Games of Chance

Games of Chance

Chapter 7 – Crossing Lines Once Again

Sleep eventually took him, but not before he'd had a long 'discussion' with his lupine companion. Dart had told him specifically (although the wolf could not speak eloquently, he was easily understood in Sivin's mind) the events that had taken place that night. When Sivin ventured to ask why he had gone out so far in a storm to begin with, the wolf had given what could only be a mental shrug, and stated that he knew something was wrong.

It wasn't bad that Dart had aided the sun-loving elves in such a mess, but it was bad that Sivin was once again reminded of his own mess. His curiosity had been cause for his near-mishaps many times over, and he could feel it rearing its ugly head as Dart relayed his story. He wondered at the fact that the female had seemed so much less cruel and even more intelligent than he had heard Daywalkers could be. He also wondered if there were only certain members of their kind that could get along with his. There was only one (very old) member of the Daywalker community that had set foot into Kol within the last hundred decades. He was a fabled being though, only coming around to visit a few times per year to speak with his father and uncle. Not even Sivin himself had met the elder male, though the more he thought about it, the more he figured he had always been away on a mission or some made-up escapade.

Letting out a frustrated breath, Sivin put his arms behind his head and stretched himself out more. Dart had already fallen into a deep sleep on the fur beside his bed and the elven male glared at him dubiously. Even with the thick curtains closed to keep out the sun's light, his mind was working too quickly to fall into sleep. A part of him even wanted to get right back up and go out again, but he closed his eyes tightly and schooled his breathing as he remembered his duties.

Regardless of whether or not he slept that day, he would need to be up, and well into fairy territory before the moon rose. It was his tentative 'duty' to keep watch over the territory (a part of a loose agreement between the Night Elves and the Fairyfolk, since they lived so close to each other's borders). Maybe then he would just slip slightly further beyond his borders than he should. That or let Dart go in, for he was much more welcome. Though, the female had made it clear that he wasn't to let his 'dog' do his spying. Smirking, he figured it didn't matter since Dart wasn't exactly a 'dog' to begin with.

Soon enough, he did fall asleep. Birdsong and warm air wafting in underneath the thick curtain was enough of a lullaby for him.

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Li'Sarien and Kallana sat a bit too comfortably against the huge trunk of the tree that Kallana's home was built into. It would not have been so strange if they had been close to ground, but the females were seated on a wide branch that sat well above the home itself, even above the storage area that had been hollowed out.

"Mm! There they are!" Kallana said just as she slid the last piece of a fruit into her mouth. Lifting her arm, she flicked her wrist, sending the yellow feather dancing in the air for a moment. Within seconds, Chance soared downward from his even higher position in a different tree and landed gracefully on her arm. It had taken him a handful of years to perfect a 'graceful' landing, but now that he had the hang of it, it almost made him look majestic.

Both females and the eagle gazed with light interest as a line of hunters passed through the main clearing of the village. From their vantage, they had a clear view of them all as the group smiled and lifted their hands to wave at those who'd gathered below to see them off. A sour smirk came to Kallana's face as she remembered the days when she too was amongst the small crowd.

Kaellel walked by, dressed as the others were in dark browns and greens that would blend easily with their surroundings. As usual, their hair had all been streaked or outright dyed in the same colors, setting them well apart from anyone else living in the village. Only a few who preferred to hunt on their own (Kallana's father Cael'ien included), didn't bother with such things. The young hunter had his bow casually slung across his shoulder, and had been exchanging words with M'Renen in between waves and smiles to the small crowd. The walk wasn't a long one. The clearing only lasted a few hundred meters before the hunters would enter the thicker forest and continue down the path. From there, they would choose which hunting grounds to try (staying within bounds, of course), and hopefully make the right choice.

Just before the group began the trek through the forest, M'Renen looked directly at them. There was no missing it, his eyes had found their 'hideout' easily, and he waved to them with a short smile. Swallowing her surprise, Kallana waved back, grinning all the way at her old friend. Since his apology, she had kept a much better opinion of him, even venturing as far as to wonder why he still stayed friends with Kaellel. The more her thoughts roamed on the subject, the more she realized how quickly her feelings about Kaellel were changing as well. Said hunter must have noticed Ren's wave, for he followed the direction, found them in his vision, and threw a slow wink to one, or both of them.

In response to that, Kallana sat back against the huge trunk of the tree, doing her best to look bored. Chance took that cue to hop from her arm with a few short flaps of his wings, landing in front of the girls' feet.

"I still say he has eyes for you." Li'Sarien's voice came in a soft tone. Kallana’s blue eyes shifted quickly towards the girl, only to find her looking right back.

"Who, Ren?" she asked, for it certainly couldn't be Kaellel. When Li'Sarien turned her gaze back down to the end of the 'procession', Kallana did the same, her face calm and sure. "For once, Lis, I think your intuition has failed you."

In response, she got the sound of a short breath through Li'Sarien's nose, but no other verbal argument. As the two watched Chance's head shift in an almost jerky fashion (for the bird was much more interested in the movement on the ground below them), Kallana's mind seemed to catch on to the fact that it might be Li'Sarien that had eyes for someone.

She dare not say anything on the subject though. The girl had been her friend since she could remember, and Kallana knew just about how long it would take for Li'Sarien herself to realize something like that. When that time came, she would approve of the choice. The thought brought an honest smile to her face as she lifted a bare foot to tease Chance's tail feathers. The bird seemed too used to it to care.

"C'mon. I've got duty tonight, and you have studying to do." Kallana finally said, sitting up and stretching her arms far above her head. She did not want to leave the vantage point either, but there was only so much time left before the sun would set.

Li'Sarien made a groaning sound and seemed to go limp, still laying against the tree.

"Come on, Lis!" Kallana said, a smile on her face despite the commanding sound of her voice. She had already positioned herself to climb down the tree (which was a feat to behold, considering the amount of space between their branch and the ground). "The festival is in a few days! You'll need to memorize your spells. Even I know that." Kallana was already moving with practiced ease down the wide trunk, her feet gripping the bark as if they were made for the act.

"Yes, mother!" she heard Li'Sarien quip back, and saw the girl beginning to follow her down. Chance took off, seeing that the small party had ended, and made his way into the trees. It was about his dinnertime as well.

"You know, I'm still not happy that you won't be there." Li’Sarien’s tone was much lower now, even as they descended from their perch. Kallana had to take a few moments to figure out how to reply.

"I'll find a way to see it, even if I have to leave Chance on post and hide behind a tree." When Li'Sarien laughed, Kallana replied honestly as the two finally touched ground.

"Well, I've done it before!"

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The hunting party would often travel as far out as the boundaries of their territory, and then fan out into groups of two or three. When they were feeling especially lucky, they would even split up completely, leaving each to his own kill. That strategy could go either way; with minimal catches, or a bounty of them. This trip, they had been feeling lucky. Kaellel was alone at his post now, sitting on a branch in a tree with low hanging branches and vine-like leaves. He blended in almost perfectly with those surroundings, and he soon found what he hoped would be his first prey.

Even in the darkness of night he could see the buck, at least nine points on his antlers, grazing by a tree. The hunter barely breathed as he pulled his bow into position, stringing an arrow and aiming with expertise. The moon's light was dappled through the leaves of the trees, but it made it easier to see the buck as he aimed. Just before he released the arrow, however, the buck started, and took off in a few huge leaps. Kaellel lowered the bow and the arrow, his eyes flashing dangerously as they searched for the reason behind his loss of prey. He had not made a noise, so it had to have been the fault of another. He was swearing to himself that if it was M'Renen he'd shoot him then and there, when his sharp green gaze picked up two moving forms in the darkness. One he recognized as the black wolf that Kallana had 'claimed', and the other seemed to be another wolf, only grey in color, and much smaller.

The elven hunter's temper still ran hot as he pulled back the arrow and quickly released it. Both wolves stopped in their tracks when the arrow speared the ground a foot from them. The black one looked up just before Kaellel hit the ground on both feet as he landed. The hunter took wide steps toward the wolves, and the gray one bared his teeth, growling in a fierce manner. The black one simply looked at him.

Glaring at both lupines, Kaellel seemed to snarl in his own fashion.

“Go back to wherever you came from!” He didn't expect them to talk back, especially since he had no animal kinship whatsoever. It was a setback in situations like these, where nature seemed to work against him. When the wolves didn't move, he lifted the arrow from the ground and made a show of stringing it.

“I suggest you follow your own command, Daywalker.”

Kaellel recovered enough from his own surprise to make sure he did nothing more than gasp. He simply let the bow and arrow go limp in his hands as they fell to his sides, his eyes going wide as he watched a Night Elf step up behind the wolves. Both looked to him, and sat comfortably in their spots. The younger gray even stopped his growling.

“You...” was all Kaellel could get out; he seemed to be at a lack of what to say. Didn't the Dark Stalkers speak in a different tongue? Though, he did seem to fit the vision of a Dark Stalker. Black hair and brown eyes, darker skin, and dressed in dark browns and greens. He blended in with the night forest much better than Kaellel did.

“I am within the borders of my homeland, as are my companions. That cannot be said of you,” the male said, his dark eyes seeming to have a shine of their own.

The lighter elf seemed to snap back into himself. Kaellel sent a quick glance around the area with drawn brows. Had he gone outside the border without knowing? He could have sworn that he had used a similar tree as a vantage point before. Finally he looked back to the male and glared gripping his bow tightly in one hand, and the arrow in the other. “I don't think so, Dark Stalker.” he hissed. “I know my boundaries, and you're over the line.”

He stepped back, however, when the darker elf gripped the hilt of a sword (which he hadn't noticed a moment before). “You mean to start a war then, young hunter?”

Kaellel scoffed, still glaring at the male as he stepped back. “Fine.” he nearly spat. “Just keep your damned beasts on your side of the border.”

Turning (and determined to have the last word), Kaellel walked heavily out of the area. Once out of sight and hearing range, he took off in a dead run. His mind was whirling with possibilities.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Kallana was about done her work for the night. The moon had waned well into the sky, and was on its way down towards the horizon when she focused below her. The wolf seemed to travel without making a sound. She landed gracefully, her hair flying about her form as the loose braid began to come undone. It had been a long night. With the hunters out around the northern section, any game that spotted them had fled, and some of them had come sprinting through her watch area.

Kallana stayed in a kneeling position as Dart approached her. He nuzzled her outstretched hand in a greeting, and she smiled. “I told him not to send you do to his spying.” she said in a low tone, though the smile didn't leave her face.

“I came with him this time.”

She jumped, and stood up, her face suddenly angry. “Don't-” quickly lowering her voice, she continued. “You're not supposed to be here!” she practically hissed.

He smiled at her then (a complete contrast to his dark persona), and shrugged his shoulders. Part of her was still waiting to see some kind of foreign action from him. The stories of Night Elves had made them out to be almost alien to them, while this male could very easily fit in based on etiquette. "I figured I would be safe, since you too have been known to go into places you are not supposed to."

Kallana shifted, pursing her lips and brushing hair out of her eyes. Glancing left and then right, she decided that they were both far enough out to be safe. So long as none of the hunters strayed too far from their posts, they could speak freely without being detected.
Just in case, however, Kallana eyed the male for a moment before turning and lifting her arm. Chance was on it in a few short flaps of his large wings, his talons barely scratching her bracer. She sent him silent mental images instead of speaking, but generally 'showed' the bird that these two were 'hiding', and if anyone was to come too close, to alert them. Once he mentally acknowledged the request, she lifted her arm again, and he took off easily.

Turning back to him, she was almost glad to find that he had not left. His eyes moved back to hers after having watched Chance's departure. "He'll keep an eye out." she said simply, though she didn't move. "So, is it trouble you seek, or do you come with some sort of news that needs to be shared between our people?"

He smirked in response, and looked a bit more comfortable as he knelt by Dart. "A bit of both, actually," he ran one hand over the dark wolf's fur as he continued. "I found a Daywalker dangerously close to our borders earlier, and I've reason to believe he was from your home."

Kallana looked down, knowing he was likely right on that charge. The hunters had gone out that very evening. She told him as much, and he nodded knowingly in response. "You are a border guard as well, then?" she asked, more out of curiosity than anything else.

He shook his head, gave Dart a final pat. "No. He did all of the finding, once again." he said as he stood back up above the wolf.

Only when he turned a bit did she get a glance at the sword that was strapped to his side. "You belong to their army..." she whispered (without even quite knowing it). That thought alone drove a bit more fear through her. She had heard tales of their dark army, carrying black bladed swords and poison-tipped arrows.

What stopped her thoughts was the look he gave her, his eyes confused at first, and then following her gaze to the sword. "Ah, no. Not the army." The amused look came back to his features, and she wondered at the fact that this 'dark creature' seemed almost jovial. "The army hasn't come to much use in a few decades. Any who wish to learn swordplay may do so, regardless," he shrugged as he pulled out the weapon as if giving an example. He turned it habitually in a few graceful maneuvers as he spoke. "I like the way it looks," his voice was again amused, "And in a case where I'd need to use it, I'm now well trained." He lifted his brows and offered it to her hilt first.

When she didn't respond, his brows went up higher. "They don't tell scary tales of our weapons burning at a touch, do they?" Although he seemed to be joking, his visage fell completely when Kallana only returned his stare more seriously. That had been one of the many rumors.

Nearly choking on his own laughter, he pulled the sword back and planted the blade firmly into the soft earth, taking a few steps forward. In a quite mannerly fashion, he placed his left hand over his breast and bowed from the waist, still looking at her with an amused smirk when he was standing straight again. "I am Sivin. Third son of Savel, hailing from the city of Kol." His speech continued in an obviously mocking fashion. "My blade will not harm you unless I turn it upon you myself-" his brows brows dropped "-which I do not plan on doing. I cannot control fire or lightning. Nor do I carry darts tipped in poison, and I do not have the ability to call demons forth from the depths of beyond in a single command." He tilted his head a bit, "Or, any command for that matter."

Kallana's response was the same stare, though one corner of her mouth turned upward when he addressed her. "I'm quite sure you cannot call a flood upon my city if you pleased, or make it so the sun refuses to set. So I'd like to know your name as well, Lady, for I'm one who enjoys learning things for himself."

Finally, Kallana allowed herself (and Sivin) a smile. "My name is Kallana. And no, I cannot do any of that. Though, I have a good friend who may just be learning how." She waited for a serious look from him before she laughed a bit herself, her eyes returning to the blade. "I would... like to see it." she couldn't lie. The idea of a black bladed sword fascinated her.

When he handed it to her, she was even more amazed. Though the black metal blade was sharp, it seemed to have a glow of its own. The hilt was an intricately carved wolf's head, which just as much proved that Sivin had the animal kin gift. "Did you make this?" she asked as she observed it with the utmost care. It seemed a priceless artifact to her.

"No, my best friend's father did. I wasn't born of a family with such a gift, unfortunately." He answered. It confirmed the fact that Night Elves were as adept with metalwork as the rumors told.

Carefully, she handed it back to him, offering a polite smile. Kallana was nervous, and found herself avoiding eye contact. "It's beautiful," she admitted.

"There's much more beauty to it than the way it looks, trust me." Sivin said in reply as he sheathed it, and looked upward as if tracing the sky's setting. "I'd show you now, but I'm afraid your people will be rising soon enough, and mine will be just about to turn in." he said, offering her a wave as he turned to begin his walk. Dart lifted from his seat and moved to follow at a slow pace.

"I would like to see such beauty." Kallana offered, doing her best to cover the slight desperation in her voice. Instead, she made a face at her own statement.

Sivin had his back turned, or she might have noticed the short-lived smile on his face. He spun on his heel once again and lifted a hand to her. "I will send Dart once we've both had some rest. We can meet before the sun retires, if it pleases you."

"You'll be awake?" she asked, her brows quirking slightly.

Another laugh from the Night Elf as he turned again. "You're up now, aren't you?" Kallana shook her head and rolled her eyes a bit. He was proving her wrong in every way, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it, except learn. Her eyes lifted once again when she saw him spin to face her for a last time.

"You, I trust. Your people's hunters, I do not." His voice had dropped to a low tone. "They may not cross the borders again, or I will be forced to raise an alarm."

Kallana nodded. Her stomach twisted a bit as she began to figure out just who was likely at fault in crossing the border. Though, her thoughts wouldn't stay on that subject for long, not with so many other things to think about. She let out a breath through her nose and spun, whistling for Chance to follow if he felt like it. The eagle knew he had a choice in the matter.

It was nearly impossible to get to sleep after she got home.

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