In the deep of the Brecillian forest the clouds shadowed everything below creating an illusion of nightfall. The winter winds blew againest the ground coating ice across the dirt ground and lively green. Trees stood high and mighty as living beings older than most creatures in the world. Before this land was taken by the human lords and bannons exiling the former residents of Fereldin, the land prospered with glorious Arlathan. A mighty elvin city where many of the elves came to greet and discuss important topics with one another. Till the Teventier Imperium came and housed the once glorious Arlathan from the elves.
In return to this however, as is in human nature the former opressors of the elves eventually became overruled by other humans and the elves liberated themselves from their cruel rulers. Though the elves lost much from the humans, some stood strong and refused to submit to the human cruelty that afflected devestating harm towards them, one such group of elves that stood defiant were the dales, the Dalish.
Atop a large stone a lone hooded figure held onto a hunters bow and observed the land covered by the first of winter. Enhaling a large huff of air and exhaling back out into the world the hunter stood from a crouching position and hopped to the ground with a ready arrow. The hunter moved valently through the winter air, snow seemed to decorate and camoflague the hunter away from the prey and other hunters.
The young one known many of the clan as lethallen carried out with the hunt, spotting a light colored buck crossing a crystal like stream in search of some still green grass and slightly warmer water to drink.
Pausing in the lightly snowy ground the elf takes aim with the bow and looks across the bark of trees and white coated forest. The prey stood highly and tensed for a moment, did it sense the elf or perhapse another creature has come out from the frost covered forest in search of meal? No it had to have sense the prescense of the dalish. Not wanting this moment to be passed up the young lethalin held out the arrow with grace and focused on the hunt.
Eyes fixing on the heart, everything else slowing down and becoming still as water bucket. Not even the cold seemed to faze the hunter. All seemed peaceful and beautiful, the snow fell in flakes, the grass still carried little green under the cold, flowers red as blood frozen dead yet all more alive than ever with white sprinkles coating a lovely haze. The sounds of the hunters breathing echoed off as a light wind and the elf's hands held firmly the arrow and string.
"Mahariel!"
Now of all times when the hunter was ready to let loose the arrow unto the prey but the calling upon the young one's name caused the child to jump from startlement and the deer to retreat further into the forest.
"Damn you Tamlen!" Mahariel called out to the other hunter and child of the Dales. Young Tamlen ran to his friend joyfully wearing a similar cloak and hood with leather coating his body from the cold. Once the young lad was to his childhood friend the chap patted his friend's shoulder and said. "Well I can see you've almost caught dinner, I've had no such luck however."
"I might've been able to caught dinner had you not interupted."
Tamlen let out a slight laugh and said.
"Lethallen you take things too serious, we should enjoy our freedom for what it is. Besides the Keeper said we'd be fine so long as we don't stay out when its dark. Come on we should try to hunt down the deer otherwise we'll be eating frozen vegtables again."
The blonde haired elven boy ran off after the deer in the direction of its leave while his friend followed afterward, both keeping up with the hunt and never ceasing. Young and wild, filled with a youthful fire that exhausted not even under such a snow coverd storm.
Mahariel leaped over a fallen tree and ran atop a rock and leaped to a tree branch swinging to another and following after the deer while Tamlen kept to the ground. The blonde haired boy dived under a tree and continued running dodging trees while keeping his eyes on the deer and its tracks. He looked up for a quick moment to spot his friend funning and leaping from tree to tree while keeping up momentum with their soon to be dinner.
Keep at it lethallen. Thought Tamlen as he did his best to keep up with his wild frined.
Finally as the three had left the closed spaces of the forest they entered into a clearear area when Mahrial hopped down from a tree and withdrew an arrow and bow. Things seemed to slow down as the deer pranced in the snow covered clearing and in the reflection of its eyes, an arrow was seen coming straight for it.
The deer was struck with an arrow through the heart and crumbled to the ground with a loud smashing sound. Snow and fallen leaves lifted to the sky as blood streamed from the dead deer and onto the snow. The white frost was painted with a beautiful crimson that melted the snow giving a warmth from winter.
"Exccelent work lethallen, now the Keeper will be pleased to know the clan won't go hungery for a night." Tamlen said as he pulled a string from his satchel and began to tie the deer's legs. Maharial stood over the corpse of the animal and watched it. Black eyes beading back at the young child with the fier of a warrior. The hunter gazed upon the wound of where the buck was slain and saw that blood still dripped from the arrow's shaft.
The sight of such mild gore sent an odd feeling into the youung hunter. It wasn't a quesy one nor a distatful strain, it was something more ravenous. The sight of a creature dead before the hunter gave off an unnatural energy that sent energy throughout the hunter's body. And the elf reveled in the strange feeling of death.
"Lethalin are you coming?" Tamlen asked.
Mahariel turned back and saw that Tamlen already had the deer's feet tied and ready to be taken off to camp. "Yes, I'm ready." Mahariel said shaking off the bizzare sensation that was felt upon the killing of the prey.
The hunter decided to keep quiet of what was felt back there, it was a matter that was best kept secretive. It wasn't the first time young Mahariel had sensed the sensation of death. Nor will it probbly be the last. It seems so long ago, but the elf rememberd a time when blood gave off an aroma that was new and exhilerating to the Dalish elf but also frightened any who'd come across the elf during such ravaging bloodlust.
It all happened about a year ago, when something unexpecting fell upon the elf. Somthing that opened up a new sense of understanding towards the shems, or better known as the humans.
Skullface: I'm hoping that this will develop further as a story, but for right now this is only a oneshot. If this chapter does well it'll progress into something more I promise. Also Mahariel's gender is going to be concealed until I can decide if I want Maharial to be a him or a her.