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The elements are.... A Frightful/Scary Event Inverted love interest Something Odd As the others arrived to the cave, all sharing in their joy, Stream remained leaning against the floor of the cave; both because she was exhausted, but also for another reason. She stared at her hands. It was gone. She could feel it. Her magic to heal had burned itself out trying to save this human child. And yet, she would have it no other way. She listened to everyone’s joy and laughter. She would give up her powers. She would even give up her life. To hear the joy and laughter she heard in the cave. Buren gazed down at the wound that had once been in his abdomen. He tried to sit up and winced. Stream smiled and looked at Shadow. “Tell him that though he is healed, his body will still take time to mend itself.” Shadow nodded, “Parest fartune de’nama.” The boy looked strangely at Shadow. “Pala deliase foortunga?” Shadow nodded and looked back at Stream. “So it would seem the language he speaks is slightly different than the human tongue I know. Many words are the same, but there appears to be some differences. He understands what I said. He’s surprised I can speak as much of their tongue as I am able to.” Shadow could not help but smile, as he heard Snowspring still cooing in her mother’s embrace. “Bare’akal denise?” Shadow asked if he needed an escort back to his tribe. “Bare’asin defeen toonada,” Buren retorted. “What did he say?” Stream asked, questioning why the boy’s look had gone from a smile to a stern, firm look. “He says he does not want to go back to his people,” Shadow said. “They have cast him out.” “But his father clearly must want him back,” Stream said. “What father could throw away their son like rotten meat?” Shadow turned to the boy, “Parential defian sureen?” Buren shook his head and gestured wildly with his arms, “Para foon pak tenial steph oknee.” Shadow looked at Stream. “Their witch-woman has turned his father against him. His father is bound to this witch-woman’s words.” “Palla fortoon denal?” Shadow asked. The boy looked at Stream, then back at Shadow and nodded emphatically. “What did you ask him?” Stream asked. “If he wanted to stay with us then,” Shadow smiled. “We would be his tribe.” Vineweaver stepped in. “You can’t be serious. A human in our tribe?” Shadow smiled. “If we’re to, one day, make peace with them – we must be willing to embrace them. This boy has no home. This boy saved my cub. This boy deserves to be with us.” Vineweaver thought he had more of an argument; but after Shadow’s words, he found his argument crumbled like a fallen leaf. Spearclaw stood next to Shadow. “I agree with Shadow. Now what do we do about the boy’s tribe who has made our den their home?” “We drive them out,” Shadow said firmly. “How?” Foxhair asked, holding her child closely; the idea of war too fresh in her mind. “They took us by surprise when they came the first time,” Shadow replied. “Now it is our turn. And we will call on old friends to help us.” As the sun set in the distance, and the snow continued to fall, the clouds covered the moon and stars, bringing darkness across the land. A distant chill blew through the wind, and Sherala approached Balgar, “Something is amiss! I feel it in my bones,” she growled. She looked up at the sky, “Kuraul can not see us! He can not protect us!” Balgar laughed, “Old woman, while I do appreciate your wisdom, and though you gave your eyes, and can still see beyond our own eyes, there is nothing – nothing! – in this land to be afraid of! We have conquered demons!” “Something is very wrong,” Sherala repeated. Almost as if on queue, a wolf’s howl chanted through the dark skies. Shortly after, another wolf’s howl. Followed by another, then another, then another, until the entire night seemed full of the song of the wolves. Then other howls joined in; sounding much like the wolves, but the pitch and tone was different. More voices joined in the song. “The demons!” Sherala hissed. “I told you! They know that Kuraul can not see us!” As if melting from the very shadows, like his name sake, Shadow stood, perched on a stone, his weapon in hand. Several others came to stand next to him. Around the human encampment, eyes glistened menacingly, though there was no light; fangs, like tiny daggers appeared in the shadows. "{You have killed my people,}" Shadow spoke the best he could in their tongue. "{Murdered men, women, and even children. Your father can not see you,}" Shadow improvised, having over heard the Shaman speak. "{Your father can not protect you. And if you do not leave these lands, me, my kind, and our demon wolves will bleed you, and soak the land in your blood, until the very river you and your men came sailing from, bleeds a deep red.}" (1) One of Balgar’s men, grabbed his sword and charged, but only made it three feet, before three arrows filled his chest and he collapsed to the ground, bleeding. "{Are there more of you who wish to fall before us? Your father will not witness the shame of your death, dying before us,}" Shadow growled. Sherala pleaded with Balgar, “We must turn back. We must! The demons have somehow turned Kuraul’s gaze from us! Without his gaze, he will not be able to empower us!” For a brief moment, Balgar thought of his son, Buren. He thought of running to the cave to fetch his son. As if reading his mind, Shadow lied, "{Your son is dead. I killed him myself. The blood of a chief’s son, on my blade, is why your father turns away from you. He feels shame. Shame that you murder the defenseless. Shame that you turn on your own. Forsake your own. Your father is ashamed. Just as you were ashamed of your son, Human-Chief. Now go. And never come back, for the only thing that will ever be waiting for you here is death.}" Shadow knew he had to lie; or else Balgar might one day seek to return and recover his son. Balgar blew the horn and summon his men. The wolves forced the men into a narrow passage, back to back, stumbling over one another, as they made their way back to the ship. Shadow watched as the men pushed their ship into the river’s current, and began to row back from which they came. Foxhair stood next to Shadow, holding their child. “Do you think they will come back?” “If they do,” Shadow replied, as he turned and faced Foxhair. “We will be ready for them. We will never be surprised again.” Shadow watched Buren stood on the shore and inverted the flag that the ships each bore, on the shoreline. "{What does that mean?}" Shadow asked in the human tongue. "{That they came and found great evil,}" Buren explained. "{It’s a warning to others that this area should be avoided.}" Buren turned around and ran back with the others, looking until he found Stream. He slipped his fingers into hers, and Stream gasped; but did not pull away. Her cheeks flushed a deep red. Foxhair looked at Shadow. “It would seem that he has taken a liking to the one who saved his life.” “Indeed,” Shadow smiled. 1. Because Elves do not truly understand the concept of a “god”, Shadow interprets “Kuraul” to be the human’s version of the “High Ones.”