Wow, totally great to be back and running! I am SOOOOO sorry that it took so long to update, i've just been really busy // i know, thats got to be the oldest excuse in the book, right// well, its true, so there // also, I've been lacking inspiration and patience for the second chapter // i've written about seven other chapters, but the second one didn't want to come out of my head //
Warnings // Violence, mostly...Dark at times, there might be some drug reference and language, but I think that's it
Disclaimer // Again, nothing LotR belongs to me, that's all Tolkein's wonderful imagination. I own the still nameless girl.
Little Faith
Chapter Two: Not At Home
The wind had subsided greatly, but was still there. She could feel her soft hair lightly gliding over her face, strand by strand. It rather tickled, actually. She tried to wipe those strands behind her ear, though she could not find the strength to move her limbs.
As she continued to breathe and take in her blind surroundings, the more she found that she was nowhere near her home. There was not the feeling of the ocean around her, the air was too dry, and the atmosphere was so thin. It was if she was somewhere more inland, like Montana or Ohio. There were no gulls her, crying for fish, and nor was there the sound of the waves crashing down upon the shore.
However, there was also something else about this place that was far different from anything she had ever experienced before.
The tickling sensation then returned to her face, but this time it was not from her hair. It was something else, scratching at her face almost. It moved with the wind, also, recoiling with the wind, and then returning along side it.
It was then that she opened her eyes. At first she had to shut them quickly, and then wait as they gradually adjusted to the bright sunlight shining down from the sky. Once her eyes did finally adjust, she sat up and took in her surroundings. It seemed that she was in a sort of grassland, or prairie. Definitely not Seattle.
The grass around her was rather long, dry and yellow. The slight wind around her was blowing it to and fro.
Wind . . .
It was what had caused this. She figured that the strange wind from nowhere earlier was somehow connected to her being brought here. Wherever 'here' was.
That was another thing; she was in the middle of absolute nowhere. If there was anything common sense had taught her, it was that she was in a really lousy situation. Alone in a desolate, barren land without either food or drink; a complete fool's errand!
She really needed to find a town or city, or even a river to survive. Not to mention the fact that she needed to get home. Not that her situation was at all yet dire (for all she knew, there could've been a town or something right over the hill), but still, the sooner she found help, the better.
Mustering up whatever energy she had, the girl slowly climbed to her feet and gathered up her bag onto her shoulder. Well, if she was going to find some help, she was going to have to start walking. From where the Sun was in the sky, she guessed that it was already mid to late afternoon. In a few hours, the Sun, due to the time of the year, would set on her.
She sighed, trying not to think too much on her situation, and started walking.
It was already late afternoon when the riders saw the distressed town on the horizon. The Captain sighed as he led the rest of the men onwards. There was a very small chance that there would be any survivors now. Perhaps a few lucky had managed to hide from their assailants, but even then, they were probably found and killed regardless.
As their large party came steadily came closer to the village, the Captain heard something for a short moment that brought a horrific reality to him. In case his fears were true, he readied his lance for battle. He knew that either way, nightmare foes or just the normal ones, they would attack this company from hiding most likely.
It took only a few more minutes to reach the village, and what the riders saw shocked them. There were so many laying here dead, that it seemed as if the entire village had been slain. The forty riders grouped in the centre area of the town. So far, no one had seen any of those whom had attacked these people, only those who were attacked.
The idea that these foes had gone on in search of new prey then entered the Captain's head and he hoped that was the case.
"Search for survivors!" the Captain shouted to the rest of the riders, "We will bury the dead after!" And with that, he dismounted the mare he had come on so he better search the area.
Some of the small homes had been set afire. Some doors had been broken down, and even the crop shed was now in sorry shape. Not only had people been slaughtered, there were dead horses and livestock lying on the ground as well. People were killed trying to flee their homes, trying to save their families, in every which way that was thought possible. The grass shone red in the late afternoon sun with the blood shed here, even on the sides of the stables, reaching as high as the over hang from the roof. This was truly a nightmare.
"Captain!"
The young man turned his head sharply at the call of his title. He saw his second in command hurrying over to him, no doubt bearing news of what ever survivors were left.
"Sir," the man addressed him, "The men have searched this village and its vicinity, but there were no survivors found. It's likely that they were attacked by a band of Uruks."
The Captain nodded, dismissing the man. It was as he feared, there were no survivors. Those creatures must have stayed around even to dispatch any stragglers, or villagers who were well enough to run from here. Even worse, it was a band of Uruk Hai who had staged the attack. He had his suspicions from the beginning, but for it to be truth...
He sighed, there was nothing he could do now. "Gather the dead. We will treat them with the respect they deserve."
Leaving his second in command with his orders, the young Captain turned, overwhelmed with the disappointment of not arriving in time.
Hours after her perilous journey began, the young girl found herself in the same position as she was in several hours ago. Only now, the Sun was getting lower and lower in the sky, and there hadn't been so much as a candy wrapper pass her by. She still had a few hours until Sun-down, and after that... Well, she didn't want it to have to come to that.
She was still walking through the same prairie as she was before, there had been a sudden appearance of rocks protruding from the ground in often the most inconvenient of places. She had come across a stream or two on her trip, and nearly walked into a ravine that would have made short work of her life, but nothing beyond that.
Briefly, the teen had wondered what her parents must be thinking about her sudden disappearance, and even that maybe they might put a call in to the police. It would have put her chances of being found sooner up a dozen times over, were it not for the note she left telling them she went to her friend's house. Knowing them, they wouldn't actually check to make sure she made it there; they would simply assume and go smoke some weed.
"Whatever. " she hissed to herself, getting more and more frustrated by the minute. This whole thing was slowly pissing her off. Not knowing what was going on, not knowing how to get out, and just plain old not knowing what to do. Not even the damn wind would back off!
Brushing a few dark strands of hair out of her face, she sat down on a nearby rock and buried her head in her hands. She didn't even bother trying to figure out where she was or how she got here. The only thing that mattered was how she was going to survive. It may have sounded a little extreme, but that was what it was coming down to if she didn't accidentally stumble upon some help.
She had a water bottle, and half a granola bar in the bottom of her bag for sustenance, and beyond that she was screwed. No doubt the night was going to be cold, and all she had was her hoodie for any real warmth. And not to mention the fact that she had no idea what kind of wild animals this place would hold. She'd seen some small rodents and birds around, so she guessed the regular prairie-type animals, coyotes, foxes, deer, that sort of thing. Not a lot to worry about if she was right, but there was as good a chance as any that she wasn't. And that was what worried her.
It was just as she sighed for the second time, when she felt a sickeningly warm breath on the back of her neck, accompanied by a menacing growl and a sadistic gurgling laugh.
"Now look a' wha' we 'ave 'ere, " a strange voice came from behind her, "Some dumb li'l maiden ou' 'ere all by 'erself."
Not pausing for even a moment, the girl sprang to her feet and whipped around to see just who, or what, had found her.
It was something that she would have only ever dreamed to see in fairy tale books, one of the many nameless minions of some great, powerful antagonist. Its skin was an indefinable color, somewhere between olive green and a dirty brown, and the face on this disgusting creature... The thing looked as if it had been tortured and mutilated endlessly.
And the beast it was mounted on. It was even more terrible and frightening than the creature sitting atop it. She had no idea what
it possibly could have been. It looked like some sort of bear or wolf, yet, the goblin-like creature was sitting on like one would a horse. The beast was enormous, almost as high as any horse, and at least six times as powerful. Its nose looked squished to its face, and its lip curled viciously to reveal a set of very dangerous looking teeth.
There was no way she was surviving this one.
It lunged toward her before she even got the chance to move. Dread flooded her being once more, as she felt the sharp stings of the beast's claws dig into her flesh, tearing her clothes. The laughter of the rider made her heart sink even further, as if it were spelling out her own death right before her very eyes.
She screamed. She didn't want to, but she couldn't stop herself from doing so. She had always thought herself to be a tough person, though she had never imagined encountering anything like this before. After all, who in their right mind would? It didn't matter to her anymore, being tough or keeping some dumb facade. She was going to die, so why bother putting any effort into something no one would ever remember her for?
The girl shut her eyes, keeping them clamped, so she could perhaps try to die with some sense of peace, instead of with visions of monstrosity. It was a sudden and almost frightening thing when she felt the beast back away. Opening her eyes and painfully moving her arms down from her face, she saw that the creature was staring down at her from its mount, grinning sadistically. That confirmed it. This thing wasn't going to let her die so easily; it was going to torture her first.
"You gonna beg fer yer life, 'ere?" it laughed at her, "'Ope tha' maybe I won' kill ya?"
She didn't say anything. There was nothing that she could say. Nothing was going to save her, so maybe if she just stayed shut up, it would get bored of her and just kill her. Without any fight, and minimal pain. Almost comfortably, some might say. Just the opposite of what she used to say, the way she used to brag. Never go down without a fight. It was pretty much her motto.
She wasn't going to prove anything to anyone else. Just herself.
Taking the opportunity, and the element of surprise, she was shocked to find that she was actually able to ignore the immense pain flooding through her as she forced herself to her feet somewhat, running away from the creature and its beast. It might have not been willing to let her die easily, but she wasn't going to let it have her so easily.
Her foolish display of courage didn't last for long. She heard the creature's laughter once more, intensified, before the familiar sting of the beast's claw bit into her back this time. At least she could die with some shred of dignity, knowing that she had at least tried.
Somehow, she managed to roll onto her back, just in time to see the beast open its huge jaws, exposing its terrifying teeth and letting out a chilling roar. The girl couldn't help but notice how bad the breath was. An amusing thought, coming from a dying girl. She didn't close her eyes again, but rather stared right back at her killers. She wasn't going to die comfortably, that was already decided.
It was when she turned her head, by some amazing chance, that she felt the weight of the beast once again leave her body, not moments before she saw them. A complete miracle. She didn't know who they were, or if they were friend or foe, or even if they were real. But at that moment, she didn't care. All she knew is that they were the reason the beast left her, the reason her pain was leaving her.
They must have been angels, there was no other explanation. Angels, their marvellous flag erected in the flesh of the beast that had attacked her, cleansing the world of its evil. Angels, who stopped that horrifying creature from taking her soul with their golden arrows.
Angels, whose captain descended upon her, yelling commands to his men, while picking her up and taking her soul to heaven...
