Alfýkin: The Last of the Elves

Child's Innocence

Oh my gosh ohmygoshohmygosh!!! So I was cruising around on YouTube and I came across this video and I'm in love! Way better than the original!

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In the days that followed the mountain cat attack the children could often be seen searching the nearby grass for Illeandir. It was a new game they played. Illeandir would hide in the tall grass long before the children came out to play and they would search for him.

Most days it took nearly half an hour for them to scout out his position, and only did they see him when he moved. They screeched with delight when they found him and as one pounced on the vulnerable playmate. For a time Illeandir wrestled with them, tiny fists pummeled his body. When he was done he stood up and the children rolled off him laughing hysterically and begging for more. Illeandir would send them on the hunt for little creatures to find in the grass while he went off to search for any dangers and to find food.

The children scattered throughout the burned buildings, each looking for a tiny yellow-bellied frog. Often times they got under the feet of the adults, who were searching the wreckage for anything salvageable for few buildings stood, and those were charred and badly damaged. They laughed to see the children chasing unseen creatures through the grass. The chase went on for hours until noon when mothers called their kids to eat. By then they had caught twenty such frogs and had placed in a bucket where the amphibians climbed over each other, desperate to get out.

The children finished their meal quickly for they had seen Illeandir standing a little way off holding something in his hands. He was arguing with Owen, or rather Owen was arguing with himself. He kept gesturing to the village and pointing at Illeandir. He then pointed to the horizon and said one word: "Leave."

At that point, abandoning all rules that said not to bother an adult when they were angry, the children raced through the grass shouting "Elstan" over and over. One boy came a bit slower, lugging behind him a pailful of croaking frogs. Owen sputtered and tried to shoo them away but they wouldn't listen. Eventually he gave up and stalked away.

"Look, Elstan! Look what we found!" They showed him the frogs, Illeandir was pretty sure some of them were dead. One by one the children picked them up and presented them before him, giving each frog a name such as Fluffy, Hairy, Sue, Oscar, Warty, Squishy, and Tinkle. Tinkle had unfortunately peed on some poor little boy, thus the name. As they named them they set the frogs in the grass in a line, some stayed ominously still while the rest hopped away. The children didn't notice this until they set the last frog down. They scampered about trying to catch their frogs but all the living ones had escaped. Downtrodden, they returned to Illeandir on the verge of tears. Illeandir smiled gently and kneeled down, opening his hands.

There, nestled in the palm of his hand were three tiny kittens, two were black and white, the other grey and white, all with the same markings. The children exhaled softly with delight. The kittens mewled shrilly. One by one the children pet the little balls of fur, eyes wide in wonder.

"Where's their mama?" a brown haired girl asked.

"Gone," Illeandir said. What he didn't tell them is that he found the kittens pawing at their mother's cold, stiff body for food that would never come.

"Can we feed them?" another asked. Illeandir nodded.

"Bring warm milk and a small spoon," he said. A few of the children ran off to find the needed items. They soon found Matilda washing laundry with her sleeves rolled up to her elbows and face red. She stood up and placed her hands on her hips when she saw them rushing over.

"What have you done now?" she asked, shaking a finger at them.

"Elstan found kitties!" they exclaimed. "We're gonna feed them."