Elemine and Zoroh
Born of two very different families Elemine and Zoroh met under unusual circumstances.
Elemine was born of the Falir family tribe; long-time peace keepers in the Valley of the Sun. Her father was a leading member of the Peace-keepers counsel, a highly respected canine. Her mother was held in high regard too, as she was the daughter of one of the canines that signed the treaty to give them peace.
Zoroh was born into the Venand family tribe; warriors of the Valley of the Sun. His father had won many battles and was a highly ranked commanding officer. His mother was a warrior princess from a nomadic tribe called the Noaters.
They met by a curious event.
Elemine was walking one day through the streets of the fair city when she heard whispers in a dark ally-way. Because of the flashy bit of white marking his snout at the time, Elemine immediately spotted Zoroh. She cautiously stepped into the ally. Something dark was flung over her head and she lost consciousness.
When she woke, Elemine was in a large dark room. The only light in the room came from an antique oil lamp on a cleared wooden table. The white-muzzled pup came in.
“Who are you?” she asked her head turning to look at him as he walked around the chair she was tied to. “Why are you doing this?”
“My name is not important, Princess,” he said. He turned to her. “Motive is what matters most.”
“Are you looking for the Princess?” she asked in a panic. “I am not her!”
“Well then you’ll just have to do,” he said as a sudden look of surprise flashed across his face. “How about we start with your name? Hm? Who do we send the ransom note to?”
“Tell me your name, Whitepaws,” she spat. “And I’ll tell you mine.”
“Crafty,” he smiled. “I like that.”
“Smile all you want,” she said trying to untie her hands. “As soon as my father notices I’m missing he’ll send troops after you.”
“Ah so Daddy has security clearance,” he chuckled. His face clouded over with anger. “What’s his name?”
“Try me!” she screamed. “You’ll not find out! Not in a million years!”
“Oh no?” he mocked smiling again. “All we have to do is wait long enough, and look at the missing persons reports. See which one looks like you and bam! We’ve got your name.”
Elemine struggled further under the tight grip of the ropes. She twisted her neck trying to break free. Zoroh took a paw and held up her face to his.
“So Princess,” he began. “Is it gonna be the easy way or the hard way?”
“Elemine,” she whispered defeated. “Elemine Falir.”
“There that wasn’t so hard now was it?” He smiled craftily again. “My name’s Zoroh, by the way.”
He stalked out of the light and out of the room.
Later that day, Elemine’s father received a letter. It was from Zoroh’s band of thieves. He immediately sent out troops to find his daughter.
Zoroh saw this move coming for days. He and his band moved Elemine to a secret cave in the forest of the Dragon-keepers.
Over the course of a month the amount of troops on the streets and in the forest and fields reduced itself to a mere dozen through the whole valley.
During this month away from home, Elemine earned trust from the band. She learned to wield a sword, how to leap from tree to tree unnoticed, and she fell in love with Zoroh, the dastardly pirate who had stolen her in the first place. Eventually she forgot her old life completely.
She now came to realize that her happiness in the city was a shadow of her true feelings. All the rules were confining. All the regulations were suffocating. And her mother and fathers reputations were killing her.
One day, the band took her on her first raid. The target was a small farm on the fringes of the city. While crouched in the trees, planning their attack, Elemine spotted her father. He was inspecting the fields and crops of the small farm. She pulled on Zoroh’s sleeve.
“Look,” she whispered.
He peered through the brush and saw her father. He sent the others off to their positions.
“You don’t have to do this,” he said holding her orange paw.
“No. If I don’t the band will reject me for sure,” she smiled s crafty smile. “Besides, I want to show my father the new me.”
Zoroh smiled back. “Then let’s go!”
He signalled to the others. They shot out from the dense cover of the bushes. Yelling a war cry, Elemine followed them, still gripping Zoroh’s paw tighly.
(to be continued...)
