As the night gave way to dawn, a cautious doe stepped quietly toward a small pool of water fed by the lazy river only a few feet away for a drink. She had only dipped her tongue for a second before a sound had her head snapping up and her ears forward. The snap of a twig sent the doe fleeing, bounding away through the trees with her tail up in alarm. If the doe had stayed, a curious sight would have greeted her a moment later.

A tall orc pushed through the brush surrounding the eastern banks of the pool, sputtering and spitting at the tall foliage. When he finally managed to stomp down the grass, he calmed a little and brushed a few twigs and leaves from the seams in his plate armor. He adjusted the halberd strapped across his back, the handle coming up behind his right shoulder. A long tail of black hair sprouted from the end of the weapon and brushed the orc's shoulder.

Kraggs Bloodsteel looked around for a moment, running his tongue over his mismatched tusks. The one on the right was grown, perfectly beautiful and long, while the other, on the left side of his mouth, was less than half the length of the first. He had lost the tusk at a very young age in a fight.

"Did you find it? Is it where I told you it would be?" A melodious voice called from somewhere in the trees behind the orc. Kraggs ran a hand over the tight braid of black hair on his head. He would never hear the end of this.

"Well?" the voice called again.

"It's here," Kraggs growled back over his shoulder.

A moment later, three children, a boy and two little girls, emerged from the trees, following the trail of trampled brush the orc had made. The looked around nervously, on edge from their ordeal at the hands of kidnappers and the long night of running. The boy with sandy hair and bright blue eyes gripped the hands of the younger girls. The curly haired blond girl on his right nearly stumbled from exhaustion while the red-headed girl on his left glanced around, ready to flee like the doe that had occupied the area just a moment earlier. All three had dark circles under their eyes from lack of sleep.

Behind the three children emerged a moon elf. A cheerful smile graced Vallyn's handsome and angular face, and he seemed to be relaxed, though his every sense was attuned to their surroundings and his muscles were ready to spring into action, drawing the pair of shortswords at his hips, at the snap of a twig. Glittering hazel eyes quickly scanned the area, taking in every detail at a glance. The elf noted the scowl on the orc's face and smirked at his friend.

"Did I not tell you this was the right direction?" Vallyn asked.

Kraggs harrumphed and crossed his thickly muscled arms over his chest. The orc jerked his chin toward the three children standing in front of the elf. They were near collapse from exhaustion.

Vallyn caught the orc's meaning and ushered the children toward a small tree at the edge of the pool and bade them to sit. The boy hugged the two girls protectively. The blond girl fell asleep almost immediately, but the red haired girl still glanced around nervously, too afraid to sleep just yet.

The elf crouched and pulled the traveling pack from his back. From it, he produced a few pieces of wrapped bread and strips of meat. The children ate ravenously, even the little blond, who seemed too tired to stay away another moment, woke and shoved food into her mouth until her cheeks bulged. When Vallyn produced a water skin for them to share, the contents were gone within seconds between the three of them.

"Rest," Vallyn said when, at last, the three finished their meal. "Uncle Vallyn and Uncle Kraggs will watch over you."

He finished with a smile to put them at ease. The girls relaxed a little and fell asleep in a few short moments. The boy hugged them close and stared at the elf for a long time. Vallyn tilted his head questioningly and a long earring bounced against the left side of his jaw. That earring was made from a small, polished white tusk dangling at the end of a short, thin chain that was poked into his left ear lobe. The elf studied the boy, noting that though the young lad was tired, he refused to close his eyes and sleep.

"Sleep, little one," Vallyn said. "You will need your strength to walk back into the arms of your waiting mother."

Those bright blue eyes still sparkled with defiance. Vallyn's smile faded and he sighed.

"You're safe," the elf said. "It's all right to close your eyes."

"I can't," the boy croaked. His voice was raw from screaming and crying in terror when he had been taken from his home. "I have to protect Anya and Mariella."

Vallyn smiled gently, finally understanding the boy's stubborn refusal to sleep, even though he was fighting a losing battle as he blinked and struggled to open his eyes again. Vallyn mentally applauded the determination in the boy when he finally opened his eyes wide.

"What is your name?" Vallyn asked.

"Dalric Strut," the boy answered.

"Well, Dalric, I know you are a very good protector," Vallyn said. "You kept them safe when those evil men kidnapped you. I'm sure everyone will be proud of the way you put yourself between that cruel man and these two. It was very heroic."

Dalric's thin chest puffed out with pride, though he quickly deflated when the movement caused the little red-headed girl to stir and mumble.

"But even heroes need sleep," Vallyn continued. "You've been through enough. Sleep, and I promise that my brother and I will protect you and Anya and Mariella."

Dalric's face twisted in confusion as he looked around. "I don't see your brother," he said. "Is he hiding?"

Vallyn motioned to the orc standing silently nearby. "Kraggs is my brother," the elf replied.

"He's not an elf and you're not an orc," Dalric spat out the last word, though he paled when Kraggs glared.

Vallyn shot the orc a warning look and turned back to the boy. "I assure you, he is my brother," the elf said. "And we will keep you all safe until you are delivered to the arms of your parents."

Dalric studied the elf for a moment before nodding and settling back, finally allowing his eyes to drift closed. Vallyn stood and left the three alone to rest.

"What now?" Kraggs asked. "By now, the kidnappers are organized and on our trail."

"It won't be hard for them to find the trail seeing as you left one so obvious," Vallyn said, flatly.

Kraggs growled. "Do you know how hard it is to walk with an arrow wound in your arse?" the orc snapped, quietly trying not to wake the three sleeping nearby.

Vallyn raised a dark eyebrow in answer. Kraggs harrumphed and pulled the halberd from his back, leaning it carefully against a large rock at the edge of the river. As the orc eased into a sitting position on the rock, careful to avoid tearing open his wounded backside, he realized that he knew the answer to his own question. Vallyn had not suffered such an undignified wound, yet the elf hadn't escaped unscathed over the years. Indeed, Kraggs had bandaged every one of Vallyn's wounds, just as the elf took care of his injuries. Both had suffered many terrible injures since meeting each other as children. Vallyn, most of all, carried wounds too deep for any spells or potions to heal.

Vallyn watched his friend ease down onto the rock and smirked before heading off into the trees to find any sign of pursuit. The elf knew Kraggs was just embarrassed and taking it out on him. Vallyn let him hide the humiliation, always knowing that Kraggs, for all his bluster, would never lift a fist in true anger at him or really hurt him. The orc was truly his brother in every way but blood.

It had been that way for many, many years, since the day they had forsook their respective tribes and ventured into the wilds as young adults, barely a few years older than the sandy haired boy sleeping with his arms slung protectively around the two girls who had been kidnapped with him.

And so it would remain as long as they each drew breath.

I know the beginning is kind of slow, but I promise it will pick up in a chapter or two. I'm going to be posting a little slower on this story, so please be patient. I want this story to be better than "Dark Twilight"
Also, I don't plan to post chapters unless I get reviews :P I like the feedback and opinions (not to mention if I get any posts demanding more I'm likely to write faster).

Thanks for reading!

-K