Chapter 2
"Rayek!" The huntress sighed. She honestly didn't know why she thought she could stop in the village long enough to ask Ahnshen for a new cloak (hers had a rather regrettable run-in with Nightscream the other night) without a confrontation with one of the villagers. From his place at her side the giant cat, who had shocked her by growing even bigger than he had been the first they met, gave a low rumbling noise deep in his throat. Rayek felt like growling too.
"What now healer?"
Leetah's beautiful features were practically glowing with anger, the flush on her cheeks nearly matching the color of her hair as she stomped over from the well. Rayek crossed her arms over her chest and steeled herself for a long argument. The sun-villagers nearby began to discreetly move away from the two young women who, despite a close friendship, had be known to get slightly violent when they angered each other. "You know full well 'what now'! You were asked not to bring that… that cat-monster back into the village!"
Rayek sighed, "Nightscream is no threat to anyone in the village Leetah, and you know it."
"Maybe it's no threat to anyone in the village, but it's a threat to everything else! Or do you not remember what happened last week."
Rayek winced slightly, it had been rather bad. Maleen's pet cat had, for some reason that Rayek had yet to understand, decided that it could hold its own in a fight with Nightscream. The Sun-villagers were still fixing walls and repairing the gardens that had been trampled when the cat had run away from its enraged opponent.
Said massive cat gave an strange series of huffing noise that sounded a bit too much like laughter for the comfort of Leetah, who had been constantly unnerved by him since their first meeting some four years back when Rayek first brought him to the Sun-village. Noticing the way her old friend shuffled nervously Rayek gave Nightscream a small nod, then watched as the cat padded off towards the shade of Ahnshen's hut, doubtless to drive the poor tailor to distraction. The huntress smile wryly, sometimes the black cat seemed so very elfin.
Now that Leetah was no longer fidgeting like a ravvit who smelled a jackal Rayek turned to settle their small dispute.
That was when a scream ripped through the everyday sounds of the Sun-village.
Rayek whipped her head around to the source of the sound and was greeted by the sight of a group of elves, skin as pale as the very moon, carrying gleaming weapons and mounted of large furred beast so much like the monsters that had attacked her when she was a child and haunted her dreams still, bearing down upon them.
Within moments the strange savage elves seemed to be everywhere. One stole a loaf of bread from Trelia the Baker, while another caught up a basket of fruit with his spear. Rayek set herself in front of Leetah, brandishing her hunting spear at the ash-blonde male who was riding up to them, fighting the fear of his terrible mount that sought to overwhelm her.
The strange elf's sword lashed out, knocking her spear from her hand. "Don't point a weapon black-hair," his foot connected with her stomach, sending her dazed to the ground, "Unless you know how to use it!"
Struggling to clear her swimming head she heard, muffled as though her head had been wrapped in a bolt of Ahnshen's moth-fabric, the sounds of Leetah's scream and shattering pottery. "Ayoooooah! Wolfriders, to the hills!" Shaking her head to clear the stars from her eyes she looked up to see the thieves riding away. With Leetah slung over their leader's jackal.
Chaos reigned in the Sun-village.
"What has happened?! Please someone tell me!" Suntoucher's voice rang out over the sounds crying and shouting.
"Barbarians Suntoucher! Riding strange jackals. They... they've taken Leetah!" Rayek's voice was filled with rage and shame over her failure to protect her friend as she snatched her spear from the ground and whistled to Nightscream.
She heard Suntoucher's anguished exclamation. Heard him ask her to save his daughter. She didn't reply. Already she was heading in the direction that the monsters had fled. Her fear of their terrible mounts displaced for the moment by rage and hate.
Far above the ground, the Wolfriders looked down on the raggedy band of elves who were struggling to make their up the rock face.
What a group of ravvits. I doubt any of them will make it up here.
Crescent glanced down, I don't know father, that one there seems very determined and capable.
"That one" was the sole elf to be making actual progress, and was also the black-haired elf who alone had tried to fight back during the attack. Pausing for a moment the spear carrier turned and called to the elves far below in a sharp voice.
"Hurry you mewling laggards! We must save Leetah!"
One of the few panting elves who had not yet fallen managed to gasp out a reply, "You are a lioness amongst us Rayek! We can't keep up!"
Lioness? Did he say Lioness? Cutter's eyes widened with surprise, when he had first caught sight of the black-haired elf he had thought it to be a young beautiful lad. Truth be told he had only glanced at the spear wielding elf, but still he was surprised that the only warrior in their tribe was a female. Now he felt rather bad for striking her so hard.
That's what I heard. Really Cutter, you have quite the way with maidens. And speaking of, do you think that your new friend can send to the others?
Cutter looked from Skywise to the strange beautiful maiden who was struggling to break free from his grasp. I don't know if she can send but I'll tell you one thing… a wry smirk crossed his face, she sure can scream.
When she reached the top of the mountain, alone but for Nightscream she noted with more than a little displeasure, Rayek cast her eyes about franticly searching for a sign of Leetah or those who had taken her. None was forth coming.
With a soft hissing noise that meant 'Search' she sent Nightscream off hoping that he would hear or see something, that she might miss, his sense of smell being not much better than her own.
'High-ones,' she thought, 'help me! Give me a sign!'
She really hadn't expected anything much and was therefore more than slightly shocked when Leetah's piercing scream rang out over the rocks. She spun around, ready to run to her friend's rescue. And found herself staring at the sharp point of a spear. She didn't even need to look to know that she was surrounded. She decided that she would have a large amount of revenge on the pale jackal-elves. Judging by his enraged elf-scream-like yowls, she guessed that Nightscream was similarly displeased with their present situation.
It took every ounce of will power she possessed to not launch herself at the red-haired elf in front of her when he smiled cockily at her. Instead she spoke, in the softest but most venom-filled voice she had. "Where's Leetah? What. Have. You. Done. With. Her."
"She's fine black-hair." She turned to see the blonde elf who had carried the healer off standing jauntily on a rock not three feet from her. With said healer thrown over his shoulder and not to happy about it. "And quite strong as well!"
"Rayek! Help me!" Leetah's face was redder than Rayek had ever seen it before, most likely due to a combination of rage, humiliation, and the blood rushing to her head. Rayek felt every fiber in her being rage over her friend's predicament and her own, wanting nothing more than to help but completely unable to.
"Jackal!" Her voice rang out sharply and filled with all the anger welled up inside her. "Son of jackals! I will make you pay for this!"
At her words the red-haired elf behind her laughed. "Oh come one. Let's have the pig-sticker black-hair."
That was all she could take.
Head whipping around like a snake's, she fixed her eyes on his and lashed out with the magic she had possessed since childhood, effectively freezing the young elf.
His tribe-mates reacted so fast, pushing her to the ground and yanking her head-band down over her eyes, that it made her head swim. Their leader voice was filled with shock, "Whoa! This one can do more than send!"
All her rage poured from her mouth, "Damned jackals! I'll have your blood! By the lost dwelling of the High Ones I swear you'll pay for this!"
There was an audible collective gasp followed by a thump and Leetah's familiar yelp. A pair of strong rough hands grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, "What was that! Speak, how dare you profane the names of our ancestors!"
"Cutter stop." The voice was soft and warm, it reminded her of Suntoucher's. "Look at them. At us. I think we are the same people."
"Yes!" Leetah's spoke up surprisingly in agreement with the foreign male, "Surely you must see it!" the hands released her.
When the jackal-elves' leader had shaken her it had knocked her head-band askew. Now with her hands free she took the opportunity to push it back up to its usual place. Quickly she took in the scene. Leetah stood nearby the red-haired elf, how was now shaking off the last of her magic, and another, older, elf who resembled him.
The healer spread her hands imploringly, "Come back to the village with us! Our Mother of Memory will sort everything out!"
"Leetah have you gone mad!" all else was forgotten as Rayek pushed aside a bewildered young elf maid. "You'd have these barbarians, these… these jackals, in the village again! You'd have them before Savah!"
Leetah's beautiful features grew stubborn, "Rayek, they are elves! Just like us! And I do not think that they'd be of any threat to Savah."
"Like us? Like us!? THEY ARE NOTHING LIKE US! And you will not take them to Savah! I FORBID IT!"
For a moment there was only silence. Then Leetah's eyes met her own. The healer's face was filled a cold furry. "You… forbid?!"
