Rift Runners

Into the rifts

She stood her blond hair blowing in the wind; she pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders, and started walking. The town was deserted, a rift had opened nearby and the villagers wanted nothing to do with it. Her blood-sister had disappeared into one of the rifts almost twelve years ago, and she swore she would not rest until she found out what had happened. Sighing she looked back, a boy who followed her ducked quickly behind a building. She shook her head and stopped walking her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. "Rowan, I know you're there. If you must come along then come, don't hide."

Rowan walked over his head hung, his dark hair falling across his face. "Rosalina, how much longer are you going to chase the rifts?" He looked up at her his pale green eyes locking onto her face. He was almost thirteen and dressed mostly in earth tones, a bow and quiver hung across his back; his slightly pointed ears marked him as one of elfin blood, though he tried to hide it by tying a simple brown headband over the tips.

Rosalina looked away not wanting to meet his clear green eyes. She started to walk again looking for the signs of a rift. She was a powerful mage none but the elves could best her, and there were almost none left save the half elves. That was why she had to find her blood-sister; she was a pure elf, one of the few left on this world. "Until I find out what happened to Marianna."

Rosalina sighed and tore a chunk of bread from the loaf and tossed the rest to Rowan, it was almost night and they had yet to find a sign of the rift. She looked at Rowan wondering if she should perhaps send him home, traveling the rifts was dangerous, even for someone with her skills. Without warning the wind began to pick up blowing out the small campfire. She lifted her head and stared in wonder as a rift began to open only three feet from where they sat. She had no time to worry about Rowan now, there was no telling how long the rift would stay open, and grabbing her things she ran for the rift.

Rowan glanced up in time to see her running, making a hasty grab for his own things he ran after her, he could see the rift shrinking in size. It was an unstable one; no wonder the villagers wanted nothing to do with it. "Rosalina! We don't know where it will open to, are you sure about this?!" He grumbled as she looked back and shrugged, he had no other choice he ran at the rift full speed hoping to make it through before it closed.

Colors spun before their eyes; images of worlds passing and fading before they could get a good look. Reaching out they locked onto each other's arms, not wanting to risk ending up on different worlds, each too absorbed in their own thoughts to speak.

Rosalina stood and brushed herself off looking around she cursed, for a moment she thought that they had gone nowhere. Blinking she looked around again, the village they now stood in looked a lot like the one they had just left but somehow something was different. "Rowan get up, we're being watched." She rested her hand on the hilt of her sword her eyes glancing at Rowan to be sure he had come through the rift safely.

Standing Rowan looked around his eyes freezing on the creature that now approached them. It was unlike anything he had ever seen, yet he had heard of something like it. Its body was that of a man, though fur covered, its head that of a wolf at the end of each hand its nails were longer almost like claws, as it got closer its tail swished slightly and its nose twitched as though it were testing the air. Rowan shifted his bow off his shoulder and brushed his fingertips lightly over the end of his arrows.

Rosalina rested her hand on Rowans shoulder. "Put your bow away, we're in their village now." She took her hand off the hilt of her sword and held both hands out palms upward to show she meant no harm. "I am Rosalina, human mage. This is Rowan, half elf archer. We come searching for a friend who disappeared into the rifts a few years ago."

"I am Gi'ral, calnthrop hunter. You are welcome to look. None like you here." His speaking was odd due to his fangs, but there was warmth to his tone that made it easy to like him.