The Elves of Trelis

The Last Brother

There were only six Brothers left now.

Phadia, Joshua and Yasmin were fighting well in their animal forms but no matter how much pain The Brothers felt they refused to stop. The rain got heavier; the sky got darker and it became harder to see.

What were the harpies thinking? They were trying to win a battle not have a mud slide. Their fur and feathers were becoming wet and whenever they got pushed aside by the beasts' claws, they got dirtier and dirtier. It was so disorienting but The Brothers didn't seem to be affected. They climbed up the hill and ran closer to the fauns.

They had their own strategy this time. They circled around the line of fauns as fast as possible so they could get them from behind.

Razu saw what they were doing and shrieked. Clearly his rainstorm wasn't enough to confuse them. "Kryo! Help me make lightning."

Kryo joined his brother and the two danced above the heads of the last remaining beasts. Kryo still wasn't as confident as his older brother but his determination made his power break through.

All it took for The Brothers to finally crack; to finally run from the forest; to finally stop attacking the people they once protected; was energy.

A bolt of energy that was so large and so direct and so hot that it burned a hole in the ground.

Three of the remaining six ran over the hills and away from Trelis where they were never harmed by elves or fauns for the rest of their lives. But the other three couldn't get away.

The bolt of lightning that Kryo sent shocked one of them. He was in so much pain he couldn't move. Leaving the fauns ample time to strike him with their axes.

The second and third beasts weren't electrocuted but they weren't spared from the fauns' attacks.

Phadia was gobsmacked when she saw the last three Brothers run past her shrieking and terrified for their lives.

She blinked and rubbed her eyes. Was the rain making her see things?

Joshua threw off his mask and ran toward her in his elven form. "We did it Phadia. We won, we won! We're safe!"

And even though Joshua was crazy she still believed him.

Phadia threw her mask off too and Yasmin transformed beside them.

Despite being the cause of their victory, the harpies didn't join them as they danced in the rain.

Phadia looked up at the sky after their little celebration but by then the harpies had already flown away and there was no rain to dance in.

Before the fauns left the battlefield, the chief of the fauns ordered his soldiers to pick up their weapons and clean them.

Joshua and Yasmin returned to their trees. Phadia went to find Tarli. Even though the battle was over she still thought there might be a use for the arrows he made some day.

Carlo took care of the slaughtered head of one of the beasts that was left lying on the grass. He buried it respectfully underneath a tree.

After an hour had passed the only one left on the hills was Francis. He wasn't exactly useful in a battle in his peacock form. Empress Destiny had named him a defender because of his kindness not for his fighting ability.

He walked past the hills to where the three last Brothers had run to. He followed their footprints for a long time and saw nothing, so he stopped.

Such a shame. If he had only gone further, he would have seen that not all the footprints led outside of Trelis. One pair was leading to a dark cave.