The Raven Girl
Snowflakes spiraled down onto the forest below to cover it in a thick layer of snow; the weak sunlight bathing the world in warm oranges and hot pink as it slowly disappeared beyond the horizon. Below the canopy the sunlight glinted across the armor of an army that moved quietly through the trees as if it were water. At the head of the group moved a girl so fast she could have been mistaken for a ghost; her feet left no indentation on the snow as she ran, and her paper white cloak billowed out behind her barely making a sound.
She came to a halt, kneeling at the edge of the forest as it spilled out over a ridge in the mountainside; the snow-covered valley expanding below her. Behind her gathered the soldiers, their armor hidden by the tree line as they waited for orders; they shifted in anticipation. The wind whipped her white hair around her round face and cut into her cheeks as she scanned the valley before her, her icy blue eyes narrowing; coiling up out of the trees was a small billow of smoke that was buffeted by the wind.
“Spread out through the trees and stay high up.” She commanded as she rose from the ground and turned on her heel to face her soldiers. She narrowed her eyes, “Make it clean.”
The soldiers moved into action quickly vaulting off the edge of the ridge and into the valley below as they disappeared into the treetops, their armor barely making a noise above the wind. The girl lowered herself again, crouching in the snow as she continued to gaze at the encampment. Stepping out of the tree line and coming to stand behind the girl was a soldier; across his shoulders draped a royal blue cape that seemed to melt into the snow. He watched for a moment as his soldiers advanced towards their target.
“My Lady-.” He started with a tone of deepest respect.
“I know your concern, Captain.” She replied, her gaze shifting only slightly as she spoke. “I am not going to stop just because my power is ebbing away. The curse is almost lifted, and we only need to pass through the mountains to reach the city.”
“Are there anymore outposts until we reach the gates?” He asked as he shifted his weight, the snow crunching under his weight.
“Two.” She informed him her eyes unblinking. “If we take the underpass, we will reach the city by nightfall.”
Silence fell between them as the soldiers reached the encampment, their glints of armor barely visible through the treetops as they surrounded it, the wind beginning the whip up as the sun finally disappeared. The girl watched as her army executed her orders swiftly, disposing of the remains of the encampment in a timely manner.
“Let’s move.” She said, barely audible above the wind.
She rose from the ground as if she were rising out of a trapdoor, her irises flashing a brilliant blue as her cloak whipped up around her and she was suddenly a snow-white raven. With a few quick beats from her wings, she hung in the air before diving towards the forest and disappearing amongst the trees. Behind her the captain shook his head, a slight smile spreading across his mouth as he followed suit, sprinting for the edge, and jumping straight off towards the valley below.