I have been geeking out on ArcheAge since it came out.. and just to day I got a bit of a tragic story idea from running around with a guildie. Eventually, I'd love to turn this short story into a short comic! :D Here goes!

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It was the start of a Peace Period in the North-West area of Haranya. Like most peaceful beings, a young firran couple came back to Rookborne to work on their dream home. They had saved up enough gold to move from their little farm house in Mahadevi, and Rookborne was one of the only places large enough for the style of home they wanted. So regardless of the danger, they moved. They wee careful to only travel to the building site during times of peace as they had a very special little travel companion. Their young cub.
The cub was always eager to travel with his parents, trotting along behind on his Mirage Elk fawn and sometimes running circles around his parents' Mirage Elks. It was a happy trio, and as long as they stayed close in Rookborne and listened to the guards for the Peace Period times, nothing should go wrong.
Up until now nothing had gone wrong. The couple would carry their supplies to the work stations and prepare the packs needed to build their home. The elks would have packs loaded on them, and each parent carried a pack on their back. Because he wished to help, the cub's parents would make a small pack of the lightest lumber bits for him to carry and he would trot along proudly with his parents; no loss of energy in his step.
Now was the fun part! Once the materials were organized in the building area the cub was allowed to hop on his fawn and prance about the unfinished houses in the basin. He would ride atop the mossy boulders and imagine that he was on his mighty steed, leading his guild in for battle! He had his wooden sword and he would charge down the mossy slope to whack at the nearest scarecrow! Passersby and other builders would smile at the young cub before continuing on their way.
Oh what fun it was! Prancing and running about with his best friend! (the fawn) He came up with a new game, a treasure hunting game! He looked round and saw a high peak and knew that he would be able to see treasure from there! So off he went..
In Rookborne, there were the nice people that were peaceful and just wished to build upon their plot of land, but in another part of the basin there were the bad guilds.. The people that would do anything to make misery for anyone they passed. Anyone that was beneath them. They were also the people that eagerly awaited for the peace period to be over, so that they could continue their carnage. Today was no different.
Soon, the alarm was given that there was a mere five minutes before the Peace Period had reached it's end. The young firran couple packed up their things and called to their cub that it was time to leave. They had worked a little later today than they had planned, so they would need to sprint to reach the safety of the Falcorth border. But there was a problem... their cub was no where to be found.. Panicked they raced around the building area, calling for him and looking anywhere they could. Within a split second a sound carried through the air that froze their hearts.
Small hooves thundered on the ground with the cries of a young elk filling the air. It was the cub's elk, panicked and fearful. The fawn saw it's parents and dashed straight for them, but there was something wrong..
There was no rider on the fawn's back.
The signal rang that the Peace Period was over and without a thought the Father dashed towards where the fawn had come from, his elk' strides and leaps carrying him like the wind sweeping over a glade. The Mother took a moment to scoop up the fawn and secure it to her saddle before going after her mate, praying to all the spirits of the elements, and even to Nui, that nothing happened to their cub.
It would take an agonizing minute for the Mother to catch up to where her mate's Elk had run to, and she almost wept for what she saw. Her mate and his elk walked slowly towards her, his staff was in his hand and some of his fur was matted in blood. Cries could be heard around the corner that the bad guilds weren't far behind and he had run into a few of them. But what wrenched her heart was the sight of a small, crumpled figure in the crook of her mate's other arm.
He passed their cub to her, and he gave her a kiss and a fond nuzzle before pleading with her to run for the Falcorth border as fast as the elk's hooves could carry them. Their cub was still alive, but badly hurt and he couldn't stand thinking of what would happen if the guilds caught his mate and cub in such a state.
She would nod and take a grasp unto her mate's jerkin, looking him in the eye and simply tell him, "You had better not be late coming home.." and with that she flew; she flew on the back of her Mirage Elk towards the Falcorth border with her wounded cub held tight to her chest. The Father watched his family run before turning and facing the oncoming mass of Reds. She dismounted his Elk and gave a fond pat to its flank before taking a deep breath. He could feel each strand of fur rising as she channeled his aura and spellpower, readying for his final stand.

Several miles away, the Mother was getting treatment for her cub at a shaman's tent in the Falcorth Plains, but even from such a distance away she could feel the tremble of the earth beneath her paws. She would look towards Rookborne and see dark clouds circling over head before a rain of fire fell from the sky followed by a large fireball. The ground shook, and a wave of heat rustled the surrounding tents and kicked up dust. She knew what happened, and with a heavy heart he made her way back to Mahadevi with her recovering cub. Little did she know... a surprise was waiting for her back at the farmhouse.