An+Attack+From+the+Past+and+Heroes

Sen stood in an open field with her eyes closed. Her long black hair and the silky layers of her robe blew gently in the wind that washed the pleasant aroma of spring honeysuckle mixed with the faint scent of coming rain over her. The small green leaves of the birch trees whipped against their branches as a sudden gust kicked up. The tall and narrow evergreens bowed slightly to the winds and the birds grew quiet. Small lesser gemstones attached to delicate ribbons rattled against her staff. A rumbling thunder rolled in the distance further announcing the arrival of a spring storm. Senathliel opened her eyes to see the clouds above her darkening, and the light of the sun that was already obscured seemed to dim down to an almost evening sky.

"Sena! There you are!" Minoc's deep human voice came from behind her as he approached, "What are you doing way out here?" She turned toward him with a girlish laugh, her bright silver eyes a light in the dim meadow, "Minoc... I told you Sena is a baby's name... I'm grown. It's just Sen." She had grown... her body had become a beautiful woman with a drawing presence about her... but she was still young and the two had been friends since early childhood. He grinned at her, looking her over, "Let's see... pointy ears... lithe form... Mmm i believe you're some kind of elf," he teased her as he walked a full circle around her, nodding, "Yes... definitely an elf... and if I recall... elves live long lives... so I believe, my friend, all things considered... that makes you still a child." Sen scoffed at him, "I'm older than you!" "Only by a year," he shrugged, "And I'm human... we age differently. I'm a man." he folded his arms and did his best to look strong and manly. Sen did her best to hide her laugh, but a smile grew on her face. She walked over and squeezed his arms in his "heroic" puffed up pose of fists on his hips, "Hmm muscles," and she looked him over, brushing a gentle hand over his cheek and chin, "And a little fuzz growing in..." she nodded as she continued around him where she found his pouch of candy. She stole one of her favorites out of it, putting it quickly into her mouth, "Nope... still a child." "Hey!" he protested, closing up the pouch, and reached for her hand, but she was already heading back into the woods with a girlish laugh.

Her high pitched shriek carried through the trees and daylight lit the area before her screams were muffled to near silent. Minoc ran into the lit area, shielding his eyes from the rapid change of light... but Sen was nowhere to be seen.

A distance away, elven ears twitched to the scream and Aralethis opened his gold eyes with only one thought on his mind... Sen was in trouble. As calm and collected as always, he moved with amazing speed and agility through the trees toward the daylight and the last sound of her cry. He leapt through the trees, limb to limb, landing to draw his bow and spin in a circle where Sen's light still cast away the shadows of the storm clouds... but it was empty and silent. A powerful roar came from the trees as an enormous white tiger landed beside him, sniffing the air with a deep rumbling in his throat. Aralethis turned to the cat and nodded, "Find her." He had played at least a thousand games of hide and seek with the young aasimar, training his companion and entertaining the girl... Fate adored her and knew her scent well.

With mighty strength, Fate's claws dug into the earth as he took off, his heavy pads barely touching the ground between his long strides as he ran after her. Aralethis followed just as fast, running beside him, scanning the horizon, and trusting in his lead. Rain started to fall...  ...  <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Rain poured down through the trees in heavy sheets and lightning cracked across the sky illuminating the four men around Senathliel. They were dressed in black and wore masks that covered the lower half of their faces. Her heart raced with fear, but she desperately tried to keep herself focused. Aralethis had told her many times that keeping calm was the most important thing she could do.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">One of them tossed her to the ground, spattering her in fresh mud, "Are you the one they call Sen... the daughter of Feahni Selinthrin?" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Sen only stared back at them, her eyes wandering warily over each of the four. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Another stepped closer, "Where is your mother, girl? Where is the blind battle oracle?" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Sen swallowed, still saying nothing, and her breathing became more rapid as fear dripped adrenaline into her veins. Thoughts and memories flashed through her head of all the love of her parents... //I don't know why these men are looking for my mother... but I can't let them find her. I don't know what they're going to do me... but whatever they want... I know I can't let them get to her.//

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">A vicious grab of her hair and her face slamming into the muddy ground brought her quickly back out of her thoughts, "Are you daft girl? Where... Is... Feahni?" Rain continued to pour down hard, the drops stinging her now cold skin. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">One of the others shook his head, "I've heard the girl is strange... something cursed about her... perhaps she can not speak." He shrugged, "We can use her as bait... The Oracle will come looking for her if this is her daughter." <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The haunted sound of 4 people running toward them came from the trees around them as the spirits that haunted the young oracle erupted the noise. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"Leave her. It might be The Oracle... and //she's// the one we want," one of them bashed the side of Sen's head, knocking her unconscious to crumple to the ground before the four of them scattered to the surrounding foliage.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The noise died out in the booming thunder and pouring rain, and the four moved warily back around the limp aasimar only to have Fate charge in, pinning one of them to the ground and burying his fangs into another! Aralethis landed beside him and looked around, surprised recognition flashing for a moment on his face at the symbols on the surrounding men's clothing. He glanced down to see the faint rise and fall of Senathliel's chest, and he turned to one of the men, "What have you done? You were looking for Feahni." He gestured at Sen's unconscious body, "//She// has nothing to do with that."

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"Aralethis?" One of them pulled down his mask, looking over the elven ranger in surprise, "What are you still doing here? I thought you would have left after you reported your findings... Rumor was you left the group and went back to being alone... Call off your beast!" He glanced at his companion paling and bleeding as Fate shook him like a rag doll, his fangs still pierced firmly into the man's body. Another was near death, with long claws pinning his shoulder and hip to the ground and the weight of a tiger pushing into him. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"Fate," the elf's outwardly voice and gestures were calm... almost as though bored with the whole event already. Aralethis glanced back at the tiger for only a moment and pointed to the unconscious body of the young aasimar, "Guard Sen."

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The enormous white cat with black stripes spit out the pale and bloody body, dropping it to the soaked ground, and retracted his claws to walk away from the other. He shook some of the heavy water from his fur and padded over to Sen, standing over her, and roared a mighty growl into the rain.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"No one said you could have her," the lead human glanced from the tiger back to the elf, shaking his head. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Aralethis smirked with mild amusement, "Are //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">you //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">going to stop him from taking her, Wharrel?" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"What?" the rogue blinked at him in surprise, glancing back to the tiger, fangs out in a snarl as he stood protectively over the oracle. Another bolt of lightning illuminated his fierce form that made the crumpled unconscious body he was protecting seem small.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Wharrel turned his head back to his two men where the third had gone to try and stop their bleeding. He gritted his teeth, turning back to face the elf, "What is that girl to you anyway?" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"Does it matter?" the long white-haired elf shrugged, "If for nothing more than an irritant to you... I'm in your way and claiming her as mine." <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"Surely you know what this will bring down on //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">your //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">head," Wharrel sneered at the elf, "Is all of this worth it? Is //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">she //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">really worth it?" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"Wharrel..." Aralethis spoke softly, "You threaten me as though you thought I was going to let you live." In a blink, he brought his bow up and fired an arrow with enough force that it pierced the rogue's chest and stuck into the tree behind him, pinning his body in place. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Wharrel gasped out, spraying blood and brought his hands up to his chest. Blood poured from his chest and covered his lips. His eyes were wide in shock.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The last standing member paled to white and put his hands up, backing away, "Look... I-I didn't know she was yours... Y-you can have her. I-I wont even come back here at all! N-not even for Feahni. And I wont tell anyone you were here." He shook his head, and turned to run at full speed through the woods. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The elven ranger looked up calmly, glanced to Sen still unconscious in the mud, and back to the remaining man responsible for it. "I know," he replied as though the human was standing before him, and drew his bow, taking careful aim. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"Fate," Aralethis didn't take his eyes from his target, "Retrieve." He released the arrow, a perfect shot into the man's head, who continued to propel forward from his run before dropping to the slippery wet ground. The white tiger raced off after him.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Minoc arrived to the scene of billowing birch and evergreen trees, the pouring rain was pulling back to a continued lighter fall. Bloody bodies were on the ground not far from where Sen was lying in the mud. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Wharrel snapped the shaft of the arrow sticking out of him, and took a stumbling step forward off of the arrow. He had never seen the elven ranger care about anyone. Blood was steadily running from his chest and spattering from his mouth with each exhale. He drew in sharp ragged breaths, and gestured to the unmoving woman, "This is your doing, you know... I wonder..." He coughed up blood, choking as he managed a single slight laugh, "How she'll feel about //you//... when they come for her family... Does she know... you're the one... who gave them away?" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Aralethis turned to him with cold unforgiving eyes, a hint of weighted guilt resting on him, and shot him through the throat without a word, dropping the body to the ground as Fate returned to drop a limp and bloodied body at the elf's feet. The elven ranger nodded and stroked the big cat's head absently as he turned to stride toward the aasimar. That was so long ago... he didn't think his message had even gotten through... or perhaps they didn't need the oracle anymore because no one ever came for her... and now Sen and her family were in danger... because he had told them where they were. He had changed his mind too late... he left the group too late... and he was almost too late to save her this time. He needed to get her out of here in case more showed up.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"What did he mean? What did you do?" Minoc moved between the elf and the unconscious oracle. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The elven ranger continued his stride forward without falter. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">As he strode past him, their eyes met and sparked, "Aralethis!" Minoc growled, and stepped again in between the gold-eyed elf and the woman he was heading to, "What did you do?!" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"I protected her," Aralethis answered calmly, bringing up his arm and striking the brown-haired human with a flat open palm to knock him back out of the way. "Where were //you//?" He scooped up Sen tenderly from the ground and headed into the woods. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"Lethis?" bright silver eyes opened up to look up at the familiar elven face of her woodland friend. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">He nodded, carrying her through the woods, "Amin sinome, Senathliel." (I am here, Sen) <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">She melted into him, head pounding. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">... <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;"><span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The storm had passed and the afternoon sun was warming. The songs and calls of birds could be heard in the trees above them. Sen's muddied robes and Aralethis's shirt had been rinsed and were hanging off of a branch in the breeze. The mouth of the icehilt river was high from the heavy storm, reaching the edge of the forest, and they stood about hip deep in the water. He finished rinsing his hair and glanced over to where Sen was rinsing the mud off of her smooth and dusky skin. The gentle waves of water dipped just low enough to expose the inner curve of her hip. She dipped down into the water and rinsed her hair as he averted his eyes and moved up to the shoreline to sit along the edge in the grass.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">He glanced back over to see her come up out of the river, long black hair swept behind her as the clinging water cascaded down her bare and perfectly ripe body. He averted his eyes again, leaning back along the natural curve of the hill. Sen opened her eyes, brushing water from her face, to glance over at the elf lying in the sun in cloth pants, his muscled abdomen and chest fully exposed as he leaned back with his hands folded behind his head. Her ears blushed red before her thoughts were interrupted as Fate leapt into the river beside her, splashing her with water.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">She laughed and leaned over to help rinse the blood out of his white fur. The big cat's eyes were half closed and he seemed to be enjoying all of her attention. Sen ran her fingers through his fur and hugged onto the enormous tiger's neck, her arms not quite reaching and nuzzled into him. She lifted his lips and cleaned his teeth, scrunching up her face as she washed away bits and pieces of blood and flesh. Fate rumbled at her lazily and rubbed against her with his heavy head. Aralethis smiled as he looked over at them. Anyone else poking and prodding that tiger like that would've probably lost a hand... but he seemed to adore the girl as much as the he did. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">Despite his great size, Sen didn't have an ounce of fear. She had played with Fate since he was a cub. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">He rumbled at her and splashed an enormous paw into the water next to her. She laughed and splashed him back with both of her hands. He headbutted her side gently as he rubbed beside her on his way out of the river where he leapt onto a rock and shook sheets of water from his fur before laying down in the sun.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">The silver-eyed woman rinsed the now wet tiger fur from her skin and walked up on shore to slip into her still damp robes. Aralethis patted the ground beside him, "Come and sit with me." <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">She walked along the cool grass and sat close to him and he couldn't help but breathe in her scent... it was warm and welcoming like a bakery shop on a cool spring morning. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"Senathliel..." He turned to look at her face, noticing the purple bruising coming out on the skin of her cheek. His hand brushed over her cheek lightly, and his gold eyes met hers. She was looking up at him with trust and adoration and his new found guilt felt heavier. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"I think it's time for us to leave Earthwood," he nodded to her. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">A smile spread from her lips up into her eyes as she continued to look at him, "And leave all of this?" She gestured to the landscape around them. The sun shining in the clear blue sky glinted off of the gentle waves of the water. A rapid tapping came from a woodpecker high up in one of the birch trees. Mountain tops could be seen in the distance beyond the forest to the north. A gentle breeze glided over their warming skin, causing Fate to lift his snout into the air to sniff at the aasimar's unique scent. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"Is it because of those strange bandits looking for my mother?" She tilted her head at him as she continued, "You're not worried over one attack, are you? No one was hurt... well except for maybe them... Fate had an awful lot of blood on him. What //did// happen, Lethis?" <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"That's not important," he shook his head, "They wont be bothering you anymore... but your mother is apparently still being hunted... which puts you at risk." He shook his head again, "I'm sorry, Sen... this is all my fault." <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">She blinked at him in surprise. He had never apologized for anything before... he had never had a reason to. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #222222; display: block; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">"What are you talking about?" She shook her head, confused, "You're the one who came to rescue me..." She leaned closer, and laid her head on his shoulder, "You always come to rescue me."