Aurin Striate, otherwise known as the Owl, prowled the dirt tunnels below the Elven city of Arborlon.  He was a tall, thin man, with his short hair always on edge, and his eyes seemed worn out.  His clothing looked as if it had seen better days.  But the Owl took no notice of this, for he was memorizing the system of tunnels, dug years ago, and his knowledge might end up saving his people someday.  He knew the tunnels and Morrowindl better then anyone else in the whole Elven nation.  His goal was to find all the safe tunnels, the ones not used by the black demons who stalked the island, so as to prepare them all for the escape that would take place in the days to come.  When the girl from Eowen’s vision—Alleyne’s daughter—arrived at Arborlon.  Alleyne had wed a Wing Rider, and had bore a child.  Eowen had had another vision as well—Alleyne must leave Morrowindl and never come back.  That in turn brought about the fact that her daughter must come to Arborlon to save her people.  So Alleyne had left, twenty years ago, although Ellenroh and Anloren were both certain that she would come back someday.  They worried daily for her, always looking up in the sky to make sure it was free of Wing Riders and their Rocs, and hoping that Alleyne would heed Eowen’s vision and live to tell her daughter to return to Arborlon, somehow, someday.
    The idea seemed rather suicidal, to take Arborlon and all its people back to safety, back to the Four Lands where the monsters here could stalk them no more.  Aurin shook his head.  The Four Lands was not necessarily safe, especially when the people there thought that they, the Elves, had created… he rid his mind of the thought.  The main idea was that even though the Four Lands had some of the things that hunted them here, it was considerably more safe, and so they must try to reach there, no matter the cost.  But what would the cost be?  The entire Elven nation?  The Owl heard a sound ahead, and quickly sidestepped into an adjoining tunnel, deciding that the one he had been on previously was not all that safe.  After a few more hours of wandering around, Aurin Striate located the small, secret tunnel that led back to the shelter of Arborlon to make his report to the Captain of the Home Guard.
 
 

“Did you find a path?” the Captain of the Home Guard asked the Owl, keeping his voice down to a whisper.
    Aurin Striate nodded.  “There is one,” he said, and began to explain it in detail, absently tracing a diagram of it with his finger.  Concluding his explanation, he finished, “However, there were footprints on the floor, very faint, but quite recent.  I am not so sure about how much safer this path is compared to the others, if it is any safer.  I would advise that someone to go in there and make sure that it is not being used extensively.”
    “I will go with you,” Tomae said.  “There is nothing more important to me then the well-being of our race and our home.  Nothing.  I would risk my life for this.”
    Triss entered the lighted room, squinting.  “Can I go with you?” he asked.
    “How much did you hear?” the Captain asked his son sharply.
    Shrugging, Triss said, “Enough to know what’s going on.  I want to come.”
    Tomae glanced at Aurin, who nodded curtly, before looking back at Triss.  “Some experience will do you good.  It would be useless for a Captain of the Home Guard to know nothing about the outside world.”  Turning back to the Owl, he asked, “When do we go?”
    Triss smiled briefly at his father’s remark, then turned to the Owl also.
    Aurin steeled himself before saying, “We leave for the tunnels right now.”
 
 

Checking once more to make sure that his weapons were strapped securely in place, Triss peered expectantly at the trapdoor that led to the tunnels.  He turned back once to look at the palace, hoping to see Dilia, but she wasn’t there. Dilia.  He had known the woman now for almost five years, five whole years since the challenge that culminated in his loss.  The young man sighed heavily and wondered if it was a wise choice to go along with his father and the Owl.  He knew very well that he might never see Arborlon again.  But he also knew that this might be his one and only chance before becoming a Captain to see the system of tunnels located below the city that so few knew about, and he wanted some excitement.  While living on Morrowindl was dangerous, it was not exactly exciting, unless you happened to run into a dreaded Shadowen, but below Arborlon, where every turn led to something new and unexpected, things were completely different.  It was exciting, or so Triss thought and hoped.
    Tomae and Aurin came out, with the former carrying a bow and a quiver of arrows, as well as a set of daggers on his belt, and the latter carrying apparently nothing.  But Triss wasn’t deceived.  He had seen the Owl attack many times, and knew better then to expect meeting him unarmed.  Triss knew for fact that there were two blades strapped to his back, hidden behind his tunic.  As for any other weapons, Triss didn’t know anything about.
    Aurin lifted the trapdoor handle, and it came up with an audible creak and a cloud of dust.  “We cannot bring in any light,” he said pointedly.
    Reluctantly, Tomae and Triss blew out their lamps and set them onto the floor.  The three waited a moment for their eyes to adjust, then went down the ladder and into the tunnels.
    Instantly they were set upon by a small, single Shadowen, but it was killed quickly.  In that moment Triss recalled the story of the Ellcrys and the Forbidding, and wished that the Ellcrys could keep these demons locked up as well.  A Tree Squeak darted past, but it was ignored.  They came to a fork in the tunnels.  Using his keen eyesight, for which he was known as the Owl for, the Elf looked for the signs and chose the right branch.  The trio walked for another mile or so, before Aurin Striate put his fingers to his lips and whispered, “This is where the footprints were.”  They slowed down, picking their way ahead silently.
    At that moment something shifted.  Triss swiveled, bringing out his broadsword in the same movement, assuming the rear guard.  He looked back at the Owl and found a sword in each of his hands suddenly.  Tomae had already notched his bowstring and was aiming at something above them.
    A dozen or so of black red-eyed Shadowen leaped down from the ceiling of the tunnel onto the trio.  Three were killed instantly, but reinforcements came from out of nowhere and knocked Tomae over.  Bow and arrow were useless at this range, so Tomae struggled to reach his dagger and proceeded to hack down the monsters.
    Triss began to back down the tunnel, losing ground rapidly, but knew that if he had tried to directly face them he’d be slain at once.
    “Run!” the Owl shouted, beating down the Shadowen attacking Tomae and pulling him upwards.  They followed Triss, who was in the lead, hacking at the monsters which were swiftly filling up the tunnel.
    Tomae was tiring quickly, suffering from a dozen large cuts and innumerable small wounds, but he continued to run.  Finally starting to lag, he collapsed.  Aurin picked him up, running slower due to the added weight of the Captain’s body.
    Triss reached the end of the tunnel and groped around blindly for the opening he knew was there, and climbed in, pulling his father to safety as well.  Aurin Striate climbed in after him, and the three kneeled down, panting breathlessly.  After hearing something skittering on the ground, one of them finally had the sense to close the trapdoor.
    The Owl looked at Tomae.  “He’s bleeding heavily,” he whispered.
    Triss nodded, holding his father’s hand.  “We have to get him to the palace,” Triss replied.  Lifting up his head, Triss signaled for Aurin to pick up his legs.  The other Elf did so and the two trudged back to the palace, carrying the unconscious Captain of the Home Guard.
    At one point Tomae’s eyes snapped open and fixed themselves on Triss.  “I’m not going to make it,” he said, coughing, his voice harsh.
    “Yes you will,” Triss answered.  “I won’t let you die.”  His own voice sounded as if it hadn’t been used in years.  Pulling one hand away from his father’s head, he saw it was covered in blood, and ripped yet another strip of cloth from his cloak to bind the new wound.  But even as he looked at Tomae’s drawn face, at the wounds covering every inch of his body, and that last bit of courage and strength mirrored in the other’s eyes, Triss knew that they were going to be too late.
    Tomae painfully unfastened his badge.  “Be the Captain that I trained you to be, Triss,” he rasped.  Handing the badge to his son, he drew one last breath and died.
    The Captain’s badge clattered noisily to the floor as Triss sank to a kneeling position.  “Father,” he whispered, and lost consciousness, leaving Aurin Striate to carry two Elves back to the Arborlon palace.
 
 

It had been a week since the death of the Captain of the Home Guard, Tomae, and Triss was in the palace, becoming the new Captain.  Dilia, Aurin Striate, and Gavilan were there; the king was as well, presenting the badge to Triss.
    Leaning closer to him, Anloren Elessedil said, “Be the Captain that your father was.  Make us proud.”
    “I will,” Triss replied, shaking slightly.  “I will.”  He accepted his father’s badge and pinned it on.  There was a smattering of applause from the small audience, but not a lot because this event had come by due to the death of another.  Triss picked up his weapons and, as proudly as he could, strode down the corridor, heading for the Home Guard Barracks.  Dilia followed closely, and Gavilan trailed behind her.
    “Congratulations,” Dilia whispered.
 The new Captain shook his head negatively.  “There’s nothing to be congratulated about.  I’m still too young.  If I’m still alive when the girl comes so that we can escape, we’ll all probably die because of me.”
    Gavilan pushed Triss lightly.  “Don’t think like that.  Those kind of thoughts will make you into that kind of person, eventually.  But you’re not like that.  Think positive.”
    “Positive?”  Triss smiled ironically.  “Like anything around here is positive.  This is Morrowindl, Gavilan.  Nothing good comes out of living on Morrowindl.”
    “We’ve learned some lessons, haven’t we?” Dilia asked.  “We’re Elves—survivors.  Everyone in the Four Lands believes us exterminated, but we’re not.  Even after all this time living here, we’re still pushing on.  We will continue to for as long as needed.  Elves never back down from anything.  And neither should you, Triss.  Stay strong.”  With that she broke away, and touching his cheek lightly, Dilia Noh headed back to the palace.
  I love her, Triss thought.  I love her so much.  But does she love me?  If I were to lose her…
    Gavilan broke into his thoughts, saying, “Pay attention to that girl, will you?  Even warriors can have good mental advice.”  Seeing Eowen, he left as well, patting Triss on the back.
    For the first time in his life, strangely, ironically, Triss felt truly alone.