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They went quickly to retrieve Miyuki's staff as well as a blindfold for her, and by the time they arrived in the courtyard, Amalirahc was already there and waiting for them.

"Took you long enough," the boy frowned at them, holding his own staff in a defiant pose. He pointed an accusing finger at them. "Aethos-sola said that you would be here by the time I got out here!"

"He did not take into account that we would have to get Miyuki's staff from her room," Alassëa spoke up, placing the blame on Aethos. After all, he hadn't pointed out that Miyuki hadn't had her staff at the beginning.

Amalirahc exhaled slowly, blowing out his cheeks. "Yeah ... Alassëa, are you gonna get Aethos-sola for telling me wrong?"

Alassëa smiled and put one hand on the boy's head, ruffling his hair as she walked past him. "Indeed I will," she murmured. She put one finger to her bird's feet, urging it to step onto her hand, and then she threw it up into the air so that it took flight. With a wild scree, the falcon took to the sky and quickly vanished from sight.

"Here," Alassëa said, turning to the children and holding out the blindfolds for them. "Put these on. Good and tight."

Amalirahc complied as well, tying his blindfold on good and tight, making sure that he could see nothing at all. When he was younger, he might have cheated at it, but now he had too much pride: he wanted to be good at sensing things, he wanted to be the best.

"Ready," he said finally, taking his staff in hand once more.

Alassëa tapped her staff on the ground in a steady rhythm: tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap...

"Follow me," she instructed the children, heading further into the maze of the courtyard.

Being as half of Amalirahc's blood was of the Night Elves, he was born with heightened senses when sight was not available, and he had no trouble following the sound of Alassëa's staff, or her voice. But that didn't mean he could avoid the obstacles between them.

"Ow," he muttered as he walked into a hedge, the needles scraping at his bare abdomen.

"Use your staff to feel in front of you, if you must," Alassëa told him unsympathetically. "Eventually I want you to use your senses to know where things are without your staff."

"That's not gonna happen," Amalirahc pouted. "It's impossible!"

Without missing a beat, Alassëa reached back and whacked the boy on the head with her staff.

"OW!"

"Miyuki, would you like to tell him my opinion of such comments?" Alassëa said flatly, her tone annoyed.

"Your greatest enemy is yourself," Alassëa said, approving Miyuki's words.

"No it isn't," Amalirahc grumbled, still rubbing the sore spot on his head. He let out another yelp when Alassëa's staff came down on his fingers. "Hey!"

"You're not listening," the blind woman said crossly. "Stop talking a moment and listen!"

There was a sudden whoosh, and Amalirahc raised his staff instinctively. The result was a clack as Alassëa's staff his the boy's, rather than his head.

"Now how did you block that?" Alassëa demanded.

Amalirahc was sulking now. "Because you already hit me two times!" he shot back.

"But how did you know I was going to hit you again at just that moment?"

"Because I heard it."

Alassëa took a moment to grin to herself. "See how important it is to listen?"

"Now," Alassëa continued, "listen again."

There was another whoosh, but this time, though Amalirahc raised his staff to defend his head, it connected with his ribcage and he let out another yelp. His own staff clattered to the ground as he put both hands to his side.

"That hurt!" he shouted, angry now.

"And now you understand why listening is not always enough, as important as it is," Alassëa replied coolly. "You have to sense and predict what is around you, no matter what it is - friend, foe, or inanimate object."

Now they were getting to the heart of the matter.

"Stop where you are and stand absolutely still," Alassëa instructed the children quietly. "Do. Not. Move."

Amalirahc froze, feet planted, fists clenched at his side.

"Now listen very carefully," Alassëa murmured softly. "See how many things you can hear when you're focused."

Amalirahc's heart was pounding in his chest, and he could hear his pulse in his ears. But as he calmed himself and listened, very soon he could hear his own breathing. Then Miyuki's breathing, and Alassëa's. Then a slight breeze. In the distance, birds. Faint voices. Horses' hoof beats. The clash of weapons from one direction, soft notes of music ...

Alassëa gave the children a few full minutes to simply listen before she slowly raised her staff and held it out horizontally between the two.

Amalirahc blinked inside his blindfold. "Hey, some of the sound disappeared," he said, surprised. He reached out his hand and felt the staff there.

Alassëa smiled softly. "Miyuki? Do you hear it as well?"