Fairies - V2

[SeaCrest]

Crouched in the branches of an elm tree, Anya Willowwand held her bow tightly as she watched the scene below. Fairies danced merrily in the light of the moon, their wings shimmering in the silvery light. Posted in other trees all around the clearing were other fairies clutching bows, daggers, and spears. They were Willowwands, a seemingly harmless clan of fairies; until you got on their bad side. The Willowwands were a fierce clan of warriors, led by Burke Willowwand, and they protected the fairies of Silvawood from wild animals and other, hostile, fairies.
Although Anya was a girl, she was built for hunting; sleek, fast dragonfly wings; slim, muscular body; fast reflexes and almost unerring aim; perfect eyesight. Burke himself had selected her for warrior training; she had been the only lass in a troop of twenty prospective warriors. She had proved herself better than most lads who had been training ever since they could walk.
The fairies joining in the revelry had little to worry about; it was the winter solstice, and it was a time to rejoice. Winter was one of the most festive seasons in Silvawood, for it was when the year turned and all fairies celebrated the wonder of nature and different celebrations and festivals were held in honor of it. It was the Winter Solstice Festival, and nearly all of the girls in Silvawood would be trying to catch the attention of a handsome lad. Not so Anya. At a hundred years of age, she was the youngest fairy in the troop, besides the fact that she was a girl. She had much to prove to her condescending comrades.
"Anya," called one of the other guards in a nearby tree. "Killian will be here to rotate soon. Do you want to rest and take dawn watch?"
"Why is it that I'm the first person you boys ask, Fenz?" she said, irritated. "I'm better than most of you! I'll stay on. You get Ash to go; he's still recovering from that tangle with the fox."
"All right. And we ask you first because you're the best of the team."
Below, the fairies continued their merriment. Anya saw Killian arrive in the oak tree and tell Ash to retire for the night. She saw the fox that slunk through the trees, larger than any fairy, capable of wiping out the whole population of Silvawood, which, incidentally, was right there in the clearing.
Anya gave the fox-warning whistle, drew her bow, and set an arrow on the string, waiting for the fox to move. When it did, she shot with precise accuracy and hit it square between the eyes, enough distraction for Killian to drop from the tree above, dagger in hand, and stab it in the ribs. The Willowwand warriors leaped from their trees and flew to Killian's aid. Drawing her own knife, Anya set to work distracting the fox, worrying it.
She darted in and out, stabbing up into its chest, evading snapping teeth and slashing claws. While the fairies gathered at the opposite side of the clearing, eyes wide with horror, Anya and Fenz brought the fox down, and Killian slashed its throat. Normally, fairies abhorred killing any other living being, but foxes were one of the exceptions.
As the others dragged the fox's corpse away, Anya landed, crouched, wary. That particular fox was a vixen; she could have cubs and a mate. Flicking open her wings, Anya followed the boys as they cleaned the fox and skinned it. The meat would be used for traveling fairies; jerky was the main food for those who wandered.
Anya was immersed in memories of her friend Holly. She'd been caught by a young cub not far from its den, and it had mauled her beyond recognition – in less than an hour. Holly had been a budding warrior, just like Anya, but she never made it to the inspection; she was killed in her fortieth year, extremely young by fairy standards. When they had retrieved the body, the fairies reported that several limbs had been chewed off and there were pieces missing – eaten, presumably. The fox cub had been killed, for once an animal had a taste for fairy flesh, it never forgot. She was roused from her reverie by the voices of her clanmates.
"Nice spotting, Anya. I wouldn't have seen it," said Fenz. He was tall, with dusty blond hair and green eyes. He was the best male warrior in the clan, but none could best Anya. Yet.
"I'm just glad we took it before it could do any harm. The reinforcements are at our posts now."

Back at the castle, Anya shed her armor and weapons and donned a tunic and breeches. They were of the finest cloth, in vibrant hues. She braided her long, pale blond hair and tucked a small dagger into her belt. Slipping on a pair of boots, Anya left her rooms, locking the door behind her.
The halls were lit with flaming torches that flickered as she flew past. A few of the boys' doors were open as they gathered to discuss that evening's happenings. They nodded respectfully as she darted past. Down two flights of stairs, she nearly ran into Burke.
"Whoa there, young whippersnapper. Why, it's Anya!" he said. "How are you?"
"Well, thank you Burke," she replied. Burke was a heavyset fairy with large moth wings, more suited to hand-to-hand fighting than hit-and-run.
"I heard about your tangle with that vixen this evening. I trust that you and the boys took care of it?"
"Yes, Burke."
"Very well. Off you go."
"Thank you, Burke." She turned to go.
"Oh, and Anya?"
"Yes?"
"Don't let the boys give you grief about being a girl and all that. They're just jealous, and embarrassed that a girl can whip them."
Anya smiled as she flew outside the palace. The closest community of fairies was Yore, and that was where she was headed. Her best friend, Cedar, lived there. Cedar was a beautiful fairy, older than Anya by ten years, with iridescent butterfly wings and long, honey-blond hair.
"Anya! There you are!" cried a familiar voice. Spinning around, Anya met the blue eyes of her childhood friend.
"Good evening, Cedar. I was just coming to visit you."
"Good! I heard about your fox. Was it big?" Cedar was the type of fairy content to comb her hair and look pretty. Her parents were already turning away scores of suitors for her hand.
"Of course it was big, silly Cedar. All foxes are big. The most worrisome thing about this one was that it was a vixen, and it might have a mate and cubs."
The two fairies arrived at Cedar's tree home, incidentally in a cedar tree.
"So, what's been happening? I've been isolated so much I don't even know the latest gossip!" exclaimed Anya.
"Well, old Zen finally let Mireyo marry Luka, and Mother and Father are exasperated with me for attracting so many suitors, and me not even a hundred and fifty!" Cedar giggled.
"Any news from Birche?" Anya asked. Birche was another one of their friends, a gypsy fairy who visited Silvawood yearly. The snows had held them up in Frostwinter, and then they'd been ambushed by a group of rogues.
"None at all," replied Cedar, pouring hot chamomile tea into two acorn mugs. She fetched a hazelnut shell filled with root cookies and placed them on the table. "But tell me, what have you been doing these past few months?"
Anya nibbled on a cookie and said, "Well, even Burke says I'm the best of them all, and Ash fought a fox and had two ribs and a wing injured, but he's back on his feet again, mostly surveillance until he heals fully. Skive! The fox!" Her hand flew to her mouth in horror.
"What's wrong, Anya?" Cedar asked, oblivious as usual.
Anya wasn't listening. She was flitting out the door with a hasty "Goodbye." Speeding between tree dwellings, she reached the castle and burst through the great hall door.
Shocked faces looked at her as she searched for Burke.
"Killian, Fenz, Ash, Benz, Jiran!" she rapped out. "Come with me!"
Confused, they obeyed, shooting each other puzzled glances. Fenz caught Anya's shoulder, and she spun around, hand on her dagger hilt.
"Anya, what's wrong now?" he asked.
"Oh, nothing, just a pair of foxes that we killed, and their cubs romping all over Silvawood. Nothing at all!" she snapped.
The warriors' eyes widened.
"Are you sure?" cried Benz.
"What do you mean?" asked Jiran.
Killian said, "But wasn't that just another fox?"
"Wrong!" Anya lashed out. "Listen. A fox attacked Ash. We killed it. A vixen came a-hunting near our festival; we were all wearing a hair or two of the fox. We killed her, too. She had milk; they have cubs. This is disastrous! We never should have stopped hunting the foxes! Never!"
"What's going on? Someone said you need to see me." It was Burke, his moth wings fluttering. "Anya? What's wrong?"
"Burke, that fox that attacked Ash? We killed it, right?"
"Yes, but—"
"Well, the fox we killed today was a vixen, and it was probably his mate! We all wear fox hairs in our belts, and she probably smelled her mate's fur!"
"But nobody was harmed—"
"You don't understand!" cried Anya, exasperated. "They had cubs! She had milk! And now, without parents, they'll be romping all over Silvawood!"
Burkes eyes widened as he finally understood. "Skive! Benz, Jiran, alert the messenger faeries and the light- and drummer- guilds. Tell them to send on the message, then report back here. Fenz, Killian, go wake up the rest of our warriors. Ash, Anya, come with me."
They hurried to do as he said, and unfurled their wings and zipped away. Burke flew to the weapon's room, with Ash and Anya in tow.
"Now, you two, one of you is injured, and the other is the best warrior we've seen in many centuries. I want you both well armed and protected. Ash, take this armor. Yes, yes, I know most of us don't wear armor, but if you don't, your maimed wing might get you killed. You can't fly that well yet. Anya, take this sword," he said, handing her a pair of long, silvery daggers. She drew one, and it hummed as it slid out of the sheath, its pearly grey blade shining iridescent even in the dim lamplight. "Put them  on your belt. I also want you to have this." He passed her a set of clothes that shone the same color as her new weapons. "These are made from the strongest metal we could find, made into the finest mail. Put them over your clothes so that you can still move freely and be protected."
Anya took it, surprised at its weight; it was much lighter than it should be. She slipped on the trousers, cinching it tight about her slim waist, then donned the sock-like additions that wrapped around the top of her ankles and reached to the arch of her foot, protecting her feet. There was a strap that went under the heel of her boot, holding it in place. Leather straps and buckles held the armor in place. The shirt fell to just above her knees, extending down to her wrist, over which leather gloves went, and over that, a thin layer of mail. Her head was left free, so that she could see clearly. She cinched her sword at her belt and stood at ready.
Ash, meanwhile, had been outfitted in light leather armor with thin metal plates, enchanted so that they stood strong. He had a dagger and a short sword. Burke handed them both a quiver of arrows and a strong bow, then shooed them out of his way. "Go make sure the rest of your squads are ready to fly. I'm only leaving two squads behind to protect the town and castle. The rest are to head out and meet me at the gate."
Anya's eyes blazed with determination. Her finery had been stripped off and replaced with sturdy cotton clothing in a dark corner of the armory, and her slippers replaced with thick, supple boots. She flicked out her dragonfly wings and soared through the hallways, skidding to a halt in front of the Dragonskippers Squad Dormitory. There were seven of them in all; Anya, Fenz, Ash, Killian, Benz, Jiran, and Moth, a shy boy with quick reflexes. Anya had her own rooms, while the boys shared the dorm.
"Dragons! Be armed and ready to go a-hunting for fox cubs at the bell! Meet Burke at the main gate!" She called, then let the door shut as she whizzed through the halls to the nearest window. She slipped out of the window and shot up to the battlements, where Yrizan, a skipper, stood watch. His wings were too small for extended flight, leaving him only the option of jumping and gliding, as well as his feet.
"Anya! What's up? I heard the warning bell a little while ago, something about foxes?"
"Yes, we think a set of fox cubs is on the loose without their parents in Silvawood." Yrizan shuddered. "Yes, exactly. The Skippers and Longswords will stay here to watch the castle and the village. The rest of the squads are to comb the forest and kill the cubs."
"Thank you for the warning. Off you go."
Anya nodded, then rocketed upward again, dropping steeply to land in front of Burke.
"Anya, you have alerted the squads?"
"Aye, sir, and Yrizan has also been alerted."
"Good, good, I was worried that they might not have picked up the message clearly, the bell signal was so rushed."
"Aye. The Dragons will be here any minute, but as for the rest, I don't know."
"All right, thank you, Anya," Burke replied. The Dragons dropped from their windows, fully armed. Only Moth carried no weapons; since he was brought up in Jaella, where only nobles used weapons; everybody learned hand-to-hand combat, and Moth was one of the best.

[Ryuukokoro]

This is a great story! You've really brought the world of these fairies to life, I can clearly picture their way of life in how you write them. I liked the little details like the acorn cups and the nut shell holding cookies.

One thing is that the fairies do seem really cruel toward foxes, especially as they're about to set out and kill babies after already killing the parents. I think to solve this, the best thing to do would be to show your reader how dangerous it is to have these foxes in the fairies' lives. Perhaps you could have Anya remember a childhood friend or friends' parents or other community member who had been killed by a fox, and also go into the details of Ash's injuries. Really show the readers that it is necessary for the fairies to kill the foxes if they want their community to survive.

I hope you write more! This is a great beginning to the story!

[SeaCrest]

Hm...yeah. Thanks! Another version might be posted a bit later, I've still got homework to do XD

[SeaCrest]

Added the fox-mauling part Poor Holly...