Soulseeker

Lithoniel 9.1

First draft

Lithoniel leaned against a tree, a short bow in her hands as she looked down the slope. Most of her hunters, children whose lives had been turned upside down, did the same. However, everything was quiet below them. The clearing in the woods was empty, and the only thing they could hear was the wind whipping into the withered trees, the heavy snow filling their branches streaming down like a white cascade. Yet, there was no trace of the person she was looking for, the small elf she'd saved months ago.

Where are you, Liara?

"Don't worry." Kolvar whispered from beside her, "Liara may be small, but her instincts are keen. She can do it."

Lithoniel bit her lips, "I know" She whispered back.

Yet, she looked worried, her eyes darting around as she searched for Liara's tiny figure. The thicket she had chosen as hiding place was slightly elevated and offered a perfect view of the clearing below. It was a good place to lay in ambush. The problem was to lure the prey. Which was exactly what Liara was doing now. Lithoniel glanced at Kolvar, but immediately averted her gaze.

Perhaps it was his hair or his clothes, but every time she looked at him, the only thing she could see was Rolim. They were brothers after all. Their features were similar, and though they didn't behave the same way, the differences between the two of them were much subtler now. Kolvar had grown up in the last couple of weeks, and little was left of the hot-tempered youth she'd remembered. He looked calmer, more rational and above all, dependable. Even his voice was much deeper, and every time he talked, she could hear an echo, like two people were trying to talk at the same time. As time went by, she'd started to confound them, and now she was barely able to remember Rolim's voice.

Kolvar sighed, "You're not just a hunter anymore, Lithoniel. Don't you remember what happened to the former Nighstalker?"

Lithoniel was about to rebut when they heard a long whistle.

The signal.

"Nock your arrows." Lithoniel whispered, and the hunters lying in wait nearby repeated her order.

The snow under her feet was thick and soft like carpet and muffled the sound, but she could hear them.

Footsteps.

They grew closer and closer until she could see a shadow coming out of the woods. It was Liara. However, she wasn't alone. Something was chasing her. Lithoniel stiffened. It wasn't just one beast, a cave bear like she'd expected, but several animals. Lithoniel recognized those reddish furs at once. Vorloks. An entire pack of them. They looked like dogs, but they were as tall as ponies and unnaturally slim, their muzzles horribly distorted and hairless, completely devoid of fur.

"Pick your target" Lithoniel whispered, trying to sound calm, "But wait for my order."

She could hear the hunters around her dragging their feet as they backed away. They were getting nervous. She looked at Liara jumping over a trunk, quick and skilled like a monkey as she used trees and bushes at her advantage to slow down the Vorloks.

"Wait" She repeated. The Vorloks were less than fifty steps away when she drew her bow.

Out the corner of her eye, she saw Kolvar awkwardly lifting his short spear as he prepared to throw it, but she couldn't care about him now. The Vorloks were gaining ground. Once or twice a Vorlok bigger than the others---the Alpha probably---almost reached Liara. Its fangs were so close to her back that even Lithoniel shuddered, but every time the Alpha was about to plunge its oversized canines into her flesh, the small elf dodged, avoiding it at the last moment. The Vorloks had just entered the clearing when one of the hunters, a young elf named Aeolis, couldn't take it anymore.