Private Tales Elves, Dragons, and Swords

[Malak Baske]

The Falwood was an odd place. Man, orc, and dwarf all made effort to tame the land, breaking wood and stone to craft house, wall, and castle. The elves were different, building from dead wood around the trees of the forest. Malak had come to the wood in search of work, and found it in the town of Tuillay. Normally a quaint little town half-filled with elves and half-filled with Vel Anirians who'd run from home, they were in the middle of a commotion when Malak arrived. In the last month seven hunters hadn't returned from home. One of the hunters who had refused to hunt for deer again, swearing he'd seen a witch in command of a powerful dragon. Malak accepted the job of ridding Tuillay of their witch for three hundred coin. It wasn't the market rate for such a job, but Malak didn't have other work and didn't feel right pushing them for more. It wasn't a wealthy town, and three hundred coin would support him long enough.

The sprawling forest was difficult to navigate, but the hunter had given him a good idea of their usual hunting grounds. He went first to look around and see if he could find any trail of what had caused the attack. 'Dragon' could mean many different things, and Malak needed to know what to prepare for. It took some hours, but Malak was able to find the body of one of the hunters. By the smell it had been a day, perhaps two. Any longer and it would have been more pungent, not to mention the vultures. The torso had a few across it, while it seemed the beast tried to eat at the man's throat. The wounds were vicious, but Malak didn't know of any 'dragon' that would make a slash that small. Not to mention the body's uncharred state.

Malak closed the elf's eyes, and left the body to the forest, heading deeper within. He didn't know the elf's belief on dealing with the dead. Better to leave it and let the village find it later, especially while the beast might still be about. Malak kept his eyes and ears open, looking for anything that might be considered 'witchy'.

Fraeya Elwing

 

[Fraeya]

Fraeya sat in a small, partially shaded clearing. A babbling stream forked and continued through the wood. The grass around Fraeya seemed to draw toward the elf, strengthen, and blossom. Arms circled around her knees, drawn up to her chest. Purple hair with violet hues was down and wild. A rare look for the young elf who usually had her hair braided tightly back.

"Ember," she called out softly in a foreign language at the young, romping dragon in the stream, snapping up a fish in its jaws and gobbling it down. The dragon was still small enough to fit in her pack that she carried around her back. He was growing though. And soon enough, he'd be the one carrying her. Soon enough, he'd be wandering on his own - further and further away from her.

There was a tightness in her chest.

Ember looked at his companion and quirked its head, hopping over to the elf to nuzzle its nose under her. Water glistened down its scales.

"I know you like it here." She turned her nose into the wind, taking in a deep breath. "But we'll have to leave soon."

 

[Malak Baske]

The body Malak found had answered some questions, namely an estimate of the claws and fangs of the creature plaguing Tuillay, but the whole situation still evoked mystery. Why would a mage with the strength to tame dragonkin waste it's time with such simple quarry? If it was a witch, why were all of the wounds more mundane? Nothing made sense.

Malak had already entertained the notion that the hunter's account was . . . unreliable. Still, he had expected some kernel of truth. Perhaps not a witch and a dragon, but a hag and a serpent, or something similar. The swordsman was having difficulty putting the pieces together.

Regardless of what he was up against, Malak was in the beast's territory now. The forest's grounds were unfamiliar, so Malak had to take precautions. Malak was not a mage in the traditional sense, but had the ability to brew potions and decoctions that enhanced his senses. Today he popped the bottle of 'Ear of Bat' and took a swig. For the next hour or so he'd be able to hear what was happening within a hundred yards.

The sounds were, as usual, overwhelming. The songs of the birds, the slithering of the snakes, prancing of the deers, and the rush of a spring. Water was promising. Hunting grounds might change, but everything under the sun needed water. Malak kept his steps light, avoiding leaves and twigs as he could, and made his way to the stream. Maybe he would find himself sneaking up on Fraeya Elwing, or perhaps she'd detect him first. Either way, he'd hear her steps soon, her words shortly after, and close enough even her breath and heartbeat.

 

[Fraeya]

Ember stretched its small, leather wings and shook them out.

"Hey," Fraeya protested as some of the cold, stream's water ended up on her skin and clothes. "Five more minutes." Palm raised, emphasizing the point with five fingers extended. Pointed ear twitched.

That's when she heard it.

The shuffle of something coming. Something not of the wood. Most elves had preternatural senses, at least higher than humans. And Fraeya wasn't any different. And her connection to nature - how she drew her magical strength. It's why she avoided most of the larger cities. She'd always felt stifled when surrounded by the cobble-stone, brick, and mortar structures that had killed off the land and nature it sat upon.

With a soft click of her tongue, Ember was given the command to scurry into her pack which she quickly shouldered. No time to run or hide. She only had time to spin on her heels with the stream to her back and face what was coming. Fists clenched, rosy lips set into a determined line.

If these were the mage hunters from Elbion coming to claim their slave back, she'd rather die than be put in their underground fortress again.

 

[Malak Baske]

"Five more minutes." Malak could barely make out the words as he heard a voice in the distance. It was a of a higher tenor. Feminine even, a woman voice. The tone lacked the rasp of age. Yet their was a certainly motherly quality to the words. The words were intended to goad action, which meant the child had to be old enough to understand the words and be independent enough for the words to matter. A child, younger sibling? Or perhaps this was the witch after all, speaking to her 'dragon'. Malak continued on, rushing toward the stream and the voice he heard. Fighting through the brush he came to a clearing, spotting a young woman turning to face him.

She was not what he expected. Wild purple hair, with what seemed to be scales at the edge of her skin. She seemed young, but the point of her ears deemed her an elf. She could have been ten years his younger, or sixty his older for all Malak knew. Her fists were clenched, and he could feel her heartbeat pound. She was worried. What's more, there was another creature with her, letting out ever so soft a breath behind her. Aside from the fertile ground was at her feet, nothing looked out of the ordinary. No flattened grass to show a huge invisible beast behind her, no sound of flapping wings greeting his ears. All told she didn't very look threatening, but Malak knew looks could be deceiving.

"You mind if I take a drink?" Malak asked Fraeya Elwing. She would notice the sword sheathed at his left hip, and the knife at his belt, but Malak did not move for either, or at all. The woman was on edge, and Malak didn't know if she was the aggressor or simply passing through. He aimed to get her to speak, and not give her any reason to attack prematurely.

 

[Fraeya]

Pale, amethyst eyes searched his form wildly, looking for any sort of sign that he was from Elbion. That he was with the guard. That he was here for her.

His face showed he'd lived a full life. Scars down one side. Wrinkles of time that humans showed far more quickly than elves. That sword and knife though. Eyes stayed on those the longest before flickering back up to his eyes.

Her connection with the magic of the forest didn't waver. She couldn't afford to let it go. Ember gave the smallest of shifts in her pack. She shuffled to the side, very purposefully keeping a certain amount of distance between herself and the stranger. And not letting him see her back.

"The waters of the rivers are free for any who are thirsty," her voice was melodic but there was a hint of unpractice as she spoke something other than elven. Other than dragon. This basic speech of humans was a strange and bitter thing on her tongue. She couldn't trust them and for good reason.

"You look like a tracker," she said abruptly. "What are you doing so deep in these woods on your own?" Perhaps if he'd been an elf there would've been less suspicion.

 

[Malak Baske]

Malak took a water skin and headed over to the spring, filling it with water and bringing it to his lips.

"That's because I am a tracker." Malak said after getting a good swig. "There's a village about eight hours hike from here. They hired me to deal with whatever seems to killing their hunters." His words were measured, careful to exclude the village's suspicions. He wasn't sure he believed them, but witches disguising themselves as beautiful maidens was a tale all travelers had heard before.

"Found what's left of one of their hunters around a hundred yards from here. Sight wasn't pretty. Figured whatever beast is causing them trouble has to drink and followed the spring." He offered no lies to the elf, but his eyes kept close watch on her face. He wanted to see how her expression changed at the mention of the hunter, if at all.

"Do you know of any beasts in this part of the wood that hunt men? From the wounds I'd think it to have claws the size of a bears, but there were no tracks of anything that size nearby." Malak shared what he knew of his prey but left out the more grisly details. Malak was old-fashioned, preferring to keep certain decorum with a lady.

Even one that might have been his doom.

 

[Fraeya]

Ember never crossed Fraeya's mind as the stranger described what he'd seen. She'd been with Ember the entire time and Ember did not attack humans, elves, or any other sentient creatures. He tended not to stray too far because he couldn't really fly yet...more glide.

However.

She was worried if any of the villagers had seen her and Ember, they'd let fear, instead of logic, drive their decisions. And was this man the same?

At his question, she couldn't help the small snort that left the tip of her nose.

"Plenty. Spiderweaves, werewolves, bears," voice trailed off. "Even heard rumors of a wendigo." That made her spine grow cold. She'd run into a few spiderweaves with an unlikely ally once. But wendigos? Would be lucky to last five minutes if a wendigo picked up your scent.

"Most of these beasts, though, have claimed the land long before humans. Can you blame them for following their nature when we're all just guests in their territory?" Arms crossed as she gave the man a very pointed look.

 

[Malak Baske]

"Half my clients are elves actually." Malak responded. He wasn't sure if it was elvish superiority or a love of nature that provoked Fraeya Elwing's comments, but he could feel the hostility. "The rest are humans who fled Vel Anir for one reason or another." Malak paused for a moment in thought.

"Slash marks were consistent with a werewolf's size." Malak mused. "Not sure why attacks would have developed in the last month. If there was a nearby enclave they should know about it, and not to hunt on their grounds." He avoided the concept of blame. Malak didn't hold any ill will against the beasts, but a job was a job. He suspected she wouldn't appreciate his more mercenary attitude.

"A wendigo would be quite a bit of trouble. Not quite prepared for that sort of fight." Malak continued. "Still, better than the dragon the villagers thought was giving them problems." He let their thoughts slip, dismissing them with Fraeya's suggestion of wildlife.

 

[Fraeya]

A slow blink.

Dragon?

Fraeya fought to keep her face set. A lavender brow twitched, the patches of scales on that side of her face pinching slightly. She took a further step back from the tracker and the river. Sensing its friends caution and trepidation, Ember made a grunting sound and shifted in her pack. And before she could stop him, his little dragon head popped out behind her, setting its chin on her shoulder - eyes of fire and ice looked at the stranger and slow blinked.

"Ember," Fraeya chided in dragon-speak. A language that sounded like clicks and the very wind itself.

 

[Malak Baske]

A grunt, then the pop of a head out the girls pack and Malak had found his dragon. He had expected a cub of some sort, perhaps a bear or tiger, but the dragon was a surprise. A complicating surprise. The woman took a step back and spoke in a tongue Malak didn't recognize.

"Well isn't he a cutie?" Malak responded, leaning forward. Ember's appearance added tension to an already tense meeting.

"So, the way I see it one of two things is happening." Malak said, keeping his distance. "Either the hunter was truthful and you're taking hunters, or he's not and finds you a wonderful scapegoat, in which case he might be my werewolf." Malak looked into Fraeya Elwing's purple eyes.

"Which is it?" He said, without harsh tone or motioning for his sword. He suspected if she was really the witch the village thought she was, she would have attacked by now.

 

[Fraeya]

Fraeya's stance was all protective for Ember. Her posture was wound as tight as a spring. But he made no move for his weapons. Not like any human's she'd ever met. They were usually quick to judgement and accusation.

"He and I," chin dipped back briefly to Ember who flicked its forked tongue in the man's direction, "have not taken any hunters. We've been together the entire time."

She sniffed, mildly offended.

"And Ember prefers fish and not the flesh of man. And I'd prefer it if you told no one of what you found here, today." Voice held a tinge of pleading.

 

[Malak Baske]

"Miss. . ." His voice trailed. "I don't think I got your name. I'm Malak." He introduced himself.

"I'm a hunter, not a spy. Your secret's safe with me." He replied. It was a curiosity certainly, but Malak wasn't a man to meddle in others business. "Still, this does present a problem." Malak began moving to sit down.

"I was told by one of the hunters that a 'witch and a dragon's had killed his friends. If he's my werewolf he'll expect me to kill you and throw off his scent. Might even come here to make sure the job is done." He mused, then looked over at you.

"I'd like to stay with you for the day, just in case. I'm sure you can handle yourself but . . . it would give me some comfort."

 

[Fraeya]

"Fraeya," she returned hesitantly. Nose scrunched up in confusion at his offer. Ember shook himself free from Frayea pack and hopped to the ground, stretching out his small wings. He began hunting after a rather big fly, pouncing on the ground much like a cat.

Her eyes flickered from Ember back to Malak. Her dragon was usually a good judge of character. He, too, had been abused by humans. And if he felt safe enough to come out of her pack - it was a good sign on Malak's part.

"I don't think...I've ever met a human like you, Malak," she began slowly, admitting to the truth and opening up a little more than she'd normally. "I was taken by humans from my village when I was very young and forced as a slave to work my magic and train an army of...," amethysts flickered to Ember. "After escaping from there, a group at Vel Anir took me from the road and tried to execute me just for the shape of my ears."

She took a breath, knowing she'd left out some details. Some Malak could guess. But others, like who had enslaved her were left out on purpose. She knew there was a bounty on her head somewhere for her return and well, Malak was a tracker and man for hire.

"So, forgive my inability not to trust you fully. Ember and I were about to head deeper into the wood. If you wish to join us to...have some comfort, as you say...you are welcome to."

 

[Malak Baske]

"It is alright. There is wisdom in caution." Malak responded. His eyes wandered from the elf to 'Ember'. It was hard to believe a dragon could be that small, but there it was. Chasing a fly in the air and wagging it's tail. Perhaps there were still wonders in the world.

"Still, I hope to show you we're not all as bad as the Anirians." He continued. Vel Anir was impressive in its own ways, but nonhuman treatment wasn't one of them. Nor was freedom for that matter.

"Ember." He called the little dragon and tapped his thighs, but it continued it's fly hunt paying Malak no mind. He let out a small frown than rose back to a stand.

"Whenever you're ready Fraeya." Malak would await her reaction, either beginning the trek into the forest or continuing to watch Ember as he played. "How long have you had this little guy? Did you find him or did he escape with you?" A hint of curiosity crept into Malak's voice. He had never met a dragon tamer before.

Fraeya Elwing

 

[Fraeya]

Couldn't stop the sparkle of amusement that flecked in her eyes as Malak tried to call Ember. Ember hopped along with the pair as they turned north, upriver. Life circumstances had made Fraeya into a lone-wanderer. She had no real destination in mind. Just as far away from Vel Anir and Elbion as she could get. At least Vel Anir wore its treachery on its face while Elbion presented a veneer. Few knew about its darker, underground slavery market where it hoped to train armies that rivaled the Anirian guards.

Face hardened for a moment as she remembered the underground captivity.

Her footsteps were lighter, quieter, and swifter than a human's. She had to actively make sure she didn't lose Malak. The tangle of branches and vines that lay in their path moved of their own volition for the elf, human, and dragon. A bit of her wild magic and a bit of the forest who recognized one of its own.

"He escaped with me," she said quietly.

"What will you do if this werewolf does not come after us?"

 

[Malak Baske]

It was difficult to keep up with the elf. He suspected it would be far more difficult if she was trying to evade him. Perhaps it was a stroke of luck he'd found her in the first place.

"I think he'll make his move tonight." Malak responded. "But if he doesn't, then we'll probably be outside of his hunting grounds. He may still give chase, but it would take him some time, and he'd have to follow our tracks. I'll trace our tracks back to the spring and intercept him."

He continued to follow, having his eyes continue to follow the shine of his purple hair.

"I'll be out of your hair before too long. You need'nt worry about straglers."

Fraeya Elwing

 

[Fraeya]

A glance over her shoulder at the tracker. She didn't say anything. She believed him. And if Ember trusted him, that was enough for her. The dragon's intuition about folk was fairly spot on. And for him to trust a human?

That was saying a lot.

Through trekking, they reached a steep wall of a cliff-face. Fraeya paused. "I should be an acceptable place to stop for the night. Our back will be protected. Would you agree?"

A single, lavender brow lofted at the man.

"And if we are to keep company for a little while longer. Tell me something about yourself. How did you get into the tracking business?"

 

[Malak Baske]

Malak looked around the natural wall made by the cliff across them. The woods were dense enough here, and the wall removed angles of attack. It was as good a place as any to make camp.

"Agreed." Malak replied, and began to kneel, pulling some wood and flint out of his pack. He began to make a fire when he heard the woman ask him a question.

"It is not a pleasant story I'm afraid." Malak said, before looking up at her. "When I was young I knew nothing of swords or monsters, only the damage they could cause. I made a living tending to those wounds, and others. Until my village was attacked. I was powerless to do anything. One of a few to survive."

A small fire went ablaze, lighting the camp.

"Now I hunt so others might not suffer the same way." Malak finished. His story was not unique, and Fraeya could probably tell he wasn't sorrowful, at least not anymore. More than anything, his tone conveyed exhaustion.

Fraeya Elwing