I've made my excuses elsewhere… if you're interested, go look.

Review response: I respond to questions or comments that need a response from me. If they don't need a response, I generally won't respond. Please do not be offended. It has nothing to do with the method of responding to my work… though I usually just reply to e-mails unless their questions are general points I think may help other readers.

LadyJadePerendhil: No! Not the music! Argh! Well, as for Leaf being upset… he only had a few minutes there, and don't you think you'd be just a wea bit shocked if your best friend just turned out to not only be a different sex but the elf you were pining for? Of course, finding out your best friend was an elf would be something of a shock, wouldn't it? ; ) And as for what he would have done… Maybe I'll put that in later somewhere. An elven spaday? Could you explain that one? I fully agree about the last bit… but you have to give them both some time. They've both got some issues, after all.

Kalythianna: My only excuse for the jump is that's how it happened in my head. She wouldn't have gone if it was merely her wish to be free, but since it threatened Leaf's well being, she had no choice. Thanks for the rest, too. ^ o ^

Iluvien: No doubt it would be weird. After all, it's a psychological need to classify people. To have that basic classification so upset would trouble him for a while. (That's why it bothers most people so much to see someone on the street and be unsure if it is a male or female. If that classification could be made, they wouldn't even think twice about it.)

Kendria Erleine: No, sorry. I appreciate all reviews, though. As for the ending… wait and see. Though you can relax a bit about the fading. Honest… At least for now.

Amused: The denial that Wind is Alyeni doesn't exist, at least in my mind. Apparently some reviewers were a little uncertain about that part. But how long they can try to ignore the truth… that's debatable.

Farflung: Congrats on the diet! I went on an impromptu crash one—got sick and couldn't eat anything but fruits, veggies, and rice for a month and a half. Clothes shopping sucks. In a good way, of course. Well, glad to know my idiot elf of her father isn't totally unelf-like. I've been accused of that before… Actually, she and Leaf are around two thousand plus years. Spent a millennia in the wood, spent another on their own & working before running into each other. Kind of makes you wonder what rock they were hiding under that they never ran into each other… but who knows. Maybe Leaf had a royal guard until he was suitably able to defend himself. He wouldn't look for his friends with something so obvious as a guard following him around, glaring at his friends. Yeah, I don't know about the guys going for her. Right now she is so uncomfortable (understandably), and they don't know how to treat the he/she-elf they've just found out she is. I have to read the Sil sometime…. Eventually. She is sure how they are looking at her… but keep in mind the story is from her perspective, so if she thinks something, that's how it's got to appear. Personally, I think the looks are mostly for her dad, though her revelation was no doubt a bit shocking as well. Great mental image of Leaf there. I love getting reviews that make me laugh… even if I get odd looks in the computer lab for it.  Yeah, she's a runner. It's bound to get her in trouble sometime. I've heard about Joyce Brothers before… is she an actual psychologist, or just a persona? I haven't looked on psych-link yet. We should have a ton here, I just have to look them up. Glad you liked the chapter. I was accused of being a bit melodramatic.

Queenieb: Yeah, now that his eyes are open, they opened wide. He knows Wind is Tyran is Alyeni. Boy, that sounds funny.

Trapped in Icy Flame: I have no way to get online through the summer. The library requires access codes which require updated cards, and mine isn't because the library is so useless. It takes weeks to get the card, then longer to get the access, and by then I'd be back at school. When I'm visiting my family I do have access, but usually I'd rather spend it with family. I think this story will be done by then (mid-June, after all). All is not good… at least not yet.

Tigerlily: Leaf knows Wind is Alyeni. He sees his best friend is female, and takes a good look at her… wait, she looks familiar! DOH! Actually, I like Farflung's mental image: hitting his head against a very hard wall and saying stupid, stupid, stupid. Wow. Typing stupid three times twists your fingers. Okay…

On to the chapter! (Yeah, I cheated and edited one I had as story background, then added an ending. Oh, well. More next week!)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dangling my feet off the edge of the small flet my father had built for Lyran, I sniffled and lifted my fist to wipe at my eyes as my ears picked up the sound of someone coming.

"Get down here, child."

Swallowing hard, I pulled my feet up and under me, swiveled around—getting my tunic snagged in the process—and got up, heading to the ladder before descending in a rather sluggish manner.

My father looked down, his lips tightening as he saw the evidence of tears on my cheeks. "Pull yourself together. You're going into the woods today, to play with the other young lads."

"But, Father—"

"No buts. No son of mine is going to spend his time in the village with the she-elves, spreading rumors and sewing, learning to cook."

"But, Father—"

"I don't want to hear anything else. Taradriel will have your lunch."

I started to open my mouth to protest, but he narrowed his eyes, giving me that disapproving look I couldn't stand. Especially now. I sniffled once more, rubbed at my eyes with my sleeve, and nodded. "Yes, Father."

"That's a good boy. You'd best be running along, or you'll be left alone."

I ran to Taradriel's flet, and found her at work over the stove. "Tara, Father says—"

"I know, child." She turned and handed me a leaf-wrapped package. "You'd best take some water, too."

"But, Tara—"

"You heard him."

"But, Tara—"

"There's nothing I can say, young one. You'd best be off, or the others will leave you behind."

"They can't leave me behind since they don't know I'm comin'."

"Coming… oh well. I suppose there's time enough for that later."

I grinned. "Ya sure?"

"Now," she scolded. "Off you go, dear elf."

"Yes, Tara." I stood on tiptoes and kissed her cheek as she remained bent to my approximate height. Then I gave a mental shrug and raced down the ladder, running as quickly as I could to the place where all the young boys gathered to head out in small gangs to spend time in the wood. There weren't as many as in past years, I had heard Taradriel comment, but there were still enough that they were organized by approximate age boundaries, with occasional crossovers when one lad had a younger brother heading out into the woods.

I was too late. They were all organized already, long since gone.

I hesitated, considering heading back.

But then I thought about what Lyran would have done, biting my lip at the pain thinking of my older brother now brought. I shoved it down, holding in my tears, avoiding a sniffle as I decided to head to the river. After all, Father insisted I be in the wood, so in the wood I would be. He had never said I had to be with the other elves, and I wasn't feeling much like it today, anyway.

After all, yesterday had been the worst day of my life.

Not wanting to dwell on what had happened, I turned my hesitant steps into a run, and raced to the edge of the river, throwing myself down on the bank in what grass there was under the thick bushes. I let out a deep breath and reached out, trailing my fingers in the cold water.

Okay, getting very bored. Bored, bored, bored, bored, bor—

THWACK!

My eyes widened on the shaft of the arrow sticking out of the ground by my wrist, frozen in place long enough my brain caught up with what I was seeing. Yellow and green feathers stood proudly a little more than a foot from the buried tip.

Gathering my wits, I sat up, pulled the arrow loose and cleaned the dirt from it. As I had expected, there was no metal at the end, the wood sharpened crudely, probably by the boy who claimed it. I got up, holding the arrow above the feathers with two fingers, letting it dangle as I brushed myself off. Then I threw the arrow as hard as I could—which wasn't too bad, thanks to Lyran's instruction—into the biggest tree that had been right behind me while I had been laying on the grass.

Even before the arrow hit anything—or didn't—action in the branches assured me I was right about the tree being the one the archer was in. Two elves tumbled out, then a third fell, clutching the arrow in one hand, the tip a few inches from his neck. In scattered succession five more jumped down, laughing at their fallen comrades.

"Nice shot." The one holding the bow stopped laughing long enough to slide an appraising glance over me, his head cocked to the side.

"I could say the same."

With a crooked grin he pulled the bow taunt and aimed it at me, before he let the string snap. "Thanks."

"Hey, Leaf! I've told you time and again not to snap your bow like that. It's bad for it."

"Yeah, yeah," the archer called back, rolling his eyes. The other elves had picked themselves up and dusted off by then, and watched in general silence as the older group of boys went past. "So, what's your name?" he asked, turning back to me when the others had melted soundlessly into the woods once more.

I blinked and looked up at him, and paused with my mouth open, unsure what to say.

"Hold on, hold on!" The one who had caught the arrow held up his hands, shaking his head.

"My arrow!" The elf beside me jumped up, trying to grab the arrow from the tallest lad, who held it out of the way. I watched as 'Leaf' kept after it, half listening to the one who had early on surrendered the arrow.

"No one out here uses their given names. We come up with—or are given—different names." He tilted his head at the still arguing elves. "That's Leaf and Twig—no relation."

"Funny," Leaf paused long enough to glare before jumping again after his arrow.

"The two shorter ones—" they looked sheepishly at me, hanging their heads—"are Trip and Fall, brothers."

I had to grin, which made Fall scuff his boot against the ground. They were the ones who had fallen out of the tree.

"Those three," he tilted his head, "are Smudge—he's always dirty, Goat—you'll see why when we head to the mountains, and Hare, because he twitches his ears. I'm Joy… No comment."

I laughed softly and jumped at the same time as Leaf did, grabbing the arrow when Twig held it behind his head to keep it from Leaf. I tossed it to Leaf, who held it up with a grin, sticking his tongue out at the irritated Twig.

"So… what about you?"

"What about me?"

"What should we call you?"

I blinked, then shrugged. "I don't know."

Leaf slid his arrow into a cylinder which was tied to the outside of his thigh. Three other arrows stuck their feathers out of the top. He cocked his head at me, and was about to say something when Twig spoke up.

"How about crybaby? You were ready to cry when there was no one here."

I bristled at the accusation. "I was crying before I came. I tried to convince my father to let me stay home today."

"See. Crybaby."

I shot my leg out, knocking his feet out from under him, sending him unceremoniously to the ground. "My older brother and my mother were buried yesterday."

Twig's eyes widened. He blinked, and rolled to the side, getting to his feet. He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Sorry," he muttered after a moment. "Um… how?"

"Orcs," I snapped, turning away. I crossed my arms over my chest and squeezed my eyes shut, forcing the tears back again.

A hand rested on my shoulder for an instant, before my hair was tousled. I looked up between the mussed gold strands, to see Joy's head tilted. He offered a smile. "You run a lot?"

I lowered my eyes, then closed them and nodded. "Whenever I can."

"How about a race?"

The competitive spark that resides in everyone who isn't half dead—as Taradriel often said, usually when she spent the day baking a single pie for a competition—rose up in me, curving my lips in a small smile.

Joy's smile became a true one. "All right," he declared, placing himself at my side. "First one to that rock wins." The rock in question was beyond the wood, rising above the new meadow grass. "Hey," he groused, looking at the others. "Line up already!"

Trip and Fall sent him dubious looks, but lined up on my left, the others getting in line with slightly more eager looks. "Joy?" I asked softly.

"Hmm?" he asked, watching to be sure Twig was getting into the right place.

"Who should I watch for?"

He laughed softly, his eyes sparkling. "No one here is a dwarf, but you'll need to keep an eye on Goat and Leaf. Trip, too, as long as he doesn't." He looked around once more, and nodded his head. He settled down, poised. "Go!"

I could hear nine feet falling at that instant, heard the wind rise around my ears as I ran as hard as I could, ran to outrun the thoughts. The eight pairs not my own dwindled before we left the wood to three, which was followed by an "oof!" as the three became two. My guess is Trip tripped. I stretched my legs a bit farther, sped my feet. The rock loomed ahead just as I felt the beginning complaints of my lungs, wishing more air than I was able to give them, but I ignored them, taking a large leap which put me on the side of the boulder. A quick scramble and I was at the top, a moment before Goat leapt casually up, his feet finding holds on the rock I couldn't even see. A little after that Leaf joined us, and slowly the others gathered around the base.

"You run well," Goat murmured.

"Like the wind," Leaf agreed with a half-smile. Suddenly he laughed brightly. "You should have seen us trying to keep up with you through the trees."

"Wind," Joy mused. "Well guys?"

"Sounds like a fitting one," Twig muttered. He gave me a quick half-smile and a nod.

"Welcome to the group," Leaf said with a crooked grin, holding his hand out.

I tilted my head at him, lifting a brow.

He laughed again, dropping his hand.

My eyes cleared, taking in the shape of my room. I groaned softly and swung around so my feet were on the floor of my flet. Ever since the day I was given my freedom from Father, my mind had been on an endless loop of memories every time I tried to simply rest, each one showing me either my father's cruelty or Leaf's generally bright eyes. At least I hadn't had to dream that betrayed look in his eyes again.

I saw it enough when I was awake, though I hadn't seen or heard from him since I walked out of his father's hall.