When the dust began to settle, Elladan cautiously raised his head, his bright eyes unsuccessfully trying to penetrate the dusty air currently choking their lungs and clouding his eyesight. Under the protection of his body, Krystal did not stir. For that matter -- no one did. The cavern was as silent as a..tomb. "Do not think that way," Elladan muttered immediately to himself, his voice firm. "We're all fine. Fine." He repeated it to himself, as if by simply believing in it hard enough it would come true. The dust finally settled in tantalizingly slow waves, and Elladan gently lifted his weight off of Krystal, reaching down to shake her. Her eyes were closed, and her face bruised, but she was breathing.

"Krystal--" he began softly. She didn't reply, and he tried again. "Krystal--get up. Hurry -- we have to move 'ere the rocks shift again." He spoke in low, hushed tones, half afraid the vibrations of the sound waves of his voice could trigger another rock slide. He was about to try again, when suddenly in the darkness, a dark figure crouched unsteadily, his head bowed as he gently shifted rock off of him and swept his eyes over the jabbing field of stone. "Is everyone alright?" the figure called, and Elladan let out a breath of relief he hadn't known he been holding. "Elrohir," he called immediately, his voice relieved, recognizing his brother's voice, berating himself that he hadn't recognized his twin's profile, even in the dim light.

"Elladan!" Elrohir exclaimed, his relief palpable in his voice. "Where are you? Are you alright?"

Gradually, the rocks were beginning to sift and people were coming to life. Glorifindel slowly emerged almost parallel to Elrohir, seeming relatively unharmed. The older elf was silent, but his eyes locked on those of his younger brethren as he glanced around. "I'm fine; I think Krystal's been knocked out -- and I can't find anyone else--"

"I'm here," Annore grunted, emerging from a lumpy pile of rocks not far from Elrohir. Elladan glanced over, genuine relief in his gaze. "Are you injured?"

Annore shook his head gingerly as Elladan cautiously got to his feet, taking two careful steps, balancing on the parts of the path that were unobstructed. Crossing the length between them in two, swift steps, Elladan extended a hand. Annore grasped it firmly, and with the elf's help, rose unsteadily to his feet. "Are you alright?"

Elladan nodded tensely; "Yes. We need to uncover Legolas and Aragorn--"

"And Tharros and Riedil," Annore interjected, naming the other, much more quiet human who was part of their party.

"Of course," Elladan agreed instantly, his voice still low. "But do not scream too loudly--" he glanced up warily at the high, seemingly unending pile of rocks to their right that just moments before had been a raging avalanche. "Even the slightest movement will set off another slide."

Annore nodded, and turned away from Elladan, beginning to gingerly sort through the muddle of piles, calling hesitantly for his comrades. Meanwhile, Elladan returned to Krystal. Elrohir had found Aragorn, who was lying still, conscious but stunned and slightly dazed. Glorifindel, after checking that all of his standing comrades were in decent condition, began to take several steps forward down the path, pushing forward and then drawing back as he tested for firm ground. The elf was crouched at the human's side, his fair face covered in grime, dirt and sweat, blood slowly trickling down from his temple as he waited for the ranger to regain his senses so Estel could aid in the search for the others.

The entire mood of the party was as if they were all walking on a tight rope; one false move could mean certain death, not only for themselves, but for those around them. Somewhere under the rocks, Tharros moaned, and Annore rushed over to sweep the rocks off of him; He dare not move him, as Tharros's leg was badly bruised, but gently dragged him off to the side, out of harms way.

Elladan gently crouched down at Krystal's side. "Krys--" he said softly, shaking her slightly. A slight groan tore from her dusty, parched lips and he was encouraged. "Krys--" he repeated persistently. Finally, one sapphire eye snapped open.

"Are you alright?" he asked immediately. "Do you ache? Do you burn anywhere? Can you move-- CAREFUL! Don't actually move yet--" Krystal ignored him, and gingerly moved herself to a upright, sitting position, slowly turning over from her stomach to hug her knees tightly as the dusty air rushed into her lungs. "Krystal? Are you alright?" Elrohir called, seeing her up, his gray eyes wide and anxious yet not pausing on her as he continued to sweep the grounds with his gaze. She nodded slightly, then whispered in an effort to lighten the mood. "I didn't do it." But they ignored her.

"Elladan," Elrohir said suddenly as the thought struck him, his voice soft. "I do not see a single horse."

Annore groaned, the sound tore from the center of his chest. "Oh--Valar--"

"What is it?" Elladan asked immediately, rising from Krystal's side to hesitantly tiptoe over to Annore's side. The man was leaning over the edge of the ravine, his eyes shut tightly against the image that was cemented firmly in his mind. "Annore, what is it--" Elladan began, reaching his side. But he stopped mid-sentence as he to looked over the ravine. Sharp ledges and rocks jutted out from the sides, and on one particularly wide ridge, the body of a horse lay. It was Avar, her magnificent black head hanging over the edge, her tongue lolling out of her mouth. Her eyes were wide and unfocused, her brilliant coat covered with a fine sheen of sweat, dust, and blood; through her magnificent, sinewy chest, a sharp rock had impaled her. Elladan softly closed his eyes, under his breath muttering the prayer of the dead. For elves, as well as the Rohanirrm, of which Annore was from originally, horses were as close to the humans they served as their own brothers or sons. The loss of the life of a horse to a simply folly when the horse had followed its master against it's better instinct was like a knife in the heart, and the elf had to turn away. "What is it?" Elrohir asked after a moment, and Elladan shook his head tightly, his face drawn. "We've found the horses." He said shortly, as Aragorn finally managed to stagger to his feet, his eyes finally focusing with their normal sharpness. "What of Legolas? And the other two men?" Aragorn asked slowly, his words slightly slurred. Elladan glance at Elrohir, who using their mind link, explained, He was hit on the head; knocked out for a few seconds. The effects will fade in a few minutes. Elladan nodded impeccably, then turned to Aragorn with a sigh. "We've no sign of any of them." He gestured brokenly to the piles of rocks they had moved with no results. "We were all knocked down in relatively the same place. They're not there."

Aragorn acted as thought he hadn't heard him. "Have you checked the ledges?"

"No, but we must be careful -- if we move a single boulder--"

Again, the young ranger seemed to have not heard him. Krystal, for her part, slowly retreated away from the ravine, pressing her back against a firm wall, and trying to stay small and out of the way.

Aragron slowly threaded himself through the dangerous maze, carefully lowering his body flat to the floor so only his head hung over the ravine. He reached up, cupping his hand to his mouth. "LEGOLAS!" he screamed hoarsely, and Elladan, standing erect beside him, threw his hands in the air as the chamber trembled. "Do you listen to no one, you child!" he hissed, rolling his eyes, crouching lower as if prepared to grab Aragorn's collar if something were to happen. But again, Aragorn was deaf and took a deep breath as if to scream again, but Elladan paused, his head cocked. "LEGO--"

"Quiet!" Elladan interrupted sharply. "Do you hear that?"

There were two simultaneous noises suddenly echoing in the deep. A low, faraway drumming. But perhaps he was imagining it? No-- there it was again. Pounding, pounding in the deep. But there was that other noise -- much more musical, yet strained. It was -- a voice?

"It's Legolas," Elrohir said immediately, having walked over to the edge, and lowered himself parrlel to the ground in the same manner Aragorn had. "It's Legolas," he repeated more insistently. "He must be caught on a ledge or something--"

Three pairs of eyes scanned the darkness below, stubbornly avoiding the silhouted form of Avar's body. Annore continued to prowl through rocks, and Krystal, feeling useless, began to aid him. Suddenly, Aragorn exhaled sharply with relief. "There--" he leaned over carefully, pointing far down into the deep. They could just make out Legolas's dim, transparent glow in the complete blackness he seemed to be surrounded in. Legolas's eyes locked on Aragorn's when they found each other and Legolas seemed encouraged. "ESTEL! ESTEL, I AM HERE!"

"LEGOLAS!" Aragorn called back, pressing himself flatter against the solid rock beneath him. "Are you okay?"

"FINE!" The prince called back. "Riedel is with me too!"

Annore, who was still sifting through the rocks, didn't look up -- he hadn't heard. "Annore," Elladan told him, relief being the only word able to be used to describe his expression. "We've found Riedel and Legolas."

Annore dropped the fist-sized boulder in his hand in surprised. "You did?"

Elladan gestured towards the tiny ledge that was now vaguely visible now that they knew where to look. The ledge seemed to be only a few inches wide, but very narrow, and both men stood with their backs pressed up firmly against the wall of the ravine, their weight entirely in their heels. "Are there any holds upwards?" Elladan called down, his sharp eyes scanning the rocks. But to his disappointment, he found none, and Legolas confirmed their doubts. "Not that we can see!"

"We have to get them up here," Elrohir muttered to himself, and suddenly paused, cocking his head to the side. "Do you hear that? Listen--"

Elladan locked eyes with his brother. I hear it too , Elladan told him through thought. But I do not know from where it comes . Elrohir continued to brood thoughtfully for a few moments, before reluctantly shrugging it aside. Whatever it is, let us hope we have not disturbed it.

"Aye," Elladan said, nodding thoughtfully aloud. "Do we have any rope?" Riedel called up, a bit desperately. Riedel seemed to be a bit young and slightly flabbergasted -- never mind frightened. Elladan could see Legolas whispering to him and knew the elf was comforting the young man, but doubt it was doing any good. "No--all our supplies save what we had on our backs was lost with the horses."

"The horses?!" Riedel exclaimed in horror, genuine pain in his voice. "What has become of them?"

Obviously the darkness within the ravine was so thick they couldn't even see the other ledges, though Avar's body lie only about 30 feet above them and 20 feet to the left. "What about our belts?" Aragorn said, ignoring Riedel's hysteric question, slightly inspired, and Elladan immediately unhooked his and handed it to his brother, glad to have a plan, even gladder that it had been Aragorn who had come up with it. Everyone immediately followed Elladan's example, and when all the thick cords had been strung together, it made a strong rope, about 10 feet long. Aragorn got back down onto his stomach, this time leaning much, much further over the edge as he swung the rope down. Legolas strained, trying to reach it, turning to hug the ravine wall for balance as he threw his weight on his tiptoes, his back now to the darkness of the ravine. "It's no good," the elf called, frustrated after a moment. He sounded furious with himself. "I can't reach it." "Shoelaces?" Annore suggested doubtfully, but Aragorn shook his head. "No - it wouldn't be enough to hold them. We need something thicker, or longer--" but after searching themselves and the surrounding area for several intense minutes, Aragorn frowned. "Hold my legs," he instructed his brother's careful, eyeing Annore but not saying anything directly to him. "Don't let go."

Elladan stared at him. "Aragorn, if you lean any further over that ledge, you'll surely fall!"

"Not," Aragorn countered, "if you don't let go."

Elladan stared for a moment, casting Glorifidenl a look. "You'll give me gray hairs before Ada even gets them," he muttered, but took a tight grip on Aragorn's ankle, wrapping his long, strong arms around the man's legs. Glorifindel, Annore and Elorhir did the same, and cautiously took a step forward, gently hanging the young ranger into the ravine. They had only needed a few more inches and within seconds, Legolas called out triumphantly, "We got it!", his hand clasped tightly around the rope, his face scarlet with exhaustion.

Aragorn panted, his face strained, the beaded cords in his neck pulsing with effort. "When I see three," he grunted to those above him, "pull me up -- quick." Elladan nodded tensely, his grip tight. "Riedel, you first." Legolas said quickly but firmly, carefully sliding the tense make-shift rope over to the frightened youth. Still, Riedel was a man and he shook his head after a slight, but quick, moment of hesitation, but resolution crossed his face. "No. I insist."

Legolas let out a frustrated breath, glancing up to Aragorn's darkened face. "Oh, don't worry about me," Aragorn grunted, though the exchange between the two men had taken only seconds, and most of Aragorn's weight was supported by his hips. "I'll hang around all day."

Legolas ignored him, his dusty, grime covered face solemn. "Take it, Riedel. You are younger."

"You're an elf!" Riedel exclaimed, pressing his back tighter against the wall. "You're older then the trees!" Suddenly, the pounding in the darkness grew even louder, until even Riedel could hear it. His eyes grew even wider and he pressed back firmly against the ravine wall, as simultaneously, from directly to the left of them, the shaking of the drumming caused several large boulders to fall and crash onto their ledge. Both Legolas and Riedel stared at each other for a moment, before Riedel lunged towards the dangling rope. His hands groped wildly for it as the ledge, thrusted downward by his sudden movement, began to slip out from under there feet.

"RIEDEL, NO!" Legolas screamed, as the young man threw himself into the open air, using leverage from the shelf to push him upwards, pushing Legolas's hands aside. The elf's face was a mask of horror when he realized what Riedel was doing -- pushing Legolas out of the way to save himself. But Legolas refused to sink to his level, though his life was on the line, and while these thoughts crossed his mind in a matter of split seconds, he felt his stomach begin to drop and his feet began to slip as the ledge slowly tilted. A loud cracking sound split the air, Legolas paralyzed with shock.

But Riedel, in the darkness, has misjudged the distance and his fingernails scratched into thick rock hopelessly as he desperately failed, falling, dropping by the second. Legolas made a split second decision as he heard Aragorn's voice roar in his ears -- "LEGOLAS, MOVE!"

The ledge finally fell away as Legolas made a desperate thrust upward, the tips of his fingernails thankfully catching the end of the rope. His fall stopped as his full weight jerked on the rope. Aragorn jerked down slightly with the sudden weight, but braced his arms and steadied himself. Riedel was falling past Legolas boots, and reached up for one last time, his last hope. His fingers latched around Legolas's left, soft leather boot, Legolas groaning as his muscles stretched with his sudden weight. "ARGH!" Riedel screamed, groaning in pain as the sudden added weight caused the line of bodies to swing, Legolas and Riedel slamming into the wall. "PULL UP!" Aragorn groaned. "PULL UP!"

The entire ordeal had lasted about thirty seconds.

Instantly, Elladan, Elrohir and Annore began to pull, and Glorifindel glanced over, attracted by the shouts from where he had been testing paths, running over to help pull. Slowly but surely, the threesome began to rise. Riedel groaned, the weight in his arms pounding into his ears, kicking his feet anxiously. His hands were wrapped completely around Legolas's boot, his eyes latched on it. His eyes widened, horrified as suddenly it slowly began to unlace. Through one hole, and then the other, like a deer caught in the headlights, Riedel could only watch in horror, not even mustering the ability to cry out as Legolas's boot slowly came undone.

They were almost there, slowly but surely rising up inches at a slow steady pace. And with each inch they gained, the more quickly Legolas's boot unraveled. The elf couldn't feel it, of course; he was entirely concentrating on his grip wrapped around the rope. Legolas's head was just emerging over the ledge; Aragorn was standing now, reaching out to grasp Legolas's forearms when out of nowhere, an arrow zipped by the Prince's head, flying past Aragorn's and landing amongst the rocks.

Riedel twisted around, gasping as deep, down into the darkness, hundreds of luminous eyes glowed. The sudden twist of Riedel's body was the nail in the coffin for Legolas's boot; it slowly slipped off of the elf's foot, falling, falling. And Riedel was falling with it, his eyes wide with horror, framed by hundreds of other gleaming, malicious laughing eyes.

He descended into the darkness, his hands outstretched for help as Legolas turned around, horrified. "RIEDEL!"

"HELP ME!" Riedel called out just as his face descended into shadow, his voice a terrified plea that tore into their hearts and embedded itself in their souls. "HELP!" And then they heard no more, other then the horrifying, disturb sound of terrified murmurs. After a few moments, of horrified, shock staring, the terrified cries were punctured by a long, blood curling scream. And then there was silence.