Once Upon a Time, Ravens ruled Haven. No one knew where they came from, or how long they had ruled, but they were as much a part of the Snowy Woods as their subjects, the mice.
     On a dark winter night, with snow falling thick, a strange mouse came to the Snowy Woods. He saw the dark, huddled buildings loom through the thick snow, and staggered to the inn, marked as the only building with lights burning that late in the little hamlet of Haven.
     Mice were in the inn, the gathering place of Haven.They fell silent at the stranger's entrance. A while later, the whole hamlet was gathered to see the stranger. Little ones laughed and ran around, happy to be up past bedtime. Adults murmured and whispered, wondering. The terrible Great Beast never let strangers into Haven. So what was this mouse doing here? He told his name. Rowen the Storyteller. Novelty was instantly forgotten at the prospect of a new story in poor, isolated Haven. So Rowen settled down and the mice gathered close. His mouth opened and from his lips tumbled a tale. With great surprise, the mice realized that the tale he told was about Haven. But not a Haven they recognized. No, this place was a Haven before the time of Ravens. And what a Haven it was. It lived up to its name. There was no Great Beast, there was no constant snow. There was no poverty, no poor. No disappearing mice. Instead, there was summer! Bright, clean and clear. Haven was peaceful, beautiful, and bright. This story of Rowens, shocked the mice. It made them wonder why they lived like they did. Dangerous thoughts for mice of Haven. The story touched a certain young mouse. She was called Fayleen, and her heart was brave and strong. She believed Rowens story and felt he felt he told the truth. For a short span, she dreamed of a new life for the mice of Haven. However, her dream was cut short.
     Ravens, having heard of the arrival through the mouth of a certain traitorous spy of theirs, a mouse named Button, swooped in and took Rowen away. Fayleen protested that Rowen had done no harm. The Ravens, however, laughed and told her to mind her own business, or she would be flung into the Pits, a terrible . This threat was so dire, in hushed Fayleens mouth, but her spirit still burned and she was determined to discover more on what Rowen knew about the old Haven.
     So late that night, while all were asleep, she disguised herself with a hankerchief and a covered basket then tiptoed to the Raven keep. She knocked boldly on their door, then, playing meek, told them she was a simple mouse maid, coming to visit her grandfather, kept prisoner by the Ravens.
     The Ravens were uncertain, for the hour was late, but Fayleen, using the cold, said she wished to keep her grandfather warm with some soup she had made. So the Ravens let her in, there seemed nothing wrong, and through the halls of blackness, Fayleen was led. Down, down to the dungeons, where the prisoners were kept. The smell, so foul, almost knocked her dead. But on she went, begging leave from the Raven guard, to be alone for just a little while. Once alone, she searched, looking in each cell, for the storyteller, Rowen. What a heart-breaking sight met her searching eyes, for in each cell a pitiful wretch lay.
     Much to her relief, Fayleen soon found the storyteller, huddled in a cell, shivering from cold. As glad as he was to see Fayleen, he knew the danger she placed herself in by coming to the Ravens keep. He begged her to go, before it was too late, but Fayleen insisted she stay for she wanted to hear the what had happened to Haven. She wanted a reason why. So Rowen told her the story. The brave mice, so long ago, had fought valiently when the Ravens had come. But one by one, the mice had fallen, spirits borken by the Raven's assult. A single clan had fallen last, brave to the end. They were Fayleen's ancestors, the bravery a strong trait in their only heir.
     Fayleen was astounded. This history was nothing like she had been tought when young. The history she had learned was from the Ravens and documented how Haven had always been under their control. Her ancesters clamored for revenge in her heart. Rowen, upon seeing the fire in her eyes, cautioned her. He told her the only way to defeat the Ravens was to get help. The current mice of Haven, cowed for years by the Ravens, would not fight back. Fayleen must seek help elsewhere.
     Where could a single mouse go in a cold, harsh world?
     Why, into the Snowy Woods, of course. Rowen told her to find the Great Beast. The Great Beast could help her. Fayleen was astounded! Why would the Beast, who terrified Haven, help them?
     However, Rowen questioned her. Had she ever seen the Great Beast attack Haven? That made Fayleen pause and think. Yes, mice vanished mysteriously, which the Ravens blamed on the Great Beast, but no one had actually seen the fabled animal. Fayleen was uncertain, teetering on the edge of what she had been told and what she now thought. Rowen only had to push her a little more for her to agree to find help. She would set out the next morning. The time had come for the Ravens rule of tyranny to end. But where would she find the Great Beast? Rowen told her the Great Beast lived in the middle of the woods and to follow the northern star.
     It pained Fayleen to have to leave the dungeons and the mice in them, but there was nothing she could do. Yet. Rowen assured her he would be fine, along with all the other mice, but she must go on andfind help so she could liberate them all. If she found a way to release those mice now, she would have no where to put them, so here they must stay until her return.
     Unwavering in her confidence and allowing no thought of failure, Fayleen left the dungeons, knowing she would return soon, or not at all.

     Early in the morning, while the light was gray, Fayleen, provisioned for the journey and bundled against the cold, set out from Haven and walked sturdily into the dark Winter Woods. The first day was peaceful, white and calm, and Fayleen made good headway, heading for the heart of the the Snowy Woods. This peace, however, was not to last, for the very next day, a snowstorm struck with driving force and Fayleen was forced to hide away in a deep hole until the storm moved on. During the storm, a snowshoe hare came bounding home, only to find a mouse sleeping the storm away on its doorstep. Fayleen was woken by the hare and hurriedly introduced herself, emabarased. The hare, feeling the need to be courtious, invited the mouse inside, to stay out the storm. The hare introduced herself as Riah, and the two had tea, talked and eventually Fayleen told of her quest to find the Great Beast. Riah, surprisingly, said she knew of the creature, but had never dared venture close to its lair. The lair was not more than a few days travel and Riah would gladely go with Fayleen, for she agreed whole-heartedly with the brave mouse's plan, and she was no special fan of the Ravens who had destroyed her warren and family.
    So the two traveled on, once the storm had gone, and soon they encountered trouble for foxes were out. Fayleen and Riah were captured neatly in net traps hung from trees, and the foxes came, eyes gleeming evily. Fayleen and Riah faught bravely, but were finally tied and the foxes prepared to eat them. They would have succeeded and this story would have ended then, had it not been for the sudden action of an otter, a stranger to Fayleen and Riah, who rushed into the scene and thwaked the foxes fiercely with a whiring quarterstaff. The foxes were obviously no strangers to the otter, for they set up a whining protest and scampered away, tails tucked between their legs. The otter then freed the two caputured travelors and introduced herself as Kin, from the otter tribe not far away. She was part of an otter patrol that guarded against the foxes, who had been causing trouble recently. Kin invited Riah and Fayleen back to the clan's home. There, Riah and Fayleen made many aquaintances with the friendly otters in their cozy, underground home. Kin stuck with them, introducing them to her twin brother, Fin, and her family, who were the clan leader, then showing them around the clan home. When night came and questions were asked, Fayleen recounted her tale and the otters were glad to offer their help. Just at heart, and equal to all, they hated the thought of how the mice of Haven were subject to the terror of the Ravens. Kin and Fin volunteered to go with the two to aid them on their quest.
     So, with light hearts, and the cheerful banter of the two otter siblings, the four set out once more, their packs heavy with delicious provisions the otters had packed for them. During their travels, Fayleen and Riah discovered that the otters were very skilled in the art of fighting with ones body and weapons, and they asked the two siblings to teach them. Fayleen soon found out she was talented with a sword, although a wooden practive sword, and Riah learned how to use a quarterstaff, a favorite weapon of the otters, and how to fight with her powerful back legs. As well as learning these arts, they also learned other skills, like how to survive in the wilderness, something Riah already knew a little about and Fayleen was clueless at, and many other skills the otters were always willing to teach them. During the few days of travel, they were stopped multiple times by snow storms, which became excellent opportunities to practice and learn.
      Eventually, they arrived at the heart of the Snowy Woods. It was a surprisingly open and pretty place, something Fayleen remarked on and recieved only shrugs in reply from the others. None of them had ever ventured so close to the Great Beasts home and no one had exprected the home of the fearsome Beast to look so magical and white.
     They entered a clearing and with no time to even squeek in surprise, Fayleen was yanked from the ground and pulled into the air by a massive set of yellow talons. The beating of great, feathered wings vibrating the air around her ears. Then Fayleen landed, quite abruptly, on the branch of a tree and a great snowy owl landed beside her. He demanded to know what she and her friends were doing in his territory. Then he went on to rage that they were all imposters out to get him! He went on and on, shedding feathers at a rapid rate, until Fayleen lost her temper and told him to shut up! At this the owl almost fell from the branch in surprise, for no one had ever talked like that to him before! Fayleen had guessed, and guessed correctly, that this was the Great Beast that was "so scary".
     The owl, whose name was Orez, became quite calm, and listened intently as Fayleen told him her story and asked for help. Orez, however, was an old bird, and a vegitarian to top it off. He admitted he could not help Fayleen against so many enemies, though he wished to help Rowen, a friend of his from lomg ago. Fayleen felt hopeless. She had traveled all this way only to be disappointed. Orez, pitying the mouse, flew away and came back a moment later, an object clutched in his claws. It was a sword of great magnificence with a flawless blade and simple hilt. He told Fayleen that this blade was ancient and wize, formed from the spirit of a great mouse from long ago who had weilded it in the beginning of the world. Orez did not say from where he had gotten the sword, but when he handed it to Fayleen, she felt its power and knew he spoke the truth. Then, Orez deposited he back on the ground with her worried friends who were in the middle of creating a plan to save her. All were fomally introduced but were disappointed when they heard Orez could do nothing. However, the sparkle of an idea was coming to the old owl. He decided to try something. He would fly far to the north and call upon a clan of hawks who owed him a favor. They might refuse him, for they were a proud lot, but it was worth a try. Until then, they should go back and lie low in Haven.
     Hope once more in their hearts, they bid farewell to Orez and traveled back the way they had come. In an effort to gather rienforcements, they talked to the otters, but were refused by the clan leader, Kin and Fin's father, who did not want to place his otters in danger. Kin and Fin, however, continued to travel with Riah and Fayleen, curious to see how it would all turn out, and knowing Haven would need a helping paw when things really started.

     On the arrival back at Haven, things were as they left them, but for a decreasing amount of mice, many of them vanishing in the night, taken by the Ravens. Many suspected it had to do with Button, but he was under the protection of the Ravens and had been elected mayor of Haven, purely for the purpose of humoring for the Ravens, who liked to see the mice of Haven betrayed by a fellow mouse and "leader".
     Fayleen and her friends crept into Haven under the cover of night and gathered together the mice. Button appeared but the moment he made to go for the Ravens, Kin and Fin pounced and put him under the guard of another mouse in the kitchen. Soon all were gathered in the inn. It was a tight squeeze because of the hare and otters, but they managed to fit and Fayleen was able to give a rousing speach to the mice to tell them why they should stand up against the Ravens. The mice heard her out, but there was much protesting. There were little ones and families to look after. If the revolt failed, they could all be at stake. Fayleen, however, pushed them, knowing that if they did nothing, Haven would slowly disappear under the Ravens rule, and weren't they all at risk anyway? Slowly she won over the mice and it seemed like everything would go well. Then a sudden scuffle sounded and the bang of a door. Fayleen and her companions rushed to the kitchen to find the guard unconsious and Button gone. Then the black caw of Ravens came through the night. Fayleen quickly hid her larger friends, along with her sword, and most of the gathered mice escaped, but the Ravens had only one target in mind. Fayleen. The trouble maker had to go, they said, and carried her off to the dungeons.
    All night, Fayleen paced the square of dungeon, knowing what fate awaited her, and hopeing her friends were not so foolish as to think they could break her out of the dungeons, which the Ravens had doubled the guard on.
     Much to Fayleens dismay, she noted the absence of many prisoners. Either they had died or gone to the Pits, Fayleen did not know. She cried a little, knowing she had been too late to save them, and now never would. The Ravens laughed to see her cry, but they did not understand that her tears were not tears of hopelessness but of frustration and sadness. The Ravens thought they had broken her but she was far from broken.
     Now, pacing her cell, Fayleen thought and thought of ways to escape, but all of them had their holes, and the main obstacle was the door of her cell. Sitting on the ground she tried to rest, but instead felt something that was not stone. A piece of cloth, torn from a tunic. She held it into the light coming through the barred window above her. In faint, chalk drawn letters, were the words "Faith have courage. Life ends, but its what you do with the time you have that really matters." scrawled by some unknown mouse, possibly from long ago, the words touched Fayleen. She carefully folded the cloth and tucked it away in her pocket, determined not to give up. She languished two days in the cells, her mind a constant whire of thought. It came as a surprise when she heard a rising chant of joined voices coming from outside. Straining to see, she partially climbed up the rough, brick wall and looked out the barred window. The mice of Haven were in revolt! They marched forward, waving makeshift weapons threateningly at the Raven guards. Among them marched Kin, Fin, and Riah, shouting encouragement to the ranks.
     Fayleen grinned with happyness, until the Ravenns dragged her onto the parapit of their castle and threatened to throw her to her death if the mob went any furthur. The winter air hung quiet, each side waiting for the other to move. Fayleen looked at the horizon, possibly the last sunrise she would ever see. Then she saw the flying shapes with the shedding owl at their front and made her own destiny. She bit and clawed at the Ravens around her then flung herself off the parapit, falling slowly, as though through water. The Ravens cawed in alarm and could not react, before being frozen in surprise as a magestic hawk shot up from where it had dove to catch Fayleen as she fell. A joint yell of admiration and happyness came from the mice of Haven as Orez and the hawks landed around them. Fayleen dismounted from the hawk, thanked it, and went to her friends. Riah handed her the magical sword and Fayleen made her way to the front of the rank and faced the Ravens with fire in her eyes, her friends clustered around her.
     The two sides faced one another, and on some, unknown signal, charged. The battle was fierce and bloody, both sides recieving severe losses. The hawks were a great asset, but there were not many of them and there were hundreds of Ravens, all beady eyed and hungry for blood. The mice fought bravely, but they were not warriors. Fayleen and her friends fought with the ferocity of twice their number, Fayleen using her sword, which seemed to whisper advice in her mind, Riah her powerfull legs and a quarter staff to knock Ravens from the air, and the otter siblings used an assortment of weapons they had made in Haven or had brought with them, these including far-range weapons like spears, slings, and bows. Mis-battle,  Fayleen saw him. Button, the traitor who had caused so much harm, trying to sneak away. She chased after the pudgy mouse and faught him. However, when she had defeated him, and he lay before her she did not kill him. He was a traitor, true, and had probably turned over many innocent mice for his own gains, but she would not kill him while he was defenceless. As she turned away, he rose up and lunged for her back, a knife extended, when an owls talons snatched him up and spun him into the air before dropping him hundreds of paw lengths to the ground somewhere in the forest where he was never seen again.
     However, it was not until the otters came from the woods that the tide turned in favor of the mice and the Ravens were driven back as the otters smashed into them, yelling wildly with quarterstaffs whirring.
     The Ravens fled, what remained of them, winging their dark way into the sky, never to be seen again in those parts.
     With victory on their side, all went to work helping remove all trace of the Ravens from Haven. The best part, though, was when they freed the prisoners, who stumbled into the sunlight, tears of joy coursing down their grimy and hollowed faces. Among them, Rowen appeared, blinking in the sunlight. His eyes met Fayleens as she helped a prisoner reunite with his family. They both nodded to each other then Orez swooped the old mouse into a hug, cooing delightedly while half soffocating a protesting, but happy, Rowen in his feathers.
     The hawks left early, their debt repaid to Orez, and slowly the clan of otters drifted back to their home. Kin and Fin were the last to leave. They said tearful farewells and life in Haven settled down for the better. Orez and Rowen left as well, making plans to travel the world. They were never seen again and many like to think they are still roaming the world, chums forever. Fayleen was offered a position of authority in Haven, but declined, saying that her place was as the protector of Haven. She declared that Haven's mice would never be taken unawares again and offered a school of training for young mice, tought by Riah and herself. The magical sword was put on display in the Ravens castle, which had now become the training grounds, and she never touched it unless something threatened Haven.
     Ever since the Ravens, stories were told to keep history alive. The mice were determined that their young would never forget like the Ravens had made them forget. Kin and Fin visited often until they became leaders of their clan and their visits became less frequent until they stopped coming all together, cought up in their own lives.  Riah and Fayleen grew old and less agile. They both groomed the next warrior to watch over Haven and slowly the old times became history, and history became legend, which turned into fable. Haven had summer again and slowly all kinds of animals joined Haven, and Havens now legendary battle school. I regret to say that the bravery of Fayleen and Riah, as well as Kin anf Fin, and the old owl Orez, was slowly forgotten but Haven lived peacefully under the shadow of their spirits.

     Twenty years later, a young mouse with fire in her eyes ran towards the training grounds to meet her older brother coming from practice. She always went early so she could watch them fight, trained by The Warrior, a male mouse of great strength and courage. This time she did not see him there and the students practicing by themselves. The little mouse dared to pick up a wooden sword, too heavy for her, and practice some of the moves she had memorized, as well as make up some of her own. From a far corner of the field, standing under a tree and almost invisible, The Warrior, on the look out for a successor, saw potential in her stuttery movements and a fire in her eyes that spoke of a warrior spirit. By the end of the day, The Warrior was teaching the little mouse the basic stances, preparing her to become the next Warrior to watch over Haven.
     So maybe the brave friends from the beginning were not forgotten. They are still alive in The Warriors that follow in their steps. They are the fire in the eyes, and the brave spirit. They live forever in those who stand up for good and justice.