The sun could hardly be seen in this area of the forest. Though most of the Taurai Woods was sparsely wooded, there was an observable concentration of trees here, where the hooded figure stood. It wasn't mid day yet, and still, here one couldn't make the distinction between night and day. Darkness filled the void that was usually taken by the light. The animals and creatures of Taurai gave no indication whether or not they were aware of what hour they were in. Business was usual for the inhabitants of the land.

But the man with the cloak was no citizen of Taurai. This strange place between the two extremes of night and day was foreign to him, his eyes taking some time to adjust to the lack of light. Elves are not nocturnal by nature, or at least Gondgaur's clan wasn't. He much preferred the bright and shining sun to the dreary black that came after sunset. Here, however, he had no choice.

If he had had more say on the matter, he would not even be in this woodland. The elf had been sent as a scout to see if any others had forged a settlement in the area. If there was some life out here, besides that of the woodland creatures, he was to record it, then report his findings when he returned. It wasn't a coveted mission, but it was one he needed to fulfill. As one of the younger in his clan, it was his duty to perform such tasks.

The truth was, Gondgaur would have accepted just about any mission that would be asked of him, even if it weren't his most desired. He had had very little importance among his peers in recent times, as there hadn't been much to do. He had taken it upon himself to restore the library for the people, and to rejuvenate interest in learning and the arts. It had been a lost interest for his particular group of elves, who had had their fair share of battles to become cynical and weary. Gondgaur was part of the movement to refresh the thirst for literature and learning, but hadn't gotten very far. The elves, for all their fairness, had a thick skin that was tough to penetrate.

He came upon a brook that appeared to finally be amongst a few rays of light, a flicker in the dark. This bode well for Gondgaur, so he took the moment to stoop down and rest by the slowly moving water and relax for a few minutes, before he returned to scouting. He knew that if he went back to his people with anything less than a sign of life in this place, he would lose a bit of reputation there. He had to find someone, something, out here, before his journey reached its end. He cupped his hands together and splashed some of the clear water into his face, then sat and pondered, waiting.

Watching the sun slowly setting from atop a tall oak, Jess sat completely still, her cloak making her invisible to those below. She sat for a long time, unmoving, just thinking, until something below disturbed the silence.
She looked down, her long, blonde hair falling free from the deep hood which she had pulled over her head. From here, she could see nothing, but if something had entered the area below, she had to check it out.
Sighing softly, she slipped off the top of the tree, flitting from branch to branch as she quickly made her way down below the thick foliage. Once she was past the leaves, she cast an emerald green eye over the forest floor.
Nothing.

Jess shrugged slightly and was about to head back up the tree when something caught her eye. Tracks.
They were shallow, mere disturbances in the leaves and had she not inherited her mothers eyes, Jess wouldn't of noticed them at all. Intrigued, she flipped across the small clearing, catching hold of a thick branch that stuck out almost horizontally from a tall birch tree. A tall, slim figure was walking slowly between the trees. It was clearly an elf and Jess followed his path in the trees above, careful to not make any noise.
The elf was scanning the ground below, his golden hair screening his eyes. He seemed to be searching for something and Jess knew that he would be alert and his sharp ears would hear the slightest sound she made. So she chose her path carefully, swinging silently from tree to tree and glad that he hadn't yet noticed her. They came across a small brook that cut a clearing in half and this seemed to be where the elf planned to stop for a while.

He sat down and Jess stopped in the trees, watching as he splashed his face with water. She was curious as to what a lone elf was doing wandering around these woods that were, as far as she knew, completely deserted of any form of civilisation. Stepping forward further on the branch, Jess made a grave mistake, stepping on a dead part of the branch.
It snapped obediently as she put the slightest amount of weight on it and fell to the ground, hitting other branches as it tumbled towards the ground, making an awful amount of noise in the dead silence. Jess dove behind the trunk as the elf looked up suddenly and she heard him start to get up slowly. Jess stayed stock-still, not knowing what the elf’s alignment was, nor if he would kill her on sight.
So she carefully slipped her bow off her back and nocked an arrow to it, just as the elf called out, then fell silent waiting for a reply. It was no good. He knew she was there and so, against her better judgement, the half-elf stepped out from behind the trunk aiming the bow down and at the elf’s chest. 'Who are you?' she asked, her voice soft and deadly. 'And what are you doing out here?'