The Seven Wonders

Chapter 1: The Girl Without Magic

 Sabina felt as though something were wrong. She was wandering through the forest as she normally did, but things did not seem correct. Yet at the same time, she felt that this place was familiar. Her Sianondelle instincts were kicking in.

Her abnormally long ears, even for an elf, were on high alert, flickering at every sound, every crunch of a leaf, snap of a twig, every wind that passed by.

But that was the thing. She didn't hear any of those things. There was almost always a squirrel, a rabbit, a deer, something.

It felt as though she had been walking through the grass for ages upon ages. The leather straps bound around her feet were worn enough in that they were comfortable, and kept her protected. Her leather armor was made specifically for her, and had hints of her favorite color in it– Green. She had a few earrings and a nose ring, which were gold. They matched well with her amber eyes, coupled with deep brown hair, much like the color of her skin. And her hair was a marvel. It reached her waist, and she always kept it in two long braids to keep it maintained. She was a small, thin girl, but had enough muscle to keep herself safe.

Her bow was comfortably in her hands, an arrow already knocked in place. Two daggers were strapped to her thighs, in case of close combat, though that was rarely the case. She didn't meet many adventurers out here– In fact, she had never met a non-elf before. Her clan was just like her– all except for one thing.

All of them had magic. Her parents, the head of the clan, were the most powerful. Yet their own daughter, their heir, had no magical gifts at all. As such, she was the clan's hunter. It was a rather dull life, spending all her time in the woods, speaking with the plants and animals as best she could. And because she was different, most people didn't even give her a second glance.

She sighed, stopping when she recognized a tree with a rather distinct trunk. Had she been walking in circles? She couldn't even tell anymore. And why was it so darn quiet?

That silence was quickly over, hearing a scuffle behind her. She whipped around, pulling the arrow back and pointed it in the empty space, where she saw no one. "Hm?" She hummed, looking in every direction, expecting to find a person, or more likely, an animal. But she saw nothing.

Magic. Magic had to be at play here. There were multiple forms of magic in the world, even more than she probably knew of, but there were the seven wonders. It's where magic originally stemmed from, and how every talent in the world was created. She had seen much in her clan. Much of it was druid-esque, where people could turn into animals.

That was beside the point. Sabina needed to figure out what was going on and fast. If there were outsiders who came to hurt her clan, simply for being elves, she needed to locate them before they got to the others.

She came to a halt, focusing on her hearing. And sure enough, she heard footsteps to her left. Turning in the direction, she fired off a warning shot, to let anyone who was around know that she was not afraid. It landed in the tree that looked familiar to her, and as soon as it made contact with the bark, she heard a yelp from behind.

"Come out!" She demanded, knocking another arrow into the bowstring. Even though she were acting brave, she couldn't help but feel fear creeping up her neck.

"Alright!" A voice said, eventually, a young man popping out from behind the tree and into the open. She tilted her head at him. He was tall, with blonde hair and... very tiny ears. He was... a human! Had to be. "Don't hurt me! I was just running. From a great beast."

"A great beast? This forest is safe. You lie." She accused.

"It's the honest truth! Please, just let me go." He pleaded.