Juno was used to feeling like she was five years old. Her father never thought her worthy to do any of the things she knew she could do. Staring at her elegant silver-framed mirror-her waist-length platinum blonde hair glowing slightly in the diffused light from the sun, her emerald green eyes reflecting the pure, white light coming in through her window-Juno sighed. All she'd wanted to do from the moment she'd turned fourteen was go out into the forests bordering the town and practice with a bow. Her species are known for their unmatched archery skills. Yet here she was, trapped in her house with her older brother and parents, being treated like a child. Her older brother, Carter, was aloud to go as far into the forest as he wished, as long as he said that he was going before he left. Tucking a long lock of hair behind her pointy ear, Juno stalked out of her room, slamming the door behind her.

'Juno!' Her mother cried, outraged. 'How many times must I tell you not to slam the doors? You'll break them!'
'Sorry, mother.' Juno muttered, before running into their forested garden. Wherever you looked, there were trees. Large oaks or thin pines or weeping willows. Whatever you wanted, you'd find in the ten acres of land owned by the Fallonwood family. Silently running up to her favourite oak tree, Juno grabbed the nearest branch and agilely pulled herself up. Then, keeping a constant rate, she clambered up to the very top. Above the dark, green leaves, Juno could just about see the small white specks in the distance of the nearest human settlement. The wide, tall and threatening forest around her hometown of Seylington providing the protection needed to hide her home from unwelcome eyes. Juno herself had never met a human. Had never even set eyes on one. She was only permitted to go a mile into the forest unsupervised.
'I'm not surprised to see you up there, Juno.' Farris, Juno's best friend, called from the very bottom of the tree.
'I'm an elf.' Juno shouted back. 'It's what we do best.'
'One of the things. ' Farris corrected. Farris started pulling herself up the tree, taking longer than it took Juno to reach the peak of the tree. Looking at Farris, Juno grinned at her wild, black hair and her slightly scratched face. The injuries were in no way serious.
'What happened to you?' Juno demanded, 'you look like you've been dragged through a hedge backwards.'
'I was.' Farris admitted. 'Sort of.'
'How can you sort of be dragged through a hedge backwards?' Juno raised an eyebrow.
'Your brother.' Farris said, grabbing hold of a branch above her to keep her balanced. 'He managed to knock me of my branch in a tree and I fell onto a bramble. Luckily for me I didn't fall far.'
'Carter's treating you like you're his sister. Welcome to my world.' Juno shook her head. 'Honestly, Farris, you're lucky you're an only child.'
'What about you? Have you had any luck with your father?'
'Not much,' Juno sighed, 'though he's extended my permitted distance from the edge of the forest to a mile.'
'That's progress, then.' Farris piped up. 'Double your previous distance.'
'Still not as far as I'd like though, Farris. And not as far as you can go.'
'Yeah, but my parents are too care-free.' Farris laughed. Lowering themselves down, they both landed on the grass with a thump. 'You're lucky your parents worry about you as much as they do. It may seem restricting to you, but they're showing you how much they want to protect you.'
'I guess you're right.' Juno sighed again. Then she laughed, charging through her garden to the small stream at the far end. Pounding through the water-soaking the bottom of her grey trousers-Juno ran up to the top of the hill, just inside her garden boundaries. The sun was beating its heat down on her little town, clouds a rare sight in the mid-afternoon weather. Her life may not be perfect, but Juno was content. She had her best friend and her school friends too. Her garden brought her joy every time she stepped foot in it. All in all, this could have been worse for her.

Juno stared at her food, taking in the unfamiliar look of the meat in front of her.
'What is this?' She asked, looking up at her mother.
'It is a human meal.' Her mother explained, 'Chicken casserole, I believe it's called.'
'Chicken?' Juno frowned. 'That's an odd animal to choose to eat.'
'To humans, chicken as a meat is quite common.'
'And what are these other things?' Juno poked at her food with a sharp, wooden fork. 'I know those are onions but that's all I recognise.'
'There's also broccoli-that's the green things, and butternut squash-the orange bits.'
'I think it's very tasty, dear.' Juno's father commented. He had already eaten half of his broccoli and squash. There was a small cut taken from the chicken piece on his plate. 'The chicken is rather different to what we eat, but still very good.'
'Eat up, Juno.' Juno's mother said to her.
Juno carefully cut a piece of chicken off if the bone with her knife, examined it for a second, before popping it into her mouth. The flavour was unlike anything she'd ever tasted before. 'Wow.' Juno said after swallowing, 'That's really nice.'
The rest of the meal was just as tasty to Juno. She was properly satisfied by the time she came to lie down on her bed. Sighing, Juno blew out her bedside candle and snuggled under her thick blanket. She quickly fell asleep.

Juno crept closer to the sound of a crackling fire. The mysterious human man crouched beside her.

'Be careful, Juno.' The man whispered to her.
'I will be.' Juno whispered back, leaving him at the base of an old apple tree. Juno leapt into the branches of a dead beech tree and watched the scene before her from its heights. Three tough human men and a teenaged elf huddled around the campfire. The elf was male, his brown hair much darker than Juno's. Juno pulled her bow from her back as well as a long, fine arrow. The steel end had been sharpened recently. Content that she was prepared to act at a second's notice, Juno continued to watch the scene before her. One of the men was lying on a thin bed, curled up in a tight ball. To keep warm, probably. The other two were talking about the male elf in whispered voices, presumably unaware of the fact that the elf-and Juno-could hear them.
'What should we do with him?' One of the men hissed.
'Nothing yet.' The other whispered back, 'He could prove to be useful. Maybe we could somehow harness his archery skills or climbing skills. He is an elf, after all.'
'You really think that's possible?' The first man asked. 'To harness his skills, I mean.'
The second man shrugged. 'Who knows. What I do know though, is this elf is very well known in his city. A sort of prince. A bit young to take over, but still has a great deal of potential.' 
The elf in question lay on his own little rug and closed his eyes. Though Juno knew he wasn't asleep, the men had no idea.
During the night, a faint rustling startled Juno out of her position among the treetops. The male elf was creeping up on one of his captors. A sharp, short blade could be seen glinting under the light from the fire. Juno gasped quietly as the dagger sliced along the neck of the first man. Juno saw the elf's ear twitch. Pausing, the elf carefully scanned his surroundings. His eyes swept past the base of the tree Juno was sat in, though he still could have seen her. Creeping up to the other men, the elf tore their throats as well, before looking up. Looking directly at Juno.
'You don't have to stay up there, you know?' The elf said quietly, knowing she would hear him. His voice was so familiar yet so unknown. It was a soft, gentle voice. To Juno, it sounded like honey.
Climbing down, Juno landed with a soft thud as her boots made contact with the solid forest floor.
'What's your name?' The boy asked. His eyes quickly examined Juno's body, looking her over. Juno kept her face as plain as possible.
'Juno Fallonwood, and you?'
Before the elf could answer, Juno's human companion had grabbed her by the neck. Juno gasped and struggled against his strength, but did nothing other than cause the man's hold to tighten. Juno could barely breathe. She was gasping for air.
'Let her go.' The elf said, calmly.
'No chance. She's mine.'
'Kane, let her go.' The elf said, sternly. 'The girl's done nothing wrong.'
'How do you know my name?' Kane spat. Juno's head was pounding.
'Not important,' the elf said, pulling out his blade. With one swift movement, he plunged it forward. Juno screamed. Screamed as loud as her lungs would let her.
Jerking forward, she woke up, panting, sweaty and with a tight, dry throat.

How many times had Juno had that dream now? Over five hundred, definitely. Over a thousand? Probably. Ever since she was ten, that same dream had appeared in her head almost every night. Always the same. Always ending with her jerking awake, either screaming or breathless. Sometimes both. She had no idea who either of the men were. She didn't even know the elf's name. Yet he was always there. No matter how hard she tried, she could never get a name out of him.
'Juno?' Carter called through the door. 'Are you okay?'
Juno rubbed her eyes. 'I'm fine. I just had that dream again.'
'Put some clothes in and meet me in the garden when you're done.' Carter hissed. Juno heard his footsteps fade. Confused, Juno quickly changed into a pair of tight, black trousers and a soft, indigo jumper. It may have been sunny earlier, but it wasn't all that warm. Pulling on her favourite pair of boots, black and made of leather, Juno trudged into the garden. It was very peaceful outside. The moon left an eerie white light over everything.
'What do you want?' Juno hissed when she met her brother. Instead of answering, Carter just grabbed Juno's wrist and pulled her into the trees of the forest. 'Where are we going?' Juno asked, making her voice sound serious and firm.
'There's something I need to show you.'
Wrenching Juno into a brisk run, Carter led her into a wide opening. His short blonde hair rustled in the wind. Juno could hear the mild crackling of wood.
Stepping aside, Carter revealed a man lying by the smoking embers of a recently lit campfire.  The man had chocolate brown hair and small ears. Human ears. Juno gasped and took a shaky step backwards. Her breathing came out hoarse and her entire body started trembling.
'Juno?' Carter asked, sounding worried. 'What's wrong, sis?'
'It's him.' Juno squeaked. 'The human in my dream.' Everything about him seemed so familiar. His hair, his broad shoulders, his fluffy eyebrows, even his clothes. He wore everything that he wore in Juno's dream. Juno's fingers trembled as she stepped backward. A twig snapped loudly under her foot and the man's eyes flew open. Pushing her hair in front if her ear in an attempt to hide it, Juno addressed the man.
'Are you alright?' She asked nervously.
The man stared at her as if she were from a different planet. ' I think so.' He muttered, finally. Juno tried not to run off at the sound of his voice. It was a voice that terrified her. 'Would you mind telling me where I am?' He asked.
'You're about twenty miles that way from the edge of the forest.' Carter said, pointing to the south-west. 'That's the shortest distance to the edge.'
'Really? Damn. I hoped I was getting closer to civilisation.'
'Which way were you headed?' Juno asked, trying hard to keep her voice steady.
'East, I think.'
Carter laughed. 'You've got at least another sixty or seventy miles before you get to the edge of the forest in that direction. And even when you do reach the edge, it'll be another forty or so miles before you reach civilisation. You're best bet is to turn back.' The lie came from Carter so easily even Juno could be fooled.
'I'll go back then. Thanks for your help.' The man-Kane-started off in the direction Carter sent him. Juno sighed heavily when they could no longer hear his heavy footsteps.
'Are you sure that was the man?' Carter whispered. Juno nodded. She'd never been more sure if anything in her entire life. Turning round, Juno sprinted back through the trees. She burst into her house and ran silently into her bedroom. Once there, she threw her self onto her bed and covered herself completely in her blanket, shaking so much the bed creaked in response. These dreams meant something. Why else would she meet the same man in reality and in dreams? Juno decided she was going to figure out what these dreams meant, before slipping into an uneasy sleep.

Juno woke to her mother roughly shaking her shoulder. 'Come on, Juno. Your father wants to take you somewhere.' Juno's eyelids were still heavy with sleep, but she obeyed, changing slowly into her tight trousers and a tight plain red t-shirt. She tied her long hair into a loose braid before sliding on her boots. They were still muddy from the night before.

'Have a quick breakfast, Juno, then meet me at the base of our largest oak tree.' Juno's father commanded as he left the house.

Juno swallowed down a quick breakfast of nuts and fresh strawberries. Nothing particularly satisfying but it left her room for dinner later in the day.
'What is it, father?' Juno asked as she approached her tall, platinum blonde haired father, who was leaning casually against her favourite tree with a bow in one hand and a quiver slung across his back.
'Come on.' He commanded, stomping into the edge of the forest. Juno followed curiously. Stopping in a small clearing, the sunlight blaring into the small, empty patch of grass, Juno's father pointed at a large beech tree.
'Take these,' he started, handing Juno his bow and quiver. 'Try to hit that tree; hit the knot in the trunk, if you can.'
Juno felt elated as she grabbed the bow and slung the quiver onto her shoulders. Pulling an arrow out of her quiver, she placed it against the string of the bow. Leveling the arrow with her cheek, Juno took a deep breath, concentrating on the arrow head, and where it was pointed. When she let go of the string, it slapped her across the wrist and cried out in surprise and pain. The arrow hit the tree, but a foot below her target.
'Not bad for a first try.' Her father commented. 'Try to angle your wrist away from the string so it doesn't hit it next time.'
An angry mark had appeared on Juno's wrist and was throbbing painfully. Juno's father wrapped a tiny bandage around it, using up everything he had brought with him.
'Try again.'
Juno repeated her shot again, making sure her wrist was angled away from the bow. The arrow hit closer to her target this time, but was slightly to the left.
'Make sure that when you release your grip on the string, you've taken a deep breath.' Her father instructed, pulling the stuck arrows out of the trunk. 'Release it only when you've let go of the string, not before. Your stomach has to be pulled in and your chest frozen in place to get the perfect shot.'
Placing a third arrow on the string, Juno brought the arrow closer to her face and took in a deep breath and held it. As she released her hold on the arrow, she felt the feathers brush against her ear. As she exhaled, the arrow thudded into the very edge of the knot. A hit. Not a bullseye, but a hit nonetheless.
'Good girl!' Juno's father cheered, giving Juno a hard clap on the shoulder. Juno grinned at him, excited to finally be allowed to test out her archery skills. She was often jealous of Farris, who had pretty much mastered archery now. She could even hunt, though not brilliantly yet. Now even Juno was shooting.

'Wow that's great, June!' Farris squealed after Juno had explained why she was gone. 'You hit the target too! I couldn't hit a target that small after . . . days at least. Nice one, girl.'
'Thanks.' Juno grinned. 'Got a bit of an angry boil on my wrist now though.'
'I'm sure most people do after their first time. I certainly did.' Farris sighed. She sat down on the grass on top of the Fallonwood hill. Tucking her hair behind her ears, Farris began picking daisies. Juno sat beside her, pulling out her braid. Her hair fell in pretty waves.
They sat in silence for a few minutes.
'Want to go into the forest, June?' Farris asked, standing up with a short daisy chain in her hand.
'Yeah.' Juno smiled.
They ran quietly into the trees, squealing like the teenaged girls they were. Juno ran to one side of Farris, intending on sneaking up on her and scaring her. What Juno didn't expect was for Farris to scream. Juno heard a thud as a body hit the ground. Unable to move, Juno just stared. She could hear the footsteps of several people echo through the trees. Sneaking towards the sound, Juno saw Farris lying motionless by a dead trunk, while four men stood looking over her. To her relief, Farris was breathing.
'What is that thing?' One of the men asked, frowning at Farris's slumped body.
'An elf, idiot.' Another snapped at him.
'Sorry, gov.' The man muttered. 'I don't know they existed. I thought they were just fairy tales.'
'These particular fairy tales were formed by the truth, Ray.' The man called "gov" replied. 'Now. This girl here had a friend. I heard them together.' Juno held her breath, trying to make no sound. 'Search the surrounding forest for her. She can't have gotten far. In the mean time, Ray and I will stay here with this one.'
The other two men left, one going in the opposite direction to where Juno was, one heading straight for her. Gasping quietly, Juno quickly climbed the trunk of the nearest tree. She'd made it ten feet by the time the man got to where she had been standing only seconds before. He paused, looking carefully round, before looking up. Juno slipped around the trunk just in time. Hidden from his view, the man continued on, not looking back. Soon, he was out of sight. Watching Ray and the gov, Juno saw Farris's eyes flutter and open. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, but she remained still other than that. Juno's eyes met Farris's. Farris looked unsurprised to see Juno there, but her eyes moved away from Juno before the men got too suspicious.
'Well, well.' Ray said to Farris, reclaiming her attention. 'Little miss elf has woken up.'
'What do you want?' Farris choked out.
The gov laughed. 'Well, right now, we want to find your friend. Now, if you tell us where she is, you won't get hurt. I know you know where she is, girl. It'll be better for everyone if you told us.'
'I don't even know where I am.' Farris spat.
'You're in exactly the same place you were, only a few minutes later.'
'I don't know where Juno is, alright?'
'Juno?' Ray asked. Both his and the gov's faces were full of interest. 'Would that be Juno Fallonwood?'
Juno's stomach sank. How did they know who she was?
'How do you know of her?' Farris managed to squeak out.
'She's very well known to one of our other groups' prisoners. From what I hear, he has dreams about her.'
Juno nearly fell out of her tree.
'You must be crazy!' Farris yelled.
'Not in the slightest. He may be, but not us. Now,' Ray pulled out a dagger and pushed it against Farris's throat. 'Tell us where your little friend is.'
Farris's face was pale, but her eyes were determined.
'I don't know where she is.' Farris repeated. The gov shrugged. Ray dragged his knife along Farris's neck. Red blood spurred out of the cut, and Farris's life quickly drained from her. Juno had to shove a hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming. Tears sprang into her eyes. A muffled sob escaped her mouth and Ray's eyes snapped up to her position. Juno didn't even bother trying to hide. Ray grinned evilly.
'Well, gov.' He started. 'Her friend was watching the whole time.'
The gov turned and followed Ray's gaze. 'Hello little girl.' He shouted up to Juno. 'Why don't you come down here.'
Juno shook her head and started to climb even higher.
'James! Hugo!' Ray yelled. Two sets of thundering footsteps could be heard as the other men appeared within two seconds of each other. Ray pointed at Juno. 'Get her.' He ordered calmly.
The gov was standing looking bored as James and Hugo-Juno had no idea who was who-both started trying to climb further up her tree. Juno had gone as far up as she could. When the first man was fifteen feet up, the branch beneath his foot snapped, and he fell onto the ground, flat on his back. The other man managed to find another route up. Taking a leap of faith, Juno jumped from her tree onto the one next to her. She managed to grab hold of a branch, but her momentum caused her to lose her grip on the branch. Juno landed awkwardly on the floor, but managed to pick herself up quickly. Sprinting away from the men, Juno raced through the trees, going deeper into the forest's depths than she'd ever gone. Sobbing loudly, Juno crawled into a hole under the roots of a trees. The hole was small, and she knew that she had no chance if she was found. However it was also well hidden. You'd only be able to see it if you were looking directly at it. Juno held her breath as the thundering of footsteps got louder and louder. Four sets. They were all chasing her. The first three pairs of steps passed her hiding spot without hesitation. The fourth paused for a second or two, but then the man continued on after his companions.