My Fantasy Story (Part 1)

The beautiful meadow was as quiet as a graveyard. Well, almost. The trees surrounding the meadow let out faint rustling sounds as the wind gently swept through them. The low babbling of the creek that ran straight through the middle was a very relaxing noise to the girl that crouched in the nook of two branches in a tree. Suddenly, the snapping of twigs in the bushes to the left of her tree drew the girl’s undivided attention. A deer stepped out into the meadow. This is it. This is what the girl was waiting for. She drew her bow and notched an arrow into the string. She pulled the string back taut and waited until the deer dipped its head to take a drink from the creek. The girl let loose the string and the arrow went straight to its target. The deer fell to the ground and remained still.

An hour later, the girl was headed back towards her village with the meat and hide of the deer stored away in her pack. This had been her first solo hunt since she turned old enough to become a scout for her elf tribe. Once an elf turns 16, they are termed an adult and allowed to join the older elves in their daily activities. Female adult elves become scouts and male adult elves become warriors. Elves are taught how to be scouts and warriors from a young age so that they are prepared when they come of age. Emily was no different than any other elf in her tribe. She had been taught the ways of scouting for as long as she could remember. The solo hunting trip was the final test of her skills before she was allowed to go out with a scouting party. The only difference between Emily and the other elves in her village was one minor detail. She was not an elf.