"Da'len, come here for a moment." Keeper spoke into the night, halting Ari'elle's rush to leave as she strapped her bow and quiver in place. Inwardly she groaned, but she pasted a smile on her face, turning to head to where he stood by his fire. At least Marron wouldn't approach her while she spoke with Keeper, not unless he was invited.

"Yes, Keeper?" Ari'elle clasped her hands behind her back, trying to look demure. He would never believe it, but she could try. She pressed her lips together, attempting to stop the spread of the smile that always tried to break through whenever she saw him. Or, more specifically, his now bald head. He still regarded her with barely concealed suspicion. It wasn't her fault that the honeycomb had fallen onto him and he had had to cut all his dreads off because the sticky substance would not come out. She had thought that it would be Marron who would follow her. Besides, he should have seen the trap rigged up. It was very much not her fault.

"Where do you go this evening? It grows dark soon." His flickered over her face, tracing the delicate lines he had inked there. It seemed every time they talked, he looked for that spark of greatness he suspected of her. She shifted in place, uncomfortable with the attention. He thought she would do some great thing for the Elvhan… she always wondered what he would do if he found out her interest in the humans. Banish her?

"Just out to collect seeds. Some of the night flowers have reached time." While not quite true, no one knew the night species as well as she did. She had spent much longer than any other clansman exploring the forests just for the sake of exploring. While she was officially a hunter, she didn't spend much time tracking. She wasn't quite sure why she got away with it all these years, but no one had scolded her too much for it. She did, however, always collect seeds and plant those that would be useful around their more permanent sites. The healers appreciated it, so she supposed that was her claim. Perhaps everyone still gave her a pass due to her supposed destiny.

"Very well, child." Solas narrowed his eyes, cutting glances to something behind her. "No longer a child, anymore, I should say." She felt her stomach sink, knowing what words he would speak next. "As an adult, we have a duty to the Elvhan. We no longer have our immortality; our numbers dwindle. We have a responsibility to bond, to preserve the old ways and keep our clans alive."

Ari'elle shifted, hands now in fists, lips pressed together. She looked down, her tangle of curls draping forward, covering her face. Without looking, she knew Keeper was frowning at her reaction. "Da'len. Marron favors you. He is good; strong and intelligent. You could be happy together."

That stood in silence for several moments, Ari'elle unwilling to speak of it. How could she convey what she felt? How she had this feeling of longing for something she didn't know? How, though she loved her people and her clan, she wanted more? "Ir abelas." She finally whispered. I am sorry.

Keeper sighed, "Consider it some more. You never know what you may think later." Ari'elle nodded her head, but knew in her soul that she wouldn't. She had had this pull in her for as long as she could remember, a feeling that she was not meant for what her family did. It is what made her run through the trees, explore by herself, see things with different views than the clan. No one else ever questioned anything, they always did as they were told; the truth was always just what the hahren said it was.

She glanced around her, seeing if Marron still followed her. The elf stood with his back to her, conversing with another. No doubt giving her and Keeper the privacy he thought they deserved. She quickly darted into the night shadows, slipping from camp, breathing a sigh of relief at escaping.

She felt guilty, as she always did, running from Marron. He was indeed a good male, and occasionally a good friend. But he had known since they were children that he wanted to be bonded with her. When she had been young and foolish she had dreamed that too. But as she grew, she realized it really meant to bond with someone. She didn't want his attentions, didn't want to follow in her people's footsteps. Now she spent as much time away as possible, avoiding his courting and the clan's ever increasing gaze. She kept hoping one of the other females would catch his eye, but he was too stubborn.

The further Ari'elle drew from camp, the more relaxed she became, until she was humming and her steps became more playful. The moon was bright, the clouds far above the canopy finally departing. When she had left Sera two days ago, rain had started up, blocking the sky and making everything dark. Now she had the opportunity to bask in the filtered moonlight, she was taking it. Her favorite flowers would be open tonight and she was excited to breath in their sweet scent.

High above her a night bird called, gently drawing her attention. She immediately answered back, looking for her friend. A silent slash of white showed her where one of the owls flew, landing on a branch above her head. Leaf, the most playful of her friends, cocked his head to the side, hooting down at her. She smiled, and continued on her way, knowing he would follow her.

She ran through the underbrush, playing an advancing game with Leaf. She darted forward, only to be overtaken by his faster flight, then catching up to where he sat and overtaking him. Since that fateful night all those years ago, her owl friends had followed her through the clan's many wanderings. She never treated them as anything but what they were: wild animals that had, for some reason, taken a liking to her. They brought her feathers, sometimes dead little animals. She rarely saw them together, and sometimes she wouldn't see one for days at a time, but somehow they always found her again.

At length, Ari'elle finally broke through to the little clearing she had been aiming for. She closed her eyes, drinking deep the beautiful fragrance that indicated the Moon Flower was in bloom. A happy smile split her lips, and she jumped excitedly, dashing for the vines that crept up the large tree. She pulled her bow off, depositing it at the base of the tree, plunking her quiver next to it, and leaned in to bury her face in one of the large flowers. Pearly white blossoms spread open, petals from a single flower covering all her face as she breathed in its unique scent. She crawled up the tree, settling onto a branch, and carefully picked vine and flower.

"Elgara vallas, da'len

Melava somniar

Mala tara aravas

Ara ma'desen melar

Iras ma ghilas, da'len

Ara ma'nedan ashir

Dirthara lothlenan'as

Bal emma mala dir

Tel'enfenim, da'len

Irassal ma ghilas

Ma garas mir renan

Ara ma'athlan vhenas

Ara ma'athlan vhenas"

Ari'elle sang the lullaby as she wove the large flowers into her curls, savoring the peace she felt. Leaf hopped on his perch, watching her with his wide and intelligent eyes, head tilted at her song. In this secluded enclave, things were calm. Outside it, however, there was a snap of expectancy.


Ari'elle was dozing, content to stay in the little glen all night, when Leaf hooted right at her ear. She startled awake, almost falling off the low branch, grabbing the bark with her finger nails. She gave a shaky little laugh as her heart pounded, and breathed sharply for a few seconds. Leaf flew across the clearing, away from her and into the darkness, and she glared up at his disappearing snowy tail feathers. That had been so uncalled for.

A sound made her ears twitch, and she turned her head towards the noise, brows furrowed in confusion. Slowing her breaths, she listened harder. Some distance away, she could hear the faint din of shouts and a strange screaming noise. Her heart leapt in her throat, and she dropped from her perch.

She strapped her quiver on, but pulled an arrow and held both it and her bow ready in her hand. Ari'elle knew that the clans were gathering for an Arlathvhen; another clan could be in trouble, and she had to help. Keeping low to the ground, she ran as fast as she could while keeping her bare footsteps quiet. The sounds of shouting became louder, guiding her. Beneath the noise she could now make out the constant rumbling of a river. Another of those strange screams rose in the night, and she shivered, an eerie tingle shooting up and down her spine.

Ari'elle slowed as she got closer, confusion taking priority as clarity began to emerge. The shouts seemed to come from only a few, the tones ringing with command, and a chorus of voices would reply all at once. And the accents were strange, not any of the clans she knew. Ari'elle heard the sudden increase in the river roar, and dropped to a low crouch, pushing her way through the brush. She must be coming to a ravine, the sound echoing against stone, and she was now close enough to hear it. Dropping fully onto her stomach, she crawled on her elbows the last few feet, until she was able to see through to the edge.

With her hand, she pushed the short twigs aside, and peered at the scene before her. She was indeed at the edge of a ravine, and down a good ways below her the river rushed through, deep and swift. Across an expanse about five times her size, a strange sight awaited her. There was an unearthly glow emanating from what looked to be some sort of crystal hanging in midair. The green light illuminated a strangely desolate area, filled with fighting. Unnatural creatures floated, while different ones looked to be corrupted tree-like beings. The strange screams and shrieks emanated from these creepy beasts.

And Ari'elle saw humans. Her wide eyes darted from each figure to the next, fascinated. There were about seven of them, all moving rapidly around the clearing. Some wielded those great swords and had flat disks of metal. Two had staves, just as Keeper did, and shot bolts of magic to the unnatural creatures. One was shorter than all the others, and he had a strange contraption that fired arrows just as she did, but she didn't understand how.

She lay spellbound, in awe. There were humans! In her forest! What were they doing here? What was that strange crystal? What were these twisted forms they were fighting? How had they even found that crystal, way out in the middle of a forest shemlans rarely visited? They all moved with familiarity, obviously having trained, and trained together. She drank in their sight, the first she had seen since all those years ago.

One of the men took a swipe across his arm, and he cried out in pain, dropping his great sword. Ari'elle shook herself from her marveling daze, and took a closer critical look at the fight playing out before her. The number of strange beings were dwindling, dissolving when killed, but the humans were not looking very well. Several of them appeared to be injured, their movements slow and weak. She lay on her stomach, worrying the lines inked on her bottom lip. Should she stand? Reveal herself to help them?

A flash of light from the floating crystal drew her attention, and she watched as several beams of the green light dove from its height into the ground. A hysterical cry rose from some of the men; obviously that did not bode well for the humans.

"Inquisition!" Inquisition? Like the group Sera had just joined? Her stomach lurched, and she ran her eyes over the collection, but she didn't see Sera in the mix. She let out a breath, but it did little to relieve her anxiety.

"Retreat! Aid those who need it, and rendezvous at the camp! I will hold them off." A voice rang out from a metal covered head, and Ari'elle turned her attention to the man. She thought that his had been the voice she had heard, confident and in command. His metal armor gleamed in the glow of the crystal, with dark fur on his shoulders and down the metal encasing his head that was shaped into the visage of some type of beast. He carried one of those great swords and metal barriers, using both to deadly accuracy.

The patches of light on the ground erupted, bringing forth a new wave of enemies. Ari'elle's eyes widened in shock, as the human screamed a challenge and ran forward, hiding his body behind the metal. He smashed into the largest cluster, his weapon flashing in a dizzying dance, cutting down his enemies. His friends were pulling back away from the crystal into the forest, supporting the ones that were barely able to move. They worked slowly, and Ari'elle worried that the creatures would chase after them, cut at their exposed backs. Instead, they were all focused on the human, caging him in.

Ari'elle tensed, her stomach clenching in worry. He was a fierce fighter, unwavering and obviously brave and protective of his friends. He had turned, watching as they all disappeared into the trees. Moments passed, too long standing alone, fighting diligently. He tried to push his way through the converging creatures, follow in their footsteps, but there were just too many of them. They seemed to know where he was trying to go, and they pushed him backwards, up the incline towards the cliff edge.

The hovering yellow creatures stood back a ways, firing off bolts of magic. Every time they hit the man, he jolted, falling back a few steps. He guarded against the strange plant-like creatures as best he could, but he was being inescapably pushed back, unable to make any headway against the mass.

Ari'elle felt a calm settle over her, and she knew what to do. She rose to her feet, the brush catching on her loose hair. She tossed the tangle back with a shake of her head, flowers still entwined, and notched the arrow she had out. She smoothly drew the string back, thumb to her ear, bow tilted slightly to hold the arrow. Sighting along down the line, she focused her target, and let her arrow fly. It pierced into one of the floating creatures, and it screamed, turning its attention. She stood far away though, hidden in the darkness and across the ravine. She drew another arrow immediately from her quiver, sighting another, and sent it into the night.

While the human fought on the cliff edge, she drew the attention of as many floating enemies as possible. Five of them now were no longer focused on him, and Ari'elle worked to whittle down the numbers. She didn't know if she would help, but at least she would give him a fighting chance.

Three fell beneath her arrows as he fought, his attention focused solely on the four plant-y creatures. She didn't even know if he noticed he was being aided. She rooted in her quiver, feeling the rapidly diminishing number of arrows she had left, and she swallowed her concern. She would help as long as she could.

One of the creatures the man in metal was fighting disappeared. Dead and disintegrated? He turned his attention to the others, but she noticed a strange rumbling under his feet.

"Look out!" Ari'elle shouted, just as the creature burst from below him. The human was knocked backwards, weapons flying to the side. In a strange suspended moment, Ari'elle watched him hurtle backwards in the air, unable to do anything as he landed heavily. His body hit the ground hard in a crunch of sound, and he rolled over himself. He was boneless, doing nothing to stop his backwards momentum. He hurled to the edge of the ravine, and then slowly slipped over the side and down to the deadly waters below.

Ari'elle didn't think, just acted. She dropped her bow to the brush at her knees, and worked the knot holding her empty quiver in place. It fell from her waist, and she took the last few steps to the edge at a run, pushing off at the last second, and then dove purposefully in after the man.