First star I see tonight

The night it all began was a beautiful moonlit night. Willows whispering to the wind, picking leaves off the ground and spinning them in little swirls. There was magic in the air. It was late autumn, the great white cold was awaiting its in the forest, past all the trees and the river bank, a large bonfire was blazing bright. Tall figures circled it with ferocious expressions. Their minds were one—The demon must die! Starbright was tied to a large rock, while the vile humans tried—and succeeded—to poke and cut her with their knives and pikes. She was defiantly having an off day.

Her god mother had been feeling under the weather, so they were bathing in the quiet creek. And then, all of a sudden, they were pelted with arrows. Her god mother, powerless in the fight, took one to her chest and died instantly. Starbright was captured mostly naked, only a thin piece of cloth hid her from the horrible humans.

"This retched demon prances through the woods—our woods!—as though she owns them, takes our pray and leaves us fruitless in our hunts!"

An ugly old man shouted in front of the large stone, shaking his hands into the air.

"She must suffer for Ameniara, Jeng Do, and Girmi! They died, only because we couldn't find enough food!"

Looking in to the hateful faces of the men of the tribe, the old man turned to face the childlike demon being tied up helplessly. Starbright looked up. Blood trickled down her eyesight creating dark dots. They were bringing out a whip with little spear heads on the tip. She looked away, only to be slapped in the face with a stick covered in thorns. Her eyes! They were screaming with pain! She did not dare open them again, but this was too much. Her own magic could not keep up. She felt the cold death that was sure to come soon.

Oh, High ones! What had she ever done to deserve this?

After having her back tattered by the humans, she was left alone on the rock until the bonfire was large enough to burn her. Strapped near the top of the rock, Starbright could just barely see a few flickering lights in the sky. Although she didn't have the strength to escape, she let out one last pain stricken send, hoping that the stars she was so fond of, could send some help.

*…elp…Help!..Humans…I'm trapped!*

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**!**

Skywize, Cutter, and Strong bow noticed her frantic send.

"What was that?"

The stargazer asked his soul brother.

"No idea. But humans are involved"

Said Cutter, the young chief of the Wolfriders.

*The five-fingers are harming our kind, again!*

Raged Strongbow, who had almost lost his daughter to them,long ago. Thankfully the former chief had saved her, but…It was a close call. He was glad he was able to save the former chief, Bearclaw, from the monster that had almost wiped the whole tribe out. Bearclaw had resigned from his post as chief, and passed it along to his son, who had figured out how to kill the monster. No one died fighting the monster, and they were all loyal to Cutter for that.

The three nodded in agreement. They would return shortly with their tribesmen. Every elf must live, even if they had never seen the stranger before.

The sight of the human camp was a gruesome one. The blood splattered rock, an elf in tattered clothing tied up, the crazy old man hitting her large and slanted eyelids with a thorn stick, as if to cause as much pain as possible before she was burned alive.

"In the name of Gotara…We banish this demon!"

Gotara, Gotara! The humans chanted. The old man pulled out a sharp blade. It was already covered in old blood. No doubt, the blood belonged to the overhanging skulls.

"Stop, please!"

Starbright's feeble cries in their language were ignored, as she heard the old man mutter one last time.

"Gotara…!"

Closing her eyes, Starbright waited for the blade. Just then, a cry was heard!

"AYOOOOYAH!"