Elisa had awoken before the sun, stretching and relishing the arrival of another day. The scent of damp leaves, the cool crispness of pre morning air and the remnants of charred wood in the firepit blended into a fusion of fragrances that calmed and uplifted the little females spirits. Looking down on the royal couple, wrapped tight around each other to stay warm and safe she felt a moment of envy. She would never have that for herself, her ability and lack of control over it, ensured she could never find a lifemate among her people. Her first experience with intimacy had proven the impossibility of a normal sprite existence.<br/><br/>With a little shake of her head, she felt the memories invading the serene aura she had just woken up with. After a last peek down at the, for once, peaceful looking pair, she took off to check the area. She was confident that the area was safe, but it was always better to be cautious.<br/><br/>Her ethereal wings fluttered in a blur of radiance, propelling her through the canopy of leaves and branches, the soft glow leaving a trail of ghostly light behind her, marking her passage. She absentmindedly circled the camp, her laps increasing steadily in distance while her thoughts wandered. On one of her return passes, closer to the camp, she heard a noise she at first didn’t recognize.<br/><br/>THUNK<br/><br/>Elisandra’s tiny ears twitched and she stopped, suspended in mid-air, her wings as fast as a humming bird, keeping her steady and quietly stabil just across the stream from the camp. Another deep dull thunk, and then the princesses words traveled to her on the breeze.<br/><br/>"Have fun," she said to the boughs above. "Remember I tried, dryad. I tried."<br/><br/>THUNK<br/><br/>Suddenly the little fae knew exactly what the it was that was adding the note of dissonance to the otherwise harmonious forest song. “Aica!!”, Elisandra let out a growl of frustration and flew as fast as her wings would carry her.<br/><br/>Vesta emerged from the deep cover of trees and into the clearing by the side of the stream, hidden within the folds of a thick cloak, Elisa could see she was still exhausted. It would take more than one simple meal to help them regain the energy lost over the last few months of running.<br/><br/>THUNK<br/><br/>Another jarring jolt returned her attention to the current target of her ire. She flew fast and carelessly, darting in and out of branches until she saw him, just as he once again let loose with his knife, sending it ruthlessly into the living stem of her beloved home, injuring it over and over again without mercy.<br/><br/>“Stop!! What madness is this??!!” Elisa flew fearlessly at the prince just as he reached the old oak and pulled the sharp steel from her trunk. Taking two handfuls of the man’s tightly bound hair, she pulled as hard as she was able. Yanking his head back and hovering just above his head, staring down into his eyes. “WHY are you attacking my home??!! Are you truly addled?! The tree is not going to hurt you!! I see the gods were ungracious when bestowing intelligence to you!”<br/><br/>The tight knot of his hair came loose, tilting to the side and Elisandra ended up with several long strands in her hands. “You will stop this abuse at once Sir or you will find yourself banished from these woods as most humans are!!”<br/><br/>Tossing the strands of hair into his face, she thoughtlessly turned her back on Aica and went to inspect the damage he had callously wrought to the dark russet ridges of bark. His weapon piercing the protection of the trees thick skin and penetrating the vulnerable surface underneath.<br/><br/>Looking back over her shoulder to continue ranting at the thoughtless human she almost lost her anger entirely. Standing there speechless, he looked comical and for once...disheveled. His hair hanging forward over one eye, apparently momentarily stunned but from the look in the one eye she could see, that was about to change.