A Tense Confrontation

Talya was a senior warrior and the leader of a group consisting of herself and three scouts. The scouts were skilled at the hunt, but had never seen combat. Their instructions were to avoid being seen and return to Talya with any information they uncovered. One scout remained with Talya at all times while to scouted together. In this way, anything they found could be trailed or observed by one, while the other informed the rest of the group.

Talya and her partner, June, were just emerging from a ravine they were exploring when one of the others came running swiftly through the trees. They called out to her and she veered off her course and came up to them. "You must come quickly Talya," the young scout named Serena said. "We were just approached by a group of elves" she stated, "and Ella is speaking with them now." Talya wasted no time and told Serena to lead the way at her best pace.

Upon their arrival, they found Ella facing a group of five elves, one of whom was engaged in a heated argument with her as the others looked on. Though the tension was obvious, Talya had seen elves before. Although they could be difficult at times, she had never had cause to suspect them of treachery and was therefore ready to hear what they had to say. She was certain they would not be involved in the disappearance of Caryn and the others, they could very well have information if they had been in the area for several days.

Approaching the group, Talya realized that young Ella was overstepping her authority. She was accusing the elves of doing something to Caryn and the elf spokesperson was vehemently denying the allegation. Talya calmly silenced Ella with curt gesture, introduced herself to the elves, and asked the one in front of her what they happened to be doing in Salayan territory. The elf relaxed a bit, named herself as Perellia, and said, "Sadly, we have something in common."