Chapter 4

Raven's POV

Green eyes. Deep green eyes like the forest trees. That's the last thing I saw before I passed out because of the pain. If Ami can turn into a human, I can't be friends with him anymore. All humans are the same. They only want to hurt me.

Like the villagers. They hurt me because Amon gave me new clothes. They thought I stole it, so they beat me. The beatings only got bad because I ran from them. The beatings started in the village. They found me playing outside my hut.

They grabbed me by my hair and began questioning me. I never spoke to them. They thought I was mute. So why did they even bother asking me anything. They had chased me into the forest. My first thought was to go to the river. Amon was there. Somehow I sensed him. I always sensed where he was.

They caught me before I reached the river. They punched and kicked me repeatedly. I kept quite during their assault. It was when I felt the knife slide through my flesh, I screamed. They never used weapons on me before. That one scream was the only sound I uttered. They kept plunging the knife in and out of my stomach.

I felt a vibration run through me. Ami was near. His roar suddenly echoed through the night. The men ran away screaming. I just laid there, trying to put the blood back in. It kept flowing, refusing to stop. I heard someone call my name.

Turning my head to the side, I saw a tall well built man with ruffled, shaggy black hair and deep blue eyes. A human! I screamed and tried to get away. The movement only caused the dagger to sink deeper in me. I cried out in pain.

"Get away. Please." I begged him. I didn't want to be near humans. I wanted Ami.

"Raven it's me. Amon."

How dare he lie. "Ami is a beast not a human."

My body hurt. The bleeding wasn't stopping. It was almost midnight. Ami would be here soon. I'm sensing him. So where is he? I felt arms encircle my body, lifting me up. I struggled to get free. He was going to hurt me. But he didn't. He just held me and looked down at me.

"Raven it's me, Ami."

Raising my hand, I touched his smooth cheek. I couldn't help but stare at his eyes. They were so green. So pretty.

"Ami...."

I wanted to say something, but darkness clouded my vision. The next thing I knew, I was waking up by the river. The dagger was out of my stomach and my clothes were changed. The man claiming to be Ami, bandaged my cuts. But he wasn't around. Sitting up, I held my belly. It wasn't healed. Why? Normally I heal when I sleep. Leaning against the tree I was under, I brought the blanket up to my chest. It's so warm. I never knew blankets could feel so soft and warm. Did the man cover me with it? It was after midnight. Amon would have taken the girls already. Closing my eyes, I listened to the flow of the river. A vibration went through my body. Amon! He's coming! The crunch of the leaves on the ground was heard. The footsteps were silent, I barely heard it. The man emerged from the trees. He wore a pants and a shoe on his feet. His chest was bare. He had box shaped cut outs on his belly. I wonder what those are. They look hard. I want to touch it. "Raven. How are you feeling?" He asked he, walking closer to me. "My belly hurts." He reached out a hand to touch me but I avoided it. He wasn't Amon. He's a human. I want my beast. I needed my friend. The man sighed and moved back. I watched as black smoke emerged from his body, surrounding him. The smoke thickened around him. The smoke was expanding, moving higher and getting wider. A tremor ran through my body. The same vibrating tremor I got when Amon was near. The smoke started to disappear back into a man, who wasn't a man anymore. When the smoke was gone, I saw Amon. I squealed. But if Amon is here, where is the man? Amon sat where he stood. He reached forward and touched my cheek with a clawed finger. "Now do you believe me little Raven?" His deep voice rumbled. He was telling the truth! The man really was Ami! "Ami! I'm sorry. I didn't know!" I couldn't be more sorry. I didn't believe him when he told me. I covered my face in shame. I'm a terrible friend. I felt a hand on my head. Moving my hands from my face, I looked up and met green. "It's okay. I never told you that I could turn into a human. But with the way you reacted, can you blame me?" He said touching his forehead to mine. Smiling, I hugged him around his shoulders, only to groan in pain. Pulling back, I felt my cut open up. Amon put pressure against my wound and told me to lay down. I obeyed him. He kept his hands on my belly until the bleeding stopped. After what seemed like forever, the blood flow stopped. When Amon removed his hands, my blood dripped from his fingers. "I wish there was some way to stitch the wound. I'm sorry I can't be much help to you little Raven." He wiped his hands on his pants. Before sitting next to me. "Did you eat anything for the day?" "No. I didn't get a chance. I was running from the villagers whole day." Amon growled. He stood up and walked away. His footsteps charring the ground as he walked. Where is he going? The ground shook for a second before he returned. He was carrying a grey tray like thingy in his hands. He set it next to me. It was filled with bread, fruits, a soft yellow goo, as well as a red paste. Water and a sweet smelling, milky liquid was also on the tray in two separate cups. "Here. Eat." Amon said. Sitting up, I groaned. He immediately pushed me back down. Reaching forward, I tried to grab the water. Amon picked it up, lifted my head and fed me the water. Sighing in satisfaction, I grinned at him. He shook his head before breaking a piece of bread an dipping it in the red paste. "What's that?" I asked, pointing to the red stuff on the bread. "It's called jam. And the yellow stuff is butter. You will like it. I think." He said, bringing the food to my lips. I bit into it and smiled. It tasted yummy. He continued feeding me, switching between the butter and jam. They both tastes so delicious. While the jam was sweet, the butter was a little salty. Perfect combination. The milk liquid was something called milk tea. It was heavenly. After my meal, Amon laid next to me. He held me gently in his arms until I fell asleep. I couldn't. I was in too much pain. To take my mind off the pain, I asked Amon about the sacrifices. He told me he took the women as usual and carries them to his home. When he returned home, he would go see them. I felt my chest constrict at his words. I didn't know the women personally, but I did glimpse them. They were all very beautiful. Yawning, I watched the rising sun colour the sky pink. So pretty. I finally closed my eyes, letting sleep take over. Before I drifted to sleep, I felt something soft touch my forehead. ********** Three months later "Little Raven, come over here!" Amon called to me. I ran to him, wrapping my arms around his waist. He's been gone for a whole week. He said he had stuff to take care of at home. I missed him so much. And I told him just that. He lifted me up and hugged me. "Okay. I promise not to leave for so long again." He said, kissing the tip of my nose. Smiling, I nodded. "Thank you. Oooooh. I have something to tell you." "What is it?" He set me down on the grass. We were by the waterfall where we first met. Actually I was in the village when I sensed him. I ran into the forest, following the vibrations that pulsed through me. It lead me to the waterfall. I saw Amon emerge from the crater. Sitting on the grass, Amon pulled me in his lap. Since he saw the villagers hurt me, he became overprotective towards me. Every time we met up, he brought food for me. He would always eat with me. I enjoyed our time together. "I saw the village head yesterday. It was the first time he saw me and didn't hit me." I said happily. He ruffled my hair. "That's good. So what do you want to do now little Raven?" "Let's play!" I jumped off of him and tugged on his hand. He laughed and stood up, following me to the pool. He pulled off his jacket and shirt. He kicked off his shoes and joined me in the water. We usually just splash around in the water. Lately he was teaching me to swim. He said I was old enough to learn now. We stayed in the water for most of the day. Only coming out when the sun had set. I didn't want to return to the village. I didn't tell Ami, but the villagers were actually paying attention to me now. Especially the village chef and the priests. Ami, called me over while I was wringing the water from my hair. He held his hand out for me. There was a black fabric in his hand. Taking it from his hand, I opened it out. It was a dress, a black dress. The material felt so soft and smooth. Pulling off my now wet shirt, I put the dress on. It was a fit perfectly, ending right about my knees. I spun around as Amon laughed at me. He bent and picked me up, hugging me tightly.