I pulled out a map, staring at it and hoping it would give me an answer. 'West, 50 kilometres. East, 50 kilometres. South, 25 kilometres. North, 85 kilometres.'

I sighed, folding the map over. It was still telling me just as much as it had for the past hour. Nothing. The small, scrunched-up, scrawled words marking general directions were the only indication that this was a map. It was a mess of squiggly lines, outlining the circular shape of the Woods. Small black dots marked the land, hills, clearings and trees.

My goal wasn't helped by any of this. Down here on the ground, all trees looked the same, all hills as well. The clearing were too mundane and numerous to use as landmarks, the rivers and streams too little. My time was limited.

I shifted slightly; moving into a better position nestled in the branch of a birch tree. I was crouched, my knees almost touching the bark, my back against the wizened trunk. I opened the small pouch I had been allowed to take with me. It contained what the Academy had given us.

The leather pouch opened to a slightly packed interior. There was a small canteen, for water. Underneath that, there was a pointed stone. Flint. In case we needed fire. There was also a selection of herbs and seeds, the necessary requirements for basic salves, and a leather cloth. I wasn't sure what the cloth was for, but I was certain I'd find out.

I closed the pack, resting against the tree, with a slight air of defeat. Nothing to aid in my seemingly impossible quest. My mind worked overtime trying to figure out a form of using these things to find what I was looking for. Personally, I wanted to smack whoever's idea it was to put all potential Academy graduates through this. Rumours said they didn't officially even use the Finding as a technique outside the Grove provinces, but here we were. Us, the old-fashioned, hard-headed stubborn folk of the Falk trees.

The Finding. Now there was a conspiracy knotted in tradition and embedded within the protection of education. Someone, a genius no doubt, had the amazing idea to start a different form of practical testing for all young people, a way to know they had properly learned their ways. And so, the Finding was created. Much like its title, the Finding's main objective was: to find. An Ancient Relic replica from the past hundred years was chosen, and hidden through enchantments, traps, tricks, and tests.

It was decided by the Provincial Council as to what the chosen Relics would be, and the tests as well. It was a closely guarded matter, nothing about it disclosed even to family members or kin. The secrets to creating these tests, replicating the Relics, they were passed down generation to generation, inherited from blood ties. It was considered a very high honour, if you were chosen, for you'd not only be on the Council, but you'd also be choosing and maiing the deciscions that out the weight of amny bright young lives in your hands. It was a ploy to give the Councils more power, and the people less.

Even a blind beggar could see that.

Still, the Finding happened. Given one day, they'd been tasked with finding the Relics, but there was something differet this year. It was the Bicentennial Annual Finding, a rare and never to reoccur occasion. It had been exactly two hundred years since the first Finding had been exacted and recorded in the Grove's records. It was a momentous occasion, and the Grovens, as we were called, celebrated it immensely. Although they wouldn't admit it, they were a proud people, and scorned the easy, simple lives of the people of the Cities. The fact that we had managed to make this fool's joke run for two hundred years was something we Grovens deemed perfect to throw at the skeptical views of others.

It had run, and it would run. That was the wy of the Grove. After something began, it sure as hell wouldn't stop.

They were like a group of gnats, clinging to a light, I'd observed. Little clambering beings struggling to grasp at power, fame, wealth. Anything.

I was cut from my thoughts when I heard a voice. "You going to stay in that tree the whole day, spider-head?" I inclined my head sideways, towards the ground. It was my ever pleasant friend, Myko.

She had her hair cut into a spiky sort of bob, which was tipped with shocks of neon green and blue. It wouldn't for many, but she managed to make it look okay. Myko was equipped to the brim, prepared as the huntress she'd become since her mother's death so many years ago. Her shirt was evergreen, faded and ripped at an edge, over which she's slung her leather satchel. She wore her long huntress' over coat, a finely crafted brown shirt, pulled up at the elbows. It was open, the clasps bows and arrows. She had a dagger hanging at her hip, a pouch on her belt, and her quiver and bow slung across all this. She looked a roper wildling without any effort. Myko's features were sharp, cunning. She had smooth sun-kissed skin, emerald eyes, and a smirk that never seemed to leave her face.

"Spider-head? I know I'm gorgeous, but no need to stare." And there was the ever charming Myko personality. "Hello, velvet feet." I stated; my tone mockingly cold and curt. She rolled her eyes, looking up at me. "You're not getting to graduate like that, you know." She said, pointing with a finger to the tree on which I was perched. I scoffed. "As if. I'm not a squirrel, yeesh." I replaced the pouch across a string, pulling it over my head. I glanced around quickly, pulling my small sword out of its spot above me. I'd hung it through the tree leaves, the thick evergreen's leaves and strong branches woven together to form what might resemble a poor makeshift net.

"You want to kill yourself? You're not very clever Jonace." I rolled my eyes. "It's pronounced Jon-AS. AS. Not ACK." I said, enunciating my name. She always did that, knowing I hated it. Myko only chuckled. "Get up, you old sage, before they come and murder you." I leaped down off the branch, rolling out of what could've been a very rough landing. "They'll murder you first, you headstrong, arrogant little-" I was cut off by a rustle in the undergrowth, and our banter was over. I saw Myko whirl, readying her bow in seconds, the sharp steel arrow glinting menacingly.

I too unsheathed my sword, narrowing my eyes and glancing towards her. She nodded once, and I understood.

We were hunting. We'd done this so many times before, yet now...I gulped. The thought that I might have to use my sword to cut through human flesh instead of prey's made me sick. But I supposed they were all prey now. For a day.

We moved towards the rustle, Myko closing in on one side, me on the other. We stopped, a few feet away from it, as the rustling got closer. We breathed in faintly, ready to strike down whatever came out, be it man or beast.

Our efforts were met, as out came the creature, it's fur long and russet. It's eyes darting about, nose twitching wildly. It thumped its foot on the ground, and we ighed simultaneously.

A rabbit.

"Myko the Stormblooded, scared by a rodent." I observed, sheathing my weapon. "Oh shut up." She replied, her tone carrying a slight edge. When I didn't reply, she sighed, relaxing a bit. "It's just the Finding. I'm just being a worry worm." She muttered, slightly apologetically.

I nodded. "I get that. Still..." I said, carrying my tone lightly, showing her it was oaky. Smoothing things over.

"What do you think the Relics will be this year?" I asked, changing the subject. "Well, I doubt it'll be anything too old. We are all only of nineteen years, so they won't pick something truly from a hundred years back. "You never know, the Bicentennial and all.." I said, cutting through some bushes. "W-what'l you do, afterwards?" Myko glanced at me as we began to walk forwards. "What do you mean?" I tilted my head slightly, focusing on the path ahead. "You know, after this? Will you be a proper Huntress now? Lady Faryne has already reserved you a place amongst them, right?" Myko nodded. "Yes. But I don't know, I might not become a Huntress. I want to be able to do something for the people. And I don't mean dressing up in some fancy silk and plopping on a couch, dictating myself the Council. No, I mean a proper thing. Soemthing that'll help." I nodded. "That sounds impossible. Myko laughed. "Yeah well, it would be, wouldn't it? Maybe I'll find a Giuld?" She said, although her voice wasn't ringed with much belief at the prospect. "Maybe you will." I answered, letting us lapse into companionable silence, hacking through the forest in search of a fake historical memento of the Forest Province.

+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*++*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*++*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*++*+*+*++*+*+*+*+*++*+*+*+

Wolf here. If you're reading this, thanks for sparing this book a glance. This is a re-written version of 'Forest Elf', the first book Iw rote here on Wattpad. BAck then I had 5 followers, and they werw all people who I knew IRL .I now have 152, last I checked, and that's just...wow. I've been here for three yers, an dI'm finally re-creating this. Thatks guys. Love ya all.

~Wolf