Many creatures have dwelled in this ancient world. Across the ages, one race or another has risen and fallen from power. A pattern emerged in which the powerful craved more; their greed made the earth swell with blood, the skies darken with curses. Darkness, hatred reigned unchecked, rampant. The ancient races battled one another until he original reason, the root of their long-existing dispute vanished without a trace from their memories.

These wonderful creatures spent their everlasting lives in eternal violence. The creatures of the mountains would descend upon the dwellers of the valleys. The citizens of the woods would haunt the people of the plains. The patrons of the oceans would drown whatever foolish soul ventured into their open waters. The rulers of the skies would swoop down, terrorizing the nomads.

These wondrous creatures spent their every waking moment haunting one another, destroying each other. It seemed as if the world would forever be reigned by chaos, until, inexplicably, the weakest of the races emerged triumphant.

No one really understood how or why, perhaps it was because the Creatures of Wonder, of power, had grown weary of their troublesome existences; perhaps they had become so bored with one another that they had turned their eyes elsewhere. Turned to Mankind.

The Creatures of Wonder had never given the weakest race any thought. The children of man had never sided with anyone. They were so small, so frail, and their lives lasted but a blink that the Creatures of Wonder had never considered them a threat. It had been unanimously, silently, assumed that this particular race would never amount to much. They were pardoned the rages of the Creatures, granted the opportunity to carry their own lives.

Eventually, these weak creatures build nations, kingdoms. They lived in relative harmony. It is written that their communities, their bonds, is what drew the attention of the Creatures. It was the observation of Mankind that brought their Age of Chaos to an end.

By observing men, the Creatures learned of love, of compassion, of forgiveness. They learned that cruelty existed within every race, that evil was true, real, but they also learned that good was truer, stronger, much more powerful.

From Mankind, they learned how to build nations, how to build communities within these nations, and alliances between their kingdoms. They learned about laws, government, order. They turned away from each other to work on themselves, to form unity between those that were similar before approaching those that were different.

An evident characteristic of Mankind had been the shortness of their existence, yet from this the Creatures of Wonder learned the meaning of patience, of ambition, most of all they came to understand what it meant to be alive. Their existences were given meaning, for this they relinquished their reign on the earth, gifting Mankind the world in gratitude.

When their kingdoms were solidified, the Creatures set forth their wisest to create a joint summit; elders and youngsters held a seat within the Summit in a powerful effort to maintain balance. The Summit declared that the Creatures of Wonder were to remain away from Mankind; their difference, their power could very well corrupt the minds of many. Instead, they were to watch over them, to keep the balance of the world. Nature became their greatest concern; Man needed a world to live in after all.

Slowly, however, the glamour of Mankind faded. The Creatures continued their lives within their kingdoms, their realms. A time came when their existences began to expire and the younger generations produced no heirs. The Summit declared that every abled male and female were to have children; they went as far as allowing a handful of humans to be transformed. Others simply bore mixed children.

In this manner, the Creatures of Wonder and Mankind finally came into contact. But it was not to last. Mankind became suspicious of the Creatures and began persecuting them, murdering their Halfling children. Ties were severed, but not before the Creatures of Wonder saved as many of their forsaken children as they could.

As an answer to this, the Summit ordered the kingdoms of their people to forever remain hidden. They gathered those with the purest of blood, the strongest of powers, assigning them as the keepers of their races and their Halfling siblings. They were also ordered to have as many pure-bred children as they could; Halflings lived only a third as long as the Creatures, died much easier, yet procreated much more. Pure-breeds were to look out for them for as long as possible, after all, it was because of the Creatures themselves that Halflings had come into the world.

The houses of these pure-bloods came to be known and recognized as the most powerful. They reigned kindly, but strictly. They were the eldest, the wisest, and it was guaranteed that they would all hold a position in the Summit someday. They were the keepers of balance, the guardians of peace, the leaders of many.

They were the Ancients.

Ancients were bound by laws, powers, older than any of them. Their world was one of tradition, of etiquette as old as time. In their realms, these old traditions and behaviors were honored, observed instinctively, without opposition, least a second Age of Chaos came to pass.

But in the modern world, the circumstances of meeting had been much too different and two Ancients now faced one another with suspicion and contempt.

*

“You’re from the Plains,” the Ancient Wolf began.

“Yes,” she replied. “You’re from the Woodlands.”

“Why are you here? The people of the plains have not ventured into the human world for centuries.”

Emma narrowed her eyes, hating the ancient oaths that obliged her to answer his every question, hating him for hav