While I was out exploring this morning, I sat down to rest near a small creek. As rangers are wont to do, I began playing in the dirt. Much to my surprise, my hand uncovered something hard. I cleared away the dirt and realized I had found a small, worn journal. I admit, curiosity overcame me, and I opened the small book to see what I had found. The first few pages looked to be nothing more than facts and figures, but the last pages caught my eye. They were smudged and covered with stains, some of which look like blood. I read on, and what I found seemed to be something that deserves to be heard.

The darkness is complete, not a star lights the sky and all the moons seemed to have fled the lands. Perhaps all the blood and pain has chased them from the sky. The night is so quiet. Not even a cricket stirs. How can it be so quiet? Thousands of Elpazi and S'lai lie just over the ridge.. How can it be so quiet with so many men in one place? Why does the silence scare me more than the noise of battle?

The battle. I'm still not sure how I got away. Every last member of the group I was with was killed. I was only there to take notes for the commander in the city. I'm not a fighter... just a clerk. The commander asked for volunteers to take me to see what he needed to know. Now they are all dead, and I am stuck behind the enemy's camp. Hiding in a clump of bushes by the creek. The creek is flowing like a dark stream of blood.

Blood. I have never seen so much blood. I have never been so wounded. They hurt and I cannot seem to stop the bleeding. Bleeding.. That tall smiling barbarian.. he was bleeding so badly.. he screamed so loudly. I could hear him above the noise of the battle.

Noise. A battle is not quiet. The sounds of pain. The noise of weapons clashing against each other. The snap of bows letting loose their volley of arrows. The sound of crossbow bolts thudding into a shield or the ground. And the worst sound of all.. The sounds of swords biting into flesh, bolts thudding into the chest of a person, and the slap as an arrow bites into a body.

Cold, so cold. As I lay here gazing into the dark sky, questions repeat over and over in my head. Why? Why is this happening? Why do so many have to die? So many good people on our side and so many young troops on their side. Is it worth it? I hope it is worth it.

What little light there was is fading. My thoughts are getting jumbled, it's time to sleep. Perhaps when the dawn breaks I shall..

The book ends abruptly. I fear that the pour soul who penned these sad words died alone and scared on this small plot of land. I pray that help found him, but if not, I hope his words can do some good.