Dark of the Moon

Chapter One~Ten Years Later

The cold wind bit into my skin as I shot through the air like a harpoon through the sea, my dark plumage glinting green and blue, mimicking the aurora that glowed above me. I let loose a fierce cry of joy and dove through the air, scything through the air I shot back up, the high of freedom making me forget all my problems as I glided on the icy northern air...

I shot straight of from my mat, looking around the smoky room, the fire that had been burning in the hearth had burned down to embers, glowing faintly in the darkness of the room. I shook my head, getting rid of the fuzziness of sleep and the high of that dream I had. Thinking back on the dream, if felt as familiar as my daily life, and yet as surreal as my memories of my mother. I pushed back my confusion to the back of my mind and carefully got out of bed, putting on my think, warm coat and pants, sliding on my boots and trudging out the door, into the icy cold of the gray dawn.

 Looking around the village I could see other vestiges of life awaking and moving into the cold air from the smoky warmth of the tents. Wrapping my coat around me I trudged to the headsman's cabin, where my father was sure to be, quickly letting my self in I looked at him."Father, I have had a strange dream, I would think you would be interested in it.", I kept my voice to the icy politeness that I had used since he became headsman after my grandfather was murdered.

"You think I am interested in your dream because it is strange? Why is that?", he asked, not looking up from the fire he was kindling.

"It has to do with the Raven, I dreamed I was Raven, and our tribe is in trouble, maybe this is a sign.", I said firmly, pressing my case with my father even though it was futile, looking down at him I got the same feeling that I had been hiding since my grandfather was killed, the feeling that this man wasn't to be trusted.

He leaned back on his ankles and looked at me, I controlled my shivers and met his eyes, hoping my gaze was steady. "You were Raven?", he asked,  standing up and dusting off his hands. "While this may be a sign you know the story, our tribe isn't in trouble we are prospering.", he smiled, but it never reached his eyes, I simply nodded, kept my head down, and walked out of the smoky hut, relishing in the cold air that greeted my outside. I sighed, knowing no matter what I did, he would never believe me, his only hope for me was that I would marry a nice boy and give him plenty of heirs to be headsman.

"Nira!", a voice called as I started walking away from the cabin and towards the dogs that lay peacefully along, sleeping happily, oblivious to the cold that constantly plagued the village, I turned around and saw a figure so bundled up it could be non other than my friend Will.

A smile spread across my face as he waddled over here, he was one of the southern men, with a shock of gold hair and eyes as blue as the cold sky that watched over us."Why are you so bundled up, the children with think you a pillow and jump all over you.", I said,shaking my head as I grabbed up a basket with food for the dogs that had been hanging on a limb from a tree where the dogs couldn't get it but the cold kept it fresh.

"Its cold at out here, how you can only wear one coat is beyond me. So, what interesting duties out scheduled for us today.", he said with what I could guess was a cheerful grin, though his face was covered as well. I rolled my eyes and fed the dogs before turning to him.

"If what you mean by that is that you follow me around and I do work then, right now, it is feed the dogs and take them out for a run, clean my sleeping area in the hut, and then make some food. I just finished feeding the dogs so harness them up and we can take them out for a run.", I said quickly, barely concealing my excitement that I got to take the dogs for a run, quickly patting on the head, I ran over to my sled and harnessed up my personal dog, Nalia up to the front and a few of the others onto the other leads.

"Alright, captain.", he said,saluting what he imagined was sharply and harnessing up the dogs he had rid into this village weeks ago. Hopping onto our sleds we raced off onto the open areas of the tundra and icefields.