Dur'Thraen

Or, in the common tongue, 'Twilight Chaser'.

By: Vestilan Dur'Thraen

At the dawn of time and the creation of the world, the sun crossed the sky and laid light upon the land. Once every cycle, the sun rose from the east and traveled westward before setting low before the horizon and allowing night to encompass the sky and the stars and the moon to bathe the land in a softer silver aura.

Every cycle, the sun came and went, repeating this pattern for hundreds upon thousands of years. And as the sun warmed the land, it also attracted the ancient forebears of the Tel'Quessir, ancient elven-kind. One of the first was an elf of lithe figure, beautiful pale skin, golden hair, and mesmerizing blue eyes. He walked the land and enjoyed its beauty, experiencing the glorious scents and sights, during both day and night.

One cycle, as the sun began to set below the horizon in the west and the sky glowed the colour of flame, the ancient pale elf approached a calm pond of sweet water. He knelt at the edge to drink the cool water when he noticed a dark figure on the opposite shore doing just the same as he. However, the ancient elf could not see this figure clearly and he rubbed at his eyes to clear his vision but this did little to clear the image of the one before him.

As the sun set even lower below the horizon, however, as the orange sky of sunset disappeared, as the night overtook the land, the figure before him became clear as day. Before him knelt another ancient elf, but this one was of dark brown skin and her shocking silver hair cascaded along her figure down to her ankles.

Both startled and marveled by the sight, the ancient elf became enchanted by the sight and stared in absolute awe of this ancient dark elf's beauty. Love instantly filling his heart and he could not resist stepping forth towards the dark creature before him. The ancient dark elf, after quenching her thirst of the water, looked up and saw the ancient slowly approach. She, too, was startled at first but was quickly overcame by a love so powerful that she began stepping forward towards the ancient elf.

In a matter of seconds, but what seemed like an eternity, the two finally met halfway to kiss and embrace, allowing the passion of their love on first sight overtake them. They were so enthralled by one another and the love they shared that they did not realize that they stood upon the calm waters of the pond. The elements of nature itself recognized the wondrous love the two sparked and shared in an instant and would not dare do a thing to ruin a moment. The pond of water held the ancient elf and dark elf up to allow a love so powerful and complete go uninterrupted by the natural forces that pulls one downwards into water.

During all the night, the ancient elf and dark elf loved and made love. They spoke to each other in words and actions, spending the night in each others tender and gentle company. But then the cycle began again and the sun began to rise. As the sky turned orange once again, the dark elf's figure began to blur and coalesce.

The ancient elf tried with all of his might to keep his hands grasped around the dark elf but it was to no avail. As soon as the sun broke the eastern horizon, as soon as the sky turned a clear blue. The dark elf, eyes locked in fear, disappeared in his arms.

The ancient elf fell to his knees and wept. For the first time in his existence he mourned and felt great sadness at his lost. The love that he felt in that one night was not enough, he needed all of time to truly express his feelings to the now disappeared dark elf maiden. For the entire day, he sat weeping upon the ground where his love disappeared.

Eventually, as the hours passed, the sun approached the western horizon and began to dip below it. Again, the sky turned a glorious orange and before him his love began to materialize. As the light of the sun disappeared, as the sky turned dark and the land bathed in the light of the moon and stars, the two, once again, fell into each others arms.

Again, they loved. Again, they spoke of and acted out their love to one another in songs, in poems, in plucked flowers, in the steps of dance. Again, they loved.

But, yet again, this night, too, came to an end. Again, the dark elf disappeared. Again, the ancient elf mourned as the sun traveled over top him. Every day, the ancient elf was alone; every night, the dark elf returned and the two knew joy and happiness.

This pattern continued for numerous cycles. On the hundredth cycle, when the ancient elf believed that he could not go another day of sunlit mourning, he began to pray with his love at his side. He prayed to whomever or whatever ruled the world and the heavens to allow his dark elf love to stay with him at all times.

As the night began to fade, as the darkness over the land began to lift and as the sky began to light up, something, someone, answered his prayers. In an instant, the ancient elf and the dark elf were engulfed in a flash of bright, blinding light. When the light faded and cleared the two saw that they had sprouted wings from the back of their shoulders.

Feathers of silver, matching the hair of his love, covered the wings that came forth from the ancient elf's back. From the shoulders of the dark elf sprouted wings of golden feathers, matching the hair of the ancient elf.

The two looked at each other in astonishment and shock. The ancient elf, however, also saw the orange glow of dawn rising. Quickly, before his beloved could disappear into the day, he grabbed a hold of her arm and with great stretches and bursts of his wings, pulled the two of them into the sky. Realizing what thought her love had in mind, she also moved and flapped her golden wings.

The two, hands held together, flew west away from the rising light of the sun. Their wings were so powerful that it allowed them to out fly the sun which, in their flight, slowly began to fall below the horizon behind them. So powerful were their wings that they flew through the night and, before them, the horizon began to glow. With laughter, joy, and happiness, the two winged, ancient elves danced in the sky.

Forever, they flew through the night sky. Forever, they chased the slowly, but constantly moving sunset. Forever they chased the orange sky and the shadowed, darkened land. Forever, they were twilight chasers.