Evans encounter

Chapter 1:

Evan was a wood elf, one of the finest races of all, consisted of fine archers and masters of stealth. His bloodline was pure but as for Evan.l well, he wasn’t. He was the product of a wood elf copulating with a human. A short, weakened version of the wood elf, he will not grow as tall, nor become a master of stealth and as for archery, he couldn’t hit the apple if it was already attached to the arrow. He was however blessed in the facial department.

His jaw line was well defined; almost, polished, like a stone that had undergone years and years of weathering to accumulate into a perfectly formed curve that had mounted itself upon Evans face. His hair was about 4 centimeters long and was a golden brown, it looked like sand you’d find on a hot beach. Out of his hair peeked two small, fragile ears, they poked towards the sun and laid against Evans head as if they were shielding him. His lips puckered then parted like fresh cherry’s, glistening in the sun after it’s been freshly picked, selected for its refreshingly red exterior and the bitter sweetness delicacy of its interior. His green eyes glistened in the sun, ray upon ray of sunlight could not match the shimmering emeralds in which he kept safe in his eyes, behind thick, black, profound eyelashes that protected these gems with their every graceful flutter.

And thick, hazelnut brown eyebrows that sheltered these gems, and portrayed, a almost confused but intrigued look in Evans face. Confused as to the strange man that held a knife to his throat. Evan was by no means, scrawny, but he wasn’t built like a bull either. Due to Evan being eighteen, (Even species take longer to Mature than other races) his height hasn’t yet peaked, and considering he was a wood elf he was short standing at 5’4 His weight was normal for any boy his age, he had muscle, it just didn’t bulge at the skin. Anyway, back to the attempted murder. Evan grasped the mans arm with his nimble fingers and his eyes drifted towards the silver hunting knife that was about to rudely impale his throat and shake hands with the tip of his tongue. The knife was wrapped in elk leather and had beautiful marking embedded upon the handle.

“Come one step closer, and this knife will be lodged in his throat”
The “man” thrusted the knife upwards and grasped Evans hair, tugging at it forcing Evan to retreat upwards closer the man, laying back against his colossal legs for supports and to create some distance between him and the knife. The guards retreated at the thought of spilling wood elf blood, and at the white marble palace markets.

Evan was being held at knifepoint.
In a fucking market.
For heavens sake.
The guards bellowed and laughed as to ward off any pretentious threat the man posed
“Spill blood? Here? You’re joking”

The guards giggled at such a profound thought.
However, the man just grazed the knife along Evans neck, Evan gasped as the knife ran along his neck releasing a solitary drop of blood onto to his rugged linen shirt.

The guards gawped, their reluctance to take the threat seriously would cost them, is is a federal offence to spill blood within city walls, especially eleven blood, as its their hold after all. But any guards who are ignorant enough to allow it too happen are often swiftly punished, often more vigorously than the criminals themselves who spilt the blood.

“Take one step closer and the whole head comes off” Evan began to panic as his chest began heaving and his eyes racing across looking for someone, anyone.
“Let him go” demanded an officer, no not just any officer. Chief commander.
“Yeah let him go!” Bellowed a voice from the crowd
“The boys innocent!” Another voice shouted
“Not the boy, the man.” The commander corrected
“The boy is a wanted criminal and the man is a cornered rat, however I will not allow him to taint this city’s white marble any further with this criminals blood”

Evans eyes bulged as he realized how much danger he was in, with a knife up to his throat, a pretty kind of that, and half the city that was about to turn on him.
“ I recognize that thief!” Yelled a voice from the crowd
“He stole bread from me!”

Evan dropped his head in shame as he heard the onslaught of slurs being hurled at him from every direction of the city’s market.
The man however dragged his head up and pulled his lips to his ears

“You’re my leverage kid, don’t get all soppy on me now.” His voice was deep and almost blissful, like sweet honey rolling off a wooden spoon.
“He’s scum!”
“Hang ‘em with the rest!”
“Thief!” “Thief!” “Thief!” Chanted the crowd in vengeful synchronization
“SILENCE!” Roared the commander
“I’ve changed my mind, guards, seize the boy.”

The Guards withdrew their weapons and with a snap of the commanders fingers the guards lunged at Evan. However the stranger had grasped Evans collar and released the knife from his throat and was now dragging him through the city. They both ran joined at the hip however the man would often race past Evan as they jolted around street corners and raced down alleyways of the city. The man, still holding a firm grasp on Evans collar. Evan withdrew shrieks with every tug of his collar as he was paraded through the streets dragged by a firm fist. Evan didn’t get a clear view of his face, he did however notice the dark, chocolate strands of the mans hair that flew in the wing as they raced down the streets of the city.

“STOP!” Demanded a guard as he withdrew his sword and moved closer to the oncoming runners

Evan rummaged in his pocket for a wooden shuriken, and thwacked it at the incoming guards forehead and with a groan, a moan and a toss, he hit the floor in agony clutching at his forehead.
The strangers eyes glanced at Evan with a surprised but grateful look and with that, he loosened his grip on Evans now crumpled collar. They darted out of the city and flew into the woods and like that, Evans life changed, forever.

They kept running until they were far enough into the woods that they spotted colorful, vibrant mushrooms, these were significant as they signified they were far enough into the forest that the guards wouldn’t pursue them further. Evan would often collect these and produce potent potions, most of the potions were harmless, hallucinogenic to sell to the local drunks for a little extra money or non-lethal potions to knock out guards when he needed to escape prison. Evan was in fact, a criminal, a petty one at the too. Never stole anything pricier than bread.

Never stole much really, if Evan stole it, you without a doubt know he needed it. He glanced at the mushroom and attempted to catch his breath and the man looked over at him, he’d already caught his breath. Evans eyes drifted from the mushrooms and met the strangers eyes. The man towered over Evan, he looked at least 6’7. Evan stood up straight as to allude himself the the reality that maybe he really wasn’t that tall, but nonetheless he stood up and he was in fact, extremely tall.

“You’re a thief” the strange man said, with conviction in his voice
“You held a knife up to my throat, I don’t think you have the upper hand here” Evan remarked

The stranger furrowed his brows, clenched his fists and began to walk over to Evan
Evan now, how should I say this, shitting his pants realized, he may have had the upper hand after all.
The stranger towered over Evan and looked at him firmly in his eyes
“Caleb”
“Evan”

The gesture was small but proved significant within itself
“That was cool what you did with the wooden thing” Caleb remarked, almost smiling
“Thanks, it’s a shuriken, I carve them myself. And the whole “One step closer and his head come” off thing was pretty cool too” Evan retorted with a smug look on his face, Caleb smirked but turned around as to arrange the things in his backpack.
“I’m heading down to Elk Wood, you know that hunting town west of here” Caleb pronounced you can come if you’d like, you seem pretty down to earth”
“Yeah if you’d thrusted that blade any farther into my neck back there I might actually be in the earth, six-ish or so feet deep.”
“You’re a bit salty I get that, well, offers on the table, if not trot along back to your white marble city”

Evan had nothing in that “white marble” city, he had no family, no belongings except what he held in his pockets, a small knife with a brass handle that had been worn down to a murky, brown colour; a few shuriken carved from the flesh of willow trees that clustered outside the city walls; a few bruised mushrooms and mortar and pest which he kept.... at his little hideout Propped up on a bookshelf in a abandoned alchemist shack.
“Fuck” he thought, he’d left the mortar and pestle at the shack.

He bit his lip in frustration and Caleb just, started at him.
“Soooo.... you coming or what because if you are we need to get going”
Evan stalled for a moment and the thought of leaving behind the most precious thing he’s ever owned.

“Yeah, coming” He hesitated but knew that he couldn’t go back now. With that creepy Commander after him, Evan knew a little secret that the commander kept hidden away you see, the Commander preyed on vulnerable men and bargained with them for lesser punishment, he’d tried it with Evan a few times but only succeeded once and Evan... doesn’t like to talk about that. He’d bargain lesser punishments for sexual acts. Evan couldn’t bare the thought of becoming the Commanders little sex pest. So he decided not to return to the shack. He’d play it safe.

Caleb now beginning to become frustrated with Evans slow decision making moaned
“Are you coming or what?”

Evan looked at him and they shared a tense stare before Ivan glanced away and Caleb began walking off further into the woods. Evan followed him, trailing after his ginormous feet, stepping into each footprint he made in the ground and striding along after Caleb, giggling like a child.

“How old are you?” Caleb asked, as he single handily contributed to deforestation of the forest floor with his ginormous feet.
“Nineteen ” replied Ivan and he continued to trail off into Caleb foot prints
“And you?”
“Eighteen” Caleb smirked, Evan caught this smirk and took offence
“Why are you smirking? Did those flippers of yours finally grow back into normal feet?”
“Oh you wound me” Caleb snorted
“I was just going to say you look... well for a eighteen year old, you’ve got the face of a baby and the defining features of a man, bit odd but attractive in a sense. No wonder that guard was insistent on restraining you” Caleb laughed

Evans face contorted and grew in anger, then diminished so he realized the compliment he’d just received

“Thanks” his face turnt red and scrunched up like a raisin. He turns in confused anger and slams his face into a tree, the sound was so loud Caleb turns around to see what happened.

He let out a roar, Evan protested insisting it “WASNT FUNNY!” and just like that they walked until night drew upon them and they’d set up a make shift camp by a small creek. Only now had Evan truly noticed Caleb face, he had big, brown eyes that glistened at the fire and a jaw line that crept into the slop of his neck and settled there perfectly, a few bumps here and there however almost flawless. His hair was like a horses mane in that it was thick and that his fringe wasn’t fully lenient on his face as only the ends of his fringe touches his face. He had all the features you’d expect a masculine person to have, he even had freckles, he was muscular and tall and... scary in a sense to Evan. Scary because he posed no visible threat to Evan yet Caleb could overpower him 10 times out of 10. And that scared him, never knowing the true extent of someone’s intentions. Caleb had that troublemaker look, a distinct look and in a strange way it only made Evan more attracted to him.

“You want some of this?” Caleb pronounced proudly. A grin swept across his face as he pointed a stick with a half roasted rabbit at the end of it at Evan. Evan wasn’t particularly hungry he was in fact, actually starving. But he didn’t want to loose his shit over a rabbit in front of Caleb so he gently nibbled on the rabbits corpse while sustaining eye contact with Caleb. Their eyes were frozen in time, exchanging glances at each other as Caleb stopped chewing to focus on Evans eyes and Even chewed faster to create some sound in the deafening silence.
“So” Caleb said, breaking the silence “What’s up with the Commander back there? It looked like you two had something going”

Evan broke eye contact, drew his knees up to his chest and sunk his jaw into his knees, staring at the fire, listening to the sounds of birds and the crickets.

“That’s a story for another day” Evan retreated behind his words like a wounded deer falls into the forest for shelter. Caleb glanced over at him searching for their eyes too meet but Ivan completely blocked him out. You could tell what Caleb was thinking through this eyes, and his eyes spoke of concern. Evan however, his eyes while beautiful rarely gave any glimpse of emotion. They say the eyes are the window to the soul, in that case Caleb's was a pretty little glass pane, you could see and tell what he was feeling whereas Ivan’s were boarded up, not a sliver of sun reached inside. Their camp was a fairly simple set up, a fire, a Evan, a Caleb, and whatever belongings they shared between them. Caleb had a small bedroll that was stored away in his makeshift backpack, he flattened it out, patted it down and propped his head back with his hands behind his head and he gazed up at the sky, it’s was all sorts of magical colours, green, blue, violet, red, they all merged to create a beautiful array of colour in the sky

“3” Evan whispered
“2” Evan whispered again
“1 “ Caleb pronounced confidentially in a subtle, smooth voice.

The sky contorted to a dark shade of black as the colourful colours diminished I to the black abyss
Evan cocked his head at Caleb
“You watch the nights turning too?”
“Any good hunter watches the nights turning” Caleb replied.
“They’re beautiful to watch from the white marble walls of the city”
“I bet they are”

Evan yawned and stretched his arms, he got and and looked at the willow tree, starting from the roots, to the bark, to the branches, to the leaves.
“Perfect” he remarked
“What’s perfect?” Caleb asked curiously
“Needs to find somewhere to sleep”
Caleb laughed

Evan began the scale the tree, his figure moving against the tree fascinated Caleb
Evidently Evan found a small crevice in the tree and had bundled up there, curling into himself for warmth and protection. Caleb let out a soft giggle and drifted off to sleep knowing Evans wary eyes were following every breath he took.