Prologue

“Run, my love. Take our treasure to the human city in the east, seek refuge in the church. You’ll be safe there; they’ll have to take both of you.”

Sio looked at the mud-stained letter, then over to the dead woman who once held it. The woman was curled in a fetal position on the forest floor, her body soaked through from the storm that had just passed by. Her clothes were stained with dirt, and tatters of thread came off them. She cradled a drenched bundle of blankets in her arms.

“Don’t tell me,” Sio whispered.

They reached down and peeled the woman’s arms open, struggling to break her iron grip. Inside the battered blankets, much to their dismay, they found a child. They pressed their hand against the baby’s chest. The child’s tiny heart beat calmly. As Sio began to pull their hand away, the baby’s fingers grasped onto it. Sio winced but didn’t stop the infant.

The infant’s hands were a pale white, which made their little fingers contrast against Sio’s dark brown skin. It reminded Sio of the patches on their face and arms that had been losing their pigment. A skin condition that, in their own words, was “A beauty in which only I could achieve.”

Sio placed their other hand beneath the child’s small body and lifted it up. They attempted to cradle it but had no real experience with children. They were unsure if they were holding it correctly, or if you were supposed to hold other people’s babies to begin with. After some awkward rearranging of the child’s body in their arms, they finally found a position that seemed comfortable for the both of them. Sio then pulled the fabric off the child’s head, and to their surprise, a large pair of elven ears poked out. Ears just like their own.

“Oh…oh no,” Sio muttered.

The elf re-swaddled the baby, best they could, and knelt over the dead woman once more. They turned her lifeless body over and tucked her hair behind her ears. The woman was human. The baby had her small nose, pale skin, and both had a birthmark on their right cheek. However, just like Sio, the child had dark red hair, whereas its mother was blonde. The woman’s eyes were green, but the infants were a bright violet. Sio’s unfortunate suspicions were correct; this was a child of the forest elves. A child of Sio’s people, mixed with human blood.

“Who…”

Sio looked at the baby and its mother multiple times before they let out an exasperated sigh.

“Ugh…ill take you there…little half-elf. Once you learn to speak you better thank me for this! I was having a good hair day too you know, now I’m sneaking into the human’s dirty city. You don’t even know what I’m saying, you’re just a dumb little baby, barely even have hair. Little bald-ass baby ruining my perfectly normal day. Hwa, come on…we’re leaving.”

Immediately after, a large creature appeared from the shadows of the forest. It was nearly six feet tall, not including its branch-like antlers which added another three feet. It had a long menacing jaw with razor sharp teeth. However, above it’s predatorial jawline, it had a cute pink nose and adorably large eyes. Flopping off its head were a pair of rabbit’s ears. The creature was a jackelope, all too rare even in this magical forest.

Hwa, the jackelope, hopped over to Sio, crushing branches and bushes beneath her large rabbit feet. She pressed her nose against the baby, sniffing it. Still sleeping soundly, the baby giggled as it was tickled by the beasts’ long whiskers. Hwa looked up at Sio and then back down to the baby.

“Its mother is over there, we have to take it to the city,” Sio said.

Hwa shook her head, her ears flapping.

“I know but look.”

Sio lifted the rags from the infant’s head, exposing the child’s red hair and sharp ears.

Hwa cocked her head to the side and rolled her eyes backwards.

“What! It’s obviously not mine! Our skin is a completely different colour, and our hair’s not even the same. Look at my lusciously thick locks shimmering in the moonlight. Meanwhile this ratty thing has thin straight hair. I mean… I guess if they didn’t have this unfortunately human-looking face, they would be kind of cute.”

Hwa puffed air out of her mouth like an annoyed horse.

“I am not going soft! How many other forest elves have you seen around here? I must do something, but creator forbid if I’m going to raise this disgusting thing. The humans will take care of it, its partly theirs anyway. We can’t very well take it to the clan, can we? So, are you coming with me or are you staying here?”

Hwa sighed, rolled her eyes, and walked back into the dark woods. Smaller animals dashed up trees and sprinted away at the sight of her. Sio looked down at the baby, re-wrapped it, placed the mud-stained letter in their robes, and followed their jackelope companion.

“I should probably give you a name before I drop you off. I’m not calling you treasure, you’re far from that, more like a curse. Why’d they have to die in my part of the forest? The forest is huge, and what? Your mother couldn’t make it a hundred more steps to the east?”

Hwa turned around to look at Sio and the baby, then gestured up to her antlers. Currently perched on the left one, was a group of robins. The birds were unsuccessfully attempting to take Hwa’s antlers as branches for their nests.

“There, easy enough. We can call you Robyn, that’s a human name, right? Humans always name their children after animals and plants. If we just change the spelling a little those idiots will think its incredibly clever.”

Hwa nodded. Sio then pulled a quill and some ink from their satchel. They grabbed the parchment letter, turned it around, and wrote in the human language “Robyn.”

“Ugh, what is happening to us Hwa. We know far too much about humans now.”

Hwa did the closest thing to shrugging that a giant bunny-deer monster could.

“Alright little Robyn, now you best stay asleep. If you start crying, I’m dropping you off in the goblin camp instead.”

Sio poked their finger into the infant’s soft belly and tickled it gently. Robyn smiled in their sleep. Hwa looked back at Sio and smiled as well.

“You shut up!” Sio yelled.

…

The night had gone silent as Sio and Hwa approached the gates of the human city Vargos. The gate was a four-foot-thick stone wall that rose ten feet into the air. There was no way through it, except for the front and back entrances. Both of which were guarded by multiple armed soldiers. The city wasn’t off limit for elves, however, a forest elf with a giant jackelope was a different story.

Hwa started digging at the ground and looked back at Sio.

“I am not going underneath this gate through a poorly crafted tunnel. For one thing, I would have mud in my hair for weeks, and I am not letting you groom me again…that was… the worst. Secondly, the stones would fall into the tunnel crushing us both. No, you know what, you try it. Ill strap the baby to you and you can crawl under.”

Hwa shook her head in disgust.

“So, you don’t want to get dirty, but you expect me to?”

Hwa nodded.

"No, we need to come up with another idea.”

Hwa gestured to Sio, pointing at baby Robyn, and then to her back.

“Plan B? What is it?”

Hwa stared directly into Sio's eyes, unwavering.

“Okay… uhm…”

Sio jumped on to Hwa’s back, grabbed her one antler with their left hand, and held baby Robyn tight to their chest with their right.

Hwa looked to her sides, and then to the top of the wall. Her back legs stretched out, and she cracked her neck on both sides.

“No, absolutely not, I am getting off -”

But before Sio could move, the jackelope jumped. The creature soared upward, reaching almost fifteen feet high. The group had now cleared the gate and could see the entire city below them.

There were graffitied buildings side by side, made of stone and wood, and littered with trash. The marketplace to the north was like an empty courtyard of abandoned stands. The taverns to the east were loud and bustling. There were people sleeping, fighting, and vomiting outside them. Thieves jumped through the side streets avoiding the patrolling guardsmen, and the poor slept in homes made of crates in the alleys. The nobles hid away in their gated upper city to the west, its candlelight glow radiated through every major street.

As they reached the peak of their jump, baby Robyn startled awake. His eyes grew wide looking out at the city below. He smiled briefly, that is, until they started to plummet from the sky. As Hwa descended into the city, Robyn unleashed a bloodcurdling scream. Sio covered his mouth immediately, but the townspeople nearby had already heard it.

“Guards! That monster has stolen a baby! Guards!” A woman screamed.

“To your stations, we’re under attack!” A guard captain yelled.

“Fire your arrows at the beast!” The tower guard commanded.

“No, you idiots there’s a child up there!” A man replied.

“That thing will steal more children if we don’t put it down now!”

And in an instant, dozens of arrows flew towards Hwa, Sio, and baby Robyn. The group was falling fast, and the arrowheads were going to meet them halfway to the ground. Sio rapidly fastened Robyn’s rags to Hwa’s antlers. Robyn stopped crying and started laughing. They bounced up and down in a blissfully ignorant joy.

Sio then stood on Hwa’s back, balancing like they were riding a floating board. Their red locks flew in the wind, and their skin glistened, reflecting the moons rays. With the stars as their backdrop, Sio’s body was engulfed in a vibrant purple aura. It flowed like smoke around them, and it made their eyes transform into a raging violet fire. The elf then defied gravity as they calmy walked underneath Hwa’s body. Sio was suspended upside down as the group plummeted to the city below.

The arrows raged toward them. Sio stood calmly as the metal tips approached. The elf punched the arrows with lightning speed. Upon impact they shattered into splinters and tiny metal shards. Sio’s hands were so fast that the marksman below couldn’t see them, they assumed the purple smoke was a magic barrier. They dropped their bows and ran from the demonic creature now descending upon them. Sio then casually walked across Hwa’s belly and up to her back.

Hwa slammed into the ground, heaps of dirt and dust flew out from under her feet. The guards screamed and ran down the streets calling for help. The townspeople cowered behind whatever was close to them; crates, balconies, walls, piles of hay, anything to hide from the vicious beast.

“Great plan Hwa…just great. Remember when I said we had to sneak into the city?” Sio muttered. “Oh well. Now I don’t know what a human church looks like, do you?”

Hwa shook her head no. As the group stood, planning their next move, a little boy approached them. He was mesmerized by the trio of forest creatures and reached out towards Hwa.

“Ugh…don’t touch them you little rat.” Sio yelled as they saw the child.

“Oh…I’m quite sorry…mister?” the boy replied.

The young boy had shaggy brown hair and blue-green eyes. His hands were rough, his clothes ripped, and his ears had bloodied bandages on them.

“Mister? Oh yes, you humans have that binary nonsense,” Sio groaned. “Whatever, kid what does a church look like?”

Sio’s human speech was unrefined, but it seemed as though this child could understand them. The boy’s eyebrows raised, and his mouth furled. The townspeople watched in dread, terrified that this young man would be the next victim for the forest creature’s belly.

“Uhm…well…there’s lots of women in black and white outfits…and- “

“Good enough! I don’t want to talk to you anymore” Sio said. “Uh…. thank you…child.”

“But-” the boy replied.

“Yeah…okay…well bye”

As Sio removed Robyn from Hwa’s antlers, the rags covering his head fell off, exposing his sharp ears. The boy’s mouth dropped open, and tears formed in his eyes. Baby Robyn locked gaze with him, laughed, and reached out. Sio scoffed as they looked down at the crying child. The boy slowly lifted his arms, removed his bandages, and revealed clipped, scabbing, elven ears. Sio’s eyes opened wide, their face went cold, and their hands started to tremble.

“Charles!” one of the terrified townspeople screamed. “Get over here, now! While they’re distracted!”

Sio, Robyn, and Hwa turned to look back at the child. He smiled, wiped his face, returned the bandages to his ears, and ran to the guardsman.

“Let’s go Hwa. I’m sick of this place already,” Sio whispered.

                                                                            …

The trio headed north, which brought them into the lower city. A small section of town filled with impoverished looking homes and less than legal businesses.

“A building with women…hmm, Hwa I have an issue,” Sio muttered.

Hwa turned her giant body to look at the perplexed elf.

“See, I can’t very well tell human men and women apart.”

Hwa’s eyes opened wide, and she shook her head in disbelief.

“As you well know we didn’t have these foolish titles in my clan! How am I supposed to know

what these barbarians want to refer to themselves as? Its easier when people are “Keeper,” or “Mother,” or “Fisher” or “Person who watches the trees all day.” How am I supposed to know what their role is just by looking at them?”

Hwa pointed her head towards the direction of Sio’s crotch.

“Yes well, I can’t go around touching people’s genitals, can I? Even if I could, I wouldn’t want to. Imagine such a thing. Defining someone by what they piss out of.”

Hwa rolled her eyes and continued forward. The streets were dark, musty, and filled with trash. This was the underbelly. A side of town that the nobles never dared set foot in. Sio thought this was what all human cities looked like. They didn’t realize how much danger they had placed themselves in. They also didn’t see that once they entered “low town” the guards had stopped following them.

“Guess we will just look for humans wearing black and white clothing. That should be easy enough,” Sio said.

“Could you spare a copper?” A voice called out from the dark.

“What? Do we look like we carry money on us?” Sio replied.

“What about the baby?” The man groaned as he walked closer to Hwa.

“Excuse me? Babies are even less likely to carry money. You are a very stupid person. Leave us alone.”

As Sio got a better look at the man, they noticed something peculiar about him. He was begging for money, yet he seemed quite well dressed. The tattered cloak was a good cover, but Sio could see that underneath, was proper leather armor.

“A sharp-eared baby, a jackelope, and a forest elf. Good money in that. If I can’t take you alive, your ears alone will sell for a fortune. Even if they are a bit splotchy,” The man whispered.

As he said this, three more cloaked figures appeared from the shadows. All had short daggers drawn and looked at the trio like animal’s prey. Sio, in pure instinct, flew towards the so-called beggar. Their feet were so fast the man had no time to react. Sio’s hands glowed purple as they punched the man directly in his jaw. He was hit so hard his entire body soared toward a stone house in the distance, crashing into it. A spray of blood and teeth floated through the air as Sio spun around to face the new attackers. The other rogues, seeing their comrade killed in one strike, disappeared as fast as they could back into the shadows.

“Splotchy! They said splotchy Hwa! Come back here you worms! My wonderful white spots on my beautifully dark skin. Splotchy!” Sio screamed.

Hwa shook her head and continued forward.

…

After about an hour of searching the dingiest, dirtiest, parts of the city, Sio and Hwa happened upon a building that fascinated them. The building was wider than the others they had seen, and it was two stories tall. It had lovely drapes on the windows, and vibrant orange lanterns on its exterior. It was on the edge of the lower city and marketplace, almost connecting the two. There was a reddish glow from the inside, and the entire area smelled of lavender. The trio approached the front door to read the big sign above. It read “The Pink Diamond.”

“Well, it looks warm, and I can sense some guards inside. Their Ki is almost too easy to track,” Sio said. “Let’s take a peek.”

Hwa and Sio walked over to an undraped window on the right side. They stuck their heads in slightly and the smell of perfume overwhelmed their senses. There were hints of oils and waxes in the air, but they couldn’t see any large quantities lying around. The room was carpeted fancifully, and the wood was solidly built. A woman sat behind a front desk. She was wearing a black lace top and a white robe hung off her shoulders.

“Oh! We’ve found it Hwa!” Sio whispered. “Look kid, this will be your new home.”

Hwa nodded, and Sio held baby Robyn up to the window. The infant began to laugh and kick its limbs around.

“Shit!” Sio exclaimed.

The woman inside snapped her gaze to the window, but the trio had hidden before she had spotted them. Sio squatted below the windowsill, their hand over Robyn’s mouth, Hwa was lying on the ground as they were too tall to properly crouch.

“Does someone have a kid in here?” The woman exclaimed. “If those guards brought another young recruit I swear to the creator.”

Hwa and Sio, holding baby Robyn still, crept back to the front door. Sio wrapped Robyn into his rags and placed him on the step. The elf reached into their robes and pulled out the mud-stained letter. They tucked the letter into Robyn’s rags and smiled at the child.

Hwa, meanwhile, had walked over to the other side of the building. She peaked her head through the window and saw something quite peculiar.

Inside, was another woman wearing black and white, but she was not sitting behind a counter. She was undressing a guardsman, much to his excitement. Hwa curiously watched on, that is, until she saw the woman inside drop to her knees. The jackelope, although not well knowledgeable about human culture, was having a terrible realization. She pulled her head away from the window, ran back around to Sio, and nudged their side aggressively.

“What do you mean this isn’t a church?” Sio whispered. “There was clearly a woman wearing black and white in there!”

Hwa shook her head aggressively and pointed down to Sio’s crotch again.

“You’re being ridiculous. I can’t even understand you right now. Come on, say your goodbyes.”

Hwa stared at Sio, sighed, and then looked over to baby Robyn. The jackelope pressed her nose to Robyn’s stomach, nuzzling it. The infant giggled and grabbed onto Hwa’s antlers. The creature backed away and turned to Sio, gesturing to the child.

“What? I’m fine let’s get on with it and leave this disgusting place,” Sio replied.

Hwa gestured to Robyn again.

“Alright!”

Sio walked over to Robyn, who was now laying on the cold hard ground, and knelt beside him. They placed their hand on the infant’s face, matching the white spots of their skin to his. Sio touched their red hair, and then caressed the babies own red tuff.

“Well, kid, this is goodbye. These humans will take care of you. You’re one of them after all, but…” Sio hesitated, looked at Hwa and then back down to Robyn. “Never forget who you are, you are a child of the forest.”

Sio untucked Robyn’s head wrap. The child winced at the cold air that brushed against his large elven ears. Sio then stood up, knocked violently on the door, jumped onto Hwa’s back, and kicked at her sides. Hwa looked back at them furious. The two forest creatures smiled at the infant haplessly relaxing on the ground. Robyn laid there playing with his own hands laughing. Then the door creaked open. Sio and Hwa bolted down the stone road, looking back every few steps, until eventually, Hwa jumped high into the air, over the gate, and back into the forest. A woman, the one they saw sitting behind the desk, exited the building just as they had disappeared. She looked down at Robyn and gasped.

“Ladies! Come quick! Creators’ tits! Who? Why?” she exclaimed.

Robyn began to cry. His little eyes searched around him, looking for his new friends. The woman knelt and picked up the screaming child.

“Oh, its okay little one. You’re safe now,” The woman said.

She felt a crumpling of paper on her chest as she held Robyn. The woman took the letter out of his rags and read it slowly. She turned it around and saw the hastily written name on the back. She sighed and crumpled it in her hand. The woman then touched Robyn’s ears gently, rubbing the tips of them. Robyn seemed to giggle throughout the tears, she touched his small nose and smiled back at him.

“Momma Desirée will take care of you, you sweet thing, and lots of other mommas too. Now I don’t much believe in the Creator, but no little boy has ever been so blessed. I think an angel must have dropped you off on our doorstep,” she said.

…

“Remind me Hwa, next time we find a lost child, we leave them for the wolves.”

Hwa nodded in agreement.