Sylvanus (Private)

[Sonatina]

A story about a community of wood elves living in a forest called Sylvanus. The main character Mira is the daughter of the Fieri family.
Wood elves had lived in Sylvanus since the Cretio, as the elders called it in their tales, when the entire world was created by Omnipoten, the ruler of all the gods. Omnipoten, as the tale goes, sung everything into life, and the singing of the wood elves was the sweetest song ever sung. Omnipoten loved the wood elves more than any of his other creations and blessed them with long lives and the entirety of Sylvanus to inhabit. He created five family amongst the elves so they might all contribute to their way of life.
The Unus family, the leaders of all the elves, blessed with wisdom and strength of heart, the Fieri family, the hunter who provided for the elves, the Ezio family, metal workers, creating everything from weapons to pots and pans, the Villa family, the farmers and gatherers, providing the vegtables and fruits, the Manus family, the healers and magicians, and the Annon family, the carpenters.
All five of these families lived harmoniously together and with the nature around them, killing only when they needed to.
In fact, the wood elves had lived deep in Sylvanus so long that they had forgotten about the existence of humans, Omnipoten's other beloved creations who lived many thousand miles away from the heart of Sylvanus where the wood elves lived.
All but the oldest elder had forgotten of the humans that lived, hunted, and destroyed the world outside Sylvanus. That is, until Mira follows a deer to the edge of Sylvanus.
A human boy, Ryan, has lived besides the forest for his entire life and has often wandered among the trees, but always close enough to make his way back to his home

Character Sheet (may be added onto later)

Name - Mira
Species - Wood elf
Age - 17
Description - Of the Fieri family. Long brown hair usually worn in a braid down her back. Deep green eyes with golden flecks. 5' 7" (short for a wood elf). Very skilled with a bow and arrow (top in her class), keen senses (must for a hunter). Quick temper, but very caring of her family and the young ones of Sylvanus. Is accompanied by a squirrel named Seyus whom she found as a baby (abandoned by his parents) when she was out hunting one day.
Family - younger brother, Remus (4) two younger sisters Alida and Peony (14 and . Mother died giving birth to Remus. Father, Favian, very respected hunter, taught Mira everything she knows.

Name - Ryan
Species - Human
Age - 18
Description - Black hair cropped close to his head that sticks up in every angle. Light grey eyes that turn dark when he is angry. 6' 2"A little moody, always been pushed around by his older brother. Spends most of his time in a tree house he built and expanded upon.
Family - Older brother, Doug (20) Mother, Maria (45) Father left his mother for a younger women.

Name - Faust
Species - Wood elf
Age - 19
Description - Of the Ezio family (Metal worker) Shoulder length golden hair, worn back in a pony-tail. Light blue eyes. 6' 4" calm and serene, the water to Mira's fire, and one of her closest friends (has had a crush on her since he was 9 and she shot a wild boar that was attacking him (he was kind of a weakling back then)) Knows of existence of humans but detests them all because he saw his youngest sister murdered by three men.
Family - Mother, Kaero, Father, Racoure

Name - Valora
Species - Wood elf
Age - 17
Description - Of the Fieri Family (Mira's cousin and best (girl) friend) Short brown hair, golden eyes. 5' 9". She challenged the family class and became a healer instead of a hunter, very loving of all creatures and couldn't bear to kill anything. Quick and agile.
Family - Mother, Siari. Father, Norad. Little sister, Lilly (12)

The leaves of the tall oak trees threw patterns of sunlight onto the soft mossy forest floor. Butterflies lazed by flowers and bird sung sweet melodies at each other. A buck leaned down to take a drink of cool water from a flowing stream when he heard a noise, he perked his ears and turned his head as a bow string twanged.
The thud from the bucks life-less body roused the silent hunter from her spot as she went over to inspect her kill. She knelt by the dead buck and sent a silent prayer Abramis, the goddess of animals, thanking her for providing the food that would keep her family fed. Hoisting the buck over her shoulder, she headed back to the heart of Sylvanus, back to the labyrinth of tree huts where her people, the wood elves lived

Faust sat in the middle of a vine bride, slowly swinging back and forth as he gazed out into the darkening forest. The light from the sunset shimmered off his golden hair but his blue eyes were clouded with worry. They flicked back and forth until he spotted a moving figure. The grabbed a dangling vine and threw himself off the bridge, swinging gracefully to land besides the figure.
"Mira!" he exclaimed in excitement "look at the buck you got!"
Mira grinned up at him from under her kill. "Hey Faust, lend a hand would you?"

[Malverne]

As always, Faust's heartbeat pounded when he saw Mira. She was so powerful, so strong, so fiery...Faust couldn't help but smile at her. At her request to help carry the deer, Faust knelt down, and took the entire burden onto his shoulders, ignoring any signs of protest from the diminutive elven girl. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her, and every day, Faust ached to tell her that. But, it was not to be. Mira was out of reach, and Faust was stuck firmly in, what was known as in another world, the friend zone.

"Phew, this guy's heavy," Faust grunted under the weight of the buck, "Where'd you find this one? The deer haven't been this well fed in a while." Faust started walking back towards the ladder up into the trees, letting Mira walk ahead of him like a gentleman.

[Sonatina]

"It wouldn't have been so heavy if you would have let me help carry it!" Mira pouted, but then grinned, eager to share the secret of where she had gotten the deer
"I got up extra early this morning, and walked all the way over the Giou river, you know, the one with the huge tree bridge? It was about 3 miles north from where I usually hunt, I found a beautiful place with a stream trickling through, and about twenty deer all around grazing, fat and lazy too! Just ripe for the picking! I'll probably go there tomorrow! See what else I can find"
Mira squinted her up at him, the last bit of sunlight reflecting in her eyes as she waited for his normal praise

[Malverne]

"Incredible as always," Faust said, smiling down. The sunlight glinted from Mira's eyes, and Faust's heart hammered. He wondered for a moment if Mira could hear it, because it was certainly pounding in his ears.

"I can handle it," Faust assured Mira, "I was just commenting on how you never cease to get good game." Faust reached the foot of the vine ladder that rose into the foliage, made sure the deer was balanced on his shoulder, and started climbing.

"You'll have to show me this spot," he said once he was climbing upwards, "It sounds like it could be our new hideaway after the kids found our last one." One of Faust's younger cousins had followed them to their last little place they'd found in the forest, and now it was a place for all the young children to come and play. Since then, Faust and Mira had been searching for a new, slightly quieter place.

[Sonatina]

Mira watched as he climbed the vine, his strong arms taking almost all of his weight. She caught herself admiring him though and snapped out of it, answering his thought.
"Agreed, there is a nice spot of sunlight to bask in too" She paused as they reached the kitchens "I can take if from here, really, besides, didn't Aarone kick you out of the kitchens last time?" Her eyes danced merrily as she grinned at the memory.

[Malverne]

Faust's cheeks flushed with embarassment when Mira brought up that incident. He turned his face away, coughing so that she wouldn't notice.

"I wouldn't say kicked out," Faust muttered, "although tempers were flaring, and it wasn't exactly smart of me to try and grab some extra food." Kicked out were exactly the words to describe what had happened. His father had laughed when he'd been told what had happened. It made Faust's urge to find a new hiding spot even stronger, and now that Mira had found one...

"When do you think you can show me the new spot? My father's been laughing at me whenever I come in the house."

[Sonatina]

"Flaring is an understatement" Mira laughed "sneaking extra food from Aarone is about as smart as taking on a wild boar weaponless. Both of which, I might point out, you have done. As for the hide away, it is too far away to walk there tonight, how about tomorrow morning? We can get up with the sun, and maybe we can find some blueberries on the way"

[Malverne]

"I did not 'take on' a wild boar unarmed," Faust told Mira, "I was attacked by a wild boar with nothing to defend myself except you." Faust felt a moment of sadness when Mira told him they couldn't leave immediately, but perked up again at the prospect of blueberries.

"You think we could find some?" he asked, smiling wide. Blueberries were his favorite food in the world. His mother often commented that he would one day turn blue from all the blueberries. Faust didn't care if he turned blue though; he just wanted more blueberries.

"That sounds great," Faust said, "However, in the meantime, where do you want this deer? It's bleeding on me, and my father hates the smell of blood in his house."

[Sonatina]

Mira laughed "my bad, oh mighty one. Though give me a little heads up before you go gala banding about the forest running into wild boar nests. There was a whole patch of blueberries where I was hunting, defiantly a good place for a hide away huh?"
Mira pulled the buck off his shoulders and onto hers "I got him, this guy is going straight to Aarone, and you best not be around when I hand him off, or you might mistakenly be cooked in tonight's stew." She turned around and started to walk away before calling over her shoulder "See you at dinner okay? save me a spot!"

[Malverne]

"I think you mean gallivanting," Faust said, letting go of the deer rather reluctantly. "I'm going to see if the owl is hungry, if that's okay with you. Do you think I'll need protection?" Faust winked at Mira. Mira knew that Faust had found a friend over the past few weeks, not unlike her own squirrel, Seyus.

"Yea, I don't think I'll be going anywhere the kitchens for at least a week," Faust said, "I like all of my limbs attached to my body." As Mira walked away. Faust sighed to himself. His gaze lingered for a moment on her back, then he turned away and started climbing through the thick tree branches. He leapt from branch to branch, making his way out of the village. Once Faust was a fair distance away from the noise, he cupped his hands around his mouth, and sent out a hooting noise.

There was a soft answering hoot from directly above him as the Boreal owl swooped down. Faust reached into his pocket and handed the bird a dead mole he'd caught earlier. The bird swallowed the animal in one gulp, then hooted at him again.

"That's all I've got right now," Faust told the bird. She blinked at him, and Faust rolled his eyes. "Yea yea yea. I wonder if you've got a man back in a tree somewhere. If not...well, look hard at all the guy birds you know, okay? Make sure that you aren't missing something in one of them." Faust knew that Mira was magnificently oblivious to the entire male gender and all of their advances. At least three boys had tried to ask her to go on a trip into the forest with them, and she'd completely ignored them. Faust had a few girls that watched his every move at dinner, but at least he was aware of them. Mira...oh that girl. Completely perfect in every way except that she had no idea how Faust felt.

The owl nipped Faust's finger, startling him out of his thoughts.

"I gotta go," he told the bird, "Dinner time. Will I see you tonight?" Faust often took midnight jaunts through the forest. The owl trilled at him, which he took as a 'yes.'

"Alright, see you then." And he swung off into the foliage, heading toward the smell of cooking food and the sound of a large family meal.

[Sonatina]

Mira walked away, but turned to in time to see him leaping from branch to branch, she childishly stuck her tongue out at him "gallivanting, gala banding, same thing" she muttered as she strode into the kitchen
Aarone raised an eyebrow at her and she stopped muttering at once.
"A fine buck for your stew tonight Aarone" Mira covered quickly Aarone nodded and pointed to a table where wicked looking butcher knives lay. Mira heaved the buck onto it, noticing that it had indeed bled all over her, she turned to make her way to her family's hut to clean up before dinner. Aarone called to her retreating back
"Mind, you keep that Faust away from my kitchens!"
Mira smiled as she crossed a network of vine bridges though her thoughts were interrupted as Seyus landed on her shoulder
"Hey darling" She greeted him, he chirped back through a mouth full of nuts "Have a productive day?" Seyus ignored her comment and snuggled on her neck under her hair "I'll take that as a no"
Laughter rung in her ears and, as she neared her hut, Remus, her younger brother, just turned four, came running out of it and into her arms
"Ra!" he shrieked in fits of laughter, He couldn't fully say Mira, so Ra was his pet name for her, "Ra! dabby's comin, dabby's comin"
Mira glanced up just in time to see her father galloping out of the door before he bowled her over, Remus and all. They landed in a heap.
"pheeew Mira, you stink of blood" her father commented, she rolled her eyes at him
"I was coming home to get cleaned up but some how ended up here on the floor" she grumbled her father laughed, a full-from-the-belly laugh as he picked both her and Remus up.
"Well you best get inside and get cleaned up then, Remus and I are headed over to dinner, Alida and Peony are already there, they said they would save us a table"
"mmkay" Mira answered "I told Faust that I would sit with him though, is that alright" Her father gave her a knowing smile "what?!" she questioned
"Oh, nothing, yes, its alright, guess we will see you after dinner then!" He hoisted Remus up to sit on his shoulders and the paraded off.
Shaking her head at him Mira quickly went inside to change clothes and re-braid her hair.

***

The grand plaza was packed, as it always was at meal times, constructed all in one piece out of a huge tree, it could fit the entire population of Sylvanus, that is if they all stood with no elbow room.
Mira pushed her way through the crowd searching for Faust

[Malverne]

Faust was sitting on the far side of the plaza from where Mira entered, and only noticed her entrance because her family entered with her. His height, which allowed him to peer over the crowd, was cancelled by Mira's LACK of height. Faust waved his hand, trying to catch Mira's attention, and momentarily considered calling for her, but it was already loud enough in here. Instead, Faust started moving through the crowd, gently pushing people to the side to let him through.

Eventually, Faust made it to Mira, and tapped her on the shoulder.

"You really need to grow more," he said, smiling a little, "Being so short makes it hard to find you in this crowd. Come on, I found some seats near the fire. No small kids around." Faust liked small children, but in small doses. Either a few small kids for an hour or two, or (as was more likely) twenty small children for a few minutes. It was loud enough inside the cavern without Faust sitting next to a horde of screaming demons. In that regard, Faust was lucky that he didn't have any young siblings.

"Here we are!" Faust gestured to the table, and the two seats he'd bribed some of the other teenagers to hold for him.

[Sonatina]

"I'm not short" Mira pouted "besides, you found me well enough didn't you?" but she followed him to the table and settled down in the seat next to him before craning her neck to look out into the crowd once more.
"Where is-" she started but her eyes fixed on a figure and she waved her hand "Over here Valora!" she shouted over the noise. The figure turned, saw Mira and Faust and hurried over.

"Hey guys!" Valora panted as she settled into a seat across from Mira "quite a crowd tonight huh? Wonder whats for dinner." She inspected her friends as Mira started rambling about a strapping buck she had caught. Valora really didn't like to talk about dead animals so she tuned most of it out, nodding at the appropriate times, while really she was watching Faust watch Mira like an adoring puppy. Valora laughed to herself and glanced around to see if anyone else noticed what was going on right under there noses, but all of the other elves their age had seemed to accept the fact that Faust had accepted that Mira and him were only ever going to be friends.
Maybe it comes from being such close friends with both of them, and for so longValora thought to herself. Though Mira and her were from the same family, Valora had known Faust almost two years before Mira had saved him from being gutted, and she saw the effect that Mira had on him. Mira really was dense when it came to Faust

[Malverne]

"You are short," Faust told Mira, "Telling yourself any differently is silly. It'd be like me telling myself that I'm a firebrand, or that Valora's squeamish around injuries." Faust winked at Valora, who was watching him. Valora was the only one, that Faust knew of, that knew about Faust's interest in Mira. Sure, others might suspect, but Valora was the only one who could tell. That was just because Valora knew Faust when he first met Mira, before he learned subtelty.

"So, you fixed and broken people today?" Faust asked. Valora was the family rebel, being healer instead of hunter, and Faust met her rather early on in his life. Members of the Ezio family often hurt themselves, and therefore interact with healers quite often.

A beautiful smell floated through the air, and Faust sniffed appreciatively.

"I wonder if that's your deer," Faust said to Mira, "Whatever it is, it smells good."

[Sonatina]

Mira once again stuck her tongue out at Faust, not able to come up with anything better to say

Valora smiled back at Faust, admiring his twinkling blue eyes, the exact shade of robin eggs
"Two children" she said in answer to his question "They thought it would be a good idea to go exploring in the woods by themselves, luckily an ugly patch of briars got to them before any wild animals, oh, and your mother stopped by too Faust, but just for some cold remedies"

Mira perked up at the sight of the kitchen elves carrying platters topped with steaming platters of meat, potatoes, and greens.
"I'm starved!" she exclaimed "you're right, it does smell delicious, mmmmmm" she moaned as a platter was set down on the table and loaded her plate up, shoving a baby potato in her mouth.
"make anyfing fum at the forge?" she asked through the potato