Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings or any of its characters; it
all belongs to J.R.R Tolkien. I do however own the main character in this
fic and some of the other characters. The plot is completely mine so do not
nick the plot or the characters because it is stealing.
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Running
She ran until she could run no longer, until her legs burned and her chest ached. After that, she walked stumbling over rocks and roots. She had no idea where she was going; the only thing that mattered was getting away. She walked through day and night until she was so exhausted that she collapsed by a small stream. She forced herself up and crawled to the stream's edge, dipping a hand into the cool water. The first handful of water was hard to get down; it seemed her throat had forgotten how to swallow in the long absence of liquid. She kept drinking until she could hold no more, abandoning her hands and putting her face straight into the water. She felt refreshed afterwards but a loud rumble in her stomach reminded her of how hungry she was.
She found a comfortable spot under a tree and lay down trying to ignore the cold and her hunger. But once she knew of her hunger it began to affect her worse than she had ever imagined it could. Every time she breathed her stomach hurt. She kept as still as possible to conserve her energy and keep the pain at a minimum. She brought her knees up and squeezed them against her stomach in an attempt to stop the pain, but no matter how she lay she couldn't get to sleep. As she lay awake staring up at the stars she thought of what had happened to her in the last few weeks. The memories brought tears to her eyes, tears she would not let fall. She rubbed her legs to try and warm them and tucked her head down to her knees. Eventually she fell into an uneasy sleep full of nightmares.
When she woke the next morning she was so tired she could hardly open her eyes. She was numb because of the cold and all she wanted was to stay where she was and never have to move again. The sun was rising, slowly spreading its warmth over her resting place. She opened her eyes and looked around; everything looked different in the daylight. The night before she had barely noticed where she was but now she could see that she was between a small clump of trees by the stream's side. The ground was hard and dry around her, even at the water's edge. There was little vegetation only the few trees she had sheltered under and a few bushes. The grass was long and yellow. One particular plant caught her eye.
She got up quickly and ran towards the bush; she could see berries on it though she was not sure what they were. As she got closer she could see that it was a bramble bush, she was in luck. She began the search for ripe berries but she could find none, they were nearly all brown and dead as it was too late in the season. She went right to the heart of the bush trying to find some edible berries, ignoring the many scratches she was getting from the thorns. Her search only provided her with a handful of black berries. She ate them quickly but they did not do much to ease her hunger.
There was no food in this place. She was torn between staying where she was and continuing to try and find something to eat. Water was valuable but it would not sustain her for long so she decided to leave and search for a better place to stay. Maybe if she walked long enough she would find her way home. After taking another long drink from the stream, she looked at the sun, worked out where she thought north was and set off in that direction.
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After two more days of walking she was nearing collapse again. She had not managed to find any food and she had not had any water for well over a day. She had tried to follow the stream but it had doubled back on itself and headed south. All she wanted was to lie down and sleep but she would not allow herself to do so, fearing that if she did she would not wake up again.
As the sun rose on the third day she spotted a forest in the distance. She quickened her pace, hoping that she would find food in there, maybe there would be nut trees. Two hours later she was nearing the border of the forest after climbing up and down many slopes, the land had changed and become quite hilly. She was stumbling, dragging her feet, forcing herself to keep going but just before she reached the shelter of the trees her legs gave way. Everything went black and she didn't even feel herself hit the ground.
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Author's note: You won't know who 'she' is yet but don't worry all will be revealed.
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Running
She ran until she could run no longer, until her legs burned and her chest ached. After that, she walked stumbling over rocks and roots. She had no idea where she was going; the only thing that mattered was getting away. She walked through day and night until she was so exhausted that she collapsed by a small stream. She forced herself up and crawled to the stream's edge, dipping a hand into the cool water. The first handful of water was hard to get down; it seemed her throat had forgotten how to swallow in the long absence of liquid. She kept drinking until she could hold no more, abandoning her hands and putting her face straight into the water. She felt refreshed afterwards but a loud rumble in her stomach reminded her of how hungry she was.
She found a comfortable spot under a tree and lay down trying to ignore the cold and her hunger. But once she knew of her hunger it began to affect her worse than she had ever imagined it could. Every time she breathed her stomach hurt. She kept as still as possible to conserve her energy and keep the pain at a minimum. She brought her knees up and squeezed them against her stomach in an attempt to stop the pain, but no matter how she lay she couldn't get to sleep. As she lay awake staring up at the stars she thought of what had happened to her in the last few weeks. The memories brought tears to her eyes, tears she would not let fall. She rubbed her legs to try and warm them and tucked her head down to her knees. Eventually she fell into an uneasy sleep full of nightmares.
When she woke the next morning she was so tired she could hardly open her eyes. She was numb because of the cold and all she wanted was to stay where she was and never have to move again. The sun was rising, slowly spreading its warmth over her resting place. She opened her eyes and looked around; everything looked different in the daylight. The night before she had barely noticed where she was but now she could see that she was between a small clump of trees by the stream's side. The ground was hard and dry around her, even at the water's edge. There was little vegetation only the few trees she had sheltered under and a few bushes. The grass was long and yellow. One particular plant caught her eye.
She got up quickly and ran towards the bush; she could see berries on it though she was not sure what they were. As she got closer she could see that it was a bramble bush, she was in luck. She began the search for ripe berries but she could find none, they were nearly all brown and dead as it was too late in the season. She went right to the heart of the bush trying to find some edible berries, ignoring the many scratches she was getting from the thorns. Her search only provided her with a handful of black berries. She ate them quickly but they did not do much to ease her hunger.
There was no food in this place. She was torn between staying where she was and continuing to try and find something to eat. Water was valuable but it would not sustain her for long so she decided to leave and search for a better place to stay. Maybe if she walked long enough she would find her way home. After taking another long drink from the stream, she looked at the sun, worked out where she thought north was and set off in that direction.
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After two more days of walking she was nearing collapse again. She had not managed to find any food and she had not had any water for well over a day. She had tried to follow the stream but it had doubled back on itself and headed south. All she wanted was to lie down and sleep but she would not allow herself to do so, fearing that if she did she would not wake up again.
As the sun rose on the third day she spotted a forest in the distance. She quickened her pace, hoping that she would find food in there, maybe there would be nut trees. Two hours later she was nearing the border of the forest after climbing up and down many slopes, the land had changed and become quite hilly. She was stumbling, dragging her feet, forcing herself to keep going but just before she reached the shelter of the trees her legs gave way. Everything went black and she didn't even feel herself hit the ground.
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Author's note: You won't know who 'she' is yet but don't worry all will be revealed.
