It was a cold and windy day. Three travelers were walking along a long dirt road. It was muddy, uneven, and surrounded by black trees that made the path seem endless. In spite of this, each of the three travelers continued to trudge along the path as it was their only hope at reaching the end of the bleak forest that had surrounded them for the past week. One by one they took their steps, each creating a distinct splashing sound. The first of the travelers had the lightest of steps. Each foot was placed carefully in front of the other; a pair of small, brown boots submerging and reemerging with every step. The second pair of footsteps were entirely too careless. They were almost long enough to become leaps and high enough to be considered a bounce. They had even created a large splash completely soaking the owner's flat, thin black shoes each time. The third traveler had very slow footsteps. So much so that they were behind the other two. Each placement of the high and tightly laced short-heeled boots seemed deliberate, as if they were trying to find the area with the least mud to take their steps. Another cold wind had blown through the trio causing them each to shiver. It was that time in autumn when everything began to appear as though it were dead. Long gone were the brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges of the season. It was the transitional period between them, the seasons of autumn and winter, where there was no snow but all the trees had been stripped of their leaves which lay on the ground frail and lifeless. Crunching beneath the boots of tired travelers. After one lage leap the traveler in the black shoes looked behind himself,

"Mari! Hurry up! It will be nightfall by the time we reach the next town if you keep tiptoeing! I'm freezing my tail off!" He shivered again and wrapped the appendage around himself. His short, triangular ears also folded back as he rubbed his bare, brown arms in an attempt to create some semblance of warmth. Mari, the man he had called, looked up just as he was about to take another carefully calculated step. This man was a high elf of tall stature. His eyes were green like forest leaves in the spring and his hair was long and blond like the summer sun's rays. The elf's shoulders immediately rose up and his eyebrows became furrowed in annoyance. He stomped forward and immediately sank into a mud puddle. The leather of his boot was completely covered as the mud began seeping inside of them. Slowly sinking into the white stockings inside and even touching his bare skin beneath. It made a shudder go through the elf's entire body. At the sight and feeling of the wet sensation, Mari had nearly let out a growl in his anger. He had been doing fine up until this point and the slightest distraction had cost him everything. His teeth became clenched and his eyes narrowed as he began stomping forward. His boots were ruined, they had to be. Not to mention his white stockings inside the leather were completely soaked and stained. It was one of the most horrid sensations a mortal could experience in his opinion.

The half-cat, half-man that had called out to Mari had seen the whole event take place. He couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the elf. He was well aware of his disdain for filth, it was a trait that seemed to accompany many high elves. Their prim and proper appearance was something of great importance to them and was linked with their connection to nature. It was said that elves were near immortal because of this deep connection. Nature was pure and this reflected in the elven race. They were so attune to it that they could never get any form of illness or disease and lived for nearly a millennia. Mari however, always seemed to be at odds with the nature around him. He despised dirt, animals hated him and wanted nothing more than the comfort of four walls and a soft bed. Once the elf had caught up to the other two he gave a huff and glared at the shifter,

"I was doing just fine, thank you! Now look! You've gone and distracted me and now my boots are bloody ruined!" He crossed his arms as his lips turned up in a pout. There was a woman standing besides the two of them and she reached up to place a gentle hand on Mari's shoulder. She was much shorter than Mari and her ears were only slightly pointed but it only took one look of the two of them together to see that they were related. Sarya had a short and curly bob but she shared the same exact emerald eyes and pale complexion as her younger brother.

"Don't worry Elmarius...I am sure we can wash our things when we get to town. Let's just keep going. We are all tired and are at our wits end..." She offered him a kind smile which seemed to put him slightly at ease, only slightly.

"I hope that what you say is true, Sarya." He looked over at the cat who had offered him a similar smile. The elf only averted his eyes and glared at the ground before quickly moving forward, pushing right past the shifter. The woman looked up at the cat and also offered him a smile, one that said, "please forgive him." He was taller than Sarya but not nearly as tall as the elf. His hair was dark red like the color of a good wine and his eyes were golden like grains of sand. His hair went just past his shoulders in medium sized dreadlocks.

"I'm sorry, Hakeem. He will likely be in a better mood once we've washed up and had dinner. I'm afraid he has yet to become accustomed to traveling like this." The cat shook his head as he looked towards the elf. There was a softness in his eyes and he didn't seem bothered by the other's anger at all.

"I understand... it must be difficult to abandon such a lavish lifestyle. I cannot understand fully because I have never been wealthy but...I think that he is frustrated with the sudden change. Still, I admire him for making that change for the both of you." Sarya nodded and reached up to brush one of her eyes. She began walking again without another word and with Hakeem following right behind her.

It was true. Elmarius had once lived a lavish lifestyle not so long ago. His parents had owned a large mansion and had many servants that attended to them. Despite Sarya and him living under the same roof, she was not pampered in the slightest. She was only a half elf after all. In other words, a bastard child. A result of their father's audacious infidelity. Fortunately for Mari, his sister had never held this against him and this was in part due to the treatment she had seen him receive as well. Elmarius's father desperately wanted a son to be the next heir in their family business but he was not the type of man his father wanted. Time and time again he disappointed his father which resulted in explosive anger, verbal and sometimes physical abuse. Though the elven family was wealthy and kept up their appearances in the public, their home was like a cage to Elmarius. He was trapped with a manipulative, abusive father and an absent, drunken mother. Sarya was the only person who was kind to him, and he to her. It was not easy but the two of them had managed to escape with Hakeem from their home country and now they were traveling back to Hakeem's country, Salin'Ra.

By the time they had exited the forest, night had fallen upon them. It was incredibly dark but Hakeem, Elmarius, and Sarya each had darkvision. Quickly they ran down the road and into an inn which was not far along it. Mari and Sarya were panting and stopped right in front of the door but Hakeem continued towards the counter. When the elf looked around he could see several groups of all kinds of people sitting at each of the tables. It made him uneasy, he was out of his element and stuck out like a cactus amongst flowers. A few pairs of eyes had locked with his own and he quickly looked away before approaching the counter where Hakeem was already speaking with the clerk. He could already hear the whispers around the room. They grew louder and louder until they were the only thing that he could hear. "What was an elf doing here?" "Why was an elf traveling with a shifter and a half elf?" "Why was he so dirty?" "Was there something wrong with him?" "Surely there had to be if he looked like that." "Had he been disowned?" "What an embarrassment..."

"Mari! We got a table and a room key!" Hakeem yelled towards the elf but his ears lowered when he hadn't received a response. The elf's head snapped up at the sound and the voices in his head quieted but now there was nothing at all. Just complete and utter silence. He couldn't move even as he looked directly at his friend at the table. Hakeem's voice was distorted and muffled, his own heart had begun to race. He wanted to leave, no, he had to. This had been a mistake hadn't it? He should have stayed at home and accepted his fate. He was never meant to live in a place like this; he was only meant to suffer...

Hakeem could tell that something wasn't right as he looked in Mari's eyes. They had become dark and empty. Even when he was angry they were bright and full of passion. The elf's face would even turn every shade of red you could think of but now, he looked as if... his soul had left his body. Sarya's eyebrows furrowed and she went to get up from their table but Hakeem beat her to it. Mari only blinked when he felt something holding onto his hand. He looked down and saw that there were two others holding his own and his eyes looked up to meet Hakeem's. Though, it was only for a moment before he looked away again causing his long, blonde hair to cover the side of his face. He didn't say anything as Hakeem led him to the table, he only sat down and snatched up the menu. Hakeem looked up and frowned when he was met with the folded piece of paper. The elf was so stubborn and closed off even after the few weeks they had spent together. He only wanted to know if his friend was all right. He let out a sigh but his ears perked up when he looked at the tips of Elmarius' long ears which were visible beyond the menu. They had stuck out too far to ever be hidden by the elf's hair or anything else covering his face. A small smile formed on Hakeem's face as he saw they had changed from their usual fair color to a light shade of red. Even if he was angry at the shifter it was better than the empty expression he had before. He never wanted to see that look in Elmarius's eyes again.