In The Dark of Night

Chapter IV | Kestrel

Quick Note:
I have decided to change Jason's last name to Demetriou. I changed it in chapter II, and I will for now on have his surname as Demetriou. If you are confused because you didn't know his last name was something else, ignore this, it only applies to readers who have been following the story since the beginning. If you have any other questions, I'm open.
-Cymbre Westbrook

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The stars shone brightly above her, casting odd shadows on the forest floor. Kestrel walked through the dark forest, making her way away from her home. She had decided to go on a nighttime walk, to calm herself down after a long day of school and arguing with her father. The crickets chirped and birds flew past, their wing beats echoing in the quiet night. Not many elves ventured very far away from Kimborough at this time of night, so Kestrel was entirely alone. She didn't mind. In fact, she liked it. She enjoyed the solitude, the feeling of being alone and away from any other craziness.
Kestrel looked around her, her sharp eyesight picking up the slightest of details. As she continued away from the village, she started to pick up on something odd: There seemed to be evidence of other people nearby. Footprints in the mud lead northwest, away from Kimborough, towards the capital more or less. The farther Kestrel followed them, the more interesting the trail became. There were two sets of feet, one very slim, one bigger. The slim set was slightly less deep in the ground, as if the owner was lighter on their feet.
After following the trail for a considerable while, Kestrel came upon a clearing. Inside, a little makeshift tent made of a tarp. Underneath it was a sleeping figure next to another person. The second figure was sitting up and staring straight at her. Kestrel stepped back into the shadows. Something about the person's eyes freaked her out: even from her distance away, she could see that they were yellow, piercing through the dark of the night. Kestrel flicked her Wind Staff out from her sleeve—with it, she could control minimal wind gusts.
The person stood up silently and walked towards her. It was obvious they were being cautious. As they came forward, Kestrel began to see them more clearly, they were wearing a long pine green coat, dark brown shirt and pants, and a feather pendant hanging from their neck. Their skin was very pale, and their hair was a brown so dark it was almost black. Their eyes were the most striking, a bright yellow like that you might find on a bird.
"Who are you?" They asked, their voice definitely male, but not much older than her.
"I could ask the same of you," Kestrel whispered back, "I live in these woods. But you seem to be human."
The boy's eyes flashed in fear, but he hid it well. "I am a traveler, headed to Silvis City. Me and my companion," he gestured to the sleeping figure, "have traveled all the way from Fayhollow."
Kestrel contemplated this, trying to remember where the village of Fayhollow was located. She finally remembered that it was located near the elven village of Fernsworth, on the southern peninsula. "That's a long way to travel. You must have a very good reason for going that far. What is you name?" She ventured.
He hesitated then said: "Jason. And yours?"
"Kestrel."
Jason looked back at his sleeping companion. "I am traveling with my friend Jasper. Like I mentioned before we come in seek of Silvis City. We are looking for answers about the mysterious illness."
Kestrel cocked her head: "Illness?" She asked.
The boy looked surprised, as if this illness was something everyone knew about. "You don't know about it? The illness that is spreading across Estlyn, making countless humans disappear without a trace?"
This hit Kestrel like a blow to the stomach. She stood there, dumbfounded as Jason explained about the illness. "Wh-when did this start?" She stuttered.
"Only a couple moons ago was the first outbreak, near Autumn Peak," Jason said, like this was very common knowledge.
At the mention of the elven village, Kestrel was almost lost for words.
"Although no elf has reported a case," The boy remarked, almost to himself, as if he hadn't realized it before.
Kestrel couldn't help but be relieved. "Why are you two going to Silvis City? Besides getting answers of course." She narrowed her eyes, Kestrel had first hand experience about how dangerous the forest could be.
Jason glanced back at Jasper, who was still sleeping under the tarp. His eyes were full of sympathy. "Jasper's family has been... directly affected," he said carefully, clearly avoiding something.
"I see," Kestrel responded, imagining different scenarios; none of them were good.
"We could use assistance getting to the Capital," Jason said quietly.
"It's quite simple if you have a map," she told him; then she thought about it more. She knew that the forest was quite dangerous to human travelers. The sadness and determination in Jason's eyes made her want to help the pair. She suddenly felt the need to help these travelers, after all, she couldn't just let them go further into the forest on their own.
After a second she said: "But I could help you." She had never been the way herself, but she knew it fairly well from flying above the trees.
Jason's whole face lit up. He smiled a kind smile. "Really? Thank you so much!" Behind his excitement, Kestrel could sense he still had some doubts.
"I will meet you here. Tomorrow in the morning. Until then, stay put. You never know what the forest holds in store for you." Kestrel nodded at him then transformed into a bird and took off. When she glanced back, she saw Jason staring at spot where she'd been standing just moments before.