The sight beyond the village was a sight to behold. Rolling hills, green grass, endless forests marking the start of elf territory. So mysterious and full of life. In this society, we females have only the option of a healer as our job, or otherwise it’s housework like the olden days. We have forever stayed in this time, never advancing. They say it was a punishment from long ago. From sacred animals. Mythical beings. Perhaps the gods and saints of the elves.
My Percheron, a young sorrel gelding, snorts softly as our hunting group makes its way to our location. I have no details. Not a clue what they are searching for so far out, away from the simple village. “We’ll rest for a few minutes before heading out again! Let’s hope today is our lucky day, men!” the lead huntsman shouted from the very head of the messy gathering. Yells of relief and chatter filled the air as we stopped by a large tree with many limbs, slowly dismounting from our horses, landing on the falling yellow petals.
We had been riding all week, galloping over long hills or stretches of flat terrain, resting during the hottest moments of the day and moving at a slow pace at night, the warm glow of lanterns filling the space around us. I let out a sigh, hopping off my gentle steed as he rubbed his long face against my shoulder, causing me to laugh quietly and scratch his forehead. “Come on, chief. Let’s tie you up to the tree so we can both rest” I muttered to him with a warm, loving tone, guiding the large giant over to a free branch of the tree, tying his reins before heading for my medical pack. Someone had injured themselves as we were hunting for lunch, their horse getting spooked by god knows what and throwing the poor boy off in such a rush. He would need basic care before we sent him and another one of the grown adults back to the town, as well as resources.
I let out a long sigh, calling the boy over to tend to his wounds. So many had said he shouldn’t have come, yet the older men had replied that it was a good experience and that the boy will survive. That he’ll be fine. I had told them that the boy was not ready, but being a lady made them dismiss me even though my knowledge extended father than they could possibly imagine. It hurt, being ignored, my ideas being turned down because of my gender. Initially, I had been interested in science and maths, psychology and biology, yet only a man could have such a job. I found it unfair, my young self being taunted and laughed at when I presented the idea of being a scientist to others back in the village. The mothers scorned me and scowled, scolded and laughed as if my statement 'I want to be a scientist like my father' was comedy gold. All set up for a good enjoyment. Those memories rushed back to my cluttered, intelligent mind as I tended to the just turned adult's wounds. A quiet reassuring mutter of 'You'll be okay' or 'Such stupid men' was occasionally said in the process, but as soon as he was bandaged up and fed, looked after and rested, I shooed him away with haste.
My head dropped as I packed up all my resources and gear neatly in my bags before laying them next to my resting gelding. He snorted as they thumped on the ground, stomping his hoof in anger, being woken so suddenly. I shot the sorrel horse a shy smile, softly stroking his large shoulder and whispering a sort of apology before heading to the large group to gather food and water for myself.
Time had passed, and the sun started to dip ever so slowly. That's when the hunters gathered the group up, and we set off on our horses. It was cooler now that the sun was gone, but rumours were that large beasts, wolves with sharp claws like tigers, a mane of a lion, wandered the same plains as us. That they're aggressive creatures with a large appetite for anything that stays still too long. Or, it could just be another made up excuse as to why multiple men went missing on a hunt. Slowly, the sky burned into a beautiful bloody crimson, with chrome yellows and burnt oranges filling in the gaps of the red as it quietly faded to a dark black, stars coming out to greet us. There was far too much light pollution at home, drowning out the stars and this black night, so it made a few of the younger boys uneasy, facing such new experiences. I let out a sigh once more, a shiver running along my spine as a small wind ran through the gaps the group had made as we continued on. So I guided my steed to a halt, quick enough to throw my jacket on and catch up, as I had to, being at the back of the group due to my gender.
The temperature just above freezing, instead of burning hot in this short yet harsh spring, falling into a devastating summer, but when the moon rises and the sun disappears, it would reach just above freezing. Rabbits ran in the meadow as we trotted as one down the intended path, and I just hoped and prayed we were heading in the right direction. We had gotten lost so many times, often running out of food and having to hunt before wandering for days, trying to find a human made path. It was odd out here. Compasses didn't work, the water flowed up a steep hill as well as down, glowing plants. And ten our everyday animals, yet either too big or too small, sometimes a cross of animals that are so different the mix shouldn’t look right, or strange markings. No one understood this land. Land that belonged only to the wild, untouched by our kind. And a forest, full of many different trees, with such strange plants, seemed to stretch on forever, as far as the eye could see, and most likely further. It surrounded our village, though far away, but it was the end of our small world. The world we can’t ever leave. The forest home to the elves. Many of the villagers questioned if they were real, as no one had actually seen them. We only knew stories of when we were at war a hundred or so years before the present.
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