The Power of Four

Chapter 1 - Ash

The thrill of the hunt ran through me like a raging fire infused in my blood. Even as heavy rain pelted down on me, making my fiery hair stick to my skin, I was exhilarated. Even as my tall boots got coated in mud, I was grinning. Even as the cloaked sky made me shiver, well, no. I frowned. The cold was never good, for the hunter, nor the prey. I dragged my boots through the thick grass, staying low to the ground and making no sounds. Adrenaline surged through me, driving me forward. Finally, I stopped, stooping low so as not to be seen. Nothing could stop me on my own turf. I blew a loose strand of my choppy hair out of my face and prepared to fire. I grabbed an arrow from the quiver on my back and knocked it into my wooden bow. I pulled the arrow to my face, letting it touch my cheek and keeping the string taut. A beautiful auburn deer was grazing in the patch of grass beyond some trees. It seemed to have no care in the world, but at a moment's notice, it could run away like lightning, also alerting all others in the area of my presence. This was the risk, the thrill, in the hunt. One small mistake and-

A twig snapped behind me. The deer's ears pricked, pinwheeling towards the sound. Then it bolted in the opposite direction. I let out an exasperated noise, tucking my bow and the arrow back on my back. Then I perused. Without a moment's hesitation, I sprinted after the deer. Letting my mind go into overdrive, I leaped from rock to rock, from tree trunk to tree trunk. I caught up in no time, pulling out my bow and arrow in a split second, and launching an arrow through the deer's neck. I hopped down, putting away my bow. I crouched down by the animal's limp body and whispered. "I am only a lowly hunter, born to hunt, to catch. Please forgive me, as I made it easy for you to move on into your next and happier life. Thank you for giving yourself for life, for me. Thank you." With that, I stood up and waited. This was the unknown responsibility of a huntress. Not just to kill and take life from another being. But to let the creature's spirit free. Being trapped in a deer's body was a terrible situation. You would be consumed by the surge of panic of being hunted, you couldn't even know that the hunter was just freeing you of your prison. After being released from the body of a creature, the spirit could move on and become its whole form. It would start a new life in the spirit realm, a haven where only the released spirits could go. After a few moments, a shimmery essence squeezed out from the wound and a light echoey voice whispered, I will forever be in debt to you, sweet hunter. Thank you for freeing me from my lowly form. Though I am no longer welcome in this world, I am once again whole, for I can move on into a better future. May my past form give you new life and help you keep living. Thank you. The light voice faded away into the air, taking the shimmery form with it. I finally lifted my head only to find two amber eyes staring at me. Another deer, this one midnight black with golden hooves and antlers was watching me from a few feet away. It almost looked... guilty?

"Elm! Are you the one who snapped that stick?" I cried, standing up to my full height. The deer looked down at the ground sheepishly. "Awww... It's okay, just don't you dare do it again." I commanded, giving him a cheeky smile, then a forceful glare. I grinned again, "Mind giving me a ride back home to make up for it?"

We rode through the forest in no time. I hauled the dead deer behind us, but it was only a small burden for Elm. We jumped and ducked, and in no time at all stopped at the edge of a clearing. I said my thanks to Elm and continued, letting him wander back into the forest. The clearing was small but hospitable. The grass was long and leen, soft against my tall boots. Small yellow flowers were dotted around the clearing, and small butterflies and bees zipped from flower to flower. A tall, thick tree with dark bark was in the center of the clearing. It was taller than all the other trees in the forest, and its branches and leaves covered the entire clearing. Light filtered through the leaves, giving the clearing a slight greenish hue. Small fireflies were already beginning to zip about, making a cozy glow spread. I didn't live in the clearing, nor in the tree's thick trunk. Instead, I thrived on the tree's thick and vast branches, up in the canopy. Tall white pillars marked the sides of the structures perched on the branches.  There were two structures in the tree. A large one that served as a main house, and a smaller one that was mostly used as a workshop. It seemed like a classic elven home, and it was, however I was isolated from the rest of the world, nevermind just the elves. I sighed looking up at it. These buildings were alike to all other elven houses, but what really set it apart was the fact that it was alone. Elven villages are perched on cliffsides alongside each other, in vast canopies next to each other, or next to a waterfall, again, next to each other. So it was strange to see a lone home by itself with all the empty space in the tree. I only knew these things, but didn't feel them. Elves, I thought, Pointed ears and tall bodies. That's what makes me an elf. But what about all the characteristics and culture I never was taught? Am I really an elf, if I can't tell you anything about how they live or what they do? I grew up here, separate from the rest of my species with my mother. My father stayed at the village they were from, because he was too scared to venture outside. My mother was a hunter, and as good as I am, I still lose a catch now and then. She was a master, and always got the prey. She was the one who taught me to hunt, to thrive off the land. But then she disappeared. When I was 9, she sent me off to catch something for dinner, and I did, proud as can be with a deer twice my size. But when I got home, there was no one to congratulate me. I was all alone. I spent the next few days looking for her, but to no avail. She was gone.