1 Chapter One. Who am I?

Asko slowly opened his eyes, wincing against the pain throbbing in his skull. He looked around, wondering exactly where he was. He remembered dimly that he was riding his favorite horse, on the way to… where was he going? He forgot. He was sure he was going somewhere though. He racked his brain but couldn't come up with anything. He growled and sat up, noticing the blood that trickled from a cut on his arm. He didn't see his horse anywhere, did it run away? He struck the hard-packed dirt road in anger, cursing in the Elfin tongue profusely. His left leg looked like it had been pretty scraped and bruised. He hastily pushed his black shoulder length hair from his slender face and behind his pointed elf ears. His leather leggings were ripped and torn beyond believe. He began cursing the horse in Elfin and Old Earth tongue. The dirt road wounded its way around the feet of Jaki'er, the mountain, it continued on for a few miles and branched off two ways. One way went straight to the Elfin City and the other to the Sea Lake City. Asko was sure he was somewhere along the road to the Elfin City. He gingerly climbed to his feet and looked up at the sky. It was nearly evening, the sky was tinged with the barest amount of purple and dark blue. He could see the sun setting over the giant mountain, casting warm rays of light on the meadow to his left. Down a little farther he noticed a small brook, the sight alone was refreshing. Not to mention he was thirsty as a winged demon. He made his way down the slope, his sharp eyes and ears straining for noises that seemed off. The water cooled his parched and dry throat as he sat down and dipped his hands into the pure water and brought a small handful to his lips. The wind blew softly, carrying with it the scent of the flowers that covered the meadow. He sighed and wiped his face, his eyes followed two blue birds that darted in out of the cover of a tall oak tree. For a second he thought he heard someone singing, it was a low and mournful sound. Haunting and mysterious. He scrambled to his feet, looking around. He was quite sure of it. The voice seemed to come from everywhere all at once. He could also smell burnt spices and scented pine needles. He started to head for the smell, but stopped. He remembered dimly that someone had told that there were witches and evil spirits who prayed on travelers in this area. He wasn't sure who had told him though. Before he could make up his mind on what to do, he saw two girls emerge from the treeline down near the edge of the forest to his right. He quickly ducked down, keeping low to the ground. What were they doing out here? He wondered. He watched with interest as they moved away, picking flowers and laughing. His sharp eyes noticed that they seemed to be acting strange. One of them wasn't even walking correctly, her legs were turned inward and she walked with a strange hobble. The other kept scratching and rubbing her arms and head, like she had an itch that she couldn't get rid of. They moved onward, looping back into the forest and disappearing from sight. He sighed with relief. Something was definitely off about the whole thing. He felt something light and warm touch his shoulder, he almost let out a yelp of surprise as he whirled around, fists raised. His mouth dropped in awe. Standing before him was beautiful half-naked girl. She appeared to be older than him, at least by one or two years. Her long black hair wasn't tied up or anything, she let it flow naturally down her bare shoulders and back. Her slender and pretty face was breathtaking, her green eyes shone with mischievousness and mirth. She wore a pretty necklace around her neck, the blue stone reached just above her ample and soft curves of her breast. The only thing that kept him from seeing them was the light cloth that barely covered her chest. She wore a light colored shift that didn't hide her long and graceful legs. It was more of a light skirt, Asko thought, a very short skirt. "Are you trying to get closer to those two girls or move away? I can help you do either or." She said with a giggle. Asko blushed, he had never talked to a girl around his own age before. When was the last time that I.. he still couldn't remember anything. Just that his name was Asko and that he was… what was he trying to do? "N-no. Um, they aren't girls, I mean. They might be but I think they are werewolves." He stammered. She got closer, her face inches from his. He could smell her lightly scented body. His eyes wondered down to her breast and he flushed with embarrassment. Taking a step back she smiled. "Come with me, you look lost. Besides," she stepped forward again. "Its not safe at night, who knows what might eat you or do something to your body. Especially a cute elf boy like you." She backpedaled with a little laugh, her own face was red. But Asko didn't even notice, he was trying really hard to keep from showing that he was staring at her. "Wh-who are you?" he asked quickly. She held out her hand. "Its Al'ina. My name is Al'ina." He took her hand cautiously. "Mine is Asko." She pulled him to her and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Like that name, its cute. I like you." She stared at him, her eyes were so striking and pretty. He looked away. He followed her silently, making sure that he kept an eye open, being mindful of where they were going. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, he was just still cautious. He didn't want to be eaten by some creature because he made a stupid mistake. They left the meadow and started to move into the forest. The trees rustled as the wind blew through the leaves. "Where do you live, you don't live alone do you?" he asked. She stopped and looked at him as if he were insane. "No, I live with my grandmother. She's blind so I do most of the work. We live about a mile or so up ahead. Not too far. I hope your hungry, cause we got a lot of stew that we still haven't finished from last night." She never asked him where he came from or what he was doing all alone out there. Which was good, Asko thought, he wouldn't know what to tell her. "People thought she was a witch when we lived in the Elfin City, so we moved out. I didn't really want to, but she begged me. She kept saying that I was being stubborn and foolish, but I was worried about her getting around when I wasn't there. My mother and father died from a disease when I was a child, so my grandmother is really the only family I have." Asko smiled. "I've been to the Elfin City twice. It was awesome. My father..." he paused. Why had he said he had been to the Elfin City? Had he really? He was quite sure that he had but he didn't remember it. This was so frustrating, he thought, some of my memories are gone. But why? "My father is a Fletcher." He said, noticing Al'ina's quizzical gaze. She nodded, seeming to accept what he had said.

Who is this girl? Why is she all alone out in a forest with her aunt? Can Asko truly trust her?

These questions are in need of an answer.