[center][url=https://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1433537][sup][sup][h2][color=yellow]E [color=2E2C2C]. .[/color]ʟ [color=2E2C2C]. .[/color]ʟ [color=2E2C2C]. .[/color]ᴇ [color=2E2C2C]. .[/color]ɴ [color=2E2C2C]. .[/color]ᴀ [color=2E2C2C]. .[/color]ʀ [color=2E2C2C]. .[/color]A [/color][img]https://i.imgur.com/NHdnnAF.png[/img][color=lightgray] A[color=2E2C2C]. .[/color] ɴ[color=2E2C2C]. .[/color] ɴ '[color=2E2C2C] .[/color] ʟ[color=2E2C2C]. .[/color] ᴇ[color=2E2C2C]. .[/color] ᴀ[color=2E2C2C]. .[/color] H[color=2E2C2C] ...[/color][/color][/h2][/sup][/sup][/url][color=black][b][u]______________________________________________________________________________________[/u][/b][/color][/center]
[indent][indent][color=lightgray]"But... you can't just [i]leave[/i] the Hallowgrove!"

Elle's eyebrows pinched together at this. The boy was getting presumptuous. [color=yellow]"And why can't I, Ainslen?"[/color] She crossed her arms, her slender form seeming stern as her gaze pierced his. 

"I..." he gulped, caught off-balance, "The village needs you, Seeker." 

He was just like his grandfather. So sure of himself, yet so easily pushed off his guard. Even though he had already grown to adulthood, he still reminded Elle of the day she caught that scamp picking away at her garden. She nearly sent the vines after the boy to scare him off, if it weren't for him offering her a flower from the nearby glade his family had claimed. That was a century ago, now. With any luck, Ainslen might even grow to be as compassionate as the man before him. Elle knew he had it within him. 

Her stance lightened some, an arm unfolding from the other and fingers gently clasping at his shoulder. [color=yellow]"No, you don't,"[/color] her tone softened some, [color=yellow]"Because you'll be their Seeker."[/color]

He looked to his shoulder, her hand resting upon it with reassurance, then back to her with a quizzical look. "But why? I ca--"

[color=yellow]"Yes, you can,"[/color] she interrupted, [color=yellow]"They don't need as much guidance as you think, child."[/color] Her arm retracted, palms coming together in front of her with interlocking fingers. 

Ainslen deflated a little, knowing not to question his Seeker's wisdom. "What is it that they need, Seeker?"

Her palms pushed away from each other, the spark of a flame ushering from between her fingers until they bore a small, primal flame. [color=yellow]"Faith. Something that you have much more of than I, [i]Seeker,[/i]"[/color] she hissed the final word, having never approved of such a title for herself in the first place. The idly roiling ball of flame rested within her grip, and the heat drew close to him as she offered it. 

His hands seemed to jitter just slightly as he cupped underneath the flame, taking it for his own. It pulsated some, distressed by the change of hands, but as radiant light twinkled at his fingertips, the fire grew docile. "Thank you, See--" he stopped himself, "[i]Ellenara[/i]." 

She gave a hint of a smile as he acknowledged the exchange of title. [color=yellow]"If you've learned anything from me, it should be that all becomes well in time."[/color] Elle recited such words of reassurance, but he could tell that she didn't fully believe it. 

He nodded solemnly in understanding. Tension released as he exhaled, visibly relaxing. "And when will you be leaving, then?" 

[color=yellow]"Before dusk. The deadline is tomorrow. You'll have to say my goodbyes to the village for me."[/color]

He seemed disheartened then, but maintained some resolve. "You can't do it yourself?"

She cocked a brow at him, [color=yellow]"Do you have any idea how many things you must pack when you're my age? Besides, it'd just break my heart to have to give the little ones my farewell."[/color] 

"I think they, most of all, would deserve at least some brief parting words before you vanish," he said grimly. 

She gave a bit of an indignant pout, but ultimately conceded that he was right. [color=yellow]"Fine, go gather them while I collect my things."[/color]

Ainslen set off with a respectful bow. After only an hour or so he returned to her cottage doorstep with nearly the entire town at his back. Protest all he might, he's a skilled organizer. The sight of all of them made her sob. She'd been there for their whole lives, many since their and their parents' births, and then she had to go. And whether or not she was ready to pass, should this quest become her last, she wasn't ready to tell all of those familiar faces that she might be headed to her demise. Not even Ainslen, the most devout and capable of her students, would know of the potential finality of this parting. 

Finally, as she pulled open a portal into the side of the largest tree in Hallowgrove, she left behind a single flower. Ultimately returning her gift to the glade. [/color][/indent][/indent][center][color=black][b][u]______________________________________________________________________________________[/u][/b][/color][/center]
[indent][indent][color=lightgray]Elle hadn't tasted the seaside air in her lungs in literal ages. The cool breeze lapping at warm air was just as refreshing as it was soothing. The bustle of city life was much more intense than the meager activity of her village, but she was able to easily find quiet rest within the wooded mountains nearby. Finding makeshift lodging becomes much simpler when you can shift into the form of a beast more suited to such environs. 

In the morning she found the city itself to be quite stunning. She had wondered if her village would've enjoyed visiting Mavros, but found that they were much less comfortable with buildings than she was. The vast vistas reminded her of the heavily populated provinces she'd travel to with her adventuring companions. Such reminiscence seemed fitting for the calling she found herself drawn to then. 

The meeting wasn't to be had until sundown, and so Elle took it upon herself to absorb some of the sights about the city. The winds felt freeing under eagle's wings as she swooped over congested streets. The rooftops provided a playful challenge as her feline paws leaped from building to building. And the shops below produced such bittersweet brews that delighted her elven senses. 

Elle had chances to act friendly with several young people during her little journey. She arm wrestled a burly tavern patron as a bear, earning a pint of wine after her victory. One child she found in an alley she was traversing as a cat seemed lost, and she offered them an eagle-ride back home. Along the steep shore she spoke to a school of fish about how to best avoid the gulls just after instructing the gulls on proper diving tactics. It felt good to be outside. 

As the sky started to tint violet, Elle headed along the roads toward the summit Seat. Raven feathers took to the dimming skies as she soared overhead. It wasn't long until she spotted a cluster of variously armed and armored folk strolling down the main thoroughfare. Banking low, she followed them along the sidelines for a time within her inconspicuous form. 

She noticed the twin riders first as they started to converse. The masked one seemed to be kind despite how she was clearly armed to tooth and nail. The horserider seemed almost exhausted, though not physically, as if the years had eroded his tenacity. She had not noticed the avid cutpurse until he was called out by the group's elder. That one carried himself unassumingly, but it looked as if his age had treated him quite well. 

She dipped aside in the air, gliding in beside their number until she was near enough to the cobbled path that she shifted to her true form and immediately found a walking pace next to them. Looking them all over from the more personal vantage, she chuckled to herself. [color=yellow]"A ragtag bunch of misfits, I see. How fitting!"[/color] 

Elle found herself put together with a new gang. [/color][/indent][/indent]