• Chapter two...
    Getting to Marsh Lake
    Day One



    This creatures had the body shape of a man, the head of a crow, hands with sharp talons, his body was covered in feathers, from his knees to his feet the feathers changed to look like ravens feet, but they were normal sized, and sticking out of his back where two giant black wings.

    "He's a goblin, and by the looks of him he's a pure blooded one." Willow placed her hand on his neck trying to find a pulse.

    Something started moving from behind them. Loki glanced over his shoulder and saw the other man running away. He chuckled as the man stumbled and fell again. Looking back Loki saw the raven man stand up holding her head.

    "Thank you both, I owe you both my life. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Raven Blackwing." For not having a mouth he spoke very well.

    "You don't have to thank us, we were just happy to help. Right Loki?" Willow said as she helped Raven stand.

    Raven, after a moment was able to stand on his own. Loki couldnt get over the fact that he had a beak. Now that he could stand Willow walked back over to where Loki was standing. Raven stretched and winced when he raised his hand too high.

    "How bad did they hurt you?" Loki asked concerned.

    "Its not as bad as it looks but it does hurt, I was on my way to Marsh Lake when they had attacked me. Many people see a Goblin and they just attack." Raven explained as he rubbed his shoulder.

    "Thats where we're going, well we're going to be going through there. I'm taking Loki here to the Northern Kingdom." Loki knew where she was going with this. "Why don't we travel together to the Lake?" Willow asked looking at the both of them.

    "I think thats a good idea, there is safety in numbers after all."Loki was happy to see the smile on her face get bigger as he spoke.

    Though the beak made it hard to tell if Raven was smiling his eyes said it all, he was excited to have people to travel with.

    "Id like that, Iv been traveling by myself for a long time and having someone to talk to would be a welcomed change, not to mention I still owe you both." Raven looked around on the ground till he found a pile of cloth. It was a nap sack that he flung over his shoulder.

    Taking a moment to look around as the others talked Loki saw the forest to his left, fields to his right,and the dirt road they were on stretched out as far as he could see. Wind made the wheat fields move, and it looked like a golden ocean. Loki lost his train of thought as he started remembering people screaming and being surrounded by water. These images made his head hurt but he couldnt stop thinking about them. Loki was brought back when he felt someone touching his arm. Shaking out of the memory Loki saw Willow's hand on him.

    "Loki, are you ok? You look like you just saw a ghost." She asked looking over the area he had been looking at.

    "Im ok, i was just remembering something. I don't think it was a good memory though." Loki smiled shaking off the memory.

    "Well if your sure, then lets get walking." Willow was in a good mood.

    Loki liked her free sperit, as she did a little skip past him and started down the road. Raven and Loki fallowed both smiling at her.

    "So what are you two going to be doing in the north?" Raven asked looking over at Loki.

    "Well you see, I'v seam to have lost the memories of who I am. I awoke this morning in the woods. Willow had found me and told me that I came from the north so that's why we're going. What about you, where are you heading?" He explained.

    "There's a village of Goblins like me under Marsh Lake, and with this war... There's not many places for me out there." Loki and Willow could hear the sadness in his voice.

    "What war?" When Loki asked both Raven and Willow stopped in there tracks and stared at him.

    "Loki, your telling me you don't remember the war that's been going on for almost fifteen years." Willow couldn't believe what she was explaining.

    Loki continued walking and they had to jog to catch up to him.

    "Like I said earlier, the only thing I really remember is my name. And to be honest I don't even know if that's my name. So no I don't know anything about this war." When he was done speaking Loki looked up at the sky. It would be dark soon.

    "This war was started by a man named Garth, he was once a goblin like me, he was a tiger though. But he sued ancient dark magic to deform our kind. He took the parts of the goblins he liked and made a new kind of goblin. They were made to be stronger, faster, and deadlier. But in doing do made then horribly deformed." Raven stopped when he saw that all of this was new to Loki.

    ~If you ask me he's lucky to not reminder any of it.~

    "Why would you say that?" Loki asked Raven.

    "Why would I say what?" Raven was confused with his question.

    "Never mind, I was just mistaken." Loki said remembering back to when Willow had acted the same way.

    "It's going to be getting dark soon, I know there's a cave near the river, we can stay there tonight. But it's going to take another hour to get there though." Willow said pointing down the road.

    "That sounds like a good plain to me. What to you think Raven?" Loki asked.

    "I can sleep just about anywhere. But I must warn you sometimes I talk in my sleep." Raven said with a laugh.

    Walking next to Willow Loki was having a hard time not staring at her. Her hair looked like it was on fire with the way the sun the setting. Her black long pants left much to the imagination. Loki could tell she was in good shape backed on how she swung around.

    "So Willow, how do you swing around like you do?" Loki had been wondering for a while now.

    "It's really easy to do once you get the hang of it," Willow pulled up her right sleeve reveling a metal device that covered most of her arm. It started at her wrist and went up just past her elbow. "There's a wire that pulls the rope back into it, all I have to do it pull it out and wrap it around something. And I just yank on it and I get pulled along with it. It's the only think I have from my parents."

    "It's amazing, I don't think Iv sean anything like it before." Loki said.

    "I'v never seen one ether and I have all my memories, haha." Raven said giving Loki a pat on the back.

    "Do you have family under Marsh Lake?" Willow asked Raven.

    "No, I'm just hoping to find a place to live. The village in the mountain where I use to live was burnt down, few of us survived the fire. And the ones that did all left." Raven could still remember the fires and how he had barley made it out.

    "My friend your over do for some good luck." Loki placed his hand on Ravens shoulder.

    As they walked along the road Loki could hear the sound of water funning. Looking over past Willow to his right he could see a river about five foot wide just behind the tree line. They must be getting close to the cave Willow was talking about. Just then Willow took off running, she didn't get far before stopping to look back at them.

    "The cave is just over there." She said pointing across the river.

    Willow pulled out her rope, and swung over to the other side with no problem. Once Loki cough up to her he imagined himself on the other side of the river and in no time was standing once again me t to Willow. Raven jumped high in the air and opened his wings and glided over the river.

    "We should get a fire going. And get something to eat." Willow liked to take charge, and they where both fine with that.

    "I have a fishing pole, I'll go get us some dinner." Raven offered.

    And with in an hour the three of them were sitting around the camp fire waiting on the fish Raven had caught.

    "I still can't believe you caught all of these." Loki said looking down at the nine fish.

    "Well my mom and I love sea food and so we'd go fishing a lot." Raven said turning his fish so they wouldn't burn.

    The cave they were in wasn't to big. It only went in about ten feet but gave then all plenty of room to stretch out. Raven had laid down and fell asleep with in five minuets.

    "I can't blame him, after what's he's been through today, he must be warn out." Willow said glancing over from Loki to Raven.

    "Your probable right." Loki agreed with her. "We should get some sleep too, we've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow." Loki stretched out on the ground placing his hands behind his head.

    "Yeah we should, we'll be walking all day tomorrow and most of the next to get there. And once we do we'll have to get on a boat to take us across the lake." Willow had started muttering to herself trying to work things out. But Loki didn't hear much of it because he too fell asleep.

    ***

    "Um.... Loki are you awake?" Loki awoke to Willow leaning over him holding her arms and rubbing them.

    The fire was out and Loki could feel that it was cold but it didn't bother him.

    "Is something wrong?" Loki said sitting up on his elbow.

    "Well, not really its just... I'm cold and ant find the flint rocks in the dark. Can you help me?" Willows teeth where chattering.

    Loki stood and pulled off his long coat and wrapped it around her arms. It was warm from his body heat. Willow pulled the coat tightly around her as Loki looked for the rocks. It took him a few minuets but finely found them and started the fire back up.

    Then he sat next to Willow with his back on the wall. She offered him his coat back but he just shook his head.

    "You use it, the cold doesn't bother me." Loki said smiling at her.

    "We could share it." Willow offered.

    She was having a hard time looking at him. She know he had a good body but now that he didn't have the coat on she could really take a look. His tight green shirt showed off her body. The sleeves came down almost to his elbow and like the rest of his shirt they where tight. His hair was slicked back and he was smiling at her. His green eyes glowed in the light of the fire.

    "Willow." Loki said in a whisper.

    "Sorry." She quickly said looking away.

    Loki reached out and pulled her onto his lap. Her heart was pounding as he took the coat and laid it over the both of them. She could feel his heart, it was beating as fast as hers was. Loki rested his right hand lightly on her hip and the other one on the ground. Willow really hopped he wouldn't move his hand.

    Loki tilted his head to whisper in her ear. When he spoke the heat from his breath send shivers down her spine.

    "Good night Willow." His voice washed over her and she felt her face go red.

    "Sleep well Loki." Willow said closing her eyes.