Keara crept silently through the forest as only an Elf could, her passage unnoticed by any but the most talented hunters. She wore the traditional hunting leathers of an Elven Hunter, all browns and greens that would make any mortal eye drift easily away from her. Even mortal eyes which had been resident in Faerie for years and years. It was a useful enough spare arrow in her quiver, and her lips quirked in a grin as she ghosted through the foliage. The young Elf maiden had been thrilled to have been allowed by her mother, Lanea, the opportunity to participate in her latest rendition of a Pony Hunt.

The Hunt had begun nearly an hour ago, with over a dozen humans at the starting line, a mix of slaves from across several Elves beyond her mother. All of them looked resplendent in their leather gear, secure armbinders, and in some cases hoods. The human ponies had been instructed in the rules. They would have a head start. They needed to reach a certain clearing away in the forest, where a single tether pole had been placed. Provided they reached that point, there were several prizes on offer. Becoming a pleasure slave, instead of a pony. Being allowed to choose an Elven Mistress to play with. All sorts of things. Of course, few ponies ever made it to the clearing.

After all, these were mortal women. True, many of them had lived lives greatly extended by any metric by remaining within Faerie, but none of them could match the peerless prowess of an Elf.

Not even one as young as Keara yet was.

She stole through the upper reaches of the trees now, nimbly hoping from branch to branch, barely disturbing any of the surrounding foliage. Below her she could see snatches of movement. Matching to her fellow hunters in the distance, and more obvious pathways that had been cut by human legs. Telltale hoofprints from their boots heading thither and yon. Some together, many separate.

Keara grinned, spotting what she was looking for. It wasn’t just any ponygirl that she was intending to snare today. It was her mother’s latest acquisition. Emily. A gorgeous young woman who had, according to Lanea, attempted to bargain to gain the freedom of Thomas, one of Lanea’s favourites. The poor girl had chosen extremely poorly by trying to bargain, and had ended up enslaved alongside him in Lanea’s household. Keara, for her part, had been fascinated by the fiery woman who seemed to both enjoy the bondage and domination dished out by Lanea, but also insisted on maximum resistance.

It intrigued her enough that she desperately wanted her. Not for good, Emily belonged to Lanea after all. But Keara intended to earn a day, perhaps more, with the wild ponygirl. Time enough to satiate her curiosity about the human. To discover for herself the joys of taming one, however temporarily.

Below Keara, she caught a shiver in the large bushes that disguised a small hidden clearing. It was a place Keara was familiar with, and her grin widened as she artfully descended from her perch. Keara was quiet enough that she was able to enter the concealing bushes, and appear behind the young woman who was hiding there.

She was a sight to behold. Emily, for it was Emily of course, had taken to her pony training in an incredible way, despite her resistance and embarrassed protests. The girl had put on a pleasing amount of muscle, without sacrificing an alluring femininity that Keara found so fascinating about the human. Really it was quite true of all the ones that Lanea brought back with a ruby collar fastened around their throats. All of them had a certain something to them that seemed to draw creatures of the Faerie to them, and they to Faerie.

But there Emily stood, clad in her hoof boots, her leather harness made of tight, cinched straps and buckles, her armbinder that kept her arms tightly bound, her collar with the throbbing ruby embedded to its front denoting her status as a permanent Elven Pleasure Slave, and her harness bit gag with attached ears. Keeping her in pony mode. She was a beautiful sight, and Keara spent a few moments silently drinking her in. Enjoying the way the human twitched and quivered at the slightest sounds. The other Hunters were farther afield of course, but Emily had no way of knowing that. No way of knowing that she had already been caught.

Keara felt a pulse of desire flicker up from deep within her, and her hand dipped down to retrieve the reins that she had taken. Stealthy as she naturally was, she didn’t want to spook the girl. The entire point of this was to demonstrate Keara’s mastery of the Hunt.

The Elf maiden edged forward, every footfall softened by her careful approach, and by the cleared grass. She edged closer, closer. Feeling the thrill of the final moments of the chase. The supreme confidence, at last, in her forestry skills.

Her hands snapped out. Whip quick, yet landing with only the gentlest touch. One gripped the back of Emily’s collar, while the other snaked out to click the reins into place on her bridle and bit. A single moment, transitioning from relative freedom, to controlled submission once more. From wild pony, to trained pet.

Emily’s eyes went wide and she tried to spin around, but Keara kept holding her facing out with one hand. The other wrapped around Emily’s bound body, and Keara hummed happily as she leaned into her prize, “Hello Emily.”

Emily groaned and grunted a muffled reply back. Keara knew exactly what was running through the girl’s head and giggled, “You didn’t make a mistake Emily, I just know these woods better than you. Every thicket, every clearing, every hiding hole. Used this one myself on more than one occasion.” She looked around the clearing, noting all the old notches and burrows that she had made use of over the years. An amusing little event that Emily had picked the one clearing that Keara was most intimately familiar with. Her very own forest safe space.

Keara shivered, making sure even then that Emily didn’t see her sudden distress. There was no need to have the ponygirl become concerned over Keara having some silly flashback. Especially since none of those…those wretches, would ever dare set foot on Lanea’s lands. Not after how those swine had treated her. Keara hugged Emily more tightly from behind, burying her head into the girl’s back, and murmuring to herself and to the girl.

“We’re gonna have fun, sweet one. It’s gonna be a good, fun day for both of us. Just fun. Just fun.” Keara repeated like a mantra, pulling herself away from the memories that she did her best to keep buried down. Of taunts, of bullying, of fights and terrible things said and done. It was over. She didn’t have to concern herself with any of it. Nothing could touch her from the past. She had her parents, she had cute humans to play with, and she would eventually have the freedom to go forth and find her own playmates. Her own conquests. Whenever her mother deemed her ready.

Keara was hoping that easily tracking down Emily would go some way towards eventually getting Lanea’s approval for Keara to venture into the mortal world.

She clicked her tongue and half pulled, half led a blushing Emily out of the thicket and onto one of the well worn paths through the woods. Her feet skipped along more or less of their own accord, and Keara’s mind flitted even further ahead. Back to the large manor house that comprised her family home. Back to her mother, Lanea, who no doubt was lounging outside waiting for the Hunters and their prizes to return. Back to Cassie, her mother’s head human maid who was probably massaging Lanea’s feet, or serving her drinks. To Thomas, the former…something for Emily who had given so much trying to free him, and who was in all likelihood strictly bound and being toyed with by Lanea. It was a rather bucolic scene, and Keara was looking forward to striding out of the forest triumphantly, to parade Emily before her proud mother, and the other assembled Hunters. After all, many of them had taught her the skills necessary to move stealthily, to hunt as Elves did, and to capture prey (human or otherwise) in the traditions of her people. Their approval was almost as important for Keara as Lanea’s own.

But she would soon have it all, with this being her first capture. Her first public success. The first demonstration that she might eventually be allowed to walk the Path to the Portal Gates. Journey to the mortal realms, and finally encounter real, wild humans. Take one and tame them, for a week, a month, perhaps even find her own human who was sufficiently attuned to Faerie to merit a ruby collar. Imagine, she thought gleefully to herself, eventually being able to have her own human pet to care for and pleasure, and be pleasured by in turn.

Her chest swelling with pride, Keara bounded along, pulling a panting Emily behind her.

The future looked very bright indeed.