Young Writers Society

Beare growled at the five men. They were noisy and and kept complaining that they wree not allowed to take their horses. Beare himself prefered walking than to relying on a beast that bounced you about on it's back.

"I dont understand why we have to take orders from this buffoon." One of the men whispered to his friend, Beare overheard this and rounded on him.

"I will tell you why!" Bear moved forward whipping his axe from his belt. "i have killed seventy-nine elves in the last three years. At least a hundred humans who had been helping them!"He pulled his arm back as if to smite the soldier. His arm came forward. The axe flew through the air and thudded into a tree. "How many have you killed pretty boy?"

The man swallowed. The axe had passed his head by mere inches.
"I dont know. Maybe ten elves." Beare laughed and walked to the tree, retrieving his axe. the five men wore the clothes of a huntsmen.

In the middle of the wilderness they could be impossibel to be seen, but being heard was a different matter.
"I dont want to hear anymore complaining. We dont stop to eat or sleep tonight. I want to be at Hemming Bridge by noon tommorow." With that beare turned and stalked off silently with the blundering fools behind him.

Seyla leaned against a tree and closed her eyes, trying to rid her head of that song. She had never before acted that suddenly or foolishly! There was something about that song that had made her do it...

Finally, her head cleared enough to think. That girl had taken her knife! Seyla's mouth suddenly curled into a malevolent grin. The fool... Did she think she could she could escape that easily? That Seyla, who could track a dove on a foggy day, wouldn't hunt her down just as easily?

Seyla searched the grass at the base of the tree where the girl had been sitting. She walks lightly and carefully, thought Seyla, but not carefully enough. A crooked blade of grass told Seyla exactly where she had gone.

"Where are you going?" asked Galina.

"That girl has my knife."

"But you have other knives!"

Seyla pulled another knife from her belt. It wasn't nearly as fine but just as sharp. "Exactly," she said before disappearing after the girl.

Galina sighed, " There she goes again... So much for helping me."

She walked back toward Seyla's house before deciding she should find Errol again.

"Flin, me bucko!" Cried Pinkle, leaping up from the stream where he'd been merrily scrubbing laundry, "What are you doing in this bit of the village? There's barely a bit of gold or silver to be had here! Nothin' of value at all. Erm.. except my tools. Did you come by to get them? Or do you wish to steal my cutless? It's got a fair bit of pretty metal in the handle.."
Flin did not answer. He stared ahead in an angry stupor.
Pinkle blinked. Where was the cheeky reply? He brushed himself off, and tweaked Flin's nose.
"What has happened to get you into such an magnificently malicious mood? Did the pig run you over again?" He shook his head. "Tsk tsk tsk."
"Leave me alone!"
Pinkle's smile vanished. "..... boy, what is it?"
No answer.
"I may be just a handyman, Flin, an' I may be of no consequence to you or anyone else. But I deserve to know what is going on. Tell me."

Seyla found herself in a murky part of the forest, the air humid and bogs scattered like fallen leaves.
What is she doing in a place like this?

"Ah, on the contrary, Seyla, it is not what I am doing here, but you." Seyla spun around. A falcon sat upon a nearby branch, staring directly at her. It opened its beak, and Elain's voice came from it.

"I was following you, you idiot!" spluttered Seyla, glaring at the falcon.

"Oh, really? Then why am I not here?"

"How should I know?! What do you want with my knife?"

"Nothing. Why should I care? It's just a knife. Any time you want it you could just ask."

"So why did you run away with it?"

"I was not running away. I had some personal business to attend too, and if you had asked, I would have given it back. I do wonder, however, why you threw it at me when I looked at you."

"Because you were playing the flute!"

The falcon paused.

"Please do tell what my playing the flute had to do with your throwing a knife. I shall listen."

"You-you...put a spell on it!"

Laughter echoed from the falcon's beak.

"Heavens! Is that what you believe?"

Seyla nodded, unsure of whether Elain could see her or not.

"I did not intentionally weave a spell by playing, but perhaps I should explain to you what I did. By becoming a true warrior, you swear never to show your true emotion or cry about anything. That in itself is a magical enbindment of great magnitude. Since I cannot cry or show others that I am sad or grieving, all my emotion is poured out through the flute.
"When someone means something very much, letting all of their feelings show, it can make others around them feel the depth of their own sorrow or happiness. Why you acted foolishly is your own fault."

The falcon spread its wings.

"Wait!" cried Seyla. "How did you know I would go this way? How could you mislead me?"
The falcon paused and examined Seyla for a split second.

"Could I call myself a warrior if I could not mislead my enemies? Could I call myself a huntress if I did not know how to arrange the surroundings to point in a certain direction? Could I call myself a decent assassin if I could not step without leaving a single trace?"

"One more thing. My dagger?"

"Galina has it, and she's looking for you. And you might not want to stay here too long...the ground emits sulforous fumes that can poison people if they breathe it too long."

Meanwhile, back at the village...
"I'm sorry Pinkle." Flin sighed and gave him a shadow of his normal grin.
"I'm sick of being cast aside. I'm sure you would know as well as I, anyone under five foot isn't respected."
Flin perched on a log and looked at his silent friend.
"I'm always 'in the way' or 'not needed.' I can fight as well as the next person, and can stalk as well as any elf. At least you have your tools."
With this Flin regained some of his cheerful nature.
"Here. I want you to have this. I got it from a human village from my days of adventure."
Flin reached into his jacket and pulled out a well-made mallet. It had a hard yet fairly light head made of some unknown metal, and the solid wooden handle was polished from years of use.
"From a blacksmith. It was a gift, believe it or not. He told me it had helped him in many a tight spot, with troublesome customers as well as irratable metal."
Flin laughed at pinkle's expression, slackened with surprise and a hint of disbelief. Pinkle examined the mallet while he gained control of himself. "Thank you..." But Flin had already disappeared, presumably to gather information.

Beare sat on the bridge. Just under a mile a massive assualt was underway. Beare wiped sweat from his forehead and drank from a canteen. The General in command of the forward army had offered Beare his best rangers to take with him. Beare had nodded and assigned the five men orginally travelling with him to the front line.

Beare turned and watched as one of the rangers stalked silently towards him. The man was tall and lithe, he carried a recurve bow that was deadly. Beare rose and nodded to the man who threw a salute. "We are ready to depart when you are, Lord."
Beare laughed.
"Dont call me a lord lad, I am a murderer and a rapist. Nothing special in that is there." The man smiled. Remik was his name Beare remembered. He had a mean streak as wide as the river they stood above and Beare had instantly liked him.

"What are those runes on your axe?" He asked suddenly. Beare's smiled broadened.
"Thso runes lad combat those bastard elves magic. and any elf that see's this axe will instantly shit themselves boy." Beare rolled his shoulders. "Now lets get a move on."

Galina picked up her cloak and put it on before leaning against Seyla's house, deep in thought over the knife she was holding. She knew what she was to do with it, but it would be difficult to keep her acting skills working on those that she needed them to while working with Seyla.

She heard Seyla coming, she could tell that anger flowed through her and hid.


She saw her hawk come swooping in from above the trees and motioned it to go to Seyla instead.

Beare watched the battle. The men were winning. The Elves were fitting valiantly but were ruthlessly cut to pieces by the more heavily armoured humans. The two rangers who were with Beare had scouted the lines. This whole assualt was for his benefit. A distraction to allow Beare and the two rangers to slip across the lines.

"What time do we cross Beare?" Remik asked him.
"Now!" Beare set off at a run.

He could see a large contingent of Elvish cavalary pounding towards the attacking men. Beare had the spot he wanted to cross at all planned out. The axe slapped against Beare's thigh as he ran. Reaching a small copse of trees he slowed to a walk. The rangers were close behind.

"If you see an elf put it down quickly and silently. if there is more than you can handle. Hide. We meet at the arranged site in four hours." They both nodded agreement. Then dissapeared. Bear smiled to himself.

Beare padded silently through the trees. After ten minutes he heard talking. Swearing Beare pressed himself against a tree. Two elves appeared. one was carrying a bow whilst the other a spear. A patrol. They were walking towards the tree Beare was sheltered behind. Pulling the axe from his side.

He twisted around the tree and faced the stunned Elves. The One with the bow reacted first. But beare was quicker. his axe clove into the elves armour. it didnt break teh aqrmour but the force broke ribs which ierced the elves lungs. Reversing the axe he ripped out the others throat.
"Bastard Elves." Beare muttered cleaning his axe.

I'm sorry to interrupt the thread of the story, but I've something to say, and this seems the only place to say it.

Jules, I'm sorry but I don't feel comfortable with the fact that your character professes to be a rapist. Is it nessecary?
You also curse constantly in your posts. I thought I'd ask politely... please.... could you not do that? Make this fun for everybody? I can't enjoy a story if I run into things such as this.

Respectfully,

Goldie

The hawk swooped down in front of Seyla. It cocked its head to the side and watched her, its beady eyes glittering. So Galina's still here, thought Seyla. Good.

"Galina!" Her screech echoed through the forest. "My Knife?!" She slid down on the ground and closed her eyes to wait. There was no need to play games chasing the girl; Seyla knew she would come.

It wasn't long before she heard Galina's soft footsteps. She pretended to be oblivious.

"Seyla?" Galina asked after a while. Seyla opened one eye and glared menacingly at her. "I, uh, here's your knife..."

Seyla snatched it without a word and ran her fingers along the blade, examining it for any damage done while it was away. Seeming satisfied she slid it back into her belt and stood up to leave.

"Leaving so soon?" Galina asked.

"I have some old... friends... to meet up with..."

Seyla looked back over her shoulder. Galina was grinning.

Flin was out hunting, when he saw it all.
The bridge was covered in elven troops, but the humans where breaking through. Flin climbed a tree quickly and quietly for a better look. "oh...no."
The elven mages were down, every single one of them.
Flin swore.
He drew his kukri and jumped down from his high perch. Ducking under the combatent's feet he found the lead mage of the group.
He was on the ground, sweating and panting, yet he looked unharmed. Around the halfling and the stricken mage, the war raged. Flin ducked instinctively as a sword whistled over his head.
Quick as a flash he span, and gutted the human attacker. the line of elves reformed in front of them, stepping over the corpse.
Flin turned back to the mage.
"Flin... it's the axe." The elf drew a ragged breath. "It reflects magic on the caster... as far as I can tell. I cant be sure of it's range of protection, but every mage here tried to breach it, and failed." A tear trickled down his face. "Some... some of them tried death magic..." the mage's voice broke in grief for those who gave their life seemingly in vain. "Tell... Galina."
Flin swore and rose up from the unconscious mage, and ducking and darting, made his way back to the forest.

Walking back through the forest towards the village Galina called back Mareen her hawk. She brought message of Flin, coming to find her and of an attack on the bridge the outcome uncertain. " And of Errol where is he? " "I am uncertain." Galina sighed she would still have to find him, if she could. But first she must find Flin, and hear of this attack. Galina sent Mareen of flying " Lead Flin to me, and do the same with Errol tell him to bring troops prepared for battle magic will not work here. " At least not theirs she thought....

The others had wandered away from Errol, leaving him to wonder what to do next.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for something to happen.

"Errol!" A mage was running up to him.

"Yes?"

"There's an attack on a bridge a few miles from here, I need to get there now." It wasn't a question, it was an order. Errol thought of Galina and company, but decided he could track them down in a moment.

"All right, get on my back, I'll take you there," Errol said. When the mage was on board, Errol took flight. In a few moments they were skimming over the trees.

"Okay, once we get near the bridge, I need you to get close enough for me to touch it with my staff. That will destroy the bridge. After that, you can drop me off on our side and you can go back to whatever you were doing before," the Mage said.

"Got it," Errol said.

The trees disappeared as the bridge came into view. A ferocious battle was going on in the town. Heavy Infantry was crossing the bridge.

"Keep your staff up!" Errol yelled before diving. The river came up quickly and Errol quickly banked, leveling off mere feet from the water. The bridge approached rapidly and in three seconds they were under the bridge. The mage touched the bridge with a staff just as they shot out the other side of the bridge.

The bridge crumbled into dust, it collapsed into the river, carrying with it all the soldiers on the bridge. They sank straight to the bottom.

"That's it! Great job!"

"All part of the service," Errol said. With no hope of reinforcement and losses mounting, the enemy gave up. Elves quickly began firing arrows across the river at the rest of the troops, and they too were forced to retreat.

"Now to find the others," Errol said, taking flight.

Flin was looking around the village, but was still startled when he heard a vioce behind him.
"Flin! What news?"
"Galina! It is terrible! The humans are wearing down our defenses on the bridge."
"Errol has gone to destroy the bridge. There is little to do apart from that."
"It gets worse!" Flin hopped from one foot to the other in nervous energy.
"All the mages are down. Something about a magic axe that reflects elven spells. Some... some are dead."
Galina's face was a mask of worry. She stared off in the distance, thinking. "What are we going to do...?
Flin grinned.
"Well, m'lady, you are talking to the most talented rouge in written history..."