Chapter 1 - To the Mountains

[Shan Gutarus]

Dawn broke on the horizon and light began filtering through the thick foliage of the Auturian Woods. The early morning light brought with it the sounds of awakening life and splashed the waking forest with refreshing color.

A dark figure lay in in a patch of brush, dew glistening off a dark ebony coat of fur. The figure stirred as light poured across its face and bright blue eyes opened suddenly and glanced around. The great cat, a shingar with jet fur, got onto it's feet slowly and yawned widely, displaying its razor sharp, pearly white teeth and a long tongue.

Shan, as the cat had once been called, peered through the brush with keen blue eyes as it walked slowly, silently, through the thick brush. No trails came through here.

A long black tail swayed lazily behind his great muscular body, the dawning sun's rays playing upon the slightly damp fur of the cat as Shan moved past trees and bushes and towards the smell of smoke that the sharp sense of the cat could pick up easily.

Shanvorin finally broke through the brush to come into a slight clearing. In the corner, against a tree, sat a young elfmaid with bright red hair tied back into a ponytail. Her hazel eyes gazed into a fire before her. Shan padded slowly over to the woman, his heavy paws nearly the size of dinner plates, pushing the grass down under his weight. He came to lie across the fire from the woman, who looked up at an animal that was normally feared and respected in the woods with a casual gaze of familiarity.

Shan yawned again, this time mostly for show, and got comfortable on the damp grass by the fire. It was the same as every other morning these two had shared. Shan would come to her camp and wait for the elf to finish her morning meal. Then they would walk east, through the thick forest, resting and allowing time for each to eat. It was beginning to bore Shan, but there was nothing he could do about it. The words of the mage still burned in his mind.

I’ve scattered three figures, and I’ve said that before. Find these green statues, no less and no more

Oh how he hated that mage! Look what he's done Shan thought grudgingly to himself He's turned me into a cat, with his horrible magic. Crazy old man. I'll show him. I'll turn myself back into a human, go home, and then we'll show him. I'll hunt him down and turn him into a servant. He'll work for me and I'll never let him leave. Shan let out a satisfied purr, something he had learned to do just a few days prior, and rolled over in the grass and stretched out. He glanced up at the elfmaid who was studying the parchment that held the song the old mage had given him. She studied it daily, reading it and rereading it. She must have it memorized by now Shan thought to himself, watching her with his unsettling blue eyes.

"A dream exists only in darkness."

[Paladia Entonei]

A small whisp of smoke traveled up from a small clearing in the woods. Paladia, a young elfmaid, had just finished packing up camp. Her pack and bow lay on the ground beside her, and she prodded at the fire with a stick.

The brush rustled with movement and the Kaierian warrior tensed, her hand ready by her bow and quiver. But she could breath easier and relax as the shingar cat emerged from the brush. It had been nearly a month since Pally decided to follow the cat to lead on her adventure, and since then, she had grown quite used to the cat. It seemed no more dangerous than a house cat to her now.

Not quite hungry enough yet to got out for her morning meal, Paladia pulled a parchment from her pocket and unraveled it. She read it over and over daily, always thinking of new ways to figure it out. But she could never figure out more of the song that she already had. Pally knew from the song, now, that they must travel the dwarven mountains to the east. There they would find something, but the elf wasn't quite sure what.

Sighing, she rolled it back up and placed it back into her pocket. The cat was staring at her now, with those eyes. Pally was terribly curious about those eyes. She had never heard of a wild cat with such bright, blue eyes. And their gaze was so knowing, so intelligent.

"What do you think about, Midnight Cat, when you see things around you? What do you think when you look at me?" she asked aloud. Pally talked often to the shingar aloud, and she beleived that he understood what she was saying.

"Fall down seven times, stand up eight"

[Shan Gutarus]

"What do you think about, Midnight Cat, when you see things around you? What do you think when you look at me?"

Shan looked up. I think you're going crazy. Talking to cats and the lot the shingar thought, standing slowly. He passed the fire and stood by Paladia. Nudging her with his nose, and nearly knocking her over, Shan urged her to get up. They were nearing the edge of the forest and Shan wanted to get this silly adventure over with. He was starting to get used to the body, learning how to walk without tripping, and was even starting to run.

Pally sighed and stood, then walked out of the clearing towards to the east. Shan noticed her pick some things from the bushes and trees, putting them into her mouth. She's got it so easy. Hunting is hard work. And eating raw meat isn't very fun either. he thought, watching her eat her morning meal of fruit. If he hadn't been so hungry that second day, Shan would never have even eaten that deer. Lucky for him, it had just been lying there.

The shingar broke away from Pally's side and wandered off. Choosing a bush, he crouched down slowly (the way he had seen house cats do when they hunted mice) and lay in wait. Any moment now, something would come through and he would pounce on it.

"A dream exists only in darkness."

[Paladia Entonei]

The red headed elfmaid watched Shan's dark figure disapear into the brush, knowing the cat wouldn't be far from her side. He never was, which was comforting to her for some reason.

You're losing it Pally she scolded herself You are a noble elf from a noble line of warriors. This cat is a guide for you journey, not a companion. A guide. No more. No less.

Sighing, Paladia absently tossed a half-finished fruit into the brush. The sudden rustle of leaves caused her to tense and reach for her bow. Realizing the sound came from her own action, Pally mentally lashed herself again.

What's wrong with you? Why are you so high strung all of  sudden? It's not as if a troll is about to ambush you she thought with a smirk, and continued walking through the dense forest.

"Fall down seven times, stand up eight"

[Mínsyth Mërénwèn]

The sun was finally making an appearance to begin the long day ahead. A tall form made its way through the masses of trees that filled the forest, barely making a sound as he picked his way across the forest floor. It had been several days since his last rest, fatigue finally setting in, but this did not hinder his senses.

He was finely aware to his surroundings though he knew little of where he was exactly. Silver eyes scanned the trees and brush for anything unusual, not that it would help much in an unfamiliar place. A long black cloak hid him from unwanted eyes, allowing hima simple privacy that was greatly needed. Though his hearing was not well attuned, his eyesight was keen, able to pick even the slightest movement or change in an area.

His hands remained close to his weapons at all times, ready for use at a moments notice. At times, he would hear something that would cause him to jump, unnerving him so that it took him sometime to regain his train of thought on the task ahead of him.

Not long ago he was taken from his home forest to a place unknown. Once he left, he could do little to find out where he was and where he had to go to return home. The longer he wandered the more he realized that home would be something that he would not see for sometime, so he set himself in trying to figure out where he was. He had yet to reach a town or a villiage or even an encampment of some sort to ask questions, this bothered him for it only made him all the more lost.

"...Life is a story waiting to be written. It is up to us to make it exciting and unforgetable..." - Shara

[Paladia Entonei]

Paladia walked aimlessly to the east, her bow that was slung over her shoulder tapping against her hip as she walked. Subconciously, the red-haired elf touched the finely crafted long bow with her hand. It had been a gift from her mother, who had not excelled in the fighting arts, but her grandfather had. He had been an excellent Kaierian warrior, his weapon of choice being the long bow, just like Pally.

"A shame I never met you, Grandfather," Paladia murmured to herself.

It had been an hour since dawn, and the sun was streaming through the thick foliage in blades of light that stopped in pools of warmth on the damp forest floor. Paladia's footsteps set with the natural silence of a skilled elven warrior.

Pally had mellowed now, or at least as calm as a lone Kaierian warrior can become. The birds twittered around her, while the smaller animals in the forest went along with life, used to the presence of these elves around them. Some brush a few peds behind rustled and the elf was shaken from her peaceful walk.

Her bow was off her shoulder and notched in a heartbeat, Pally's trained hazel eyes scanning the area where the noise had come. Perhaps you are losing it she thought, lowering her bow slightly but not slacking on the taut string.

"Fall down seven times, stand up eight"

[Mínsyth Mërénwèn]

Slowly making his way along, trying to be as quiet as possible was not really working anymore. His cloak roughly brushed against some bushes making a deafing amount of noice for such a silence. He held his breath waiting to see if anything would jump out and attack him. He hated this feeling he always got, the edgy feeling that the worst is about to happen. It bugged the heck out of him.

"Calm down you big wuss. Nothing is going to happen. The forest is empty about you."

He took several deep breaths before continuing slowly and quietly through the trees. His hands slacking on his sword somewhat but his knuckles were still white beneath his cloak. His eyes darting from side to side, intensely wary of anything and everything, adding to the tension in his body.

"...Life is a story waiting to be written. It is up to us to make it exciting and unforgetable..." - Shara

[Paladia Entonei]

Paladia's sharp eyes strained, trying to see through the dense forest as far as possible. Something moved up ahead. It was dark, a shadow. But not a natural shadow as cast from the towering trees that surrounded her.

The elf's brow furrowed. Somebody was here and she could see it better now. It's race or any kind of trait was still undistinguishable to her, but Pally pulled back on her notched arrow and raised her bow.

She let fly, aiming to miss, and Pally's sharp elven hearing could faintly hear the sound of the arrow strike a tree. "Stop now and no harm will come to you!" she cried out loudly in common tongue, though her elven accent was evident as she spoke.

Readying her bow once again, the red haired elfmaid began sifting through the thick forest with ease, toward this stranger in her forest which, as a training Kaierian warrior, was her duty to protect.

"Fall down seven times, stand up eight"

[Mínsyth Mërénwèn]

He watched as the arrow flew passed his head. A silent sigh left his lips and he continued to scan his surroundings, searching for the source of the arrow but found none from where he was standing.
"Stop now and no harm will come to you!" a female voice called.
He chuckled for he was not moving and secondly he figured that she couldn't see him yet, only his shadow.

"So much for remaining unnoticed."

He stood where he was at, waiting for the girl to make herself known, his hand still holding firmly onto his hilt, ready to draw if needed. He waited, hidden in the depths of his hood for the aggressor.

"...Life is a story waiting to be written. It is up to us to make it exciting and unforgetable..." - Shara

[Shan Gutarus]

Shan lay in quiet wait in the brush. But his incredibly sharp hearing clearly heard Paladia's call. His head shot up, scaring away an approaching rabbit, and he started to walk towards the sound. I wonder who she's talking to. I've heard of people talking to themselves, but people dont scream stuff for no reason he thought irritably Stupid woman scared away my meal too...

The shingar saw Pally walking through the brush, her bow readied. The great black cat trotted up to walk beside her, noticing her start slightly at his sudden appearance. Following the elf's gaze through the underbrush, Shan instantly noticed a black cloaked figure standing just a few peds away. Whos this? Shan thought curiously, and moved through the brush easily to stand just three peds or so in front of the figure. He could see now the male elf clearly, and also noted his hand firmly gripping the hilt of his blade.

Completely oblivious, or ignorant, of any danger, Shan emerged from the thick underbrush to stand, all 300 ods of him, just a few paces from the man. The wild cat, a usually feared and respected hunter in the forest, stared up at him with unsettling blue eyes that held so much, maybe too much, intelligence.

"A dream can exist only in darkness."

[Mínsyth Mërénwèn]

He watched as a female elf stepped within his range of sight. He made no sudden movements, even his eyelids did not as much twitch. His lips curved up into a crooked smile, if it could be called as such. He said nothing, just watching and waiting.

"I see that I have been discovered, not that it makes any difference. "

A large black cat came up beside the elf and stared at him knowingly. Surprised, his lips straightened as he gazed at the creature, who slowly began to make its way toward him. Though its intentions seemed harmless, one could never be sure anymore.

"What is this shingar doing? Does it not know that approaching me or any other hunter is fatal?"

His hand clenched his hilt tighter, ready, in case the shingar pounced.

"What is it you want milady?" his voice soft and husky as he forced out the words.

"...Life is a story waiting to be written. It is up to us to make it exciting and unforgetable..." - Shara

[Paladia Entonei]

Started by the cat, she watched it curiously as it approached the man. The cat was definatly an imposing figure, and she couldn't help but feel confident knowing it was there.

"What is it you want milady?" she heard him call.

Paladia stopped within clear veiw of the cloaked man, the bead of her arrow still marking him. "You walk further into the woods and thus further to our area of the woods. What is your business here?" the beautiful red-haired elf asked, her voice firm and confident.

Paladia was taught to let harmless strangers pass through the outer areas of the woods freely. But those actually coming towards the communities and central areas should be watched closely, if not confronted. In retrospect Pally thought disdainfully I probably should have let him be. But shaking her head with finality, the stubborn elf snapped her sharp hazel gaze back up to him.

"Fall down seven times, stand up eight"

[Mínsyth Mërénwèn]

"My business...that is none of your business. To tell you the truth, I am lost," he announced.

He didn't move, carefully watching the shingar in front of him out of the corner of his eye. Though he was hidden, from their gaze his voice had a hint of annoyance in it but he was really actually grateful of the appearance of the elf.

"Now I can finally get set on where I am exactly."

He watched and waited for a reply, mostly for the elf to lower her bow for he meant no harm in coming here, where ever here was. He just didn't trust the shingar, even if he was with the elf.

"...Life is a story waiting to be written. It is up to us to make it exciting and unforgetable..." - Shara

[Paladia Entonei]

"To tell you the truth, I'm lost"

"I didn't mean to intrude upon your affairs" she said simply, walking through the forest. Lowering her bow, but not returning her arrow to her quiver, Paladia pushed through the brush to stand just a few feet from him, and could see now that he was an elf. Looking down at Shan the elf's lips twitched as she held back a smile. "So you've met my little friend here," she said and looked up at him, her face expressionless. "Where were you trying to go, sir? I've lived in these woods all my life, and I know it and immediate area well"

"Fall down seven times, stand up eight"

[Mínsyth Mërénwèn]

He released his hilt from his death grip,  but leaving his hand close by.

"I do not really know where I am going for I do not know where I am."

He eyed the cat again.

"Does he have a name?"

"...Life is a story waiting to be written. It is up to us to make it exciting and unforgetable..." - Shara

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