Kai woke up with a start. Warmth splashed against his tan skin as the morning sun rose to bring him from reverie. Tel�Ruid was quite a splendor in the daytime. The sun was casting long shadows between the myriad of estates, giving the village both a warm, yet somewhat secluded feel. Kai took a long moment to take in the entire view, and a relaxing sensation started to creep over his being.

�Hoot?�

A weight dropped from the oak tree and landed upon his shoulder. The rational part of him hadn�t expected this, but the other part had. The noisy owl from last evening had followed him along the path, and to Kaivokalma�s luck, came to nest in the very tree he rested under. Only one word came to his mind, and a very sarcastic one at that. �Yippee..� The first day in this unfamiliar village and already he had a stalker.
Kai turned his head to face the plump ball of feathers, the amber eyes of the owl were already staring at his own green ones. This time Kai did laugh aloud, for the owl�s expression of curiosity and hopefulness was simply too much for him to keep inside.

�Can I help you, my noisy friend?� asked Kai, genuinely expecting the creature to answer him in the elven tongue.

�Hoot? Hoot, hoot, hoooot.� The owl gave a little jump and shot its gaze towards the central cluster of buildings located across the lake.

�You want to escort me into the village, don�t you?�

With another little hop and a ruffle of his feathers, the owl answered in turn. �Hoot.�

Off they went, our dashing elven friend Kaivokalma and his plump companion, into the heart of The Glade.

Elves were moving from here to there, going about their morning duties. Some tending to pets and animals, others crafting elaborate trinkets while resting on their porches, and others still were sparring with one another. All had hopes of reaching the pinnacle of their chosen profession. Now, Kaivokalma isn�t what we�d call shy, in fact, he�s overly outgoing, willing to try anything once or twice. He greeted those he saw with a smile and a wave, not wishing to interrupt the hustle and bustle that seemed to be an everyday routine. After doing some exploring and getting a feel for the overall layout of the village, he found himself before a hall. For the elven guild that inhabited this village he could only assume.

A noise behind him caught his attention. Kai spun on his heel, watching two elven rangers dressed in identical garb barreling towards him from out of the trees. Part of the guild, he thought with calm apprehension, the two elves didn�t seem very pleased with his appearance. In a single swift reaction, Kai had his bow in hand and string drawn, pointing it directly at the approaching rangers.

�Get down.� Kai called.

No sooner had he pronounced the �w� in down, when both rangers had bow in hand in an oddly similar fashion to which he had produced his own. Without a moments hesitation Kaivokalma released an arrow.
The twin rangers dove to the ground, he could hear them speaking to one another, and saw the angry look upon their faces.

A loud grunt came from behind the two, followed by the guttural sound of choking. An orc was gripping the shaft of an arrow that stuck from its thick neck. A moment passed and the filthy beast of dead. The rangers looked at each other with astonished bewilderment. Kai was gone, and an orc was dead.

The only sounds that pierced the silence in the minutes shortly thereafter, were the beating of wings and the sound of laughter.

�Hoo, hoo, hoo, hoo, hoooot.�

• Blessings Kaivokalma 06:36:04 pm, 11/04/3 (0)