@seefers_art

The thin bough of the tree bent slightly as Seefer landed on it. Her soft-soled boots made no sound, and she smiled, pleased that the ogres below her still had no idea she was watching. She had been moving around their camp for days without them noticing, not that she was surprised, since her natural quietness meant that she was often overlooked. She was the best spy the SilverLeaf Elves had. And that was exactly what they needed in this seemingly endless war against the ogres.

The leaves rustled as Seefer’s loyal companion dropped down on the branch beside her. The cat studied her with bright blue eyes that matched her own and preened its silver fur. “And now we wait,” Seefer remarked in a whisper, tucking her short blonde hair behind her pointed ears. The cat’s front paws slid out in front of her, and she flopped down on her stomach. Seefer glanced over and sighed, recognizing the message its behavior sent easily after so many missions together. “You know, Misty, a lot of the best plans require patience and waiting for just the right moment.”

Misty shifted her haunches and swished her tail, as if to say, You could have at least picked a more comfortable place to wait.
“You know I have to oversee the camp to make sure no one gets suspicious and everything goes as planned.”
Again, Misty shifted her haunches. This time, she also blinked lazily, which was about as close to rolling her eyes as the cat could get. I’m still not sure why we’re even here. The ogres are the humans’ problem, not ours.
Seefer looked at the cat disapprovingly. “We’re here because defending the humans is the right thing to do. The whole idea behind joining the ranks of the SilverLeaf Elves was to do better and protect others. So,” she continued before Misty could protest any more, “I am here because I care a whole lot about doing the right thing, and you are here because you decided to come along.”

As she turned back to survey the camp, a firefly flitted in front of her nose. Its pale yellow glow shifted to orange and then back to a warm gold. Seefer smiled and nodded, confirming to the firefly that she had understood its message. As it turned and darted away, she rose from a crouch and bounded over to the next tree. She ran lightly, her feet barely touching the branches as she raced through the treetops, Misty close behind. Just as she landed on the field bordering the forest, she heard the first telltale crack from the ogre encampment. She continued to run across the field until she reached the other SilverLeaf Elves waiting for the ogres to inevitably flee from their camp right into the field. Seefer grinned as she saw the results of all her hard work over the past few days.

Fireworks burst in bright colors over the treetops. All around the ogre encampment was chaos and panic as things sparked and popped. The ground was covered in thick smoke, and the fireflies zipped through, causing more confusion. The ogres bellowed and ran to the field, desperate to get away from their ruined camp.

Seefer swung up into her saddle and pat the side of her unicorn’s neck. It tossed its white mane proudly and reared up. As the ogres burst from the trees, Seefer drew her sword and prepared to charge. The ogres roared, and the elves answered them with a battle cry of their own. Seefer’s unicorn reared again, its horn beginning to shine. She smiled. And just as the rising sun lifted over the horizon, they charged.