Elfquest is the creation of comic book artists Wendy and Richard
Pini. It describes a world in which elves are the main protagonists and
the inter-relationships between elves, trolls, humans, and the
environment in a primitive world.
The elfin ancestors, the High Ones, arrived in the world of Two Moons
roughly ten thousand years ago. They came as the last refugees of a
dying world, searching for their kin, as they had heard the legends of
humans of this world and were struck by the resemblance to themselves.
With the High Ones came the trolls, an apelike race of underground
dwellers, and the preservers, a tiny, fairylike race of sexless beings
who can produce a substance, which, when wrapped around the body, stops
time. While the preservers were willing servants to the High Ones, the
trolls started a rebellion. This threw the Palace, the High One's
traveling vessel, into turmoil. As a result, the Palace arrived on the
intended world thousands of years earlier than was planned.
The world was brutal and harsh, as were the humans of the time, who
attacked the Palace and killed most of the High Ones. The remaining
elves escaped in small groups, scattering into different directions,
while the souls remained in the Palace. Worse still, the High Ones'
magic, their powers to change their shapes, heal each other, fly and
grow and shape plants and stones among them, were stunted by the World
of Two Moons, though the exact reason for this is unknown. Since the
elves depended on their magic, and always had, life after the fall was
difficult.
One group, living in the forests, had, as one of its members, an elf
woman whose powers the world had not drained, Timmain the Self-Shaper.
During a particularly harsh winter, she took the shape of a wolf, in
order to learn their ways of hunting and to bring meat to her people.
However, the longer she stayed in wolf form, the less her mind
remained beneath that of the animal. Then, one day, her tribe found her
again, along with a cub that was half-elf and half wolf. The tribe
called him Timmorn Yellow-Eyes, and he became their leader.
At the same time, the elves developed a telepathic bond with the
wolfpack. In Timmorn's reign, he succumbed to Recognition, the
unavoidable elfin mating instinct, many times, and had many children.
As a result, many years later, the Wolfriders, Timmorn's tribe, all
shared a drop of wolf blood. While it strengthened their ties to the
natural world, it made them the only mortal elves. Wendy and Richard
Pini's story deals primarily with Wolfriders, and so does Holt at Red
Rocks. However, we write about two different branches of the Wolfrider
family.
My branch of the Wolfriders is descended from Two-Spear, the fourth
chief of the Wolfriders. He was cast out of the tribe by his sister,
Huntress Skyfire, because he went mad and wanted to kill all the humans
in the surrounding area, obsessed with protecting his tribe from them.
Some followers went with him. Eventually his tribe flourished,
increased, and splintered, forming several branches in forests across
the world of Two Moons. The holt (a glade of forest treehouses in which
Wolfriders live) at Red Rocks is one of these branches.
As a result of Two-Spear's madness Skyfire and Two-Spear's
descendants both developed The Way, a code of living that looked to the
present, as wolves did, and not to the future, so as to ensure the
tribe's stability, and to avoid confrontations with humans. Under the
Way, Wolfriders value hunting, howling (a communication they've adopted
from the wolves. A Howl is like a "sing" among Native Americans, a
night of singing to the moons and storytelling used to mark births,
deaths and other occasions), sending (elfin telepathic communication),
and mating.
To understand the Red Rocks series, a small amount of the original
ElfQuest story must be told. It deals with the eleventh chief of the
Wolfriders, descended from Skyfire, Cutter. He and his tribe were
burned out of their holt by humans, then tricked by the local trolls
into a tunnel which led them to the desert. Upon brink of death, the
tribe discovered Sorrow's End, the home of a dark-skinned, peaceful
tribe of farming elves called the Sun Folk. Cutter Recognized the
tribe's healer, Leetah, eventually challenging her lovemate, the
powerful magic-user, Rayek, for the right to be her lifemate. They have
two children, the first elfin twins, Suntop and Ember, and the
Wolfriders stay there for six years.
Then, humans stumble upon the elfin safehaven. Cutter, in order to
ensure his people's safety, goes on a quest to unite all of the High
Ones' lost children. Skywise, his second, and his brother in all but
blood, accompanies him to aid him and keep him safe. In their travels,
they are captured by trolls, actually befriend a pair of humans, and
discover the preservers, left to themselves in a forest. Meanwhile the
rest of the Wolfriders go looking for them.
The whole tribe then stumbles upon Blue Mountain, where the third and
fourth generation children of the High Ones, the Gliders, live within
walls of rock shaped by elfin magic. Ruled by the aging Lord Voll and
the manipulative Winnowill (who is, in and of herself, a whole dark,
sordid chapter of the ElfQuest story) these elves abhor the outside.
Their only contact with the outer world is through their hunters, the
Chosen Eight, who fly gigantic hawks which can cover great distances.
Voll himself is awakened in spirit by the Wolfriders, and sets his
sights upon the High Ones' lost Palace, which lies to the north. In an
act of desperation, Lord Voll kidnaps Cutter, flying his own hawk toward
the Palace. The Wolfriders have no choice but to follow.
Unknown to the Gliders or Wolfriders, trolls in the frozen mountains
that surround the palace have been guarding the lost vessel for years.
A battle ensues within miles of the Palace between the Wolfriders and
the trolls, in which Lord Voll is killed and Cutter seriously wounded.
The Wolfriders are rescued by the Go-Backs, another tribe of elves
who are intensely warlike and suspicious of magic.
Leetah is actually helped in her healing of Cutter's near fatal wound
by Rayek, Cutter's old rival, whom they'd thought dead for some time.
In wandering from the desert, Rayek had made his way northward and
joined the Go-Backs. With the Go-Backs' help, the Wolfriders win the
Palace back from the trolls, and learned the origins of elfinkind.
These origins are explained by Timmain herself, the Wolfriders'
foremother, who had been traveling with them in wolf form since before
the battle had begun, a and who was returned to her elf form by the
Palace itself. The Wolfriders learned that all elfin souls go to the
Palace after death except their own, which have a choice to follow their
elf side, or their wolf side, which would send a soul to wherever a
normal soul from that world would go. The Palace and the battle won,
Cutter takes his tribe back to start a new holt near the Blue Mountain.
Later, a plot begun by Winnowill to purify the elfin race of the
Wolfriders' wolf blood draws the Sun Folk back into the Wolfriders'
lives and Rayek down from the north. At the end of this fiasco, most of
the Gliders are dead, crushed beneath the ruin of Blue Mountain. It
then becomes Rayek's duty to take their souls back to the Palace. The
souls of the Gliders have much power, and this allows Rayek to fly the
Palace, as it had before the fall of the High Ones. Circumstances take
Cutter, the Wolfriders, and the some of the Sun Folk into a new country.
Rayek tries to fix the problem, an echo of the High Ones' despair, by
going forward in time with the Palace to help them. This is done
without Cutter's permission, and it messes up the timeline to no end, so
I've decided to omit it from this AU. Instead, In my world, Cutter
forced Rayek to see reason. The Wolfriders have occasionally traveled
in the palace since then, seeking out more tribes of elves, one of which
was the holt at Red Rocks. In this time, a Recognition even happened
between one of the Pini's elves and my own. Shenshen, sister of
Cutter's mate, the healer Leetah, Recognized Truthcatcher, one of my
elves, stayed at Red Rocks, and bore him a son, Mist, who is a healer
like his aunt.
A word on magic, sending, and
Recognition
Sending is elfin telepathy, all elves can send, or have the ability
in them to send. The Wolfriders, though, with their hunters' lifestyle
and intense need for quiet, are some of the most highly telepathic
elves. Therefore, they developed names for their innermost selves,
presumably to shield themselves from potential telepathic attacks.
These are called SOUL NAMES. To share a soulname is an innermost trust
between two Wolfriders. Parents know their children's, and very close
friends sometimes share theirs. Recognized mates immediately know each
other's soul names. Knowing another's soul name and telepathically
"screaming" it with hostile intent is enough to cause a Wolfrider
intense physical and mental pain, so the confidence is not given
lightly.
Most elfin powers, other than sending or "magic feeling" (telling
where magic has been used) are hereditary and rare. Not even all of the
original High Ones were healers, for example. A mental bond with an
animal, (Wolfriders with their wolves, Gliders with their hawks) is not
really uncommon if a tribe has such an association, but an elf that can
bond with any animal is quite rare. (In fact, when I'd written
Loneheart in "Lost and Found", I was completely unaware that such a
character existed, an animal-bonder named Teir in some of the later EQ
stories. I just guessed.) Most Wolfrider tribes have a tree shaper,
who can literally shape hollows from living trees, hollows in which the
tribe dwells.
Recognition is like soulbond between two elves. It is also a genetic
urge to create the best possible offspring. It cannot be denied for
long, or else illness and even death can result. Still, not all
Recognized matings are lifematings, and some Recognized pairs leave each
other after the urge has been fulfilled. Since all elves have an
extremely libertine attitude toward sex, this is perfectly acceptable.
There is no rule that another elf cannot be "let in" to a lifemate
situation, for a night or a life. I've read a group of no less than
four elves that considered each other mates. Therefore, various
pairings, including slash, in this group are no-o-o problem.
A quick rundown on Red Rocks
Blackflint: Analogous to Chris Larabee. He cut off his
traditional long hair, held up on top by the Chief's lock, when his
lifemate and the tribe's tree-shaper, Vineshadow, died in an accident.
His son, Clearstone (Adam) is still alive, though. All the Wolfrider
chieftains have worn their hair the same way, ad nauseum, so I had to
explain why Chris has short hair. He wears the thong that would have
tied his hair loosely around his neck, so as not to break with tradition
too badly. Protective, occasionally gruff, well, you know Chris, blah,
blah, blah. He is a member of most Hunting parties. His wolf is a
female named Silverfoot.
Clearstone: Analogous to Chris' son, Adam Larabee. He is
young, about eight turns (years) old. He is blond like his father, with
pale brown eyes. A sweet cub, full of life and energy. He is too young
to be bonded with a wolf yet.
Sure-Eyes the Tracker: Analogous to Vin Tanner (Incidentally,
Tanner was also a chief of the Wolfriders on Cutter's side. "Tanner's
needles!" is an expression of surprise among Cutter's branch of the
tribe. When Cutter's Wolfriders visited, Sure-Eyes picked the expression
up. My own private joke.) Blackflint's best friend, and former
lovemate after the disaster. Now Mooncat's Recognized. He's part of
most hunting parties. His wolf is a male named Freepacer.
Mist: Analogous to Nathan Jackson. Son of Shenshen of the Sun
Folk and Truthcatcher (Josiah) of Red Rocks. Has the magical healing
powers of his Aunt Leetah, which can close wounds and cure illnesses of
mind and body. A gentle, yet extremely harried soul, considering the
hard life Wolfriders live. His presence is needed when his tribe hunts,
just in case one is injured. His wolf is a male named Shadow.
Truthcatcher: Analogous to Josiah Sanchez. Since elves have
no formal religion, he is Red Rocks' lorespeaker/storyteller. Lifemated
to Shenshen, Nathan's character is his son. He is the eldest male in
the tribe, and so, the only one to have facial hair (Wolfriders are the
only elves that have facial hair, but they have to be quite old, so,
sorry Buck fans, he does not have the mustache in this AU because he is
simply too young.) His wolf is a female named Softgrace.
Bramble: Analogous to J.D. Dunne. The youngest adult male at
Red Rocks, Bramble is Treehorn's constant companion and an aspiring
hunter. Lovemate to . . . several, I won't say who yet, it'll spoil the
surprise. He also has a few tracking skills. A sweet kid who
likes to please everyone, has a good heart. He is a member of most
hunting parties. His wolf is a male named Bounder.
Treehorn: Analogous to Buck Wilmington. (I named him after a
large species of deer on the World of Two Moons, more than one bad pun,
considering the elements of the name. I'm bad.) He is the tribe's best
hunter, even surpassing Sure-Eyes, Wildstorm and Blackflint. He has
been lovemates with most of the unattached females in the tribe,
excluding his friend Flowerbright, who's just not having it! He is,
like Buck to Chris, a longtime, close friend of Blackflint. Bramble is
his close friend and apprentice. His wolf is a female named Honeytooth.
Smartwing: Analogous to Ezra Standish. He is the son of a
Recognition between a male Glider, Lairhyn, and a female Wolfrider.
Formerly of the Glider's hunting party, the Chosen Eight. Sharing most
of the contempt his people have for the smaller, less elegant
Wolfriders, Lairhyn left, and Smartwing's mother went to find him.
Smartwing hasn't seen either since. The only gift his father ever gave
him was a baby giant hawk, hatched after his bond-bird had clutched.
Smartwing also has the telekinetic ability to float on the air, like
most other Gliders. His tribe's liaison to the local trolls, he shares
his human counterpart's love for gambling, and often cheats the trolls
out of trade items more often than actually trading for them. (Cards
have not been invented yet, so he plays at gaming stones, which are like
dice.) Mooncat is his friend, sometimes lovemate, and business partner.
His hawk is a male called Darkfeather.
Flowerbright: Original female character. Very small and
sharp, with long red hair and violet eyes, Flowerbright is the tribe's
treekeeper, Since they have no magic to care for their trees,
Flowerbright sees to their natural health. She keeps company with both
Bramble and Treehorn, but has only had the most casual of lovematings
with Bramble, and none at all with Treehorn. Her wolf is an (extremely
edgy!) female named Stoneeater.
Mooncat: Original female character. As well as her female
wolf, Needleclaw, she owns a tree-cat named Shoefoot, which she raised
from a kit. She is fascinated by cats of all sizes, hence her name.
Her magical power is finding things, from places to things to other
elves. She trades with the trolls with Smartwing, and also does a
little metalworking. Her practicality often intervenes when Smartwing
wants to gamble a bit too much. She and Smartwing tree together, but
it's always been more a friendship and business relationship than
lovemating. Mooncat has been Recognized by Sure-Eyes, but neither of
them have acted on it as of the second story. Her hair is long,
a dark, auburn touched brown, and her eyes are blue. Slight in stature,
she is nowhere near as tiny as Flowerbright. She is close
friends with all females in the tribe, especially Wildstorm, Thornsnap,
and Flowerbright.
Thornsnap: Original female character. A tough, friendly
huntress with a lust for life. She would probably be a perfect match
for Treehorn or Smartwing if she wasn't so independent. Brookdancer is
her daughter by a deceased lovemate, and her daughter is the only thing
Thornsnap is more loyal to than her tribe or her personal freedom. As
her name suggests, though, she has a fiery temper. Her wolf is a male
named Nightsong.
Brookdancer: Original female character. Thornsnap's young
daughter, aged ten turns of the seasons, by a dead lovemate. One of the
tribe's two cubs, she is capricious, demanding, and far too intelligent
for her age. She has light brown hair and blue eyes. Her wolf is a
male cub named Howler.
Sinew: Original female character. Something like Nettie, but
not as old. As tough as her name, Sinew knows some herbal cures for
illness and infection, and also sews the tribe's clothes from the
leathers Wildstorm tans. She is the oldest female in the tribe and is
Truthcatcher's cousin. Her hair is red, her eyes deep gold. Her wolf
is a female named Goldfur.
Wildstorm: Original female character. Her name mirrors her
personality, she is difficult to tame or pin down. A former member of
another tribe, the Coolglades holt, she and several others were driven
away by an evil elf with powerful magic. The others of her party were
killed, or supposedly killed by the animals under his control.
Wildstorm, who was very young, perhaps sixteen by elfin standards, was
left alive, along with two wolves. In caring for herself afterwards,
she all but went feral. She was discovered by a Red Rocks hunting party
during a harsh winter. (See
Lost and Found for other details of her story.) She is
Blackflint's lovemate, though she is not averse to any other
relationships he may have. She is a skilled tanner and huntress.
Wildstorm is aloof, and it is difficult for her to show her true
feelings. Her hair is shoulder-length, thick and silver, pale skinned,
with large, blue-green eyes. Her wolf is a female named Flamefall. The
male wolf that survived the massacre, Soulfree, also lives with her.
Shenshen: Character created by Wendy and Richard Pini. She is
the sister to Cutter's mate Leetah. Recognized by Truthcatcher when
Cutter's tribe contacted Red Rocks through the palace, she decided to
stay with them. She has very dark skin, deep auburn hair and green
eyes. Frivolous and gossipy, she is also soft hearted. She is a
skilled midwife, a rare talent among elves. She does not have a wolf-
friend.
The End
