The Phoenix's Maiden

Forest Elves' Village

Amber’s Point of View

She disappeared in thin air, if front of my eyes! What the heck happened here? I looked around, but I did not see any thing that can explain what I just witnessed here, I grew nervous of the thought that something might happened to them.

“Hey! Kams,” I shouted and that’s the nickname that I decided to call my friend, I feel like that its rude for me to call her Kamandag as it is a word that I knew that means venom, plus it is long to say, and Kams seems like that her name is Camille, which is a pretty name. “Where are you?” I asked again.

I waited for seconds but no one responded to my call even Kamandag herself did not. I knew I don’t have any choice, but to step forward, and go there. Maybe going where she disappeared might explain why. I took my step one at a time, because every step I take is taking me breathe away.

 The fear of unknown is taking its toll in my head again and the fact that I can’t explain what happened is making me nervous. What if they are sent into a dangerous place and died? What if this is a trap that erased them from existence? This negativity in my mind, I can’t get it out.

I can hear myself heavily breathing, I gasped for air because I forgot to breathe because of this paranoia that I am feeling. Geez. I can’t take this anymore. No!

I closed my eyes, and made thought that I should be stronger now. I stand straight and stare towards the nothingness of this place except for the lush vegetation.

For my friends I must go on and follow them wherever they were sent to. I reached out my hand first so that if something happens it will not take me in one sweep.  As the hand I reached out toward the place when I am in place. But as my hand gets closer, I can hear my heart beats louder.

The closer and closer I get; the intensity of the situation grows and I can feel my sweat dripping on my body. As if I am taking a shower but with sweat. I paused and hesitation is trying to take control of my head right now, so I closed my eyes once again and took a deep breathe. When I opened my eyes again, I decided to continue.

Still the anxiety is in my head and I need to get it out of my head. So, I closed my eyes and it helped me to reduce the anxiety in my head. I continue to get my hand closer to the area where Kamandag disappeared. The blackness helped me to calm my mind, and the unawareness of the situation, from like when I was aware that my hand is getting closer and closer...

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” I screeched in a disgraceful manner when someone grabbed my hand, and pulled me. I opened my eyes and saw a hand pulling me just like some creature that can open a pocket dimension anywhere, and pulled me towards its realm.

Then after all of that, all I heard was just laughter and here I am shaking because of fear. I opened my eyes slowly and saw the three of them standing around me. Pyro is just staring at me, but the two is laughing as hardly as they could.

“Okay, okay, very funny, you almost gave me heart attack,” I said annoyed on what happened to me.

“You should have seen your face,” Kamandag suggested and continue to laugh. I need to admit that was a very shameful experience, and I am very annoyed because of that.

“Yeah, yeah,” I said.

“You are clearly not listening to what I just said,” she remarked.

I stood up as I stumbled because of how fast that happened, I cleared the dust off my clothes. I look at Pyro who is clearly showing confusion in his face right now because he cannot understand what makes it funny. I feel sorry for him when I remembered, that he did not have some friends with him for a long time. So, I understand his confusion.

But when I look at them something caught my eye and I immediately get their attention.

“Hey guys,” I said, when I saw two elves with green hair and snow like skin tone, in their green dress. It seems like a dress here and I cannot fathom whether these creatures are female or a male. They are too gorgeous.

“What?” Arthur asked me and I slowly point towards the tree branches where they are currently standing pointing their bows and arrows towards us.

“There,” I answered and they slowly turned around and saw what I am seeing.

“Raise your hands,” one of them shouted at us and it is high pitched tone enough for me to assume that that she is a female. I hope. We obeyed them immediately and raised our hands. “What brings you here?” it asked us.

“We seek help,” Arthur answered in behalf of us.

“How can we trust you?” it asked us again, and this is a good sign because there is great chance that they will help us out.

“We brought an injured,” Arthur answered its question once again.

“Where?” it asked.

“Can I bring him out?” Arthur asked once again and tried to lower his hands slowly.

“STAY PUT!” it shouted making Arthur to raise his hands shoulder level and it looked back towards to one of its comrades that it brought with it. “Go look for the injured once we will watch you from here,” it said and the one that it commanded to go here obeyed.

Kamandag is telling the truth, they are so doubtful that every inch of our actions will seem suspicious to them if we can’t clear ourselves. I wonder if I can take those arrows head on. Well, I don’t want to find out.

It searched for the man that he brought here, speaking of it, where is he? I thought Arthur was carrying him.

“There,” Arthur said to the forest elf, staring at the direction where he put the man. I can clearly see him from here resting his back on the tree, and is still unconscious. The forest elf cautiously walks towards it and when it reached the man it used its bow to move it as if it was checking if it is alive or not. After that it decided to grab the man and drag it to the open area where the rest of them can see him, so that they can assure that we are telling the truth.

It is just this moment that I realized that their height is just a half of us, I just noticed the size difference between the forest elf and the unconscious man. From here I can’t tell their actual size because they are far away.

“Clear the man is injured and unconscious!” it reported to their leader? I guess? I am just assuming that she or he is the leader because it is the one taking in charge of our situation right now. “They are telling the truth!” it added and then they jumped down from the trees, so I lowered my hands because I assume that we can be trusted by them now.

“How did you find our village?” the elf leader asked us, when he got closer to us, and we are forced to look down on them because of the height difference between us.

“Because of this guy,” Kamandang pointed her fingers towards Pyro and as soon as they saw Pyro, and I just noticed that he came out from hiding. They were shocked and put one of their knees on the ground then bowed to him.

“Pardon our rudeness oh great guardian,” their leader apologized for their actions towards us. “We did not know that you are the one that brought them here,” it added, as they continue to bow their heads to show their respect towards him.

“Rise your heads because my master wants this guy to be treated as soon as possible,” he said and once again they were shocked that he is under someone else, but they did not say anything else. The leader looks back and soon four of them stood up with their strength they carried the man in their backs.

It seems like that the mistrust between us are back and they were forced because we have Pyro on our side. I really can’t blame them because we are uninvited guests and they did not anticipate our arrival. So, I took a deep breathe.

“We are not bad mystics,” I told their leader.

“Don’t say any words, you are just making yourself look desperate for our trust,” it said and I felt ashamed because of that, I was caught off guard by his sulkiness.

I zipped my mouth the whole journey and I did not intend to say any single word out from my mouth. This creature... it seems like that it traumatized me for some reason.

The amount of shame that I am feeling right now made me quiet, until we reach a village in a middle of a pond. I saw some of them are fishing and I noticed that their houses are built on trees, I am amazed by the sight.

“The chief has arrived,” an elf shouted and rang the bell and the peaceful atmosphere in this place suddenly disappeared as the majority of the inhabitants here walks out through their doors, to greet their chief.

I was right! This one is really their leader, and it seems like that he is a celebrity in his village. The enthusiasm on the inhabitants here towards him clearly explains it. I felt happy for some reason that this elf is getting the love and support from his citizen. With just that I can clearly tell that he is a very good leader.

“Where is the doctor?!” he shouted asking.

“I am here chief,” an elf with same features but is holding a cane step up.

“Just on time,” he said. “They need medical attention,” he told him and the four elves brought the unconscious man on the ground. He walked towards the unconscious man and proceeds to check him.

“He is very tired and his injuries looks serious,” he stated.

“You will stay with him,” the chief told us. “He is the doctor of the village and he is great at that, doctor Hermey,” he introduced us to the doctor.

“It’s nice meeting you,” he said to us. “Come follow me,” he said and with his cane he walks forwards and the four elf who is carrying the man, carries him again and followed the doctor. I was bit hesitant, but when the others followed him and I did the same.

-The Phoenix’s Maiden-