Duath uin Taur
"Darkness of the Forest"
By G. D. Gauss
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For disclaimer, rating, etc. see Chapter 1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Congratulations to LegolasLover2003 for getting the right answer!! Lÿglam means "snake tongue" in Sindarin. The lÿglam trees (the ones Legolas gave Aragorn) have those little pronged leaves, remember? I had to make them up since they're supposed to be extremely rare and I doubt Tolkien ever mentioned the names of any rare trees in Middle- Earth. As a reward.. Ehm... you can have Legolas! *pulls him out of her pocket* He's been my muse but since I finished the fic a long time ago you can borrow him for a while. *Legolas' face turns white*
*cackles*
Aragorn: *appears out of nowhere* Hey! He's not yours to give away!
G.D.: Then who's is he, hm?
Aragorn: *mumbles* ..mine..
Legolas: *face turns from white to red at an alarming speed*
G.D.: Ahem!! Well, anyway. here's chapter 11! How's that for a reward? (
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 11 Into a Black Night
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Legolas dropped to his knees. On the ground lay Garalith with a bloodied throat and chest. Gashes trailed up his legs and arms. The king pulled the warrior's head into his lap as his mangled lungs gasped for air.
Legolas' trembling hand rested on his friend's forehead. "Garalith. hang on. You'll be all right." As he said these words, tears filled his eyes and ran down his face. Part of him knew that the captain's injuries were extremely serious and the elf was in terribly bad shape. yet the other part of him simply did not want to admit it.
Garalith coughed wretchedly, specks of blood staining his tunic. He fought to take in even breaths, but his lungs were weakened and fought simply to keep working if not altogether steady. His hand reached up and took hold of Legolas' shoulder. "My friend. I guess I wasn't meant to leave my home. Mirkwood was my birthplace and will soon be where I eternally rest."
The king shook his head frantically, sobs beginning to shake him. "No. Garalith, no! You'll make it out of here!"
The warrior breathed in raggedly several more times. He then let out his breath and his body grew limp. Legolas' brows furrowed in pain and despair. "Garalith!!"
When no answer came, the king pulled Garalith's body close to him and rested his forehead on his friend's chest, sobs shaking him.
He suddenly lost all concept of time and was soon lifted from where he sat. An arm was wrapped around his shoulders and he was led away as the group prepared to leave. He had no clear idea of how long it was until they began moving again, but somewhere in that time Garalith had been buried as quickly as they could manage. There was no doubt that the wargs would soon be back on their trail.
As Legolas slowly regained his conscience, they had been traveling for several more hours at the same hastened pace as before. His face was paled and he did not speak nor look at anyone. He suddenly realized that the faint sounds he had been hearing were now loud and as clear as ever. They were the low howls of the giant wargs. They were following close behind and the elves now ran as swiftly as they could manage in such a large group.
Aragorn jogged beside him and had his arm linked with Legolas' to keep him moving. Gandalf and Nanien were just in front of them. At the very head of the host, Isorfir commanded the warriors as the new captain.
Shouts were heard distantly up in front as a small hole of light was seen far ahead of them. The trail left the trees and opened up into the wide rolling lands of the Beorning. The elves' hearts were lifted from the shadows as they neared the very edge of the dark forest. Yet, the creatures continued to hunt them as they struggled to reach the end of the woods.
The road suddenly came to the same ravine that Legolas and Aragorn had been trapped in by the smaller wargs several weeks before. The elves carefully led their horses down the icy slope one by one into the low chilled stream. As the group on the east side waited their turn to cross, howls filled the air closer than ever. The wargs were upon them and they were trapped between the evil creatures and the slippery ravine.
The black animals began to appear from out of the shadows and advance, growls starting low in their throats. Again, the warriors lifted their bows and notched their arrows. Legolas let one loose as a warning and struck the first beast's heart. The others growled in anger, pausing for only a moment.
Only yards away, one leapt forward and caught a hold of Nanien's cloak. Her bow and arrow clattered to the ground as she was pulled off her feet. Arrows began to fly at the creatures before the rest of them could attack. Nanien pulled a long white knife from her belt and slashed in an arc through the animal's throat.
The horses neighed in fear as they dragged their handlers down and up the slope again, going in pairs and even three at a time. One tried to take the downhill climb too quickly and lost his footing in the slick snow. He tumbled to the bottom of the ravine, then picked himself up before the elf could take hold of him again. The horse leapt quickly up the other side as another elf came and grabbed his rope.
As the last two horses and their masters crossed the ravine, the warriors began their descent as they continued to fire arrows. Aragorn beheaded a warg as it leapt down the slope after them. He then noticed for the first time that the bodies of the slain creatures disintegrated into ash after their sunken black eyes glowed momentarily red.
Legolas noticed it too and he and the ranger exchanged knowing glances. A shout from Gandalf made them turn and begin to run up the ravine to where the group was moving swiftly once again. A sudden swift movement from behind caught Legolas' attention, but not quickly enough as a strong arm grabbed him and another was flung around his neck, holding him taught. He froze when a knife rose to his chin and he wondered briefly who was quite insane enough to do such a thing.
Aragorn heard the scuffle behind him as did many of the warriors and they spun around to see their king being held hostage by one of their own-Vorfirion. The warrior's eyes blazed with hatred and the hand that grasped the knife trembled visibly. Legolas held completely still and remained calm, having been through many other (and quite worse) situations like this. He also wished not to try the warrior's patience by struggling.
His companions, however, were far from calm and they quickly drew their bows. Aragorn shouted to them. "No! Put your weapons down. This will not be solved by shedding blood. If it is started that way, Legolas' blood will be the first to be spilled." The warriors slowly and reluctantly lowered their bows and Aragorn came hesitantly towards Vorfirion.
Before he could say anything, the knife was pulled up into Legolas' flesh, not quite breaking the skin but pressed down hard enough to sting. Aragorn froze in place and held up his hands. "Peace, Vorfirion. We can work this out lest you be unreasonable."
"Unreasonable you say?" said the warrior, his voice quavering. "While the lot of you run from your fears instead of facing them like the brave and strong people we are! If we leave, we are conquered!" He was now yelling rather than speaking. "Your sorry king here forces us to run like cowards while these beasts could easily be destroyed! Who shares my vision?!!"
Before anything else could be said, a huge, dark shape appeared behind the enraged warrior. Aragorn began to move forward. "Vorfirion! Behind-"
"STOP!!" He pulled the knife further up, causing a thin line of red to drizzle down the length of the blade. Legolas' eyes squeezed shut. Aragorn began to alert Vorfirion again but before he could say anything, the black shadow behind him leapt at his back without so much as a warning growl. The warrior was crushed beneath the weight of the rhinoceros-sized animal and Legolas was flung forward. He stumbled to his knees but was able to regain his balance and footing and move away.
Aragorn took his own elvish bow and released several arrows, each plunging into the thick flesh of the creature. Several more bounded down through the ravine towards the other warriors who began letting their arrows fly. One escaped Aragorn's assault and took three more strides to reach the ranger. His jaws lashed out and caught the human's arm, dragging him to the ground. Legolas saw it as it happened and pulled out his daggers, twirling them in both hands. He turned swiftly and plunged one knife into the creature's ribcage, dragging out from it a howl of pain. The warg let Aragorn's bloodied arm loose and snapped at Legolas, catching the elf's tunic and pinning him to the ground with its paw on his chest. Legolas swung his leg up and caught the wolf behind the head, causing it to waver for a moment. It quickly regained its wits and grabbed the elf's leg in its jaws before he could stand and bit down hard. Legolas cried out in pain, then flung his other dagger straight across the beast's throat, killing it.
After finding and re-sheathing his knives, he was helped up by Aragorn. The ranger was breathing heavily and his arm was covered in blood, a long gash from his shoulder to his elbow. Legolas' leg was not much better and he could not use it well enough to walk on his own. They both turned to look at the results of their battle and amidst many disintegrating carcasses was the bloodied body of Vorfirion, completely motionless.
No time could be spared as the wargs were still not completely diminished. The light at the end of the trail seemed so far away. Strider supported his friend and they made for the edge of the wood as quickly as their injuries would allow. The black creatures were not deterred by the killing of another companion and continued to tirelessly follow their prey.
Legolas winced as he struggled to keep from putting too much weight on his leg and run at the same time. He dared not slow down to ease the throbbing pain.
The group was not far ahead of them and Nanien had turned to see where her brother had gone. When she saw the two of them limping down the path behind them, she ran back to them to help.
"Legolas, Aragorn! Are you hurt badly?" She took her brother's other arm and gave him as much support as she could without slowing herself down.
Aragorn shook his head. "I don't think so. It just looks bad. We'll be fine as soon as we can get out of here."
A dim light began to show through the trees as they thinned and dispersed. Through them, the night sky could be seen, deep blue and painted with stars. The elven host stepped out of the shadows to look up at the sky as the edge of the forest greeted them with a sight of the wide open lands white with snow. They moved far from the darkness before they let themselves drop to the ground in relief and joy.
Nanien, Legolas, and Aragorn stumbled out from the wood just as the evil creatures within caught up to them. They turned to see many pairs of eyes glowering at them from the black foliage. The eyes watched them for several moments as they joined their host, then faded away one by one into the darkness.
By G. D. Gauss
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For disclaimer, rating, etc. see Chapter 1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Congratulations to LegolasLover2003 for getting the right answer!! Lÿglam means "snake tongue" in Sindarin. The lÿglam trees (the ones Legolas gave Aragorn) have those little pronged leaves, remember? I had to make them up since they're supposed to be extremely rare and I doubt Tolkien ever mentioned the names of any rare trees in Middle- Earth. As a reward.. Ehm... you can have Legolas! *pulls him out of her pocket* He's been my muse but since I finished the fic a long time ago you can borrow him for a while. *Legolas' face turns white*
*cackles*
Aragorn: *appears out of nowhere* Hey! He's not yours to give away!
G.D.: Then who's is he, hm?
Aragorn: *mumbles* ..mine..
Legolas: *face turns from white to red at an alarming speed*
G.D.: Ahem!! Well, anyway. here's chapter 11! How's that for a reward? (
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 11 Into a Black Night
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Legolas dropped to his knees. On the ground lay Garalith with a bloodied throat and chest. Gashes trailed up his legs and arms. The king pulled the warrior's head into his lap as his mangled lungs gasped for air.
Legolas' trembling hand rested on his friend's forehead. "Garalith. hang on. You'll be all right." As he said these words, tears filled his eyes and ran down his face. Part of him knew that the captain's injuries were extremely serious and the elf was in terribly bad shape. yet the other part of him simply did not want to admit it.
Garalith coughed wretchedly, specks of blood staining his tunic. He fought to take in even breaths, but his lungs were weakened and fought simply to keep working if not altogether steady. His hand reached up and took hold of Legolas' shoulder. "My friend. I guess I wasn't meant to leave my home. Mirkwood was my birthplace and will soon be where I eternally rest."
The king shook his head frantically, sobs beginning to shake him. "No. Garalith, no! You'll make it out of here!"
The warrior breathed in raggedly several more times. He then let out his breath and his body grew limp. Legolas' brows furrowed in pain and despair. "Garalith!!"
When no answer came, the king pulled Garalith's body close to him and rested his forehead on his friend's chest, sobs shaking him.
He suddenly lost all concept of time and was soon lifted from where he sat. An arm was wrapped around his shoulders and he was led away as the group prepared to leave. He had no clear idea of how long it was until they began moving again, but somewhere in that time Garalith had been buried as quickly as they could manage. There was no doubt that the wargs would soon be back on their trail.
As Legolas slowly regained his conscience, they had been traveling for several more hours at the same hastened pace as before. His face was paled and he did not speak nor look at anyone. He suddenly realized that the faint sounds he had been hearing were now loud and as clear as ever. They were the low howls of the giant wargs. They were following close behind and the elves now ran as swiftly as they could manage in such a large group.
Aragorn jogged beside him and had his arm linked with Legolas' to keep him moving. Gandalf and Nanien were just in front of them. At the very head of the host, Isorfir commanded the warriors as the new captain.
Shouts were heard distantly up in front as a small hole of light was seen far ahead of them. The trail left the trees and opened up into the wide rolling lands of the Beorning. The elves' hearts were lifted from the shadows as they neared the very edge of the dark forest. Yet, the creatures continued to hunt them as they struggled to reach the end of the woods.
The road suddenly came to the same ravine that Legolas and Aragorn had been trapped in by the smaller wargs several weeks before. The elves carefully led their horses down the icy slope one by one into the low chilled stream. As the group on the east side waited their turn to cross, howls filled the air closer than ever. The wargs were upon them and they were trapped between the evil creatures and the slippery ravine.
The black animals began to appear from out of the shadows and advance, growls starting low in their throats. Again, the warriors lifted their bows and notched their arrows. Legolas let one loose as a warning and struck the first beast's heart. The others growled in anger, pausing for only a moment.
Only yards away, one leapt forward and caught a hold of Nanien's cloak. Her bow and arrow clattered to the ground as she was pulled off her feet. Arrows began to fly at the creatures before the rest of them could attack. Nanien pulled a long white knife from her belt and slashed in an arc through the animal's throat.
The horses neighed in fear as they dragged their handlers down and up the slope again, going in pairs and even three at a time. One tried to take the downhill climb too quickly and lost his footing in the slick snow. He tumbled to the bottom of the ravine, then picked himself up before the elf could take hold of him again. The horse leapt quickly up the other side as another elf came and grabbed his rope.
As the last two horses and their masters crossed the ravine, the warriors began their descent as they continued to fire arrows. Aragorn beheaded a warg as it leapt down the slope after them. He then noticed for the first time that the bodies of the slain creatures disintegrated into ash after their sunken black eyes glowed momentarily red.
Legolas noticed it too and he and the ranger exchanged knowing glances. A shout from Gandalf made them turn and begin to run up the ravine to where the group was moving swiftly once again. A sudden swift movement from behind caught Legolas' attention, but not quickly enough as a strong arm grabbed him and another was flung around his neck, holding him taught. He froze when a knife rose to his chin and he wondered briefly who was quite insane enough to do such a thing.
Aragorn heard the scuffle behind him as did many of the warriors and they spun around to see their king being held hostage by one of their own-Vorfirion. The warrior's eyes blazed with hatred and the hand that grasped the knife trembled visibly. Legolas held completely still and remained calm, having been through many other (and quite worse) situations like this. He also wished not to try the warrior's patience by struggling.
His companions, however, were far from calm and they quickly drew their bows. Aragorn shouted to them. "No! Put your weapons down. This will not be solved by shedding blood. If it is started that way, Legolas' blood will be the first to be spilled." The warriors slowly and reluctantly lowered their bows and Aragorn came hesitantly towards Vorfirion.
Before he could say anything, the knife was pulled up into Legolas' flesh, not quite breaking the skin but pressed down hard enough to sting. Aragorn froze in place and held up his hands. "Peace, Vorfirion. We can work this out lest you be unreasonable."
"Unreasonable you say?" said the warrior, his voice quavering. "While the lot of you run from your fears instead of facing them like the brave and strong people we are! If we leave, we are conquered!" He was now yelling rather than speaking. "Your sorry king here forces us to run like cowards while these beasts could easily be destroyed! Who shares my vision?!!"
Before anything else could be said, a huge, dark shape appeared behind the enraged warrior. Aragorn began to move forward. "Vorfirion! Behind-"
"STOP!!" He pulled the knife further up, causing a thin line of red to drizzle down the length of the blade. Legolas' eyes squeezed shut. Aragorn began to alert Vorfirion again but before he could say anything, the black shadow behind him leapt at his back without so much as a warning growl. The warrior was crushed beneath the weight of the rhinoceros-sized animal and Legolas was flung forward. He stumbled to his knees but was able to regain his balance and footing and move away.
Aragorn took his own elvish bow and released several arrows, each plunging into the thick flesh of the creature. Several more bounded down through the ravine towards the other warriors who began letting their arrows fly. One escaped Aragorn's assault and took three more strides to reach the ranger. His jaws lashed out and caught the human's arm, dragging him to the ground. Legolas saw it as it happened and pulled out his daggers, twirling them in both hands. He turned swiftly and plunged one knife into the creature's ribcage, dragging out from it a howl of pain. The warg let Aragorn's bloodied arm loose and snapped at Legolas, catching the elf's tunic and pinning him to the ground with its paw on his chest. Legolas swung his leg up and caught the wolf behind the head, causing it to waver for a moment. It quickly regained its wits and grabbed the elf's leg in its jaws before he could stand and bit down hard. Legolas cried out in pain, then flung his other dagger straight across the beast's throat, killing it.
After finding and re-sheathing his knives, he was helped up by Aragorn. The ranger was breathing heavily and his arm was covered in blood, a long gash from his shoulder to his elbow. Legolas' leg was not much better and he could not use it well enough to walk on his own. They both turned to look at the results of their battle and amidst many disintegrating carcasses was the bloodied body of Vorfirion, completely motionless.
No time could be spared as the wargs were still not completely diminished. The light at the end of the trail seemed so far away. Strider supported his friend and they made for the edge of the wood as quickly as their injuries would allow. The black creatures were not deterred by the killing of another companion and continued to tirelessly follow their prey.
Legolas winced as he struggled to keep from putting too much weight on his leg and run at the same time. He dared not slow down to ease the throbbing pain.
The group was not far ahead of them and Nanien had turned to see where her brother had gone. When she saw the two of them limping down the path behind them, she ran back to them to help.
"Legolas, Aragorn! Are you hurt badly?" She took her brother's other arm and gave him as much support as she could without slowing herself down.
Aragorn shook his head. "I don't think so. It just looks bad. We'll be fine as soon as we can get out of here."
A dim light began to show through the trees as they thinned and dispersed. Through them, the night sky could be seen, deep blue and painted with stars. The elven host stepped out of the shadows to look up at the sky as the edge of the forest greeted them with a sight of the wide open lands white with snow. They moved far from the darkness before they let themselves drop to the ground in relief and joy.
Nanien, Legolas, and Aragorn stumbled out from the wood just as the evil creatures within caught up to them. They turned to see many pairs of eyes glowering at them from the black foliage. The eyes watched them for several moments as they joined their host, then faded away one by one into the darkness.