Karri: Maybe you did and FF.net lost it. I woudln't be surprised. In any case, I forgive you! *g* Anyway, we're getting closer to the 'her' part that really has me worried. Hope I don't lose you to her! Lol. Yeah, I am so on the Cassia and Sio bandwagon. Couldn't get off if I wanted to, either. *sigh* They're so good. Oh, and I happen to love Bitterness of Mortality, by the way, though I could swear I missed a part. . . . Eh, now that I've realized it's on here, I think I may actually review it. Hehe. I hate reviewing on the list, everyone's so much faster than I am. lol.
Bill the Pony: Ooh, would you! *clamps hand over mouth in horror* I mean, would you be so kind as to do that? I'd really appreciate it. Clones are a really good idea. I suppose I could ask George Lucas for some, maybe he'd lend me a couple. Lol. Actually, I realized my mistake a few minutes too late, for I had already posted it. Did you at least get a little laugh at my stupidity? It would make me feel so much better.
NaughtyNat: *blinks* I hadn't thought of that. How do you accept anonymous reviews? I post about once a week, usually either late Friday, or early Saturday. That gives me plenty of time to work in a final read-through of my chapters before I post them to make sure they're . . . Um, coherent. I haven't quite settled on an exact age for him. Originally, I had it at fifty, then decided I didn't want him to be that old, so he's somewhere in his late twenties, maybe twenty-seven or twenty-eight.
I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as the previous ones!
Hunt for the Hunters
Dawn came bright and early and the Ranger woke with its first rays, slightly annoyed to realize he had slept the entire day away, more than fifteen hours. Still, he had to admit he felt better.
His hand brushed across his forehead and contacted the bandage that covered the cut he had gained in his battle with the orcs. Carefully, he removed it. The cut had not been that bad and he knew he no longer needed the bandage.
He sat up quickly and hissed, pulling something he had not realized would object to the abrupt treatment. A hand gently tested the area and encountered yet another bandage. Frowning, he pulled up his shirt and stared. Apparently, he had not escaped as unscathed as he had thought. This one he pulled away slower. A thin scar about two inches long marred his flesh, but it appeared to be nearly healed. He reapplied the bandage and stood, albeit a bit slower this time. The last thing he wanted to do was re-injure himself when going a bit slower now would enable him quicker recovery. That, at least, he had learned over the years, even if he had failed to learn to duck. He smirked slightly as he moved around, putting on fresh clothes and making sure all his supplies were packed.
He smiled fondly as he realized Elladan and Elrohir had already taken care of that for him, no doubt anticipating how late he would sleep. They had probably had a hand in insuring he would, in fact. He could not remember them giving him anything, but he was sure either they or his father had. He shook his head; it mattered little now.
Moving as quickly as he dared, the Ranger moved about his room, putting things in order and looking about to see if the twins had missed anything. He found nothing and was about to leave when a small object caught his eye.
Small, the object would have fit easily inside the palm of his hand and easily been engulfed. When he picked it up, he found that it was light and beautifully made. He also knew that he had not seen if before. It was a tree, rich in detail, with a star carved into its side, and it did not take long for him to realize who it was from. He smiled and wondered when Legolas had left it. He turned it over and saw, carved into the bottom with a light and precise touch in elvish: Always remember friendship shines even if the deepest dark.
A soft bump drew his attention to the doorway, and the DĂșnadan looked up quickly to find Elladan watching him closely. "He stopped by while you were away with the Rangers and wanted you to have it, though he could not wait for your return. Elrohir and I forgot about it, and you have not stayed long in your room lest it be spent sleeping."
"Why?" Aragorn asked softly, knowing the other would understand the question.
A slight shrug barely lifted the elven shoulders. "He seemed to think it was important for you to have. It is Legolas you will have to ask if you desire a better answer."
He nodded. He started to place it back on the dresser, then stopped and wrapped it carefully in some cloth and placed it in his bag.
"You would risk losing it?" Elladan asked with a frown.
"I hope not," the human replied with a shrug. "For some reason, though, I feel I should take it, and Father is always urging me to trust my instincts." He glanced at his brother. The other simply nodded.
"Come, then," he bid. "We are ready to leave."
Aragorn followed the other out and down the hallway. "Who is going?"
"Those who volunteered."
"And who volunteered?"
Elladan glanced at him sideways. "Taima and Elnour."
He smiled. "I half expected Glorfindel would come," he remarked casually to the elf.
"He would have but there are many duties he must attend to here, and Father would not allow it. Someone needs to be here if we are given the slip and Rivendell attacked in our absence."
"I hardly think our absence would make much different to those we seek in their plans, Elladan," Aragorn laughed. "We are but a few."
"Few, my brother, can change the course of many," Elladan corrected the human. "Do not judge an enemy by numbers alone, but by the strength of their heart as well."
The human nodded. "I shall remember that, my brother," he answered.
Elladan smiled. "Now tell me of this battle of yours with the Orcs."
"Nay, Elladan," he denied with a smile. "If I tell you now, I shall simply have to repeat it when we rejoin the others. Waiting a few more minutes will do you no harm."
"Humans," the elf muttered good-naturedly under his breath, just loud enough for the ranger to hear, and Aragorn laughed.
It was not long before they exited the house and approached the small group gathered by the bridge. They would be traveling on foot even as Aragorn had done originally so as to more easily go unseen by unfriendly eyes.
He stopped on the bridge and looked back to Elladan, who, as he had expected, took charge of the group. "Now, Ranger, I would have you tell us more about your encounter. Anything you remember that might be helpful."
The ranger spent the next twenty minutes filling the group in on as much detail as he could remember. His memories were a touch foggier than he liked and a slight frown pulled at his lips as he described the events and truly realized how much he was not sure of. If the elves found the lack of detail disquieting, they did not show it. He was not sure if he found that comforting or not.
Eventually, he came to the end of his story and Elrohir nodded slowly, thinking of the best choice of action for the group to take. Finally, he spoke. "We should find this camp. We can start there. If we arrive during the day, there should be no Orcs. They do not fancy sunlight, after all."
"If we camp a mile off it will be easy to cover the remaining distance and discover what we seek before those vile creatures have a chance to return. We'll be gone before they can note our presence." Elladan looked at the other two elves, who nodded. When his brothers turned to look at him as well, he added his consent to the argument.
It sounded alright to him. Even if it had not, he could think of no better plan; really, it was much the same as his previous plan had been, except he had intended to stay at the other camp and not wait until daylight. Perhaps if he had, he would not have been attacked by orcs. Of course, he also would have missed their discussion and not known of the danger to Rivendell. He wondered if following a plan that had already failed was a good idea, though, really, he could not say it was a bad idea. The ranger shook his head to clear his rambling thoughts. There were other things that deserved his attention other than worrying about the advisability of a plan that had no true faults. The orcs would either be there or they would not. They could make the plans, but there was no guarantee they would work. There was never a guarantee they would work.
He glanced up from where his gaze had settled on the ground and caught Elrohir watching him. The man smiled in an attempt to erase the concern he saw in his brother's eyes. The other smiled back and turned around. He chastised himself for causing his brothers unnecessary concern.
With little effort, the small group of human and elves worked their way north toward the Ettenmoors and grew ever closer to the camp. Their pace was leisurely, and at least while they were still near Rivendell, they contented themselves to enjoy the scenery. As soon as they passed the elven lands, however, they increased their pace to a quick but silent jog and wove soundless through the trees and over the slightly rolling ground.
Aragorn frowned as he noticed they were traveling the same path he had traveled just a few days ago, and realized he was no more at ease among his elven friends than he had been while alone. He noted that revelation warily and did his best to turn his attention to his surroundings and away from distracting thoughts.
These lands were well known to him after so many years, but they had changed as well. The darkening shadow that kept spreading meant no place was safe just because it had been in the past. He could not afford to be distracted when dangers un-guessed could be lurking just around the next tree. The Ranger pressed his lips firmly together, annoyed with himself despite the fact that nothing had gone wrong.
He noted the trees they passed. Stones that stuck up and had to be dodged around. His ears caught the faint sound of a singing bird, and he was grateful that the unnatural silence had at least in part been broken. The quiet murmur of a stream out of sight gradually came to his hearing.
He listened closely, but no further sounds disturbed the peace. Hours passed seemingly unchanging, and when night fell, neither man nor elf found any cause to be alarmed. Still, despite the peaceful passing of the day, they set watch and drifted into light slumber. Nothing happened and the group continued, with much the same results on their second night out. Somehow, though, the serenity of their surroundings did little to put the scouts at ease and their tension was steadily increasing.
The third day, about an hour into their travels, the sounds of the forests ceased. The group slowed and looked around, but elven eyes caught not the faintest hint of movement. It seemed that nothing was around them. Exchanging worried glances, the quintet continued on, slightly slower and far more wary than before. Despite their unease, none of the companions noticed anything out of place in their surroundings, save the unnatural silence, and they came to their pre decided camp site a mile from their desired destination without incident, or any evidence of orc passage. Aragorn frowned and gazed off towards the mountains. He was supposed to be sleeping, but his mind would not ease enough to grant him rest.
It could be nothing, he knew. The orcs might not have passed through here. After all, he had not passed this direction when he fled the engagement nigh on a week ago, but something about that did not seem right and he had the distinct impression that the creatures had passed this way recently though the tracks were not present to be seen.
He felt eyes on him and glanced to the left, catching sight of Elladan glaring at him unhappily. The human gave a weak smile and laid down. He knew better than to challenge his brother. He would sleep. Or at least try to. Tomorrow they would arrive at the camp and he wanted to be well rested to help examine the area. A weary mind sometimes missed what fresh might see. He closed his eyes, and the last thing he was aware of was Elladan returning his attention to the forest around him, satisfied that his human brother would rest.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kelt moved quickly through the undergrowth that surrounded the base of the mountain she was descending, stepping lightly among the plants so as not to blatantly leave behind any marks of her presence. She was uncommonly good at it for a human and it helped her greatly in her tasks--especially where stealth was required.
The young female reached the bottom of the mountain and crouched. Keen eyes of the brightest blue scanned the surrounding lands. Nothing moved. She supposed most of the life had been scared away by now. It was unlikely that anything yet remained alive in this area, as they had found out quite quickly that being caught by those who had come to their lands tended to mean death. This one, however, was not going to take a chance and watched the area carefully. She had not gained her reputation by being careless. She was persistent by nature, and a perfectionist by necessity. Those who made mistakes died quickly.
However, the area was clear and she moved toward a group of trees to the south, keeping to the shadows that dotted the landscape as much as possible even though there was little shelter to be had this far north and so close to the Misty Mountains. Most of the land was barren save for patches here and there, but boulders lying along the rocky scape worked well enough. It would not be long before she left the mountain's shoulders in any case, and she looked forward to being among the trees though it galled her briefly to think of how elven that desire sounded.
She pushed the thought away and dashed the last stretch to reach the cover of the trees, never mind that she had not taken proper precautions and ensured no one was watching. No living soul had been seen in these parts for near on a month now. At least that is what she told herself when her mind started screaming at her for being so careless. She pushed the voice away and told herself firmly that it did not matter; the trees were better cover.
Her slight form blended easily in with the encroaching dark as she watched the shadows shift with the last of the fading light. Five days had passed since she had watched the man run from the orcs, orcs that would now never discuss anything again. They had been taken care of the next day when she and the other two with her had returned to the area. It had not taken long to find them, and even less time was devoted to wiping them out. The Slyntari had disposed of the bodies, the clearing where the slaughter--for there was no other way to describe it--had taken place barely showing that anyone had inhabited the place, much less died there.
If Kelt were to be honest with herself, she had to admit to a certain respect for the man's skills. He had taken out just over thirty orcs on his own in his retreat, and that was nothing to be passed off lightly. Orcs were cruel and not overly bright, but they were still dangerous, especially in large numbers, and a band of a hundred orcs was anything but small. She had mentioned her opinion of the mortal's skills to her leader in passing but had refrained from mentioning the number of orcs he had slain, nor had she said how many had originally populated the pack. As she paused in the shadow of yet another tree, she wondered at the oversight. Now, alone with her own thoughts, she could not imagine why she had not told her leader of the true extent of the other's skills. Had she feared the man would not let her hunt the other? She frowned, but could find no answer.
She moved further into the protective covering of the trees. The light had failed and little was to be seen. Likely nothing would see her, but it was also likely that should someone approach she would not see them, either. If she ran into something alive, she would have to kill it, and the time it would take to dispose of the body would delay her hunt. Quietly, she moved under a tree and jumped. One of the branches was just low enough to reach and she wrapped her hands around it facing each other before she swung her legs so that she could hook one of the limb and pull herself up. In a matter of moments she was seated straddling the fairly thick limb and had her balance. Quickly, she moved further up, easily and gracefully scaling the tree with a nearly elvish grace--had anyone been around to see it and had they ever seen an elf to compare the movements to--that was out of place in one who had been raised in barren Mordor.
Once up and out of sight, she settled quietly on one of the branches in a crook that would hold her weight and keep her from falling while she slept. Her gaze swept the area once again, and came to rest further south though the destination she had in mind could not be seen from so far away, even by her eyes which saw much further than those she traveled with. After much deliberation on her part, she had decided to return to the camp the human had fought the orcs. Something in her whispered that was a good place to start and she had learned early that it was wise to trust that voice.
With a last, chilling smile, she leaned sideways, back, and to the side, her weight braced so she would not slip, and closed her eyes. Sleep, though light, took her quickly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Morning found the small party quickly and quietly going about making breakfast while breaking down the camp, such as it was. The area was returned to normal by the time Taima had finished making their breakfast, having risked a small fire now that the forest was not so quiet. Then, as all were anxious to be on their way, the food was eaten quickly and the journey rejoined.
Not quite thirty minutes later, the human and four elves stepped into the clearing where Aragorn had overheard the conversation between the orcs and stopped dead.
The ranger looked about him in stunned silence. Someone had removed the bodies of the dead and wiped out all traces of their presence. While the former might very well have been the remaining orcs, the latter most certainly had not been. Signs of the campfire had been removed. Dirt that should have been disturbed by dozens of footprints was more of less smooth. No broken twigs littered the ground to make the passage of any creature. The trees that surrounded them were unmarked. The elves turned to look at him in confusion.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Elrohir asked.
"It is the right place," Aragorn murmured distractedly as he moved forward and knelt in the center of the clearing, his hand closing around the dirt before he left it sift through his fingers. A fire pit had lain here and he knew it. He dug around a little bit and uncovered a stone. A little more digging found another. The others came up behind him to look over his shoulder and he moved the soil to reveal the circle of stones that had been covered up. He looked around and moved to another patch of dirt, noting the even spread and the slight brush marks that were barely noticeable. He moved his hand over it without touching as he traced the indentions that betrayed the work of a hand outside of nature. "Someone has gone to a lot of trouble to conceal the fact that Orcs have camped here," he told his companions. "Someone who knows what a tracker looks for. No Orc did this."
The others nodded. Elladan spoke, "You are right. The question, then, is who?"
"Yes," Elrohir agreed. "But there is why, also."
"And where," Elnour spoke up quietly. The others looked at him. "We have no knowledge of where they have gone or where they came from," he explained.
Elladan nodded. "Then that is what we must find out, as well as what has happened to the remaining Orcs. It will be difficult since the evidence of their presence at their last known location has been removed." The elf narrowed his eyes as he looked around. Never before had he seen an orc camp look so undisturbed.
Aragorn also had never found an orc camp to look so . . . clean. Careful to keep from disturbing more than he had to, the man walked to the edge of the clearing, trying to discover how there were no broken branches. He blinked in surprise, then smiled. "We may yet be able to discover something of their movements," he announced.
Elrohir moved up behind him. "They cut off the broken branches." He shook his head in faint astonishment. "Why go to all this trouble to hide an Orc camp?"
"Why, indeed," Elladan seconded. "Fan out!" he called to the others. "We must see if we can discover which way the Orcs fled." The elf twins exchanged glances with their human brother before they, too, dispersed to look for clues. Aragorn continued the search where he was before moving further out, trying to glean the slightest hint from his surroundings.
He had nearly given up the search when he caught sight of a footprint heading west; it was too small and light to have been made by an orc. He frowned, and slowly traced the shape of the print, careful not to touch it, and measured its size. It was too small to be the print of a man, too light to be the print of an orc or a dwarf, and too heavy to be the print of an elf. This was a pretty mystery indeed. Still....
He glanced west and moved further away from the clearing, searching for another sign that someone had passed this way. The man was rewarded minutes later when he found a small scrap of cloth caught by a thorn on a plant that lined what could be deemed a trail as much of the plant life that surrounded it seemed intent on avoiding the area. He fingered the scrap carefully, a thoughtful frown on his face. He could not place the fabric. Not surprising, perhaps, but disturbing because he was almost positive it was not orcish. Could it be from those who had cleared the area?
He glanced behind him. "Elladan? I think I've found something!" he called. He stood as the elves ran over to his side. He gestured them back to the footprint he had found. "I found this first." Elrohir studied it carefully, a frown working its way onto his face. Aragorn did not give him a chance to comment as he moved back to the plant. "Then I found this over here." The others turned and watched as he indicated the plant, then held out the bit of fabric. "I'm not entirely sure what made the footprint, but I think the cloth might belong to whoever did. And whoever it was apparently went west."
The elves studied these two new pieces of evidence in silence for several long minutes. The ranger stayed silent, using the opportunity to explore a little further. He did not really expect to find anything, and he did not go far, just enough to give his companions a chance to reach whatever conclusions they would.
He returned as Elladan straightened and turned to look at him. "We'll head west. Mayhap we will find what we seek."
Aragorn nodded, and the scouting party returned to the clearing to pick up their abandoned supplies before carefully picking their way across the land, alert for any new signs of passage. They covered many miles before they found what they sought, and had almost turned back more than once. It was only Araorn's determination that kept them searching.
In a small clearing, so small that it could barely be called a clearing and was more just a break in the trees, they came upon many footsteps much disturbed. Not a single print was left whole as the prints crossed and re-crossed each other. Dirt was also kicked about, further upsetting the prints. Aragorn frowned as he crouched near the center of the clearing, carefully scrutinizing what he found there. If he read things right, a group of people had stood here, however briefly, in a circle. He could just barely make out the footprints to support this as some other prints crossed them and disturbed the ones that were there; whether they were there from before or after, though, he could not be sure.
"How do you read this puzzle, Strider?" Elladan asked as he crouched next to the human.
Aragorn glanced up. "It is difficult to read. But I think a group of people stood in a circle here." He motioned with his hand to indicate the area. "Maybe five. But they crossed back and forth several times, for what purpose I cannot guess. But they stood here."
"Could it be one person?"
"Nay. There were at least two. This set of footprints is too large to be any of the others, though I cannot for sure say there were more than two. Perhaps there were only two and they simply moved." He gestured again at the disturbed ground before them. "It could be chance that placed their steps in a circle."
"But you do not believe that."
"No."
The elf sighed. "I do not either."
Further conversation was interrupted as Elnour called them over to where he and Taima were studying the ground further west and slightly to the north. Aragorn crossed over and looked at what they were studying. It was a footprint, clearly outlined in the soft ground. The Ranger glanced back towards the small clearing and traced the path the being had probably traveled with his eyes.
"I suppose we continue traveling west?" Elrohir commented.
Slowly, Elladan nodded. "We continue west," he agreed, "but we must all be careful. I do not like this." The grave expressions on his companions' faces were testament to the fact that they did not like it either.
The elves started off again, but Aragorn hesitated. Something bothered him about this footprint. Why would beings who had taken so much trouble to erase the presence of orcs be so careless as to leave such a clear trail? They were obviously skilled. Why had not the trail disappeared already? He frowned, then turned and caught up with his companions.
Night had fallen about an hour earlier when they came to another large clearing. Elladan stopped them. "If the Orcs did come this way, this is likely a spot where they may have stopped. We can risk disturbing nothing that may be found here. We will camp over here." He led the group to a stand of trees a short distance away. They drew watches, with Taima taking the first watch, and settled down to sleep until first light when they could inspect this newest area.
Aragorn lay down on his bed roll and glanced over to the clearing. Deep in his heart, he dreaded what they would discover, though he could find no reason for the feeling. It was just there. He felt, somehow, that this was the beginning of something he could not even begin to comprehend, something that would be dangerous. He frowned, then shook his head and lay down. Morning would be soon enough. The worst situations were almost always brighter in the morning light.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Kelt stood on the edge of the clearing where she had first seen the human so many days ago, a frown pulling at her lips. It had taken her longer than she had anticipated to return, but that was not what upset her. She had been right about this being a good starting place as was bared out by the footprints she saw crossing the open area surrounded by trees though the visitors were gone; that did not upset her, either. Her displeasure came from the actions of one of her own.
Nirt obviously had not done as good a job of hiding the presence of the orcs as she had claimed. Evidence of tampering came easily to the trained and keen eyes of the young Slyntari that gazed at the area. More, those who had come back had obviously seen through the tampering as well. The human and whoever he brought with him were supposed to find nothing upon their return. She would have to report this to her leader. But not yet, not yet. She still had a man to hunt. She would inform Shirk later of the clumsiness of one of their own. She would need to be punished.
The young Slyntari stepped lightly into the clearing and slowly approached the center, careful not to tread on any footprints though none presented themselves. She crouched before the newly re-exposed fire pit and studied the prints around it. One had knelt even as she did while others stood around it. The prints closest to the fire were deeper than the others. One man, four elves, Kelt thought. If she was right, and her memory did not fail her, then the man was the same one she had seen that night. The prints looked to match, even if she could not be completely sure. A small smile tugged at her lips. He had returned. She had known he would.
She stood quickly and carefully followed beside the steps that led away to the west until they stopped before the trees. The man had stood before them for a while, probably examining the limbs. Her sharp gaze caught sight of the cut marks easily and felt the briefest stab of disgust, even as she pushed it aside and wondered where it had come from. She frowned, then continued to follow the footsteps as they led further west.
For nearly an hour, she continued thus, before stopping and staring far into the distance. She, too, had caught the signs that the small group had been following. She also knew where it led. Nirt, it seemed, had left the elves a clear trail to follow straight to the next orc camp. She scowled and wondered what else the woman had left a trail towards. Then, she wondered how the other had managed to survive as a Slyntari. Shirk would never have tolerated such incompetence from her. Of course, if she were honest with herself, Shirk did not tolerate much from her at all unless it was perfection. That was the only thing that seemed to please him.
She shook the brooding thoughts away. Now was not the time for them; she had to decide what her next course of action would be. She was in no hurry to meet up with the elves in the group. Really, her only concern was the human in their midst. How did one get to a human who traveled with elves without alerting the elves?
The youth bit her lower lip as she thought, her eyes idly roaming across the landscape, seeing and yet not seeing everything in their path. Elves were difficult, she knew, and not to be toyed with, though Shirk loved to do it and was uniquely suited to the task. Truthfully, such actions made her sick though she would never admit it. The last thing she wanted to do was gain the attention of the elves in the party. One way or another, she had to separate the human from the elves. The question was how.
Slowly, she drifted north. If the party came back, she did not want to be found following their trail. She did not want to be found at all. Not, at least, until she had come up with a plan to achieve her goals. Too much rested on this for her to fail. With a last glance back towards the clearing, Kelt turned and swung up into yet another tree. She settled herself down further up in the limbs and watched the sun set. Against her will, she heard the clear, sad voice of her mother drift through her mind singing words of happier days. She closed her eyes and banged her head semi-forcefully against the trunk, hoping to drive away the voice. It did not work, and the song continued to echo through her mind long after the last light disappeared from the sky and darkness took the land. Her eyes slowly drifted closed, and as consciousness fled the echoes of words she did not want to hear finally vanished.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Morning brought a decision to return in the direction they had come. This second campsite was even cleaner than the first, if indeed it had been an orc campsite. Not even the slightest hint remained behind to point out signs of previous inhabitants. Aragorn was frustrated. He had been sure the orcs, or at least whoever had wiped away the last campsite, had come this way. However, with no proof to back it up, there was nothing to be done and nowhere to go. Whoever had done this had done their work well.
The group of five trudged along. At the very least, there was no sign of orcs anywhere, a fact which had persisted throughout the whole journey. The human could tell by the expressions on Elladan and Elrohir's faces that the twins were discussing what to do. Their quite talks had been lost on none of them, even if the human in their midst was the only one who could not hear the quiet murmurings. He wondered what they would finally decide to do.
Regardless, he was not going back, not until he found what he had been looking for originally, at least. He had that to accomplish still, if nothing else, and he would not be waylaid. Not now. He was already out here and could just continue on.
He admitted to himself that he had no idea where he would go to continue his search, or what, precisely, he planned to do when it was completed. The human had not quite gotten that far in his plans, and was not sure he should attempt to plan in the first place, being unaware of what it was he faced. He frowned. He did not like this at all.
Elladan chose that moment to glance back at the human, and frowned. He had known Aragorn long enough to be able to read his expressions most of the time; he recognized this one now. Quickly, he amended his decision.
The elder twin stopped and called for the attention of his companions. "I think we can safely say that the threat of an Orc attack is gone. Whatever the reason, those foul beasts wander here no long. Taima, Elnour: I wish the two of you to travel back to Rivendell and inform Lord Elrond of what we have found. Elrohir, Strider, and I will remain here and continue our search for the time being." The two elves nodded reluctantly. "Namarie, my friends, and be careful." The two pressed their right hands to their chests while bowing their heads before sweeping their hands out in a gesture of respect. Quickly, the two left.
Aragorn watched them disappear for only a moment before turning to his adopted brothers, fully expecting what was coming next.
He was not disappointed. Elladan frowned at him. "Know I did not send you back only because I know how stubborn you are," he warned. "We must still be careful."
The ranger frowned slightly at the protective tone of his brother's voice, and noticed that Elrohir frowned slightly, too, for he realized all too well what Elladan had just done: he had slighted the human's skills and experience, treating him once again as a child uncapable in his surroundings which Elrond had bid the twins not do. Neither went over well with the man which stood before them. However, testament to his maturity, he did not react as he would have five years ago.
"Well I know your concern for me, Elladan," he acknowledged evenly, "but such concern is out of place. Indeed it would have done you no good to send me back, for I still have my original assignment to complete. But mind, my brother: I will not stand for being coddled by you. You have not done such recently and it has allowed us to work together well. Do not give me cause to resent your presence." The warning was quite clear, and Aragorn hoped he would not have to repeat it. He had not wanted his brothers with him on this search before and he truly did not relish their presence now, but he was wise enough to realize that since they were present, they would not leave until their human brother did. He raised an eyebrow at the elder elf.
Elrohir spoke up first. "We do not question your skills, Strider," he assured. "It is just difficult to push aside our concern in the face of the unknown. We would not see you hurt if there was anything we could do to prevent it." He hurried on before the other could protest. "We realize we will not always be able to protect you, but when we are, sometimes our concern for your well-being gets the better of us." Elladan nodded seriously in support of his brother's words. Earning Aragorn's ire would just divide the man's attention as he fought their presence.
Slowly, Aragorn nodded. He had no great desire to fight with the twins, and so let himself be placated by their words, even as he let their truth sink into his heart. A small smile played about his lips after a moment. "If nothing else I shall be grateful for the addition of your elven senses. Much do my own miss."
The joke, while true, was an old one, and signaled to the twins the other's acceptance of their presence and veiled apology. Both relaxed slightly. Elladan scanned the horizon. "This mission was yours first," he admitted before turning back to the man. "Whither now shall we go?"
Aragorn frowned, his own silver gaze scanning the horizon. That was, indeed, the question. The problem: he had no idea. Still . . . whoever it was that erased the orc tracks had to reside somewhere. Apparently, unless both elves and human had missed their presence entirely, they did not often reside in the forest and traveled somewhere else, or at least that was what he chose to tell himself.
His sight came to rest on the mountains he could just glimpse in the distance. "I think we shall travel east and visit the mountains. Perhaps we will find evidence of this strange presence there."
The twins nodded, and the three brothers set off in the direction they had come, spreading out from time to time to search the ground in an effort to discover if perhaps they had missed something in their earlier trip. No hint presented itself and the small group camped by a clump of trees with the disappearance of the sun. The moon would not make its appearance for several hours yet, and not even elven eyes could discern any possible signs on the trail before them. Elrohir took up the watch while the other two bedded down. Sleep was slow to come to the ranger, however, and it was many hours before it finally wrapped its clutches around him in a grasp he could no longer shake.
He woke quickly when Elladan's hand fell on his shoulder to wake him for his watch. The human sat up and nodded to the other, who quietly laid down and folded his hands lightly upon his chest, his eyes quickly becoming unfocused as sleep overtook him. Aragorn quietly moved to a better spot from which to conduct his watch and let his eyes roam the forest. All was peaceful and the gentle sounds of the night floated quietly on the soft breeze.
Despite the quiet sounds, he still could not quite shake the dread sense that something was not right. No animals had he seen wandering these lands. Not a coney, nor a deer, nor any squirrel that usually populated these forested areas had moved in his vision during any of his treks across the land even after the sounds of the wood had resumed. It disturbed him to no end that no creatures tread these lands, though precisely why it bothered him, he could not name. It spoke of a dread his thoughts were loath to latch onto.
Still, the quiet hours just before dawn wore away without incident and when morning's first light stretched out to brush the tips of the trees, Aragorn woke the twins from their slumber. Quietly, they continued on and soon reached the first camp though they did not pause, but continued on towards the mountains.
