Inhuman:

Skirting the city, Aftryn Colm, lithe as a cat, darted from tree to tree. Just beyond Valena was their ancestral home of Lolandil, the source of magic. His sharp elvish eyes scanned the treeline for danger. He might have easily bypassed the city of Valena if he had come alone, but his sister Ellyn trailed behind him, clumsy as a spring foal.

They were inhuman, and every sign outside the city declared them unwelcome. Guards in clanking metal armor patrolled the roads and watched from the top of the walls with weak human eyes. The siblings carefully chose their path and avoided high-traffic areas; they stopped when they heard shouting and ducked behind a large fallen tree.

“Look that way,” One of the Valena guards snapped at his fellow, “I’ll go this way.”

Peering over the log, Aftryn saw the guards pursuing someone else, someone in a stone-gray cloak. They flitted through the forest and hopped from shadow to shadow, making Aftryn suspect a fellow elf. Aftryn wished to help, but self-preservation won the moment. Especially seeing the guards armed with crossbows and iron.

A stray arrow whizzed past the Colm siblings, embedding its iron tip in a tree trunk. Aftryn shook his head, motioning for Ellyn to stay quiet. Then, picking up a stone beside them, he hurled it as far as possible. It hit a distant tree with an audible thunk.

Then, grabbing Ellyn’s hand, Aftryn pulled them deeper into the dark forest. Beneath the dense canopy and shadowed underbrush, he stopped, tugging Ellyn behind a tree. They stood quiet, straining their pointed ears for any sound of pursuit.

“I don’t think they followed us,” Ellyn’s hot breath tickled his ear.

He hissed for her to stay quiet, scrubbing his ear from her hot breath. Both of them held still a few seconds more. Ellyn was right. Nodding and adjusting the strap of his pack where it had slipped down his shoulder, he checked Ellyn for injury. She had leaves and twigs stuck in her hair and a few superficial scratches, but she did not seem worse for wear.

“Tryn, what now? What are we going to do?” Ellyn frowned, estimating they were further from the gates of Lolandil than they had been that morning.

“I don’t like the feel of this forest.” He commented, distracted, his keen eyes seeking movement.

“We need to be careful,” Ellyn fretted; the darkest part of the forest held many mysteries. It did not feel right, sound right, or smell right. This part of the forest was dark and diseased.

Then came a sound, a buzzing hum. It reverberated in their chests. Aftryn grabbed Ellyn, stopping her from bolting out of instinct. He put her behind him as he crept forward. A creature lumbered from the treeline. It was tall and mottled gray, with lanky arms dragging along the ground.

Before Aftryn could process, a tongue of flame lashed out of a tree, striking the monster square between its shoulders. It roared and fell, black smoke curling from its remains. A female warrior in studded leather armor moved toward the monster confirming it was dead.

Aftryn hoped they could escape the woman’s attention, but it was too late. He met her eyes. She approached them, one hand upon a pouch at her side, the other holding an open book. Grains of some arcane dust glimmered red upon her fingertips.

“What are you doing out here? Don’t you know it’s dangerous?” She questioned, looking between Ellyn and Aftryn in turn.

“What was that thing?” Aftryn questioned.

“A hagould, one of many who live deeper in the forest. Head back to the light.”

“And, who are you?”

“My name is Anya et Albion, a monster slayer. I am the daughter of the High Wizard Eloise,” Anya answered, closing her book with a snap, “Who are you, travelers?”

“I am Aftryn Colm, and this is my little sister Ellyn. We are of no consequence. Just passing through these lands.”

“On your way to Lolendil, no doubt, elves.” The way Anya said it was so matter-of-fact that it jarred Aftryn’s thoughts.

“Are you?”

“No,” Anya replied, “I am human, but I do not hate inhumans as many do. On the contrary, I believe we can learn from each other.” pausing to stow her book in her pack, she continued, “I see why you have come to the wood. But, you know, Valena wasn’t always a human stronghold.”

Aftryn nodded; before humans erected the wall, it was once an elvish border city, an embassy.

“We’ve never been to Lolindil,” Ellyn added, “like most of our kind, we mean to take up permanent residence.”

“That’s sad,” Anya frowned, brushing the dust off her fingers with a handkerchief, “Soon, there will be no elves left in Tharyme. Sometimes I wonder if humans are the real monsters.”

“Will you escort us past Valena to the Lolandil gate?” Ellyn blurted without regard for what her brother might want, “You know these woods better than we do and how to avoid the guard.”

Anya thought about it for a few moments, scrunching her mouth from side to side as she thought it over, “If we come across the guard, I have my official badge; they will not harry you.”

“How does that work?” Aftryn questioned, adjusting his pack, still unsatisfied with how loose the straps had become.

“I am granted special privileges, but how is need-to-know? But, I could parade you through the city streets, and they could not stop me.” Anya answered, smiling, “I cannot in good conscience send you both back into the wood with monsters roaming about.”

“So, you’re a secret human monster hunter?” Aftryn’s eyes narrowed.

“Times are changing for everyone, even humans,” Anya sighed, pulling on a pair of soft leather gloves as she walked, beaconing them, “This way.”

“There was another elf on the way here. Some guards hunted them. Do you think they made it?” Ellyn questioned, attempting to make small talk, avoiding the sour expression on Aftryn’s face. He hated small talk.

“I doubt it if the guards were involved,”

Coming to the border between Lolandil and Tharyme took days. They made it without incident. Anya directed them to the crossing but came no further. Then, she vanished.

“Where’d she go?” Ellyn questioned, looking around for Anya.

“I think she went back to monster hunting.” Aftryn frowned.

"How are we going to get through the gate?"

"Once it opens, we run; whatever punishment awaits for crossing at the gate, it will be far superior to what we would face here." Aftryn smiled; this was the last hurdle they would face.

Ellyn nodded as she secured everything she carried. Her brother did the same. Then, when the gate into Lolandil opened, the pair sprinted, huddling against the back of a slowly moving cart, escaping notice until the gate slammed shut behind them.

Ducking into the treeline, something felt different, but Aftryn could not put his finger on it. Something was amiss in Lolandil. As the cart stopped, its driver jumped down and walked toward them.

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