The sun was rising peacefully from the shimmering river in the early morning. The Band could be found in a clearing for them to rest in for the time being. Callisto had managed to find some moonberries for everyone and gave it to them for breakfast. Everyone was spent from the river ride, but they're slowly recovering from it. But Rayla was resting above them on a tree branch, keeping a keen lookout as they rested.
"Snap."
It was the tiniest sound, not enough to alert the resting travelers or even the squirrel resting near her, but the little crunch put Rayla on high alert. She sat up, hearing a few tweets of birds. She looked down and saw everyone were still resting with Bait and Zym. The crack was a twig snapping, Rayla was sure of it — and it had been snapped by a human foot, one that was trying to tread quietly.
Rayla sprang to her feet, grabbed her blades, and sprinted into the forest.
She snuck off, leaping through the trees. She landed gracefully on a bed of grass surrounded by bushes. She glanced around keeping quiet as a mouse. Thens she saw a stick snapped in two. She walked over and gently picked it up. Rustling echoed in her pointy ears. She turned around and saw the leaves rustling. She pulled out her swords.
But from out of the bush appeared a harmless fawn. She sheathed his weapons away. "Aww, you scared me cutie." Rayla offered a hand and the forest fawn stepped over so she could stroke it. The fawn licked her hands, making her chuckled softly.
The fawn's ears flicked up in fear and it scurried back into the bushes, where it joined its mother and both of them bounded away quickly.
"What's wrong?" Rayla asked.
Just as she stood up, she saw a large shadow over her. Before she could react, she felt a net of rope falling onto her, trapping her. She grunted as she tried to wriggle free. She turned her head around and saw a human high up in the trees. It leapt down and landed right behind her. He wore a hunter's uniform with metal arm and leg armor; he carried a swinging hook with a chain lasso.
"Never trapped an elf before. Easier than I thought," said the tracker.
He swung his hook to try and stab Rayla, but she freed herself and flipped into a stand, pulling out her blades, and facing the human. She leapt into action.
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Unaware of the fight in the forest, Diana was the first one to be fully awakened when she suddenly realized that Rayla was missing from her tree.
Callum convinced Bait to lick Ezran awake for the early morning and some of the elves laughed at the sight after they had fully awakened themselves.
"Umm... Guys?" Everyone spun around to look at Diana curiously. "Where's Rayla?"
"She must of heard something and took off to take care of it," said Callum thoughtfully.
"Maybe." Andromeda looked for any sign of Rayla, but not a sign of her can be seen.
"It doesn't take Rayla this long to do a solo patrol," said Runaan, looking concerned and started looking for her.
"Rayla!" Ethari called out to his adoptive daughter. "Where are you?!"
It wasn't long till the two of them had what could only be described as a silent staredown as Ethari fully comprehended that Runaan was one-hundred percent serious about Rayla. His brown eyes had gained a sharp glint, before he turned around without a word.
"Is Ethari..." Diana stood next to Runaan, who glanced back at her. "Is he... mad?" Runaan's gaze saddened a bit, but he remained silent as he went after Ethari and she stopped following him to rejoin the others as they all watched them from a fair distance like older siblings protecting their younger siblings and pets from their parents' argument.
"I know what you're going to say." Runaan crossed his arms over his chest. "You don't have to say it."
Ethari turned around, his eyes flashing with disbelief. "Well, I'm going to say it anyway." His voice was edged, just like the blades he forged. "Runaan, what are you thinking?! In what way does this seem like a good idea to you?!"
"You can't deny her skill, Ethari." Runaan gave his husband a hard stare. He stood by his decision. He just had to make Ethari see it from his point of view. "I've seen her train against the other warriors. She's quick, strong, and cunning. She's outmatched each and every one of the other assassins who I've assigned to the mission. She is more than capable of taking part in this mission."
"It's not her skill that I'm questioning, Runaan," Ethari rubbed the bridge of his nose, taking a deep, exasperated breath. "She is fifteen, Runaan! Fifteen! It should be out of the question whether or not she'll be on this mission! You were nineteen when you were assigned your first mission!"
"That was before the future of our home was thrown in disarray!" Runaan raised his voice as well, his turquoise irises burning brightly. "This isn't just a simple scouting mission we're being ordered to perform, Ethari!"
"And I don't care about war, Runaan!" Ethari was now yelling to him. "I ONLY CARE ABOUT PROTECTING THE PEOPLE I LOVE!"
Runaan went silent. His mouth was open as he stared in shock at Ethari, who panted harshly, his hands clenched to fists at his sides. The two of them stared at each other, their words hanging in the air like ghosts.
After the argument, Callum led everyone back to the campsite and the tense air of the argument seemed to have follow them with the tense silence.
"We should probably start searching for her," said Callum, breaking the tense silence over them and he started drawing a map of the forest with a stick in the dry dirt.
"I can track her by the ground in case she's walking," Diana said determinedly.
"We can search by the treetops." The Moonshadow elves (excluding Runaan and Ethari) nodded at Skor's comment.
"Thanks everyone." Callum smiled at them, his green eyes shone with modest confidence and leadership. "Lets track her down."
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The hunter swung his lasso-hook multiple types of Rayla, who back-flipped elegantly out of the way. Her attacker leapt her, but she fell back and pushed him over with her boots. Leaping back again to her feet, she turned around and saw the attacker giving her a daring face. In the distance between them, she could see the large tree behind them. She couldn't lead the hunter to his friends. The human threw his lasso at her, but the elf leapt up into the tall tree with long thick branches. Looking down, she saw her attacker throw the hook again, but she cartwheeled out of the way. The human hoisted him up into the tree to a higher branch, but Rayla sprinted along the lower branch she was standing on. The human trailed above her and getting closer enough, she threw her hook and it caught Rayla's ankle. He was hoisted up into the air upside down. The human, keeping a firm grip on the chain hoisted her up sawing a branch as a crank.
"Give me King Harrow's children peacefully and I'll let you go," the human ordered. "Release your prisoners!"
"They're not my prisoners!" Rayla answered back. "They chose to come with me!"
That earned a scoff. "Why would they trust you?"
Rayla twisted the air releasing her ankle from the chain and landed on the branch above. "Because they're my friends. I saved their lives." She deflected the hook again.
"'Friends'?" the hunter sneered. "Your lot killed their father!"
"I didn't kill anyone!" Rayla shouted back.
"What's the difference?" The man glared at her angrily.
"I'm sorry that King Harrow was killed!" yelled Rayla. "It was the High Mage they should have killed for killing the King of the Dragons! I'm not your enemy!"
But the hunter wouldn't listen. He launched his hook again and it broke the branch Rayla was standing on, sending her falling. She managed to grab hold of a branch far below, bust she couldn't hold on for very long. She tried to climb up but the human towered over her. "They don't know. Do they?" Rayla flipped from under the branch and sent her attacker falling another ranch below. She went dashing through the trees until she came to a giant branch overlooking a great cliff and some lower forest plains.
She heard the cling of the chain.
"When they find out they'll hate you!" the hunter sneered.
"Shut up!" shouted Rayla.
The hunter launched his hook and it lassoed Rayla's sword as she moved to deflect it. He smirked. But his victory was short-lived when Rayla lassoed his left wrist around the chain and he leapt off the cliff, taking the human with her. They crashed through branches and slide down a steep hill. Rayla turned her right butterfly-knife sword into a hook and she managed to slow down her slide by digging into the dirt. The human went tumbling down and down and down until he crashed into a deep ditch far, far below. He would not be after Rayla any time soon. He stood up, glaring coldly up at the elf.
"Savor your victory elf!" the angry tracker yelled. "Next time you won't be so lucky!"
"Says the guy in the ditch!" jeered Rayla.
She sheathed hey blades and sprinted back towards the camp.
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As everyone searched for Rayla, Callum thought he saw a certain slender, white-haired figure swinging out of the woods. Startling everyone, some of them stepped back and the others took out their weapons in a swift instant. After they realized it was Rayla, they calmed down and slipped their weapons away.
"Are you alright, Rayla?" Ethari asked her. "What happened?"
Diana took note of the bruises and scratches on Rayla's skin with some concern and asked, "Did you have an accident or something?"
"Or something." Rayla looked very startled, panicked even. "A human is tracking us. We have to get out of here."
The group were alarmed by this news and they immediately started packing their things before the human tracker starts searching for them again.
"Diana, did you wanted to show me something?" Rayla asked Diana as they took their leave.
"Maybe later," replied Diana. "Once I know that we're not being followed by whoever that human was."
Rayla squirmed uncomfortably as she remembered the king's death and said, "Good idea."
Diana raised an eyebrow at Rayla's swift change in her demeanor. She narrowed her eyes thoughtfully at the elves. They were hiding something from them. But Diana doesn't know what it is. It was like every time they heard the king being mentioned, they became uncharacteristically quiet and stricken with heavy guilt. Unless...
Oh no. Diana was struck with horror as she realized what was behind the elves' changes of demeanors. The Dragon King was killed and the Dragon Prince was taken away by the King and High Mage, but the Moonshadow elves were going to have their revenge by killing King Harrow and Prince Ezran. Diana looked Zym and Ezran, understanding the situation. But they're letting Prince Ezran live because the Dragon Prince still lives. But the same High Mage who had assisted in killing Thunder has framed Moonshadow elves in killing King Harrow when it was Viren's doing this whole time. Diana looked at the two princes empathetically. They're going to suffer another lost within their family once again.
"Did something happened when I was on patrol?" Rayla asked Diana, snapping her out of her grim thoughts, and realized that Rayla is feeling the tense silence in the air and it seemed to be coming from her adoptive fathers.
Runaan was in front of everyone, leading them and making sure Callum (who was holding Zym in his arms) is walking by his side. While Ethari was walking behind them, as if he was making sure no one is being left behind or trying to keep his distance from his husband.
"You could say that," admitted Diana uneasily. "I think it was about you and your role as an assassin."
Rayla's eyes widened at this piece of news, but her expression saddened as her violet eyes shone with unshed tears and her ears started drooping like wilting flowers.
"I'm sorry Rayla." Diana's voice softened and placed a hesitant hand on Rayla's shoulder. "I shouldn't—"
"No, it's okay." Rayla let out a breath and forced herself to calm her nerves. "I'll figure out a way for them and for us." She smiled softly and placed a hand on Diana's shoulder. "But appreciate it that you have told me the truth. Now it's my turn to do so." Diana's eyes widened slightly, but she returned the smile as a sisterly bond has started to forge between them.
But Ethari heard and saw everything between the two girls. He felt a wave of guilt washing over him. He and Runaan had both been arguing behind their adoptive daughter's back.
Rayla's gaze met Ethari's eyes and before she said softly to him, "This is what I've trained for." She felt herself smiled at Ethari sadly. "This is what my training has led up to."
"As a great protector," added Diana with a proud smile as she continued walking with the others.
Ethari had no words. His heart twisted as he stared into Rayla's wide, violet eyes. She didn't have the cold, unfeeling mask of an assassin. Her face was soft and warm. Her eyes weren't pieces of sharp gemstone. They were gentle and full of love. For a fleeting moment, he truly couldn't understand how she thought she could take the life of another.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the glint of her twin blades as they were held by Rayla.
It was then, Rayla's words reminded him.
Rayla wasn't training with swords for fun. She wasn't spending hours upon hours a day practicing and practicing, training and training, honing her skills sharper than they had ever been before, for nothing. Rayla didn't just know how to swing a sword and defend herself. She knew how to attack. She knew the fatal points where to deal the final blow. She knew exactly how to kill.
When he remembered when she made the decision to join the mission, how her eyes had flared with the all-too familiar sharpness of a warrior.
Ethari lowered his head as the guilt started running through him. He felt upset for what he has said to Runaan. Ethari soon heard the rare sound of chuckling from Runaan and saw it was Callum speaking to him with Zym on his shoulders, despite his nervousness towards Runaan. He looked at Ezran as he walked alongside the other elves and talking to them eagerly, at ease even. He turned his gaze to Diana as she spoke to Rayla and a sisterly bond was forming between them.
Everyone is becoming each other's family now, realized Ethari.