74 Chapter 74 Stellas Dream (1/2)

She had been the top hunter of her tribe. The number of times she had pulled off feats never before done by any other were uncountable by the elders. They almost revered her. Because of her desire to please them, and to prove herself to all who believed in her, she decided that none of the humans should be allowed onto their land. Unfortunately, the elders disagreed with her.

It had once been, that they would hunt and kill the humans for sport, then return with them to the tribe, and divvy up the meat for all to enjoy. She remembered a great number of times when she had fed on the flesh of a human, drunk on the wine of her people, and dancing beneath the full moon of the sky. But something had changed, and she couldn't figure out what.

Sylva had convinced those in her hunting party, her most trusted friends, to follow her after she had left the elder lodge. She did not tell them that she had been forbidden to raise her spear to the humans. They wanted the trade between them to foster. Such fools. Couldn't they see that the humans were nothing more than scavengers? They would take everything they could until there was nothing left. Already the number of trees felled to those greedy humans outnumbered the trees they had felled out of necessity. The sprites were fleeing them, and the things they brought in trade were inferior to their own goods. If only things would return to the way it had been. A tasty leg or arm, marinated over a fire, with a warm mug of wine…but those times were long gone. The humans were now beings of thought, not to be hunted as animals.

Stalking through the trees, she heard the ravens call the warning. Humans had entered the forest. She would hunt them down and destroy them before they could further the dealings between the elders. Surely if they never arrived, the elders would be forced to see what she saw every day. The elders had ceased to walk the forest paths. The sounds and sights of the forest were fading from their memories, as the greed of the humans clouded their judgements and darkened their hearts.

Whistling the call to arms, her hunting party sped to her side as they rushed through the trees to find the offending humans. Their blight on their forest would be ended this day. The lies silenced forever.

There, several were racing on horseback. They must know that they were hunted. She had warned them not to return, and yet, here they were. Speed would not save them this time. She, and her hunting party, had long ago learned the secrets to running as swiftly as any deer. Knocking arrows to their bows, they closed in on their speeding forms. Not even the foul beasts they rode on would be allowed to live. They had given up their freedom to serve these abominations.

Their arrows flew swiftly and found their marks. The dead were scattered like leaves. The leader lay on his back, gasping for air, like a fish thrown onto the bank. She wasted no time in drawing her sword and dealing him a death blow. Twisting it for good measure, she was disgusted to see a spark in his eyes as they landed on her. These humans were too easily controlled. What could the elders possibly see in them?

Cleaning her blade, Sylva noted a message for her, grasped in the talons of an owl. It was from the elders. Her heart beating a strange rhythm she wasn't familiar with, she answered the call. Her hunting party remained behind to clean up the mess of the dead. It would do no good to leave such evidence lying about in their forest.

The elders awaited her in their lodge. A foul scent was in the air, that caused her nose to wrinkle. It was a scent she didn't recognize. In the dim light, the red of their eyes were evident, and it was obvious they were furious.

”You have gone against the council.”

”Only for the good of the people,” she tried to say, but they ignored her.

”These humans outnumber us ten to one, and you kill them still for sport! If we did not try so hard to smooth matters over with diplomacy, they would overrun our forest and kill us all!” growled one of the elders.

She stood stiffly. If she was allowed to hunt them as she pleased, they would not have grown so numerous. Obviously, they were a pest that needed to be controlled, but the elders did not see it that way.

”You have had your way for too long. We have been too lenient on you. The people like you, Sylva, but we can not allow you to ignore our orders.”