I've reworked the first chapter to add more descriptions as well as included a second part of the prologue that gives a glimpse of where the other protagonist is at this point.

This story gives me the opportunity to play with two of my favorite couples (Everlark and Gendrya) from the perspective of my two favorite lead females (Arya and Katniss). It's a chance to explore their differences and similarities, and I get to do it in an Elfquest environment. Win, win, win.

Character names may have changed to fit their EQ environment. Their real names may pop up in unexpected places, but who the characters are should become clear over time through their histories and personalities. If you really want to know who a particular character is, just ask.

Two final warnings: Some characters may not be introduced until later in the story for their storyline to kick off. Patience is a virtue here. Also, this story is rated E for a reason.

All elements originating from the respective fandoms belong solely to their respective fandoms.

The days are getting warmer but there's still a chill that winds its way into the den, their small, round living quarters magically hallowed out in the massive tree they call home. Flame snuggles in closer to her younger brothers for the added warmth because pulling the furs will only lead to a struggle only leaving someone cocooned while the other two freeze. As wild as her baby brother is, she wouldn't bet on it being her cocooned.

Even as she drifts somewhere between wake and sleep, she's amused by how well her baby brother's named: Wildwind. Because that is what he is. They say the wolf blood in all of them sings, but his howls. They say that if the wolf blood were a river, he fell in head first. Flame can't say much about it because what they say about her isn't far from it. They say that if Wildwind fell in, she wades in it hip-deep.

Her other brother, Highbranch, barely has the wolf blood sing in him. Their mother used to say that he was all elf with his eyes always to the tips of the trees. It has never been just his eyes, though, which was always the source of their mother's grief. Highbranch always seeks his namesake, no matter how high in the treetops he is, he always seeks that higher branch.

Sensitive pointed ears pick up the rustling of something outside their den, so Flame opens her eyes and notices that the sun's rays are long gone. It's not quite dark, but the sun is definitely setting. The entire holt will wake soon, as few as there are left, but someone must've woken early.

The den is only large enough for her to sit upright in a kneeling position, and the opening is smaller than that, but it's enough for its purpose: sleeping.

Taking a peek outside, she doesn't see anyone, so she crouches out for a better look. All of the other dens are quiet. Most of them are empty, their inhabitants killed moons ago, but the others house what's left of her tribe inside them.

There's no way she's going back to sleep, so she squeezes out of the den completely and reaches for the nearest branch to make her jump for the ground. Highbranch can be far more graceful at it, but she's an elf and can hold her own.

It's only now that she hears them, the steady drumbeats in the distance from the human village.

"They started early in the day and haven't stopped since."

Her cousin, Crow, is sitting on a fallen log not far from their home tree, using a stone to sharpen his old troll sword. His eyes are focused on his task but the dark circles under them is a sign that he hasn't slept all day with the rest of their tribe. Flame knows why, and she understands completely. Whenever the human drums sound all day and last into the night, it means ritual. And whenever there's a ritual, there's an elf held captive by the humans for sacrifice.

It's a fact that each and ever member of their tribe knows all too well because they've all lost loved ones to humans. They've all had someone die at that hands of those tall dumb brutes. "We have to gather, call everyone to see who's missing."

Crow shakes his head and continues to sharpen his blade. "I checked every den. Everyone's accounted for."

"That can't be," Flame argues, because it can't. The humans have never held their long rituals without an elf in their midst.

There are rustling sounds from the dens above them as the entire holt wakes. Soft whispers turn to normal tones and laughter as the members of their tribe work their way down to the ground for the evening.

"Count for yourself," her cousin tells her, not missing a stroke of the whetstone. There's no mistaking the edge to his words or the bunched muscles at this shoulders. Even though he believes there's no one missing, the drumbeats have him on edge all the same.

Flame watches her brothers leave their den. Highbranch immediately climbs up to the top of the tree while Wildwind slips down to the ground. Their sister, Snowbird, emerges from the den she shares with her friends, Spark, Gentlemist, and Oak. They've shared a den together for almost an entire turn of the seasons now, ever since the slaughter of almost half their tribe at the hands of the humans.

Who can blame them? Denning alone can make an elf feel isolated, too alone and start to remember. Dwelling in the past is not The Way, that's not living in the Now of wolf-thought. So they share a den, even though as far as Flame knows, none of them are lifemates, not even lovemates. The four of them together is nothing more than comfort and warmth while sleeping so that they can stay in the Now.

Besides, it's no secret that Snowbird prefers the company of her friends than that of her siblings. "You're too embarrassing," she says. "Too wild," she complains. And it all makes Flame want to drop a hive of stingers on her every time.

Oak, as strong as his name, stands at the bottom of their home tree holding his arms up and out to offer help to his female companions to climb down. His blond curls are haphazard from sleep, but soon they'll smooth out into their normal wildness. Spark doesn't accept his offer, opting instead to leap off one branch to another until her feet are firmly on the ground, but Gentlemist does accept his help, and Snowbird certainly does. It's times like these that make Flame wonders if her sister's too gentle for the forest. If the wolf blood that courses through their bodies were a river, Snowbird would be the one running and screaming from it.

Eventually, everyone settles on the ground just as the wolves meander into the holt from their own dens. Elves greet their wolves, those bonded telepathically to them, as they do every night. It's said that they can bond this way because of the ancient bloodline that connects elf to wolf, that connects elf to this World of Two Moons that they originally did not belong.

How many times had Flame heard the story during the tribal howls? Of the ancient ones from far beyond this world and its two moons who were stranded. Their magic hampered by the heaviness of the world, hunted brutally by the humans, there was one who used what was left of her magic to shape herself into a wolf. Nymeria.

She taught the others what to eat, how to hunt, how to live on this world. She taught them how to survive, but after so many years living in her wolf form, more turns than any elf can imagine, Nymeria had forgotten her people and forgotten that she too was an elf at her core. It wasn't until she'd brought back her son, half wolf, half elf, that she remembered.

She left him with the tribe to learn what it was like to be elf, and he did. He taught the tribe the finer points of survival on this world, and effectively becoming the first chief. He had children with the elves, who had children with other elves until this very day when no one in the tribe can claim they have no wolf blood in them because they all do. They are all children of Nymeria.

Flame's wolf, named after their ancestor, pads her way beside Flame with her tail flicking and her muscles tense. Their wolf-friends know the dangers of the human drumbeats just as well as the elves. It doesn't help that her wolf may have also sensed her own nervousness through the telepathic bond they share. "It's okay, Nymeria," Flame tries to calm her wolf, named after their ancestor, but how can she calm her when she can't even calm herself?

Crow's wolf friend, Shadow, comes up to him and nuzzles at his back, but there's no response other than his methodical sharpening of his blade.

"They don't do this unless they've captured one of us," Flame sighs, reiterating what they both know to be true, even if no one is missing from their tribe.

He finally looks up from his whetstone and blade. There's a hard look in his eyes, harder than she's ever seen. It bothers her because for her entire life she's seen nothing but gentleness and kindness in Crow's eyes. When her sister was cruel, when her brothers ignored her, when her parents eyes were hard with disappointment, his were always there to make her feel safe and loved.

He was all she had left for support when her parents and older brother died at the hands of the humans. Now, his eyes are hard and there is a thirst for blood behind them.

He rubs at the bridge of his nose, and his weariness surrounds him like a cloud. "We should scout the village. See what's got them so worked up," he says and a young voice from their side chimes in. "I want to go, too!"

It's Wildwind standing and pulling himself to his full height, trying to end his wrestling match with his wolf friend. Unfortunately, not having reached adulthood yet, his wolf, Shaggywolf, doesn't seem to take the hint.

✧Absolutely not!✧

The thought is from Crow, telepathically sent to Wildwind, meant only for Wildwind, but it's so strong and emotionally charged that it bleeds into nearby minds. Flame winces along with her baby brother at it, and they notice that the eyes of the rest of the tribe are on them. Snowbird's fingers are caught in her auburn hair, frozen midway as she was combing it through to style.

Everyone knows Snowbird treasures the length and color of her hair, which is why Flame wants to cut it so badly.

✧Is this about the human drums?✧ Snowbird asks, sending out her telepathic message for only Flame and Crow to receive while continuing to style her hair with her fingers.

✧Yes,✧ Crow answers, but Flame sends her more. It's nothing but feelings of dread and confusion as to what do do next. Snowbird nods and returns to the conversation she was having with the others because she is not chieftain, it is not for her to make decisions for the tribe. Truthfully, the right of chieftainship should go to her. Their father was chief, and when he and their eldest brother died, she was next in line, but that's a responsibility that Snowbird doesn't want. That, at least, she's made clear enough.

The next to become chief of their tribe is Flame, but she'd rather leave that mantle to her brooding cousin who loves to sit and watch and think about everything. Sitting on a thornbush seems like more fun than leading a tribe. How can that be fun if all you want to do is be free to run with the wolves and hunt and howl?

Highbranch drops down from some limb above them and stays in place long enough for Longheat, his wolf friend, to greet him with a quick lick on the chin. After the wolf's gesture, Highbranch strides up to Flame and Crow and states with the authority of a fully grown wolf rather than the pup he is, "I'm going with you." There's no mistaking it's not a request.

Going into the village is the most dangerous thing they can do. Since all of the elves in their tribe are accounted for, going to the humans' village is putting themselves in danger for more than likely no reason at all. They know they shouldn't, but Crow and Flame are of the same mind that it's still a good idea to find out what's roused their enemy. Taking her little brothers is a different matter.

✧It might be a good thing to have them around. More eyes,✧ she sends her thoughts to her cousin for only him to receive, and watches as he waves his hands and shakes his head in response, an emphatic no. Her little brothers' heads swivel from one to the other, watching Flame and Crow have the silent conversation about them. Wildwind's growing impatient, but he knows one outburst would mean automatically being left behind.

✧They're too young; they're only cubs,✧ is the thought that Crow sends back to her, and her reply to that is more of a feeling that a focused thought. It's the concept of age and how by their tribe's standards, all of them are considered cubs, too young to go near the human village. Essentially, all that's left of their tribe are cubs, none considered adults yet, not even Crow.

At first, he doesn't have a response, but then when he does, he tries to appeal to her sentimentality. ✧They are all that's left of your family,✧ he reminds her.

It's funny how the one person in their tribe who knows her the best could make such a misstep. Flame is a lot of things, but sentimental isn't one of them. She misses her parents and her older brother, and all those lost to the humans, but the wolf blood sings in her. She lives in the Now, in the very moment where past and future are fleeting thoughts in comparison. They are her brothers, and she loves them very much, but she can't and would never want to shield them from life. And unfortunately, living with the threat of humans is a part of their life.

All of these thoughts are sent to him as unfocused as they are, but they are enough. Crow relents, giving her a slight nod that's barely noticeable.

Highbranch and Wildwind are still watching the two in their silent exchange, and it seems when Crow nods, they release a breath they might have been holding the whole time. Wildwind whoops while a relaxed smile spreads across Highbranch's face.

Crow releases a thought, open for everyone to receive: ✧The human drums sound. We have to see why.✧

The four others that have been outside of the conversation the whole time are now looking with wide eyes. Snowbird's eyes have the shine of threatening tears. If ever there was a sentimental elf in the family, she would be it as she considers the last of her family riding off towards the humans. Her wolf friend's nose tickles at her side to get her attention, and Snowbird wraps her arm around her. "Maiden," she cries into her wolf's fur as Spark and Gentlemist try to console her.

That's the last thing Flame sees before her brothers, her cousin and their wolves race to their destination. Nymeria is only moments behind them.

Flame sprints to keep pace with Nymeria before gripping a handful of fur at the back of her wolf's neck and slipping on to her back. The wolf's only been riding size since the last newgreen and it took almost three moons to get the hang of it, but they've developed a smoother routine, now.

Her cousin hops onto his wolf with practiced grace, no doubt the kind that can only come from a few more seasons of experience.

Her brothers are different, though. Their wolves aren't old enough to ride, not that they need them for it. Already at the very top of the trees is Highbranch, leaping from one limb to the next with the same speed as Longheat races across the ground below.

Ahead of her, Wildwind runs alongside Shaggywolf, out-pacing all others easily and wolf and elf are the first at the edge of the human village. Flame focuses her mind to telepathically send him a thought, a frantic warning for him not to enter the village without them. When she feels the same thought at the same time from Highbranch and Crow, she almost laughs. They all know her baby brother too well.

What they receive back from the youngest elf among them is trailed with annoyance, but thankfully he makes it clear that he won't do anything until the rest catch up with him. There's only truth in sending thoughts, so Flame breathes a sigh of relief, that is, until they reach the boundary of the village.

There's a tall stone wall the humans erected during the days of Flame's father's childhood nearly Three hundred turns ago, protecting them from elves and other humans. It spans higher than any adult human which means that it's over double the height of the tallest elf. Crouched on the balls of their feet are human guards at all four corners of the wall, their keen eyes watching and their sharp spears ready to pierce elven flesh.

There's no way for them to attack the humans dead on—it's how they'd lost half their tribe over a turn ago—so they lay on their bellies under the dense foliage of bushes nearby to discuss how to sneak inside. Elves have always had this advantage, the ability for silent conversation as they share their thoughts freely and quietly.

Flame suggests rushing at them, using surprise as a weapon. Crow suggests waiting for the darkest part of night and try to scale the walls. Highbranch suggests using the wolves as a diversion as they sneak inside. They can't agree on one, but Flame notices that there's one elf who's remained silent throughout their mental conversation, so she sends her baby brother an encouraging thought, ✧Have any ideas? Come on and share.✧

She expects that he lacks the self confidence to add to the conversation, but she doesn't expect him to suggest the unthinkable. ✧What about the troll caverns?✧

There's something else layered with his thought, a fear of having something exposed along with it.

✧What is it you're not telling me?✧ she asks him and doesn't get an answer right away. It's been so long since she'd contributed to the conversation with Highbranch and Crow that they're looking at her and Wildwind with curiosity, recognizing another conversation going on when they see it.

Wildwind plucks a leaf from the bush mindlessly, trying to avoid looking at them or answering, but she won't let him, repeating her thought.

✧I've been exploring the caverns for almost a turn of the seasons. I know them like the back of my hand,✧ he sends to her, and all of the warnings and rules taught to her since she was a cub at her mother's breast floods Flame's mind that instant. Elves and trolls had a tentative friendship over the years, held only by the desire to trade and the honor of two leaders that have died since. Less friendly trolls would sooner gut an elf on sight than offer a trade.

When the trolls left, tired of their own struggles against the quickly spreading humans, all elves were told not to go into the abandoned caverns for fear of troll stragglers. And Wildwind's been going down into them for an entire turn of the seasons? It seems her brother didn't feel the need to heed their father's wishes once he died. Flame knows she should be angry with him for disrespecting their father that way, but she also reminds herself that her brother has the wolf blood howling in his ear, screaming of how the past has passed, and the rules of a dead chief no longer apply when there's new territory to explore.

The problem is that they don't have a chief anymore. With Crow refusing to accept the responsibility and Snowbird would more than likely crumble under the weight of it, that leaves Flame, but she doesn't even know who she is. How can she lead everyone else until she does?

She relays Wildwind's thought to the others, of his suggestion to go through the mines and watches as her cousina and younger brother's faces twist with disapproval. Wildwind shrinks from their eyes on him but she sends him a quick thought of support and encouragement. He's more wolf than elf and the result was a foolish act, but perhaps they will benefit from it, tonight.

✧Lead us, then,✧ Crow sends openly, but there's no mistaking the anger the thought is wrapped in.

Wildwind swallows hard and crawls back from the bushes with the others following him.

wolf blood = descended from wolves, they often talk about the wolf blood in them, the blood that makes them act more like wolf than elf
home tree = the large tree hollowed out with living spaces.
holt = the area surrounding the home tree
den = the hollowed out living spaces
denning = sharing a den. most times by family or couples. sometimes by friends.
lifemates = those married to each other. can also include more than 2 elves
lovemates = lovers
now of wolf-thought = wolves don't dwell in the past or future and that's how their tribe lives
wolf-friends = those wolves bonded to the elves.

If any of you have more questions, feel free to PM me