[Lerune]: 6.Untitled.Intro

Introduction


Beneath the waning moon, the forest was alive with the usual sounds of the night: the crickets, the tree frogs, the distant call of the wolf as it hunted its prey. The cloudless dark allowed the moons beams to filter through the treetops in places, creating small, magical patches of light here and there. Every now and then, a gentle rustle could be heard upon the air as a cool breeze blew through the boughs of the many trees. And in this peaceful place, the flames of a small campfire rose toward the heavens, seemingly licking at the darkness that enveloped the wood this night. It was sheltered amidst all of this that Mindriel sat, sharpening her hand axe, her dark eyes shining like onyx in the glow of her fire.

The sound of the axe hitting the leather strip was absorbed by the noises of the forests, and though many feared the wilderness, Mindriel felt safe. The call of the wild animals as they ran free was music to her, and the endless depth of the night held just as many promises as dangers. It was true that worse creatures than wolves hunted in the darkness of the night, but still she sharpened her small axe, and still she went unnoticed in her small camp.

Suddenly, the hairs on her neck stood on end, and she was deathly still and silent as she sensed that she was no longer alone. Without a noise at all, she dropped the thick leather strip she had been holding and gripped the handle of her axe tightly. Slowly recoiling into the shadows, she sniffed the air and her eyes darted about, searching the depths of the darkness for what had happened upon her.

There was no scent on the air, but a strange sort of energy could be felt all around her, and this startled Mindriel; never before had she felt such an intense presence with nothing before her eyes to satisfy her senses. A deafening silence that could be felt surrounded her, and Mindriel reached also for the blade she kept hidden in her boot. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a subtle glow. As she turned, the glow remained faint and warm. Squinting her eyes in confusion, she watched as the light rose upward, toward the top of the forest, and then made its way away from her. 

Slowly, the normal noises of the forest began to return to her ears, but she still watched the glowing orb of light until her keen eyes could no longer see it. Perplexed, she stood there as the light faded completely from view. It was only then that she caught an unfamiliar scent on the air...

And suddenly the huntress became the hunted.