Here you have it my loyal reviewers! The chapter that you've been waiting for. Enjoy!

This chapter is very special because I had always pictured what Raven and Garfield would say to each other when they finally meet. This was the inciting incident in this fic. I'm glad it turned out well and I'm sorry to keep you waiting.

Thank you so much for the patience and I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

For the first time, she slept in peace. Those constant dreams she had every night didn't come today to haunt her. She felt at rest. Her bed was very comfy and the soft blow of wind through her window was very relaxing. She heard various sounds of birds and animals, which were like music to her ears. Her body felt heavy and tired, giving her more reason not to awake from this sleep. But she knew she couldn't be late. After all she had a team. She tried to open her eyes but it was like her conscience was warning her against this. She awoke. She barely had a moment to collect herself when a fierce pain hit her. It took all of her strength not to lose control. Her back was in immense pain. She was about to scream when-

A soothing hand reached out to her shoulders, giving her a support and slowly laid her upright on the bed. She tried to get up but the hand pushed her down and she didn't have enough strength. She recollected everything and slowly last night came into her focus. Her eyes still hadn't adjusted to the light around her. Eventually, she realised this wasn't her tent. She followed this hand on her shoulder and found a boy, crouching on the floor and staring at her with curiosity. His eyes were the colour of a tropical forest. His hair was messy, but it looked soft to touch. His eyes projected a curiosity to know and care for her. The atmosphere around her was so peaceful that she almost felt at home. She didn't want to startle him by being paranoid like Robin. She slowly reached her hand up to her shoulder where his hand was laid, all this time while keeping eye contact. The monks of Azarath had taught her that eye contact is like a language without words. You can tell a person so much just through your eyes. She slowly put her hand over his hand and took his hand and placed it near the bed. Near her window there was a disturbing flapping of wings which broke their stares. The boy walked towards the end of the room, towards the door and then suddenly jumped! Raven immediately got out of the bed and ran towards the door. Looking out, she found out that she was in a tree house. But in the back of her mind she kept on wondering how a boy like him could be suicidal. She couldn't even see what was down there due to the thick branches spreading out from the tree covered in lush green leaves. She went back to her bed and sat down. She thought about last night and remembered the fight with the wolves. It was highly unlikely for them to attack. She pulled up her nightgown enough to see the bruise on her stomach. It was stitched up with ants, a primitive method used by nomads. Her other bruises were done up in the same manner. There was some ointment on them as well. She tried to heal herself but the process was a slow one and gave her immense pain. Her face scrunched up in pain and immediately there was a hand by her shoulder. It seemed her powers were very weak to be used at the moment. She looked up to see the green boy looking at her with sympathy and kindness. She was relieved to see he wasn't hurt. He thrust something into her hand. She looked down to see a coconut shell holding some water in it. She gratefully accepted it and drank it without hesitation. The boy stood up and walked over to sit at her legs. After drinking the water, Raven thought that she could now ask for some answers. She put the shell aside and looked at him.

"What's your name?", Raven asked.

"Garfield", he answered.

"Where are we?"

"In my house."

"Thank you a lot for saving my life yesterday."

"That's ok. Why have you come to the forest?"

"My name is Raven. I am a part of a superhero team and we are assigned to investigate some murders in this forest. What about you? Why do you live here?"

In that exact moment she heard a sound of gorilla-like chatters. Garfield looked towards Raven and said, "Stay here. I'll be back shortly. You're not strong enough to walk much yet so lie down and let your body heal. I'll be back in a moment."

He walked to the door and flashed her a reassuring smile before jumping out.

Something about this boy definitely brought her comfort and calmness even though he was a stranger. Raven laid back down and soon enough was lost in the sea of wonderful sounds of the animal kingdom. She was mesmerized as if she could understand and respond to these sounds. She then fell asleep. On the floor near her bed lay a few Anaesthesia leaves.

I hope this is good enough. As always, much love to all my reviewers.

XOXO

Iara Raven