Fate - A Death's Door Writing Competition

Chapter 1

I looked up the crystallising leaves that lay dead at the base of the tree. There was something about winter that had always intrigued me. Whether it was the sharp icy air, that always managed to whip at my face, or the blanketing snow that was left in its wake. I loved winter, and sadly, when it came to my family, I was alone with my opinion. A cough racked through me as I searched my pockets for the instrument that could give me relief.

 

A rustling noise sounded from the nearby thicket of shrubs. I narrowed my eyes and stepped away from the bare tree. At this time of the year, I managed to find stranded animals cowering in the branches, trying to maintain heat with no avail.

 

A small amount of panic shot through me as I pictured a kitten, huddled, trying to fend away the winter air, desperately seeking warmth. I rushed to opening where two shrubs just met and peered into the darkness, pushing away twiggy branches with my gloved hands, and it appeared to me that there was no animal hiding within its centre. I sat back on my heels with a sigh and looked down at the snow covered ground.

 

A low growl made me snap my head up.  It was a rumbling noise that I hadn’t come across before, and before I knew what I was doing, I moved toward the opening. I peered into the darkness and narrowed my eyes, trying to see if I had missed anything previously. My heart stopped.

 

There within the heart of the darkness, was a pair of red eyes, looking back almost amusingly at my frozen expression. Another growl burst free from the darkness, and jerked me out of my transfixion. I stumbled back and crawled away, never once taking my eyes of the thicket, but the eyes were still taunting me, from my position at the trees’ base.

 

I felt my throat closing up and I patted down my pockets, only to find them empty. My eyes searched the snow coated ground and I let out a cry. There it lay. Bright blue against white, right in front the thicket. Tears pricked my eyes and threatened to fall, as the growling commenced. There was no way I was going to go retrieve it now.

 

“Raven?”