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

a small smile. Larissa could not help but hug her little sister. She took the pistol and slid it into the waist of her pants, before sticking the box in a pocket.
“You need to go. Thank you, Little Falcon. And don’t fret over me. I’ll be alright.” She kissed her sister’s forehead before she moved to the window, spreading her arms. She felt the shiver up her spine, as she always did when the change took her over. Fine silver and purple feathers covered her arms, until her entire body was covered with them. Fingernails turned into sharp talons, while her face shrunk and mutated, her nose and mouth forming into one solid and deadly beak. As the change finished, a loud screech escaped her beak, a battle cry. She jumped from the window then, spreading her wings to take flight. The air caught, and she began to glide, higher into the air so she could see the battle below. Pistols were firing from every direction, and she could hear the clash of metal as she grew near.
The first thing she saw with her Falcon eyes were the two Lanther brothers, engaged in hand-to-hand combat. Xavier was throwing punches like a mad man, but Rafael was dodging each one of them, ducking and turning just before his brother’s fist tried to connect. The human inside Larissa smiled as she landed in the gardens, quickly shifting back into her normal form. As soon as all of the feathers faded from her body, she pulled the pistol, getting it ready. She made sure it was fully loaded and cocked it, before she ran through the gates, stopping at the edge of them. “You! Lad! Go to the left! The men are failing!” Rafe’s voice reached Larissa’s ears, and she called back a quick “Yes sir.” Before running to the left, seeing the chaos. The stable boy was on the ground, bleeding to death, a bullet wound to his stomach, as well as two or three cuts on his arms. She whispered a small prayer for him before she aimed the pistol. It was not hard to place Xavier’s men, they all wore bright blue, the color of the Lanther family, and they were fighting her friends. As soon as she saw blue, she fired. The first man went down, blood seeping from the wound in his head, the second was not so easy. She fired at him, the bullet veering and making its home in the man’s stomach. She cursed silently before firing two more rounds, not bothering to check if he was dead or not. Her men would take care of that.
She scanned the area, her men were getting stronger. It seemed as if their aim was getting better, more of the enemy going down every second. She should have had a backup man, though, for she did not see the male sneaking up behind her until his bullet was through her arm. She fell, feeling the blood pour from her. She looked up, to see Xavier Lanther standing over her. He fired a second time, this bullet landing in her leg. She gave the most masculine scream she could conjure before the world around her slowly faded.
9
Bright violet eyes slowly blinked open, noting the bright sun above her head. Larissa turned her head away from the offending star, cursing to herself. “Easy, lad. You’ve been badly injured, try not to move.” Rafe’s voice filled her ears, but she did not look to him. If he saw her eyes, he would know. She noticed that the ground was hard, and covered with leaves instead of grass. Trees were sprouting everywhere, some already fully grown. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. “Hey. You have to take it easy.” Larissa turned her head from left to right, trying to ask a question without speaking. “Oh. We’re in the woods just beyond the Manor’s borders. There were too many injured to put in the infirmary and guest rooms, so we set up a tent out here.” Larissa gave a nod before she tried to sit up. Rafe tried to hold her back, but she shook her head, biting through the pain. Her vision blinked out for a moment before she regained it, looking around at the woods. There were only two other people on the ground next to her, and she recognized them both.
“Philippe! Nicolette!” She had finally found her voice as she jumped up, ignoring the pain and the fact that she had to crawl to them. Both of the children lay unconscious on the ground, their skin was pale, eyes closed. “What were you two thinking?” She whispered softly. At those words, her brother’s eyes opened slowly.
“Had to…be like father. She wouldn’t…Leave me by myself.” That was the last time she heard her brother’s voice, and her sister did not open her eyes again. Larissa bit back a curse, her eyes filling with tears. “Foolish children…” She shook her head, the tears refusing to spill, until she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Larissa…I told you to stay behind. You could’ve gotten yourself killed.” Rafe’s voice was calm, and full of concern. The simple sound of his voice allowed the tears to fall, her good arm wrapping the male. He placed a hand on the back of her head and simply held her. “I had to get you out of there. The men were doing fine, Xavier was retreating. But…I saw you, and your siblings, and had to get you out. I’m sorry I could not save them.” There was pure remorse in his voice as he spoke, which only made Larissa cry harder. Rafael simply held her, then, letting her cry.
“Thank you, Rafe. You risked your life for me, now I shall do the same for you.” She winced as she pulled away from him, standing on both of her legs. Pain shot up her wounded leg, and through the arm as well. “I heal better when I’m not in this form.” She could see Rafe’s confusion at her words, but she simply shook her head. She reached up with her good hand, pulling off her hat, letting all of her hair fall. Her purple and blue tinted bangs fell into her eyes, making Rafe gasp. “For generations, our family has kept a secret. I feel you are trustworthy enough to know.” Her words ended as the ripple went up her spine, the change taking her over. In mere seconds, Larissa the human was gone, and Larissa the Falcon was standing on the ground before Rafael, blood pooling from its leg and wing. The wounds slowly closed, though, all signs of injury gone.
As Larissa changed back, completely unharmed, Rafe was unable to speak. “Y…You’re…” He simply shook his head before he ran to the woman, hugging her tightly. “I hoped it was you, Larissa. I hoped it was you.” He whispered his words into her hair as she hugged him, back, trying, once again, not to cry. He did not hate her. He had not run from her in terror or confusion. She pulled away from him slowly, sniffling slightly as she looked at him.
“I wanted to tell you, Rafael. You took such good care of me when I was the Falcon. You cared for me a great deal. The compassion you showed me made me never want to leave your side.” Her voice came out just above a whisper, but she saw him smile, and knew he had heard her.
“When we return to the manor, once the men are tended to, we will announce our engagement. I would love to have you as my wife, Larissa.” The smile on his face was genuine, and it matched Larissa’s.
“I would love nothing more as well. But first, we must grieve. We lost many good men this day, as well as bright and shining children. We must honor them.” Rafe nodded in agreement before he looked to the sky.
“The sun is going down. We shall take the bodies back to the manor, and allow your mother her final good-bye’s.” Larissa bit her lip at the words, but nodded. She bent down, scooping her younger sister into her arms, while Rafe picked Philippe off of the harsh ground. He flung the boy over his shoulder, placed an arm around Larissa’s shoulder, and started the trek back to the Manor.
10
The sobs of Rebecca could be heard throughout the dining hall. The tables had been pushed aside, caskets now lining the floors. Two larger caskets sat at the front, raised by tables. Flowers of every sort covered them, as well as other gifts. Rebecca stood between them, sobbing loudly. Larissa and Sienna stood at either side of their mother, each having an arm around her. Rafe stood in front of the trio, his face solemn, but his voice still strong. “Today, we are not here to grieve. We are here to celebrate. Celebrate the lives these fine people had. Celebrate their achievements and honor their legacies. They died protecting an innocent family, who was wrongly attacked. Celebrate their bravery, and the love they held for the remaining members of this family.” He bowed his head, everyone around him doing the same. A priest came to stand beside Rafe, leading the room in a final prayer. When he was finished speaking, the caskets were taken out into the grounds. The men were buried in the Manor cemetery, but Rebecca held a special request for her children. They group took the two remaining caskets into the garden. Two graves had already been dug, and they lowered the children down into them. Rebecca’s sobs started once more, but Larissa and Sienna stood as statues. They were strong. They would not show emotion. They would be strong for those who were left. They would make sure this never happened again. No more innocents needed to die.
11
Three weeks had gone by since they had buried the dead. Three weeks and Rebecca still refused to come out of her bedroom. Larissa and Rafe had announced their engagement, which had the entire house, save for Rebecca, preparing for a celebration. Larissa was pacing in her room when she heard a knock at her door. “Enter.” She was too busy gathering her clothes to notice that the footsteps were familiar, too familiar. As she was putting a dress into her bag, she froze, a chilling voice flowing into her ears.
“You’ve showed me a lot of disrespect, you little bitch.” Xavier Lanther stood behind her, his arms crossed, voice harsh. Larissa turned slowly, facing the man. She noticed something dangling from his hand, and her eyes widened. A rope. “Agreeing to marry my brother? That was a bold move. But you’re going to wish you’d never done it.” He advanced then, kicking her in the ribs. She gasped, her breath leaving her, and crumpled to the ground. She tried to stand, but his placed his foot on her back, holding her there. “I don’t think so. You’re going to come with me. And we’re getting married, as it was planned.” He growled out at her. Larissa felt the rope around her wrists, the cords cutting into her skin. “You’ll wish you were never born.” He hissed into her ear as he hauled her up, grabbing her hair to pull her head back. “Here comes the bride.” His voice was full of spite as he led her into the servants tunnels, which were now unoccupied due to the lack of staff from the battle.
12
Her feet felt as if they would fall from her body. Three days they had been walking in the forest. They had not slept, and Xavier refused to feed her. “Lord Xavier. She looks weak. She will not be able to bare children if she is in poor condition.” Marcus, Xavier’s personal