The high one, Celene, led her people forth through the high mountains, also journeying through a range of lower, green covered foot hills. The mountains ended in high cliffs, looking over a large valley. The completely ecircled valley was scattered with waterfalls, lush forests, and meadows called to elves, and so they continued through the great mountain range.
Joyously the elves and preservers continued down the steep mountain side. An airy cave network was found, it's passages large and ever forming. The rockshapers of the tribe set to work, taking up substances such as mica and creating windows. The caverns were shaped upwards and down, creating a structure much like that of a middle easteren palace embedded into the earth so that it was covered up to it's domes and higher towers. And up here there were massive windows, carvings and and other shaped figures representing the first comers' journey. The walls were thin, due to the fact that the tribe had stretched and molded this simple cave system so, that it was equivelant to the size of an underground city.
Though good fortune had most certianly come upon these elves, still, there were no new recognizations, and fear spread through these few survivors. Celene left her people in despair, taking form as a great eagle, as she flew from the hopeless tribe. Landing upon an aged tree with gnarled branches, she perched and wept as eagles do. An eagle landed beside Celene and told her that one small change needed to be made for her people to prosper. He bent and touched his beak to Celene's belly. He then told her that he had given the tiny lives within her a small form of magic, for unknowingly, Celene was with child due to her recognization with a then dead high one.
The eagle left Celene, with the message to return to her tribe. Celene layed two eggs, and horrified, she shape changed back into and brought them to the tribe. She told them what had happened, and begged them to wait over her eggs, for Celene herself did not want to see what turned out of this unexpected laying. Celene left again, not to return this time.
When the very oversized eggs hatched, the expectant village was suprised to see that the resulting children were just like any average elven babies, except, they had tiny little wing sprouts on their backs. One of these babies was female, and named Selestna, the other was male, and named Jarark. Selestna became leader of the tribe, called "Ramandae" by her people. Jarark and she matured into adult elves, and their wings grew with them, they simply were winged elves. The magic they had been blessed with was the ability to shape change, not just one particular thing, but everything. From shaping themselves and other elves, to shaping the winds, sky and water. With this glorious magic, Jarark and Selestna had children, so that eventually, all but the five remaining first born had the shaping magic, levitation, and most all had telepathy ('sending').
No others however, were born with wings. Positions such as Hunters(which are the elves chosen for their strength and agility who hunt, scout, and protect the other Shapeshifters), gardeners, and artists, who decorate the the caves of the tribe. Few elves from other tribes joined the Shapeshifters, so the new tribe, known as the Shapeshifters lived in their seclusion, unknown to most of the world.
Present day Shapeshifters live in the equivalence of the medieval era, (During which graphic novels Shards, Legacy, Huntress, Ascent, Reunion, and Wild Hunt take place.) The threat of humans is slowly advancing on the tribe as human settlers begin to explore the strange mountain range which hides the tribe.
