Continued from yesterday... We finally arrived at the shelter at dusk. "None too soon" I thought, "who knows what the heck will be squirming and slithering around in these woods after dark." The shelter was built into the side of a cliff. A large wooden door bound with wrought iron closed off the entrance. Ellantara placed her hand on the door and mumbled some words. An audible click indicated the door was now unlocked. Grasping the handle, she pulled the door open to reveal a rustic room, carved into the living rock. "Illumintara!" she said and a torch on the wall sputtered to life. On one side of the room was the remains of a fire. She went to the back of the shelter and returned with some wood and quickly built a roaring fire. Once the fire was built, she closed the outside door. Smoke from the fire escaped through a chimney cut into the ceiling of the room. "This shelter started as a mine built by dwarves." she explained. "They apparently didn't find what they were looking for in the rock and abandoned their digging centuries ago. My people took possession of the mine, added the door and a chimney for the fire, and turned this into a hunter's shelter. Only my people know the words to open the door. Sit, and rest. I'll fix us something to eat." She went to the back of the shelter and returned with fresh water from a pool and some cured meats and vegetables kept in a cool spot. She busied herself preparing some sort of stew. I watched, fascinated. Ellantara would occasionally steal a shy glance at me and smile, then go back to her work. The room was sparsely furnished, but comfortable. In the back I could see some bedding, a pillow and what looked like blankets. My body was tired. It had been a long day. After the stew was cooking, she sat cross legged. "The stew will be ready soon" she said, "I'm sure you are tired". Her eye sparkled, "If you want, after we eat I can give you some Woodland Elf nectar, that will revive you and give you strength". "Sounds wonderful" I said. "I am tired, and hungry. The stew smells marvelous!" I added. Ellantara smiled mischieviously. There's something more to the story with this "Woodland Elf nectar" I thought. To be continued... Using Winter200's Sprinkles character morphs and the textures from Mari_e17's Amanda character. Flo hair by Morphography. Elven strapped outfit by Aery Soul. Other assorted freebies... Hope you enjoy this story. Comments welcome.