*3*

"Let me down this instant! I am Vilaendra princess of Faliset," cried she, trying to get down from the tiger feyral's shoulder.

"My lady, my only intention is that of good, and if I were to let you free, those Khalikhites would surely kill you," explained he.

"I don't care if my skin is ripped of my frame while blood still flows ion my veins, I want to go to my family," said Vilaendra, batting at his striped shoulders.

"Will you stop fussing? I am easily irritated," said he, but taking no action to stop her.

"I will not stop until you let me go!" exclaimed Vilaendra.

"Oh, well," sighed the Feyral, just walking on.

Vilaendra soon grew tired of pounding on him, and slowly stopped resting her elbow on the Feyral's shoulder, her chin in her hand.

"How long until we rest, tigaform?" inquired Vilaendra, wearily.

"I will not answer a question as if I am addressed in that manner, elf," said he.

"Then tell me your name."

The Feyral did not answer for a moment then said, "My name is Endie. I am of the Unakhasha clan to the North of Gerend Island to the far south of the wood," explained Endie.

"Finally a formal greeting from you," she said boldly. "I have heard of your kind before."

"What have you heard of my kind? I beg you tell me," inquired the young tigaform.

"I have heard that you are wild, carnivorous, and beastly. Not even the sweetest maiden could tame your kind, nor their hunger," explained she.

"Hmph," he said. "I am not wild, nor are my brethren or kin. We are gentle creatures who love the land, and live of it, and not off it. You, as a Wood Elf, should know of the concepts that our races share. We both embrace nature, and all it's bounty." explained Endie.

"I would agree with you, but we have to many differences to even think we were alike," said Vilaendra stubbornly. "You are feral, just as your name says."

"I am no such a thing! Have I harmed any innocent being before your eyes? Have you even come in contact with one of my clan?" inquired the stunned Endie.

"Of course not, never really want to ever again," said the Elven Princess.

"I cannot believe you are saying this to the one who had just saved your life a few moments ago! Can you not appreciate your life that I risked my own for?" Endie said suddenly raising his voice.

"My life is to be with my family, and they are back in the city, dead, because of you!" she cried.

"Because of me?! I had nothing to do with their decimation. It was the Khalikhites that slew your kin! Maybe it was your own insolence to go bounding into the crowd!" roared the enraged feyral.

"If you were there to see me run after that. thing, then you could have saved them easily enough!" she said a hint of malice mingling with the syllables as she spoke.

When they had jumped over the wall they had entered the wild part of Faliset, and of Elfwood. Endie being enraged took the elven princess from his back and put here to the dirt and root covered ground.

"You think I could of saved them, then why would you rather have avenged the dead, the protect the life of the living? You took your brother's sword, you ran off into the crowd, you left them to DIE!" exclaimed he.

Tears were forming in Vilaendra's eyes. Looked at the tall stone wall behind her, and let the tears fall down her face. She slumped to the ground in knowing she left her family. She had let them die. Vilaendra sobbed and put her broken face into her light elven hands, and wept bitterly.

"Vilaendra," said Endie calmly. "I did not mean that. You did what you thought was right, and that is ok." He said, putting one of his large paws on her knee, and rubbing it soothingly.

"No," she said bitterly. "You spoke the truth. I left them to their doom. It was a fault of my own."

"No, no, no. What you did then, racing into the crowd after the Korgan, you were trying to save them."

That was when her head shot up. "Oh god." She said. "The Everstone!"

Endie's tiger eyes widened in terror. "We have to go back and get it, or else all of Elfwood will fall to Diremont."

Vilaendra stood, whipping the tears from her eyes, she looked at the tall wall of Faliset, but then was taken by the stomach, and swept off, and over the wall