The summer sun shone brightly upon a peaceful morning, its rays penetrating the forest canopy and illuminating the mossy ground below, bathing it in light. Aylo had lived in this forest for many years and she knew that today would be a great day for gathering roots and herbs; items she desperately needed. Aylo wanted to make one of her favorite dishes tonight but was lacking a few key ingredients. With a woven basket in hand, she opened the door of her small home and stepped outside. She paused momentarily, fingers on her temples, eyes closed, she ran through her mental checklist to make sure that she didn't forget anything before she left.
Satisfied that she hadn't, Aylo closed the door and locked it in one fluid, practiced motion. Walking to the edge of her small, wooden patio – she had built it herself, along with the rest of the house – she inhaled the fresh morning air, held it, and let out a long, satisfied sigh. With a contented smile on her face, she quickly stepped down onto the dirt path leading from her house and walked along it. Her cottage was situated in a small clearing amidst the vast woodlands, so it wasn't long until she was deep within the forest.
Aylo admired the display of nature around her as she plodded along at an easy pace: birds chirping and darting between the trees, bees hovering around the splendidly colored flowers, and the occasional deer or moose drinking from one of the many creeks in the area. Summer was her favorite time of the year, especially since this one had been fairly mild. Aylo loved spending her time outside; she had discovered that it helped to keep her dark memories from the fore of her thoughts, at least for a little while.
Aylo continued along the path until she came to a part of the woods she recognized and knew well. She abruptly turned to her right, leaving the trail, and began to work her way through the thick foliage and brush. The limbs and branches of the bushes pulled and scratched at her clothes. It was unpleasant, but it was also the only path forward that she knew of. Eventually she could see a break in the trees not too far away – that was her destination.
Passing between a pair of massive trunks, she stepped out into a small meadow that was abundant with wild flowers of varying sizes and exotic hues. The warm sun lounged directly overhead, and its light made the small, cold stream that bisected the clearing sparkle brilliantly. Aylo paused a moment to take in the beautiful scenery, her smile growing by the second – this was a little paradise just for her. She took the time to pick off the many twigs and leaves that clung to her from her little adventure through the brush. This time there were even some thorns embedded in her skin – she plucked them out, wincing at the sting. After tidying herself up she walked through the tall grass to the middle of the meadow, admiring the variety of flora as she did, and took a sat on the ground. She decided to just rest for a moment and relax; she had been walking for nearly an hour and her legs needed a quick rest.
'Could this day be any more perfect?' She mused to herself as she leaned back on her hands. She tossed her head back and closed her eyes, letting the gentle, warm sunlight kiss her face, 'Probably not.' She grinned.
Aylo felt a rising sense of peace as she sat among the blooms and bees; she always did when she came here. Nature had a calming effect on her, even more so it seemed in this particular place. There was something in the air here that made her feel cleansed or new, like a person completely removed from the violent reality of her past. She felt that here, the flowers and the animals did not notice how her hands were red with the blood of both adversaries and innocents; that they did not judge the person she used to be or what she had done; they only cared about who she was in the present. Here in the tranquility of the meadow was where she felt a form a solace.
Aylo kept her eyes closed and used her other sense to observe her surroundings. She could feel the soft grass cushioning her almost like a blanket, and the gentle breeze blowing through her hair. She heard the buzz of insects as they hovered from flower to flower and rushed about their daily toil; the rustling of leaves in the trees, and the bubbling of water running over rocks in the nearby stream. Aylo sighed happily and sat forward, opening her eyes. She gathered her long, snow-colored hair and ran her slender fingers through the strands, feeling how soft they were. Her hands continued climbing up but then stopped abruptly when they reached her left horn – her face turned suddenly downcast. She continued to examine her horn, or what was left of it, moving her hand around the sharp, jagged edge where it had been broken.
Many years ago, her elegant horns had been the envy of more than a few of her peers. Although she had liked her horns, Aylo had never thought of them as particularly special; but many people had told her that they were beautiful. Now, her left horn was broken with only about half of it left. However, it wasn't the aesthetics of a broken horn that upset her, but rather that it served as a constant reminder of her past. Aylo's face grew increasingly despondent as she recalled the events that led its breaking.
The stench of rotting corpses lay thick in her nostrils as she made her way through what was left of the village. The sun was setting, the atmosphere tinting the light to make the sky, which was nearly occluded from the smoke of numerous fires, appear a dark, deep red; identical in color to the blood that was splattered on her armor. As she walked she could hear the sounds of other soldiers going through one last sweep, looking for any survivors; now and then she heard the screams of another that they found. The battle had not lasted long, if you could even call it a battle. The place had been nearly defenseless; after all it was only a remote fishing village. Regardless, their orders were to raze the town, and they always followed their orders to the fullest. Trudging through the layer of bodies that covered the ground, she heard a voice, or rather, someone crying in the house next to her –
Aylo quickly cut her train of thought, desperate to put that memory back deep into her mind where it belonged. She wished not to relive that moment. She let out her breath, not realizing she had been holding it during her sudden flashback. She then became aware that her hands hurt; she looked down at them and saw that they were clenched, her knuckles white, fingers digging into her palms. She opened her hands and extended her fingers, stretching out the pain. She let out a deep, weary sigh. She was upset with herself. She was usually careful about keeping her thoughts in line and she struggled to remember how her mind had wandered back to those terrible days.
'Oh…' She thought sullenly, '… my horn.'
Suddenly, Aylo didn't really feel like gathering flowers and herbs anymore, the resurgence of her memories had soured her mood. She drearily thought about the journey back home to her comfortable, albeit lonely, cabin. She had been living alone for years now, only ever making trips to a nearby town for items she couldn't acquire by herself. After what happened with the Alliance, she had cut all ties and abandoned everything from her old life, even her name.
Talyiah was the name her parents had given her but she had discarded it. She refused to be that person, that Talyiah. Instead so chose to her call herself Aylo. Afterwards she had set off into the wilderness on her own, wandering aimlessly for months. Eventually she came to this area and decided that it suited her – no people and plenty of solitude. Every now and then she did feel a little lonesome however, but she repressed those feeling as she reminded herself that she wouldn't have to fight is she was alone. Yes it was better this way with no one to cause her problems.
Her smile now vanished from her face, Aylo stood up and was about to begin her journey back when she sensed a commotion at the edge of the clearing, just beyond the tree line. Reacting out of instinct she threw her body to the ground and lay there quietly, looking between the stalks of grass in the direction that she suspected the disturbance originated from. She didn't have to wait long before a figure stumbled into view.
The figure looked like it was attempting to run, but it kept stumbling and falling over itself. She could tell that it was humanoid in shape, and it was obviously injured in some way, which explained the uncoordinated movements. The stranger made it about thirty yards and then fell down, but this time he, or she, didn't get up.
Aylo lay where she was, motionless, analyzing the situation. She could not see the person anymore; the plants were too high to see anyone laying down in them. She was curious as to who this person was since she had not seen anyone in nearly two years, and wondered how they ended up all the way out here.
While her interest was piqued, Aylo was also very cautious. Whoever it was could be dangerous. She could handle herself in a fight but she did not like taking unnecessary risks. She also considered the fact that this person was running from something, or someone, and was injured, so there was a likely chance that the pursuers were not far behind – which meant she had better leave, and fast. She began to crawl on her stomach to the other edge of the meadow but then halted. She stopped, conflicted over whether to leave the stranger or to go and help. She debated with herself for just a moment but knew it was pointless; she had always felt a drive to help. She let out an angry grunt, sprung up, and ran over the where she thought he had fallen.
'I am too nice for my own good,' she thought angrily to herself, 'If this turns out t – '
Aylo did not have time to complete that thought as the ground rushed up to meet her face. Unable to put her arms out fast enough to catch herself, Aylo turned a little to her left and landed on her shoulder. Pain jolted through her arm, spreading from the point of impact.
She sat up, face contorted in pain, rubbing and rolling her sore shoulder, "At least it's better than a broken nose." She groaned aloud.
Remembering the situation, she made to stand but then stopped when she saw what she had tripped over. A blood elf was lying face down in front of her; she could tell it was an elf from the way the ears were shaped.
'What the hell is a blood elf doing here?!' She shouted in her mind. She was shocked. Aylo had not seen one of their kind in years, not since...
She shook her head to rid herself of that thought as her mind began to drift back towards that awful day.
Carefully, Aylo crawled closer towards the elf, who was making no apparent effort to move. Aylo touched the knife at her waist. She had brought it to collect herbs with, but she could use it as a weapon if need be. When she got close enough, she reached out her hand and grabbed the elf's shoulder. In one swift motion, she yanked the stranger onto his back and drew her knife to his throat. She halted when she saw that he was actually a she.
Aylo had been correct about it being a blood elf, but was surprised that it was a girl, a very young one at that. She looked at the elf's face – the girl was undoubtedly unconscious. To make sure she wasn't actually dead, Aylo put her fingers to the elf's pale neck, feeling for a pulse. She found one. It was faint but still there.
Satisfied, Aylo's gaze returned to the stranger's face. A single thought came unbidden, but it resounded clearly in Aylo's head…. 'Beautiful.' The blood elf's blonde, shoulder length hair framed her delicate features. She had a small, rounded, nose and defined cheekbones. She had a rather sharp chin and the softest looking lips Aylo had ever seen. Without knowing why, she reached out and brushed the unconscious elf's cheek with the tips of her fingers, feeling how smooth and silky her skin was. Aylo felt saddened that she could not see the girl's eyes; but she could well imagine that they were gorgeous. Aylo continued to stare at the elf's face, enthralled by its flawlessness.
Well, flawless if you didn't count the many scrapes and scratches, along with the blood and dirt mixture that had caked onto her skin. Aylo snapped out of her trance, finally noticing the elf's injuries. She realized that she had been staring at the girls face for many minutes. She felt a slight blush coming on at her unusual behavior. Dismissing it with a shake of her head, she put her arms under the elf and stood up, surprised – and relieved – at how light the girl was. Aylo quickly turned and started in the direction of her home, moving as fast as she could while carrying the deadweight in her arms.
'What have I gotten myself into?' Was all Aylo could think as she trekked back through the forest.
Authors Note: Hey, thanks for reading! Please continue on if you enjoyed. Have you good day.