Chapter One: Reflections

The young wood elf stretched as the water pounded down upon her head and shoulders, her arms straining to reach the sky as though she intended to pull down the stars. Slowly she lowered herself, bending at the knees slightly then leapt suddenly, arcing her body for a dive as she plummeted through the air from the second landing of the waterfall. The air rushing past her as she dropped towards the open lake chilled her skin and tugged at the excuse for a tunic those wood elf women wore. For her it was all in slow motion as she adjusted the position of her limbs to make the dive smoother.

As she sliced into the water she fanned out and arced her back, making the dive a shallow one, her knee grazing a rock that she barely managed to avoid. The girl never panicked, but felt an overpowering calm instead.

Death defying feats often did that for her, and with a smile she swam to shore, oblivious to the stinging in her knee. She was relaxed. When the water level became shallow, she stood and walked out of the water, her tunic clinging to every curve and crevasse of her body. Her silhouette against the glimmering fall looked almost as if she were naked. As she stepped from the water into the slightly chilled night air she stretched her slender yet shapely form once again, then walked to where her gear lay scattered. Silently and gently she lowered herself and stretched out on the thick grass, propping her long, well formed legs up on a nearby log. Once she nestled herself into a comfortable spot, her arms folded behind her head, she began gazing up at the stars through the marvelous trees of the Faydarks.

It had been a long, trying day, and she was somewhat surprised she felt like a swim after the previous 12 hours in Kedge Keep. It was the dive that she needed. To know that she, not some overgrown and overeducated squid, controlled her potential demise. She would always be in control of her own destiny, regardless of what others tried to tell her.

That was my closest dive yet she thought. Heh heh, one of these days your gonna get yerself killed, Kiriani Greywynd

Of course, she had been telling herself this for years--ever since she was but 6 summers old in fact. This waterfall was her favorite place in all of the Faydarks. The way it had several ledges, the way the water fell so powerfully yet quietly, and the sun would glint off it at just the right time made it a marvelous site. Often she would come here to think, or just marvel at the beautiful creation Tunare had blessed Norrath with. She would bathe on the upper ledge then always finish with a dive to the small lake below. It was a ritual to be performed every time she returned to her homeland.

It didn't bother her much though that she risked her life so much, not just in diving, but also in battle, exploring, and adventuring. She had led a very full and interesting life for one so young, and often felt she had outlived many of her elven brethren in their lust for life. Yes, many of her Kelethin brethren became rangers, but not so many had returned from their travels with the tales and adventures she had, nor had the great Maesyn Trueshot himself told them that he was almost jealous of them. She had met so many, and done things many still dream of.

She had explored almost all the known dungeons in Norrath, and even had taken to raiding the lairs of Lord Nagafen and Lady Vox more than once, living to tell the tale. She was almost never alone in these endeavors though, although that didn't matter when she returned to Kelethin and relayed her tales. You would think by some children's reactions she had forced Lord Nagafen to flee from her alone.

She never let this feed her ego, and was the first to dismiss such exaggerations. She was not in it for the glory, nor the potential riches. She was a ranger, and merely loved the adventure, as well as serving Tunare, protecting her creations. It had always been so since she was a child, for she was by far no ordinary wood elf from Kelethin.

No, there was much, much more as she had come to learn over the years. Much more indeed.