The songs of the numerous bugs would not cease. It was a continuous chime that seemed to ring right down to the very soul. Birds flew by from branch to branch, investigating the invader of their territory. Rays of sun light managed to pierce through the thick canopy up top. Fat drops of due that collected on the leaves now fell to the ground with a thud, being disturbed of their resting place. The air was humid and muggy. Swarms of insects flew in small clouds, invisible until one stood right before them. The setting may have been unsuitable for most, but this was the home to a strange character.

A man stood in a crouched position using the large foliage around for his cover. He held a thick bow his hand, with an arrow knocked, aching to be released upon it’s target. The beast graze on whatever grass it could find in the mud. The hog’s tail was constantly swatting at swarms of insects, obviously getting irritated. Not more than one hundred feet away, the man stay crouched, silent and still. He never let the arrow away from the bow string. Slowly bringing up the weapon for aim, Valmonah took a slow and deep breathe, stopping at one point and holding. With the release of his fingers, the arrow shot straight away and headed dead on for it’s target. Almost immediately the steel head lodged itself into the throat of the hog. Squeals of surprise and pain ignited through the forest as the beast ran forth.

Valmonah did not waste time. He darted out of his hiding place amongst the foliage and sprinted through the mud. He was not worried that the pig would get away, as it would surely bleed to death, he just did not want to lose it. A trail of blood was sometimes hard to track through thick and soggy mud. At last he spotted it in the near distance, limping, slowly coming to a halt. The pig fell on it’s side and went limp, rapidly losing it’s energy from the massive loss of blood. Valmonah trudged through the black mud, keeping an eye out for any other predators that may have smelled the fresh hunt. It was not safe to hunt in the woods, as there were rumors that hunters were instead the hunted.

Scarlet sat against a tree with one arm draped across her knee looking up through the canopy of trees and smiling at the small particles of light shining through the leaves. She felt at peace here, there were no disturbing noises or people, just her and the forest relaxing calmly. But she couldn't stay here forever though, like it or not she had to move or get cramp, starve, or get far too bored to move.

So she stood up and wandered through the forest humming to herself, it was a song that she remember from when she was younger when her mother was still alive; she used to sing it to her every night before she went to sleep and every morning when she was waking up. But she could never hear it from her again and she couldn't sing it as tunefully as her.

She kept on wandering until she heard a silent thud of something and the panicked squeal of a small animal, she stopped and looked up also hearinng someone running. Scarlet felt her heart racing, she thought she was alone and now there was someone shooting down animals, she stayed still where she was rooted to the spot.

A hog limped out from behind a tree not far from her trailing a long line of blood behind it, an arrow imbedded in. Scarlet was just about to move forwards to help the creature when the second set of footsteps drew nearer and she stopped again. She looked about and noticed an elf approaching the dead animal with a bow in his hands, there was no doubt he had fired it and she wasn't about to argue either.

Valmonah slowed his pace as he closed the distance between him and his fresh catch. He was proud of himself for the accomplishment of hunting his diner tonight. This would be a good night, Valmonah always loved to eat pork. The animal was one of his favorite kind of food. He enjoyed the hunt and kill. The pig lay limp on the mud, not moving at all any more. Valmonah smiled with satisfaction and delight. Bow still in hand, he knelt down in the mud and lowered his head, analyzing where the arrow had landed. It was a dead on shot to the throat, a sure kill. He was lucky today, having to search for his catch and then eventually fight them off most of the time.

Reaching behind for his cutting stone, Vamonah noticed something was different about the forest. The place was silent, which was extremely unusual. The bugs almost never stopped singing and the birds never stopped flying. This only happened when something grave was about to happen or if they sensed something was out of the norm. Valmonah looked behind him, checking to see if any one or anything had followed him. There was nothing there. Before he was about to ignore the whole, he was caught by surprise by the presence of another being so close to him. He did not notice this person when he walking to his pig. There had been some one there the whole time. This was very unusual indeed.

Valmonah drew an arrow and knocked it against the bow string. This stranger had caught by complete surprise. He raised the arrow so that if released, it would go right for the heart. What Valmonah saw before him baffled him even more. It was not the normal looking human being or even one of the tribesmen of the forest. It was some one who Valmonah had never seen the likes of before. What really got to him was the two different colored eyes. The arrow against the string tensed. “Stay right there. I mean you no harm if you will do the same.”

Scarlet remained perfectly still as the elf raised his bow again pointning it at her. He then looked straight at her and a baffled expression crossed his face. Scarlet stayed still keeping both eyes on him, not that she was in any position to make any kind of movement if he did, she didn't have an arrow pointing at him.

“Stay right there. I mean you no harm if you will do the same.” He said.
Scarlet glanced down at the arrow briefly then back up at him.
"Well I'm not the one pointing an arrow at a complete stranger am I," she said "if that's your definition of meaning no harm I'd hate to see you when you do mean it."

Vamonah’s lips curved into a small smile. The stranger that caught him off guard made a good point. From what he could tell, she was no true threat to him, though this could change at any moment. He was always too trusting, believing in peace and second chances. The arrow slowly lowered to the ground, though not losing the tension on the bow string. Valmonah would like to stay prepared should there be a chance of him losing his life today. He could not take his eyes from hers, they were different than from what he had seen.

The smile that was previously on his lips turned into a wide grin. The tension on the string loosened and arrow came off. “Well you caught me completely off gaud there. I was quite surprised,” he said in his low voice, trying to sound friendly. His voice usually came as commanding and hostile most of the time. It was something he could not help, it was who he was. The smile never leaving his face, Valmonah bowed in introduction.

“My name is Valmonah. I apologize for coming off like this. Understand that I was hunting for food and not expecting any one to be out here.”

He stood up tall and straight. Sweat trickled down the sharp features of his face. It was a tough run through mud, trying to stay close to his kill. He swatted at a few insects before asking the strangers name. “And what might your name be? I understand if you do not wish to share it. I get that reaction all too often. Don’t let my size fool you; I wont eat you.” Valmonah exploded with laughter. He was easily amused with things.

A smile cracked across the stranger's face and he lowered the bow. Scarlet sighed with releif, at least if he accidentally let go it wouldn't head for her. His smile suddenly turned into a grin, Scarlet blinked up at him.
“Well you caught me completely off gaud there. I was quite surprised,” he said.
"Well, yeah...Sorry about that," Scarlet said scratching the back of her head absent mindidly.

“My name is Valmonah. I apologize for coming off like this. Understand that I was hunting for food and not expecting any one to be out here.” he said bowing.
"Oh," to Scarlet it sounded more like a girls name, but she suspected elven culture was different to hers.
Scarlet glanced down at the pig on the floor, she really should have guessed from the beginning, most people she met hunted just for fun.

Valmonah stood up straight as a bead of sweat trickled down his face.
“And what might your name be?" He asked swatting a few insects "I understand if you do not wish to share it. I get that reaction all too often. Don’t let my size fool you; I wont eat you.”
Then he suddenly burst out laughing, Scarlet didn't really find it funny.
First he points an arrow at me now he's making a joke, guess I did startle him a bit.

"Wha..? Oh yeah," she stuttered "don't worry I don't keep secrets, my name's Scarlet."
She glanced down briefly, his boots seemed caked with mud from chasing after the animal he'd shot. Scarlet then glanced at her own realising they were equally as muddy.
"Oppps, guess I must've not been looking where I was going," she muttered without thinking "well nice to meet you." she said.

“It is indeed nice to meet you, Scarlet” Valmonah turned around and made his way to the pig. The fresh catch lay dead near a young tree, standing no taller than Valmonah. He knelt down beside the pig and reached in his pocket for his simple skinning tool. It was nothing more than thin rock that he made to be sharp enough to penetrate flesh. With one hand he reached up at the young tree and pulled off one it’s large, thick leaves.. He laid it on the ground and began to skin and gut the pig. With out looking up at Scarlet, he said,

“So what brings you out here so deep in the forest? It is dangerous out here is you don’t know what you are doing. There all kinds of animals looking for an easy meal.”

He placed the intestines on the thick leaf and wrapped it up. With a string of bark he tied the top of it and sat it aside. Next came the heart and then the spleen, kidneys, bladders and everything else he didn’t want. There were sometimes worms that would reproduce in your system and eventually suck the life from you. All he wanted was the skin and the meat. he would need some of the muscle to make string for the bow he was planning on making. The skin would serve as clothing.

This was obviously nothing new to Valmonah. Any one who saw him could see that he did this often. It was his main source of food and clothing. He did not like to make trade with villagers here, they only mocked him and overpriced everything he liked. He wore leopard skin on his shoulders, rabbit fur on the tops of his boots, brown leather pants and tunic. What stood out the most the necklace that held an array of different kinds of claws around his neck.

He looked back up at Scarlet and smiled. “I bet you must be hungry. After I am done we will find a dry place and I will make you something to eat. This is my home and you are my guest.”

“It is indeed nice to meet you, Scarlet” Valmoah replied.
Scarlet nodded slightly and made a slight noise in her throat that didn't sound like anything. She leant agains't a particualrly thick tree trunk and watched Valmonah as he turned about to skin his catch. Scarlet looked away, she hated dead things and looking at them and watching them bieng skinned made her squemish.

“So what brings you out here so deep in the forest?" Valmonah asked her "It is dangerous out here is you don’t know what you are doing. There all kinds of animals looking for an easy meal.”
Scarlet looked back over at him then turned away again remembering he was skinning and gutting a pig.
"Tricky question," she said "and a very long story, not a pretty one either. But believe it or not this place is actually safer than it is dangerous to me." She concluded "and I do't exactly enjoy living here either. I'd rather live at home if home wasn't..." She cut off mid sentence rubbing her arm absent mindidly.

She half felt Valmonah turned to her again, his tone was bright and she guessed he was smiling “I bet you must be hungry." He said "After I am done we will find a dry place and I will make you something to eat. This is my home and you are my guest.”
Scarlet couldn't help cracking a smile ad forgetting her past.
"Thanks," she said "it beats plain water and berries I guess."
She pushed herself off the tree keeping her gaze well away from the dead pig on the floor.

The messy process of skinning the pig was well and done. Valmonah wiped his hands clean on the damp leaves of a nearby bush. He left the remains on the ground so that they would return to the earth. The animals would eat them and bring them back to the earth which in turn made new and fertile soil. This brought forth new life which allowed Valmonah and all the other creatures to live here in this beautiful forest. Valmonah looked around through the gaps and shadows of the dense foliage. He could hear the low growl of a panther near by. He immediately stood up and took Scarlet’s hand. Lowering his head and offering her smile to comfort her Valmonah said,

“We must be on our way and we must make haste. I will take you to my place in the forest and we will have some food to eat.”

With that said Valmonah turned and gently guided Scarlet through the forest. The leaves were thick all over, getting in Valmonah’s face. He would move large branches out of the way for Scarlet to get by easily. He kept an eye out for their trail, not wanting to get into another fight with a panther. He had been in a couple of brawls with the large cats. They were fast and had very sharp claws but Valmonah could take hits like no other. Most of it was due to his size but the adrenaline did help. Most of the claws on the necklace he wore were of panthers. They were fierce creatures and did not hesitate to attack.

He reached a small opening in the forest. The trees above split open to let the sunlight hit the ground. It was warming to feel it against his skin. He took his panther shoulders and rested them on one of the nearby branches. There was a pit with orange embers still hot to the touch. He turned to Scarlet and smiled that special smile. With his arms wide open as if introducing the small opening in the forest, Valmonah said,

“This is where I sleep. Welcome. I have some dried meat appetizers that will have to do for now. This pig will take a good amount of time to cook.” The ground was hard and dry. Tree branches of all sorts surrounded them, protecting them from whatever beast would kill them.

Scarlet felt Valmorah take her hand in his own and she looked up at him, he was giving another one of his disarming smiles.
“We must be on our way and we must make haste." He said to her "I will take you to my place in the forest and we will have some food to eat.”
"Thanks," Scarlet replied, and she allowed herself to be led, by Valmoah, through the forest. Several distant growls made her slightly nervous but they weren't getting any closer so she assumed they would keep it that way.

They passed under several low hanging branches and Valmonah politely moved any out of her way to avoid ducking. Eventually they reached a clearing in the forest, Scarlet looked round in awe at it, it was small compared to what she used to live in but much prettier.
“This is where I sleep. Welcome." He said "I have some dried meat appetizers that will have to do for now. This pig will take a good amount of time to cook.”
"Wow, you really live here?" Scarelt said awe struck.