Selene walked through the forest, her friend and companion, Moonstrike, resting on her shoulder being careful to leave Selene unharmed from her talons.

A small black donkey limped out of the forest ahead. Her ears drooped and her head hung down on her neck as the donkey gasped. A heavy load of something was strapped down all across the little donkey's back. As the donkey approached Selene her head came up as if in surprize and she stared at the strange elf coming toward her, then turned to look over her shoulder.

"Get moving!" came the shout of a tall man in a black cloak. He whipped at the donkey. "Now, move it!"

Selene looked between the cloaked man and the donkey. Selene stepped back into the shadows of the forest before the man was able to see her. The hawk flew up into the trees.

Another man, this one obviously some kind of mage or magic user stepped out behind the first man. "You really should have learned to behave by now, monster girl. You get punished if you don't." With a smile he tapped the silver bracelet he was wearing on his wrist.

The donkey winced and started walking carefully forward avoiding looking in Selene's direction as she passed. She did take a moment to glare at the men behind her.

The first man, the fighter of the two, smirked. He cracked his whip again.

A hawk flew out and sneaching at the whip, flying off with it.

The mage watched the bird fly off with the whip and lifted an eyebrow at the warrior. "Shouldn't have come if you couldn't keep a hold on your own weapons." He shrugged and raised his arm to point at the bird and started muttering to himself to cast a spell and bring both the bird and the whip down to earth. 

The donkey stopped in her tracks and turned around to bite at the man casting the spell. Suddenly the donkey's teeth seemed to have become long and extremely sharp.

The whip dropped, as an arrow shot through the mage's hand. The fighter turned, growling, drawing out a sword. "Who's there....?!"

An elf step forward, an arrow drawn back in a bow aimed at the men. "Leave! Leave these woods!" The hawk flew by scratching the fighter, before landing on the elf's shoulder.

The mage clutched his bleeding hand with the arrow in it and spit in the direction of the elven woman. "Reine! I command you! Attack that elf!" He said pausing to point with his uninjured hand. The silver bracelet started to glow an angry red color. "And I'll deal with your disobedience later!"

The donkey shuddered and shrank back from the mage. Her shuddering became stronger and the donkey form melted away leaving a large black tiger. The packs slipped off her back and the tiger turned toward the elf snarling.

The elf didn't back down, she planted her feet into the ground forcefully, sending a quake through the earth. The earth then whipped up to surround the black tiger, as another arrow shot at the mage aiming for his heart.

The fighter rushed the elf, who leaped into a tree branch, the hawk taking flight.

The arrow struck home before the mage could move, and he gasped before falling to the ground. The bracelet faded and cracked apart, falling into dust.

The black tiger staggered for a moment as the earth trembled. As the ground rose up around her she growled and changed again into the shape of a large black bear and began tearing at the walls of earth surrounding her. Then when the mage died and the bracelet that held the spell controlling her broke apart, the bear turned it's eyes to the fighter that was pursuing the elf woman. 

The fighter spun on the bear. "Damn!" He struck out at the bear.

"No you don't!" the elf shouted. "Moonstrike!" The hawk flew at the fighter, scratching at his face and eyes.

The bear ignored her injuries as she'd ignored the whip that the man had used on her before. She swung her great massive paws at the man with all her force behind them.

The fighter fell back, and then an arrow landed in his chest.

The bear dropped to all fours and watched the fighter for a moment as if to make absolutely certain he wasn't going to get up again. Her lips were pulled back baring her teeth, but she remained silent.

The fighter laid dead on the ground. The elf walked up to the fighter, pulling the arrow for his chest and then downing the same with the arrow from the Mage's chest. "Are you alright?" she asked softly.

The bear watched all this with wary eyes on the elven woman. Her answer to the elf's question was a faint rumble and a slow shuffle away from the other. Then she sat down and her voice sounded in the elven woman's mind. "I'll be fine... and... thank you." She seemed upset to have to thank anyone, even though manners forced her to do so.

The elf looked at the bear. "You are welcome...." She held up her arm, and the hawk landed on her arm.

The bear looked at the hawk for a few minutes then changed her form again into a black colored hawk. She sat on the ground beneath the trees and squawked a thank you to the hawk in hawk language as well.

Moonstrike flew over to her. You're safe.... it said.

The black hawk shivered her feathers and waddled uncertainly. "I'm not certain what safe is." She said but then she shifted again into a tiny hummingbird. Her feathers were mostly black like in the other shapes she wore, but her throat and the very tips of her feathers was a rich, dark purple color. "My name is Reine." She said carefully both to the elf and to the hawk.

"This is Moonstrike... and I am Selene...."

Reine nodded, dipping her long beak down and up. She flapped her wings and rose to hover above the ground with a faint humming noise. "I wish I knew what I am supposed to do now. I've been a slave to those men most of my life and I know nothing else." She said in a brief outpouring of words. Her comments dripped with anger for the people who'd kept her for so long.

"If you wish... you may travel with use, young shapeshifter..." Selene said softly, watching Reine.

Reine hovered for a moment as if thinking. "I... guess that would be... ok. At least until I can manage on my own." She zipped to hover over the packs that she'd dropped earlier. "Food and supplies and weapons. Help yourself."

Selene waved her hand and the earth seemed to swallow up the packs. "Thank you, miss Reine..."

The little hummingbird almost seemed to shrug and flew closer to Selene where she hovered. "It's just Reine please." She muttered quietly into their minds, but she said nothing else apparently waiting for Selene to pick a direction.

Selene started back on the trail she had been following. "As you wish, Reine....come on Moonstrike..." The Hawk flew up and landed on her shoulder. "If you even tire, you may rest on my other shoulder..."

Reine dipped her beak in response having heard the offer, but seemed content to hum along behind the too and occasionally zip ahead or into the forest for a ways before returning. Her movements were quick and she almost seemed to vanish in one place and reappear in another. She always came back however and just hovered near to Selene and Moonstrike for several minutes before zipping off again. The humming of her wings almost seemed to make music when she hovered changing notes as the speed of Reine's wings changed slightly. She even seemed to be humming a peculiar sad little melody.

"Reine....may I asked you something?"

The hummingbird seemed to freeze in place though her wings kept flapping away keeping her level. Reine looked at Selene with one of her dark green eyes and then the other as if trying to figure out what the elf wanted. "Ask, but... I can't promise an answer." She said cautiously.

"You're not a shapeshifter in the sense that many think of?"

Reine cocked her head sideways, thinking. "I'm a Nisur. We have no "true" form of our own. We must borrow the shapes of others to survive, though we can choose a form we are comfortable in, we can also personalize any form by picking a color that suits us. Our eye color rarely changes no matter what shape we are in for instance. It is a natural ability that all of our species uses." The little hummingbird explained quietly and thoughtfully.

"That is very interesting...I had never heard of a Nisur..."

The hummingbird hummed along now fairly close to Selene's shoulder and Moonstrike. "Not a very common species, we live in caves in the mountains. Hidden."

"And I live alone...with Moonstrike as my only companion..." she said softly. "Though...I wouldn't mind if you stayed with us..."

The hummingbird looked over at the elf with surprize in the little creature's expression. Her flight faltered for a moment and she dipped in the air before regaining her height. "Do you really mean that?" She asked with disbeleif in her mind voice.

Selene nodded. "No one should have been treated as you were...and I wish to help you..."

Reine hovered in silence as if she was having some difficulty beleiving that anyone could want to help her. She was unused to kindness from the way she was brought up and she certainly didn't know how to respond to such a thing. She continued to half stare at Selene as she flew along nearby.

"If you do not wish to, it is alright... just know that if you call on the winds, I will come..."

"I'm just not used to... kind people. I don't... know how to respond." Reine said quietly feeling a little odd.

"I am not use to kind people either...." Selene said looking up sadly.

The little hummingbird nodded it's little head and finally floated close enough to perch on Selene's shoulder, though she chose to sit on one of Moonstrikes feet instead of perching on the free shoulder.

Moonstrike looked down at her, titling his head.

"If you ever wish to leave, I will not stop you...." Selene said as she walked with them.

Unless it is dangerous to leave at the time... Moonstrike thought to them.

Reine inspected Moonstrike's foot and dipped her beak down to pull out a small twig that was stuck between the hawk's toes. "Not going anywhere till I feel that I can manage on my own." She shuddered and puffed up her feathers with embarrassment, "Might be a while." She half apologized.

"Don't be... you are fine..."

Jenieve: She wondered into these creatures on her jurny. "hello can I be introduced??" A bit nervious as she was alone and there where so many shadows she could see in the distance.

Selene looked at Jenieve. "Greetings....if you wish to introduce yourself, you may..." she said softly. The hawk on her shoulder just looked at Jenieve.

Jenieve:"Hello my name is Jenieve I am 32 and a Druid Elf with one companion of whome is roaming around in the far distancce right now". She walks fowards and can just see the eyes of the hawk looking at her. Nerviously she proceeds so she can see Selene

Selene nodded to the Druid. "I am Selene, a ranger of these woods..." she said softly. "An Elf as well...." The hawk cried out. "And this is my companion Moonstrike..."

Jenieve:"I did not know that I had walked into a forest that may explain why I could not see so well as I come from a village with little trees". "That was untill some one burned it down" Looks away as in sorrow as she says that and sees a white glint of her friend in the distance.

---

Back at the camp Angelus walks up to Tomias, with the dark elves following her. "Tomias did you know about these dark elves?"

Tomias nodded his head "I had heard of the tales of the Dark elves, and there had been rumors that some clans had avoided extinction, but I had thought them to just that, rumors"

"Oh." Angelus said. "Do you think they will help us?"

As soon as Angelus said that the dark elves start to go towards Ronins tent.

Tomias considered this "our allies are already many in number, and I'm hesitant to request their aid as Tagen will not take their limited numbers into consideration when the battle begins"

Angelus says "ok." and starts towards Ronins tent. As she gets there the Dark elves turn and move out of her way. "Ronin?" She says as she prods the flap of the tent.

Ronin stirs in her sleep and gets up. "Yes Angelus?"

"You should come out here please." Angelus backs up a bit to let there be room for Ronin to get out.

Ronin gets up puts her armor on and comes out. She looks around at the elves that are there. "What you need Angelus?"

One of the dark elves Introduces herself. "My name is Lashendria. These are my fellow dark elves."

Ronin looks shocked. "Da... Dark elves? But I thought they were extinct." Ronin shakes her head to clear her mind. "Forgive me. My name is Ronin. I'm a Celestial Knight."

Lashendria nods her head. "We know. We came to warn you that this will not work. To save Jaren you will need our help."

"How do you know about Jaren?" Ronin asks softly.

"We have some of our own working for Tagen to find out what he's up to."

"I need to talk to Tomias." Ronin says as she heads towards Tomias. "Angelus follow me."

"Ok." Angelus starts to follow her.

Tomias looked up when he saw the group approaching him "well now" he said in a calm tone "what brings so many serious faces to me at this hour?" he asked casually, though he had his suspicions.

"Why didn't you tell me we were in dark elf territory?" Ronin asks politely.

Scarlett had been on the trail of the two dragons for a while, she heard voices coming from close by and instantly ducked down to avoid being seen."There you are". She walked closer, magic burning at her finger tips. She felt a little wave of panic take over her, dragons did scare her after all.

Tomias looked at the source of approaching magic "I'd be careful about coming any closer young Dragon hunter" he said to Scarlett "the barrier I set up here won't allow those with malicious intent to pass through" he then turned to Ronin "I didn't say because I didn't know, I thought they had died off long ago. these are the first I've seen in my entire long life, had i known, I would have indeed warned you ahead of time" he explained.

"I see" said Ronin. "I thought the same thing. Who is this dragon hunter you speak of? I see no one."

Scarlett snapped upwards and brought a sheild around herself, the sheild took the form of a wavering smokey force field. "I see". She spoke to herself.

Tomias casually pointed to Scarlett with one of his clawed fingers as she stood at the very edge of the barrier "that one, she was among those who had captured Angelus and myself, she also bore witness to our escape" he turned to look at Scarlett "when I said that we should meet again someday I did not expect it to happen so soon" he said with a small smile.

Ronin looks where Tomias is pointing. "She saw you guys escape?"

Scarlett kept the barrier up, she brought her staff off of her back. "I'm stronger since last time we met, I wont let you go this time". She clutched her staff hard causing her hands to shake a little.

Tomias raised his head slightly as he fixed Scarlett with both of his eyes "your words say one thing but your body speak the opposite, your heart is not in this, you are not here to capture us" he continues to watch her but his body remains relaxed "you came for another reason" he said his voice lowering slightly "but what could it be?"

The morning sun started to rise. One by one the warriors start to get up and come out of their tents with their armor on. There were some that started to cook for the group.

Scarlett growled and held her staff close."Don't test me, what do you think Oriel will do if I let you go"?

"I'm certain this Oriel person would have done it already because you did nothing to prevent our escape" Tomias reasoned "and as for testing you, we are all tested everyday of our lives, this may be another test for you child, what does your heart truly say?"

---

go to page 4 this will continue there.

ADLRP 4
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