A/N...my second posted LOTR fanfic. I think it is different than what's been
done. But I live on reviews, so feed me!
Chapter 1 – Awakening
She opened her eyes and found herself lying on her side in the grass. She rolled onto her back, and immediately regretted such movement, for a searing pain suddenly sprang up in her temples, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut. Her hand went to her forehead, where she felt dried blood and a large gash surrounded by an area of sensitive, swollen flesh. She gasped in pain and jerked her hand away. After a while, she got the courage to attempt opening her eyes again. The pain had dulled, and did not come back as strong when she moved.
Slowly, she sat up, and swiveled her head around. It seemed she was in a clearing. It was large, and almost perfectly circular. At the borders, a dense forest loomed, dark and uninviting. The grass in the clearing was warm and green, and felt good on her fingers. Among the grass of the clearing, a large gray boulder sat, looking quite out of place, about five feet away from her, and five feet from the forest on the other side.
After she had fully taken in her surroundings, a thought came to her. 'How did I get here?' After that popped into her head, other questions flooded, as if the dam had been broken by the first. Among those questions were 'Where is this place?' and infinitely more baffling, 'Who am I?' For she had no recollection of her name or anything else about her. This worried and panicked her profoundly.
When she realized no amount of thinking would help her recall, she turned her attention to her own body. She was wearing blue denim pants and a long sleeved, button down, black shirt with a collar and cuffs. She wore black three inch heeled shoes. 'At least I have good taste.' She thought with a chuckle, taking her hair out from the ponytail it was in. It was long enough that she could pull some of the brown locks in front of her face. There were many small streaks of blonde in the thick, soft tresses.
As she ran her fingers through it, with some difficulty, she tried to remember what she looked like. She touched her face and vaguely recalled her pretty reflection. Breathing a deep sigh of longing to remember, she decided she must take action of some kind. She couldn't sit in this clearing until someone came upon her, to do whatever he pleased. So, she stood up slowly, and looked around for the best path of entry into the forest.
She was loath to go into that forest. It looked bleak and wholly unpleasant. But, there was no other way out, so, she found a place where the trees seemed thinner, and began. The air was chill in the forest, as not much sun shone through the dense canopy. The ground was softer, and littered with leaves and mosses.
She found it very difficult to walk on such soft ground, since her stilettos kept sinking into the dirt. With a frustrated grunt, she yanked them from her feet, and continued barefoot. It was much easier that way, faster, and enjoyable, too. She walked for about an hour, and began to get acquainted with the forest, so to speak. She felt more at ease, and less afraid of the shadows, which had also become less dark since her eyes adjusted.
It was about another hour when she began to tire. She hadn't had this much exercise since her senior cheerleading season, which had been over four years ago. "Hey! I just remembered something!" She called excitedly to herself. "So, we know I was a cheerleader in high school, I graduated four years ago, and I have excellent taste. If I graduated when I was 18, that would make me 22. Now all we need to remember is...everything else."
She plopped herself on a felled tree and sighed. She couldn't stay long. The sun was setting, and she wasn't comfortable enough yet to stay the night with these trees, and the noises she fancied she heard above in the boughs. She hoped to reach a town or a house of some sort before dark. So, she began walking again.
The sinking sun cast a golden glow on the forest floor, wherever it could weasel a way through a hole in the branches above. She began to sing softly to herself, a song that she hadn't remembered hearing, but somehow knew all the words.
I'm tired
Cynical and broken, but wiser Heavy with a sense of resentment But I used to be so much different
I used to have so much faith
When I started
You knew that I always meant it I knew I could make a difference I struggled to be heard And then finally one day people started listening
The song had a haunting melody, and mirrored what she had begun to feel; hopeless. She would never get out of this forest. Not alive, anyway.
As if on cue, she heard something heavy sling down from the trees directly behind her, making a wind that rustled her hair. She spun around to be face to face with eight gleaming red eyes. They belonged to a giant, hairy, black, upside down spider. It hung by a thread from the trees above. It had to be at least three times as big as her. Upon seeing it, her eyes widened, and she drew in a sharp breath, freezing in her place.
She didn't know how long she stood like that, staring into the face of the epitome of her greatest fears. But the spider's fangs slowly began protruding from its mouth. They dripped with venom, ready to inject into its helpless prey. Without warning, she let out an ear piercing scream, and tore away, with no heed to her direction. She heard it drop from its thread to the forest floor, and scurry after her. Which only increased the adrenaline flowing in her veins, causing her legs to pump even harder, carrying her away from her threat.
But two legs are not as good as eight, and before long, she heard it closer behind her. She was exhausted, and her pace started to slow. 'This is it' she thought. She was going to die. She'd either trip, or slow down enough so that it would take her, and stab her with its hideous fangs. She'd probably die from heart attack of fright before it even got its ugly teeth into her.
As she was contemplating the means of her death, she thought she heard, over her pounding heart and crunching twigs, the light sound of arrows whizzing through the air. A dreadful shriek came from behind her, but she did not stop, though her pursuer had. It had to be five more minutes she ran, before collapsing in exhaustion. She leaned against a tree, her chest heaving uncontrollably. Her vision grew spotty, and her head felt light. She slid to the ground, and before she fell into unconsciousness, thought she heard soft footsteps approaching her.
Chapter 1 – Awakening
She opened her eyes and found herself lying on her side in the grass. She rolled onto her back, and immediately regretted such movement, for a searing pain suddenly sprang up in her temples, causing her to squeeze her eyes shut. Her hand went to her forehead, where she felt dried blood and a large gash surrounded by an area of sensitive, swollen flesh. She gasped in pain and jerked her hand away. After a while, she got the courage to attempt opening her eyes again. The pain had dulled, and did not come back as strong when she moved.
Slowly, she sat up, and swiveled her head around. It seemed she was in a clearing. It was large, and almost perfectly circular. At the borders, a dense forest loomed, dark and uninviting. The grass in the clearing was warm and green, and felt good on her fingers. Among the grass of the clearing, a large gray boulder sat, looking quite out of place, about five feet away from her, and five feet from the forest on the other side.
After she had fully taken in her surroundings, a thought came to her. 'How did I get here?' After that popped into her head, other questions flooded, as if the dam had been broken by the first. Among those questions were 'Where is this place?' and infinitely more baffling, 'Who am I?' For she had no recollection of her name or anything else about her. This worried and panicked her profoundly.
When she realized no amount of thinking would help her recall, she turned her attention to her own body. She was wearing blue denim pants and a long sleeved, button down, black shirt with a collar and cuffs. She wore black three inch heeled shoes. 'At least I have good taste.' She thought with a chuckle, taking her hair out from the ponytail it was in. It was long enough that she could pull some of the brown locks in front of her face. There were many small streaks of blonde in the thick, soft tresses.
As she ran her fingers through it, with some difficulty, she tried to remember what she looked like. She touched her face and vaguely recalled her pretty reflection. Breathing a deep sigh of longing to remember, she decided she must take action of some kind. She couldn't sit in this clearing until someone came upon her, to do whatever he pleased. So, she stood up slowly, and looked around for the best path of entry into the forest.
She was loath to go into that forest. It looked bleak and wholly unpleasant. But, there was no other way out, so, she found a place where the trees seemed thinner, and began. The air was chill in the forest, as not much sun shone through the dense canopy. The ground was softer, and littered with leaves and mosses.
She found it very difficult to walk on such soft ground, since her stilettos kept sinking into the dirt. With a frustrated grunt, she yanked them from her feet, and continued barefoot. It was much easier that way, faster, and enjoyable, too. She walked for about an hour, and began to get acquainted with the forest, so to speak. She felt more at ease, and less afraid of the shadows, which had also become less dark since her eyes adjusted.
It was about another hour when she began to tire. She hadn't had this much exercise since her senior cheerleading season, which had been over four years ago. "Hey! I just remembered something!" She called excitedly to herself. "So, we know I was a cheerleader in high school, I graduated four years ago, and I have excellent taste. If I graduated when I was 18, that would make me 22. Now all we need to remember is...everything else."
She plopped herself on a felled tree and sighed. She couldn't stay long. The sun was setting, and she wasn't comfortable enough yet to stay the night with these trees, and the noises she fancied she heard above in the boughs. She hoped to reach a town or a house of some sort before dark. So, she began walking again.
The sinking sun cast a golden glow on the forest floor, wherever it could weasel a way through a hole in the branches above. She began to sing softly to herself, a song that she hadn't remembered hearing, but somehow knew all the words.
I'm tired
Cynical and broken, but wiser Heavy with a sense of resentment But I used to be so much different
I used to have so much faith
When I started
You knew that I always meant it I knew I could make a difference I struggled to be heard And then finally one day people started listening
The song had a haunting melody, and mirrored what she had begun to feel; hopeless. She would never get out of this forest. Not alive, anyway.
As if on cue, she heard something heavy sling down from the trees directly behind her, making a wind that rustled her hair. She spun around to be face to face with eight gleaming red eyes. They belonged to a giant, hairy, black, upside down spider. It hung by a thread from the trees above. It had to be at least three times as big as her. Upon seeing it, her eyes widened, and she drew in a sharp breath, freezing in her place.
She didn't know how long she stood like that, staring into the face of the epitome of her greatest fears. But the spider's fangs slowly began protruding from its mouth. They dripped with venom, ready to inject into its helpless prey. Without warning, she let out an ear piercing scream, and tore away, with no heed to her direction. She heard it drop from its thread to the forest floor, and scurry after her. Which only increased the adrenaline flowing in her veins, causing her legs to pump even harder, carrying her away from her threat.
But two legs are not as good as eight, and before long, she heard it closer behind her. She was exhausted, and her pace started to slow. 'This is it' she thought. She was going to die. She'd either trip, or slow down enough so that it would take her, and stab her with its hideous fangs. She'd probably die from heart attack of fright before it even got its ugly teeth into her.
As she was contemplating the means of her death, she thought she heard, over her pounding heart and crunching twigs, the light sound of arrows whizzing through the air. A dreadful shriek came from behind her, but she did not stop, though her pursuer had. It had to be five more minutes she ran, before collapsing in exhaustion. She leaned against a tree, her chest heaving uncontrollably. Her vision grew spotty, and her head felt light. She slid to the ground, and before she fell into unconsciousness, thought she heard soft footsteps approaching her.