Land of Athlora

* Chapter (2) - Expectation

-10th day of the 8th month of 1527

The combined use of levitation magic and camouflage allowed Wren to easily cross the remaining Tessa Mountain Range and beyond the Valpe plains. The wind blows coolly as dawn has yet to arrive, but the sky has begun to turn a lighter shade of violet and blue.

Wren closes her eyes and allows the silence to sweep over her as she tries to remember her father's words from long ago. "Over the Tessa Mountain Range and past the Valpe plains follow the winding river until it runs straight and then turn west. Keep to that path until you reach the deep chasm and follow it until disappears into the ground. And only then turn towards the sun to find the stone circle and the large hill overlooking the forest. For their down below you will find our village, our home," Zarris softly whispered.

Wren opens her eyes feeling refreshed even though she has not slept the entire night in excitement. She smoothly scampers across the ring of stone and through the forest until she reaches the hill her father spoke of. With her heart trembling with unknown emotions, Wren climbs the large grassy hill to stand at the peak. In the forest valley below lays a semi-overgrown clearing of trees amidst the ruins of an ancient village. Wren's heart plummets sadly, she had hoped that perhaps by some chance of fate there were other survivor's other than her father. But even still, Wren had kept her promise to father and made it the Frost's Clan's home.

The breeze dances with the leaves in the morning light filling the morning silence. Wren's boots crunch across the dew-covered grass filled with debris as she comes to a pensive halt before the ruins of her ancestral home. Even now, the ruins show the marks of the past violence that had transpired. The burnt streaks across fallen stone frames, the chips of blades in the rotting wood frames that still stand.

For a movement, Wren can even almost hear the screams and the sound of battle. Her eyes fill with bitterness as the last hope inside of her fades away. Wren unconsciously reaches towards her neck and touches the familiar necklace on her neck for comfort. Feeling a tad better, Wren turns away and walks further into the ruins searching for the clan altar to pray and honor the dead.

Having traveled the full length of the village Wren is still unable to find the fallen clan altar. With a frown, Wren encircles the surrounding area again to avail and from this tiny irregularity the seed of hope is reborn.

Taking a gamble, Wren activates levitation and camouflage as she leaps through the treetops. Wren circles the area in large circles searching for a trace of anything in any direction. Suddenly, from the depth of the forest a deer herd moves rapidly as if fleeing. Wren instantly darts for the area and comes to halt on a rock sarsen overlooking the whole area. Wren waits in anticipation for the figure of the hunter to appear.

A large figure despite their massive girth nimbly darts through the trees. The hunter runs at full speed towards Wren without noticing her concealed figure. The hunter rushes eagerly towards the deer to suddenly find themselves airborne and with a painful thud the hunter lands on his back.

Swiftly realizing he is under attack, the hunter rolls to his feet and hastily reaches for his small ax at his waist. But before the hunter can reach his weapon, the hunter finds his arms painfully twisted behind his back as an extremely tall, female elf pins him to the ground. Seeing the appearance of his captor a trace of hope appears in the hunter's eyes as tries to throw off the elf with his strength, but to his dismay he finds the abnormal elf is stronger than him!

Trying to keep the fear out of his voice, the teenage hunter tries to confidently say, "Do you know who I am?"

"No," was the curt reply.