. No response.
Raven used a long tendril of shadow from his body to lift her and bring her face to face with himself. In that moment, it could not be possible to love her more. It was like looking in a mirror. She was encompassed in her pain.
Her face drenched and glistening, her eyes wide and eye lashes long and dark. Her cheeks flushed and her hair floating red and black in the night, he noticed a small strip of pure white in its dark depths.
"Caeli, are you alright?", he asked softly. He reached out a tendril to caress her face. Attempting to cool her skin with his chilled shadows.
Caeli took a deep and shaking breath and her hair started to fall around her, covering her face. She sat silent for sometime until Raven slowly nudged her cheek with the tip of his snout.
Caeli groggily reached a hand to gingerly touch the side of the creatures face and looked up at him.
"I'm sorry Raven, you must think I'm out of my mind.", she chuckled sarcastically, her words slurring. Her eyes closed, she could not force them open.
The beast slowly shook his head in disagreement and then looked to the moon.
"I believe I have an idea of how you're feeling right now. I vividly recall the feeling of betrayal and hurt. I was blind with it. Had I been able to release my feelings as you have just done, I surely would have.", he said kindly.
Slowly the aura around her began to change, becoming calmer, the pressure in the air returning to normal. Was she aware of her power? He wondered to himself. If not, she could be very dangerous.
He studied her face as he held her in front of himself. What was this woman? The beauty of a woodland creature, the magical capabilities of a sorceress, and the lack of knowledge of either? She was an anomaly unto herself.
Her eyes slid open for a moment to meet his gaze.
"Caeli, I want you to know..... so long as you allow me, I will be by your side. Should you ever need me, if there is ever something I can to do ease your pain or bring you happiness, it will be done, no questions asked.", Raven said staring at her intensely.
Caeli's face flushed red and she quickly looked down at her folded hands that rested in her lap.
"But why, my lord?", she asked quietly. "I do not understand."
"There is much that I cannot tell you right now, one day I will, that I swear to you.", he said as he looked back at the moon sadly.
*How will she ever forgive me?*