Lost in Mirkwood
Chapter 1
A feeling of warmth consumed me. I could feel it bating at my face. Opening my eyes I could see the sunlight peeking through the tree's leaves above me. The sight made me smile till I realized I was sweating as I tried to remember how I got here. As I sat up several leaves feel out of my hair my body feeling stiff like I hadn't moved in ages. Looking down at myself I was confused as to why I was wearing a wool coat on such a warm summer day. Attempting to take it of I realized I was holding my violin case that I knew held my violin. My confusion grew as I peeled of the coat to reveal jeans, a turtleneck sweater and thick waterproof boots. Panic began flooding me as I tried to remember how I got here or even where I was. Squeezing my head in an attempt to make myself remember a woman's laughing face crossed my mind she was older than me and the image did nothing to alleviate my confusion. Growing angry at my inability to remember I quickly stand up and begin storming off in a random direction. Quickly finding a large rock I slump down on it frustrated as I start picking up and throwing any rocks or sticks that I can get my hands on. Not sure how long I sat there fuming I began to calm down and returned to grab my stuff not too far away.
Looking under my turtleneck I could see that I was wearing a thin tank top underneath. Grateful to take of the thick sweater I gathered up my stuff and began observing my surroundings. I was obviously in some kind of forest conifer and pines were everywhere I couldn't identify what kind of trees they were but I couldn't see any sign of a path that would lead me to a road or if I was in a nature preserve the center where you check in. There was a huge cliff that was behind me it was at least four if not five stories. It seemed to be part of a mountain range that loomed above me. Turning so my back was to the cliff I began walking hoping I would run into a trail or a road. Walking down the sloping landscape I wondered how I got there and why. The trees passed me by as I avoided the occasional spider web as I began observing the forest. People always seem to forget just how many bugs there are in the forest. If anyone was to take a good look at the ground they would find several bugs crawling about going about their buggy business.
My legs began to grow tired as the sun started to sink into the horizon. Not wanting to wander at night I turned around and headed towards the cliff. Reaching the base of the cliff I began walking next to it hoping to find some form of shelter. By the time night blanketed the forest in darkness I was able to find a dip in the side of the cliff. It was nowhere near a cave but it sloped into the cliff enough to give some protection I could stand in it if I craned my neck and it could fit a small car if you crushed it. Sitting underneath it I wondered how long it would take someone to find me. Wolves were howling as I smashed myself deeper into the jagged rock of the cliff. I laid out my coat in an attempt to make a bed. As I laid down on it something in one of the pockets was poking me in the ribs. Pulling the offending instrument out I realized it was a Swiss army knife it was difficult to see in the dark but there was a clear engraving that said to Ali from grandpa in a pretty swirling script. An image of an elderly man with spectacles and sparse gray hair came to mind as I read it. Flipping it open I observed all the little tools attached. Laying back down I wondered about my grandpa, what was he like?
I don't know when I feel asleep but I woke up to the morning sunlight blinding me. Groaning I wanted to roll over and go back to sleep but I knew I shouldn't so I forced myself to get up. Once standing I tried to stretch my back that was sore from the hard ground and all I wanted was a bathroom to clean up in. It looked to be a little after sunrise and was a little cooler as I gathered all of my things. I made sure to shake my coat out to get rid of anything that may have crawled in it while I slept, I did the same thing with my sweater that I used as a pillow. Getting out of my alcove I decided to try a different direction and turned to my left to begin walking. The birds were singing softly as I began trudging through the forest. There really wasn't a slope but the farther I got the thicker the grass got as the trees started to thin out. A light sound of water hit my ears as I found a good sized stream flowing as thirst hit me. Kneeling next to the water I used my hands as a bowl and began to drink not even sure when I had something to drink. It tasted earthy but I was too thirsty to care. Quenching my thirst I stood back up and brushed the dirt off my pants. I wondered whether I should continue in this direction or follow the stream down the slope. If the stream leads to larger water I'll have a better chance at finding someone since lakes and rivers tend to attract people.
Deciding to head down stream I turn and follow it listening to the calming sound of the water while the birds began to sing louder and more often as the sun went higher into the sky. Watching the trees pass by was soothing until my stomach growled I rubbed it as if that would somehow comfort it as I wondered when I ate last. It has at least been well over a day since I last ate and I wont last long if I'm not able to find people or food. The stream started to grow wider as the trees started to move farther away from the stream. I could just make out an open area ahead before I reached the river. When I reached the river the stream had spread out more and had a little pool it went into that was attached to the river. Looking around the river I couldn't see any sign of human life but that didn't deter me. Heading down stream would hopefully lead me to a human settlement so I began walking near the edge of the river but being careful to stay away from lose soil so I don't fall in. The river seemed so calm as I walked along the river hoping for some sign of civilization. My body began to grow more and more tired as the sun slowly moved across the sky. With how tired I was I wondered whether or not I should turn back or keep going. Even with how tired I am I need to find someone I'll walk all night if I have too. Adjusting my violin I continued on my path down the river.
As darkness fell I began to feel less confident with every passing second. A chill filled the air as a crescent moon arose and the stars shone brightly. Slipping on my sweater and coat so I don't have to carry it anymore and also to keep out the strange chill. It was easy to tune out the sounds of the animals and moving trees till I was suddenly filled with a sense of unease as I noticed that the animal noises stopped. A sense of dread filled me as I scrambled into the nearest tree I could climb. Climbing as high as the branches would allow I looked down wondering why I came up here feeling a little foolish at my own skittishness as I saw movement bellow. It moved quickly and was entirely black and seemed utterly unnatural as it moved without a sound. There was a thick silence as it moved bellow me the fear that it would discover me was causing me to grip the branches of the trees tightly unsure of what it was. Watching it the moons light began to break through the trees giving small hints to the thin furry legs and strange body that seemed to be close to the size of a pony. Keeping as quite as possible I continued to sit in the tree well after it had moved on and the forest began to speak once again. Exhaustion lowered my guard as I reluctantly feel asleep.
The sound of bird song woke me up as my body screamed in anger at me for sleeping in a tree. Feeling absolutely terrible I cracked my eyes open to see the sun rising and annoyed birds flying about. Groaning in pain I made my way down the tree forcing my stiff legs and arms to work as I landed on the ground none to gracefully. Standing up I scanned the area and noticed there was no sign of the creature that had prowled the area the night before. Recalling the creepy thing I looked for foot prints or anything but couldn't find anything. Hunger stabbed at me hard along with my dry mouth as I turned around and walked up river where I knew the stream would be. I still hadn't found a single sign of human life and with what I saw last night I wondered if there was any in where ever I was. Reaching the stream at noon I kneeled to take a drink from the still water of the pool between the stream and the river when I noticed movement. Watching closely I could see a fin poke out as a fish moved through the water.
The idea of eating fish filled me with determination as I watched its movements as I went to stand between the pool and the river. Watching it I lowered my hands and followed its movements till I got the courage to reach in. Feeling me grasp it the fish thrashed violently with all its muscles trying to escape. Its fins scratched my hands painfully as I through it onto the ground. The fish flopped about trying to get back into the water. Not allowing it to escape I stood on its tail as I grabbed a near by stick and cleaned it off as best I could in the murky water. Content at how clean the stick was I took a pause as I tried to think of how to do this and kill it quickly so it wouldn't suffer. Deciding on the quickest route I shoved the stick violently through its mouth and into its body as it stopped its struggling as it died. Now with the fish on a stick I realized I needed to cook it. Holding the fish in one hand I began gathering small dry sticks. Walking up stream I found what I recognized as the area I came out of yesterday and walked back into the forest till I found my little alcove from earlier. Setting the sticks down I grabbed some leaves and made a pile under my alcove as I stuck the fish on a stick into the ground as I searched for flint. I pulled out my Swiss army knife and began scraping the metal of the can opener against different rocks looking for sparks it took me well over an hour before I found a round smooth rock that gave off a slight spark as I scraped the metal against the stone. Squealing in excitement I returned to my soon to be campfire and scrapped the metal against the rock as close to the leaves as possible. I'm not sure how long it took till I finally got the enough sparks to set the leaves on fire but my hands were sore and it started to get dark.
The leaves burned a dark smoke as I scrambled to find more sticks grabbing an arm full of small sticks and another armful of thick sticks that were closer to logs I set them down in the corner of my alcove as I pulled the fish out of the ground and reset it in the dirt next to the fire. The earth was soft enough that it made getting the fish close to the fire easy. Sitting down as the sun lowered I watched the smoke crawl out of my alcove into the sky as I wondered about what I saw last night and whether I would be safe here or not. Feeling uneasy I left my alcove and went to the scattered logs of a recently dead tree that wasn't more than twenty feet from my alcove and began carrying or pushing them to make a makeshift wall between me and the outside world. Scooting inside I pulled the last log into place as the moon started to peek over the trees. Filled with a sense of accomplishment I sat down next to my fire as the fish cooked. The fish looked delicious as the grease fell into the fire I realized I should have descaled the fish and gutted it first but I was too tired and hungry to care. Sitting down listening to the fire crackle I pulled out my violin and plucked at the strings before testing it out. Without realizing it I began playing as if I had always known these songs. Some I recognized from movies or just from hearing around, most of the ones I remembered didn't have lyrics but as I played I recalled a few that did. But hunger stopped my playing as the fish became nice and crispy. Pulling the stick out of the ground I peeled off a chunk of the hot skin to reveal the steaming cooked meat bellow. Hot I took off my coat and sweater as I began to eat. Not sure when I ate last this tasted wonderful. Grease rolled onto my hands and down my chin as I ate ravenously glad to eat something. Finished with the outer meat I observed the cooked organs bellow and wondered whether or not I should eat them. I don't know when I'll eat next but fish organs didn't sound appetizing. Deciding to set the fish aside I put a few more sticks on the fire along with one of the logs allowing it to grow and spark as the smoke left my little den through the cracks in the logs. I set down my coat and rolled up my sweater for a pillow and fell asleep rather quickly with the sound of the cheerful fire crackling.
When I opened my eyes I saw that my fire was almost completely burned out. Poking it with a stick flared up the embers as I grabbed some scattered leaves and sticks. Once I had the fire back up I pushed one of the logs out making a small entrance. Crawling out of my alcove I remembered the fish guts. Going back inside to grab the fish on a stick and my things I left my den to the morning light. The sky was bathed in orange and yellow as the trees blocked the sunrise from me. I put on my coat but carried my sweater as I put my violin on my back as I headed towards the stream. The walk was uneventful as the early bird songs chirped away unbothered by me. As I reached the stream I continued down the stream till I reached the pool. There wasn't any fish in it but I hoped to fix that as I put the fish guts in the small pool hoping it would attract more fish. I also put a little more dirt at the entrance to the river so it would be harder to get out but it still allowed close to a foot on water in I just made it narrower so it would give them less room. Finished with preparing the pool I decided to try upstream today. The river was just as calm as normal not at all worried about my plight. Since I had eaten last night I didn't feel nearly as tired or hopeless. There wasn't quite a spring in my step but I was much more cheerful. Watching the river as I walked next to it I began humming a song that sprang into my mind. Reaching behind me to touch my violin I wondered where I learned to play and where the amount of songs I knew ended. The day continued to wear on as walked not seeing a single sign of anyone having ever been here. The mountains were growing closer as the river turned towards their direction making me wonder if the river stared at the base of the mountains. When I the sun grew much closer to the western trees I decided to call it a day. Feeling defeated I wished I had something to help me like a map so I could try and guess where I was.
Reaching the pool the fish guts where gone and a larger fish had taken its place. It was trying to squeeze through the hole as I noticed it. Not wanting it to get away I quickly grabbed it and through it on land. The fish was much larger than the last one there was no way I could just carry it on a stick. I attempted to Carry it alive back to my den but it kept thrashing out of my arms. Knowing it could fall into the stream and escape if I wasn't careful I decided it would be much easier to carry when dead. Finding a decent sized rock I smashed in its skull to kill it as quickly as possible there is no reason for it to suffer. Heading back I reached home rather quickly now recognizing the way with ease. I sat the fish down on a large slab of rock as I went in and stocked the fire. I needed something to keep the fish out of the fire while it cooked. Searching for anything I grabbed some more sticks and small logs for the fire bringing them and another pile of leaves inside I was able to find some thing almost flat stones. Not really sure what else to use I tried to set up the stones to they stayed firm over the fire. However they didn't like this idea and weren't nearly stable enough. Going back outside I searched for as many rocks as possible. Finding and bringing in a lot of rocks I began to line the fire with it and set then as support for the table rocks. Finally feeling that it was secure enough I brought in the fish and laid it out on the slab. Satisfied that it didn't flop over I sat down and watched the fire noticing that the sun was setting.
I went out to drag the log back into place. The fish began to turn color as it cooked with a little grease pooling on the stone slab. Waiting for the fish to finish cooking I pulled out my violin and played a little. Not playing really extensive just little tunes that get caught in my head. I checked the fish by poking it with a stick to see if it crinkle. Unsure of how long it took to cook I was definitely happy when it was I pulled the hot slab off the other stones and set it on the dirt floor waiting for it too cool. Once it was cool enough to touch I pulled back the skin and began picking the meat off the bones with my fingers. This fish tasted different not nearly as good but had a lot of meat on it. By the time I finished half of it I was full. Glad for something to eat in the morning I set the fish near the fire to keep away the bugs as I put more sticks and a log into the fire to keep it going all night. I set down my coat and sweater as I rolled over wondering how I will be able to keep this up. Fish aren't just going to wander into that shallow pool everyday I need a more reliable source of food. Thoughts of how people have hunted in the past crossed my mind and the most useful weapon I could think of was a bow and arrow. But I have no idea how I would even start to make a bow I could probably make arrows easily enough they would just be sharp wood but better than nothing. Thinking about all the animals that roam about in the forest the easiest one to go after would probably be rabbits but their hard to catch with how fast they are. Maybe I could make a spear and get them that way. But I can't just abandon my search for people. I can't find anyone in walking distance and the forest is too thick for helicopters to see anything. The idea of having a giant bond fire seemed like a good way to get someones attention but I would need to constantly get wood for it and I don't have an axe to start chopping down trees not only that but what if the fire attracts unwanted attention like the creature I saw the other night. All in all it would be best to store a lot of wood and set a fire if I hear any sign of a search helicopter. I feel asleep with thoughts of food and finding people floating about in my head.
End
So this is my first chapter of this story. For a while this will be about her surviving in the wild but the whole her being in Middle Earth thing will be important once I have established her as a person and her ability to survive along with her hunting skills. If anyone has any suggestions or if they see some glaringly obvious grammar problems or anything like that please review and let me know. This is a first draft so I do expect some errors I was just so excited I needed to post it as soon as possible. I love to hear what people think of please let me know so I can see what direction I should go in thanks for reading.