If there could be a night where it could feel so calm and serene, it was
this night. The moons shone down between the large redwood trees so gently
and the air was just perfectly warm. Even the breeze seemed to caress them
just right. Somehow the threat of humans and dangerous animals felt far
away as the inhuman night dwellers went about. A few of them were wary of
this mellowness, keeping their upswept ears constantly alert with cocked
heads, but most enjoyed the moment. They'd smile more often in contentment.
They're usual soft, musical voices that wouldn't be heard by any passing
enemy, grew just a bit bolder.
Eyes that pierced the darkness guided them both amongst the high branches of the trees and on the ground. With the large predators they claimed kinship with guarding them they went about; gathering herbs, teaching apprentices a craft, lovemaking with secretive dances along the trees, playing, and a few prowling the forest to hunt for animal prey.
But this night wasn't usual. The night dwellers rarely let their guard down, or forgot to be alert, even when sleeping. Like their brothers the wolves, they were alive only because so far they'd been ready to defend themselves. And they were not always so innocent as this night would seem to make them. They too had a darker side.
With bow, sword, knife and javelin they brought down prey and the wrathful humans. Their sharp teeth were for the bloody meat they thrived upon. Human child-like size was deceptive when it came to their swift speed and stamina. The wolf blood that coursed through them was mixed with the blood of the High Ones, making them unearthly beautiful to humans and full of the animal's instincts. But it made the humans loathe the night dwellers even more as superstition grew.
Many generations came and went. The night dwellers had never known exactly when or why it began, this competitive war, and they no longer thought about it. It simply was. Their wolf allies became like family to them as the bond of friendship deepened. And the beasts carried them upon their backs, hunted down food with them, and helped defend against danger.
The night dwellers called themselves Wolfriders.
Humans, after calling them 'demons' or 'spirits' for centuries, would later give them a different name: elves.
Eyes that pierced the darkness guided them both amongst the high branches of the trees and on the ground. With the large predators they claimed kinship with guarding them they went about; gathering herbs, teaching apprentices a craft, lovemaking with secretive dances along the trees, playing, and a few prowling the forest to hunt for animal prey.
But this night wasn't usual. The night dwellers rarely let their guard down, or forgot to be alert, even when sleeping. Like their brothers the wolves, they were alive only because so far they'd been ready to defend themselves. And they were not always so innocent as this night would seem to make them. They too had a darker side.
With bow, sword, knife and javelin they brought down prey and the wrathful humans. Their sharp teeth were for the bloody meat they thrived upon. Human child-like size was deceptive when it came to their swift speed and stamina. The wolf blood that coursed through them was mixed with the blood of the High Ones, making them unearthly beautiful to humans and full of the animal's instincts. But it made the humans loathe the night dwellers even more as superstition grew.
Many generations came and went. The night dwellers had never known exactly when or why it began, this competitive war, and they no longer thought about it. It simply was. Their wolf allies became like family to them as the bond of friendship deepened. And the beasts carried them upon their backs, hunted down food with them, and helped defend against danger.
The night dwellers called themselves Wolfriders.
Humans, after calling them 'demons' or 'spirits' for centuries, would later give them a different name: elves.