Birch Victorious, Goblin Slayer (SF entry for PsioPsia001) This is for PsioPsia001, for the Skin Fight. I also wrote a bit of a backstory for her, though if you have something else, you don't have to use this.

Birch has always lived alone in the jungle. It's her responsibility to protect the citizens of Elvendale from the threat of the Goblin King. Of course, nobody ever made her, but if she didn't, who would? The forest community of Elvendale was widely known for being the most peaceful tribe of elves in all of the land. Apart from me, she thought. I'm the only exception.

Though she did not identify as part of Elvendale anymore, she could not deny her heritage, hundreds of generations of elves dating back to the colonization of the Goldenleaf Woods territory. She was an Elvendalian, all right, which meant she did have that peaceful spirit running through her veins. But running side by side with that peaceful nature were strong spirits of loyalty and friendship, the two other trademarks of Elvendalians, and Birch figured they must've manifested as an instinct to protect her friends and family.

Sadly, there seemed to be nobody else like her, and Birch was slowly, carefully shunned until she was on the edge of society. Desperate for someone who could understand her, but knowing there was nobody like that in Elvendale, she set off to find the elf-villages of Starlightbrook and Woodwhisper.

The night set in cold and fast, and Birch was scared. She had heard legends of sneaky goblins and terrifying dragons, but she didn't know if they actually existed, or prowled the woods of Goldenleaf like those stories said. With shaking hands, she reached to pick up a fallen branch and fashion it into some sort of spear.

Suddenly, a twig snapped behind her. Birch spun around, brandishing the not-a-spear. Nothing was there! Still wary, Birch decided to leave this clearing. But before she could even so much as stoop to pick up her food sack, out of the shadows came a swish and a thump, and her sack was gone!

Birch snapped her head up. There, lurking beneath the tree, was a terrifying, ugly goblin! Its sickly green skin hung on its stout frame. Its eyes seemed to bore into her soul, filled with darkness and malice. It clutched her food sack with one hand and a great broadsword with the other. Before she could even scream, the creature was gone, disappearing back into the shadows of the forest.

The stakes are raised, she thought. Birch knew she could never return to Elvendale, and now it seemed she'd have to make it to Starlightbrook without any food. Already she could hear her stomach grumbling, but she pushed that aside. She needed to find some sort of shelter before something else came to finish her off. Then she had an idea. The trees, she thought. I can sleep in the trees!

She wandered for a while before coming to rest at the base of a great oak tree. She climbed and climbed until she found a place where she could nestle in the crook of two branches. Curling up there, she fell asleep almost immediately.

She woke later to the sound of songbirds. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and slipped down to a lower branch. She felt well rested, but hungry. Pulling out the map she had stowed in her belt, she oriented herself in the direction of Starlightbrook. Planning to cover ten miles a day, she would hopefully be able to make it by dusk on the fifth day. By the end of the day, she had covered twelve miles but was feeling hungrier than ever. She climbed up the trunk of a nearby tree and curled up to rest

Dawn came, and Birch rose with the sun. She'd need to leave early if she wanted to travel as far as she could today. But after just a few hours of walking, she found she could not walk anymore. She just had no more energy. She needed to eat! "Help!" she cried out in the vain hope that someone, anyone, would be passing by who could help her.

To her astonishment, someone responded to her call. "Hello?" a tiny voice answered. "What do you need?"

Birch looked around for the source of the mysterious voice, but she could see no one. Then she looked to her feet and jumped. A squirrel was climbing up the side of her sandals!

The squirrel continued to speak. "I heard you call for help, but if you don't tell me what you need, I can't help you with it."

Birch quickly overcame her shock at finding a talking squirrel and squeaked, "I...I need food. I've had nothing to eat for two days and need to travel far over the next few days."

The squirrel laughed, a tiny, squeaking chitter. "Look around! There's plenty to eat here." It crossed over to a nearby bush and pulled some vibrant red berries from their stem. "Here are some sweet berries, which I think you elves can eat. Try them, they're pretty good!" Birch gingerly took the berry from the squirrel's outstretched paw and set it on her tongue. Instantly a burst of tart, juicy flavor filled her mouth. She chewed and swallowed. "That was...good!"

The squirrel nodded. "Yeah, and over here, there are some nice, juicy apples for you to pick. I haven't been able to reach them, though..." The squirrel's voice trailed off forlornly.

In one quick move, Birch jumped up, picked an apple, and gave it to the squirrel. "Here! Take one!" she said, and reached up again to pick an apple for herself. "Any other tips?" The squirrel brightened, took a bite of the apple, and perked up. "Mmm...that's delicious! But yes, there are other things you can eat, like these wild carrots..." It went on to describe all the food around them, so much food that Birch wondered how she had ever gone hungry.

"Thank you!" she told the squirrel when it had finally finished. "But I'd best be on my way. Thank you, my friend!"

The squirrel squeaked after her, saying, "The name's Meren! Hope your journey goes well!"

Birch set out again on the path. Now that she wasn't starving anymore, she could take her time. She no longer feared the monsters of the night because she knew the trees would give her shelter. A week later, she was on track to arrive in Starlightbrook by noon that day. She was, of course, tired, but her excitement for the end of the journey pushed out all thoughts of stopping. Finally, at the crest of the final hill, she looked out over Starlightbrook...

...and immediately stumbled back. Where she had expected to see a shining, thriving village, there lay a field of smoldering houses, destroyed beyond all hope of shelter. Steeling herself, she climbed down the hill to take a closer look.

Every house was destroyed. Whatever had happened to it seemed to have happened recently, as half the houses were still burning. Birch spotted doors hanging off their hinges, flower gardens trampled to bits, and scattered weapons and armor. What happened‽ she thought in horror. Her question was soon answered as she turned the corner of one burn-darkened street and came face to face with a wolf.

"What are you doing here?" the wolf asked, in a deep, gravelly voice. "Poor girl, didn't you know that Starlightbrook was destroyed?"

"No," she sighed. "No, I didn't. What happened?"

"It was the Goblin King!" The wolf seemed angry now. "He came...he came with a huge army and plundered Starlightbrook! The Starlight elves were no match for him." It sighed. "I was no match for him, and I took a vow to protect the village."

"It sounds like it wasn't your fault," Birch said, laying a comforting hand on the wolf's flank. "If he came with that large of an army, there's nothing anyone could have done, much less a lone wolf."

"I guess so," the wolf admitted. "But still, I couldn't even save Lord Runeheard. The King just slew him so quickly, and there was nothing I could do! But let's not dwell on that. Why are you seeking the elves of Starlightbrook?"

Birch sighed. "I was trying to find a place where I belong. I'm an Elvendalian, but I don't have that sort of peaceful spirit that my fellow elves have. I want to find a group of elves that would accept me for who I am, and I thought the Starlight Elves would be able to do that."

The wolf nodded sagely. "A worthy quest. Unfortunately, you won't find anyone around here. I've heard the only survivor is Temperance Runeheard, Lord Runeheard's son. I've been trying desperately hard to find the boy, but I'm afraid wherever he is, he must have fled far away."

"How do you know that?" Birch asked inquisitively.

"Rumors...rumors flying around Woodwhisper. I've been staying there, you see, and visiting the ruins of Starlightbrook daily. Some say they've seen the boy flitting from tree to tree, but when they try to get closer, he slips away. He's always been that way, ever since he was a toddler. Shy, cautious of other people, sure, but also very smart and a great companion, once you get to know him. That's probably what saved him, his cautiousness. Too bad it's also what's making it so hard to find him."