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Sitting in the gray room, people shrunk in their seats upon hearing the loud screams exiting the room adjacent to them. No
one smiled, rather, they all looked scared as they wondered who would be next. A man came through the doors in bloody clothes,
smiling as he picks out the girl and has her assigned to a room. The rooms are quiet now except for a soft crying. Another
man comes through the doors now, holding a bundle in his arms. He smiled, looking up with tears in his eyes. "It's a
girl."
Zasha Renai Mylan was born to a small village predominately occupied by humans, Searcy, on September 26th,1985. She was
a fairly light child, weighing just under six pounds. She had soft blond hair and brilliant blue eyes. Whenever she smiled
at you, you felt like you could fly. She was born to Jacob and Sarah Mylan. Jacob was a ranger and Sarah was a mage, but both
of her parents were human. Right away, they knew she was a special child. Almost as soon as she could crawl, she began to
walk. She loved to wander into the forest and play with the creatures. Her parents were amazed at the effect she had on animals
and how happy she was in the woods. They decided early on that she would be trained as a ranger. It was well known that rangers
were really guardians of the forests and their inhabitants. Having been named for a great-grandmother, Zasha's parents were
shocked to discover that her name indeed meant 'guardian'. Even without that knowledge, her parents were assured of their
decision one day after Zasha vanished. They found her in the forest, dirty and covered in leaves. She blended in perfectly
with her surroundings and had they not known better, they would have thought she arranged the leaves that way herself. She
was playing with a little forest creature happily, that was all they really needed to see then.
Over time, Zasha's hair darkened to a medium brown. Her parents decided that she needed a friend. They got her a cat,
whom she named Prince. He was a beautiful, black and white tabby. Zasha matured much more quickly than they would have thought
after that. She always made sure to take care of her best friend and her chores before taking to the forest. Her father presented
her with a bow on her tenth birthday, and taught her how to use it. She was an expert marksman by the time she was 15. Every
year after she received her bow, her parents gave her armor. They taught her to respect and care for the forest and it's inhabitants,
but also how to use the materials it provided when necessary. She soon mastered the art of tracking and there wasn't anything
in the woods she hadn't brought down twice. Her hunting attire was completed by her 17th birthday, making way for a new skill.
On her 18th birthday, her mom presented her with a dress. It was her coming out party and it was time for her to learn
to be a lady. Zasha went and learned how to dance and act in an appropriate manner. She attended the ball, then, in a forest
green dress with emerald green slippers adorning her feet. She danced and talked, but none of the boys could keep her attention
and by the end of the night, she only wished to be in the woods with her father. She snuck back to the house for her bow and
joined her father in the forest nearby. It was a beautiful night to hunt. The full moon made the woods glow and the water
sparkle majestically. Zasha swung around and pulled up her bow as she heard the wood on the forest floor crackle and crunch
behind her. Lowering her aim as she spotted a blond head of hair above the bushes, she stared in shock. He was absolutely
stunning. She couldn't have explained it, but she couldn't take her eyes off him, she couldn't move. He seemed to have the
same problem then. She had no way of knowing how enchanting she looked right then. The forest glowed and sparkled around her,
the moon made her eyes and dress radiant, it spilled across her hair making it shine, and she just looked so strong and unafraid.
He wanted her, and he knew he would have her. She knew it too, then.
Breaking the spell, he fled into the woods, trusting her to follow in his tracks. She started after him, spellbound and
smitten. She was a good ways gone when she heard a shriek of pain and fear. She knew that voice and it stopped her. She was
so close to the young man, he could see her, and he watched as her love for her father broke the spell. She rushed back and
brought down the bear before it could attack her dad again. Helping him from the forest, she left everything. Her oak bow,
her kill, she left everything. The blond collected her possessions and left the woods. He would return for his bride. Zasha
went to the woods the next day and could not find her things, she assumed them to be stolen. She wanted the kill more than
her bow. She had decided to take the time and learn what more was required of a lady, especially a lady with an interest.
The forest would always be there when she needed to return.
The man showed up at the next community dance and tried to woo Zasha. She had been held spellbound and powerless by this
man once before, it would not happen again if she could help it. They danced and they talked. His name was Linas Michael Stintas
and he was thinking about moving to Searcy. At every one of his attempts to gather her attention again, Zasha would withdraw
from his reach. She quickly learned that angering him kept her safe for that moment. After several let downs, Linas stalked
out of the building and left town. Zasha felt happy that her temptation was gone, but there was also an undeniable sadness.
Her heart wished him back. She didn't know it then, but this would be the beginning of the rest of her life. Her strength
and willingness to fight him made her even more desirable to him. He could feel her heart calling for him; and he knew, when
he came back, they would never be parted again.
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