Gargoyles & Screams: A Prologue [Year 25]

The sun shone brightly through the roads and pathways of Silvermoon. It was a great relief to the elven residence, as the last few days had been soured by a slight drizzle, making daily tasks more unpleasant and words few beyond a greeting. The sun finally showed through the clouds at midday, causing many of the elves to leave their homes to catch up with neighbours and friends, or to simply enjoy the light of the sun (as known to most, these elves worship the sun). The only signs of gloom seemed to come from a young elf treading through the drying cobblestone pathways between the towering brick homes.

His black hair was plastered across his forehead from weapons training earlier that morning. As usual, he had to work twice as hard to keep up with his peers, who seemed to be able to master a new technique with ease. He was constantly struggling to keep up and he often saw his mentor study him with a troubled look before shaking his head and returning to the lesson. The young elf blamed himself, for if one looked closely, they could see his eyes held no glow, and although his ears had kept most of their length, his eyebrows were human-like, and his body suggested a more human build. The elf-boy sighed heavily as he neared the orphanage he lived in and as he approached, an elven maiden opened the door to greet him.

"Why were you out so late, Ravenarii?" she asked, using his full name.

"I'm sorry miss," he replied, " I just couldn't….," Ravenarri looked down at his feet, "..keep up today."

The maiden softened, " Oh Rii," she said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder, " That's quite all right. I just worry about you."

"I'm truly sorry ……" he looked sullen.

"Oh hush child. Your not to blame for what you are," she replied, and looked at him fondly, "Now come. We've got a warm meal ready for you," as she ushered him inside.

But Rii felt ashamed nonetheless. He hated how he wasn't as able as other elves his age. Sure, he had more strength in his blows while handling a sword, but thats as far of an advantage that he was blessed with with his human blood. He had less grace and fluidity, and was useless with a bow. He couldn't even move fast enough to counter his peers' strikes while sword training, so his strength was useless anyway. Rii didn't even know why he was assigned to these training lessons. He darkened. He DID know why he was assigned there.

"Rii," interrupted his thoughts. He looked up.

"Aren't you hungry? There's still some broth left, " she gestured toward the pot on the wooden stove.

Rii stared at it. He wasn't hungry anymore. Instead he felt an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"I don't feel well," he answered, " I think I'll just go to bed."

He turned to leave, then mumbled "but thank you anyway."

pursed her lips in worry as she watched the elf-boy drag himself up the stairs.

He made his way into a room full of beds, surprisingly all unoccupied. All the other children were still playing outside, since the weather had finally cleared up.

So he was alone. He once again thought of the misfortune that had settled on him.

Being part human was bad enough, but at least a human can wield magic, something he had long since realised he couldn't do. It was the reason he has been assigned to weapons training. He couldn't even feel magic, like all high elves could. It had puzzled every magistrate, and they had had hoped to forge a cure for the high elves' addiction to magic by studying him. They eventually came to the conclusion that his human blood had somehow made him completely insusceptible to magic. However, it was only decided on that because no other conclusion could be agreed upon, and the magistrates argued bitterly. When Rii was younger, he had often wondered if there was some great secret that kept him from feeling magic, and that maybe he had a destiny somewhere. He would pretend to be a hero , who saved great cities from monsters and dragons. But at the age of 15 years, he had grown out of those dreams, and was beginning to realise how useless he really was.

Glancing down at his bed, he noticed a small wooden stake poking out from underneath. He bent to pick it up, and realised it was his old play sword. Rii looked upon it fondly, realising it must have fallen behind his bed at some point, and was forgotten.

He swung it, as if to strike a foe, and thought of how his skills had improved since he last held it. Maybe he wasn't so clumsy with a sword.

Shouts from downstairs told him that the rest of the children were coming back inside. He glanced out the window of the room and noticed how close the sun was to the horizon. Then, glancing at his wooden sword, an idea started to form in his mind. He was remembering the spot in the forest he always went to play when he wanted to be a hero. It wasn't that far, and he could easily slip out the window onto the roof.

He felt that dark cloud of sadness lift as he grinned and headed towards the window, slipping out before the children clomping up the stairs had time to notice.

After delicately jumping off the roof to the ground, he made his way to the edge of the city. Seeing the trees was already making him feel calmer. He always enjoyed the forest, and many high elves believed this had to do with their instinctual past, before the elves began to use magic. He secretly wondered himself if he just liked being away from the other elves because he didn't fit in, but now he had not the time to think about it, as he was desperately trying to remember the way to his old play-spot.

He finally stumbled across the old trail he used to take and was overjoyed. Looking around him as he walked, he noticed many places that brought back fond memories. Like seeing a Springpaw cub for the first time, from the branches of a whitebark tree. And the huge white rock he always used to pretend was a dragon egg, and the hatchling would become his best friend and they would fight demons together.

He never did quite reach the spot he was going to, for he heard the sounds of someone running down the trail. Quickly, he hid behind a nearby Oak, knowing full well that he wasn''t supposed to be this far into the forest at this time of day. Hearing the footsteps come crashing closer, he couldn't help but peer curiously around the tree.

Suddenly, a female elf clad in armour and a sword at her side came rushing around the corner. Rii's eyes widened. She had a mixture of fear and determination on her face. He was suddenly curious until he heard the distant shrieks of some unknown being. Then he heard the beating of wings and wondered if his dreams had come true, and a dragon had come to attack Silvermoon. Feverishly wishing he had never thought them up at all he glanced up to see the creature. Or creatures, for it was not a dragon at all, but a pack of the most fowl creatures he had ever seen. They had the batish wings of a dragon, but that's as far as the similarities went. They were a grey colour, with splashes of burgundy across their bodies. Their feet were clawed, as well as the ends of the wings. And their faces. They had the most horrid twisted faces, even his own overactive imagination could never have come up with such a terrifying being.

One of the creatures let out a shriek of glee as it spotted the female, and plunged towards the forest, the other three in pursuit. As Rii started to shake, he realised that now he could see them up closer, they were not spotted with burgundy at all. It was just heaps of drying blood.

He sank to the base of the tree, clamping his hand over his mouth to keep himself from screaming, although he wasn't sure if he could even if he tried. He watched in terror as the leading beast tackled the female, and with a defiant scream, she attempted to plunge her sword through it. It jerked its body just in time, but the sword grazed its side, causing it to shriek in agony. One against one, the elf surely could have culled the creature with her years of training and precision. But then the three other winged beings came crashing to the earth, and it was clear who was going to win this fight.

Her screams of defiance turned to screams of terror as the demonic beasts tore her flesh with their teeth and claws. Rii tore his eyes away from the horrible fight and covered his ears in hopes of cutting out the screams, whilst telling himself over and over again that this was a nightmare and he would wake up soon, in a cold sweat, as he usually did.

He had always had nightmares for as long as he could remember. The most reoccurring one was always of dragons fighting. A pair would be pitted against many others, while in flight. They never won, and he always felt horror and despair as he was forced to watch as they lifelessly plunged to the earth.

Rii realised, sickened, that the screams had faded to almost nothing. Almost hating himself for it, he turned to look once more. The demons, as he had finally decided to call them, had decided to take off, satisfied with their kill. Then a terrible realisation came over him. The female, as maimed and bloody as she was, was still alive.

All the sudden he felt the need to go to her, as if he had known her all his life. As his feet brought him to her side, she gasped.

"You must……," she sputtered helplessly, "You must…. Tell them of…."

Then with the last act of defiance she thrust her sword hilt into his hands and fell still.

He felt tears stream down his face, as he kneeled at her body. His dreams, his nightmares, were all suddenly coming true.