The sun cast a warm glow over the village that one day, a calm settling over the morning and bringing out the better morale of the laborers and the high spirits of the children. The stone houses were empty as women gathered in the village square, trading cheese and eggs and gossiping about the latest relationships blossoming among the adolescents. The husbands of these women traversed out to the fields without complaint, harvesting yet another crop before winter came on. The weather was still warm and preferable, and every now and then a cool breeze blew in across the field to meet the village and seep through the glassless windows to air out the dark houses. Even in the daytime, though it was light enough to see, these houses were full of shadows. And it was for this reason that today as like any other day the children ran out of their homes into the sun and warmth to play with one another and enjoy the freedom of childhood.

A group of five children sat on the dusty ground not far from the village square in front of a house, shooting blue and green glass marbles in a hoop they had drawn in the dirt. All of them were male except for one, whom was sitting quietly and watching them hound each other on in the game that ensued. They wore brown cloth tunics and pants, with small leather belts encircling their waists, no general difference from one another's clothing except the placement of the dust and mud they had collected through the course of the morning. The girl wore a shabby brown dress that she had been able to keep clean for the few hours she had been awake, yet her toes and heels were covered in dry black mud from following her brother and the other boys across the riverbed a little earlier.

Reana was her name; that of her sibling Dalin, though the boys called him Dale. They lived in the stone house that lay behind the group. Their father Landone harvested wheat from one of the farthest fields of the village, their mother Hidanë sold bread she made from the wheat at market. They were one of the poorest families in the village, yet they were treated no differently. Not up until this certain morning.

Gerran, the largest boy, had just won the round of marbles. His sandy blonde hair fell into his face as he collected his winning pieces and put them in a little bag attached to his belt. "This is boring, let's go on an adventure or something," he said heavily, sitting back on his heels.

"And what do you suggest we do?" a boy with shoulder length black hair named Raven said, eyeing him with an annoyed look and picking up his own marbles.

"I don't know...what could we go on a quest for?" Gerran said, shrugging and looking towards Livian, a boy who always had a mischievous smile on his face and a wild idea in his head.

A sparkle passed through his little amber eyes and he looked around at his companions. "My dad says that there are elves somewhere off in the woods, hiding amongst the trees and darting through the sun rays. They're nothing but trouble, he told me, plaguing we humans with practical jokes and such. Very arrogant creatures. He says that if you catch an elf and drink a drop of his blood, you'll live forever. Let's go and find one so we can be immortal!"

"Let's go kill an elf!" Gerran cried gleefully, picking up a nearby stick on the road and holding it out in front of him like a sword.

Dale spoke up, a doubtful look on his face. "I don't believe there is such thing as elves and magic and the like. That's just stuff your dad tells you to keep you entertained. And even if there were, I shouldn't like to kill one. Perhaps its friends would come after you in the night and kill you, too," he said, brushing a hand through his auburn hair and accidentally putting dust in it.

"The elves didn't do anything to you, Gerran. You shouldn't kill them for no reason!" little Reana said, sticking up her nose and leaving a pouty frown on her lips.

"Be quiet, you!" Gerran said. "And anyway I do have a reason. I mean to live forever!"

Dale laughed. "Even if there are elves, they'd be smart enough to get away from you, Gerr." Gerran had never been the brightest child, often charging into situations with his mind on the goal rather than how to achieve it.

Gerran whipped around angrily to face Dale. "We'll just see about that. Wait until I catch one, then I'll be laughing at you! Raven, Livian, Let's go!"

Livian got up and began to follow Gerran as he stormed off in the direction of the woods. Raven bit his lip and looked at Dale. Dale shook his head and laughed to himself, then stood up. He and Raven walked off into the woods side by side, Dale with the intention of proving there were no elves. Reana walked to the back of the house and watched them walk away, badly wanting to go after them but having been called a tagalong too often stayed where she was.

Raven sighed and pulled out a string in his pocket to tie his hair into a ponytail. "You know, Dale, you're not making any friends by opposing them all the time." he pointed out as he pulled back the black strands.

"I know, but I don't really care anyway. Almost every kid in this village is a self-absorbed brat who only thinks of the great achievements he will make. Not a care for anyone or anything. But perhaps that's just how we humans are," Dale said as they crunched through the dying leaves on the floor of the woods.

They passed under numerous trees and then caught sight of Gerran and Livian looking around for their prey.

"Not you, Dale" Raven said. "You're different than the rest." And with that, he turned and caught up to the pair, leaving Dale to ponder. Dalin had not the slightest notion of why he should follow the elf hunters, so he turned and walked down one of the many paths beaten down through the woods and wandered through the trees.

The leaves were still slightly green, yet here and there there were leaves beginning to have an orange or yellow twinge. The trees were realizing the oncoming of winter and were preparing to shed their leaves. Dale shuffled along, kicking at a stone with his black boot and his hands shoved in his pockets. There was a rise in the forest floor to his right that stood at least six feet high, and Dale could not see over it. It stretched for a long way, tree roots on the rise sticking through the wall and reaching towards the lower path. Dead leaves had gathered on the edge of the rise and were quivering with resistance to a breeze from carrying them off.

Dale suddenly heard a strident crunching, the noise of footsteps scrambling through the leaves. Dale looked all around him, but could see no one. The noise grew nearer and nearer, and Dale stopped walking. He turned to where the noise was the loudest and suddenly he saw a figure jump off the rise and fly into him, knocking him to the ground. Dale coughed and pulled himself out from under whoever had hit him.

It wasn't anybody he had seen before. It looked like a child his age, yet its shoulder length hair was white, glinting gold now and then when the sun hit it. Dale turned to look at him, both of them still sprawling on the ground. The stranger lifted his hair from his eyes, revealing them to be icy blue and tear filled.

Dale leaned in to look at the boy. "Are you okay?" he began to say but was cut short.

The boy jumped up. "Run, you fool! We must run! There are wolves after me and soon to be after you!" He took off at a sprint, leaping from the lower path and weaving through the trees ahead.

Dale sprung up and ran, too, following the stranger through the pathless trees. He knew the danger of wolves well, they lurked in the forest, especially at night, but would never go towards the village, towards crowds. He had a sudden thought as he fled. "Raven! Livian! Gerran! Wolves! Back to the village!" he cried, hoping it would reach them in time. Suddenly, he was out of the forest and on the short stretch of field between the woods and the houses. But the white-haired boy was nowhere to be seen. He had been able to run much faster than Dale, which was odd because Dale considered himself to be the fastest boy in the village.

He ran up to the back of his house, where there was a large stack of firewood, and climbed up to the top to sit down. He watched the edge of the forest intently, not for the wolves but for his companions. A minute later he saw them scampering out of the woods, closely followed by a wolf snapping at their heels.

"Raven! Hurry!" Dale called, fearing for his friend's life.

Raven picked up speed and passed in front of the other boys easily. He was the first to make it to the log pile and climbed up next to Dale. He sat panting as Dale beckoned to the other two boys, who in turn shot up to the firewood to where Dale and Raven were.

The firewood pile reached up to the roof, in an odd sort of flat-topped pyramid, the top long enough for all of them to sit upon adjacent. They leaned over the side as the wolf skidded up to the side of the stack, licking its jaws and circling around, waiting for them to come down. It bared its teeth and growled. Dale saw there was blood dotting the fur around its mouth. Raven picked up a log beside him and threw it down upon the wolf. The wolf cried out and leaped to one side.

"Get out of here, you!" yelled Raven, throwing yet another log, hitting its back. The wolf yipped and loped away, running back to the woods with its tail between its legs.

"And stay out!" shouted Livian, shaking his fists towards the forest, his brown hair wet at the roots with sweat.

Dalin pushed his weight down on his hands, slid off the wood pile, and dropped to the ground, holding his hands out to keep his balance as he landed hard with his little boots on the packed earth. "Oh good idea, Gerran.." Dale said sarcastically. "Let's wander off in the woods and get killed! Just what I was thinking!"

"Shut up, you," Gerran said sulkily, jumping down and brushing off his pants. "At least we're not dead."

"But we were close to it," said Raven as he scratched his neck thoughtfully.

"I'm going inside," Dale said resolvedly to the other boys. "Don't follow me." He stomped past them and around the corner of his house, then rethought his actions and turned. He saw Raven looking over at him with a pathetic look in his eyes. Dale half-smiled ashamedly and gave a little wave of recognition towards him, then turned and entered his house. He pushed aside the dirty grey curtain they used for a door and stepped into the front room.

The stone fireplace was empty, seeing as it was still a long way to winter, and the room was the same temperature as it was under the trees in the forest. There was little furniture in the front room, only a wooden loveseat with a blanket draped over it and a tree trunk used for a side table. There was a counter against the wall for preparing food and various cooking supplies hanging from pegs on the wall above the counter. Hidanë stood at the counter, cutting up a carrot with a long dull knife. She turned as she felt Dale's presence in the room.

"Dale! Wasn't that you who...didn't you just come running in here a minute ago? And what's all that noise outside?"

Dale raised an eyebrow. "Mom? Are you okay? I haven't been here since early this morning. It must have been Reana who ran in here because...uh...because...there was a wolf.." he trailed off.

Hidanë gasped, dropping her knife. "Dalin! What have I told you about the forest!?"

"Mom! Mom! It's no big deal! It's gone! It didn't hurt anybody and we scared it off! Just don't overreact!" Dale said, hitting his forehead for saying anything and then rushing past to get to his room. He was stopped as he felt the cloth at the back of his neck being held back. "Mom! Let go!" he whined, trying to struggle out of her grip.

"Just a minute! I told you not to go in the forest! I thought I made myself perfectly clear! The miller's son wasn't found for three days after he went off into the woods! You could have gotten lost, and now you tell me the wolves are back! You are not to leave this house unless you tell me where you're going, mister!" Hidanë rebuked, not letting go of Dale.

Dale squirmed about until her fist was loosed from his collar. He muttered to himself as he turned down the dark hall towards the doorway to his room, but he stopped when he looked down to see his little brown-headed sister in his way staring up at him.

"What is it Reana?" Dale sighed.

Reana gazed up with big green eyes. She studied Dale's face for a minute, then said simply, "There's an elf in your room."

Dale stared at her with a look of impatience. "Reana, are you gonna waste my time, or are you gonna move?"

"There is! There really is! He's under your bed!" Reana said desperately, annoyed that Dale didn't believe her.

Dale pushed her aside with a roll of his eyes and went into his room. He spun on his heel and fell back on his back on the hard mattress of the little polished wooden bed he slept on every night. "Elf...heh...what is that? A joke?" Dale laughed to himself shaking his head. Suddenly he fell silent and pursed his lips. He lay still for a minute, then shifting his eyes to make sure his sister wasn't watching from the doorway, he curled a hand around the edge of the bed and looked over the side. Two cold blue eyes stared back into Dale's own emerald eyes, which were now wide with awe.