Chapter 2- Arrows

He could feel the heat of the fire, a blistering inferno that had blanketed all that he loved. He could hear the screams as his friends and family had burned. He could see the beasts and their torches as they inched closer and closer towards his small home.

Aeolin awoke, sweating heavily, to the crackling warmth of a campfire. Reinon and three other elves were seated around it, keeping watch for the rest of the company.

"Sir?" Reinon asked.

"It's nothing."

Aeolin strode to the corner of the camp and stared off into the forest. He was surprised to find small tears in his eyes. They will die for what they have done to me. Monsters, all of them. He wiped the tears away furiously.

He walked back into the camp and faced his friend. "Reinon. Ready the men. It is time."

Aeolin strung his bow, and reached for his blade, glancing over at his men as he did so. There were fourteen of them, fifteen including himself, each and every one an able bodied soldier who would die for his home. Aeolin had fought many battles with them, and they had never failed to fulfill their duties. Aeolin trusted his soldiers with his life, as they trusted him.

The elves woke quietly, strapping on their armor, and preparing their weapons without a sound. As soon as they were all ready, they formed a two-column line and moved through the forest without so much as whisper. Aeolin had, earlier the day before, located the Hessant, and set up a camp about two miles away, just to be safe. The arrogance of the Hessant that had deluded them into thinking they were safe would be their downfall.

The company moved slowly through the forest, wary of any guards that the Hessant might have placed. Within time, the sounds of the Hessant's clicking could be heard. Aeolin stopped the movement of his squad with a hand motion. They all knew what had to be done. Without a word, the elves broke formation and headed in different directions.

This was a very delicate stage of their operation. The Hessant were camped in a clearing in the middle of the forest, in plain sight of the forest around them. The elves would surround the encampment, and fire on the camp as one. However, if any of the elves were discovered or caught, the ambush would fail, and the element of surprise would be lost.

Aeolin inched toward the edge of the clearing. When he was less than twenty meters away, he dropped to his stomach and began to crawl. He successfully reached the edge of the encampment, and there he waited. He would give his soldiers some time to completely encircle the encampment before he gave the signal.

Two minutes had passed. Suddenly, from the other side of the clearing, he heard the call of the wood owl. Aeolin raised his hands to his mouth, and mimicked the call, signifying that the ambush was about to begin.

Silently, Aeolin raised his head, and sighted the three Hessant guards that were crouched around a fire. They were gorging themselves on some poor creature they had caught. Monsters. Aeolin eyed the biggest Hessant, a large beast who stood at about the height of himself. Let him be the first to fall. Stealthily, Aeolin affixed an arrow to his bow, and a feeling of excitement shot through him. This feeling was not uncommon to him; it was the same feeling that he felt every time he cut down another beast.

He took his aim carefully, aiming for the Hessant's thin neck. Then with a hum of the bowstring, the arrow was released. It was a beautiful shot, right on target. The Hessant fell to the ground with a strange gurgling sound. The other two Hessant didn't have time to do much more than notice their companion's death before they too were riddled with arrows.

Beautiful.

The wood owl call sounded again, and Aeolin watched as ten different flames flickered to life around the clearing. Ten elves had carried oil coated arrows, and were now lighting them. Aeolin looked on silently as ten arrows were fired into the rough tent like structures that the Hessant rested in. Simultaneously, ten "hovels" caught fire and burned.Hessant poured out, uttering their crazed clicking sounds, and each was shot down by the elves arrows.

The skirmish was ended quickly. Those that ran out of the hovels were turned into living pincushions, and those that remained were killed by the inferno. Aeolin could still remember that day, when their brutal clicks were so…entertained. Not so entertaining when you are the one being torched. Aeolin felt that horrid feeling of pure hatred rise up in him again, watching the creatures burn and roll around on the ground in pain. I swear it. They will pay.

Monsters.