Ha! Ha! Ha! Cliffie, cliffie, I'm calling thee! Let's make the people mad at me!!!! Hey, it rhymes!!
Thanks for the nice reviews, guys!
@Kayo : It's looking for Aragorn…kinda…his flesh had better taste than elves! As always, Legolas was stuck in the middle!
@Erhothwen : You still can't read the 10th chapter of 'Trauma'?
@Feanen : Yup!
The troop had to make a brief stop by a stream because their horses were growing tired by the exertion of the chase. Keldarion's fists wrapped around Legolas's longbow in apprehension as they waited for the mounts to finish drinking. Where are you, Legolas? Are you still alive?
"Kel?"
The Mirkwood crown prince turned as he heard Aragorn's uncertain voice. "Yes, Estel?"
"He will be all right."
Keldarion smiled. The young human looked so guilty as hell. He could not even look at the prince straight in the eye. Coming closer, Keldarion clutched Aragorn's shoulder warmly. "I also believe he will too, Aragorn," the prince said, even though his heart was still beating a lot faster than usual, so worried and anxious he was.
"Look! It's Hawkeye!" Elrohir suddenly shouted. They all turned to look at the approaching great bird in mixed feelings; joy and hopeful.
Hawkeye landed on Keldarion's wrist guard, squawking excitedly. "Where is he, Hawkeye? Do you know where Legolas is?"
The eagle cried out in reply. Then he flew off. After circling the air above them in three full rounds, Hawkeye headed directly towards north.
"He knows where Legolas is! Come on, let's follow him!"
The four companions immediately climbed onto their mounts and resumed the chase once more.
*************
Legolas slipped in and out of consciousness. The wind was blowing strongly, promising the coming heavy rain from the look of the looming dark clouds above. Legolas snapped awake when a gust of cold air hit his drenched body. He slowly sat up, pulling his legs from where it dangled over the bog…and felt a sudden sharp and intense pain on his calf.
Crying out, he looked down. His eyes widened when he saw a long slippery reptile slithered away. A water moccasin! A snake! Oh Valar! Haven't I had enough already? In all the excitement of falling from the sky and searching for the lost manyan stone, Legolas had totally forgotten about the wild living things that dwelled in the swamp; poisonous snakes, centipedes, leeches, venomous lizards and Elbereth knew what else.
Hastily, he pulled his legging up to his calf. He saw the bite marks there, vicious and ugly. Gritting his teeth against the powerful agony, Legolas took off his belt and tied it around his calf over the bite marks. His head started to spin crazily then, and his hands started to tremble.
Lying back on the ground, Legolas looked up to the sky and shook his head in despair. "Now what?"
Soon after, lightning struck and thunders boomed in the air…followed by millions of heavy raindrops, drenching the already soaked elf. Legolas sighed, wrapped his arms around his body and shifted onto his good side in pure misery. I should've kept my mouth shut…
************
"Is Hawkeye leading us to where I think he's leading us?" Elrohir wondered as they halted at the edge of the marshes.
"Yes, I believe he is," Keldarion replied, nodding grimly. "The Dark Swamp." They all stared in mounting horror at the scene in front of them. The swamp spread wide for many, many leagues; full of mystery and darkness. No trees in sight except for low bushes and shrubberies.
"Legolas is in there somewhere?" Aragorn asked, his eyes widened. "But the swamp is so vast! How are going to find him?"
"Not as vast as the Dead Marshes near the black Gates, Estel, I can assure you that. But a very wide space indeed," Elladan pointed out. "Don't lose hope, my friends. Hawkeye will lead us to Legolas."
Hawkeye cried out from above, urging the troop to resume their search. "Let's move on," Keldarion said, nudging his mount forward. "Be sure of your steps. Keep them on the ridges. And be aware of the living things on the ground. This swamp is full with centipedes and snakes."
Aragorn gulped nervously. "Err…snakes, Keldarion?"
Elladan turned to his youngest brother and smiled weakly. "Yes, little brother. Snakes. And very poisonous. So keep your eyes open."
The human followed the elves, cautiously guiding his stallion over the muddy surface, evading the bogs and puddles. As he never been to the swamp, unlike the elves before him, Aragorn prepared himself for the unexpected.
***************
Legolas shivered uncontrollably. The snake's venom was already getting to him, added by the biting cold of the rain. He closed his eyes and whimpered softly. "Not happening…this is not happening…just a dream…" He kept repeating those words like a mantra, hoping that he would wake up from the 'nightmare'.
Unluckily for him, it was not a dream. It was very real. He was still stranded here in the middle of the swamp, no idea where to go, and too weak to move even if he knew where he should go.
Something warm started to trickle down his nose and ears. Absentmindedly, he touched it and brought his fingers into his blurry vision. Blood? He laughed hysterically then. Great! The venom is everywhere inside me! Now I'm really dying! All alone! Overwhelmed with fever and pain, the elf laughed and laughed and laughed….
TBC…