The Land Before

PROLOGUE

White snowflakes drift lazily down to the already snow covered ground. White covered tree tops can be seen a few hundred meters away. The pale dark wood elf scans the tracks in front of him. He's been following the same stag for a week now. An elder stag with a limp. He was amazed that it could keep pace with the rest of the herd. They were bedded down a few meters ahead. The sun had jus set. Now was his chance, he had to take it now or he would go hungry for another week. Food was scarce during the winter months and he didn't know when he'd eat again. Like so many other living animals in the forest lands. Human traders never come this far north anymore, and his kind aren't allowed past the wall to the south. Magic and anything born of it were forbidden in the mortal lands. Ever since the war between the fair folk and the mortals hundreds of years ago. Once the war ended the mortals and the queen of his people signed a treaty, everything of magical origin and descent would stay north of the land and the mortals and their machines stayed south of it. Us of magical blood keep our word but the mortals are hard headed. They built a mile high wall that stretched from one side of the continent to the other. Making it impossible for anyone to go back and forth between the two people. Except for a opening about two and a half meters wide and three tall. That was the one condition in the treaty. That was where mortals and immortals alike could cross the line and mingle with one another. Where traders could cross over and sell their wares and such. But as of late the mortal traders stopped coming and the elven ones stopped goin. No one knows why except the traders and our queen and they were sworn to secrecy by the queen by penalty of death.

The elf continued to stalk his prey. His long black hair flew loosely in the wind. He peered into the night with his blood red eyes. Like any elf his ears held points to em and his eyes where boldly colored, but unlike his kin closer to the wall and less adapted to the wilds he had fangs on his top jaw. This difference between the northern and southern elves was what made social communication with mortals all the harder. He pulled his dark wood bow up and drew his arrow back. His target lay three meters away now, so close he could smell the river water that it ran through about twenty minutes back. He steadied his aim and released. Suddenly there was a blinding light and he was thrown backwards. The deer bolted for the trees while he lay unconscious there in the clearing, the snow melted in a complete circle around him. A dark shadow stalked towards him and stood above him for a moment.

"He is the one, the one to save this world and many others. For there will be a doom upon us and every living thing mortal and magical alike." the being kneels down and lays a pendant in the elves outstretched hand. "My powers go to you now young elf, to help you on your journey. You don't know it yet but you are destined for great things. Now save this world." the being stood back up and stalked back into the shadows, and was gone.