She could hear the sound of water falling all about her as her consciousness returned. The earth underneath her was damp and covered with moss. A light breeze played with her short tresses of dark hair. And... there were claws in her chest?
Green eyes blinked open and looked down the length of her nose only to be greeted with a loud--
CROOOOAAAAK!!!
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA--! ... Oh, goodness, it's just a bird."
Said bird was in fact a rather large raven with glossy black feathers and beady eyes. It climbed over one side of her chest, looking very prideful and, perhaps, a little miffed at the, in his opinion, less-than-satisfactory greeting. It attempted to flap its wings to further show its displeasure, but seemed to stop short, letting out a quieter croak of pain.
Finchley, meanwhile, pulled herself into a sitting position, wincing at the slight pain on the side of her head, and looked about the place. It was sort of like a grotto, if she had to guess, hemmed in on all sides by stone and waterfall, only the open sky, perfectly blue with a few clouds drifting by, could be seen up above her. Here and there were also willow trees of a slightly smaller variety than what she saw in her... dream?
Or was it a dream?
The woman looked about herself, right and left, searching for the strange blue lady she vividly recalled seeing. Or did she truly see her at all? Was any of what she dreamed real? Was it all just something her head made up? A result of getting clocked in her temple quite hard?
Her search and thoughts were cut short by insistent pecking at her boot. Someone clearly wanted attention.
"Oi, don't go puttin' holes in my boots now."
That only earned her an indignant croak and another failed flapping of wings from the raven. She shifted until she was properly kneeling down by the feathered creature and extended a hand towards it. The raven looked between her hand and her face, as if doubtful of her intentions.
"Look now, I ain't gonna hurt you. Just wanna see what you've gone and done to your wing there. Cross my heart an' all."
After awhile the raven seemed to decide that there was nothing for it but to submit to the odd woman's inspections, even going as far as to turn the affected wing towards her. He kept his beady eyes on her though, ready to make his displeasure known should she try anything - not that she ever thought of doing such a thing, of course.
Finchley treated the bird with exemplary gentleness and care, not jostling the wing or ruffling too many feathers.
"Well, I ain't a bird expert but it looks like you've gone and broken it... Or, somethin' else did."
That earned her another croak and a very person-like nod of his head.
Then, suddenly, she felt as if there were eyes on her back. She looked about herself again - left and right - and still could see no one there. The raven on the other hand seemed to sense something too, though he looked less than puzzled by it. Again, Finchley extended her hand to it, palm up this time.
"...I think, perhaps we've overstayed our welcome here, wherever this is. You can come with me if you like. I ain't an expert but I've got a friend who I'm willin' to bet knows what to do. Your choice."
The raven stared at her with those beady, dark eyes for a short moment before promptly hopping into her hand, talons latching onto her wrist. She gave him a smile before standing upright, pulling him with her and moving to settle him on her shoulder. She winced a little at both the slight pain in her head and the feel of the raven digging it's claws into her shoulder. With that all said and done, Finchley stepped towards the tunnel that she hoped lead to the way out, but not before turning, giving the place one last glance over, and dipping in what she hoped was a respectful looking bow for whoever it was that was watching her. And she was certain there was someone there but, for some reason, she didn't find the odd presence fearsome. Only unsettling.
Bird and woman made their way through the tunnel until they were greeted with the sight of a waterfall obscuring the exit. Finchley took the raven into her arms, pulling him towards her midsection, and bent over him as she stepped through, earning herself a small croak of protest from the raven. Once outside under the open air again, she stepped into what was the equivalent of a pond, the water going up to her knees.
"... Well, don't go to a lake unless you're ready to spend your time soaked, I suppose."
She made her way as quickly as possible through the pond, stepping over fallen tree trunks and natural debris, towards where the high walls of mossy rock gave way to another exit. At last, she saw the wide expanse of Lake Evendim laid out before her. And... a boat resting upside down on the ground nearby.
Finchley grinned as bright as the sun at dawn!
"What luck! Looks like I don't have to worry 'bout you standin' on my head or somethin' while I swim."
The raven gave another croak as she settled him back on her shoulder once more. He looked a little like he might've enjoyed using her as a human ferry. Pity.
The adventurer stepped over to the boat and heaved it into it's proper, right-side-up position and then began to push it towards the water, picking up a paddle from where it lay on the ground nearby. She could see a familiar, small island in the distance.
"Just you wait; Mister Dewitt'll know what to do with you," she remarked, pushing the boat into the water and then skillfully leaping into it, causing it to glide away from the land and further out onto the lake.
(to be continued)
