Last of the Icelvar

(something that flew through my head one afternoon while talking to Night Star... unsure (doubtful) if I'll ever finish it, but, wanted to share the first tidbit of it)
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Holding a hand to her heart Avelae looked out across frigid horizon, unshed tears glinted in the depths of her pale blue eyes as she sadly gazed at the remnants of what had once been her village.

SCRRROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRR!

She swiftly ducked behind a large boulder as the blue monstrosity that had assaulted her people and had razed her village swooped overhead once more. The creature was near as tall as the mountain that stood at the back of their once thriving village, its scales of navy and cyan shone with a strange iridescence that seemed almost otherworldly, its eyes glowed as white as the full moon and it breathed a scorching frost from its elongated snout.

She shuddered to herself as she watched it flap its massive wings, as it circled the remains of her home, each beat of its wings an indescribable boom that echoed throughout the region.

They were a community of simple snow elves! They had not deserved this.

The ominous echoes of the beast’s wings were soon nothing but a horrific reminder that echoed in her ears as the creature departed from their lands. Avelae peered out from behind the boulder and having determined the newfound safety of the situation she turned and faced her brethren, a smattering of what they once were… so many had been lost.

Her gleaming eyes met the once-proud gaze of her father, he who had settled their village and had encouraged a prosperity almost unknown to their kind in recent years. They were among the last of their kin, the Icelvar were dying… and now this profane creature of the frigid wastes had hastened their demise. Her voice was tinged with a tension previously unknown as she spoke to her father, as she tried to ignore the unfamiliar despair that emanated from the man. “Father… we must leave!”

Her father swayed unsteadily as he climbed to his feet and faced the few Icelvar that remained, all of whom appeared bewildered and grief-struck as they lay upon the drifts of snow and despaired for their loved and their lost. She watched as he opened his mouth to speak, and frowned grimly as she witnessed the man’s words fail him for the first time in all her years.

Scrooooooooooooooaaaarr!

Her long ears pricked upwards as she heard the despicable creature’s cries once more; though far in the distance, the high-pitched screech brought goosebumps to her pale skin and her heart leapt into her throat as she instinctively ducked, her pulse thudding loudly in her ears as she expected the creature to suddenly appear overheard once more. She wasn’t alone, she saw all the others act in the same manner as the faraway screech of the frost dragon pierced all their ears and chilled their bones. They would be traumatised for some time, she knew that, though she was uncertain as to why she seemed less affected by these events than her kin… she at least had retained some manner of life, of ability.

She hastened to her father’s side and placed a steady hand on his shaking arm; she would be strong, for him and for their people. She spoke softly, gently, in a melodic tone that was more her own than the last words she had spoken, and gestured towards the East. “We can shelter in the ice caves that we used for storage, when we first arrived to these lands… until we find ourselves once more…”

Dismayed, she watched as her father only nodded silently, terror and hopelessness remained apparent in the dullness of his eyes. Devoid of thought, he simply motioned to the remainder of their people and they began the slow trek through the drifting snow toward the caves. Avelae wrapped her arms about herself as she shivered through slush, they had not time to gather the simple necessities from their homes, had they stayed for a moment longer they all would have perished in the dragon’s wrath. She had not felt this chilled since the hapless days of her childhood… a lonely elven child lost atop the snowy mountains, relentlessly assailed by icy gusts the like of which she could never have imagined.

The silence seemed to scream in her ears as she and her people trudged through the snow, the silence a shrill shriek echoing about the recesses of her mind as the unfamiliar quiet ran havoc through her thoughts. She tightened her grip on her arms and pushed herself forward, she forced herself to ignore the painful silence and frigid chill that blew through her long blue hair; they had one objective: to reach the caves. That was all that mattered at this time, nothing else.

The hour it took to slog their way to the ice caves seemed to take the entire day, the sky having darkened prematurely, unnaturally, an ominous haze of unknown origin settled offensively across the once blue atmosphere. As her father mindlessly led the distraught people into the cave, Avelae took one last glance across the distance, and allowed a hardness to form around her heart as she glared at the silhouette of the beast that danced about the horizon.

She did not know how, but she knew that one day she would make that creature pay; if she were the last of her people, that dragon would find its end alongside her very own.

a reply to: kaelci

Another great one!

a reply to: kaelci

Of course it's fantastic!

Please do finish it one day!

Thanks Q and Birdy

I did write a bit more! Did 4 little mini chapters for it... but... I don't like them, haha. I really liked the first introductory one though and decided it must be shared

I might try again one day and re-do the others and finish it too. I liked what popped up in my head, just, not what popped up in words, lol!

Yay! I knew you would do a wondrous job with this story!!!!! Don't be too critical of yourself and continue writing Kaelci. I absolutely loved this!!!!

a reply to: Night Star
Thank you, Night

We are our own biggest critics, LOL. Here is part 2, but I'll edit and play around with the other parts before posting them. I guesstimate I'm maybe halfway through the whole tale before vanquishing the dragon overall, but, we'll see! I might get a burst of inspiration!
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The days had been long and painful as they struggled to reconstruct a small scale of their previous lives into the confines of the caves. They had found home in the depths of the ice caves for near a fortnight, and as each day passed them by the few remaining people had turned from Avelae’s father and had begun to seek guidance from Avelae herself. She was no leader but she was the best that they could expect as he who was once their chief fell deeper into a silent anguish that she did not quite understand.

Night had fallen several hours prior and the people had fallen into a quiet nocturnal stillness if not sleep, and silently she took this opportunity to slink out into the open caverns that sat in what seemed the direct centre of the entire cave system. The caverns were exquisite with simple beauty; sparkling icicles hung from the towering ceiling, reflecting the luminescence of the moon that shone through an opening.

The ominous haze that had settled across the sky seemed less evident at night, for which she was gladdened; she had always enjoyed the peace of the night and soft dreaminess of the moon above, and was pleased that she was able to view the majestic sight from deep within the cave, pleased to still be able to experience this one simple pleasure that she felt defined who she was.

She lightly leant against a transparent icicle that jutted from the ground and gazed up at through the gap in the ceiling, quietly she admired the shine of the moon and slowly she fell into an imaginary reverie, swift dreams of the life she had once known flashed back and forth through her thoughts before she could catch and hold onto the simplest of memories…

BOOM!

Avelae’s hands flew to her ears in a panic as the deafening roar reverberated about the cavern, the icicles above trembled dangerously as a giant shadow darkened the area. It was back! The creature had found them! She hastily climbed to her feet, her hands still held about her ears, the floor shook and kept her off-balance as she tried to run from the caverns, her body swayed left and then right as in her fright she somehow managed to leave the cavern just as a hundred pointed icicles smashed to the floor where mere moments ago she had been seated.

The crash of the icicles echoed in her ears as she ran down the passageway, back to where her people had begun to make their home. She could see frightened eyes peering out from behind the snowy mounds they had built up as dwellings, she could feel the fear-filled aura that drenched the very air that surrounded them, the crash of the icicles and booms of the dragon’s wings still echoed loudly behind her as she dove into the simple snow-mound she had built for herself and wrapped the freshly constructed blanket of white leaves and fox fur about her face and encased herself in the darkness.

Why did this creature torment them so? What had they done to deserve this continued distress? Were the lives that were lost, the homes that were destroyed, the memories that had been made and abandoned… were they not enough for this beast!?

She silently wept behind the cover of her blanket as she refused to allow the others to hear her cries, she was the only strong person that remained! They would know of her fear but they would never know of her tears, the day they saw the tears rolling down her cheeks would be the day they ceased to exist… she would not allow it! She would remain strong!

The booms of the dragon’s wings began to fade away into the approaching morning and the tears that she had cried began to dry. Avelae huddled under her blanket and began the lengthy task of composing her face, ready to face the oncoming day.

As she worked to harden her eyes and set her mouth into a forced rictus of a smile, she remembered an old story that she had once been told when she was but a child. In fact, it was the very story that had encouraged her child-self to climb a dangerous mountain and lose herself amongst the gusts and swirls of the cyclonic winds and harsh snowfall… the story of the Ancients and their draconic orb: a mystical ball of supreme power that the Ancients had conjured with the last of their might to combat the dragon menace that had been imposed upon their lands.

It was nothing but a fairy-tale, but in her childhood innocence and naivety she had thought the world of this magical story of power-laden conjuration and had sought to discover the final resting place of the Ancients and take ownership of that orb. A story… indeed. She closed her eyes tightly and quickly shook her head to relieve herself of such senseless notions. It was a fairy-tale, that was all, and the remnants of her people needed her here and now. Not trekking about on some lunatic adventure.

She swiftly rubbed her face to bring some colour into her sunken pale cheeks and strode out of her snow mound, an air of false hope exuding from her as she moved to face the despairing people who slowly ventured forth from their make-shift homes.

Flowers

For your writing

a reply to: zazzafrazz

A stunning rose for your pretty flowers and kind words

a reply to: kaelci

Amazing!!!

Yay! I'm loving this my dear Kaelci!

Zazzie, we have two bleeding heart flower bushes in the yard. Aren't they lovely?

a reply to: kaelci

Will you be my scribe?

a reply to: tikbalang

Perhaps... I demand parchment, some fine ink, and the stereotypical quill. Only then can I produce quality inscriptions!