The Endless Forest

Felix stared out into the rain-soaked field that encompassed the, still lit, bonfire. It had taken great effort to keep the flames alive during the previous night…

The storm came early, raining out the second day. Everyone had scrambled to shelter as the weather turned, including the dragons who flew off in search of somewhere big enough for them. Luckily, they found a cave to hide in and waited it out.

With the weather as it were, the third day started slowly but by the end of the morning the rain had finally stopped. With that, it became a mad scramble to prepare for the night’s ceremony.

My beautiful scales… Zira whined. Her and Kyrith were flying back, but it would take them a little while.

Felix sighed, You were warn–

That it was supposed to rain today, not yesterday! There was a pause before she continued. I just wanted to look good for tonight…

Zira, you are a beautiful and majestic dragon. There isn’t a soul here who would dare argue against that.

She wanted to argue. But–

If you find someone who does, just remind them who the dragon is.

The amethyst-colored dragon went silent, and eventually Felix focused on the task before him. Chairs, benches, and various tables were left out in the rain, and with the wet ground, they were going to be needed. All that meant was that he, and several others, had to somehow dry them off and move them.

The task didn’t sound that hard, at first, but there were not enough seats for everyone, and the ones they did have were thoroughly soaked. Just wiping them down wasn’t going to be enough…

“Why don’t we move them near the fire and let them dry out for a little bit?” Someone offered as a suggestion.

“Hmm, that would probably work but we will still need to come back and arrange them…” another commented.

“Why are we even bothering? There isn’t going to be enough anyway.” Yet another added.

“That’s why we have some people going into the forest, to cut down some trees and use the logs as benches. We don’t want to cut down the entire forest,” the first said.

There was some muttering that followed as people tried to think of a better idea. However for Felix, he just wanted to get this done and over with.

“I have a suggestion,” he interjected. “I’ll go ask Al– Master Aluin if he can dry them out with his–”

“What?! Are you crazy? There is no way we could bother Master Aluin with such a menial task!” Felix wasn’t even sure who interrupted him, but he did have another idea…

“Alright, fine. Then I will get Kyrith–”

“The dragon?! That’s even worse! Just who do you think–” A scrawny looking elf pushed through the group and came to stop before Felix. Apparently, the realization of who the elf was speaking to was enough to shut him up.

However, Felix had had enough but the awkward silence and stares that followed made him choose his words carefully. “I’m Felix, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He held out his hand for a shake. “I’m the human who is in charge of hatching and raising the dragons.”

“Oh…” The elf trailed off.

Seeing that the elf wasn’t going to shake his hand, he dropped it and continued. “Also, I know Kyrith quite well. He would absolutely love to help, especially if he can show off a bit.”

He gestured to the few chairs they had already gathered. “Let’s get all this arranged and when the dragons make it back, I will speak to him.”

As if on cue, there was a roar in the distance. That was all the convincing they needed.

Their group didn’t waste another moment and set off in a rush…

Noria let out a tired yawn. She and Lorem had been up late working on what she was going to be taking with her when they left the village. It had turned out to be a difficult task for her…

The tomes were the easy part. She was taking the five her mother had written while leaving only the one she, herself, wrote. Hers was a condensed version of the others, and only included working recipes for potions and salves. Meanwhile, her mother’s were…erratic.

They included all her mother’s notes, observations, and failures. In many ways they were a treasure trove of knowledge, but only for someone who could understand the frantic scribbles and crossed out lines.

Someone like Noria.

She knew her mother well, even helping with the numerous experiments when she was younger. Indeed, it was why she wrote her own tome. She wanted others to be able to make use of her mother’s genius. Besides, it made it far easier for Noria herself…

She let out a sigh. I’ll have to make a new one… It wasn’t that bad, of course. She would much rather have her mother’s work than to leave it. The tomes, along with the experiments, held sentimental value to her.

Speaking of experiments… She made her way over to where she kept most of them, and frowned. None of them could really stay, and that meant either she would need to take them, or destroy them.

The problem with either option was simple, there were too many. Certainly she could take some, but not all.

Filled with indecision, she picked up a small glass bottle filled with a dark liquid. She was careful to not shake it as she studied it. A small label on the bottle read: WARNING! UNSTABLE!

That was an understatement. Originally, it was supposed to be a potion used for etching various materials. However, the original recipe called for ingredients they could no longer find. So her mother had tried to find alternatives.

Needless to say, she failed. But in the process she managed to create something new. Something that was a bit explosive…

Noria set it down and let out a deep sigh. There were moments like this, where she could still feel her mother’s presence.

After a moment of silence, she fished into one of her pouches and pulled out a dragon scale. She inspected it closely as a memory began to surface…

“What’s wrong mama?” A little Noria asked. Her mother was face down on her desk, her golden hair messy and unkempt.

She lifted her head up and blinked her amber-colored eyes. “Hmm? Oh… I must have fallen asleep.” She let out a yawn.

Noria took the opportunity to go and plop down in her mother’s lap. “Watcha working on mama?” She asked, peering down onto the desk.

“Something called an essence potion,” her mother said as she wrapped one arm around Noria’s waist.

“Ess-ants potion?” Noria craned her neck up to look at her mother, curiosity burning within her eyes.

“No, silly. Essence potion.” Her mother chuckled.

“What’s it do?” She asked with a bit of a frown. She didn’t like people laughing at her.

Her mother’s smile faltered for a moment. “Well, that’s the thing. I’m not entirely sure, but I uncovered it in a book when I visited the Dragon Queen.”

“Why not?”

“Well… The book was damaged, and mama had to do her best to read it. But I did get a list of some of the ingredients”

Noria cocked her head in thought. “Why does mama care? Doesn’t mama have other potions?”

“Oh my sweet child,” her mother pulled her into a hug and whispered into her ear, “because this potion needs a dragon scale…”

The memory ended with a single tear dropping to the floor.

I miss you…

Solanna was crouched down in some thick brush, carefully peering through it…

She and her brother were out hunting, hoping to snag a deer or two to bring back. There was only one problem: Yedril barely got any training on his new bow yesterday, and he had no practical experience with hunting.

Even while knowing all that, she had still decided to bring Yedril out with her. It was her way of trying to make up with her brother…

“See anything yet, sis?” Yedril asked in a whisper. It was only yesterday that he started to call her ‘sis’. At first she didn’t like it, but it was slowly growing on her.

“Shh, one’s nearby.” She pointed to her ears. “Listen,” she mouthed.

They both went stock still as the leaves above them rustled, sending thick droplets of water down upon them. But that wasn’t what made them go still, it was the familiar call of a buck that did it.

Perfect, it’s pretty close… Solanna slowly and deliberately reached into the side of her pack and pulled out a small flask. In it was her secret weapon, one she didn’t like to use except in desperation. Unfortunately, they were in a time crunch and needed to be back as soon as possible.

I guess it’s fine… I can see about getting more later.

Yedril gave her a questioning look before she popped the cork on the flask. Suddenly, his face twisted in disgust.

She shot him an apologetic look before quickly tossing the flask out into the glade before them. “Get ready,” she said as she ducked back behind cover.

It was clear he wanted to ask about the flask, but they didn’t have time. Instead, he nervously fumbled his new bow while trying to get an arrow ready.

He needs to slow down… She thought to herself. “Yedril, take a deep breath and calm down. You are going to give away our position. Just remember, slow and steady.”

He nodded hesitantly and took a deep breath. The buck sounded its call again, it was even closer now.

Solanna could see that Yedril was tensing up. “Calm down,” she repeated, keeping her voice barely audible. Afterwards, she began to prepare her own bow.

The plan was simple. She was going to let Yedril take the first shot and she would quickly follow it up with one of her own. The hope was that her brother would get the kill, but in case he missed she would be there to finish the job.

There was more rustling but this time, it wasn’t the leaves. The brush on the opposite side of the glade from them, moved.

“Get ready,” she said one last time, taking a stance that would allow her to pop up quickly.

“Ready,” he mumbled out in a whisper, his teeth chattering.

She nodded. I can’t really blame him, I was like that my first–

The buck exploded out from the brush, landing in the center of the glade. It made one last call before it began sniffing the air…

Time slowed momentarily as she caught her brother jumping up, his timing was off but it was too late to stop him.

She followed his example, popping up an instant later after him. She already had an arrow nocked and ready to go. She took aim and fired the moment Yedril’s arrow left his bow.

Meanwhile, the buck was already in the process of turning, trying desperately to escape.

THUNK…THUNK!

It fell down to the ground and started its death throes…

“I did it…” Yedril muttered in disbelief. Something clicked and he suddenly grabbed Solanna in a hug. “Sis, I did it!”

“Yes–” She gasped for air. “You…did. Can’t…breath.”

He quickly let go of her. “Sorry.”

“It’s alright,” she said after regaining control of her breathing. Should I tell him what he did wrong? Solanna asked herself, but the smile on Yedril’s face and the excitement in his eyes told her to let it go for now.

She smiled wide herself. “Good job brother, I’m proud of you.” She pulled out a large knife, “However, we’re not done yet.”

“Huh? What do you–” He was cut off by Solanna handing him the knife.

Her smile grew mischievous. “You are going to learn how to gut an animal.”

In that moment, Yedril’s sickly appearance took on a new meaning.

“Oh.”

Eri was bored.

She did have a job to do, but it wasn't a very exciting one. Effectively, she was just going around to the various groups and asking how they were doing.

Of course everyone is doing fine! No one is going to complain to me… She let out a sigh in frustration. Eri suspected there was a hidden motive to her ‘position.’ Any time she got near a group, and they spotted her, they’d pick up their pace.

If it’s true, then– A shiver ran down her back. I wouldn’t want to upset the Chief, even if I become a Sage…

Eri's thoughts turned towards Kyrith as she easily spotted the ember-colored dragon. He had been roped into doing actual work by Felix, a feat she found impressive. Somehow, Felix had even convinced Zira to help as she was currently assisting with moving logs from the forest.

She shook her head before peering into Kyrith’s mind. How are you doing? She asked.

Hmm? Oh! Eri! I’m doing great! He sounded way too excited.

I see that, you’re doing exceptional work, she said with some exaggeration.

Mhm, Felix said I could show off so long as I helped a little.

Oh? How so? She asked with genuine curiosity.

With my mana of course! There was a pause before Kyrith spoke again. But I overdid it at first… I accidentally bent a few chairs– But Yorlen said it was okay! He believes they will be fine for tonight!

She sent a mental head pat to him, her way of reassuring the dragon everything was alright.

Eri watched with delight as Kyrith shook like an excited puppy, that is, until his tail swatted a few benches…

Oh shoot! Not again! Kyrith whipped around a little too fast and knocked over a couple of chairs.

Eri could feel his frustration at his own failure, and began to jog over. She wasn’t the only one either, a group nearby saw the ordeal and several people ran over to help.

A familiar voice spoke up as she approached. “…Mistakes happen. You’ve just knocked them over, we’ll set them back up.”

It was Felix and he was giving the sad looking dragon a comforting pat on the arm.

“Oh, Eri… Kyrith had a little accident but it’s fine,” Felix said, after noticing her.

She chuckled. “I’m aware, I…” She caught herself, almost forgetting that other people were around. “…Saw what happened.” She cleared her throat. “I just came over to make sure he was alright.”

“I’m fine…” Kyrith said, still moping.

Felix put a hand up to his chin in thought, while scanning the area. “You know something Kyrith, if you hadn’t helped then we’d still be stuck working on drying everything off. Instead, we’ve started work on a stage. So don’t be so hard on yourself, you’ve allowed us to get a lot more completed than we initially thought possible.”

“Really?” The dragon asked, lifting his head up.

“Absolutely!” Felix shouted confidently. “You alone are putting us ahead of schedule!” He lowered his voice, “You just… Uh, need to control your excitement a little more… Nothing too serious, but it would help.”

Kyrith nodded vigorously. “Oh! I can do that– I mean,” he stopped his head mid nod, “I can do that.”

“I know you can, buddy. Now get out there and show the rest!”

Eri watched on in pure amusement until the dragon set off back to his task. “It never ceases to amaze me how you manage to easily convince him.”

Felix burst out laughing.

“What?” She asked furrowing her brows. “I was just complimenting you.”

“Sorry, it’s…” He took a breath and waited for his laughter to die down before continuing. “It’s not true. Convincing Kyrith to do anything isn’t easy, I’m just good at thinking on my feet.”

“I see…” Eri put on a mischievous smile. “So when you broke your leg several weeks ago, were you just thinking too fast?”

“Oh, haha… Very funny.” He said sarcastically before relaxing again. “Anyways, I need to get back to work. I’ll see you later.”

“Bye.” She gave him a wave as he left, dropping her hand as the realization set in with her.

I’m back to having nothing to do…

The day continued on until the late afternoon, when most work was completed. With nothing left to do, everyone began making it back to their homes or camps…

However, to Felix, the mood of the village seemed to be rapidly changing the closer it got to night. It was almost tangible, it was almost harmonic. Like a calm and somber tone was resonating, steadily growing in volume.

By the time they were sent home, the elves had grown quiet. Gone were the jokes and festive atmosphere, replaced by a trance-like state where everyone moved deliberately and stoically.

The strangest part was how much it affected Felix himself; he was feeling the same. But as an outsider and new to the way of the elves, he had the unique perspective to notice the change.

He was beginning to suspect magic.

As he walked back to the Chief’s home, he activated his mana sight and confirmed it. The mana flowing around him was definitely being altered, and it wasn’t just by a small amount. No, it was quite drastic.

It alarmed him, they were being manipulated by someone.

Someone powerful.

Aluin… Felix thought. No one had seen him since this morning, not even Eri knew where he might have gone.

Hey Zira? He called out to the one person who could confirm it.

Hmm? Even she sounded subdued.

Have you tasted the mana? I think Aluin is casting a powerful spell.

So it would seem, she said after a pause. I was wondering why I felt so…

Somber? Solemn? Felix tried to finish her sentence for her.

Distracted. She corrected. Should I go looking for him?

He thought about it for a few moments before answering. No, I think it’s fine. He’s probably doing this as part of the ceremony. I just wanted to confirm it was indeed him casting the spell.

I see… Zira seemed to drift off as the mana surged and intensified around him. His own mind began to calm, settling for reminiscence rather than somber.

The last few days had been eventful. And besides a few issues, everything had gone rather well. He had found four volunteers, who, according to Zira, were good people.

Then, there was him and Eri. They had grown closer together, and he still had the gift to give to her. There was still hope that their relationship would grow further before they left tomorrow…

Even the dragons had made massive progress with the elves. Especially Zira, who was possibly more concerned about making friends than him. He was truly happy for her.

But the day wasn’t over.

They still had a couple of hours before the ceremony, and it seemed Aluin was preparing his own gift for the people–

It was then when something started to nag in the back of his mind. Like there was something he was forgetting. But what?

A memory played out for him, from just a few moments before dancing with Eri on the first night. He came to a sudden stop, his eyes widening at the realization.

“Fea…”