Song of Dancing Fire
The forest floor was redolent with the deep fragrant aroma of wildflower and moss. Here, deep within the confines of the Blairmark, where the sun never found purchase on the stones below, save for fleeting flickers of gold when the wind blew strong enough on the upper branches of the ancient Stonewood trees, Elrohir Séregon (Ello to family and friends) breathed hard and closed his eyes. His expert ears, accustomed to the forest sounds, tried to navigate the sound of his prey. The inner workings of his mind discerned the various cacophonous landscape like a type of sonar. The garu people were already highly skilled with sharp hearing by birthright, and Ello had the sharpest of his kin exponentially. His muscles, hewn and marbled from the years working on the family farm were stretched tight and high strung, taut, ready to spring. The bow and arrow glistened with dew.
He had been on his Triginta (or 30 year rite) for well over a week. He was expected to take his place at the head of the Sereneti tribe upon his return. The Sereneti was the most powerful and highly respected tribe of his village. It was a position of great honor and esteem. He was born to the Sereneti tribe, but it was through sheer determination and iron will that allowed him to rise to stature in the eyes of his people. His good looks and mischievous gleam in the eye also made him the most desired man in the village. It was said he could make a woman wet with a single look. He had had more than his share of women and over the years his appetite for sex only grew more passionate. It was also his natural grace and easy spirit that seemed to make him cocky and shallow in the eyes of certain people. People who remained hidden in the shadows, like little spiders, waiting for the right time to strike.
There was a crack. Before the blink of an eye, the arrow was strung and snapped, flying through the air and whistled with a solid thud into the chest of the Harperi (a type of small deer). The arrow, piercing the heart of the creature, stopped it from beating and the animal was expired before it hit the ground. During his Triginta, he had only killed to eat and had been able to keep himself well fed. This last victory was to be taken back to his village and shared.
He quickly gutted, cleaned and packed the animal into his pack. He was as good with a blade, either hand sized or full sword, as he was with a bow and arrow. This meal was to be in celebration of the union between himself and Aria, the women to whom he had been promised. The marriage and all marriages of the Garu people were arranged before they are even born. Once he had completed his Triginta, he was expected to have sown all his wild oats and marry his promised. This conflicted him in many ways, however, being the custom of his people, did not see any options and had no choice but to comply. He had seen Aria many times and spoken to her a few. She seemed nice enough, pretty enough and came from a family of means, so what was there to argue? Would his desire and passion wane? Would he be able to sedate his appetite with one woman for the rest of his life? These were questions the Garu never asked, they just went along with the custom. He shook his head and finished cleaning the blade that had so quickly dispatched the Harperi and in a few occasions, saved his life.
The journey back to his village took up the remainder of the day. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon when he came to the valley where his village lay.
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A small elf girl with long dark brown curly hair, ( to her waist) She was small, only 156 cm
tall ( 5 ft. 2 in.) Her body was small, but in proportion, about 120 lbs. and athletic.
She had extraordinary eyes, big and an unusual green, even for an elf. A pert little nose
and pouty lips, made for a very fetching maiden. She always had the boys chasing after her.
She knew how to defend herself with a bow as well as with a knife. Life had taught her
well, that if you wanted to survive, you had to learn quickly. She also had a way with
animals. And never went anywhere without her companion Beren, an Irish wolfhound
she had befriended when he was only a pup.
Inwe, was tired after walking through the forest all day. She decided to stop and make camp for the night. It would be getting dark soon anyway and she was too tired to go any further.
She looked around, this was as good a place as any. She dropped her back pack and went over to the little stream she had been following for the past few hours. Bending down, she made a cup with her hands and was drinking the refreshing water when her sharp ears
picked up a sound. She held her breath, listening intently. She pushed her long curly hair away from her pointy ear, so she could hear better.
Someone was coming her way! She quickly, ran back to her pack picked it up and barely had
time to hide behind a nearby bush. She bent low, grasping her bow, and taking an arrow out of her quiver. Notching it, she now looked towards where the noise was coming from. She waited , heart thumping in her chest.
She had heard of terrible stories of what happened to girls that were caught out alone in these woods. She bite her lip as she waited. She wished that her faithful dog Beren would come back soon. He liked to wander off on his own, but always came back when the sun set and the food came out. She always felt safe when he was near.
Beren was a huge Irish Wolfhound that Inwe had saved when he was only a pup. He had been treated badly by the village boys, when she came across them. After giving them the tongue lashing of their lives, she took the wee pup home and they had become inseparable ever since. Now he weighed around 120 lbs, and when he was near, no one could
come near her. She looked around wishing she could call out to him now but didn't dare.
The noise was getting closer, she looked toward it again, ready with her bow.
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The trees brushed aside and out from the covering stumbled form the form of another Garu, like herself. Inwe would have considered him quite handsome if it weren't for the state he was in. He had a look of shock upon his face. His features were darkened as if by years of soot and grime had permanently etched into his skin. His lips were cracked and caked with mud. He didn't seem to notice her as he spied the stream she was standing by, he dropped his bow and fell face first toward the stream. He drank and put his head down into the stream, allowing the cool water to run through his hair.
Inwe, who had remained locked with the arrow pointed at the young man's head now relaxed a little bit. Bow still at the ready.
"I'm not going to hurt you" the young man mumbled, his face still pressed against the moist sand of the stream bed. His voice was cracked and raw, as if he had been screaming for days.
"Who are you?" Inwe managed to ask, finding her voice only after realizing he spoke the truth.
"No one....not anymore" he replied.
"Certainly you must have a name"
The man breathed heavy and narrowed his features as if trying to recall some distant memory. "El.....my name is El.
"My wolf hound will be returning shortly. If you try anything, he will rip you apart before you can blink" Inwe assured him in a confidant voice.
"I won't hurt you" Ello repeated.
"What brings you to these woods?"
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“ What brings you to these woods? And what happened to you?”
She slowly lowered her bow. But still is on guard. Inwe looks around to see if anyone has
followed the man. Puts her hand to her mouth and lets out a long whistle. A few moments later
a huge grey beast of an animal charges into the clearing. Before she can stop him, Beren leaps
through the air knocking Ello back down to the ground. He stands on his chest growling low and
menacingly.
Inwe quickly grabs the back of the dog's neck and yanks him off. Scolding him at the same time.
Beren looks up at her and calms down. She signals for him to stay and looks at Ello saying; “ I
am so sorry for that, he would die defending me. Are you OK?”
“I think you better tell me what has got you in this sorry state, and also if we need to move on
to a safer area before it gets too dark.”
The forest floor was redolent with the deep fragrant aroma of wildflower and moss. Here, deep within the confines of the Blairmark, where the sun never found purchase on the stones below, save for fleeting flickers of gold when the wind blew strong enough on the upper branches of the ancient Stonewood trees, Elrohir Séregon (Ello to family and friends) breathed hard and closed his eyes. His expert ears, accustomed to the forest sounds, tried to navigate the sound of his prey. The inner workings of his mind discerned the various cacophonous landscape like a type of sonar. The garu people were already highly skilled with sharp hearing by birthright, and Ello had the sharpest of his kin exponentially. His muscles, hewn and marbled from the years working on the family farm were stretched tight and high strung, taut, ready to spring. The bow and arrow glistened with dew.
He had been on his Triginta (or 30 year rite) for well over a week. He was expected to take his place at the head of the Sereneti tribe upon his return. The Sereneti was the most powerful and highly respected tribe of his village. It was a position of great honor and esteem. He was born to the Sereneti tribe, but it was through sheer determination and iron will that allowed him to rise to stature in the eyes of his people. His good looks and mischievous gleam in the eye also made him the most desired man in the village. It was said he could make a woman wet with a single look. He had had more than his share of women and over the years his appetite for sex only grew more passionate. It was also his natural grace and easy spirit that seemed to make him cocky and shallow in the eyes of certain people. People who remained hidden in the shadows, like little spiders, waiting for the right time to strike.
There was a crack. Before the blink of an eye, the arrow was strung and snapped, flying through the air and whistled with a solid thud into the chest of the Harperi (a type of small deer). The arrow, piercing the heart of the creature, stopped it from beating and the animal was expired before it hit the ground. During his Triginta, he had only killed to eat and had been able to keep himself well fed. This last victory was to be taken back to his village and shared.
He quickly gutted, cleaned and packed the animal into his pack. He was as good with a blade, either hand sized or full sword, as he was with a bow and arrow. This meal was to be in celebration of the union between himself and Aria, the women to whom he had been promised. The marriage and all marriages of the Garu people were arranged before they are even born. Once he had completed his Triginta, he was expected to have sown all his wild oats and marry his promised. This conflicted him in many ways, however, being the custom of his people, did not see any options and had no choice but to comply. He had seen Aria many times and spoken to her a few. She seemed nice enough, pretty enough and came from a family of means, so what was there to argue? Would his desire and passion wane? Would he be able to sedate his appetite with one woman for the rest of his life? These were questions the Garu never asked, they just went along with the custom. He shook his head and finished cleaning the blade that had so quickly dispatched the Harperi and in a few occasions, saved his life.
The journey back to his village took up the remainder of the day. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon when he came to the valley where his village lay.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A small elf girl with long dark brown curly hair, ( to her waist) She was small, only 156 cm
tall ( 5 ft. 2 in.) Her body was small, but in proportion, about 120 lbs. and athletic.
She had extraordinary eyes, big and an unusual green, even for an elf. A pert little nose
and pouty lips, made for a very fetching maiden. She always had the boys chasing after her.
She knew how to defend herself with a bow as well as with a knife. Life had taught her
well, that if you wanted to survive, you had to learn quickly. She also had a way with
animals. And never went anywhere without her companion Beren, an Irish wolfhound
she had befriended when he was only a pup.
Inwe, was tired after walking through the forest all day. She decided to stop and make camp for the night. It would be getting dark soon anyway and she was too tired to go any further.
She looked around, this was as good a place as any. She dropped her back pack and went over to the little stream she had been following for the past few hours. Bending down, she made a cup with her hands and was drinking the refreshing water when her sharp ears
picked up a sound. She held her breath, listening intently. She pushed her long curly hair away from her pointy ear, so she could hear better.
Someone was coming her way! She quickly, ran back to her pack picked it up and barely had
time to hide behind a nearby bush. She bent low, grasping her bow, and taking an arrow out of her quiver. Notching it, she now looked towards where the noise was coming from. She waited , heart thumping in her chest.
She had heard of terrible stories of what happened to girls that were caught out alone in these woods. She bite her lip as she waited. She wished that her faithful dog Beren would come back soon. He liked to wander off on his own, but always came back when the sun set and the food came out. She always felt safe when he was near.
Beren was a huge Irish Wolfhound that Inwe had saved when he was only a pup. He had been treated badly by the village boys, when she came across them. After giving them the tongue lashing of their lives, she took the wee pup home and they had become inseparable ever since. Now he weighed around 120 lbs, and when he was near, no one could
come near her. She looked around wishing she could call out to him now but didn't dare.
The noise was getting closer, she looked toward it again, ready with her bow.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The trees brushed aside and out from the covering stumbled form the form of another Garu, like herself. Inwe would have considered him quite handsome if it weren't for the state he was in. He had a look of shock upon his face. His features were darkened as if by years of soot and grime had permanently etched into his skin. His lips were cracked and caked with mud. He didn't seem to notice her as he spied the stream she was standing by, he dropped his bow and fell face first toward the stream. He drank and put his head down into the stream, allowing the cool water to run through his hair.
Inwe, who had remained locked with the arrow pointed at the young man's head now relaxed a little bit. Bow still at the ready.
"I'm not going to hurt you" the young man mumbled, his face still pressed against the moist sand of the stream bed. His voice was cracked and raw, as if he had been screaming for days.
"Who are you?" Inwe managed to ask, finding her voice only after realizing he spoke the truth.
"No one....not anymore" he replied.
"Certainly you must have a name"
The man breathed heavy and narrowed his features as if trying to recall some distant memory. "El.....my name is El.
"My wolf hound will be returning shortly. If you try anything, he will rip you apart before you can blink" Inwe assured him in a confidant voice.
"I won't hurt you" Ello repeated.
"What brings you to these woods?"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“ What brings you to these woods? And what happened to you?”
She slowly lowered her bow. But still is on guard. Inwe looks around to see if anyone has
followed the man. Puts her hand to her mouth and lets out a long whistle. A few moments later
a huge grey beast of an animal charges into the clearing. Before she can stop him, Beren leaps
through the air knocking Ello back down to the ground. He stands on his chest growling low and
menacingly.
Inwe quickly grabs the back of the dog's neck and yanks him off. Scolding him at the same time.
Beren looks up at her and calms down. She signals for him to stay and looks at Ello saying; “ I
am so sorry for that, he would die defending me. Are you OK?”
“I think you better tell me what has got you in this sorry state, and also if we need to move on
to a safer area before it gets too dark.”
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