A Search For Truth
A Private Roleplay

In a small Elven village in a land far away,
There lives a young elf with a tail.
A creature of fae
With more strange a tale
Could never be found in this world.

"I shall go find my past, that is my plan."
She says as she leaves one night.
And so she goes to far away lands
In hopes of finding the light.

For what elf could imagine
The horrors if finding
A tail growing behind you
With no explanation?

Little did she know
On her journeys untold
She would find someone unknown
With a temper ten fold

Who would guide her through without an agenda
Who would come from a land so weary and dry
A land called Rowenda
Where you couldn't tell a lie.

When the two journeyed forth,
a plot had begun.
For who would imagine,
there would be more than one?

---

Kartik Svene was a curious creature - tan skin, elven ears, a short and quick temper, long, flowing blond hair, and vibrant green eyes. However, despite his elegant elven nature, Kartik was rather troublesome and chose to live on his own where he could be free without others weary stares. For how could they treat him as an equal when he had sharper canine-teeth than a normal Elf and he had a strange tattoo birthmark spiraling along the left half of his back and shoulder?

For this very reason, he had left his home of Rowenda many years before his encounter with a young Elf who grew a tail. Little did he know that that chance encounter would change his life forever. Looking back, Kartik remembered their first meeting with a laugh. But now we are getting ahead of ourselves.. Our story begins with Anaya Starlyne and her escape.

Yet through the world alone I wander for I know somewhere,
I will find my brothers, By The Sword I swear!

What does home mean? To some it means the house they live in, their castle where they rule. To others, it's a group of people who are always their; your family, your friends, your lovers. To Anaya Starlyne, home meant the ever present ceiling of sky-scraping trees, the sweet taste of the Neverhurx Mountain flower dew, and the sound of Ellwood flutes harmonizing together with the sweet silence of the forest. That was home, plain and simple. Everything came from home, because everything and everyone were home.

But now, Anaya Starlyne would never know home again.

It had started a few moons back, before the sun had started to change the leaves to shades of fire that stole the heat from the rest of the world. One morning as the elf woke up, she noticed some pains in her lower back, quite close to her bum. After seeing all the healers in the village and each other telling her the same thing, she just assumed that it was growing pains. It turns out that it was growing pains- but not the kind that a normal elf girl would expect! Anaya had been growing a tail- which only meant one thing; she was a half-breed.

People didn't like half-breeds, for they possessed more powers than normal elves, they could do things that couldn't be fully understood by the laws that the Elders had created. So after many meetings with the council, and too many weeks of awful rumors, the half-breed made a decision to disappear forever from her home forest.

Tonight night was that night of sadness and sorrow, and Anaya was already prepared with a pair of sandals (for shoes were unheard of in the forest) provisions, and her most treasured possessions. The only thing she couldn't prepare for was the grief that filled her soul when she bent down to kiss her younger siblings goodbye as they slept. Tears began rolling down her cheeks, but like a whisper, she was gone by first light.

On the night of Anaya's escape, Kartik was deep into the woods south of her village. Now, Kartik was not aware of a village being nearby. He was simply following the trees looking for another temporary home that wouldn't be overrun by the animals around him.

With nothing but the clothes on his back, which were surprisingly in very good condition, Kartik maneuvered through the trees with the moonlight shining down upon him. Finding a large enough limb that was not only thick enough to hold him, but long enough for him to sprawl out, Kartik lounged upon the limb and settled into a comfortable position to fall asleep, one leg gently swaying off the side of the limb while the other rested upon it, his back leaning against the trunk of the moss covered tree.

It wasn't the most comfortable thing he had ever slept on, but it was better than the stones and dirt of the forest floor. Besides, he had grown rather accustomed to tree sleeping over the years he had spent away from Rowenda. But what could be done? He was a half-breed.. Who could love or desire a half-breed?

That moss tree where the polished half-bred prince dozed was that which another made camp on the grassy carpet below. Anaya leaned against the cool rough bark, letting it's nooks and crannies tear her cloak and tunic. She had been walking for a few hours now, and even then was still fairly close to her old home. It was frustrating, being so close, but at this point, Anaya was too sore, tired and hungry to care.

She let her many pocketed messenger bag fall to the ground, it being light as a feather and heavy as a rock all at the same time. It opened to reaveal a journal and fountain pen, a folded up yellowed map, a small dagger, a small pouch of gold, a white wooden flute, and several handkerchief pouches that no doubt held food of some sort.

Yes food... Anaya had packed garlicky mushrooms, cram cakes, lembas bread some nuts, grains, fruits and roots mixed together. Her canteen was filled with Miruvor, a drink that renewed strength and vitality to journeyers. As she opened one of the clothe baggage, a tempting smell wafted up to the tops of the trees, quite tempting to one who may not have eaten for awhile. Anaya blessed the stolen food, and began to eat, enjoying the sweet taste all of it left on her tongue.

Having been awoken by the rustling beneath the tree, and having figured it was just an animal wandering around in the night, Kartik had begun to fall back asleep when the smell of food drifted up to his nostrils, causing the hunger in his stomach to awaken him once more.

He had finally become accustomed to the dull hunger pains after a couple of days of no food. But now, with the smell of garlic drifting up from below, Kartik couldn't help but peer down to see what the smell was coming from. Seeing a pack of food and a young woman beside it, Kartik grinned.

Easy prey. He could steal some of that food without her even noticing.

Slipping around behind the tree, Kartik slowly lowered himself from the branch onto the large roots below. Pressing his back against the tree, Kartik's mouth watered as he crouched down and made his way towards the pack. Reaching out, Kartik stayed in the shadows away from the moonlight as he leaned forward as best he could to grasp a clothed good, hoping it was food.

'Stupid moss..' Kartik thought bitterly as his feet slid and he found it hard to keep his grip on the moss covered tree. Even in bare feet, it was difficult.

'Just a little further...' thought Kartik as he leaned forward, the cloth almost within reach.

Whatever it was that was inside of her besides elf, had very good hearing. Anaya knew this because she could hear the rustle of the branches above her, the slick moss that made his feet squeak, the quickness of his breath.

Before you could say "stupid half-breed", Anaya had the dagger at his neck. "I really don't like it when people take my stuff without asking", she said, trying to sound older and more experienced than she really was. There was a tremble in her voice and a slight shake in her hand. Obviously, she Anaya was scared out of her mind, but whether it was of the boy finding out her secret or hurting her... or both, it was not apparent.

What was she to do? Kill him? Anaya knew it was wrong to kill without consent of the gods or unless absolutely necessary. And the wanderer needed the gods, if nothing else. She needed the Gods so she could find her way home, where and if it may be. The elf prayed her honest heart would be her compass as her next actions changed the course of her history.

A soft thud emitted from below as the dagger was dropped onto grassy floor of the forest. Anaya bent down, but not to pick it up. Instead, she took one of the cloth bags and unwrapped it, the smell of food overwhelming. It had a bit of everything; cake, bread, nuts, mushrooms, preserved fruit. Satisfied with what was inside, she re-wrapped the bag.... and gave it to the boy.

"Here." It was so close to being called a whisper, but it rang out in the silent forest. "You look like you need it more than I do." A small smile appeared at the corners of her lips. "I have to spare."

Kartik eyed the cloth bundle wearily.

'Dammit. So close.. Wretched moss..' Kartik thought bitterly as he started to reach for the bundle the young girl held out to him. However, seeing the pack not far away, Kartik engaged the woman in conversation as he made his way around her, walking away from the bag as he sized her up.

Speaking softly as he walked around her, Kartik inquired softly, "Tell me, why did you not kill me? Aside from your trembling, you seemed intent on doing so. Also, I must inquire, do you pity me woman? Giving your food so willingly.. There are those in this wood who would take advantage. I, however, cannot help but wonder why."

An arrogant air came over Kartik as he took in the young woman's appearance and sat upon a nearby rock, yet he was up again halfway through his speech and nearing the pack, "You look well-bred, yet you wander alone in these woods; unguarded, unprotected, a small sheep who could easily wander into a pack of hungry wolves. Why on earth would drop your guard, drop your weapon, and offer a strange man food?"

Running, Kartik grabbed the knife and held it expertly out towards the woman, point outward as he silently dared her to near him. His arrogant nature becoming more apparent, Kartik laughed as he picked up the sack and hung it over his shoulder, "You really are too naive, woman. 'Tis a pity you didn't have better sense to bring an escort with you. You may not have lost all your food if you had," Kartik added with a wink before climbing the tree, laughing at her as he sat down on a branch a bit higher up than the one he was on previously.

When he was on the branch, Kartik put the knife in his belt before settling down and beginning to go through the pack.

"Man, you have a lot of food.. Why so much? Long journey? Going to meet your betrothed in a foreign Kingdom? Honestly, girl, didn't your Father teach you to be weary of going out alone at night into the Forest?" Kartik called down to her as he threw down the clothes that were in the sack, some getting caught on branches while others made their way down to rocks or the forest floor itself.

Anaya eyed this strange man as he walked around her. She mentally slapped herself, what the hell was she thinking when she dropped her dagger and made him a bag of her stolen food? That he would quietly take it and go away? No, that would be much too easy. She had been told by her self-defense teachers that making peace before you know the depths of the danger around you was a mindless action. No wonder Anaya had always failed those classes.

"I-I didn't kill you because..." Anaya trailed off. Why hadn't she killed the man? Was it because when she saw him, she noticed he was one of most beautiful people she had ever seen? Anaya didn't think that she was that shallow, but the elf had felt a jump at her heart, that maybe, maybe this wanderer was someone like herself in more ways than one. She started again. "I didn't kill you because I wouldn't want your blood on my hands. I am one of peace. As were my people." She did not answer his question after that, in fear of saying too much.

She felt frozen, frozen as he ran past Anaya and grabbed her knife, her quickest line of protection. But she did nothing. Why? Another question Anaya couldn't answer, it was another gut feeling. "You look well-bred..." Well, that was a -small- relief, for it meant that he couldn't see, couldn't tell what was hidden under the cloak. She was a beast, a monster, a deformity... None should see an awful thing like that.

But then, then that bastard took Anaya's bag. Anaya's bag with all her precious possessions of her past. That was enough to get her infuriated it." "Give it back!" She yelled in a whinging manner. "Bastard," Anaya muttered under her breath before pacing below the branches, trying to figure out how to get up off the ground. He took her shoes too....

"If you're trying to be funny, then the I'm not laughing." Anaya picked up clothing as it floated down... It was her extra set, similar to what she wore, and it was getting all dusty and dirty. "I'm not old enough to get betrothed, thankfully. I'd probably get stuck with a nitwit like you." Absent-mindlessly, Anaya folded the clothes and placed them on the grass before starting to climb the trunk of the tree, her feet finding places to climb on.

"Oo, a nitwit am I? A bastard? My dear girl, you really should watch your language," Kartik teased with a laugh before gathering the back with it's few contents, aside from food, within and climbed a few branches higher. Laughing at her struggle to climb, Kartik continued to search through the bag, coming across personal items such as a white flute, a bottle of ink, a quill, and.. oh? What was this.. A journal? Interesting..

Taking it out of the sack, leaving everything else in there, Kartik began flipping through the pages.

'Blah, blah, blah.. Man, is this girl a Saint?' Kartik thought to himself with a smirk, "Tell me, girlie, do you ever have anything interesting to write about? It seems all of your wit can't be put into written words. You're quite boring," Kartik added as he peered down at her.

Flipping some more pages, Kartik came to the final entry.

Twelfth day of the Flower Moon
Full Moon

I have made my decision- I shall be gone from Baelaeses by dawn. There will be no more discussions from the Elders, no more odd looks, no more gossip. I am sick of the gossip, and I hate being a half-breed. I am not aloud to watch the children anymore as I used to, their mothers shield their eyes when I by. All my friends have abandonment me, except for Vaeder, but I'm his only friend anyways, no-one else likes him and his standoffish ways.

I am not allowed to perform or heal or even go outside. If a bird cannot be healthy in a cage, then neither can I be in Baelaeses for any longer. Maybe there is another half breed out there in this world. I only wish to find out soon.

"Half-breed..." Kartik whispered softly as his mind began to race.

She was a half-breed?
It couldn't be..
She looked so normal!

But then again... So did he, unless he were naked and smiling.

"Is this final entry true?" Kartik asked as she neared him, bending over the branch to closer see her face, "You look normal enough. What's the problem that labels you as untouchable?" Kartik inquired bluntly as his eyes wandered over her body, looking for some mark or deformity - something to show him her half-breed features.

"You can't tell me what to do, you ninny." The half-breed held a growl in her voice as she climbed farther up to reach the boy with her belongings. "This isn't fair~! I just wanted to eat something and be on my way, not have to fight with some dolt who likes to play with other people's stuff!" And then he decided to climb even farther up...

The half-breed quivered, and tried to calm herself down. Anaya wasn't a fan of heights, and this was the worst. "Don't look down, don't look down..." She repeated to herself as she pulled herself up to the first branch. It became easier to pull herself up to the boy's location.

He was going through her bag. Going through her bag and touching her most personal property, including her journal. As he peeled through it, the half-breed paled, and climbed even quicker to get a hold of her nausea and her stuff. "Stop reading it! It's none of your business what I do with my life. I even liked my life before I found out my curse..."

But then he had to go read it and find out how demonic she really was. Anaya hated what she was, but there was no denying it. One last branch to be pulled up onto, and Anaya was sitting across from the boy. "I wished you didn't ask. Really. You're only getting yourself into more trouble than you want." With that, she undid the ties of her cloak, letting it fall around her, a pool of lavender. From that sea emerged a white fluffy tail, much like one of a fox. At it's tipped, it appeared as though it were dipped in the same periwinkle that Anaya's hair was.

Anaya looked ashamed, guilty, dirty. She truly hated what she was, it pushed everyone away from her. A bastard child of the priestess. Who could love a monster such as she?

"Ah, well that's fairly noticeable," Kartik commented as he ran his fingers across her tail, "Soft.. Any idea which was which?"

Slipping off his shirt, Kartik handed her her bag before turning around on the branch, revealing the intricate spiral tattoo upon his back and shoulder - a laced design that could be studied for hours and still find more designs within it's black-sapphire lines. This was because the lines moved as if they were alive -dancing across each other occasionally to change form, change shape - never making the same design twice.

Looking over his shoulder, Kartik flashed her a smile, showing his teeth as he chuckled, "More apparent than mine, anyway. I can pass myself off by not smiling and covering my torso. Yours, I'm afraid, will be hard to go unnoticed," Kartik added as he slipped his shirt back on, taking the bag from her once more as he placed the journal back inside and removed a cloth full of food - opening it and beginning to eat as he continued.

"It appears that this has not always been this way for you," Kartik said softly, though it was more of a question than a statement, "I've been this way since infancy. The tattoo appeared only on my shoulder-blade, at first. But soon it grew and became what it is as I aged. You're lucky, girlie, you were able to have a normal life before you were outcasted completely."

At the slightest touch of his fingers, the sweet, gentle touch, Anaya's tail jerked away from Kartik's hand. The instant reaction came from fear. This monstrous tail had forced her to leave the warmth and safety of home, which is what she had longed for as the elf boy caressed her tail. It was a full circle of longing and fear, for what you wanted but could never have, and what you apprehended the most.

The half-breed's attention was grabbed by him as he asked a rude question. "You nitwit, don't you know that is a rude question to ask someone." After a moment a a deep breath, Anaya answered. "My mother is purely elf, I can trace her lineage all the way back to the first four elders. She's the High Priestess of Baelaeses, of Neverhurx." Anaya added the common name for her home village the laid deep within the woods.

With a grateful heart, she gladly accepted her bag back, checking that all the possession she carried within it were positioned so they would not get damaged or hurt. When her head came back up to Kartik, she noticed him shirtless, and quite handsome without that piece of clothing. Her face deepens with blush.

"That's indecent," she whispered, her voice trailing off until it gasped as her eyes found his tattoo- it wasn't hard to miss. Her hand reached out to touch the whirling, swirling ebony lines, but her hand jerked away in time as she looked downward- a big mistake. Anaya almost lost her balance off the branch, but steadied herself. "I really hate being up here," she muttered.

"What do you mean, my tail won't be hard to cover!? The folds of my cloak were able to obscure it from the view of a pinhead like you, so I don't think it will be that hard to hide it." Anaya gave back her pack dismally, it was hard, thinking Kartik would run off with it again. She took a cloth full of food and nommed on as she listening to the other half-breed. "Mer Iar!*" Anaya exclaimed with her mouth full. She swallowed what was in her mouth to speak further.

"I suggest you don't make assumptions of my life, since you know nothing about it. And what's your definition of "normal" anyway?" She asked, using air quotes on 'normal'. "I've always been different, it's never been easy."

*Mer Iar is the equivalent of the common language saying "Shut up!"

"Hmm, perhaps. However, you will not be able to wear a cloak forever, girlie. Once that cloak comes off, you're tail is going to be far from unnoticed.

"And girlie? You lead a long life before your half-breed blood made itself apparent. That, is a blessing in itself. Your life may not have been easy, but it was normal in the sense that you were not known as a half-blood since infancy.

"Now, would you like some help down from this tree? I promise, no running off with your stuff. I just don't want you passing out and plummeting to your death, is all," Kartik grinned with a wink.

"And when I need to take my cloak off, I'll have a different plan. But there's no need to be afraid of the future. I have everything under control." Anaya took her cloak and tied it over her shoulders, a feeble quiver in her fingers. Truth be told, she did fear for the future. Now that she was away from the safe walls of home, there was everything to fear. Life inside was so sheltered, and the half-breed truly knew so little. But the courageous melody in her voice told a different story, and that's how it should be.

She did not forget her anger to this boy so quickly, and she proved it with the snap back to him. "My name is not "girlie" you nitwit. It's 'Anaya'. Gods, you're not even gentlemanly enough to ask a lady's name. You don't think my life was hard just because my other side wasn't apparent until a few months back? You have no idea. I don't think you could walk in my sandals for two moons if you tried. You don't know, so bite your tongue." Her breathing was heavy, like the words that hung in the air.

A quick look towards the ground made Anaya grimace. "I-I'll be fine. It's oh, not that far down. I think I can make it." Katrik may have been fun and games, but the girl was so terribly afraid of these heights.