I do not own anything associated with Lord of the Rings; not Legolas, not
Aragorn, or Gimli or any of the rest of them. Though I wish I did.
Chapter One
It was a gorgeous day, with brilliant blue skies and a soft, gentle breeze. Well, it would have been a gorgeous if not for the menacing black thunderclouds in the distance. It was a lovely afternoon all the same and I couldn't pass up the excellent opportunity to go riding. I was up at the log cabin my mother had built when I was about eleven with one of my good friends, vacationing from the torture that was school. Oh the second hill of our property there was a small wooded area. It was the perfect place to take a nice hike and with my newly acquired stables. I had created several nice trails as well.
"I'm going for a ride! I'll be back later!" I shouted over my shoulder as I exited the house and headed towards the barn.
"Don't stay out too long; it's supposed to storm!" my friends called after me.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" I said. Famous last words.
I got to the barn and saddled my prize-winning Quarter Horse. He was a brilliant tall half Arabian beauty. He was a dark buckskin and could turn corners tighter than any horse I've known. I called him the Secretariat of barrel racing. Ironically, his name was Fred.
Fred and I headed out into the woods, following the most recent path I had made. It was sometime in early fall, when the ticks were gone and the deer season still lingered among fallen branches. It was absolutely wonderful.
It had been an hour at least when I heard the sound of thunder. I looked up through the trees to realize that it had become quite a bit darker than before. I guess I should head back, I thought to myself as I reluctantly turned Fred around. I urged Fred into a trot as the thunder became louder and the darkness increased.
"Wouldn't that be something if I got caught in the rain," I muttered. Just as if the gods had heard me, rain began to filter through the trees.
"Figures," I sighed.
The rain wasn't bad at first; it was barely a drizzle, but it grew steadily harder until it became a downpour.
"Great, just great," I said angrily as I pulled the hood of my sweatshirt over my head. The rain, however, was just the tip of the iceberg. Apparently I was in for a full-fledged thunderstorm. Hail came pelting down as lightning periodically lighted the now black sky. The storm moved quickly and before I knew what happened, it was right on top of me.
Thunder cracked and rolled constantly as purple flashes of light ripped through the sky. On top of it all, Fred was acting up. He seemed to like the thunder just as much as I did. All of the sudden there was an ear- splitting crack from overhead as the lightning hit the tree. Fred reared and I looked up just in time to see a branch come crashing down on me.
I vaguely remember waking up once and seeing a vast plain scattered with large boulders through half open eyes. Amazingly, I was still in the saddle, though I wasn't aware of it at the time. I heard the distant sound of hoof beats and then faint voices just as I blacked out again.
* * * * * * *
Chapter One
It was a gorgeous day, with brilliant blue skies and a soft, gentle breeze. Well, it would have been a gorgeous if not for the menacing black thunderclouds in the distance. It was a lovely afternoon all the same and I couldn't pass up the excellent opportunity to go riding. I was up at the log cabin my mother had built when I was about eleven with one of my good friends, vacationing from the torture that was school. Oh the second hill of our property there was a small wooded area. It was the perfect place to take a nice hike and with my newly acquired stables. I had created several nice trails as well.
"I'm going for a ride! I'll be back later!" I shouted over my shoulder as I exited the house and headed towards the barn.
"Don't stay out too long; it's supposed to storm!" my friends called after me.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine!" I said. Famous last words.
I got to the barn and saddled my prize-winning Quarter Horse. He was a brilliant tall half Arabian beauty. He was a dark buckskin and could turn corners tighter than any horse I've known. I called him the Secretariat of barrel racing. Ironically, his name was Fred.
Fred and I headed out into the woods, following the most recent path I had made. It was sometime in early fall, when the ticks were gone and the deer season still lingered among fallen branches. It was absolutely wonderful.
It had been an hour at least when I heard the sound of thunder. I looked up through the trees to realize that it had become quite a bit darker than before. I guess I should head back, I thought to myself as I reluctantly turned Fred around. I urged Fred into a trot as the thunder became louder and the darkness increased.
"Wouldn't that be something if I got caught in the rain," I muttered. Just as if the gods had heard me, rain began to filter through the trees.
"Figures," I sighed.
The rain wasn't bad at first; it was barely a drizzle, but it grew steadily harder until it became a downpour.
"Great, just great," I said angrily as I pulled the hood of my sweatshirt over my head. The rain, however, was just the tip of the iceberg. Apparently I was in for a full-fledged thunderstorm. Hail came pelting down as lightning periodically lighted the now black sky. The storm moved quickly and before I knew what happened, it was right on top of me.
Thunder cracked and rolled constantly as purple flashes of light ripped through the sky. On top of it all, Fred was acting up. He seemed to like the thunder just as much as I did. All of the sudden there was an ear- splitting crack from overhead as the lightning hit the tree. Fred reared and I looked up just in time to see a branch come crashing down on me.
I vaguely remember waking up once and seeing a vast plain scattered with large boulders through half open eyes. Amazingly, I was still in the saddle, though I wasn't aware of it at the time. I heard the distant sound of hoof beats and then faint voices just as I blacked out again.
* * * * * * *