It was any normal day, me hunting for dinner, for the food for the rest of my family.  Sadly the rest of my family consisted of me and me farm animals.  My sister, mother, father, all died in a series of accidents I try and forget.  That was almost six years ago, and I've dealt with it.  I lived alone, a few visitors came, random creatures, royalty on trips, nothing too much to make a problem over.  I dealt with it as it came.

I left early in the morning when the sun had barely crept over the horizon; I took my bow and strapped the quiver on my back.  I fed the animals, and moved on my way.  I’ve trekked through the forest checking the snares I had laid a few days ago.  I listen to the bird just beginning to wake up, I hear the tell tale rustle of animals creeping through the brush.  I’m too close to home for any real sort of good sized animals to eat so I keep on moving.  I start moving to the river, towards the marshy lands my house was built by.

I walk in silence again; I can hear the hushed gurgling of water.  A soft gently breeze is pushing through the trees.  I push my hair out of my eyes as I caught movement at the corner of my eye.  I hunker down in the brush while I take my bow out and nock to arrows.  I see the movement again, and made a quick judgment, I’m going for the kill.  I let the arrows go and I hear a cry of pain and a splash.  For a moment I’m stunned, animals don’t cry.

I rush over to the river; I can smell the iron of blood permeating the air.  I hear human moans of pain as I get closer.  I walk faster and am soon shin deep into the river.  I see the red tainting the water as I push through the reeds and tall grass.  In the water I saw a human, and at second glance I saw it was an elf.  Golden hair was floating in the bloody water, green clothes darkened by water, and two of my arrows sticking out of his side.

I dropped my bow in the water as I knelt into the water, the elf looked no older then me and it scared me.  I noticed the faint trace of red that ran from the corner of his lips, the pain filled gasps of breath, the painful expression that creased his face.  I whispered reassuring mantras to the elf as I assessed the wounds I had made; I broke off the shaft of the arrow as gently as I could.  He hissed in pain, but his eyes didn’t open, he didn’t move.  A pit of self hatred built in my stomach as I tried to pull the elf from the water.  Even though he was nearly weightless, his sodden clothes added greatly to his weight.  I pulled him onto dry land; unfortunately it was none too gently.

Once far enough away from the water I checked on the elf again.  His wet hair stuck to his face, tinted and matted with blood and muck.  His clothes were traced with vines and embroidered flowers on green fabric that was now darkened almost black with water and turning brown from mud.  Considering the pain from getting shot and dragged ashore the elf’s breathing was even paced, pain filled but even.  I examined the wound with my hand and they came back sticky with blood.

Making a moments decision I mustered up my strength and as gingerly as possible I picked the elf up in my arms.  The elf was taller then me as I soon found and it made carrying him very difficult, but I had hurt him so it was my duty to help him.  I made sure to watch for the stubs of the arrows that stuck out of his side, his legs over one arm, and his head lolling against my shoulder.  Once I made sure that I had a good grip on making him comfortable I started to move back towards home.  I retraced steps that I took on a daily basis, keeping to a well worn path I had made during trips to river for fresh water.  I avoided all sort of branches, stones or anything that would trip me up in my efforts to save the elf some pain.

Within a few minutes I had reached my home, I could see the edge of the fence that kept my livestock protected.  Tall grass waved in the subtle wind.  I heard barking, familiar and comforting as I quickened my pace.  My dog, a wolf, came rushing towards me, barking madly, his hackles raised.  

“Zanal, hush boy, it’s an elf nothing to be worried about.” I shouted over his barks as I reached the fence line.

Zanal whined apologetically as he circled around me, sniffing and barking, his hackled slowly falling down.  

“He’s wounded, it’s my fault.  I thought he was a deer or something to eat tonight and I was wrong.”  I was still speaking to my wolf.  Most of the times he understood what I was saying other times it was like I was talking to myself.

Zanal barked again as he raced toward the house.  I sighed, shifting the elf’s weight in my arms.  He still hadn’t stirred, I felt his body tense and flinch when Zanal had barked but there was no other movement.  The guilt rose in my stomach and I began to hate myself even more.  I had hurt this being worse then I had imagined.  Somberly I pushed the wooden door with my foot and walked into my home.

The fire crackled merrily, Zanal paced around the living area.  I scanned my house for a moment, debating, and then decided to place the elf in my room on the first floor.  I turned to my left and pushed past as blanketed off area.  The room was dimly lit and had a bed in it.  I crossed the room in a few strides and as gently as possible I placed the elf on the bed.

Zanal had followed me into the room and was nosing around; he sniffed the elf’s hand and looked at me with curious eyes.  I ruffled his ears as he lolled his tongue out of his mouth.  I smiled a bit but then it faded.  I still had to take care of this being.  I rubbed my eyes with a grimy hand as I walked out of the room.  I moved about my small area looking for spare cloth, the herbs I used when I was sick, bowls and dry clothes that I would need for helping the elf.  During that time I also got a change of clothes for myself, no sense in trying to help a person only to get sick myself.  I made many trips back and forth gathering supplies.

I returned for the last time with a small chair and a bowl of water.  I watched Zanal’s head lift up from his paws as he lay at the foot of the bed.  He had eased in tension around the elf enough to know that he was to protect the new being.  I grinned as I placed the bowl on the bed floor and the chair next to the bed.  

The elf was shivering now, and I felt really stupid then.  I should’ve placed a blanket over him before I ran off to find things. I should’ve put him in warmer clothes.  I admonished myself fiercely in my mind. Zanal whined making me rethink my actions.  I patted him on the head and he went back to resting on the floor, and I went to changing the elf.  I used some of my father’s old clothes that I had saved to cloth him.  Surprisingly they fit the elf, even though my father was a lot bigger then the elf.  On purpose I left the elf’s torso bare, the red of his blood standing out against his skin.  I grimaced and went to work on trying to save the elf’s life.

In a sort of daze I cleaned up the blood around the wound, trying my hardest to not jostle the arrows; I knew how much it hurt when they were barely moved. After it was all cleaned I was prepared to remove the arrows. Watching the elf closely I wrapped my left hand around the broken shaft and rested my right hand against his skin. I swallowed hard and in one quick vertical movement I pulled the arrow, tip and all, out of his side.  The elf let out a strangled cry, pain etching into his features, as he tried to pull away. I laid a hand on his shoulders to make him stop and recited a few words I knew in elvish that meant I was a friend and meant no harm.  The words seemed to soothe him, and he relaxed against the sheets again. I repeated the action a second time, the words, and the same gentle restraint.  I cleaned the wound once again; the arrows didn’t go very deeply.  I took out the needle and thread and sewed up the twin holes just as a precaution.  I made a poultice of herbs to help keep infection out of his system and to help him heal and applied it over the sewn holes.  After that I wrapped layers of bandages around his midsection, making sure everything would heal. Then I covered him up with a blanket.

I sat back and sighed heavily. I had spent most of my morning taking care of the strange elf and now it was up to him.  His fate was in his own hands.
I stood up and stretched out my muscles.  Zanal stretched up as well and moved to my side looking hopeful. I ruffled his ears and gave a glance to the supposedly sleeping elf before I left out of the room. I started pacing around, I nibbled on some fruit, cleaned what little there was to clean, looked after the animals, and eventually found myself sitting on the wooden floor staring into the fire wondering.  I had hurt and innocent being all because I didn’t take the time to think, I had no clue who this elf was, I didn’t know if he was going to live, and I was slowly letting the guilt plague my mind.  Zanal licked my cheek affectionately as I thought.  I made me forget my regrets momentarily as I reverted to the days when I was ten, when I was last with my family.  I remember being the only one to survive that attack, I see the walls covered in red, I hear the screams of terror, and all I did was hide.  I was the only one to survive…to clean up the mess…to live for their memory. Zanal put his head in my lap curling close to me and I scratched his ears absentmindedly.

Time passed me by; I dozed off leaning against Zanal’s warm side.  The day had passed by and night had come in velvety tones. I stretched blinking sleep away as I stood up. I fire had turned to embers smoldering so I put another log on to make the room a little bit warmer.  I paced a moment recollecting my frantic thoughts and then went into my room.  The elf was still there, resting peacefully. He hadn’t moved in the time since I had left. I checked his bandages, his temperature, making sure that he was still living.  I rubbed my eyes tiredly as I tucked the blanket back around him before I left. I made my way back to in front of the fire, gathering a blanket and a pillow for my own.  I sat down on the floor and was back asleep pushing depressing thoughts from my mind.

Days went by in the same manner. I managed to get out and get some meatier food to eat, I took care of the animals, and I would check on the elf, I would change his bandages and apply new ones. It wasn’t until five days after the accident that he actually woke up and I didn’t know about it.

I was sitting in front of the fire, my wolf at my side, as I peeled some potatoes I was intending on eating.  My mind was focused on the simple task so much that I forgot everything else existed. In the back of my mind I heard someone walking around and thought it was Zanal.  But when he started growling at my side I knew something was wrong.

I stood up and turned around quickly the small pearing knife in my hand ready for anything. I saw golden hair first half leaning against the door frame to my room, one white arm holding the grey blanket out of his way, the other arm wrapped protectively around his stomach.  The elf was trying to walk.  I crossed the room in a short time and pulled the elf’s arm over my shoulder making him lean against me.
“Don’t worry, let me help you, we’ll get you to sit down.” I reassured him as he looked at in disbelief.

I guided the wounded being to the couch in front of the fire that I hadn’t used in the past few days. He was almost happy to sit down again.  I noticed that his eyes were dark in color as they took in their surroundings.  I didn’t blame him if he was nervous, scared, or even angry.  This whole occurrence was my fault. Zanal, realizing that it was the elf, bounded over to him and stood half on the couch, his tail wagging happily.

“Is this your wolf human?” the elf spoke his voice quiet.

“Umm…technically yes, but he found me and stayed here. I’m not keeping him of his free will.” I replied stammering over the words.

“I can see that.  He loves you, there is a lot of trust in his eyes.” The elf continued, I watched him relax a bit as he ruffled Zanal’s ears.

“I’m sorry that I shot you. I…I was hunting and-” I blurted, I was trying to find the right words to say.

“No need human, the fault was mine for sneaking around as well.  Not actually sneaking…more…trying to not die.” The elf put his hands up apologetically. “I thank you for the care; you seemed to have cured my sickness that had me near death.”

I blinked in confusion as the elf explained why he had strayed so far from his home.  The pit in my stomach slowly filled and I was feeling less and less guilty.  I sighed in relief all too relieved that there was some explanation for his being so far from the elven city.

“Human curious…do you have a name?” the elf looked at me, his eyes tired, his frame sinking more and more into the couch.

“I do, but that can be told another time, you need to go back to sleep.” I responded kindly as I could.

“Sleep can wait.”

“Not for the sick.” I shook my head as I tried to help him up.

“I’ll stay out here…the sun light and fresh air are helping me.” He pushed my hand away.

“This is no way for an elf to be acting. You should just sleep.”

“I can do as I please…I’m far older then you my human friend.  And I will sleep, but out here. I will be fine, just tell me your name.” the elf glared softly as he addressed me.

“Viro. And you?” I asked back.

“Y’hane.” The elf smiled his dark eyes closing as he fell asleep on the couch.

I shook my head in disbelief as I covered Y’hane with a blanket. Sighing again I sat back down on the floor and continued making my dinner. Sometimes I never wanted to know how I got into the things I did.  And I laughed at myself wondering just how much trouble I could get in being friends with an elf.