(Twenty three years after the war ended-Redwood forest)
Hooves thundered across the land, kicking up clouds of snow after the first cry was heard.
“Over there!”
A second shout came alerting the other hunters to give chase. Centaurs quickly reared up changing direction, closing the distance between themselves and the two remaining elves of this forest.
“There’s no point in running! We will catch you like we did the others! Make it easy for everyone involved and give up now!”
An explosion of bright light erupted from ahead, briefly blinding the elves' pursuers. A large tree now stood before them, creaking could be heard as it began leaning towards the centaurs who quickly broke off into different directions avoiding the falling tree.
Regrouping, they covered the ground much faster than their prey, eventually encircling them. One of the men on the back of a centaur smiled at the two elves and laughed.
“Nice little light trick, but it will take more than that and a falling log to stop us. I’m going to tell you once more, surrender and we will let you live.”
The male elf nodded to his companion before throwing something at the group. A giant light appeared again, once more blinding the whole group allowing his companion to escape.
The lead hunter growled in anger, “Poenitet! Securus! Go after her! Do not allow her to escape!”
Securus ran through the trees after the elf, their dying forest still surprisingly provided much needed coverage but when there’s footprints to follow hiding is no longer an issue. They rounded an old dead tree coming face to face with the elf, sadness overtook her face.
“Please, you can take me if you want, but you must allow my child to live, he’s only just a baby!”
Poenitet now taking in the sight of the elf saw the brown fabric she was holding, that’s why she hadn’t attacked, she was holding on to their child. He lept off of Securus, facing the elf once more.
“Please…”
Before he could utter a word an arrow whizzed past him, striking the elf in the heart. She stumbled backwards and fell into the snow, the baby beginning to cry. Poenitet’s mouth was agape, turning to face Securus.
“We were supposed to let them live if they have children! We will run out of them if we don’t!”
Securus frowned, placing his bow back on the sling.
“It doesn’t matter, no one will know, we get paid for the amount we kill. Others do the same thing all the time, if we are the only ones playing by the rules it won’t make a difference to their population but an unneeded dent in our pockets.
You don’t truly believe letting her live now until her child grows will make a difference? Someone else would have killed them or we would have when he grew up.”
Securus walked towards the deceased elf taking out a dagger he proceeded to cut her ears off. Flicking them a few times the blood stains the snow with flecks of red. Placing them into a bag on his side once they no longer dripped.
He glanced over Poenitet, smiling when he saw the brown cloth move.
“That one though, that one is worth much more alive and will make a great gift for our kings.”
“No! I will not let you take him! If you do, his fate will eventually be the same!”
Securus glared at Poenitet, “Step aside or I will just tell the others the she-elf killed you, I don’t have time to deal with this nonsense.”
Poenitet held his ground, giving Securus a dark look of disgust before making a grab for the crying elfling.
“Wrong choice!”
Securus charged towards him causing Poenitet to roll in the snow avoiding the stomp of his hooves. Poenitet quickly got up, baby in one arm and his dagger in the other, turning around to see Securus make another attempt. He extended his arm, piercing Securus' chest as he was unable to stop intime.
Staring down in disbelief Securus wheezed with each breath.
“You… chose an elf over our own survival… did the war teach you nothing?”
His back legs buckled causing him to fall back onto the ground. His breathing became faster in a feeble attempt to make up for the lack of oxygen. Eventually falling onto his side, eyes not leaving Poenitet until they closed.
Poenitet bundled the baby into his arms, he removed the dagger from Securus flinging the blood onto the ground adding more red to the otherwise pale landscape.
Glancing at the crying baby he began to soothe it.
“Hush now, it will be ok, I will look after you and teach you. No elf hunter will ever capture you. You're just as much of a person as I am, I’m sorry I couldn’t save your mother.”
Reaching down he picked up the vase of the mother elf and placed it into his knapsack.
Poenitet's fate was made as soon as he killed Securus, he would be branded a traitor against the kingdoms with a bounty for his head.
After making sure the elfling was secure, he walked off deeper into the forest disappearing, searching for somewhere safe.
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