Spending time for rest and relaxation never suited Cyran all that well. He always preferred to be out exploring the woods further or training in secret, trying to refine his athleticism to even greater heights so being told that he had to rest up until the final of the competition was a command that simply just couldn't follow.
"Just get the ingredients from Maron at his stall will you? And be right back, your mother has to prepare it for tonight you know. I don't want to be waiting around for your bony behind before I can eat son," Virion reminded him.
"I know, I know, you won't even realise I'm gone." Cyran shot back before slipping his boots on. Arlen came out from his room, yawning and lazily rubbing the sleep from his eyes when he spotted Cyran. Running up to his brother, he crouched down and whispered to him.
"If you're going out to the woods today can you grab me some more berries?" he said quietly.
"Be good for Mum and Dad," Cyran said with a sly wink, ruffling his hair before turning to leave.
It didn't take Cyran long before he was in the forest, gently strolling through the boughs and moving branches out of his way. The morning sun had just started to laze overhead, caressing Cyran's face with a touch of warmth and granting the forest strands of light that breathed a subtle sense of life to the surroundings.
The forest was a place of life and stillness and was forever a source of calm for Cyran whenever he felt pressured or stressed. Doing well in the selection would mean catching the eye of a more prestigious mentor but winning it meant that he could choose whoever he liked to be his mentor, including his father. He was adamant on becoming an adventurer but he also wasn't stupid, Cyran had heard enough of his fathers stories to know that there were many skills that he should know that he already didn't. Identifying dangerous and helpful plants was one of them.
Crouching behind a smaller bush, Cyran found a plant with long stalks that ended in bright red berry like orbs shrouded in curved spines. "Alright, according to Dad, this is a castor bean. Uhhhh, poisonous he said. Right." cutting the stem, Cyran bagged a few in a separate pouch from the wild strawberries he had picked for Arlen. The beans could be refined for oil that can be used as a laxative but could also have a deadly toxin removed from it making it a terrible food ingredient but an excellent weapon coating. Moving on further he also found a vibrant orange flower with long petals of which he stripped and potted. "And these would be... calendula right? Good for burns and faster healing." Cyran spoke to himself aloud as if to reassure himself that he remembered correctly.
After Cyran had foraged a variety of different plants, both dangerous and helpful, he walked to his favourite spot. A lone lake sat still, so undisturbed that it almost looked like a huge mirror reflecting the canopy above. Crossing from one side to another were two old arch bridges that had seen better days. Covered in moss and algae, Cyran often used them as platforms to jump into the lake to wash away the days grime and just to play around occasionally.
Placing his bag down and stripping his clothes off, Cyran ran to the centre of a bridge and placed his feet to the edge. Breathing out in a huff, he looked down and saw his reflection gazing back from afar. He leaned forward and tumbled gracefully before piercing the water surface like an arrow. The water was cool and crisp, sending a shock down Cyran's body, making him feel incredibly alive. And cold. Breaking through the surface with a huge gasp, Cyran lazily floated around on his back gazing at the scenery.
He had always love his heritage, loved his race. Not once did he ever think of the decline of the elves as a bad thing, purely for the places he now found within the forest in which he could lose himself to the beauty of his surroundings. He would have loved to have been able to perform magical feats but then so did every elven child who grew up on stories about the sorcery that was possible in the world in which they inhabited. But that wasn't to be for Cyran and that was fine for him as long as he could attain his dream of adventuring. Of seeing the world beyond the forest he has called home for the past 47 years. Winning the selection would be his first step. Beating Rydel.
Swimming to the edge, Cyran got out of the lake and felt the still air bristle the hairs on against his skin. The sun was setting and with its waning, the night time chill settled in its place. Whilst redressing himself, Cyran heard a sound and he suddenly felt very foolish for leaving his weapons behind. He turned to face the source of the noise when he clapped eyes on a creature he had never seen before, even in his wildest dreams. Standing on the far side of the lake was a resplendent looking stag, huge in size with antlers that reached out in all directions. The animal had a light blue colour to it, so bright that it practically glowed. It stood on the bank simply watching Cyran with pitch black voids in its sockets with an almost knowing gaze.
Cyran slowly crossed the stone arch towards the creature, the two never leaving the others sight. Once he had come to stand in front, only then could he really be in awe of the sheer size of this serene looking animal. To Cyran's surprise, the stag stretched one hoof forward and lowered its head like a bow. Stunned, he could only reciprocate the gesture. Getting a closer look, its fur was pristine, sunlight glittering off it as though it were glass in places. Wondering where it had come from, Cyran took a look behind the animal to find no trace or mark of passage almost as though the creature had simply come to be exactly where it stood.
Without warning, the animal moved its gaze towards the village. He followed the stags lead and saw a plume of smoke billowing into the sky. Faint screams carried on the wind. Cyran's body lurched forward as a bony antler shoved him and he put that momentum to use, thundering towards the direction of the village leaving his days forage behind. The herbs he had gathered that day sprawled out, strawberries littering the ground. Cyran dared one glance behind him and found the creature missing. No glow. No tracks. As though the forest had spirited it away as quickly as it had appeared.