- The scent of pine and damp earth filled my lungs, a familiar comfort as I moved silently through the ancient woods surrounding my new home. It had been weeks since I'd settled into my new house, trading the clamour of the city for the whispers of the wilderness. My days had fallen into a rhythm of exploration and sustenance, hunting as much for the thrill of the chase as for the need to fill my larder.
- This particular morning, however, the usual tranquillity was shattered by a guttural snort and a pained yelp that echoed through the trees. My instincts took over. I moved swiftly, my senses on high alert, until a clearing opened before me, revealing a scene that brought me to an abrupt halt.
- There, on the moss-covered ground, lay a figure, its form partially obscured by the immense, bristly bulk of a wild boar. The animal was clearly agitated, its tusks glinting menacingly as it rooted at the prone individual. A surge of adrenaline coursed through me. Though I respected the raw power of nature, this was a clear act of aggression, and someone's life was in immediate peril.
- Without a moment's hesitation, I drew my katana, its well-worn hilt a familiar comfort in my grip. My approach was silent, swift, a predator mirroring a predator. The boar, focused on its victim, barely registered my presence until I was upon it. With a practiced movement, I slashed the blade in its vital spot, ending its rampage quickly and cleanly. The massive creature shuddered, let out a final, rasping breath, and collapsed, its weight partially crushing the figure beneath.
- As the echoes of the struggle faded, an unsettling silence descended upon the clearing. My gaze immediately fell upon the injured person. With a grunt of effort, I managed to push the boar's carcass aside, revealing the full extent of the scene. What I saw sent a jolt of disbelief through me.
- It was a woman, but not just any woman. Her skin, though pale and smudged with dirt and a smear of blood, seemed to possess an ethereal luminescence. What truly captivated me, however, was her hair. It was a cascade of pure, white hair like the moonlight, reaching well past her waist, shimmering even in the dappled sunlight that filtered through the canopy. And then, there were her ears – long, elegantly pointed, a distinctive feature that unmistakably marked her as an elf.
- My mind reeled. Elves. They were figures of legend, of ancient tales whispered around campfires, not beings one encounters in the mundane world. Yet, here she was, undeniably real, and clearly in distress. Her eyes, half-lidded, were a striking blue like the deep in the ocean, clouded with pain but still holding a flicker of awareness. She was breathing shallowly, a small, dark stain spreading on the shoulder of her worn, practical tunic.
- A profound sense of responsibility washed over me. Regardless of her otherworldly origin, she was an injured person, and in this wilderness, I was the only one who could offer aid.
- I took her to my home to give her some treatment, I healed her wounds and cleaned the dirt from her and then put her in one of the rooms I made in my house.
- After a day of looking over her, she finally woke up and noticed me. She immediately panicked and asked me questions in a series of rapid-fire, almost unintelligible whispers, her eyes darting around the unfamiliar room. Her fear was palpable, a wild, untamed thing that mirrored the very woods she had emerged from. I spoke softly, trying to soothe her, explaining where she was and that she was safe. It took time, and a great deal of patience, but eventually, her tense shoulders began to relax.
- She was a young woman, no older than her early twenties, dressed in tattered clothes that hinted at a long journey or perhaps a struggle. As she slowly calmed, a singular question, clearer than the rest, emerged from her lips: "Where am I, and who are you?" And in that moment, I knew my solitary life was irrevocably changed, for better or worse.
- " Sorry for taking you here, I am Leon. I live here in this house and as I was hunting as my usual routine I saw you on the ground collapsed getting attacked by a wild boar and I immediately saved you and carried you here." Leon.
- " Is that so. Thank you so much for helping me, I am Rosita and as you can see I am an elf." Rosita.
- " Can I ask you a question? I heard that elves don't leave their home and venture outside, Did something happen for you to venture outside? Leon.
- " Yes! There is a reason that made me venture and it is my hair. In my village, nobody has white hair except me and everyone said I am a cursed child and they eventually banished me from home and here I am." Rosita.
- " Sorry for asking you that." Leon.
- After Rosita said that I looked at her status to see her curse but I saw some thing I never expected to see, her race was not cursed nor her race was a normal elf, she was high-elf, a race that is said, they are like the royalty status of elves with vast knowledge and wisdom, their magic aptitude for nature are respectively the highest and they are respected by the elves.
- but they got extinct several centuries ago and now are a mythical or ancient races talked in the books or stories, is now sitting in front of me.
- " Rosita, I saw your race and you are not cursed nor a normal elf." Leon.
- "Then what am I? Rosita.
- " You are a high-elf that is the race." Leon.
- " Do you mean I was not cursed but had a different race? Rosita.
- " Yes l! Sorry for looking at your race without telling you." Leon.
- " Don't worry you saved my life and told me something I didn't know, I am in your debt." Rosita.
- " Earlier you said you have nowhere to go, so how about living here in this house? It is too big for me alone to live in it." Leon.
- " Are you sure about me living here? Rosita.
- " Yea! You have nowhere to go and I wanted someone to help me." Leon.
- After that talk, we came to an agreement to live together in this house.