Raven Interview

Ceder Creek Falls Petite Jean Mountain State Park, in West Central Arkansas  

Note to the reader:  If you would like to see an image of the actual falls where this interview took place please click on the link above.  There will be no doubt in your mind why I decided to do the interview where I did.

To understand Raven you have to understand Petite Jean Mountain.  It isn’t really her home.  In fact she never really knew anything about it until she came to the human world with Tyri.  But, having been there now several times and knowing the story behind the mountain.  It has become her favorite place.  The fact she would hide here during the day to stay away from Hayden says a lot about who she is as a person.

The mountain itself is a unique mound of earth somewhere between the lower edge of the Ozarks and the upper edge of the Ouachita mountain range deep in the heart of West Central Arkansas.  From its peak you can see the Arkansas River flowing lazily around its base, weaving in and out of the farmers’ fields.  Typically they are planted with corn, rice, soybeans, or some other grass crop like wheat or hay.  As I stand on the walkway overlooking the cliffs edge, I can barely make out the river now.  Safety has become the name of the game in the past fifteen years or so. 

A young single mother stepped out to far onto a rock and found herself falling to her death another soul stolen by the mountain.  The fact she left behind a son with no family to speak of, was the last straw and the safety rails and walkways were put into place.  I smile as I see a couple of teenagers slipping under the railing to get a closer look at the river.  This place was meant for the risk of life and limb not for safety and precaution.  Anyone who comes here knows that for all its green forested beauty this mountain likes death. 

In fact that very message is imbedded into its name, Petite Jean.  Petite Jean was a French woman who dressed up like a young man so she could come to the new world with the man she loved.  She fell ill before the journey was over and requested that should she die, they bring her back to this mountain she loved so much and bury her at its peak.  I glance over to the path down to her grave only a few yards from where I stand now and can’t help but smile in understanding.  I grew up; with the rocks she loved so much, under my feet.  Even knowing the danger they posed and my own fear of heights the wooden slats under them now just seem wrong. 

Pulling myself from my thoughts, I notice that the sun has started its downward spiral towards the horizon.  I had to wait till after high noon to head down to Cedar Falls, deep in the canyon that makes this mountain such a huge point of interest to geologists.  It’s the only mountain in the world with a canyon at the top.  The shadows will be darker by the falls.  But, it’s a long hike past the bear caves and the footprints frozen in the stone, a constant reminder of the great beasts that roamed this world long before the humans, or any other human like creature ever found it. 

I head off aware that a shadow is following me.  But, up here you can never be sure if it’s a true shadow, a horde shadow, or a ghost of some human long since passed.  Hubby is waiting in the car and drives me down the hill, then past the lodge and visitors center to the entrance of the trail.  He wants to go with me but knows I need to make this journey on my own. 

As much as I would love to give you the details of my hike and how stupid it is to hike this trail by yourself, I know this is supposed to be about Raven, so let’s just say it took me a good hour to get to the bottom by myself and I didn’t stop to smell the roses.

Raven in her buck skin dress and bare feet is squatted down next to the pool of water under the falls.  It’s shimmering water spraying onto the vegetation and rocks at its edges.  Her long straight black hair that normally falls well down her back, curling gently just at the ends, is curled now around her side enhancing her figure as much as the tight buckskin dress. 

Raven:  You’re late

Me:  You try coming down that trail in human form, then tell me I’m late.

I stop, leaning against one of the trees at the end of the trail, trying to catch my breath.  Raven laughs at me and goes back to her inspection of the water’s edge.  I know she’s giving me time to recover and while I stand there I wonder how in the heck I’m going to make the climb back up by myself.  It was then that the feeling of being watched fell over me.  I glanced around and saw a very familiar bear wandering around.  I supposed he was there to help me find an easier way back to the top, but I doubted there was one. 

Raven: You ready yet?

Me: Not as young as I use to be.  Okay, let’s get started.

I wander over and take a seat on one of the dryer rocks and smile to the shadow.  The first time I ever saw her flashing through my mind as I remembered talking to the wall in my bedroom confusing my mother to no end.

Raven:  You know those boys you were always talking too… Those were ghosts from that places long distant past not shadows. 

I smile knowing exactly who she was talking about. 

Me:  I prefer to think of them as guardian spirits and leave it at that. 

She laughs and takes a seat next to me, positioning her body prone in a fashion that would allow for leaping up into a defensive position if necessary. 

Me: So, if Shaila is the assassin, Tyri is the future warrior Queen and  Tenanye is the sleeping queen… Who are you?

Raven:  I’m Raven.

I have to laugh as the light catches a stone under the water making it glitter.  The glittering wasn’t what was funny of course.  What was funny was how it caught her attention and held it.  Her expression turning into one of rapped enthusiasm.  My laughter was at the understanding of exactly where the name Raven came from.  Though, I had to wonder, if magpie wouldn’t fit her just as well.

This gives me a chance to really study her face.  Her eyes are slightly deep set with a long straight nose.  Her high cheek bones and rounded jawline blend well with her darker coloring.  Her long tapered fingers flittered into the water catching hold of the glittering stone.  Her smile turned to a frown as she realized that the stone would only glitter that way in the spray of the waterfall.  Tossing it back into the water she turned her focus back onto me.

Raven:  Okay, so I am hunter/gather and spy extraordinaire.  I’m not the warrior Tyri is or the killer Shaila is.  I’m not the skilled leader that Tenanye is.  What I am is someone who follows tracks well, can find any kind of supplies we might need even in the most unlikely of places and when it comes to information, I am better than Shaila.  No matter how tricky she is, because I won’t lose my cool and attack someone.  I’m just there to render the useful info from the fat of the gossip so to speak.

Me:  Do all shadows look Native American?

Raven:  We prefer the look, especially when we are here on what was once their sacred land.  We even prefer their names to those that are more common among the Fae and Elves.  After all, we are neither Fae nor elf.  We were here long before they or the first humans were brought into being.  Only back then we could only take the shapes of animals and plants because that’s all there was to mimic.  We have a close affinity to the humans you call Native Americans.  We appreciate their love of the earth and all its glory.

Me:  So, let’s talk about Hayden.

Raven: Let’s not

Me: Oh come on.  You have to know he isn’t like that other vampire.  I didn’t even bother giving that one a name. 

Raven laughs softly. The melodic sound tinkling and blending with the waterfall until it’s hard to tell which is which.

Raven:  Oh yeah, I know Haden is different.  Then he goes and does something like drink from that woman right in front of me.

Me:  Really?  That’s the hold up?  You don’t like his food supply?  He didn’t kill her.  He was injured.  He had no choice.  What would you have preferred him do?

Raven:  Let me leave first.  Or…

Me: Or what?

Raven: never mind.

I watch as the blush crawls up her cheeks and can’t help but laugh again myself.
Me: Your pissed he didn’t pick you aren’t you?

Raven: I am not!

The only way she could have made it any more obvious I was right is if she stood up, stomped her foot and crossed her arms over her chest.

Me: Raven we still don’t know what will happen when a real vampire feeds off a shadow.  We know that it makes the horde vampires extremely ill.  We have to save that kind of revelation for times when he is uninjured and not in need of blood to heal.

Raven: I know. Doesn’t mean I have to like it.

I laugh again shaking my head at her stubbornness, when I hear a growl coming from behind me.  Looking over my shoulder I see Shaila, and that same dang bear standing by the entrance to the trail.  It takes me a minute to realize Ulric is there as well and hot footing it for the tree line to the left of the falls.  Raven’s quick glance has her ghosting in that direction as well.  It is only then I notice that there is only about an hour of daylight left and it’s probably going to take me two to climb back out of this canyon. 

Knowing I have stayed all I can and that Raven won’t be giving me another chance to talk to her about Hayden or even to say goodbye.  I turn and head back to the trail and what is obviously going to be my own personal honor guard. 

The climb out took every bit of the light that we had left and I am going to be sore for a week.  But, I’m glad we did it by the falls.  The perfect setting for the perfect friend.