The Elves of Loth

Chapter Two

For the months that followed Aspen-leaf put her time into training, making her way to the top of the pack. Scoring the most points in every mission and building muscle until she could lift almost half her weight, Aspen-leaf soon moved up to the advanced training group leaving her jealous peers behind. The old drill sergeant wouldn’t be seeing her anymore. Now she was in an elite group lead by Cliff-breeze, the original combat huntress who’d recruited her so long ago.

Days felt long, and the training was tough but the adolescent persevered, learning about stealth, camouflage and combat. Sometimes she was even sent out into the field, performing border patrols and restocking supply huts near dark elven territory. Not bad for a thirteen-year-old.

Once again, Aspen-leaf woke early, before sunrise to meet her squad at the first peek of Alereth. She raised her arms, arching her back in a glorious stretch, before rising out of her bed, wide-awake already. By the time she was dressed in forest green, leaf-like, battle suit, an expression of determination had settled onto her face. Slipping into her tall, leathery boots, she stood and strode towards the door.

Although the hike was long, the usual morning fog had thinned and this time she had company. Frost-raven was the only other girl in the program, or at least the only one at the same skill level as Aspen-leaf. Naturally, the two combat huntresses had bonded, each wanting the company of another girl. At first, Aspen-leaf had had her doubts about the thin, young elf. With very little muscle tone, next to no experience with a weapon, and an extremely low pain tolerance, she just couldn’t see why Frost-raven was in their squad. That was before she’d seen the nimble elf swinging between the trees, running on their branches and climbing faster than Aspen-leaf had ever seen before. The speed that Frost-raven was able to muster was beyond Aspen-leaf’s wildest dreams.

“You still owe me a race…” Frost-raven’s words broke the silence, cutting jagged edges through Aspen-leaf’s thoughts. After watching as the shattered pieces of her memory slipped from her field of vision, she raised her head, meeting her friend’s eyes. The younger elf had silvery-white hair slightly shorter than Aspen-leaf’s, complemented by icy blue eyes and a pale complexion. Aspen-leaf had to wonder how she’d gotten like that – she knew how her sister had.

“You’re on!” that was all it took for the two of them to disappear into the undergrowth. Thorns and juniper branches smacked Aspen-leaf on face, bloodying her cheeks and smattering the forest floor. Accelerating towards an upcoming pine, Aspen-leaf leaned back, her shoulder blades scrapping gravel as she slid beneath a low-hanging branch. That was when Aspen-leaf realised her friend hadn’t passed her yet - what was going on? Turning her head, the young elf saw no sign of Frost-raven.

“Hurry up!” came a teasing voice from somewhere ahead of her. Annoyed, Aspen-leaf lunged into the dense undergrowth, there was no way she was returning to the path now, not when she was so close. Just as Aspen-leaf turned to face the forest ahead, she reached the edge of the trees, where they gave way to an immense scree slope. This was her turf! Heels dug into the slippery shards of rock, Aspen-leaf dared to glance back at the tree line where Frost-raven was stepping onto the slope. The time Aspen-leaf had lost in the forest she’d make up for here, where strength had more value than nimble feet.

“Who’s slow now?” The leading elf taunted. An expression of mock-hatred crossed Frost-raven’s face as she stumbled in the cascading stone. Farther and farther down the slope they tumbled, bumping into each other in a playful tackle until the smaller of the two broke free, bracing for impact as best she could. With a jolt of realisation, Aspen-leaf snapped her head back to see the barren slope of Katakora, the first peek of Alereth ascending before them. Together the two girls surged forwards, fording the narrow stream that ran along the bottom of the valley, and sprinting up the next hill until the trees began to return. From that point, a dirt trail led to the training area. The rout was too direct to bother straying from the path and so, for a brief moment, Aspen-leaf thought she might have a chance of winning – until Frost-raven shoved past her in an unpleasant reminder that her athletic friend could run as well as swing in the trees.

Desperately, the older elf lunged forwards, grabbing at Frost-raven’s heals and sending them both into the dirt. Aspen-leaf was the first to stagger to her feet, hope flitting in her eyes. Just then, her younger friend rocketed past her, sprinting the last twenty meters to the training ground.

“Foiled again!” Aspen-leaf joked when she arrived, but a stern glare from Cliff-breeze silenced them both, and she cursed herself for being so childish. In order to keep the respect her comrades had for her and to preserve her reputation she would have to do a lot better than that.

Expecting a normal training session, Aspen-leaf sat down on a sun-warmed boulder next to the cliff overlooking the vast forest that surrounded Loth. She let her gaze drift off into the distance, as she listened to Cliff-breeze drone on about tactical advances they’d be practising. It wasn’t until she heard her name that the young elf turned to face her mentor.

“…Aspen-leaf, Red-rock, Hidden-stream, and Birch-Blade. The rest of you will follow Shaded-Stone on a border patrol. Turning toward Birch-blade, she searched his face for any indication of what she’d missed but he looked equally confused. “As the strongest and most strategically advanced students in the program, you have been selected for a new stage of your training, one that will truly prove your strength, your stamina, and your intellect.” Cliff-breeze paused to admire the stunned expressions on her pupils’ faces.

“What about-” Hawk-wing began, only to be cut off by Cliff-breeze’s next words.

“If any of you wish to go home, now’s your chance. You’ll be considered full-fledged combat hunters and no one will ever know any different, but if you decide to pursue the next step in your training there is no turning back.” A stone cold expression spread from the wise elf to her students, freezing even the sun’s rays of warmth. Awkwardly, they all stared at each other, wondering who would break until a stalky young man stood and began to descend mount Katakora. This was it, then – just the eight of them. But what would happen to Frost-raven and the others? Were they not deemed fit to become combat hunters, were they not good enough? Aspen-leaf found that hard to believe. Maybe the elves standing with her were the top fighters, the ones who wouldn’t break under pressure, but the other members of their squad weren’t far behind, and they were equally passionate about their training.

“So what’s next?” Aspen-leaf stared up at her superior. Even if the question had only been a distraction to prevent anyone else from heading down the slope, she was genuinely curious. Hesitating for a moment, Cliff-breeze gave the young elves time to nibble at their fingernails or twitch their feet impatiently or out of nervousness.

With a hint of mischievous excitement, the older elf replied: “Dragons.”