Hey Y'all, M4 here and Welcome to my New Story, The Soldier and The Assassin. The timeline from when the story takes place is when Rayla's parents had left her in the care of Runaan and Ethari when she was around 8-10 years old. This will also go through most of the series Volumes with some time skips in between but it will not affect the story to a massive degree. Please sit back and enjoy the show.

The sound of birds chirping cut through the silence of the woods like a knife through butter. The warmth of the afternoon sun gave many creatures of the wood's ample energy for their activities. A baby deer had her head in the ground, sniffing for some delicious grass to eat. But what she didn't notice was she was stepping close to a figure that laid in the ground. The deer reared her head back in confusion, unsure how this…. Thing got here. As she went to sniff the figure, the figure stirred and groaned slightly, scaring the baby dear away.

The human stirred from its slumber, groaning as he stretched on the ground before sitting himself up. Looking around at his surroundings, he rubbed his eyes and blinked several times before looking around once more.

"Not what I expected heaven to look like." He murmured before looking down. He was still wearing his Army BDUs, his name tapes still on his Camis. Ruiz in bold letters and the tab, U.S Army were both on the left and right of his chest. His pack and weapon were also laid next to him, collecting some slight dust from the wind. He picked up his rifle, an M4 with a BAC ACOG sight and vertical grip.

Pulling the charging handle back to check if there was a round in the chamber, which there was, he let it go and the bolt slid back into place. Taking the magazine and round out of the chamber, he pulled the back pin that connected the upper and lower receiver of the rifle out to open the rifle to inspect it. Making sure it was still clean and able to fire with no jams, he put his rifle back together.

Opening his pack, he emptied its contents into the ground and inspected every item. 12 thirty round magazines all still loaded with rounds, an aid kit, Four MREs, and a knife he was able to bring with him. As well as a poncho liner and a sleeping bag that he kept his rifle cleaning kit in. After putting everything back in his bag, he looked around and sighed.

"Great…. went from a firefight in a small, desert town to bum fuck nowhere in some woods." He gasped suddenly, clutching his head as he remembered what happened.

His squad was pushing up into a town full of enemy combatants. The Marines had already cleared the stronghold before, but it seemed the enemy came back once the Marines had left. The army brass had thought the intel was solid; the enemy wasn't coming back. But it proved to be wrong. As Ruiz ran to find cover from the ambush of enemy fire, a round went straight into his skull, causing everything to fade into black.

Feeling his throat constrict of air, he fell to his knees, breathing faster and faster. His vision began to blur; the dizziness wasn't helping either. His whole body was shaking, he was gasping harder for air. He was about to pass out until he heard a familiar voice.

"Remember Mijo…. Just breathe. You are fine; calmate. You are here, in the now, in the present. Remember these words. You are here. In the now. In the present."

His breathing slowed as he remembered his mothers' words, the mantra that always helped him to calm down when he had an anxiety attack, which was rare. But, given his current circumstances, it was kinda warranted. His dizziness went away, and his vision went back-to-normal. Coughing once more, he got up and dusted himself off.

"Time to find a vantage point…. Gotta find out where I am." He muttered as he took out his compass, which thankfully wasn't broken. Opening it up, his eyes widened when the arrow of the compass kept spinning in circles rapidly, not seeming like it would stop at any time. Groaning, he put the compass back into his pocket and grabbed all his gear. Finally deciding on which direction to go, he began to walk, hoping to not get into another ambush again.

As he continued to walk, he noticed that a lot of the nature seemed…different. Like there was a different vibrancy to it, like the woods seemed alive. Everything around him felt alive somehow. Shaking his head thinking it was just in his mind, he kept walking, still taking in the sights. The animals were also different, like they were a mix of animals back on earth. And wait, was that a squirrel with a chipmunk's head?

Suddenly, he heard a scream coming from the right of him. Still unsure of what might be ahead, he turned his heel and began to run in the direction of the scream. He ran with all his might, hoping not to find the dead body that belonged to that scream. Once he bursted out of some bushes, his eyes went wide when he saw a little girl against a tree, bleeding from a deep scratch on her leg. She was being surrounded from what looked giant panthers… hungry panthers, or whatever giant animal they were…

Screw it, whatever those things are, they were going to harm this little girl.

Nope. Not happening. Not today. Dropping his pack, he breathed in deeply.

"AYE SHITHEADS." he shouted, taking aim at one of the giant beings; all three turned around, growling at the human. Flipping the switch of his rifle from safe to semi auto; not wanting to switch to full auto and hit the child, he put his finger on the trigger.

"COME GET SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE!" He aimed at one of the creatures' heads and fired, a loud bang came from the rifle and a split second later, one of the creatures fell to the ground, dead. Its buddies stared at their deceased comrade before roaring in rage and both pounced at the soldier. Jumping to the side to avoid getting mauled, the soldier landed on his back and rolled, quickly propping to his knee and fired three times at the second creature. The creature howled in pain and fell to the ground, dead. Standing tall once more, Ruiz scanned the environment, not seeing the last of the animal trio.

"Kid, you alright?" He called to the young girl, who stared at him back with fear. Ruiz raised his left hand as a sign of peace and slowly made his way to her, his right hand still holding on to his rifle.

"I'm not going to hurt you kiddo, I promise. I'm just here to help." he said gently, kneeling in front of her.

"Yer not lying, are ya?" she asked quietly; her arms covering her face in a defensive position. Ruiz reached out and gently brought her arms down, not wishing to scare her. Accent of hers was a bit of a surprise; how did he end up in Scotland? Perhaps a question for later.

"Like I said kid, I'm not going to hurt you." She stared back at him, purple eyes full of fear and hope staring back at brown eyes full of emptiness. Ruiz took note on the horns on her head but didn't say anything. Maybe she had them on to play a game or something, before those beasts tried to harm her.

"Let's take a look at this cut, shall we?" She nodded as he gently grasped her leg. The cut was deep, but not deep enough that it tore through muscle. She winced as the man poked at the cut.

"Let me grab something from my bag, and I'll be right back. Just keep pressure on the wound, ok? The girl nodded and Ruiz ran back to grab his bag. But just as he grabbed the handles to it, he heard a growl coming from right in front of him.

"Fuck!" He shouted, trying to get his gun up but the third Banther had already pounced and tackled him to the ground. As he tried to fire at the Banther, the beast swiped the rifle out of his hand, tearing off his sling from his body. The beast roared and slammed its giant paw into Ruiz, its claws piercing his flesh. Screaming in pain, Ruiz grabbed the knife from his belt and stabbed at the beast, embedding the knife into its thick hide. The beast roared in response and tried to bite down on the human's skull. Without think, Ruiz brought his left arm up to cover himself, and the beast chomped down hard on it. Ruiz screamed in pain once more and with what strength he had, pulled the knife out of the Banthers hide and stabbed it into its eye. The Banther croaked and slumped itself onto of Ruiz, dead. Groaning, he willed himself to throw the body off him, and once the body was off him, he laid there on the grass, catching his breath.

"H-Hey human, a-are you ok?" He looked up from the ground to the little girl he saved, her leg still bleeding. Groaning, he willed himself to stand up, his left arm broken from the Banthers bite. Using his unbroken arm, he grabbed his rifle and set it down next to the girl.

"Don't touch." Was all he said, and he went back to claim his pack. Picking up his pack, he trudged it back to the girl and set it down in front of her. Grabbing his med kit, he opened it up and tossed her a bandage tape and alcohol.

"Your wound is deep, but it looks like there aren't any bones broken in your leg. Pour some of that onto your wound, it'll sting but it will stop any infection from coming. Once done, wrap the bandage a few times around your leg. It'll stop the bleeding." He took out another bandage wrap and some other supplies to tend to his wounds, but also kept a close eye on the kid.

Doing what she was told, she yelped in pain from the alcohol, trying her best not to cry. She shouldn't cry, couldn't cry, especially in front of a human. But why did he help her? And why did he dress so funny? Once she started applying the bandage, she looked over at the human. He had begun to clean himself up and wrap bandages across his torso, keeping his blood from spreading to the ground and keeping it in his body. The Banthers claws did a number on his abdomen, his scratchers were also deep but thankfully nothing was torn off him. He will probably need stitches but that will come later.

"Why did ya save me?" The human looked up at her in confusion.

"What do you mean kid? You were about to get eaten by a pack of panthers. I couldn't let that happen." The girl looked at him in confusion.

"But you're a human. I'm an elf. I thought you'd, I don't know, let me get eaten." He gave her another confused look.

"Kid, did ya hit your head on something? What do you mean you're an elf? They don't exist." The human dodged a rock that was tossed at his head from the girl.

"I'm an elf, dummy! I exist pretty damn clearly, as you can see! And stop calling me kid, my name is Rayla. Get it?! I'm Rayla of the Moonshadow elves!" She yelled but stopped as the human narrowed her eyes at her.

"Well, forgive me Rayla. But I got blow up and possibly died in some fucking Wizard of Oz, Alice in wonderland book. I'm still getting my bearings in order, and I don't even know how I got here! SO, GIVE ME A FUCKING BREAK!" He roared at her, and she backed up against the tree, scared. Seeing her reaction, he went wide eyed.

"I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to scare you. I'm having a rough day is all." His voice barely a whisper as he spoke to her, not wishing to scare her any more than he already had.

"My name is Miguel Ruiz. Only fair I give you my name since you gave me yours." He said as he finished wrapping his bandages across his waist. "Can you tell me where I'm at? If you're not still pissed at me saying that you don't exist."

Rayla huffed but nodded. He did help her and save her. "Yer in Xadia, where all magical creatures and beings alike live here. A couple weeks walking or horseback to the west is the human kingdoms. We try to avoid the humans as much as possible." Nodding at the information, even though he still didn't believe it, he listened.

"You said magical beings and animals. Are there different elves besides Moonshadow Elves?" Rayla nodded.

"Yup, and they also have different types of magic. Moonshadow elves get their magic and abilities from the moon. The skywing elves get theirs from the sky and the Sunfire elves get their powers from the sun. There are more but those are the only ones coming to mind." She stated, still watching the human tend to his wounds. While they did look serious, at least the bleeding in his abdomen stopped for now.

"Sounds exactly like some fairy tale but you look like you're telling the truth, and lemme guess, those horns are your actual horns? They aren't party tricks or something?" Rayla rolled her eyes.

"They are real, dummy." Miguel chuckled at her response. "But, what about you? What's with the very weird clothes yer wearing?"

"It's called a uniform, dummy. Standard issue with the United States Army once you get to Basic Training." He cringed internally, realizing he sounded like a run of the mill recruiter.

"Yeah…. We don't have a United States Army in Xadia…. I don't even think the human kingdoms have that either." Miguel internally groaned. If there wasn't anything related the The United States or his world for that matter, then yup, he was stuck here…. In xadia… With magic and elves.

What God did he piss off to deserve this fate? Shaking his head, he finished applying a makeshift splint on his left arm. Improvise and adapt, his father always taught him.

"Hey Rayla, go into my bag and see if you can find me a spare rifle sling. It'll look like a long black flimsy belt." He wasn't sure why he was being trusty with her to look through his gear, but with how bad his left arm was, he needed her help. But, as she tried to get up, she yelped and fell onto her butt.

"Looks like you sprained your leg as well. It'll be a while before you can use your leg again." He made his way over to bag and swapped out his med kit for a new sling. Quickly attaching the new sling to his rifle, he draped his rifle over him once more. Getting up, he looked at Rayla and at his arm.

"I would carry you, but my arm is busted. Where is your home?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yer sure yer not gonna kill anyone if I take ya to ma home? The adults there definitely don't like humans."

"So, what you're saying is they will probably kill me on sight?"

"Precisely." She chuckled, but Miguel was not laughing in the slightest.

"Well, it's unfortunately a chance we're going to have to take. You're wounded and I bet your parents are worried sick about you." At the mention of parents, her eyes went wide.

"Oh no, Runaan and Ethari must be looking for me already. I've been gone too long!" She tried getting up but fell on her butt again.

"Easy kid. Don't try to turn that injury into something worse. I have an idea but you're probably not going to like it." She raised an eyebrow as the human opened his main pack.

"I'm still strong enough to carry you on my back, so jump in. I'm not kidnapping you or elfnapping you at all. Just point me in the right direction and I'll bring you home. Hopefully no one will try to kill me once they see you in my bag." Rayla scoffed.

"Or my people will definitely kill you thinking you brought my dead body back to gloat." Miguel face-palmed himself. Christ, this kid is stubborn.

"Look, I know this isn't the greatest of ideas, but we don't have a choice. I'm still bleeding from my arm and bandages so soon; I will need a proper doctor to fix me up. You can't stand because of your sprain, and I need my spare arm to shoot in case more of those things," He pointed to the dead Banther carcasses, "decide to show up. So, you're just going to have to trust me. I promise I'm just taking you home." Rayla furred her brow in contemplation and sighed.

He was right. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right.

"Fine, but at least keep the cover open." She muttered as she crawled into his bag. Once she was in, he hoisted the bag onto his back.

"Alright kid, where to next?" She pointed at a dirt trail in the trees.

"Follow the trail. It'll lead us back to my home, The Silvergrove. And can ya stop calling me kid? My name is RAYLA!" Miguel rolled his eyes but started walking in the dirt path.

"Rayla… kid. Still just a kid if you ask me." Miguel felt a hard thump on the back of his head. Rayla had punched him.

"Alright, alright! I get it for fucks sake, Rayla." She smiled at the small victory she had gained over the soldier. "Do you know how long until we get to your home?"

Rayla shrugged. "I don't really know exactly. Probably an hour or two." He groaned, knowing that an hour is stretching it. Just because he put bandages around his waist doesn't mean he is one hundred percent ok. The sweat after an hour will cause the wounds to un-clot and he will start to bleed again. Once that happens…. His fate will be left uncertain.

"Just…. Keep me awake, ok? If end up passing out from blood loss…. Well…. You're on your one from there." Rayla nodded, the gravity of their situation hitting her like a ton of bricks. If he dies, she's left alone in the wounds with a busted-up leg, and no one to help her.

This is turning out to be quite a conundrum for the human soldier and the elf girl.

"Y'know… You still never really answered my question. Why did you save me from those Banthers?" It has been almost half an hour since they started walking. While Ruiz tried his best to push forward, his wounds started to bleed once more after 20 minutes. They had to stop and swap out bandages, but if Ruiz doesn't get help soon, he will die. But, to keep him walking and talking, Rayla has been talking non-stop. Asking him questions that range from where he lived to what his favorite pastry dish was.

What in the world was a Jelly Tart, he wondered. Apparently as well, those things that attacked the Duo weren't Panthers but Banthers. Like a bear and a panther mated and created a giant monstrosity of a beast.

"I told you earlier Rayla, I saw you were about to get hurt or worse, so I stepped in. You got bad memory I'm supposed to be worried about now?" He chuckled as Rayla landed another hard slap to the back of his head.

"No, my memory is sharp as a knife, thank you very much. I asked because it seems like there was more to the story than just – Ah yes, I'm a human soldier saving little damsel in distress. There's more to it, isn't there?" He sighed in response.

"When I was growing up, my mother didn't just take care of me. She pretty much ran our small little town in Texas. Hell, even the mayor of our town respected her words and guidance." Rayla nodded as she listened but noticed something moving fast in the trees.

"She took care of everyone, but she had a soft spot for kids. So, she made sure that every parent, every adult took care of every child. No child in our small, little town ever felt the lack of love and care. She followed this human saying, "It takes a village to raise a child." and applied it to real life. She even changed up the saying to, "Every man and woman cares for every child". So, when I saw you were about to get hurt, it brought me back to my little village." Rayla didn't have any words for Miguel.

What can she say really? She was raised her entire life until this point that humans were despicable, untrustworthy beings. That they would never help any elf in need, and they would gladly sacrifice any magical creature to pursue their own agendas.

But here is this human. A soldier who saved her, who was raised to care for anyone he would meet. How can all humans be terrible when this one risked his life to save her? It doesn't make any sense.

"H-Hey Rayla…. how far are we now?" Rayla gasped when she saw Miguels uniform soaking with blood from the right side of his abdomen.

The bleeding came back, and it came back with a vengeance.

"J-Just over that hill! You can do it! Please, keep going." Rayla slapped him on the back of the head once more to try to get Miguel to push. But his breathing had become labored, and he was barely lifting his legs off the ground. He had so much strength left before he passed out, but hearing the sniffles of a crying Rayla, he grunted and kept pushing. One foot in front of the other.

'She's depending on you. Get over that damn hill. Push!" Grunting loudly, he kept going. Rayla cheered for him as he shot forward with newfound determination. He was going over that hill, or damn it, he was going to die trying. He needed to bring back this little girl back to her family. She had someone waiting for her…. Unlike him.

"Ya made it!" She cried as they made it over the top of the hill, but Miguel only saw more trees and bushes. Before he could say anything, he passed out and landed into the dirt, hard. Rayla ended up falling out of his bag and landing 2 feet in front of Miguel.

She stared at his lifeless body, scared that he might have actually…. no. No. He isn't dead. Turning around the Silvergrove, she can barely make out the figures of elves going about their daily business.

"RUNAAAAAN. ETHARRIII." She screamed loudly, hoping one of them heard her. Several elves turned and saw her screaming and crying for Runaan and Ethari. Several ran to grab the couple, while several others ran to Rayla. But they all stopped and drew their weapons when they saw the slumped body of the human that was behind her.

"Please help him, please! He saved me from being eaten alive by Banthers. Please!" She cried, but before anyone could make a move, two figures quickly pushed past the crowd of elves to get to her.

"Rayla, are you alright?!" Etherai asked as he ran to her, noticing her leg wrapped in some sort of bandage. Looking behind her, he narrowed his eyes when he saw the humans body. Runaan followed his line of sight and once his eyes laid upon the human, he grabbed his blades and began to make his way over to Miguel.

"NO, RUNAAN STOP. HE SAVED ME FROM BANTHERS." Runaan stopped and turned to her.

"You have some explaining to do, young lady. What do you mean he saved you?" Rayla gulped.

"I-I was playing in the meadows until three Banthers found me. I tried to run, but one of them scratched me on my leg. But that human," She pointed over to Miguel, "came to my rescue and killed all three Banthers before they killed me. He even treated my wounds before treating his. Please, don't kill him." Runaan and every other elf went wide eyed with shock. Some even began to murmur amongst themselves. A human saving an elf from death? Such a thing has never been heard of.

"Rayla, I understand what he did was brave and I'm grateful that he stepped in. But he is still a human. Humans are not allowed in Xadia, period. What I am about to do is a mercy." He turned back to the human and raised his blades but before he plunged his blade down, Rayla jumped in front of him. Shielding Miguel.

"No. I owe him my life. He's a good human Runaan, he saved me. You even said you were grateful he saved me. Let's at least heal him up and we can let the elders decide." Runaan glared at her, wishing he wasn't so damn stubborn.

"Very well. But he will stay under lock and key at the house. Only Ethari and I will enter the room to administer his care, but you will feed him. You will replace his bandages, and you will make sure he does not leave the Silvergrove. Tomorrow we will speak to the elders regarding this situation. Whatever fate they decide, it is final." He and Ethari picked up the human and dragged him to the house, while another Elf picked up Rayla and followed her parents.

'Please be ok Miguel. Please don't die' Rayla blinked away tears, hoping he would survive his injuries.

Hey Y'all, M4 Here. I hope you have enjoyed my new Story, The Soldier and The Assassin. Trust and believe, there are more to come. Peace!