Forest Magic Book 1: Encounters

## Prologue

Xylia marched through the woods, her hooves squelching on the wet mud. She knelt down to pink a blueberry from a bush when something whizzed right where her neck had been moments ago.

Her head spun around to try and see what had almost hit her. A dart. Her eyes widened as she saw a shadowy figure running away. Her fist clenched in anger, and she picked up the dart,  then galloped after it. With her magical centaur speed, Xylia would catch it soon.

The path in front of her opened into a wide field, but the shadowy figure was nowhere to be seen. The centauress looked around again. She had lost it. Xylia growled in her thoughts, *How did I lose it? Where did it go? What was it?* She stamped her hoof in frustration and turned around, checking the clearing again. Nothing.

Xylia sighed and began to trot towards the kingdom. She needed to tell Queen Nova right away.

Xylia raced to the Woodland Palace. “Queen Nova!” Xylia shouted. She galloped over to the queen and knelt. “Now, now,” Queen Nova said, “I have told you you don't need to kneel. Anyhow, what’s the matter, Xylia?”

“A human!” Xylia panted. “In the woods!”

Queen Nova stared at her, her eyes wide. “Are you sure?” She asked.

“It tried to shoot a sleeping dart at me!” She exclaimed, showing Nova the dart. “While I was picking blueberries!”

Queen Nova picked up the dart and examined it. “Humans,” She mumbled. Xylia’s head was spinning, *How did Humans get here?*

## Chapter 1

Rain walked happily down the well-worn pathway that led to the flower fields. She carried a wicker basket in one hand, and the other hand empty for collecting flowers. She knelt down, her pointy elf-ears shooting past her weird blue hair.

Most elves had brown, blond, red, or even sometimes black hair. No one had ever heard of an elf with natural blue hair.

Yet here she was.

There actually was one story of a blue-haired elf, long, long ago. She brought life and gifts to her kingdom, and had very powerful magic. Little was known after that, but there were rumors that she had snapped and killed half of the royal family.

Rain shuddered. She couldn’t let that happen, if she had magic. She bent down, thinking while collecting flowers. Her 13th birthday was coming soon, which meant she’d get her magic. All elves get their magic shortly after they turn 13, in a ceremony called The Awakening, where their abilities “awaken”.

Then, they spend the night alone in their new element, learning its ways. It was rumored that the blue-haired elf from the past, whose name long forgotten, had control over the planet itself. Plants, animals, rocks, weather, everything. The thought was terrifying, having magic to control all of that stuff...

Elves nowadays got small magics like plants, or light, or darkness. There hadn't been any major magics like water of ground in over a century. Well... there had been Terra. Rain closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to rid her thoughts of her dead sister that had had control of dirt and rocks. *Stop. Everything is fine. Everything is ok. It isn't your fault. It isn't your fault.*

Turning and standing back up to walk away, Rain shook her head once more. Tomorrow was her birthday, and the day after her awakening. She should think of the future, not of the past. As she walked back down the path, she noticed a flower poking out behind a prickerbush.

Rain stopped and peered at the flower. Blue, but a rose. A natural phenomenon, like her. Blue roses aren't supposed to exist- but then again, blue-haired elves aren't supposed to exist either. She bent down and carefully plucked the singullar blue rose. Smiling, she set the rose on top of the full wicker basket, and walked away.

{... 2 Days Later - The Awakening Ceremony...}

wip