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 Silver 2:Raven's Journey by SupMario

   Chapter Two

   After riding for several days, I came upon a human city that I'd never
been to before.  I had rarely travelled this side of the Frillayan
Mountains before, so I didn't know much about the cities and surrounding
wilderness about me.  The city looked populated almost solely by humans,
and was larger than the average city you come across.  I rode into town and
spent half the day looking for an inn until finally stopping a roaming city
guard and asking.  Once I'd settled myself in, my next stop was a jeweler's
shop.  As big as this city was, I was sure there was one, and I wanted to
get rid of these large gem stones that I'd acquired.  They were rather
distinctive, and although I was sure they wouldn't be recognized this side
of the great forest, I still didn't want to hang on to them too long
either.

   I found what I was looking for mid-afternoon: Grelda's fine jewelry.  It
was a rather haughty looking place, but it looked like it would do.  I
walked in and sold the gems and some smaller gems too, and left the shop
with a fatter money purse and a big smile on my face.  I was leaving when I
noticed the shop next door.  It said 'witching and hexes' on the door and
had all sorts of strange devices in the shop window.  Feeling curious, I
went inside.

   As soon as I walked in the place, I elt a chill run down my spine. 
Standing behind a curtain of beads was an elderly lady with long white hair
and no teeth.  She looked frightful until she saw me then gave a wide grin
that made her seem silly and harmless.  I should never have trusted that
grin.  She beckoned me inside.

   "Come in, come in child.  I've been expecting you, I have.  Yes, I knew
you'd come today.  Come back into the back with me where we can talk." She
had a low, gravelly voice that made her sound strange to my ears, but I
followed her back into the interior of her parlor where she told me of her
troubles.

   "Raven the Assassin, I've been waiting for you, my dear.  Don't worry, I
have need of your services.  I knew you'd be coming to me today.  I need
you to do in a mage that's giving me trouble."

   "What kind of mage?"

   "A very powerful one.  Young though, not very experienced.  Well liked
though, which is part of my problem.  He has influence over certain people
that are making trouble for me.  With him out of the way, my life will be
infinitely easier.  He lives in a tall stone tower with an old mage, his
teacher.  They live alone in an isolated area of the forest, and I know for
a fact that the old geezer has gone on a trip so the young man is alone
there.  I'd do it myself, but magic won't get him, only physically
attacking him will do him in."

   She gave me a few more details about the mage.  His name for one, it was
Silver.  She made me a map so I wouldn't get lost and I rode out to find
this stone tower where the mage lived.  It was an easy journey that took
several hours of hard riding.  I reached the place and stopped several feet
away from it, in the trees surrounding the place, and tethered my horse.

   The place looked impressive, a little drab maybe, but impressive
nonetheless.  It was a four story round tower that seemed huge.  It got
thinner gradually as it rose into the sky and I could see a light coming
from a window on the third floor.  Well, I'd done this sort of thing
before, no problem.  I just had to get him before he could cast any spells.
If I waited until he was asleep, it would be an easy task of creeping in
and slitting his throat.  Nice and simple.

   I crept up to the place and climbed up to the window where the light was
coming out of.  I could see him.  His back was to me; he was reading
something by candlelight and seemed very interested in whatever it was.  I
lowered myself back to the ground and went back to my horse and got some
buscuits to munch on while I waited for the light to go out, when he's
presumably go to bed.

   I climbed into a nearby tree and sat on a sturdy branch while I waited
him out, idely munching on the dry trail buscuits that were mostly
tasteless.  Maybe he had some good food in there that I could pilfer while
I was at it.  I was damn hungry, and I cursed myself for not getting
anything before leaving town.

   After two hours of leg cramps, 4 increasingly disgusting buscuits, and a
weird bug biting me, the light finally went out and I crept up to the
window only to see him leaving the room.  I quietly got out my tools and
opened the window without making any noise, which took longer than it
should have, but being impatient when braking into a mage's house isn't
very smart.

   I lightly landed on the floor and looked around the room.  It was a
study most likely.  Just lots and lots of books around.  I left and quietly
made my way up a large winding staircase until I came to a door.  I slowly
opened it and crept inside.  I was in another small study.  Another doorway
beckoned and I slipped inside, until to find myself in the mage's
laboratory.  There were beakers and books abound, and I saw the opposite
doorway leading to my prize.

   I crept into the small bedroom and found my target sleeping peacefully.
I drew my dagger and walked up to him and nealt beside the bed, looking at
his sleeping form in the bed in front of me.  I lifted the dagger to his
throat and was about to make the stab when a beam of moonlight iluminated
his slumbering face.  He was beautiful.  Almost angelic even.  One look at
him and I was lost.  I put my dagger in its sheath and gazed again at the
sleeping man before me.  I couldn't bring myself to harm him.  I quietly
left the room and made my way out of the tower, making sure to close the
window back before I left.

   I made my way back to my horse and was climbing onto him when I blacked
out.  When next I awoke, I was resting in a soft bed with a wet cloth on my
forehead.  I opened my eyes and groaned as my aching head made its pain
known to me.  The mage was standing over me, looking worridly at me.

   "Young lady, I'm glad you are finally awake.  You gave me quite a scare.
The bite of a night drone is quite often fatal.  You're lucky you were
practically on my front porch.  My healing potions got into you in time, it
seems.  What's your name?  I'm Silver."

   He smiled warmly at me, and by the gods, those eyes seemed to bore right
into my soul.  "I'm Raven.  Thank you for healing me.  I was lost in the
woods and came upon your tower when I blacked out." I tried to sit up, but
my aching head didn't cooperate, and the pain had me wincing and falling
back down on my back.

   "You'd better take it easy.  The potions need time to work.  Even the
tiniest amount of night drone venom can be deadly, and you must've been
bitten by a big one, because you seem to have quite a bit of the stuff in
you.  The healing potions I gave you will drive the stuff out, but it very
well could take a while.  You just rest Raven, and I'll look in on you
later.  Try to get some sleep." He left the room and I quickly slumped back
into unconscousness.  When I next woke up, an old man was sitting near the
bed reading.  When he saw that I was awake, he smiled at me.

   "Ah, young lady, you are finally awake.  How do you feel?"

   "Better.  My head doesn't hurt anymore, but I'm really weak." Indeed, it
was a struggle just to sit up, I felt so weak.  He helped me to my feet and
led me through the lab into the small study where he sat me down on a soft
couch and left the room.  Silver came into the room carrying a silver tray
with food and wine on it.

   "Glad to see your awake.  I thought you might be hungry." He smiled
warmly at me and sat the tray down on the coffee table in front of me.  He
drew up a bowl of stew and held it out to me.  I tried to take it, but I
could barely raise my arms, so weak was I.  He saw my problem and sat down
next to me and hand fed me.  It was so sweet of him, I just melted.  I
leaned into him and sighed, and he gently put his arms around me.  I smiled
up at him and thanked him for helping me and was suprised when he tenderly
kissed me.

   I was so shocked that I didn't respond for a few seconds but his warm
lips pressing onto mine felt so good that I had no choice but to respond in
kind.  We kissed gently for several minutes and I melted into his embrace,
totally lost in my passion.  We broke our kiss and he brought a cup of wine
to my lips and held it there while I drank deeply, enjoying the flavor
running down my throat.

   I desperately wanted to make love with him but was way too weak for
anything like that, so he told me that I'd better get more rest.  I agreed
and he helped me back into bed.  I fell asleep almost immediately and when
I woke up, he was sitting at the foor of the bed, watching me with a
friendly smile on his handsome face.

   "How are you feeling?  I thought I'd check on you before going to bed."

   Actually, I felt great!  And whats more, I was horny for him, boy was I
ever.

   I patted the side of the bed next to me.  "Why don't you come to bed
with me and I'll show you just how good I'm feeling?" I gave him my best
'come hither' look and waited for his reaction.  It suprised me.

   "I don't think so.  I don't sleep with assassins, sorry about that. 
Yup, we found out who you are.  I expect you to leave in the morning.  Good
night." His expression had grown cold during his speech and I felt knots in
my stoumach.  I had never questioned my lifestyle before this, never been
ashamed of what I do for a living.  I felt so confused.  I got up, not
wanting to stay now that the mage knew what I was.

   I quietly left the tower and found my horse tethered right outside,
waiting for me.  I got onto him and rode off, realizing I'd just broken a
contract.  Oh well, the witch had insisted on paying after the job was
done, so I really didn't owe her anything in my book.  I rode back to town,
making sure I stayed clear of the witch's shop and went back to the inn and
prepared to stay the night.

   Okay, I know your asking 'Are you stupid?  Why didn't you ride out of
town right then?' Well, I suppose I should have, but my experiences at the
mage's tower had me so confused I wasn't really thinking straight.  But
you're right.  As soon as I'd fallen asleep, it seems, I woke up with
someone shaking me violently.  It was the witch.  I was strapped down onto
some kind of table and she was looming over me, leering at me angrily.

   "So you thought you'd double cross me, eh?  Well I'll fix you!" She
cackled and went about doing all number of things around me, I couldn't see
very well since she had my neck strapped down to the table along with my
arms and legs.  I did notice that she'd stripped me bare, since I could
feel my bare back and bottom against the table.  She pushed some kind of
tube into my cunt while chanting and I started getting REALLY nervous.  I
had heard about sex magick and was scared at what she might be doing to me.
At some point, I must have passed out, because when next I awoke, I was in
a strange forest and I was still naked.  The only thing I had with me was a
scroll lying next to my feet.

   I picked it up and read it.

   Dear Assassin,



   I hire you to do a simple job and you decide to screw it up by falling
in love

   with the damn mage is sent you to kill.  Bah!  Retched girl, you've
managed to

   help me after all though, because I used you to test a new spell of
mine. You

   are now a unique creature, deary.  You'll find that you can turn into a
tiger

   at will now, just try it.  I've placed you all the way across the great
forest

   beyond the great mountains in the valley of the centaurs.  They just
HATE

   unwelcomed guests, and tigers are one of their worst enemies.  Have fun!

   P.S.  You have a month to reach your beloved mage...

   I crumpled it in my hand and threw it down on the ground, mad.  My tail
swished angrily and I looked around me.  Tail?  I looked down at myself and
recieved a shock.  I was...  different.  I was still nude but my skin was
covered in a soft down of orange-tinted fur.  It was short, and not
uncomfortable, but strange.  I could feel a soft muzzle on my face and I
even had whiskers.  My fingers and toes ended in sharp claws and I could
feel sharp fangs in my mouth.  This was too weird.  Well, I suppose it
wasn't that bad.  The old hag could have turned me into a big newt or
something.  I suppose this could have its advantages.  I went to a nearby
tree and scaled it easily, climbing quickly up the large old oak until I
was at the very top, looking around me at the landscape below.

   I could see the great mountains that the witch had spoken of.  I just
had to get over those, to return back to the lands I was familiar with. 
And return I would, for I had a score to settle with that bitch.  I hadn't
done her any harm.  Sure I'd agreed to a job for her, that wasn't excuse
enough to use me as a guiney pig for her dark designs.  I thought about
what she'd said about becoming a tiger and tried it.  It was easy!  Boy,
was this ever cool!  This body was strong and quick.  Why I bet I could run
all the way to the mountains in a day with these strong legs!  That old hag
was going to get what she deserved.

   I may be out of the assassin business, I decided I'd had enough of that
kind of living, but I still had one more target, and she would never know
what hit her.  I started running and fairly flew through the thicket as my
strong legs ran at top speed easily.  I felt so free, running in the wind;
nothing mattered but the air around me, the ground beneath me.

   End of chapter two.

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