Prequel
Ari'elle giggled as she chased after the fire bugs. They always disappeared before she could reach them, but she didn't care. It was all part of the game. They moved through the moss covered trees, flitting up and over roots that she had to climb up on to. They darted beneath the fronds of giant ferns that she crawled beneath. They flew high above her, and she would twirl beneath them, hands raised to the canopy of leaves spreading across the sky. Her tangled ringlets flew in the night air, bare feet sinking into the soft earth, as she spun, uncaring for how dirty she got her frock.
She was so happy to be allowed out in the night. She and Marron had gotten in trouble over just a silly little prank. All they had done was tie rattle sticks to First's dreadlocks while he had been asleep. But First had been startled when he woke up, and that in turn spooked their halla. So she and Marron had had to study for the past two days, listening to hahren and Keeper speak for hours at a time. Ari'elle wrinkled her nose in the darkness. She didn't like history. So much memorization made her fidgety.
The fire bug she was chasing doused his fire and disappeared, and she spun, looking for another to chase. To her left, moonlight streamed through the trees, and she laughed, running headlong to the brightness. She jumped from puddle of light to puddle of light, singing a song and dancing, the silvery moonlight burnishing her pale skin. A large broken tree lay on its side, creating a giant hole in the canopy of leaves. Ari spun in circles, staring up at the sky, spinning around so fast the stars all blurred together.
She got dizzy and fell onto her back, giggling as the stars still spun even though she was still. She would probably get in trouble again, sneaking away from the camp. But there was always so much to explore at night! The night birds silent swept in the sky, dark and hidden or bright and powerful. There were other things that you could only see at night, like the giant butterflies with moon iridescent wings, or the little hopping mice that would eat seeds from your hand. Or the giant flowers that opened to the power of the moonlight, their vines racing up trees to find room above the crowded forest floor, smelling sweeter than any other scent she had smelled before.
Ari watched as the stars slowly stopped moving, and she narrowed her eyes in concentration, pouting out her bottom lip as she thought. It was the constellation Fervenial, she thought. And if she lay here long enough, at some point Silentir would come into view. She loved the stars, the brief glimpses to the heavens that she could get. The trees in their forest were big, dense, and old; rarely would they yield their coveted sunlight to those dwelling beneath. But occasionally the clan would find these rare patches, and Ari always eagerly drew First to them, demanding he tell her stories about the world in the sky and of their Gods that rested there.
First had traveled quite a lot, more than any other in her clan, and he had told her of places that had no trees. That there were places with nothing blocking the sky for miles all around, and at night there were thousands of stars and hundreds of constellations. She couldn't believe it, but she knew First would never lie. He was too old and stodgy to make up stories; he was, like, thirty. Ari wondered what it would be like to travel to a place where there were no trees, where it never rained, where expanses of water stretched as far as the eye could see.
Ari'elle had never travel from these woods. Their clan had moved around plenty, following the Keeper's portents, and she loved it beneath the trees. They had a good, happy life. Yet, sometimes, she yearned to see more, explore more than just the forest.
A gentle calling of several night birds drew her gaze to a branch at the edge of the clearing. Four white puffs of feathers sat high in the branches above her, ruffling their small wings and shifting their claws. Ari popped up, uncaring of the twigs and dirt that most likely graced her curls. She moved to the base of the tree, and started climbing, eager to meet new friends. She scampered, bare feet digging into the grooves of the bark, dirty fingers grasping limbs and swinging her small body up. A grin broke across her face, eager to see the baby owls.
She quickly worked her way up the tree, years of experience escaping her lessons and contests with her friends making this second nature. The tree was dense with branches, her tiny size working to her advantage as she weaved her way to the birds. She slowed as she approached them, and they watched her warily, but made no attempt to fly off. Ari thought they were too young to fly yet, so she made an effort to calm her usually energy, attempting not to spook them. She didn't want them to fall.
When she was close enough to see them, but still a good distance away, she settled herself in. She straddled the branch she was sitting on, and crossed her arms on top of one that was at her chest level, leaning in. The little baby owls stared at her for long minutes, eyes almost unblinking. Ari never wavered, keeping still and breathing slowly. She couldn't help but swing one leg, though, keeping the movement hidden below her body. Eventually, one spoke up, talking to her in his high little voice. Ari grinned, repeating his call back to him. Soon she was conversing with all of them, and she made up little stories.
The smallest of the bunch lorded it over the others, and was quite bossy. He didn't like being called small, so they had to call him Key. The other three always grumbled, but their mother made them play nice. She was out getting them fire bugs, Leaf's favorite. Leaf had a leaf that kept patting on his head as the wind rustled, but he played with it more than tried to make it go away. Grouse was the one who talked to most, and he was always a little sulky about everything; mostly about Key's superiority. And then there Noble, the peacekeeper of the bunch. He only spoke when the others started to talk over each other, but they all quieted when he did. Ari didn't know how long they talked, but she didn't care. So long as mama owl didn't mind she was here, she could stay until it was really late.
A laugh filtered through the trees, and Ari turned her head, looking for the source. Her clan was to the North of here, and the sound sounded like it had come from the East. Surely she wasn't turned around; she could navigate these woods better than any of the other kids. Maybe then it was another clan?
Grouse called to her as she dropped down a few branches, but Key overrode his protests. They all watched as she sank down, scanning through the dense brush. A glow was barely visible, indications of a fire. She strained her ears and eyes, but she was just too far away, her senses not as heightened as a grown-ups. With a glance and final call back up to her new friends, Ari'elle made her way back down to the forest floor, swinging from branch to branch.
Her bare feet landed silently in the dirt, a perfume of decaying leaves and rich soil rising up as she disturbed the sediment. Ari made her way swiftly in the direction the fire light had been, stopping only once to turn and wave to the four owls watching her still from their perch. Maybe she would find them again tomorrow, and they could talk some more. But she was too curious now.
The voices grew steadily stronger, and Ari slowed, creeping forward. The accents were different, exotic sounding. They did not sound like any elves she knew of. Her heart steadily rose in her throat, excitement bubbling in her. She reached an edge in the brush, knew that they were camping just beyond. She licked her lips, searching around, and latched on a densely covered and squat tree. It would be perfect.
Ari stealthily climbed, shimmied out on her stomach to the end of one of the sturdy branches, and carefully parted the leaves. In a small clearing, a group of five people sat around the fire. Humans! Ari's eyes widened, her mouth parted. Humans! In her forest! Her inquisitive eyes ran over the lot, amazement and wonder rolling through her. She had never seen a human before, and now there were five!
Her eyes narrowed in confusion. There actually was an elf in the group too. Ari gaped, shocked. Keeper made it no secret that humans were not to be trusted, that they treated elves badly or like slaves. She didn't know what a slave was, but Keeper and First always made it sound like the worst thing. But the other four humans weren't being mean to the elf. They were joking with him, just like she joked with Marron. Maybe he was different?
She cocked her head to the side, studying him. He had pointed ears just like her, but he was darker skinned and lighter haired than any elf in her clan. Some of the other clans had dark skin like his; they said it was because they spent time in the sun. Ari'elle's clan never spent time out from beneath the trees; her skin was much lighter than any of the five companions below her. And his vallaslin was strange, two dark lines curving down the left side of his face. None of the adults in her clan had ever had those markings. Ari couldn't wait to get her vallaslin… but she wished it wasn't like his. She didn't think they meant anything. Or, at least First had never taught her which patron god was paired with those two bold lines.
She turned her avid gaze to the other humans, soaking in the details. An elderly woman sat with a staff across her lap, hands wrapped around a cup. The staff looked like the ones Keeper and First carried with them. Did humans have magic too? Ari'elle had always thought that they were too stupid to converse with the spirits… maybe she had been wrong?
A man in gleaming armor sat next to another woman in an identical set, looking huge and intimidating. They teased each other, smiling as they bantered. They had strange markings etched into the metal, and Ari was intrigued despite her nervousness. Her clan didn't have much of the shiny material, what little they had had been traded from other clans. Yet here these humans were, clad in the stuff and wielding sticks of it too. Some of the hunters had daggers of metal, used for skinning and cutting when their traditional ways took too long. But the daggers that these humans had were at least three times the size, and looked much more dangerous.
Ari crept backwards on her branch a little, hiding herself a bit more. She gulped, a little scared now. Would the humans be angry if they found her? The rustle of leaves drew the gaze of the last human, her eyes sharp. She had a bow, but it remained on the ground at her side, unstrung and of no danger. But Ari knew that any archer worth her salt would be able to string it in seconds. Ari was still too slow, too impatient to be any good with hers yet.
She held her breath until the woman turned back to her companions, speaking with the woman with the darker hair. Ari let out her breath slowly. "I am surprised you two could sneak away from your duties for your kingdom," her voice was musical, sounded almost like a song. "Although maybe your advisors were glad for a rest from Alistair's terrible jokes," she teased, shooting a glance at the human man.
"Hey!" the he cried. Ari presumed that this man's name was Alistair… but what was an advisor? "My jokes are hilarious!"
As a one, the other four burst into laughter, and the man looked around, a mulish expression on his face. Marron got the same look every time she told him she was a better archer than he was. Which, Ari thought with a smug little smile and shifting preen, was the truth.
"Did I ever tell the one about a Dwarf, a Qunari, and a mage?" The man leaned forward, eagerly. They groaned in answer, and the woman at his side put her hand on his shoulder.
"Yes, my love, you have told it," she gave him a wink, warm smile widening her lips. "Several times, in fact." He mumbled and leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest and shifting. Ari'elle stifled a giggle; her new owl friends had done the exact same thing. Especially Grouse.
"Why don't you tell us how things are going back in Ferelden?" The older lady suggested. It seemed to be enough of an idea that the man launched into story. They talked of something called the Blight, of the Circle, of other places and things she had never heard of before. Ari'elle couldn't understand most of what was said, but it was fascinating. They were friendly to each other, all listening and taking turns. Ari rested her chin on her splayed hands crossing over the branch, and closed her eyes. She wasn't going to fall asleep, just absorb their stories more.
Ari woke up with a start, the cry of a bird screeching loudly above her. She burst up, still straddling the tree, shaking the leaves around her. She froze, afraid she had just revealed her location. Daylight had brightened the forest, bringing an abundance of life out to play, but it all sounded as normal. Carefully, she pulled aside a branch, and looked into the clearing. The group from the night before was gone.
Ari'elle climbed down the tree, and skipped her way into the clearing. The fire was little more than ash's now, still wet from where they had doused the embers. She noticed flattened areas where they had slept, remnants of a meal. Fascinated, she made her way around, looking at the camp site with excited eyes. There had been four sleeping spots, but five people. One was larger than the others, did those two humans sleep next to each other? Were they bonded? The woman had called him her love, and their armor looked the same, so maybe they had been. A flush of heat few up into her cheeks. Marron said he was going to bond with her when they were old enough.
A shiny speck in the dirt made her crouch eagerly, greedy hands pulling the small piece clear. Ari moved a dirty thumb across the surface, wiping away some of the earth. A piece of metal had been left behind, and she felt light headed at her find. She cried out in pleasure, brown eyes wide and sparkling. It was round, perfectly spherical, like the wheels of their aravels, but much smaller. A design was raised, some sort of beast with claws, wings, and a beak. She didn't know what it was, but maybe First would know.
Ari'elle furrowed her brow, and shook her head, her mess of dark curls shifted around her shoulders. No, she wouldn't ask about it. First would just want to know why she had asked, and she wasn't the best of liars. He would figure it out, and she would have to show him her treasure. He would probably get mad that she had been so close to humans, and he would take away the shiny circle. It would be her secret; she would keep it hidden, even from Marron. It would be safer that way.
She clenched her small fist around her trophy, and glanced to the sky. It was early still, but late enough that they would all know she was not in camp like she was supposed to be. She heaved a big sigh, her tiny shoulders rising and falling, and then ran north. She was going to have to study for another two days straight with Keeper and First and hahren; and this time she wouldn't have Marron to poke when she got bored.