The Falcon's Begining by Charlene Toomey (best management books of all time .TXT) 📕

1
Dark violet silk clung to fair skin, pale as the morning light, sticking due to the water from a shining river. Pure silver hair, with a hint of blue at the bangs, clung to the side of a slim face, though the ends were splayed out in the water. “Miss Larissa?” The woman in the water heard the voice shouting to her, but she did not want to rise. Dainty hands combed through the water around her, before the voice came again. “Larissa! Oh! Please be out here!” Small, almost pouty, lips released a soft sigh as Larissa sat up in the water, letting the drips fall down her back from her hair. She stood then, looking towards the woods, only to see a small figure lurking beneath branches.
“I’m here, Lynette, fear not.” Larissa spoke simply, reaching up to attempt to ring out her silver locks. The figure gave a happy shout before jogging to the bank of the river. She was mumbling nonsense, causing Larissa to roll her eyes slightly, meeting her as she climbed out of the water. “Now, now. Calm yourself, Lynette. I’m perfectly fine. Now, what is so important that I must be called from my silence?” She asked in her gentle, yet regal voice, holding her head high, even though her hair was weighing it down a great deal.
Lynette bit down on her bottom lip, her hands twining together in her usual nervous habit. Larissa raised an eyebrow as she grabbed the black cloak she had hung from the nearest tree. Wrapping it around her shoulders, she turned to Lynette with an annoyed expression on her face. “W…Well…Your mother wishes you back at the Manor, Mistress. L…Lord Xavier is arriving in mere minutes.” Larissa had known the news, but she still groaned with annoyance when they escaped her maid’s lips. Xavier Lanther, Larissa’s betrothed was one of the most selfish, cruel, and all around horrible people she had ever met. She nodded, though, knowing that her mother would be furious if she missed the meeting with her betrothed, so she stepped next to her maid, nodding for her to lead the way. Lynette nodded her head and curtseyed slightly before turning towards the forest path. “The carriage is waiting just up the path, Mistress.”
As she walked, Larissa could not help but feel a bit weary of her only maid of the day. Lynette was normally a bit shy, but she was never so nervous. Something was not right, but she just could not get it in her head what it was. She walked slowly behind Lynette, the carriage coming into full view. A breath of relief escaped her lips when she realized that there was nothing of any sort of mystery, or so her mind thought anyways. A sound to her left made her jump back, running into Lynette. A large male broke through the brush while the maid fell against the forest floor. Larissa jumped back, stepping out of the way of the large man. She made sure to jump over the crumpled, unconscious form of her maid, and back towards the road. If the woods were full, the carriage was surely not safe; she had to find another way.
Larissa turned her head quickly, scoping the area behind her. Lynette was attempting to stand, and more men were joining the first. A soft, very unladylike curse escaped her lips as she lifted the hem of her dress and ran. She sprinted down the forest path, needing to get as far away from the men as possible before she could really take off. Her home was too far to run to, but not too far to fly. Legs would be weary after such a long journey, but wings, wings were another story. “Here birdie, birdie, birdie! Come out come out wherever you are!” The voice only pushed Larissa’s legs faster. No. No one could know. It was absolutely impossible, unless…Lynette. She was the only person who could have accidentally seen the shift. “Where’d ye go little lass? We won’t hurt ya!” The voices were getting louder, and Larissa was getting more frantic. There was no time to run. They already knew, might as well give them a show. With her next step she jumped into the air, her body shifting and changing in the blink of an eye. When the men broke through the trees, they did not see the Lady Larissa running for her life, they saw a pure silver, peregrine falcon floating higher and higher into the clouds, trying to get away from her attackers. The men were shocked, to say the least, but they were waiting for that. There were no falcons in this area, so it meant one thing, the Lady Larissa had switched her form. With that realization, the men pulled bows from their backs, each knocking an arrow into it. As one, they pulled back, aimed, and fired at the falcon.
Larissa heard the arrows before she saw them, she narrowly dodged the first, but the second lodged in her right wing, causing her to lose momentum. She knew she was nowhere close to the men now, but who knew how long it would take for someone to find her. While she was hurt, she could not shift out of her falcon form, so she would be helpless until someone, or something, came along. With that final thought in her mind, she tried to open her wings more, attempting to straighten herself out but faltering. She was falling, plummeting to the ground before she felt the force, which knocked the wind straight out of her, leaving the world around her black.
2
The gentle sound of wheels rolling against stone slowly brought Larissa back to life. She blinked a few times, surprised to notice that everything was much sharper than she was used to. When she tried to sit up, she realized, then, that she was still in her Falcon form. That was not all she realized. This was not her carriage, and she was in the lap of a strange male. A small squawk slipped past her beak, which made the male look down. Larissa looked up, getting a good look at him. His eyes were almost black, to match the color of his hair. “Well hullo there, Little Falcon.” The male spoke to her with a smile on his face. Larissa blinked her eyes and tried to move again, but he held her steady, shaking his head slightly. “Just wait a second, Little Falcon. You’re not well. You just lay back and relax for a while.” Larissa tensed for a moment, but relaxed into the male’s lap, not realizing that she and the male were not the only two in the back of the carriage.
“Rafe, you really should not get too attached to that thing. You know that horrible woman will not allow an animal in the house.” Larissa turned her small head to the other side of the carriage, having to control her urges to shout in shock when she saw that it was none other than Xavier Lanther, her betrothed. Though, if that was him, then her caretaker was the younger brother, Rafael. Already, she was starting to like Rafe more and more. Though, if Xavier was speaking of her, she would prove just how horrible she was not.
A groan came from Rafe, who gave a gentle pat to Larissa’s head, turning to face his brother. “She’s not that bad, brother! You’ve only spoken to her twice! All of that nonsense is what mother told you before she passed, you need to get to know her!” If Larissa had been in her human body, she would have smiled. She had only spoken to the younger Lanther once, but he was defending her as if they were child hood friends.
“And I suppose you know her?” When Rafe became speechless, Xavier gave a chuckle, turning his gaze out the window. “Just stay out of my affairs, brother, and keep quiet. We’re here.” The words made Larissa try to raise herself up once more, but Rafe still held tight. He held her carefully in his arms as the carriage door open. “Lady Rebecca! How wonderful to see you again, you radiate beauty as always.” Xavier already had Larissa’s mother’s hand pressed to his lips, a fake smile plastered on his face.
“Oh, Xavier, you flatter me so, but I’m afraid you came out here for nothing. You see, Larissa is bedridden, and the doctor said she should see no one.” The anger on Xavier’s face was evident, until Rafe stepped out of the carriage. He could the nervous look in Rebecca’s eyes, and smiled to ease her pain.
“We understand, Lady Rebecca, but…Might I ask to come in for a bit and use your medical supplies? We found this injured bird on the forest path, and I could not leave it to die.” Rebecca took one look at the Falcon in Rafe’s arm and gasped, quickly regaining her composure to nod.
“Of course, of course! Come right in! We actually have a recovery center upstairs, you both are welcome to stay as long as you like, please follow me.” Her words were quick, and Larissa knew that her mother was nervous, trying to stay calm about seeing her injured daughter in the arms of someone not her betrothed. She hid it well, though, leading the males into the house and up the stairs. The servants, left and right, bowed to the males, each hiding their shock about seeing the falcon with an arrow through its wing.
Rebecca opened the door to the spare room, which Larissa had used as an animal recovery center. She loved everything to do with animals, but now she found it funny that she was in her own clinic. “Just lay it down on the bed, there, and I’ll call for the doctor.” Rafe did as he was told, but Xavier stayed back at the door, leaning against the frame as he watched everyone. His arms crossed, but uncrossed quickly, when Rebecca turned towards him. “Xavier, can you be a dear and go grab the doctor from the guest room? It’s four doors down to your left.” He gave one of his famous fake smiles and nods before turning out the door to get the doctor.
“It’s odd, to see a falcon in these parts.” Rafe commented quietly as he laid Larissa down, making sure she did not try to move at all. Rebecca nodded her head softly, the worry etched on her face. “She’ll be alright, Lady Rebecca, I’m sure of it.” A smile was set on Rafe’s face as he began to stroke the soft feathers on Larissa’s head.
“Her? How…How do you know it’s a her?” The nerves were clear in Rebecca’s voice. The world would surely come to an end if anyone other than the house staff found out about Larissa’s secret. Her daughter would be ruined, most likely killed for the strange gift she was granted at birth. She did not want any of that for her daughter, so she needed them out, now.
“I just have a feeling, Ma’am.” He said simply before he turned to look at her. The Lady was perspiring, which was uncommon in such a well-known household for any Lady. “Are you alright?” He asked with a tilt of the head, only getting a nod from the woman. Rafe nodded in return before he removed his hand from Larissa’s head. “If you don’t mind me asking, I would like to stay until the Falcon is in full recovery. I promise I will not be a bother, I’ll help as much as I can.” Rebecca was about