The rush of adrenaline was exhilarating. He was on fire, his blood pumping like a roaring river through his veins and his heart brimming over with pride and joy. 

The corners of Andor's mouth curled into a sly grin. He had done it! And it had been a perfect transformation! A mischievous glint was in his eyes, just like a cat that had hunted down a mouse, taking as much delight in toying with its prey as in finishing it off. He was a hunter after all, and a successful and merciless one too.

All the tension and pressure that had built up before, slipped now from his body. He was gliding along effortlessly, his feet barely making contact with the ground as he darted through the thickets. His mind floated in a golden bubble, the bustling forest river accompanying his every step with its incessant murmuring.

The sun hung low in the invisible sky above and only an occasional ray managed to poke its golden tip through the dense wall of trees all huddled together. Now that he was leaving the everlasting spring behind, the nearing chill of dusk rose from the damp ground, bathing the woods in the eerie twilight that preceded the thick blackness of night. The moss was soaked with the wetness of the nearby stream and refreshingly soft beneath his toes. His hands grazed leisurely along the lush ferns and Andor took delight in allowing their leaves to glide through his fingers as he passed them.

A nearly impenetrable curtain of ivy spanned along the overhanging branches and the daylight's irregular flickering between them danced before his eyes. Suddenly the outline of a face with blue eyes like the summer sky seemed to emerge from within the veil of light and shadow. He turned his gaze away, focussing on the path that lay ahead of him instead, but something was beginning to change.

The lustre was wearing off, the glorious feeling inside him gradually losing its sparkle. It was a subtle shift, barely noticeable at first, like a note in a melody that was slightly off. But as much as he tried to ignore the dissonance, once it had taken a hold inside of him, it would not be silenced anymore. He cut through the bushes with increased determination, the bristly branches blocking his path in an unusually stubborn fashion, as if they would want to keep him from getting too far too soon.

The magnitude of his deed and the whole extent of the recent events began to gradually sink in and no matter how much he sought to pull up a dam around him, the discord dripped into his heart. Ever so slowly and like a sneaking shadow the black ink of doubt stained the clean canvas of his conscience. 

The smile froze on Andor's face and there was a stutter in the smoothness of his motions. His steps, always so light and graceful, suddenly had a leaden heaviness to them that was slowing him down. His shoulders sank beneath an invisible weight and it seemed to him that a black void was chasing after him. He sought to increase his pace, trying to put as much distance between the glade and himself as possible, but the pathways were never ending and more crooked than ever. Breathing heavily he finally leaned against a wide beech, the lichen crawling around its trunk a welcome pillow for his spinning head.

He had been so foolish! He should have known better than to just assume that he would come out of this unchanged. There should not be a doubt about the rightfulness of his actions, after all it was what his people always had done for ages, and it was the only thing that would keep them safe from the humans that were ever eager to venture where they did not belong. For a moment he feared that his heart might burst inside his chest, an unknown anxiousness threatening to suffocate him and he slid lower, slumping to the ground, dejected and glum. He dropped the bow and the quiver beside him and stared up into the roof of leaves above, their restless rustle like a reproachful lament in his ears.

"I did what I have been asked to do," he said more to himself than to anyone else. "She is gone. The girl is gone."

He rubbed his forehead, a vain effort to remove the images that had burned themselves into his mind. "Rose," he whispered, as if saying her name would liberate him from the feeling of guilt that closed like an iron vice around his heart. "I am sorry that I had to do this."

But her face, the frightened stare, would not just fade away like he had made her body disappear. Those blue eyes had looked at him with utter fear and he had done nothing. And then there was the sweetness of her lips, so soft and delicate against his own! Without pity he had taken her heart. A heart that was not a gift but an unwanted burden which would haunt him forever like a vengeful ghost.

No, he had not been prepared for this; not at all. He had done what was his duty, but he had not thought about the consequences of his actions. Andor had heard about what had happened to other elves before him, especially those that had failed and he had sworn to himself that he would be different, strong and unmoved by the sacrifice he was meant to perform. And what was he doing now? Whining and allowing his unbridled emotions to get the better of him. He was a warrior after all and one with a flawless record. He wasn't going to spoil this now by giving in to this sudden surge of empathy for a human he barely knew.

With a frustrated sigh he rose again, the air beginning to cool as the evening approached. He could not linger any longer or the elders might turn to think that he had failed his task. Picking up his bow and his quiver, he scolded himself for his weakness. She was only a means to an end. She meant nothing to him, but her sacrifice was everything to them.

Andor shook off the languor that had taken hold of him and forced himself to focus on making his way back. His pace was swifter now the further he distanced himself from the clearing, and soon he treaded the comfortable path that wound itself towards his home, the fluttering of birds and polyphonic humming of animals big and small emerging from the undergrowth and welcoming him with their soothing sounds.

"Andor!" A familiar voice stirred him from his gloomy thoughts. "Where is your mind at? Did everything go well?"

Concern mixed itself now into the soft female voice and when Andor lifted his gaze he knew what would come into sight. It was a pair of beautiful almond shaped dark brown eyes that belonged to an elf named Elia, and he had grown very fond of them over the hundreds of years of their friendship. She had been his trusted companion through many adventures and countless times they had hatched quite the forbidden plans, breaking more rules than what was good for them. But that was in the past. Now they were both considered adults and it was expected of them to face their responsibilities and Elia as the slightly older one had felt compelled to make sure that Andor would not falter on his chosen path.

She was leaning casually against the trunk of a giant oak that concealed the entrance to their secret realm, which extended deep into the bellies of the earth, spanning the entire territory of the forest. It was where the Elves had found a safe haven in the perpetually changing world around them.

Elia was nearly as tall as he himself and wore her sleek raven hair open like it was their custom except for two small braids on either side which she tied in the back of her head, adorning it with a flower according to the change of seasons. A light brown tunic much like his own served as a garment that was both practical and comfortable. She carried a bow and a quiver as well as a pair of knives, stowed away safely in her belt, her appearance leaving no doubt that she was a skilled fighter with no hesitation to use her weapons should the need arise. Her sharp features and stern brows somehow bestowed upon her the look of a predator bird. But what he adored most of her was the unexpected way her cheeks grew round when she smiled, which apparently now was not going to happen anytime soon.

"So, are you going to talk to me or what?" She frowned and suddenly there was a hardened look in her eyes. "Oh, so she was pretty then, I see. Don't tell me you kissed her!" she huffed and cocked her head sideways. She had made no secret of the fact that she had disapproved of his choice to accept this mission, but Andor had been eager to prove himself worthy, too eager in her opinion, and he wouldn't hear of her concerns. 'You will come back a changed elf,' she had said to him, a dark premonition in her heart. 'I have seen it. And so have you.' He remembered very well her angry posture, her arms akimbo and the fearful gleam in her dark eyes.

"So, answer me! Or did she steal your voice?" Her insistent interrogation finally drew him out.

"Yes, I kissed her," he admitted reluctantly, knowing that this might only fuel her lingering anger. She raised her eyebrows in curiosity. "And? Have you nothing to say about it? How was it?"

He only shrugged and said, "It was different. That's all." He knew that whatever he said, would be eventually held against him, so he just decided to go with the truth, well, at least a version of the truth. And then he fixed her with an unusually cold glare. "I do not wish to speak about it, so stop asking!"

"Fine," she pouted, but decided to indeed stop her bickering. "Then, where are you heading to now?" she asked, changing her tone to a friendlier one.

"You know that I have to report back," he said, slightly more at ease now that he wasn't obliged to speak about what tormented him inside.

"Can I come with you?" A propitiatory smile spread on her face.

"I know you will come along anyway, no matter what I say, isn't it so?" he said, a small grin playing around the corners of his mouth.

"You know me well," she said and then she laid her hand on the tree, the bark melting beneath her touch as if it were liquid and revealing a wide opening, big enough for a grown person to pass through.

"After you then, my mighty but slightly grumpy warrior," she said with a smirk, stepping aside and allowing him to go first.

With a sigh he stepped through and Elia followed him, the portal changing back into the seemingly innocuous bark as soon as their two silhouettes had disappeared inside.