Feather

It was dangerous what he was doing. Not even potentially lethal, but most definitely lethal. The morning after his disappearance he had watched the proceedings from the old watch tower, people scuttling down below, insect like from this high up. Kian rubbed the back of his neck. This was going to be hard, but he had to stay up here at least until the first star flickered to life in the ink black sky.

He knew they would search for him at all the south gates leading into the sanctuary. Other gates were too far away. And hopefully they’d waste time looking for him. The watch tower was out of bounds seeing as the platform was unstable and likely to collapse therefore it was perfect for what he wanted to do. Over the years he had hidden things here, ever since the day THEY had taken his brother. But amongst all the rusty and now useless arrow heads, coils of fraying rope, oiled cotton sheets and complex tree rat traps, there was something that would prove infinitely valuable to him.

If only he could find it! He didn’t want to move around too much as scattered leaves on the platform usually found their way down through some gaps where whole planks were missing. Thus he decided to start searching as soon as the village people started bringing their children inside from play. Just before sunset.

To while away the time he sat and brooded not knowing he did so. Yet he still payed attention to the goings on beneath his feet. Every few minutes he’d lean down and peer through one of those gaping holes in the platform that he was careful to avoid falling in. Or through if they were big enough. Yes…he didn’t want that; it was quite a long way down. He could easily snap his neck if he wasn’t cautious.
What he saw offered up much information. Judging by the dozens of messengers running around he could safely assume that word was given out to outlying villages about yesterday’s…events. His mind shied away from thinking about it any further. Instead he focused all his attention on his plan of action.

“Kian?” He spun around, his eyes widening in shock.

“Lavi?” he asked fearfully yet he couldn’t contain the bubble of joy in his throat. “Where are you?”

“Kian…” she sang. He looked around wildly but of course there was no one there. He pressed his knuckles to his temples and took a deep breath. “I wondered when I’d go mad,” he whispered smirking and continuing to devise his strategy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finally.
His eyes jerked open and he shook his head. He looked to his right as the trees’ leaves become maroon in the sunset. Children’s giggles had woken him and he was briefly homesick. He bounced up and started his search, hurriedly scanning piles of sentimental junk and leaves that hadn’t been swept off for eons, but lay scattered or gathered near the trunk which the platform curved around. He put on the thick leather gloves he’d snatched from his father’s old falconry equipment so that he could dig around without cutting himself or even worse, get bitten by nesting tree rats, whose bite was poisonous.

Just as he thought he’d have to risk it and light a lantern a cylinder shaped package, wrapped in an oiled leather cloth, caught his attention. It was nestled inside the open mouth of an old wood sculpture depicting a fearsome Wozq that was snarling charmingly. He snarled back and snatched the package up. He literally tore off the leather covering and held the now unwrapped parchment almost reverently in his hands. He unrolled it and smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. The map was still in pristine condition, thanks to its protective covering, except for a few fingers smudges here and there. His brother had told him about it when he was still very young and even though he had forgotten about it as he grew older, Kian never had.
He had built up a fantasy in his head, of wonderful adventures, discoveries and exploring places people hadn’t in decades. But his brother had always waved off his questions about where this fantastic map was… until a few weeks before Rem ventured into the sanctuary. He had followed his brother to this very watch tower and arrived at the top just as his brother was surveying the map (obviously in an attempt to find the forbidden gateways). Rem had been angry but also excited to share the secret with his little brother. He hadn’t disclosed what he wanted the map for but he had told Kian that if he ever was in need of some adventure he could borrow the map which would always stay inside the watch tower.

The map that had cost Rem his life.

A map with the filled in details, done in nervous scribbles other than the hand that first created it, it showed previously unchartered territory where other maps only had a blank space.
The cursed sanctuary, Kian thought grimly.

~~~~~~~~~
Nightfall came and with it all the memories of the past twenty four hours that he had tried so hard to suppress. As he quickly packed a last few things into his rucksack along with the map, he threw on his dark brown cloak, and picked up his bow. Just as he began picking his way across the narrow treacherous bridge spanning from the watch tower to an adjacent platform, something flickered in the corner of his eye. He looked up, willing himself to calm the rapid beating of his heart. The bridge swayed dangerously in the wind as it howled among the trees. But his attention was held by the wraithlike figure standing on other end of the bridge. When he put another foot and another forward the apparition didn’t vanish and suddenly he found himself facing it.

Her.

“Lavi!” he threw his arms around the figure who squawked and flapped its arms.

“Gerrof!” she disentangled him and held him at arm’s length. “Get a hold of yourself; you are a dark elf, hunters of the night. Your eyesight doesn’t fail you particularly at such a young age. Look closer.”

“Oh…” was all he managed when he did as he was bid. Just a moon elf.

“Just a moon elf!” she exclaimed and looked at him with slightly slanted and cat like eyes. He couldn’t believe he had thought she was…

“You’re the first one in decades who has used these long forgotten walkways other than my own kind,” she grinned, showing sharp canines. “We’ve claimed them as our own and I need a valid reason to let you pass.”

“How do you propose to stop me? I have no qualms about making you step out of my way, so for the first and last time I’m asking you to let me get off the bridge and onto the platform,” Kian growled. He didn’t have time for this.

“I didn't think you'd be so stubborn. Just tell me why you want to go to the sanctuary or I will have no qualms pushing you off this oh so wobbly bridge.” She took a menacing step closer, her tall moon elf form looming over his shorter dark elf one.

“The sanctuary? I didn’t say anything…What does it matter? Let me pass!”

She laughed at his anger and said stepping back, “Alright. I think I quite like you youngster.” Kian made his way onto the platform not wanting to tell her that she looked not much older than him. He walked past her and choose the next bridge leading to his right.

“Wait! Don’t ignore me like that, I’m doing you a favour!” she joined him and they fell in step.

“By not pushing me to plummet to my death? Hmmm…” he cast her a bemused look.

“Not just that, but I’m going to be your guide into the sanctuary and hopefully out of it.”

They had reached the bridge and Kian could just make out the dim form of the next platform in the far distance. This bridge was…quite long.

“Are you crazy? I’ll not have another person’s death on my hands because of my own stupidity. That place is extremely dangerous which I’m sure you know. Besides, I have something to aid me.”

“That old thing? You don’t think I know?” she asked as his eyes widened. “It’s in your mind’s eye as clear as spring water. My grandmother drew that for a dark elf friend she had a very long time ago.”

“But…How would she know…”

“Where everything was? Where do you think us moon elves disappeared to for centuries without a trace? We’ve become myths and that’s all thanks to the forbidding and untouchable aura of the sanctuary. And yes, I live there and I won’t gobble you whole.”

“But−”

“Why am I here, apparently to aid you? I don’t even need to watch your thought patterns for that one.” She smiled. “We’ve been happy there for so long yet a decade or two back this cocky spell caster shows up and messes up the whole holy respected protective sanctuary thing we had going. Then he taints some of us with his filthy magic…Argh! You’ll see. Even a foolhardy youth with a few arrows raises our hopes. I admit we’ve been in the wrong in using magic to lock people from the outside, but that’s only because we’re desperate. Look,” she ran her fingers through her silver grey hair.
“I’m only to lead you there and they expect you, my people, to do the rest, those superstitious old crones. I’m not allowed to say much more, but I can say there’s this whole prophecy thing involved and they don’t want me ruining their plans for zero involvement in case the spell caster turns his eagle eye on us.”

“Stop. Why haven’t your people done anything about him?” Kian frowned.

“Our life force is connected to that whole forest, a pact we made when we settled within, and whenever he taps into it ours is drained. What we have he has twofold so anything we throw at him hits us back twice as hard. We’re one of few trying to fight back. Most are already tainted and we’re struggling not to succumb. Leylia will tell you more.” She stepped onto the bridge, the plank beneath her feet creaking slightly. “Time to go Sir Hero,” she beckoned and he followed, his head swimming with all the information she had just loaded upon him. “I’m Tashayin by the way, and nothing else.”

“I’m Kian but you probably already know that?”

“Yes, but I like it when people say it themselves.”