Ayla slowly opened her eyes. After blinking a few times, she felt rather tired, so she quickly closed them again. The bed was so warm and soft… Ayla wanted to sleep forever. She could vaguely hear a conversation in another room, but she didn’t pay it any mind.

“HI! YOU’RE FINALLY AWAKE! I’M NARO! WHAT’S YOUR NAME?”

Ayla was brutally woken from her sleep by the loudest voice she had ever heard. Disoriented, she almost fell out of bed out out of pure shock.

“Naro! I told you not to wake her!” Someone yelled from the other room, footsteps following shortly after.

“BUT MOM, SHE WAS ALREADY AWAKE!”

Ayla now saw that the loud voice came from a boy sitting at the side of her bed. Eying the boy, she was baffled by the sheer volume the small child produced.

The boy seemed about her age, but looked rather peculiar. He had long ears like Ayla, but they were covered with thin hair, and he was shorter than her too. His eyes were yellow and Ayla could see that the pupils were slightly oval. He was also grinning at her, and Ayla could make out sharp teeth.

The door opened and a rather angry looking elf came in the room, presumably the mother of the boy. She wore simple clothes, but Ayla could see that she was a very pretty woman nonetheless. Her long blond hair moved elegantly down to her waist, and her eyes were as blue as the sky. Behind her, Ayla’s parents stepped into the room.

“Ayla! How are you? Are you hurt anywhere?” Her mother asked before Ayla could even open her mouth. She ran over to the bed and hugged Ayla so hard that she accidently grabbed the boy as well. Ayla’s and the boy’s head were squeezed together and Ayla almost passed out again.

Her father looked relieved that she was awake as well, but he was a bit more relaxed than her mother.

“Hi there sweetheart,” he said smiling. “How are you? Are you feeling bad anywhere beside your head?”

Ayla’s mother released the two children and carefully touched her daughter’s head. Ayla could feel her mother’s fingers touch the bump and winced.

“Nice to meet you Ayla, my name is Mare. How are you doing?” The pretty elf asked after Ayla’s mother apologized to the children. She had her lips curved in a mysterious little smile, making her face even more beautiful.

“Uh.. I’m fine, thank you.” Ayla replied, absolutely not doing fine. “Where um, are we? What happened?” She asked.

Her father answered.

“After we went inside the cave by the hill, the rain caused a mudstream and we were buried. Luckily, Mare found us and with the help of the other villagers, managed to rescue us. She also healed our injuries, and let us recover in her house.”

Ayla indeed noticed that the blisters on her feet and hands were gone. She was impressed. Healing magic was one of the most complex types of magic, or so she was told.

“We are currently in Oakhelm village, a few kilometres further to the west than we intended,” Ayla’s mother said, giving her father a look. He looked uncomfortable and mumbled something about rain and stupid maps.

Ayla’s mother ignored him and turned to Mare, who was still looking amused at Ayla.

“But you still haven’t told us show you managed to find us so soon after we were caved in,” she said.

The elf’s smile grew a little wider. “It’s because I’m a druid. Last night, some forest spirits warned me that something… special had been buried in the hill with no trees. I presumed they meant the cave you were resting in, and luckily it turned out to be right. After seeing the collapsed cave, I immediately ran back and asked the villagers to help. They agreed and after half an hour, we finally managed to get you out.”

Ayla was impressed. Druids were people with the ability to talk to and control the spirits of nature, and possesed affinity towards great healing magic. Ayla had never seen a druid before, but she had read much about them, since they were always in high regard to the elves. She wanted to thank Mare but was interrupted by the boy named Naro.

“AND WHEN I WOKE UP, MOM TOLD ME WE HAD GUESTS AND WHEN I CAME INTO THE GUEST ROOM, YOU WERE SLEEPING HERE!”

Ayla had almost forgotten the boy, but his… voice reminded her of his presence immediately. She could feel a migraine coming up as well.

“Ah, Naro here has some trouble with hearing, so he talks a bit louder than others,” Mare explained. “You’ll get used to it in no time.”

Ayla highly doubted that, but she just nodded stiffly. Naro grinned again, showing his sharp teeth as well. Mare saw Ayla’s long look and explained.

“Naro’s father was a beastman, so he’s a little different from other elves.”

Of all the suprises, this one was the biggest to Ayla. Although relations between elves and beastmen weren’t bad or anything, they were still considered almost polar opposites. Elves were generally calm and composed, while beastmen on the other hand were lively and impulsive. Marriage between the two wasn’t unheard of, but it wasn’t common either.

“You look hungry, I’ll get you something to eat,” Mare said gently and looked at her son. “Naro, Ayla needs to rest, so don’t sneak in her room again,”

Naro nodded and followed her.

“BYE!” He grinned before leaving.

“We’ll let you rest as well. We need to discuss what to do from here. If you need anything, we’re in the room at the end of the corridor,” Ayla’s father said. Ayla’s mother looked like she wanted to hug her a little longer, but she eventually left as well.

Ayla was alone the room now. She lay down and looked at the ceiling, still processing all of the new information.

“Damn, that boy was loud,” she mumbled and slowly fell asleep again.