Shattered Moonstone

Guardian of the forest.

It felt something enter its forest, something disrupting the world itself as it trampled its way through the brush, the feeling of the forest shifting as it spread like a blight that threatened to consume all. It knew it had to remove it, but it did not know how. 

The creature, when it finally located it, exuded… danger. A danger much like the flying beast that spreads fire that threatened to destroy the forest; this creature needed to be removed. Yet, the creature had not caused any lasting damage to the forest. It was no doubt dangerous but it has barely disrupted the forest, unlike those other intruders to the far west, this creature appears to only be wandering. It partook of the forest bounty, but it did not gorge itself, only taking what could easily be regrown within this season alone. 

Even still, it is dangerous. The forest wishes for it to leave, letting it stay within the forest will cause problems. Out of respect for its control we will attempt to coerce it to leave, since it spared the hive, it deserves that much. 

But the creature refuses to leave? Why? It is not of this forest, would it not like to return to its own home? 

Food? Yes, all must eat, is that why it has entered our domain? It has taken food already; however, many plants and even the hive it raided was that not enough for it. 

It appears that there is another of its kind nearby, a small one perhaps. It is not as dangerous as this one before us. Maybe it requires food for the young one as well? 

The children of the great tree are moving again, they seem to be fortifying the west; have the ones who wish to rob the forest of its bounty moved again? No, they seem to be waiting for something, we will observe them for now. If they enter the forest, we may have to remove them.

The creature is agitated, why is it still refusing to return to its young? The young one is with the children of the great tree, it is likely safe then, so this one is hunting for it? We see, the cycle of life should not be disrupted; but this creature is dangerous, we will provide it with food then it will leave. Given its size and that it has a young we will call one of the small creatures we chased away. 

A group has entered the forest far to the south, they carry gifts for the children of the great tree. They are being cautious; we will leave them for now. But we will still guide the herd from their path, it has not recovered from the last incursion. 

The great crow on the northern mountain’s eggs will hatch soon, it will require food for its young, we will move the small horned mammals to its hunting ground to provide for it…

The creature attacked us? Why, we provided it with food? It does not wish to eat it because it… we understand, it is a predator. If it wished to chase its food, why did it not chase the food when it ran? It wishes to hunt one of the thunder stags? It is dangerous yes, but the thunder stags are fast, does this creature really believe it can catch one? It appears offended, it wishes to take our skull? It was given to us as an offering from the children of the great tree, would it affect the children of the great tree if given to this creature? We have many skulls; we will simply give it one of those if it catches the stag. Does it wish to offer us something in exchange? Strange, but if that is what it wishes, it will be a simple matter if it will leave the forest.

The world seemed to still as the strange creature circled the thunder stag, clearly inspecting it from multiple angles; it was clear that the creature, though dangerous, was still being cautious. The enormous deer didn’t seem to see the creature as a threat despite the forest's warnings that it was dangerous. No matter, it will be unfortunate if the creature manages to kill the stag given their numbers are still dwindling; but this particular one is older, it will likely only have one or two more seasons regardless of what happens here.  

Then, it began. The hunt, the forest itself, watched with rapt anticipation as the creature lunged at the deer from behind. 

30.1

The blazing sun beat down on Hecatolite as she stood in the middle of what looked like a field surrounded by a strange metal structure . Off to the side she could see a large wooden building surrounded by more of these odd metal structures.

Are they supposed to be fences? But the gaps are huge! Even dad could fit though one if he tried, what are they supposed to stop? Her eyes wandered around the packed dirt around her until she saw a grizzled older man walking towards her. her eyes snapped to the hat the man was wearing as he called out to her. Is that a cowboy hat! I need it! 

She ignored the man as he spoke, finally looking at him she froze when she saw his face. Who the hell is this guy; wait… I know him? The man had bright blue eyes that reminded her of the midday sky, sun tanned leathery skin that stuck in her mind on this world as a field worker. But she was sure she would remember a farm hand like him in the city given the massive scar on the man's face, the entire right side of his jaw sat at an unnatural angle, the skin clumped together unnaturally where it had been torn away and healed.

What was his name… Horseshoe! Oh yea good old Horseshoe, I worked on a ranch for a few years when I was a young boy… wait… Her eyes locked on the man’s scar as she continued to ignore him as the older man clearly lectured her; something about respecting the animals and always being aware of your surroundings… Not that it was surprising he was yelling at her, Horseshoe was a good guy but strict, the first few weeks she was convinced the man didn’t know how to speak without yelling… why do they call him horseshoe, his name was Joe wasn’t it? Horseshoe sounds silly, horses don’t have shoes. She giggled in her mind as Horseshoe finished his ranting, the world around her starting to fade. “Another thing, if I ever catch you coming up behind a horse again boy, I’ll kick ya in the head myself!”

Strange, why am I remembering this now? Maybe I should have paid more attention to him… Her thoughts were cut as her entire body jerked back, “that’s why he was called Horseshoe!” she screamed, her head snapping to the side just in time as the deer kicked out, its rear hooves brushing past her head on both sides as she barely dodged the lightning fast kick. 

Oh, it’s a boy deer. She thought as she crashed into the now fully exposed deer head-first before crashing hard to the ground. 

She barely registered the deer’s pained screaming as she rolled away from the now stomping hooves, tiny little sparks of light flashing off the deer’s legs as it attempted to trample her beneath it. 

Once she had cleared herself from the now enraged animal she sprang to her feet only to find the deer had taken the opportunity to… run? “Fuck, come back here!” She screamed as she charged after it.

 

Hecatolite could feel her heart thundering in her chest as she dodged low hanging branches and vaulted uneven roots; unaware of the wide grin on her own face as she watched the deer hop over a fallen tree. 

This is the best! If she wasn’t so focused on the chase she would have yelled in joy as she vaulted the log, the entire world around her fading away as she watched the deer move, every part of her tensed as the deer blurred in a explosion of dirt; reappearing nearly 50 feet further, blue sparks danced in the hoof prints it left in the forest floor.

The deer glanced back at her, its antlers thrumming with energy as sparks danced between them. “Are you mocking me?” She snarled, yet the wide smile on her face did not falter as she bent her knees, thick black veins appearing on her exposed legs and tail as leaned forward. “I told you…” the clap of thunder could be heard for miles as Hecatolite left tiny footprints in the ground, pure white bolts of energy danced behind her as she appeared… “Well shit.” 

She realized her “flash step” only cleared about half the distance, but it was still close enough for the deer to realize she was much more of a threat than it thought. She swore again as the deer turned and charged away, Hecatolite gaining on it slowly as they swerved around trees only to lose that distance every time they came across a clearing where it could use its own skills to flee. 

For hours she chased it, her entire body vibrating with excitement as she jumped over another small stream the deer had led her to; nearly catching it as it got “caught” in the mud, only for it to break free the moment she lunged. It zapped its way across the river as she slammed into the mud, almost losing sight of it as she freed herself. 

If she hadn’t been so focused on the deer she may have noticed that this was the same stream she caught the fish at the other day, the one she lost her sandal in. Or the group of heavily armed elves on the riverbank looking at her in horror as she charged the deer. She didn’t even register the tingling in her mind that someone was staring at her as her tail deflected something. None of that mattered to her, the entire world narrowed down to a pinprick, a single point that took all of Hecatolites focus, the deer. She wanted it, she needed it!

Everything blurred around her as she lunged again and then the entire world went black.

31.2

Rilitar clutched his bow as he watched Eryl walk through the forest with unnatural ease, something about the way she glided through the brush without even bothering to look around caused his admiration for the woman to grow as she effortlessly changed course to avoid the forest lynx that was in her path. Though he wished he knew exactly why she had decided to just walk into the forest after talking with the human woman; he assumed it had been to find the strange girl that had gotten lost the day before, but then wouldn’t she be moving slower while looking around for tracks or a sign of her?

He lowered his bow as he sighed. If only Tinaka hadn’t been attacked, he could have just asked the human where Eryl was headed, but that was a different problem, one that for once he was glad his uncle had decided to take care of himself. If it were up to him they would have just killed the entire crew and gone on with their lives, but Eryl had insisted the humans did not attack Tinaka… why did she care for them so much? He wondered as he and a small group of men followed her from a safe distance. 

It did bother him that Eryl refused both his uncle and his offers to bring her to the town proper last night, instead choosing to sleep among the humans despite the clear dangers of doing so. If we had maybe been a bit more forceful? But uncle insisted she would see the truth in time. He shook his head as he moved. changing his focus to the task at hand, keeping Eryl safe while she went for this morning walk. 

“That's just creepy.” One of the scouts muttered as Eryl sidestepped a hidden burrow without looking down, her expressionless eyes looking ever forward as she pressed on. 

Rilitar was forced to agree, something about the way Eryl moved… bothered him. Even he, someone who has lived in this forest his entire life, couldn’t help but look around as he walked. The thick trees that reach into the sky, their thick canopies blotting out all but the most persistent sun rays in some places; it was a place of beauty and awe, yet Eryl looked… bored. Always walking forward, somehow avoiding all the dangers around her in her unerring path.

Suddenly the calm quiet forest became a maelstrom of noise as a deafening sound shook the air around them scattering birds into the sky as they fled. 

“What in the gods was that?” One of his men whispered once the chaos died down.

“I have no idea.” He muttered before pointing at two of his men, “You two go and…” his words trailed off as he glanced back at Eryl only to find her standing stock still looking off into the forest, her lips pressed into a tight frown as her ears folded nearly all the way back as she scowled in the direction of the noise.

Before he could continue his order Eryl stomped off into the direction of the noise, her graceful movements faltering for a moment as she muttered to herself while pushing into the trees.

They followed. Slowly Eryl’s movements calmed back into the smooth flowing grace they had before the sound yet somehow, she seemed different now, as if she was rushed; it's not that she was running, but something about how she moved felt as if she was now in a hurry.

“Does she not realize the dangers of the forest?” Someone hissed from beside him as they loosed an arrow at a single horned rabbit before it could threaten Eryl.

Rilitar glared at the man as they passed the corpse, thankfully Eryl didn’t seem to notice them as the man who had shot it scooped it up and tossed it into a bag on his back. Then suddenly Eryl stopped, looking down at the ground he could see her shoulders slump as her ears twitched, before she turned again and started moving in a different direction completely.

“Is… is she lost?” he asked as they came to where she had stopped only to find tracks. “Those aren’t what I think they are, are they?” his stomach twisted as he looked down at the giant hoof print in the dirt.

“Thunder stag.” The scout he had brought along whispered in awe as he crouched over the print. “What's it doing this far north? And these ones…” he pointed to a set of tiny prints that matched the stag prints nearly step for step. “You think they are the girls?”

Rilitar blinked several times as he inspected them as well, but they had been sure she was dead when they found her shoes… but what else could they be? No one would be foolish enough to run through the forest barefoot, but why would she be with a thunder stag? Though that explains the sound, thunder stags use lightning magic; their signature escape is lightning steps, an advanced version of flash step…

Another explosion, this time much closer… than another…. And another… what the hells is going on?

He looked up only to realize he was about to lose sight of Eryl who was now, much to everyone’s amazement, running through the forest towards the sound.

Rilitar swore as he sprinted after her, his men close behind him as they kept a constant vigilant; not that Rilitar thought it would matter at this point. Thunder stags are likely the most powerful creatures in this forest, and everything knew it. Anything around that could hear that sound has likely already fled.

“You hear how many of them there are!” someone called out, the excitement clear in his voice as he ran beside Rilitar. “It’s been almost a year since anyone has even seen one, but from the sounds of it there's got to be a herd!”

Rilitar nodded, trying to keep himself calm despite the situation. Thunder stags were rare, so much so that it was considered an amazing honor to even hear one nowadays. But here and now they have an opportunity to see one, if they could find a way to actually fell the beast it would be an amazing honor. 

Even my uncle would be forced to recognize me if we could manage that! Rilitar shook with excitement as he recalled countless stories his father had told him about the nearly legendary beast. That the Mother of the Grove herself used to ride one into battle, or that the great hero Elrand was the only elf to slay one single handed.  

He didn’t actually believe that the group he had with him could fell a Thunder stag, but even if they could just get a single antler from the creature it would be enough. If he could manage just a single horn he could remove the blight of his blunder of losing the girl the other  day, hells if he could kill the deer and bring it home it would seal his name in the tribes and all but guarantee him an elder position…

In his excitement he nearly broke through the tree line where Eryl had gone, thankfully the scout in his group grabbed his arm before he could make a fool of himself and expose their group. The act brought him back to reality as he remembered his orders. What good would it be if I failed again. He chastised himself in his own mind as his uncle's orders to follow Eryl and keep her safe. If he broke off now to hunt the stag, an act that would more than likely end in failure, he would inevitably lose sight of Eryl in the chase. No, the best course of action here would be to continue on with his mission, “stay hidden, don’t let Eryl see us unless absolutely necessary.” he hissed as they all crept forward.

Am I some excitable child, chasing stories. I just need to do my duties, nothing more. He ground his teeth as the four men with him fanned out, all peeking through the trees to the unbelievable sight before them. 

Rilitar heart nearly jumped from his chest when he saw it, the Thunder stag; bathed in the noon sun as it stood in the middle of the clearing with its head held high, blue arcs of electricity charging the air around it as it stomped a massive hoof in the dirt.

Rilitar was frozen in place as he gazed upon the creature, now knowing in his very soul just how foolish his dream of harming such a beast had been. It stood taller than any elf, its crystal horns tearing the sky itself as it shook its massive head; the aura the beast exuded was so far beyond him that his knees threatened to fail him as it released a massive breath.

His awe stricken stupor was broken when he heard the second crack of thunder.

Exploding out of the tree line was a blur of white, with a clap of thunder that rivaled the stag itself, it… No, she, landed with a dull thump, the damp ground absorbing her landing as she sank up to her ankles. Standing in absolute defiance to the majestic animal he saw her, the girl they had lost the day before; her clothes were tattered and stained with all manner of filth, her hair decorated with mud and twigs as if she had been rolling in the brush, her massive abnormal tail thrashing around her black lines danced across her exposed skin and small pure white arks of energy ground themselves around her feet.

The girl looked like one of the wild children of lore but what stood out most was the inhuman smile. The girl's bright red eyes glimmered in the sun, drawing the eyes to the blood chilling grin, a crack in sanity itself as it stretched across her cheeks nearly splitting the girl's face exposing sharp interlocking teeth. 

Rilitar could feel his entire body sway as the tiny girl's mouth opened, the teeth giving way to another row of the deadly razor-like bones as a strange black liquid rolled out of her mouth staining her face and rolled freely down her chin and neck; she took a deep breath. And though he could still feel nothing from her, no mana no power his mind still reeled from the feeling building in him. Fear gripped his entire being as the girl smiled, something about her abnormal appearance, the way she swayed slightly; somehow he knew in his core that she was a monster. 

It was a thought that warred in his mind, he couldn’t see her as a threat, she was so small and exuded no mana. But looking at her now, something deep inside of him screamed to run, screamed that she was a monster that could end him with ease. But she looked so weak…

An arrow flew over his shoulder as one of the younger men fired at the girl, the twisted look of horror on his face as the girl didn’t even flinch as her tail lashed out, swatting the arrow from the air.

But it was that that broke the stalemate. As her tail slapped the arrow the girl let out her breath, a low rumbling sound that reverberated in the air that sounded so alien yet… familiar… like a purring cat it rattled the trees around them as she crouched.

Then with a flash of light she exploded forward and…

Thump!

It was a dull sound that shook the ground around them as the girl reappeared laying on the ground halfway to the deer. The oppressive feeling, the fear, vanished; so quickly it was as if it were no more than a distant memory. As the girl lay unmoving in the mud the air cleared leaving the elven men stunned, questioning if they had even felt it as the glowing bands faded back to dull metal.

Standing between the two was a tall elven woman, her arms crossed over her chest with her feet dug deep into the ground at the end of two long trenches as if she had been pushed back nearly three feet. 

“Must you cause problems wherever you go?” Eryl’s strained voice filled the clearing as she tried to relax her body, her arms creaked and groaned as slowly, painfully, she managed to force them back to her sides. Her shielded ribs screamed in protest as she forced air back into her lungs. Ignoring the now smokeing black liquid that was splattered across her arms and chest, she fell to her knees. A relieved sigh escaping her as one by one her joints popped, slowly allowing movement once again as she spoke. “You caused quite an uproar in town you know? Your sister is quite worried about you, and here you are chasing an endangered animal though the forest without a care in the world.” 

Rilitar could feel his chest tighten as he watched Eryl smile, it was such a faint thing but the world brightened as the tall woman looked at the strange little monster with such a caring expression. As if she would disturb the girl, Eryl brushed some stray hairs from Hecatolite’s face. “Just look how dirty you are.” She sighed, pulling a few stray branches from Hecatolite’s hair. 

Eryl couldn’t explain the feeling, but even caked in her own blood Hecatolite made her feel… calm. It felt as if all the excitement of the last day just washed away when she looked at her, that despite all the hassle of coming out here to get Hecatolite everything would be fine. Something about the awkward smile on the sleeping girls… “Why are you covered in blood?”  Eryl didn’t notice the calm feeling leaving her, the warm feeling being suppressed as her face fell back into its neutral expression but those around felt it. The warmth left the woman as she sighed; just as the fear from before, a distant memory lost to all those around, the smile faded and Eryl's emotions were once again locked away as she picked the small woman up. “Well, I guess we should get back to…”

Eryl paused as the trees parted and from the shadows a massive figure stepped into the clearing. The guardian of the forest walked directly up to the two, a massive, clawed hand waving the thunder stag away as it stood only feet away from Eryl.

The two stood, neither moving as Rilitar watched the silent conversation with amazement. Unsure of what to do he just watched, Eryl standing there with an unconscious Hecatolite in her arms as the mass of vines topped with a stag skull looked down at her. He contemplated trying to rescue her, but that would be suicide with the guardian here; just as he was about to rally his courage and call out, the massive creature inclined its head.

With a leisurely speed, the guardian reached into its own chest and pulled something out, laying it in the sleeping girl's arms it turned and pointed towards the town. Eryl nodded, “I will watch her, and will attempt to keep her from venturing into your forest in the future.” 

This time when she spoke it was in a language so old that even Rilitar struggled to understand the ancient elven dialect. It was close enough to elven that he could, with great difficulty, understand it; given it was the basis of their language. But it was still so different that it caused pause, where elven was a musical language: the words that Eryl had just spoken were made of the wind itself, pure and undiluted. The voice of nature, the rustling of the trees in the wind, the babbling of a brook touched by nothing but time itself, it brought a tear to his eye as her voice washed over him, he wished in his heart for nothing more than to hear it again. But as everything, it was now a moment lost, one he would remember until his very death.

A clearing in the great forest, in a forgotten corner of a world stood an elven woman of unmatched beauty, in her arms a monster of unknown destruction slumbered; as she spoke the words of the world to the forest itself. A moment so pure that it caused even the most hardened soldier to weep and yet even though its beauty would be lost to time; the words, the feeling of the moment would forever be held in the words spoken as they were carved into the very fabric of the woman’s soul. 

I will watch her.