Four-Hirg

Once the bonfire was lit and they had enough wood to get them through the night the thirteen students and two teachers gathered around the fire.

 

“Alright, crew, who wants to hear some elven lore?” Mrs. Morris asked.

 

One of the boys, George, stood. He was a handsome boy with golden blond hair and clear blue eyes. He was a mind reader and president of the senior class office.

 

“I think we should ask Amirra to tell us an elven tale.” His smile made every girl's heart flutter. His eyes met Amirra's and she felt her face grow hot. “Maybe she could tell us one of the Forest's memories.”

 

Amirra nodded, slightly dazed by George's gaze. Everyone moved to sit on the side of the fire opposite her. She stood and took a deep breath. She had no idea what story to tell them. She searched her memory for a good story to tell them.

 

One story came to mind. The female elf who called herself Theme and was in my Cahugvasmer dreams told a story that had fascinated me for the past four years. I loved the story and decided to share it the way Theme shared it with me. I let myself float up until I hovered over the fire. I raised my hands and a ball of fire that was the size of a tennis ball flew into my hands.

 

“Although the elven tribes fought against each other constantly,” Amirra raised a hand and marble sized pieces of flame formed little armies and mock-fought each other in the space between the fire and audience, “there were alliances between some of the tribes. The most fearsome of these alliances was between two of the largest tribes, the Stargazers and Wolftamers. The leaders of these clans, Lucas Stargazer and Dominic Wolftamer, were boyhood friends like their fathers before them.”

 

Amirra drew fire out of the ball in her hand and set two bits in the air before her. These bits of fire became featureless, muscular men. The two fire puppets shock hands firmly when Amirra flick her finger. She waved her hand and the fire armies stop fighting and seemed to dances and mingle with each other.

 

“On one Cahugvasmer long, long before this forest's inhabitants were taken, Dominic stood before his people and demanded that the fighting stop.” The marbles stopped dancing and watched as one fire puppet raised it's hands at her command. The other fire puppet put one of it's hands on the Dominic puppet's shoulder. Another puppet was pulled from the ball, but this one was female. She put a hand on Dominic-puppet's other shoulder. “Lucas and his twin sister, Mauve, were the first to stand behind him. The other chieftains decided that if Dominic could defeat every chief in physical combat then he could be king.

 

“Dominic challenged and defeated all the other chieftains except Lucas. Lucas refused to fight his best friend.” The Dominic-puppet stood before the Lucas-puppet and Mauve-puppet with little fire swords drawn. “Lucas was a pacifist, he didn't believe in violence. The other chieftains demanded that a member of the Stargazer head family fight Dominic of he would never unite the elves.” The Mauve-puppet put itself between the two other puppets. It raised a hand and a thin piece of fire appeared in it's hand.

 

“'I will fight him,' said Mauve. 'My brother is mighty, but he detests hurting others. I am equally mighty and will fight in his stead.'

 

“Mauve fought with a wooden staff, Dominic with twin wooden swords.”Amirra danced her fingers in the air above the puppets. The Lucas-puppet looked on as the other two fought with a grace and ease that looked more like a dance than anything else. “The two had been raise together, trained together. They knew each other's moves as surely as they knew their own. The members of their clans often wondered why they didn't not become mates, for surely their children would be the fiercest of elves ever born.

 

“For hours they fought. The gathering of elves didn't move as they watched the battle.” For a few minutes Amirra kept her audience focused on the fire puppets. The deadly dance captivated them all. Suddenly the Dominic doll sent the Mauve-puppet's staff flying. The larger puppet rested it's sword on the other puppet's neck. The class clapped and a few whistled. “Dominic won. The chieftains bowed to him and crowned him. Lucas stood at his side as his second in command and Mauve as the leader of his police force. Mauve and her people, on order of the new king, made sure that the tribes truly came together and that the fighting stopped.A few decades later, even the police force was disbanded.

 

A great age of peace and harmony came to the elves. Mauve, however, never saw it. She was killed in one of the last tribal battles.” The Mauve-puppet broken into ribbons that rejoined the ball in her hands. “Dominic and Lucas morned her loss and welcomed the peace she gave her life creating with open arms.”

 

Amirra waved her free hand and the fire marbles jumped back into the fire. The remaining puppets followed the first back to the ball in her hands. She bowed and the other clapped and cheered. She let the ball fall back into the fire and she returned to her seat.

 

The other students laughed and the music started. After an hour or so the teachers told everyone it was time to go to bed. The students reluctantly went to their beds and Amirra went to her tree. She leaned against it for the rest of the night, staring at the stars and listening to the others breath. Amirra slipped so slowly into sleep she didn't even know she had dozed.

 

 

 

 

 

The two trees had watched the performance and the small party afterwards. They now watched the young elf gaze at the stars absentmindedly.

 

“She was very good,” said the new tree, a slimmer version of the first one. They spoke as trees did, with leaf and branch movements. “She told Mauve's story as well as the best elven storytellers did all those years ago.”

 

“You're kidding, right?” asked the first tree. “She is with the tour group going to the King's Tome! Hat are we going to do?”

 

“I told you we couldn't hide from her forever. You just didn't listen.”

 

“It would have worked if you hadn't welcomed her to our Cahugvasmer celebrations with open arms!”

 

“And you would deny her what all elves have a right to?” The slimmer tree almost hit him, but stopped herself before making a sound. “That is no way to treat a child. You welcomed her just as easily as I did, Bastian!”

 

“Okay, you're right.” The trees turned and watched the elf-child. “Send her to sleep. She will need to be rested when she meets us tomorrow.”

 

The slim tree waved a branch and sent a spell at the girl. It was a slow sleep, all but unnoticeable. Once she was asleep the two trees headed back to their positions.

 

“You think she is the one?” asked Theme.

 

“Yes,” answered Bastian. “We can't let the prophecy come true.”

 

“It has a brighter alternative,” replied the slim tree. “What if it is worth the risk?”

 

The trees settled into their posts. “You would put that girl through that kind of ordeal? She is but a babe!”

 

The slim tree shrugged and settled into her place. They waited for their first meeting with the young elf.

Author's Note

What better way to tell a story then with fire? That's who my elves roll! LMAO!
^_^