75

First Blood.

There are a few things that can cause a man to smile the way Slyfer is at the moment. Feeling the soft naked body of Trisha tightly snuggled against him, he simply cannot help but grin like a mad man. The grin quickly fades as memories of what else had happened the previous night pops into existence.

He pushes it away and looks at the sleeping Trisha. They had been up till late doing what couples do and he cannot help but appreciate her for it. The day before had been terrible to say the least, but her actions somehow makes him feel lighter.

A snort causes Slyfer to turn his head to the pillow on his right, Vinx is sitting and staring at him with crossed arms. “You are smiling like a pervert.”

Slyfer extends his hand and ruffles her hair with his finger while he laughs. “Then I am a happy pervert!” She struggles with his finger a bit before she starts to giggle, waking up the other fairies who soon join in the laughter while flicking about.

Trisha grumbles in her sleep causing them all to go quiet. Slyfer looks at the fairies and holds a finger to his lips. They softly giggle and fly out of the door leading to the balcony. Slyfer sighs seeing that the sun has not come up yet and with great reluctance he exits the soft, warm bed. Trisha grumbles again and rolls to her side as one of her ears twitches.

Giving her one last look Slyfer turns away reluctantly and walks to the balcony. He takes a deep breath of the crisp air and looks over the camps below. To his right the Snow elves are already packing up. The snow they had summoned to engulf the camp already starting to melt. Slyfer can’t help but wonder what their houses look like.

With his son returned; do to Jade’s good nature and a sign of good will. Their King no longer wished to waste time in summoning reinforcements. His gaze wonders over to the dwarves their camp half the size that it was yesterday. It was a blow to their King finding out so many traitors was in his camp; Slyfer can’t help but feel for the bearded fellow. So much betrayal can’t be good for the heart.

Warmth envelopes Slyfer’s back and Trisha’s arms sidle around him. For a moment they say nothing and just enjoy the moment. Trisha breaks the silence. “You stand like a King observing his Kingdom.”

Slyfer snorts in derision. “I am no King, I am barely a man. I still can’t help but regret some of the things I did and said yesterday, but it had to be done, they had to choose or I would truly have abandoned them.” Trisha shudders against him, although he can’t guess if it’s because of the brisk cool air or memories of yesterday. Despite the fact that he said he no longer gave a damn, ordering the execution of a bunch of people is a grim task and is a far cry from killing someone in battle… or in anger.

He looks over to the Dryad camp and to his surprise it almost seems to blend into the surroundings. Looking as natural to be there as the nature surrounding it. He can see wild animals walking without a care through it as if they know no harm will come to them. Trisha seeing where his gaze is, sighs. “I can’t say that I agree with everything you did, but a lot of it had to be done. We can only do our best and prepare for the worst. You will improve and get better… we all will, we have to.”

He reaches back and pulls her from behind causing her to look at him disapprovingly; “I was enjoying the heat.”

Smiling he hugs her from behind and wraps the blanket she brought around them both, planting a quick kiss on her shoulder. She smiles and leans into him, her soft tail coiling around his thigh. “I wish we could stay in our room the whole day.” He says.

She giggles and presses her backside harder against his lower body, causing him to take a quick breath. “I wish the same,” her face shows a bit of displeasure. “but you have an appointment with that dryad.”

Slyfer runs his hand down her back. “You need not be jealous.”

She snorts and says, “If I were you, would you not be?”

Her question causes him to go quiet and he answers truthfully a moment later. “I would be, but I am yours that is all that matters.”

She turns around and smiles at him while starting to push him back towards the bed. “I had better lay claim to what is mine then.”

Seeing the look in her eyes Slyfer’s body can’t help but react. As they fall back and onto the bed he nibbles her ear and whispers into it. “Do as you wish, my lady.”

Straddling him, she places her hands on his chest her eyes narrow with one eyebrow lifted inquisitively . “Lady, you say? Good Sir what I am about to do is not Lady like at all.”

He smiles up at her, resisting the urge to rub the tail excitedly flitting from side to side behind her. “I am at your mercy, whatever shall I do?”

She leans down, giving him a long deep kiss before saying breathlessly. “Make love to me.”

******

Fira sensing them again starts to boil once more. It causes her to be distracted and a blow manages to get through her guard smashing into her rib cage and driving the breath out of her. She nearly explodes as pain lances through her side. Her sparring partner takes a few steps back warily watching the sizzling grass surrounding the now red head.

Luna points at the grass. “Unfair, Fira said she won’t use magic if we spar.”

With gritted teeth Fira forces the anger and magic down. “I apologise, I just got angry for a moment.”

Luna looks down at her wooden sword. “Luna is sorry, Luna did not mean to hit-“

Fira lifts her hand. “It was not you Luna. Slyfer and Trisha are at it again.”

Luna pouts when hearing the words and mumbles to herself. “Luna wants to lay eggs too…”

Fira walks to the side of the training ground and takes a sip from her canteen. After her discussion with Slyfer yesterday she knows his words were not meant to be a rejection, but she still cant help but feel peeved. “First he says he wants me to choose, then after I have chosen he says he wants me to work with my father?” She takes another sip but spits out the now boiling hot water. She flings the red hot canteen to the ground and with mounting anger burns it into nothing but a blob.

After a moment she realises the surroundings have gone quiet and looks up. The Blood pack who had also been training is all staring at her. “What! You want to be cooked as well?”

They quickly turn away and start sparring again. Luna puts a hand on the angry girl’s shoulder and says. “Luna thinks we should not continue to spar today.”

Fira says nothing her thoughts and gaze drifting to the new arrivals on the training ground. She starts to smile, a smile that causes Luna to frown and worry.

*****

Cresha can’t help but feel nervous. Ever since the Demon had said that he would test her people today she had, had butterflies in her stomach and when her mother woke her this morning it had only intensified. “Cresha, prepare your weapon.”

With a nod she looks down at her cudgel, a gnarled stout branch with sharp red thorns on its knob. From a young age she had been trained in its use. With a thought and magic the thorns retreat leaving it rather plain. Placing it on the ground she takes her bow from her shoulder and strings it, in the distance archers are already practicing. Her mother follows her gaze and snorts. “They call themselves archers yet stand so close.” Cresha also shakes her head the so called archers are barely two hundred meters away from their targets. Where they are standing it must be five hundred meters, she can easily hit the targets from this distance her mother however can do it from nearly four times as far.

Heat suddenly buffets her from behind causing her to turn around. Their eyes meet, the atmosphere grows hostile. Fira with her hair nearly ablaze stabs her wooden sword into the ground with the worried Luna behind her. She watches as the wolf asks the fox. “Would you like to have a friendly spar?”

Cresha’s mother is about to object, but to her annoyance her daughter quickly nods and bends down to pick up her cudgel. The girl gives it a few practice swings before wresting it on her shoulder and saying. “I hope there are healers nearby.”

The fox and wolf can hear, but ignore the silver haired girl as she says. “Luna thinks this is a bad idea.”

*****

There is a certain way a man walks when he is overcome with happiness. There is a hop in his step, a confidence in his gate and an atmosphere of power surrounding him. Slyfer with a smile has this walk as he makes his way toward the training grounds greeting nearly everyone on the way, causing them to stop and look at him with surprise.

Soon an entourage starts to form and he starts chatting amicably with Grey King, paying no heed for any of the others around them. It is not long before they get near the training grounds, but their advance is stopped by the sheer amount of people getting in the way. Slyfer and Grey King break off from their self-absorbed talk only to find a large crowd with their backs to them. Now and then the crowd cheers or oohhhhs.

Slyfer sends out his senses and his face quickly pales. He looks at his friend and with a nod mounts on the wolf. With a growl from Grey King the crowd parts and a path is made for them, those who don’t move are simply shoved aside by his guards consisting of High and Dark elves. Two tigers, two wolves and to his surprise an Orc.

When they reach the front Grey King stops and the two only stare for a moment. Slyfer frowns. Fira and the fox girl are clearly “sparring”, but the ferocity at which they are is clearly visible. Looking them over Slyfer quickly comes to the decision that Fira is going to lose. Physical battle has never been her strong point.

Fira winces as she steps on her back leg. The damn fox had got in a good blow to her knee, effectively slowing her smaller opponent. They circle each other their lungs gasping for breath, faces set and eyes looking for any weakness in the opponent.

They stop for a split second before rushing at each other. Fira is the first to attack, her already beaten and cracked wooden sword arching in an overhand blow. Cresha seeing it steps to the side, but too late does she realise it’s a feint! She rolls back barely managing to doge the sweep that follows after the feint. Seeing her opponent off balance Fira rushes forward striking at Cresha’s ribs, with no time to doge Cresha blocks. The wooden weapons collide with a loud twack and Cresha winces as her hands go numb, her heels digging into the grass as she slides a few steps back.

The girl had realised early on that Fira’s physical strength is way above her own, but the red head has clearly not trained long in the use of a sword otherwise Cresha would have lost a long time ago! With new found confidence and a dangerous smile Fira lunges forward again. Seeing her come Cresha rolls forward sensing more than seeing the sword pass over her. She rights herself and swings around smashing the cudgel into Firas legs sweeping them from under her.

Fira extends a hand, planting it on the ground ignoring the pain and with a quick flip finds her feet. Staggering forward with uneasy legs she thrusts out gauging the distance to Cresha. The cudgel swings forcing the sword past her side and she steps forward past Fira’s guard. Using only her wrist to swing at the red head’s head!

Fira with no other choice lifts her arm to block. The blow connects and Fira cries out cradling her arm but not dropping the sword. Cresha steps forward to follow up, but stops in mid swing and says. “Give up, you have lost.”

Fira looks up from her broken arm. Luna who had been keeping close watch on Fira and seeing the look in Fira’s eyes as well as the now withering grass surrounding her is too late to react. A cone of fire bursts out causing those surrounding the fight to retreat. Some even drop and roll as they try to put out the fire on themselves. Cresha’s mother watches in shock as the cone grows larger by the second a moment later she aims to rush into the inferno and save her daughter but she is grabbed and forced back. Her eyes start to tear up…. The inferno in which her daughter has disappeared continues to grow.

Cresha had curled herself into a ball after sensing the incoming magic, unable to do anything about it she had no other choice. She looks up, around her flames swirl like a tornado, the sound nearly causing her to go deaf, but she can’t feel a trace or slither of heat. As if inside the eye of a storm the air is clear around her in a fifteen meter radius. The rest is a fiery hell. She swallows. –I would have died. I should be dead. What-

She stops. In front of her is Slyfer with a pained expression. He rubs behind his head and smiles a bit embarrassed before talking directly into her mind. “Don’t blame her, she is a bit moody this morning and it is mostly my fault.”

Cresha opens and closes her mouth like a fish as her eyes once more look at the savage inferno around her. She finally finds her voice. “A bit moody! You call this a bit moody? I would have died if not, if not… what’s going on why aren’t I dead?”

Slyfer tilts his head and Cresha realises he is looking at her like one would at an idiot. It dawns on her. –He saved me, he is keeping the flames back?-

His voice interrupts her musings. “So what brought this on?”

For a moment she is not sure what he means, but soon realizes he is talking about the spar. She looks away and says, “she challenged me to a spar and now she is trying to kill me. Do you people have no honour?”

Slyfer frowns in displeasure. The dragon side of him had taken great offence. Who is she to question his honour? For a moment he contemplates letting the fire do its work.

She did not miss the look and immediately regrets her words. His gaze now different looks her over as if looking at an insect. “You speak of honour yet if that blow connected with her head, do you think she would have been alive right now? Be grateful that she used her arm to block, because if she died it would not only have been you who would pay the price!”

She finds herself unable to say anything as shame grips her heart. She wants to argue his words but how does one argue in the face of absolute truth. That blow could have caused death or severe harm. It was a blow not fitting for a spar.

She gets up with head bowed and says. “I am sorry you are right.”

He regards her for a moment causing her to squirm and then says. “What is done is done, just keep in mind what is happening here.” He gestures at the fire. “She can kill you anytime she wants.” After words he adds a charming smile, a part of him proud of what the fiery girl did.

Cresha’s pride wells up fighting against his statement, but… looking around her she once again cant argue the truth of his words.

Slyfer suddenly turns away with surprise on his face. A moment later a fiery being steps through the wall of fire surrounding them. Cresha takes a deep breath, for a moment she fears that Fira had somehow summoned a creature from the abyss. But the creature is far too beautiful.

Luna tilts her head to the side and then smiles causing flames to sprout from her mouth. Slyfer watches in amazement as she makes her way closer. Almost completely naked. Luna has become a creature of fire! Her hair writhing like flames around her, her hands turned to fiery claws. Her skin red as blood with glowing, pulsing markings very similar to what he had seen on wards seemingly sketched into her skin. To his surprise her legs are comprised of nothing but flames, turning from a deep blue to a fiery orange just under her navel.

His gaze flows over her body like one would appreciate a beautiful painting or artwork. She speaks and when she does her voice is a bit deeper and resounding with the crackling of flame. “Luna can see that Alpha is surprised.”

He only manages to nod.

Luna jumps in reply and says, “Good, Luna wanted to surprise Alpha.” She stops moving and seeing where he is looking covers her fiery glowing nipples. “Alpha is being a pervert.” She takes her hands away and tilts her head the markings on her pulsing white hot. “Will you make Luna lay eggs now?”

Hearing her words Slyfer looks away, causing her to frown. Slyfer looks up, trying to avoid both women and says. “The fire is starting to calm down.”

Looking up Cresha can see the truth of his words. Where before she could not see the sky, some flickers of it is now visible. Luna turns around aiming to head back into the inferno. Slyfer stops her as he says. “Where are you going?”

Luna looks at Cresha. “Luna came to save the fox, but Alpha is already here so now Luna must tell Fira to stop being silly.”

Slyfer shows surprise at her actions; he did not think she would care about such a thing. He pushes it aside and a dragon asks a question that causes him to pause. –How would she have saved Cresha when she herself is basically on fire?-

Slyfer shrugs, he is worried about something else. “Luna can you cause the flame to spread even more.”

She looks at him confused, but quickly catches on. “Alpha does not want others to see me naked!”

Slyfer looks away. “No, that’s not it… umm it may scare them to see you and…”

He stops when Luna takes his hand. “It is okay, Luna is Alpha’s they will not see what is yours.” Her voice was surprisingly older more womanly when she said it, causing Slyfer to smile a little.

Cresha frowns. She seems to have become insignificant in their little world. A moment later Luna disappears, now more flame than human or whatever she is in Cresha’s eyes.

A moment later the fire dies abruptly as if snuffed out in an instant. If not for the smoking remains of what was once lush green grass one would not have known that there had just been a firestorm.

Chest heaving Fira looks at Slyfer standing near the object of her ire. For a brief moment her eyes narrow into slits before she turns around holding her arm to her side. Slyfer takes a step to follow her, but then stops unsure of what to do. He rubs his head and swears muttering to himself. “Why are things so complicated?”

While he struggles with what to do Cresha’s mother rushes over and quickly inspects her daughter. When seeing the stupid girl is fine her worry turns to anger. Seeing as Fira is gone her anger can only be directed at the next person. That person happens to be Slyfer.

“Is this how you treat your allies?”

Slyfer with his back still turned to her sighs and his head droops forward as he mumbles. “And the morning started so well.”

Cresha seeing the interaction, walks over. “Mother it was partly my fault; if not for him I would be dead.”

Slyfer contemplates just walking away. He needs to go talk to Fira but he also promised to help assess the Dryads to determine their place in the army. He turns around lazily and looks at the mother and daughter pare without saying a word.

Seeing Slyfer has nothing to say to her comment the older Dryad feels a bit of relief having quickly reined in her feelings. For a moment they just look at each other until Slyfer speaks. “Have you chosen who will represent you? Please keep in mind that it will have to be people that represent the average battle prowess of your people.”

The Dryad leader nods thankful that he ignored her previous quip. “We have chosen the ten standing behind me.”

Slyfer tilts his head to look past the tall woman and behind her are even more tall women, the tallest being nearly three meters! For a brief moment he contemplates what it would be like to hug her…

*****

Fira stomping towards the healers’ tent leaves behind a line of burned grass in her wake. ”That idiot!” She is angry, more at herself then Slyfer but right now she does not care. Her emotions in a whirl having something or someone to blame helps her deal with it.

Ignoring the other healers she makes her way directly to Nirn who is sitting in a far corner and so busy with a bunch of vials in front of her that she never notices the fiery presence of Fira before the girl plonks down on a chair next to her. To Fira’s surprise a vaguely familiar human girl is seated next to the Dark Elf healer.

The girl taps Nirn’s shoulder and points at Fira when Nirn finally looks up from whatever she is busy with. Nirn turns to Fira and for a moment her eyes are clouded as if far away. Upon scanning Fira they finally clear up and the older woman exclaims. “Your arm is broken!”

Fira scrounges up her face. “Obviously.”

Nirn clicks her tongue and sits forward.”What happened to you?” She sniffs and sneezes. “And why do you smell like someone tried to burn you by lighting bales of grass under your ass?” For a moment, silence reigns until something seems to dawn on the healer. “Did you have an episode, my dear you have not had one of those since you were a young girl…What did you burn down?”

Fira looks at the healer incredulously for a moment but then everything that has happened in the last few months crashes down on her and she starts to tear up. “I, I did not burn anything down down…. Well maby a bit of grass and some people were singed but that’s beside the point. Infact I wish I had burned everything down! Why are men so stupid? My father, Slyfer and my Brother all so stupid!”

Nirn gets up and bends down to give the crying girl hug. “There, there tell me everything okay?”

Fira nods and starts to talk, pouring out all of her feelings. First was her brother whom she had shared what she thought an unbreakable bond with, but he had thrown her away and lost his powers along with the wolves who for the most part have been very quiet as of late.

Then there is her father. Since a young age he had heaped responsibilities on her, grooming her to take over instead of her brother because although he had strength he did not have the wits to be a leader. Easy to anger and influence the boy never lived up to what Great Hunter wanted.

Finally Slyfer. At her fathers behest she had gotten close to him. They wanted to use him but instead it backfired. She developed feelings and in doing so hurt herself in trying to accomplish what her father wanted from her. “Now even though I chose him, he plans to not make me a part of his force, his people and on top of it all Trisha has gotten closer and closer to him as of late while I have been forced to watch and feel. What do I do Nirn?”

Nirn rubs Fira’s hair cooing t the girl as she does. “It will be alright. You just have to be patient and gain his trust. Don’t see this as him pushing you away. See it as a chance to prove yourself, to be close to him. Just remember, you are still young and there are still many good me out there that would love to have you. There is no reason to continue…

Fira sits up and shakes her head. The mere words the woman had spoken caused pain to lance through her heart. Her teary eyes look into Nirn’s. “There cannot be anyone else, only him. Besides we have been, we have been tied.”

Nirn gives the girl a look of confusion. “Tied?”

The girl only nods at the question and then with an attempt to change the subject gestures at the vials around them. Looking at it now she can see a strange red mixed with a cloudy white substance roiling inside. “What are you busy with?”

Nirn turn to the vials still curious by what the girl meant but wise enough not to push too hard. Nirn purses her lips she had been keeping the secret for a while now but she trusts Fira after all it involves the strange…creature she cares about. Sighing she says: “This is a potion, potion made from Slyfer’s blood.”

****

Hefting her spear, Shenush thrusts forward only to watch the boy step out of the way at the last moment. Sweat rolls into her right eye causing it to burn, but she ignores it and thrusts out again and again and again. Each time missing by barely a hair’s width. –He is toying with me! - Never before had one so young been able to completely ignore the near three meter tall Dryad’s offensive. Yet here stands one who seems barely phased by it.

Shenush stops and plants her spear. Her chest heaving and lungs on fire. “I give up, I am no match for you child.”

Slyfer smiles at the woman her straightforward way of doing things appeals to him. Besides calling him a child he finds her appealing in a green planty sort of way. Besides that is the fact that these green women have some sort of magic to enhance their defence.

The Dryad leader steps forward, her cheek sporting a bruise.

After realising that her people were losing miserably she had tried to volunteer as well. She thought Slyfer would say no but he welcomed her to the fight with a smile and a nod. Holding her bow at the ready she nodded at her daughter who announced the start of the fight. Her eyes never left Slyfer as her hand went for an arrow, but by the time she just touched the fletching he was right next to her.

She had no time to be surprised seeing as his fist struck her cheek with a resounding twack!. Her heart stopped and for a moment her mind went blank. Those watching saw her feet leave the ground as if pinned in place their leader spun around like a top and her shoulder struck the ground.

Despite the surprising turn of events. Only three seconds went by before Slyfer had to dodge an arrow and after the first one went by they continued to rain on him, many making small scratches that healed instantly. This continued until she ran out of arrows and promptly gave up.

Looking at her bruised cheek Slyfer has to force himself not to smile as he thinks to himself. –Just a bit of payback for earlier. Their body strengthening magic is interesting though….-

The Dryad stops in front of him and with a steady voice asks. “Now that you know what we are capable of, what would you have us do?”

Slyfer does not have to think long before answering. “How many share your skill with the bow and can you teach other races you’re strengthening technique?”

The Dryad leader lifts her chin. “I am the best with the bow, but my people can easily fire twice as far as the archers practicing over there.” She points to a firing range not far from them where Blood Pack archers are practicing and then continues. “As for our magic, it comes from our affinity with nature. Perhaps if you had Wood Elves we would have been able to but to teach others will prove difficult if not impossible.”

Slyfer only nods and turns to Aldiwyn who had arrived a while ago. “What do you think master?”

The elf gives the tall woman a pensive look. “I think it would be best to give them their own unit similar to what Jade had.”

Slyfer tilts his head as he asks. “Scouts? Wont their… size hamper them.”

Many of the dryads look at him unhappily, but Aldowin quickly interrupts. “I did say similar, not the same. They will need training for what I have in mind though.” At his last words the High Elf sports a smile that make many of the dryads take a step back.

Most thinking. –What is this Elf planning?-