Fear ran like wild wolves inside her fast pumping veins, despite the swift pounding of Morivanya's hooves, carrying her fast as rushing water, the wargs seemed to be gaining on them. The mountains were still miles away; Ariena would never make it in time. Twisting her torso to look behind her, she saw the orcs closing in, forming a semi-circular crescent around her, jaws gnashing. This was the foul nature of the orc; her death had no value to them, all they desired was a sporting hunt, to slay her and laugh as she screamed.
The mountains were jagged and threatened to puncture the sky above with its sharp, snowy points. They loomed over Ariena as she began the ascent in the low ground of the mountain range, boulders and rock formations scattered around her. Morivanya twisted and danced, each step wild, but intricate. Ariena's hair was whipped back in a great swirling plume behind her, and she felt the flexing muscle and bulk of Morivanya running beneath her.
Suddenly Morivanya swerved and Ariena was nearly thrown off, her agile reaction saved her, as she shot her hand out to Morivanya's mane and tangled her fingers in the wild matted hair. A warg approached, frothing at the mouth, it's huge flashing claws tearing the ground it pounded upon, clods of soil flying up around it. The orc that rode it snarled, each shriek with bloodthirsty excitement sent fear into Ariena's heart; its glowing yellow eyes gleamed. Ghastly head to fetid stamping foot, it reeked of death and decay.
The boundary of the mountains was nearing, the last push of fatigue would get them to safety, for the mountains were shrouded in a choking mist and there were many hiding places to hide within, this was their only chance. She drew her fearing gaze away from the orcs that ran in parallel with her and thrust her head forward, body arched to urge Morivanya into her last spurt of speed.
Morivanya panted, the excruciating pain of fatigue seemed to close in on her limbs; they were near, so close to the deeper mountain now, she knew she could not fail Ariena. She felt the fear radiating from Ariena's heart; it spurred her to run faster, her eyes focused on a pinpoint in the distance, concentrating her last strength to the maximum.
She leaped into her next step, and grew faster and faster. The wargs grew slower too. Mist, from the mountains started to lick her hooves and soon they were deep immersed in thick fog, safe from the orc's view, though they could still hear their bellowing calls.
Sharp looming faces of rock, like mazes came looming from the mist, and they swerved suddenly to avoid collision. The gaps became tighter now, and small paths intertwined through stone crevices. Ariena was forced to dismount, scouring the immediate landscape before her for any close wargs, but she could not see any.
She ran now, feet nimble and well placed on the ground, Morivanya followed behind her, emitting quiet sounds of discomfort at each howl and cackle of an orc. It was cold, and the rocks were dusted in a slim coating of snow, biting at her feet in her boots of worn leather.
Ariena wandered briefly why they had not shot her down yet; she assumed it was part of their cruel 'game.' Their scheme was to exhaust her till she was an easy target; they loved the stench of her fear. She knew soon they would begin to come closer, and start to wound her, slowly, one arrow at a time.
Just as her hopes began to rise, and she began to think the wargs had been fooled, she stumbled upon a rogue figure. She stopped dead, Morivanya too. Her heart sank, her mind immediately assumed it was orc. It turned to them and she drew her small sword from it's sheath, pointing it at the figure, hand quaking as it clutched the blade. She took a few steps back, surrendering, heart thumping like it was going to break through it's cage of ribs and burst from her chest. This was it, the figure, tall for an orc, slender for an orc approached her, but she knew there was no hope in running now.
As it approached she could see its face clearly now, it was no orc, but a fellow, shining, glorious elf. She gasped with shock, and then smiled with relief. His face was pure and filled with light; his hair had a blonde luminescence and was long, straight and glistening. He was clothed in a green and brown, a typical wardrobe of wood elves. He was well equipped, with a bow and quiver filled with arrows, a long white knife at his belt.
"I am sorry, I shall not ask your name now, for the orc filth are near and there is no time to waist, but if you value your life listen to my words, there is a noxious sent of death in the air, and I wish to avoid fatality this day." He spoke to her, "you come from Rivendell. I know that, we were told an elf would be coming to Mirkwood, you are Ariena"
Ariena nodded.
He now spoke with authority, "Do as I say, let your horse loose, tell her to run, we shall all be safer without hindrance of beast in this environment. Horse does not suit the mountains. Tell her to flee to Rivendell."
She shook her head without realizing, "No, please."
"You must." He commanded.
His compelling, assertive order washed over her and she felt impelled to do as he said. She whispered in Morivanya's pricked up ears, and reluctantly Morivanya left them, galloping home through the mist. Ariena felt tears stinging in her eyes, but she bid them away.
"Are there others? I mean other elves with you." She asked.
"Yes, my friends await for my command to kill the orc, they are hidden among rock now, but close." He replied, and then he jolted to the side, springing unexpectedly to arm himself with arrow and bow. Ariena sensed it too. Through the rock she felt vibration of the orc nearing them, and suddenly they were upon them, wargs swarming and orcs screaming veraciously. It was in a blur, orcs foul and gnashing, jumping in bloodthirsty delight, swords drawn to ambush them. Rogue arrows, of elf and orc sped from the mist. Ariena ducked as an orc swung a serrated blade at her head, with her knife she skewered its belly and it fell to the floor.
She looked around her, other elves had joined them and orc bodies lay scattered on the ground. In a whirling frenzy of blood, snow and screams they fought, and lasting shrieks from the foul beasts echoed in-between the jagged spires of mountain peaks.
From the corner of her eye she saw the young elf she had first met fight with such strength and stamina, every shot of his arrow was perfectly aimed.
Another orc came at her, in a vengeful frenzy it tried to wound her, but with her direct blow she stabbed it, and it fell. She stumbled backwards, tired now and felt the reassuring rock behind her, supporting her as she paused to rest, leaning against it. She drooped, head sagging, but she sprung to life seeing the blonde haired elf disarmed, at the mercy of a huge, warg, the biggest she had seen. It had him pinned to the ground, jaws in his face, about to rip his throat, when Ariena threw her knife. It shot through the air, and with her aim it landed straight in the warg's skull, saving the elf.
It let out a cry of rage before falling to the ground limp. A white misty glaze spread over the red eyes and it was cold. The elf stood, dazed and he nodded thanks at her.
An orc, brandishing a huge curved blade came at Ariena, but she realized she had no weapon to defend herself, it was far from her reach, in the warg's skull. Her eyes widened as it swung at her and all she could do was throw out her hands in a weak defense.
It grinned and the blade came down on her shoulder, cutting deep, pain shot through her body and she screamed. Vision blurred in and out of focus, and she clutched her shoulder, tensing and bracing herself for the next blow, she did not feel it come for she lay on the ground, blackness engulfing her senses.