Expelled

[WarriorHeart]

[This is a closed thread. PM with interests/questions]

The soft sound of finches chirping announced the rising of the sun. The forest was coming to life as the light began to filter through the dense green foliage. Everything was creating a harmonious symphony of sound and movement that seemed as if the Gods themselves were building a tribute to themselves through nature.

This all seemed perfect until an off key groan echoed from under a pile of furs. The soft skins tussled and bounced until the head of a young elf popped out from beneath them. A single sunbeam caught his platinum blonde hair and accented his long pointed ears. He rubbed his face and yawned. The young man rose to a standing position and stretched his arms high towards the treetops. He was a handsome fellow as all elves were and well built just like the other young warriors and scouts. He made his way over towards a curious looking tree stump and kicked it with his leather boot. The top slid off and revealed a cubby hole where his pack was stored. The young elf knelt down and began rummaging through his belongings tossing out a white shirt, a hunk of fruit bread, a skin of water and a dark green tunic.

Once all of these items had been removed, the young man set the lid back into place, spun around and plopped himself onto the stump. He shoved himself into his shirt and then grabbed the bread and water. "Two whole seasons!" He grumbled. "All for a prank…", he tore into the bread and chewed hungrily. After he had swallowed, he took a swig from the water skin and continued his diatribe. "The council thought it was funny but because Anneleth's father was twisted about it, I have to live outside the village walls for two seasons."

He took another huge bite of his bread and walked to where he had been sleeping. He gathered up the furs and began bundling them up and setting them aside. He exposed a pack, bow, a quill of arrows and several daggers and went about stowing everything away. Callendril was a ranger, albeit a young one, but a ranger nonetheless. His grandfather, his father, his brother and his three uncles had all been rangers and had taught him the way of the forest. It was a bummer to miss the festival season but the young scout would survive. He would show them all.

 

[Ritual Lobotomy]

Eldrid's stomach was already full, and she tossed a bunch of left berries aside, where they were at once eaten by a couple of birds. The wild elf chuckled and marched further through the forest. Her right arm was still quite sour since her encounter with that massive wild boar yesterday, but she managed to handle it herself and her village was pleased by the amount of meat it had brought them. Pride over pain. She walked around casually, soaking up the morning sunlight. However, before she got a hint of foreign smell in her delicate nose. Although it was fresh and somewhat sweet, it meant stranger, and strangers wasn't something her village was fond of. They did a lot of bad things to their forest in the past, cutting trees and killing animals for the sake of fun.

She quickly switched to her stealth mode, and walked carefully through the bushed part tracking the smell. When she reached the spot where the scent was the strongest, she peeked out of the bush, making sure she is unnoticed. Her ears twitched in wonder, when she noticed a brother elf. "Two whole seasons! All for a prank…" Eldrid heard him saying. She tilted her head lightly. "The council thought it was funny but because Anneleth's father was twisted about it, I have to live outside the village walls for two seasons." Whatever it was, they were probably really mad at him. Two seasons was a long time. She never saw him around, and she assumed that it was one of those closed type villages, unlike hers.

Considering he was an outcast of some sort, she excluded the possibility he uses all his weapons to kill because he likes to do so. Brothers and sisters elves were a bit more different than other creatures. Even so, she decided to stay in the bushes for a while. He WAS kicked out. So he might as well be a bad news. She returned her head back into the bush, and now only her face was peeking in between the branches. A perfect disguise along with her auburn hair that fit well with the colour of the branches. And it was perfect, until a spider that she seemed to bother, climb up her nose. Eldrid crossed her light green eyes an looked at the creature up close, whispering. "S-shoo... you want to get me in trouble?" The spider moved along his way, abandoning the top of her nose. She sighed in relief just before her nose squirmed. "Oh no..." But was too late. The urge to sneeze was too intense, and her hands were nowhere near it. She sneezed out loud and it shook the bush lightly. Opening her eyes, she lowered her ears in a regretful manner. "Uh-oh..."

 

[WarriorHeart]

Callendril was in the midst of packing up when he thought he heard a soft noise. It was different from the rustle of leaves but very similar in range. He ignored it and went back to his task of closing up camp and stashing a few things but did so in much quieter fashion. His ear twitched as he heard a soft voice. "Oh no…" which was followed by a sneeze that inadvertently made one corner of his mouth turn up. Hey, sneezes sound funny. He turned his head to the shaking bush and narrowed his eyes. When the being opened her eyes, Callendril recognized enough features to identify her as a wilder elf; or so his village had deemed them. "Uh-oh…".

Callendril had never met an elf from another tribe, village, what have you. "You can come out now. I mean you no harm." His voice was pleasant enough but he loosened the dagger on his belt just in case. He wasn't overly distrusting nor was he an ignorant fool. Whoever this elf was, she had pretty eyes. Callendril went back to idly tidying up his campsite. He was always taught to not leave any trace that he was ever there.

A young man by elven standards, Callendril sometimes had a hard time focusing and so his mind wandered. He was trying to remember exactly where that tree fell into the south river last year because that is where all the big cat fish slept. Then he was thinking about Anneleth and the look on her face when thought she had gone blind. He chuckled to himself. His uncle was probably still at home defending himself from Callendril's mother. He could almost hear the argument.

'You were the one who taught him that stupid trick!' His mom would say. His uncle would reply, 'I only did it so that he would know how serious it is and that he shouldn't use it on others.' This would probably cause his father to laugh and then mom would give him that look.

"Ugh!" Callendril exclaimed. He could survive for a long time on his own. He had no doubts, fears or worries about this. He did realize, however, that his mother was a much better cook. Actually, most people were better cooks than Callendril. He tended to get distracted and burn the meat or let the fire die because he fell asleep while the stew was cooking. He shrugged and realized he was nearly done with cleaning up. He had a few things to stash in his hidden box but remembering his visitor, he simply set them down on a fallen log. He turned and sat on the same log and looked in her direction. "Name's Callendril." He smiled an honest smile and winked an emerald green eye at her. "You're not going to put a curse on me, are you?" He was kidding, of course. There are some pretty idiotic stories about the 'wilder' elves or the 'roaming' elves. Callendril's father told him as a boy that these were all lies. So, Callendril grew up thinking they were much the same as he was and that was that.

 

[Ritual Lobotomy]

"You can come out now. I mean you no harm." Eldrid squeezed her eyes shut and wordlessly scolded herself. Some hunter she was. Her tribe would be anything but proud right now. However, she knew better than just to stay quiet like nothing happened. It might as well make the brother elf angry. Sighing, she spoke up. "A-alright... I'm coming out..." After fighting of a bunch of persistent branches that wouldn't let go, she emerged out of the bush...or better; popped out, barely keeping her balance and not falling down. Mumbling, she fixed her bow that was hanging over her back, and shook out a few strayed leaves out of her long hair. Straightening up, she noticed his dagger and waved her hands in defence smiling lightly and nervously. "I-I mean no harm." She started off with a gentle approach, not wanting to get in fight before her shoulder and arm were fully healed, but if needed, she was prepared to strike back. "I just wanted to see what is..."

Eldrid glared at stranger noticing that he might be a bit absent-minded at the moment. Twitching her ears curiously, she asked. "Are you ok there?" She jerked a bit, taking one step back when he turned and referred to her. "Name's Callendril." Eldrid still stared at the elf a bit confused even though she had expected him to answer. She scratched her head sheepishly when he winked, and replied with a faint smile. "You're not going to put a curse on me, are you?" Just as she prepared to yell at him, she noticed that elf wasn't really serious about what he said and she shook her head lightly. Besides, if he really believed that, they would be fighting till death right now or something. Eldrid smirked. "Well, that is the stupidest story they made up by far." Sighing annoyed, she then remembered she never introduced herself. Raising her hand with palm out, she greeted proudly. "Good to know you. I am Eldrid." She examined him closer, he didn't seem like a scumbag of any sort. His equipment was decent and he obviously knew what he was doing. "Wow, I never expected to see anyone of your class around here."

 

[WarriorHeart]

Callendril watched the girl. She was quite jumpy. Girls are strange. His eyes kept wandering to her hair. It was the color of the trees and that simply fascinated him. Like all the others in his village, Callendril had blonde hair. His was a dirty looking blonde and some had that platinum-ish blonde, whatever. Long, auburn hair; and it was literally distracting. Callendril blinked and shook his head. She was talking and he had missed part of it.

"Good to know you. I am Eldrid. Wow, I never expected to see anyone of your class around here."

Hn. Interesting choice of words. It was either a compliment of an insult. The young ranger studied his new acquaintance for a moment before he answered. She seemed genuine enough. He big green eyes didn't seem capable of trickery or manipulation. No, they held a wild spark that when put into plain tongue would say 'Mess with me and I'll rip you apart'. Yes, that is the type of elf Eldrid was; nice demeanor, calm exterior and a brutal streak for retaliation and vengeance.

Callendril was always making his mind up about others. Such was the way of young minds that have been deemed 'arrogant'. But what do they know? They're just a bunch of out-of-touch elders who between them have lived six or seven millennia. Experience in the field breeds far better results than examination of others exploits, right? Right!

Callendril smiled at Eldrid. He was a bit perturbed because he couldn't stash some of his stuff in his family's secret place, but he did not show it. "Thank you!" He cocked his head to one side and noticed a bruise on her arm. "If you're feeling up to it," he motioned towards her right arm, "I was about to go fishing not too far from here. You're more than welcome to tag along." He sued his arm to indicate the stream towards the north. While he had been thinking about and staring at Eldrid, his hands made good use of themselves and had gathered all of his supplied into his pack. He hoisted it up on his shoulders and turned to the north. He looked back over his shoulder at her. "Coming?" He hoped she would accompany him. She seemed nice but he would be nervous if she just up and left. Trust issues. Having your village kick you out will do that to a guy ya know?

 

[Ritual Lobotomy]

"Thank you!", said the elf and Eldrid twitched her ears nodding with a quiet "uh-huh" sound coming between her lips. "If you're feeling up to it," he motioned towards her right arm, "I was about to go fishing not too far from here. You're more than welcome to tag along.". Eldrid tilted her head before realising he was referring to her bruised arm and she chuckled, rubbing it. It was interesting how those light haired elf brothers of theirs noticed and worried about a lot of small things. Bruises were nothing comparing to what she had seen, but she couldn't possibly expect someone like him to understand. So she didn't mind. "I-it's just a wild boar. Nothing special." She felt like she needed to explain her bruise. "I had worse." She chuckled.

"Coming?" She looked at Callendril and thought a bit. What could possibly go wrong? She new this area like a palm of her hand and he seemed to be needing a company. She hesitated a bit before she laughed happily. "I am pretty sure I know what fishing spot you are talking about." She nodded and hurried to catch up now walking beside him. "And I have no better things to do so... I guess I shall observe you fishing then." Sticking her tongue out playfully, she joked. "I do hope your fishing skills are good enough yes. Every fish there is quite a fighter." Even though it was not her attention to insult, she had never seen light haired elf bothering with anything like that. Her natural curiosity had awoken. "Uh, sorry if I'm being a bother to you but...what are you doing around here even?"

 

[WarriorHeart]

Callendril began walking and listened to the quiet conversation coming from his newfound companion. She seemed to have natural instinct towards the wilds. Makes sense, right? She is what his village would call a wilder elf. He doubted she knew the fishing hole to which he was referring. He meandered around some fallen trees and made his way towards an old oxbow that has become quite large after multiple years of heavy rain seasons. He paused some twenty feet from the clearing and scanned for, well, anything; predators, game, strangers, etc. Seeing nothing to deter him from continuing, Callendril started into the tall grass around the pond. He made his way around to the west side just off from the corner. He set his pack down and dug into a pocket. He removed a small roll of line that was laced with four hooks on one end and set it on the ground. He pulled out a knife from his boot and began to dig in the ground at his feet.


Callendril looked up to Eldrid with a look of simple contentment while he worked. "You're not a bother." He paused to set aside a worm and set it on a hook then went back to digging. "I rather enjoy having someone to share conversation with." He found another worm, big enough to break into two pieces and set them on separate hooks. He looked back to her while continuing to dig. "I am…hmm…on a mandatory vacation." He smiled with a little bit of red coming to his cheeks. "That's probably the best short way to explain it." He found another worm and set it on the last hook. He tucked his knife back into his boot and stood up. He hung the line on his hand and dropped the baited hooks into the water. Without any weights, the hooks bounced along the surface and just under it. He made his hand 'dance' giving the worms on the hook a very lively swim pattern.

 

[WarriorHeart]

Meanwhile, near the far south edge of the Elven lands…


"Get your disgusting face out of mine!" , hissed the leader. The large Sivak Draconian was almost nine feet tall. She shimmered into sight having previously been camouflaged with the tall grasses. The Baaz subordinate leapt back seeing the silver-scaled female appear. "I-I, I sorry, boss lady." He grabbed his shield and sword and went back towards his unit. There were two dozen Baaz shock troops. They all stood nearly seven feet tall, had bronze scales, weapons and red scale armor. When the wayward troop returned to his peers, they began to harass him about being scared of a female. In truth, they were all a bit afraid of the larger and smarter Sivak. It is worth mentioning that Sivaks can fly while every other race of Draconians cannot. Also worth mentioning is there language is mostly guttural sounds, grunting and hissing.


The leader made her way to her troops and stomped her foot twice to silence their foolishness. All turned their attention to her. "We have strict orders to follow. Find the village and get the relic. We are NOT here to slaughter the pointy-eared bastards unless they get in our way." Her soulless black eyes went to each one of her troops. "Do you idiots understand?" Each soldier nodded and rattled up their swords, spears and axes. The female Sivak was surrounded by idiots but these were brighter than the rest of the morons back at the Dragon Highlord's fortress. Her name is Pylona and she is the equivalent of a lieutenant. She requested several Kapaks instead of a group of Baaz but she was denied. Apparently, the Kapaks are all being dispatched to some major city to remove key members of some governing body.


The troop began a quick march into the forest. Their clawed feet dug to the ground and their swishing tails snapped and scarred the trees and saplings they passed. Pylona followed behind to keep watch and give orders but mostly to avoid an untimely death. Elves had a natural affinity for good defense. They were small, loved to hide in thick trees and foliage and were excellent marksmen with bows. For this particular march, her weakest soldiers were in front. Pylona had fought elves before and had the scars to prove it. It was part of the reason she was chosen; her knowledge of elven fighting tactics and she had a vendetta to settle. Yes, the elves would pay.

 

[Ritual Lobotomy]

Truth was, she did now expect him leading to the place that she never noticed before and hardly doubted it had any fish. She gladly followed. "I am…hmm…on a mandatory vacation." Eldrid chuckled back to him. "Hm, I have to admit Callendril I have never heard of that around here but hey, it's a vacation alright." She nodded at her following explanation. "No offence, you're all our brothers and sisters, but your people should really learn how to loose up a bit. Smell the daisies, things like that. So serious." She made a pouting face, teasing, before she smirked and sat on the rock near the water. Watching him doing all those things preparing for catching fish, she grinned pleased. "Impressive. I thought I would have to do it for you in the end. I stand corrected."

Dull pain in her shoulder reminded her of her unfortunate encounter with the angry animal. "Well darn." She mumbled, taking out the piece of cloth from improvised bag. "Note to self: Wild hogs do not like to be teased." Laughing, she soaked the cloth with the cold water and pressed it against her bruised shoulder, jerking lightly. "Cold!" She hissed as she shivered for a moment. Even so, it was quite pleasant. Eldrid referred to Callendril with a certain amount of gratitude in her voice. "I am glad you don't mind my company though. It gets pretty boring around here. Nothing new. Except pleasant surprises as yourself."

 

[WarriorHeart]

In a village near the southern border of the forest…


The screams of the dying had been replaced by the wailing of children and the moans of the wounded. Huts burned and the sound of timber crackling mingled in nicely with the harsh grunts and growls of the draconians. Pythona stalked along the main road through the village inspecting the destruction and the rounding up of prisoners. She stomped angrily on the corpse of one of her soldiers; its body had turned to stone and her clawed foot turned it to dust. "Fool!" She hissed. She had cast a wonderful spell of concealment and it would have worked perfectly except for the three idiots who couldn't stay in line. So thirsty for blood, they charged ahead of the magical barrier and were easily picked off by the elves. They also served to raise the alarm which cost her four more grunts. If she lost seven foot soldiers at every village…logistics would have to wait.


Pythona came up to where her men had gathered the elders of the village; three women and two men. These elves were wild looking. They were not the refined breed she was accustomed to yet the savagery they displayed in battle was remarkable and something she would not underestimate in the future. She lowered her head to each face as she passed by allowing her forked tongue to flick over her scaled lips. Her men had done well. They didn't kill half the village and managed to spare just about everyone she would consider useful. Speaking common, she addressed the eldest female.


"Speak truth to me or I will kill your young. Understand?" Her voice was sharp as a razor but slithered over the words. The woman nodded in understanding while tears streamed unchecked down her dirty face. The silver draconian shifted her head from side to side much like a snake. "Where are your holy trinkets?" The woman looked at her with a blank expression mixed with exhaustion. Pythona narrowed her eyes and then looked to the soldier standing behind the woman. As the leader stepped to the next hostage, her soldier beheaded the woman. Her body fell to the ground but her head rolled up against the next woman's leg. She shrieked and passed out. Pythona rolled her eyes. Elves could be so stubborn yet they had no appetite for the reality of life. She moved on to the first man and lowered her dragon-esque face in front of him. "Where are your relics you use to worship your gods?"


The elf seethed with rage. It was clear that he was caught off guard otherwise he would have died trying to defend his home. Pythona recognized his spirit and looked to another of her soldiers who stood near one of the only huts not on fire. He opened the door and reached a clawed hand inside. He drew out a small screaming girl whose dirty face was stained with tears. Pythona smiled and looked back to the man. "Answer me or I will kill her and everybody else!" The man's face softened as he stared at the girl. Pain was written in his eyes. It quickly vanished as he turned his head back to his inquisitor. Loudly, he proclaimed an elven chant of pride and then reverted back to common. "You will kill us anyway, beast. We will not help you so do your worst."


*****


The draconian force marched further into the forest. The village was quiet now except the sound of huts burning and crashing to the ground. The foot soldiers were silent but the hungry look in their black eyes indicated a need for another kill. More blood. Pythona marched behind them contemplating some of the artifacts she had found. They were similar but wholly different from what she had been sent to find. She was in the right region but she began to realize she might have to burn the entire forest down to get what she was after.

 

[WarriorHeart]

Callendril was beginning to lose interest in catching breakfast. This wilder elf was absolutely entertaining. From her exotic appearance to her surprisingly chatty personality, the young ranger was finding himself more and more enthralled by her. He heard her talking but wasn't truly registering the conversation. He was more interested in just watching. It wasn't until a jerk from the hook line nearly sliced his fingers that he finally broke from his thoughts and stared into the dark clear water.

"Note to self: Wild hogs do not like to be teased."

"They taste good, though." He stopped to soak in her laugh. It was like a songbird or something. He jerked on the line a little trying to set a hook or two. His stomach was starting to growl. "Cold!" Callendril smiled a small smile. "The river used to run here but enough erosion caused it to change course. The pool here is deep and contains two cold springs. It's great for swimming in the hot season." He paused to picture her splashing in the water with her hair mated against her-. Another jerk from his hand and this time, the fish were trying to swim away. He missed her compliment because he yanked his hand up removing the line from the water at the same time. He rose with a triumphant "A-ha!" and three decent sized fish attached to his line. Still quite young by elven standards, the success was written across Callendril's face. He looked at Eldrid with a huge grin. "You wanna clean 'em? I have to hunt down some spices to cook them up."

Just then, a group of birds shot out of a treetop about a thousand yards away. Callendril did not jump but he did grow somber and lower himself to the ground amidst the tall grasses. His eyes traced the trees where the birds had flown out. It seemed like only wind but there was a consistency to it. It was almost like a slow and small breeze was blowing along the trees on the far side of the pond and moving in their direction. An uneasy feeling crept over Callendril. He had never really come across any predators without having his father or uncle around. He set the fish down and stuck his knife through one and into the ground. That should keep them from flopping back into the water. The ranger then unslung his bow and silently notched an arrow. His eyes remained on the trees and though he did not raise his weapon; he was certainly prepared to do so.

Unbeknownst to Callendril and Eldrid, this movement or disturbance was actually a member of her village. As the young warrior drew nearer, he began to make a series of bird calls known only to those in the village. Tanis was the young man's name and he was the best tracker in the village, perhaps the forest. He had followed Eldrid's trail and continued with his mind not thinking of danger ahead but of the danger lurking in the news he carried.

Callendril finally caught sight of the red outline of a human like creature in the trees and it was approaching rapidly. He heard the cat calls or bird whistles but paid them no mind. He assumed it was either animals or this guy/thing trying to signal more to his location. The young ranger took aim at the being in the trees. He took a deep breath and drew back the string. 'Exhale, son, and then release.' His father's voice echoed in his head. Callendril began to slowly release the air in his lungs maintaining a perfect shot in the torso of Tanis.