Shadow Blood

by mousermouse117

A story that takes place in the world of Middle Earth. Set before the time of LOTR, it tells the story of the fallen kingdom and how the Corrupted have begun to take over, and one young elf who has lost everything and is ready to take a stand.

Chapter 1

The sharp crack of branches breaking under foot pierces the eerie calmness of the dark forest. I tall, slender figures bursts through the overgrowth, never slowing, as he races through the woods. The thick foliage of the trees blocks out the dim remaining rays of sunlight, causing the figures midnight black cloak to begin to be lost in the shadows, and tiny wisps of silver hair can be seen sticking out from the hood that is hiding the person's face. A tiny bundle is held in his arms.

Just then the figures boot is caught by a gnarled tree root, and the character tumbles to the ground, still clutching the object in his arms. The hood is thrown back revealing the face of a young elf. His silver hair had been hastily tied back; his face was covered in dirt and grime almost completely hiding the grey marking that covered his face, and sweet dripped from his brow. The elf let out a pained groan before pulling the bundle closer to him, and then moving a corner of the cloth revealing the very tiny pale face of a sleeping child.

A blood curling cry filled the air, and the chinking of metal against metal could be heard in the distance. The elf laid the tiny bundle of blankets beside him and stood up; pulling a bow from is back, and then fitting an arrow in almost an instant. The footsteps quickened as they drew closer, until almost nothing else could be heard over their pounding, and then as if they had never existed the steps simultaneously stopped. The elf tensed moments before the first arrow materialized from the shadows, piercing his shoulder. He quickly fell to the ground as the rest of the volley followed throwing himself over the child. He muffled a cry as another arrow pierced his upper left arm, and had just enough time to rip it out before he felt his legs be seized, and was drug away from the young elf.

He struggled valiantly to escape his captors grasp to reach the tiny bundle that had awoken to the sound of the struggle. He could see her tiny grey eyes, peeping from the cloak and the dark grey hair for only a moment before she too was snatched up. Their captures seemed like giants as they held the girl in their arms. They group of about a dozen elves stood in midnight black armor hiding, not one of them under seven feet tall, and the shadows themselves seemed to swirl around them. The largest of the group motioned with his crooked blade towards the child, and the male elf let out a cry as one of the warriors moved his blade towards the child's throat.

The tiny child let out a terrified cry, and with widening eyes she reached out to the older elf. The frustrated sword wielder jabbed the tiny figure bellow the ribs causing her to cry out. The male elf screamed in outrage, as he violently attempted to reach the child before he felt the blade pierce through his clothing and rip through the skin and muscle under his shoulder blade. The dark warrior dug the blade into the elf a few inches deeper before violently ripping it to one side, causing the blade to break while still inside the elf's body.

The elf was then released as blood pooled around him and shadows began swarm around him, the elf watched as the armor clad monster's he had once called his brethren pressed the knife closer to the child's throat. As he weakly attempted to drag himself toward the youth, he felt what was left of his own blood begin to work against him, and as his body grew heavy, and his vision began to go black he looked again at the tiny child who was still watching with large frightened eyes.

He had thought they would be able to escape, but he realized now how wrong he had been. He struggled to move his hand inside a tiny hidden pocket that held his dagger thinking to himself that he would rather die than become one of them. He looked one last time at the child before gathering the last of his strength, and plunged the dagger directly into his own heart. His dying thought of the child. Her little grey eyes brightly shining in the sunlight, her hair waving as she ran in a warm field with a smile that could warm any heart. His last thoughts were of his sister, and with that happy thought he took in one last breath.

This is a story that I have wanted to begin writing for a very long time now. Tell me if I should continue to chapter 2, and PLEASE leave and hints, tips, ideas, corrections for me to look at. I have absolutely no problem with critiques!