Vow of Grace

The story begins...

Darkness was falling as rapidly as the boy was running; leaping over logs and ducking under branches.

Elves are faster than humans, Asahi thought, as he hurled down the muddy path. So why hasn't he caught the boy yet?
"We've got to catch the last human by sunset!" someone called behind him. "Leave the boy to us! You handle the others!"
Asahi heard the others murmur in agreement. "No. Queen Akemi assigned me this task."
The clouds suddenly parted, and moonlight gleamed down, giving the boy's predator a clear view.

Dusk wrapped its icy fingers around them, as Asahi soon lost the boy through the dense thickets. "He's escaped. The last human escaped."

Asahi swivelled to see the ten creatures helping him demolish mankind standing helplessly in a line.
"Wait... where's Ashanti?"

Ashanti shot through the forest, swerving as she followed Everest's scent. Being half-wolf, half-elf meant she had the privileges of a wolf; speed, scent, and sound, but also the intelligence of an elf. She sensed Everest was growing tired, and, as she veered to the right, she heard faint panting. She took a sharp turn to see Everest leaning against a tree, out of breath.

She seized him by the hem of his cloak and dove behind a bush. His wide, brown eyes blinked, his low hood casting shadows.
"Listen here, boy-" Ashanti froze as she yanked Everest's hood off.
Not a boy.
Not even Everest.

Flavia tried to writhe free from Ashanti's tight grip, but Ashanti squeezed her tighter.
"Who are you? And where's Everest?" Ashanti hissed.
Flavia didn't respond.
"I won't kill you. I've come here to help."
"Why should I trust you?" Flavia finally answered.
"Why shouldn't you? The whole world is hunting you down, and who do you have on your side? You're going to get caught anyway. If I were you, I'd take the risk."
"Well... Everest isn't the only human left. There's me, Everest, and Lyle. Aricia is keeping us safe. She's an elf. I can show you to the safe place if you want."
"Where is it?" Ashanti demanded.
"Follow me."

Lyle waited for Flavia to return. He nestled in deeper in his blanket. Everest and Aricia had gone looking for her; she was late. Lyle was the youngest, turning ten in a couple of months.
Suddenly Flavia slid down the blanketed rabbit hole, followed by someone else.

"Who is that?" Lyle pointed to the intruder.
"That's Ashanti. She's coming to help us," Flavia replied.
"Aricia said not to bring strangers!"

Aricia and Everest glided down into the burrow and landed with a thud at the bottom.

Aricia frowned. "Who's that?"
"I'm Ashanti. I'm helping you."
"We're looking for the humans. Do you know where they are?"
"No. Queen Akemi kept their location secret."
"Ok... we need some help looking for them. You can stay with us, but I still don't fully trust you." Aricia stumbled across them in the dark, and lit a lantern, illuminating Ashanti's face. She wasn't particularly pretty, but she had a dark look; long black hair, and emerald green eyes.

"I don't trust her. She looks eerie. Who would just casually come to us, offering help? Especially an elf," Lyle eyed her suspiciously.

"Part elf," Ashanti glared at him. "Part wolf."
"Now I definitely don't trust her. I'm terrified of wolves."
"I won't eat y-" She suddenly stopped, grasped Lyle's wrist, extinguished the lantern with a flick, and hissed, "Duck!",  before crouching in the thick shadows.

"What is it?" Flavia whispered.
"They're here..."

Footsteps sounded above them.

"I heard something down there..." said a gruff voice.
"A rabbit burrow? You're just imagining things."
"I'm going to go check."
"Don't be silly. Come help me search the forest. They're most likely to go rescue the other humans in Morterum."
"Go. I'll catch up with you later."