The elf had an unusual stern set to his young face and belligerence in his pale blue eyes. His blade was held steadily at my chest, his muscles were tense, ready for any trouble I might offer. I offered none, but was not willing to find if he himself intended any. I whipped my staff beneath his wrist, knocking the dagger from his grasp. He staggered back, biting his lip and clutching his wrist, turning to glare at me. I went down in a crouch, much like the one he had just taken, my staff held defensively before me. He let out a ferocious, howling scream and charged me. I discarded my staff and gripped his shoulders, using his own force to throw him to the side and onto his face in the dirt. He rose again and this time, using the same charge, held onto me as he was thrown to the ground, me now being the one in the dirt. He sat on my chest, furiously pounding me with his small fists. I could protect my face with but one hand, the other blocking his blows as much as possible and throwing in some of its own. Just as he saw the chance to knock me cold, I threw him from his brutal perch atop me and rolled over onto his back, hard.

I pushed his face well into the dirt and locked my elbows in his, making it nearly impossible, and very painful, to move. I was glad for that too, for I could taste blood in my mouth well. From the warmth across my cheeks, I guessed my nose was bloodied as well.

The elf wriggled wildly beneath me. “Get off me!!!” he managed, turning his face from the dirt. I pushed his face back in the dirt for a moment, and then rose from his back.

He rolled over quickly and sprung to his feet, scrambling back a bit, his hands ready for an oncoming blow. “I’m not going to hit you,” I said laughing, his expression immediately turning puzzled.

“Then why’d you hit me before… don’t answer that. Who are you? And why are you here?”

I hesitated, considering if I should tell this elf who I was and why I was here, wherever here was. I myself did not really know why I was here… nowhere really, I had simply been given a map and that I’d be given further orders when I had reached it’s destination. There were no named towns or roads, nothing except a trail that passed through the Dark Kalm Forest.

I decided it would not do much harm to at least give my name, and perhaps, if I wasn’t raising my hopes too high, this elf had some connection to my rendezvous. “Caerwynn.”

I said nothing more, for I was not sure I really wanted to expose anymore than I must.

“Well, Caerwynn, I suppose you wont tell of where you’ve come? No matter, I couldn’t care less. I am Corlin, son of Gralnik, leader of the elves of this land. I’m only assuming you are no decadence of stature.”

I cocked my eyebrow at the young elf. “Well, Corlin, was that an insult?”

“I do believe it was.” Corlin smiled.

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought you were a mind reader.”

Another smile.

“No, I come from no one of importance, thought I am of importance myself. Not as much as you, but somewhat.” I could tell Corlin thought I was being cocky, or lying.

A glint of the setting sun on metal behind him caught my eye. There was a rustle of branches and a flash of what looked like a dark crimson cloak scurried across the narrow trail.

I stepped past Corlin and tried the make out the figure crouched behind the small bush. I slowly made my way down the path and the figure coward.

I was only 10 paces from him, when the small boy came darting out of the bush and charged my stomach. I caught him around the shoulders and flipped him around, lifting him off the ground. He kicked and fretted, but I refused to release him.

“Let me go!!!” He bit down on my arm and I screamed and dropped him, but he did not run. He curled into a ball and shielded himself, quite well, I might add. I really didn’t know what to do…