“To tell the truth, I don’t know where to start. My fathers name is Ronertan and is a merchant ship captain, so he is gone pretty much all year long. That is his life and he loves it more than even family. Not that my father is selfish or mean he just loves his work.

My mother lived with her own mother before she married Father. When she did my grandmother went to live with them so that Mother could take care of her. She died before I was born and my mother did a few years after. My only good memory of her is the two of us in the garden. She was pulling weeds and I was sitting beside her playing in the dirt, every once in a while she would lift up her head and sing to some of the birds that gathered around us, hoping for some seed.

After she died my father decided to move to a town that was closer to the ocean so that he could handle business better. Sometimes I wonder if he was just trying to move away from memories of Mother. We did and Father found a beautiful house near town.

Shortly after we moved there I began to hear strange sounds. At first the squeaking of a mouse or the twittering of a bird was louder and clearer, but then the sounds became voices. They said strange things like, “Look out there here she comes” or, “Have a nice look at that.” And the stranger still “Fly, go! Fly, go!” I was very confused but of course I couldn’t tell father. He’d think I was crazy and try to find all these cures and spells. That was the last thing I needed.

When at last I could keep it to myself no longer I told my closest friend Mimi. She was, to say the least concerned, but I begged her not to tell anyone. She didn’t for quite some time before letting it slip to her father who was a doctor. Of course once he knew, word got around.

What they didn’t know – not even Mimi – was that I had discovered the source of the sounds and voices. Animals. Most were things like rabbits, birds and the occasional squirrel. But even our dog and my fathers roan mare started talking.

There was one bird in particular. A large black bird named Blackclaw was the only animal that talked to me directly and over the few weeks that followed, actually became my closest friend and companion. Blackclaw would come in the morning and perch on my window sill and would tell me about all the latest news from the forest. Most of which was rather boring but I listened. At times he would stay with me throughout the day and answered some of my many questions. The biggest was how I could talk to animals in the first place; unfortunately to this he had no good answer. He told me of a legend about a people who could communicate with animals but he thought they were just a myth.

At the end of each of our meetings Blackclaw would try and persuade me to run away. I argued that, as of yet there was nothing to run from and there was nothing to run to either. Still he tried to persuade me otherwise.
Father was gone during this time and I’d be surprised if he does not return for few more months. So I was alone except for Blackclaw who was nice, though annoying at times. Especially when he decided to hang around all day but I was glad for the company.

Blackclaw informed me one day that the town’s people were starting to believe the rumors that I was not merely a confused young girl with a hyper imagination – which is what was being said because no one seemed to believe that animals could actually talk- and that I was a witch. Again he tried to talk me into running away and I finally agreed. I left a note for Father telling him that I would probably be back once everything cooled down. I apologized for not telling him about my strange abilities before then too.

I stared at the note for a moment sadly. I love you Father.

“What are you waiting for Laralara?” Blackclaw asked impatiently.

“Nothing, Come on.” I muttered.

We were just then leaving when I heard shouts. I ran over to a window and peeked out. A posse of men wielding weapons and torches were heading towards the house at little less than a run. Great. We are getting ready to escape when they decide to attack.

“Laralara!” Cried Blackclaw.

“I know, I know! Come on; to the back door!” I called back to him as I raced from the room.

Unknown to me, my bundle that I had just packed for the journey slid off my shoulder.” Hurry!”
The little bird had just made it through when the door opened. I was prepared to race out the back when I noticed several men guarding the exit. Okay, so that’s double great.

One of the men inside the house grabbed my arm; I kicked one of his shins and struggled to get free.” I’ve got the little witch!” He called to the others. I have to admit, I probably looked the part of a witch with my dark colored dress and hair all messed up. I stopped struggling as more men filled the room. Fortunately Blackclaw was no where in sight. I smiled with false confidence at them.

“You come here; armed and ready to capture a girl you have known for years?” I asked. I looked around and noticed several people I recognized.

“You are a witch!” Yelled one of them.

”Do you not deny that you hear voices from animals?” Another asked.

I laughed.” Yes I can, since you have ordered me not to deny it.” I was stalling, trying to find a way of escape. ”I guess you think these voices come from demons or something right?” I asked nervously. There were too many of them to escape.

A few stepped back a bit, perhaps hit with there on silliness. “You are all fools to even believe such things. If I am a witch then what evils have I preformed?” The men fell silent.

One young man from the back of the mob stepped forward. He had fair hair and carried a silver colored bow.” She is right.” He said. ”What harm has she ever done us? I came in order to stop my father from making a fool of himself,” He looked over at the man who had caught me. “I see that I am too late. Leave her and return to your work is what I say.” With that he turned and left. Some other boys his age followed, along with some rather sheepish looking men.

The others waited for the boy to be out of sight; then attacked. I had no time to realize what was happening as the men grabbed and carried me from the house. They started to tie me up and I had one last glimpse of the house.

A fair-haired boy with a silver bow stood in front of it watching sadly. I struggled as the men bound me hand and foot.

************************************************

Never had I been so terrified in all my life. Spears, clubs and swords were pointing at me from all directions as we walked towards town. Once there a lot of the people came out of their shops and cheered the mob on. Several times I glimpsed the fair-haired boy watching from the crowd with his bow in hand.

It was decided that I would be burned at the stake that evening, when the sun was still up. Supposedly it was best time to do it because the sun would minimize my power before darkness came. I cursed the people for their superstitious ways; not that I really cared how I died, I preferred not to be killed at all but I couldn’t see of a way out of this mess.

So that afternoon I was publicly fogged and tied to the stake that I was to die on that night. I wondered what would become of my Father. As the father of a witch, he would have to face circumstances too. Though as I looked around me at the piles of wood at my feet I figured he would fare much better than I.
I stared at the scene with tearless eyes – not because I was brave but because I was dazed - as I waited for that evening to come.

That time came far more quickly than I wished it, as a crowd of town’s people and curious travelers gathered beneath the red sky. No doubt most of them were eager to witness the death of a real live witch.

Several of them yelled things like, “You’ll have to try better than that to get away, witch!” and “She’s a young one, isn’t she? Evil comes in every size I suppose.” They said other things that I wont dare to repeat as the judge and the executioner stepped forward.
The Judge sneered and slapped my face. I recoiled and he laughed. He waved a hand to the executioner and addressed the audience.

“Towns people, we have come together to witness the death of this evil that plagues our town. It has lived for to long and is now to be punished according to our laws.” The man was nearly shouting to be heard over the din. His voice faded in my mind and then stopped all together.

The executioner stepped forward. He was a giant of a man and wore black clothes. At his side was a black battle axe and in his hand was a torch. Around his neck swung a dozen of necklaces and charms. He looks more like a witch than me. I thought bitterly.

He lit his huge torch and leaned close to me. His brown eyes stared into mine. He touched my cheek and fingered a lock of my black hair and I shrank back from his hand. He opened a mouth of disgusting, yellow teeth –Its funny what you notice when you’re about to die- and spoke.” Say goodbye, little witch.” He whispered in a guttural voice. His foul breath sickened me as much as his words. Laughing, he rose to his full height and swung his arm backwards in preparation to fling the torch.

But even in that tenth of a second I wondered, how hard to they really try to make the executioners ugly and mean?

Now that might have been my last thought and it might have been the end but it wasn’t. Because it was that one insignificant thought that made everything pause. That made me see the baker with flower stains on his apron, and the tailor with his scissors in hand, and the fair-haired boy with his silver bow drawn.

The executioner swung and the arrow flew. The broken handle of the torch bounced harmlessly onto my leg as the tip of it rolled in the dirt, extinguishing the flames. There was a gasp and a yell of surprise and outrage from the executioner. He reached forward with one hand and wrenched the stake from the ground. I screamed as he brought out his axe in the other.” If I cant burn you I’ll cut you in half!” He yelled.

He swung again

Two silver arrows streaked forward and struck both his hands. He cried out in pain and dropped the stake.

It was mass chaos as the crowd streamed forward, each of them eager to silence the girl who had evaded death twice.

As they piled on top of each other yelling none seemed to realize that I was untied and running for my life. My mysterious friend kept anyone from following for a long time, namely until I was out side of town, running for the mountains towards the Thayl river and its great waterfall.

************************************************

I had just managed to find a narrow enough place in the river to cross when Blackclaw found me. I told him of all the recent events, complete with the part of me almost getting my head chopped off. I didn’t mention how un-loyal it was for him to run and leave in my time of need, because chances are the he wouldn’t understand anyway.

“Fleek!” He screeched in my ear. “You were almost killed! I told you, Laralara, I told you!”

“Yes you did and thanks for the warning, I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you better.” I apologized. “How did you find me any way?”

“Reel! Blackclaw followed you from little town.” He answered simply.

“Would you stop doing that? It’s starting to get on my nerves.”

“Leet-lee. What?” He asked, oblivious.

“That!” I cried. ”When you chirp before you talk, it’s really annoying.” I insisted. Blackclaw looked insulted.

“Freer! Blackclaw always does that, all birds do. “

“Oh, never mind. Do you know of a safe place for me to stay for a while? Preferably where there are no ‘witch’ hating people who want to kill me?” Blackclaw cocked his little head in thought as I continued up the slope I was climbing.

“Only one.” He replied slowly. He looked at me, his beady black eyes seemed uncertain.” But it’s in the Forest. No humans like Laralara go there. It has King; he is good but doesn’t like Blackclaw.”

“Still it sounds like the best, where is it?” I had just asked this when I heard the faint sound of braying. I turned and saw a group of men and hunting dogs exiting the village. Here we go again… I thought. Blackclaw still seemed cautious about my decision.

“Laralara-. “ He began.

“No Blackclaw!” I shouted. “I have to go now!” The bird looked and saw the hunters below.

“Alright.” He said.

He quickly gave me directions and handed me my pack which he had found and brought. I hurriedly emptied the heavier items and left only some food a knife and a flint stone.

“Goodbye Blackclaw.” I told him quietly

“Goodbye Laralara” He said. I took off running as he called out “Fly Go! Fly Go!”

I ran, wondering about the strange events and the boy who had saved my life.