Ralph and the Pixie

The Elders sat on the bare ground before an open fire-pit, the sole source of light which illuminated the Outcast’s Enclave. The Enclave itself was formed from a natural half-bowl which appeared as though it had been scooped out of one side of a rocky hilltop. The inner surface of the bowl had been cut into crude rings which served as both stairs and seats, and were normally filled with people when meetings were held. They were empty now, and only the bright stars of the clear night sky were witness to the Circle of Elders’ vigil. A wide clearing lay about the Enclave, and all round it the monolithic trees of the Great Forest rose up in dark and timeless majesty.

The other Elders like Elgar, half-Elf and half-Pixie, were Morin, Yanni, Brozi, Elwin, and Sarka. Then there were Uma, Tani, Suvaii and Olwynn who were half-Human and half-Pixie. Of the younger members there were Luna and Sidus, who were half-Human and half-Nymph, Aqua, and Sola, who were half-Elf and half-Nymph, Argent, who was half-Human and half-Sprite, and Tam, who was half-Sprite and half-Elf.

Elgar smiled to himself as he gazed about the Circle. According to prevailing Elven wisdom, those Outsiders that were half-Human and half-Faerie should have been Elves. There was, he reflected, some degree of truth in the Elven beliefs. All those who were half-Human and half-Faerie did look a bit Elven. It would, however, take many centuries of interbreeding with Humans, followed by many centuries of interbreeding between new subspecies, to complete the events necessary to produce the equivalent of the modern Elf.