Chapter 3: The Misty Mountains
Kimahri stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking Middle-Earth. One one side was Rivendell, barely noticable from the spot at which he stood. On the other, the edge of Mirkwood could be seen following the course of the Anduin River.
"Gagazet much bigger than this little hill," Kimahri said to himself with a smile. He wasn't afraid of being lost alone in an unknown world. As far as he could see, there was nothing to be afraid of.
He looked down the mountain, searching for a way to get to the bottom in one piece. There was barely a path for him to take, but he managed. About halfway down, he heard hoarse voices below, maybe four of five. They spoke in a gruff, foul language that he had never heard, but he continued to listen as if he understood every word.
Suddenly, his foot slipped, sending rocks falling below in the direction of the voices. They stopped, and immediatly their screaches could be heard. Kimahri looked over the edge entirely and saw them for the first time.
They were ugly, black, and they looked to be covered with mud from head to toe. Some of their faces were deformed, with pointed teeth and crooked noses. What was worst of all, is that they were all climbing in his direction.
He looked for an escape route, trying to find some way to avoid a confrontation with five of this unknown beasts, but there was no way to go but up. He backtracked to the peak, where he had stood only moments before, and watched as they came.
Two of them circled around another way and began their ascent, trying to circle Kimahri. He readied his spear, waiting for the first one to be bold enough to advance. Unfortunately for Kimahri, they all charged at once.
Kimahri roared, preparing for the battle. The stones beneath his feet shook wildly as the vibration of his voice bounced off of them, and the things paused in fear for a moment. Kimahri tightened his grip on the spear, and the creatures advanced.
His guess was wrong. There weren't only four or five... There were at least ten of them. The first one reached the spot where Kimahri stood, and received a spear through his throat. Another advanced and Kimahri spun the spear around and connected with a heavy blow to the side of his head, knocking him off the mountain.
He turned as another reached the top. The thing grabbed the center of the spear with both hands, trying to pull it from Kimahri. The Ronso smiled in the creatures face before spinning and swinging him off of the cliff. He roared again, and again the stones shook all around him.
The roar was suddenly returned. It wasn't the same as that of a Ronso, but it was just as potent. Kimahri heard the rocks below the cliff move, and then the screams of several of the creatures. He dealt with one that advanced by imapling him in the eye. Quickly Kimahri looked over the edge to see if there were any more of them on that side.
To his surprise, there was a newcomer at the scene. He was extremely short with wiry red hair and a flowing red beard, and he held an axe in front of him. There was a headless creature at his feet, and two more of the things stood in front of him. He laughed as they approached, and severed one of their legs before swinging it down onto its chest.
Kimahri returned his attention to the other side, where three more had made it to the top. The one in the middle lunged at him, and Kimahri simply side stepped and shoved him off the side with his spear. One of the remaining two swung a black sword horizontally, but Kimahri jumped over it, causing one to hit the other standing beside him.
As Kimahri landed, he lunged the spear into the last creature's chest, and all was silent. The silence remained for several minutes until Kimahri decided to break it with another deafening roar.
"Who's up there?" Sad a gruff voice from below him. "An Uruk? Come down before I come up to get you!" Kimahri was silent, not knowing if the man he saw was an enemy or an ally.
He climbed down, spear ready. The man's mouth opened wide as Kimahri finally stood before him. "You are most certainly not an Uruk..." he said. "But... What are you?"
Kimahri remained silent, studying the small axe-wielder that stood before him. He took a deep breath and then tightened his grip on his spear.
"Oh come on, we just destroyed these Orcs together... So we must be on the same side, right?" said the man.
"Orc?" Kimahri asked, interested in knowing what the things that just attacked him were.
"Yes, ORCS. Now answer my question." He said.
"I am Kimahri Ronso of the Ronso Tribe," Kimahri said, his voice in a near growl.
"Gimli, Son of Gloin. The best warrior dwarf in Middle-Earth," said the man.
"You no enemy of Kimahri... Or at least Kimahri thinks not," Kimahri said, strapping his spear to his back and crossing his arms. There were dead Orcs all around their feet.
"No! Of course not, spear master!" said Gimli, looking hard at the Lion-Man that stood in front of him. "Not an enemy of Kimahri... Well... Not an enemy of you... But where did you come from? There have never been any Ronso in Middle-Earth," Gimli said as he too put away his weapon.
"We came from distant land. Kimahri and his friends separated," Kimahri said.
"You mean... There are more of you?" Gimli asked amazed.
"There are more Ronso, but not here. I look for people. My friends." Kimahri answered. He turned and looked down the mountain toward the bottom, again searching for a way down.
"Well what do they look like? Maybe I've seen them!" Gimli said.
"One man has tall red hair with blue bandana. One man has pants with one long leg, one short. Third man has red coat covering half of face. A Woman with braided hair, many belts going down her leather dress. Other girl wears short skirt, blonde hair, and green eyes. Last wears dress, carrys staff." Kimahri said.
"Well... Sounds like a lively bunch!" Gimli said, glancing at the large claws at the end of Kimahri's fingers and toes. "Why are you looking here?"
"Not looking here. Kimahri would have seen friends from top of your hill," he said, turning and starting to climb down.
"Hill!? This is no hill! This is the finest mountain in Middle-Earth!" Gimli said, defending The Misty Mountains.
"Not as good as Gagazet," Kimahri said, beginning his descent.
"The day you show me a finer Mountain is the day I will grow Pointy Ears! Now wait for me," Gimli said. "I can show you around!" Kimahri grunted, neither accepting or declining.
"Pointy ears?" Kimahri asked as they finally reached the bottom.
"Yeah, you know... Like the Elves," Gimli replied. Kimahri had no idea what an elf was, be he decided not to voice this to his new companion.
"I'm going to Rivendell shortly. Would you like to come? Maybe you'll find your friends there," Gimli said as they walked.
"Kimahri will go. Have better chance finding them if we go than if we stay at base of your hill," Kimahri said.
"MOUNTAIN!" Gimli shouted, now losing his temper.
"Hill," Kimahri said simply, following Gimli.
Kimahri stood on the edge of a cliff overlooking Middle-Earth. One one side was Rivendell, barely noticable from the spot at which he stood. On the other, the edge of Mirkwood could be seen following the course of the Anduin River.
"Gagazet much bigger than this little hill," Kimahri said to himself with a smile. He wasn't afraid of being lost alone in an unknown world. As far as he could see, there was nothing to be afraid of.
He looked down the mountain, searching for a way to get to the bottom in one piece. There was barely a path for him to take, but he managed. About halfway down, he heard hoarse voices below, maybe four of five. They spoke in a gruff, foul language that he had never heard, but he continued to listen as if he understood every word.
Suddenly, his foot slipped, sending rocks falling below in the direction of the voices. They stopped, and immediatly their screaches could be heard. Kimahri looked over the edge entirely and saw them for the first time.
They were ugly, black, and they looked to be covered with mud from head to toe. Some of their faces were deformed, with pointed teeth and crooked noses. What was worst of all, is that they were all climbing in his direction.
He looked for an escape route, trying to find some way to avoid a confrontation with five of this unknown beasts, but there was no way to go but up. He backtracked to the peak, where he had stood only moments before, and watched as they came.
Two of them circled around another way and began their ascent, trying to circle Kimahri. He readied his spear, waiting for the first one to be bold enough to advance. Unfortunately for Kimahri, they all charged at once.
Kimahri roared, preparing for the battle. The stones beneath his feet shook wildly as the vibration of his voice bounced off of them, and the things paused in fear for a moment. Kimahri tightened his grip on the spear, and the creatures advanced.
His guess was wrong. There weren't only four or five... There were at least ten of them. The first one reached the spot where Kimahri stood, and received a spear through his throat. Another advanced and Kimahri spun the spear around and connected with a heavy blow to the side of his head, knocking him off the mountain.
He turned as another reached the top. The thing grabbed the center of the spear with both hands, trying to pull it from Kimahri. The Ronso smiled in the creatures face before spinning and swinging him off of the cliff. He roared again, and again the stones shook all around him.
The roar was suddenly returned. It wasn't the same as that of a Ronso, but it was just as potent. Kimahri heard the rocks below the cliff move, and then the screams of several of the creatures. He dealt with one that advanced by imapling him in the eye. Quickly Kimahri looked over the edge to see if there were any more of them on that side.
To his surprise, there was a newcomer at the scene. He was extremely short with wiry red hair and a flowing red beard, and he held an axe in front of him. There was a headless creature at his feet, and two more of the things stood in front of him. He laughed as they approached, and severed one of their legs before swinging it down onto its chest.
Kimahri returned his attention to the other side, where three more had made it to the top. The one in the middle lunged at him, and Kimahri simply side stepped and shoved him off the side with his spear. One of the remaining two swung a black sword horizontally, but Kimahri jumped over it, causing one to hit the other standing beside him.
As Kimahri landed, he lunged the spear into the last creature's chest, and all was silent. The silence remained for several minutes until Kimahri decided to break it with another deafening roar.
"Who's up there?" Sad a gruff voice from below him. "An Uruk? Come down before I come up to get you!" Kimahri was silent, not knowing if the man he saw was an enemy or an ally.
He climbed down, spear ready. The man's mouth opened wide as Kimahri finally stood before him. "You are most certainly not an Uruk..." he said. "But... What are you?"
Kimahri remained silent, studying the small axe-wielder that stood before him. He took a deep breath and then tightened his grip on his spear.
"Oh come on, we just destroyed these Orcs together... So we must be on the same side, right?" said the man.
"Orc?" Kimahri asked, interested in knowing what the things that just attacked him were.
"Yes, ORCS. Now answer my question." He said.
"I am Kimahri Ronso of the Ronso Tribe," Kimahri said, his voice in a near growl.
"Gimli, Son of Gloin. The best warrior dwarf in Middle-Earth," said the man.
"You no enemy of Kimahri... Or at least Kimahri thinks not," Kimahri said, strapping his spear to his back and crossing his arms. There were dead Orcs all around their feet.
"No! Of course not, spear master!" said Gimli, looking hard at the Lion-Man that stood in front of him. "Not an enemy of Kimahri... Well... Not an enemy of you... But where did you come from? There have never been any Ronso in Middle-Earth," Gimli said as he too put away his weapon.
"We came from distant land. Kimahri and his friends separated," Kimahri said.
"You mean... There are more of you?" Gimli asked amazed.
"There are more Ronso, but not here. I look for people. My friends." Kimahri answered. He turned and looked down the mountain toward the bottom, again searching for a way down.
"Well what do they look like? Maybe I've seen them!" Gimli said.
"One man has tall red hair with blue bandana. One man has pants with one long leg, one short. Third man has red coat covering half of face. A Woman with braided hair, many belts going down her leather dress. Other girl wears short skirt, blonde hair, and green eyes. Last wears dress, carrys staff." Kimahri said.
"Well... Sounds like a lively bunch!" Gimli said, glancing at the large claws at the end of Kimahri's fingers and toes. "Why are you looking here?"
"Not looking here. Kimahri would have seen friends from top of your hill," he said, turning and starting to climb down.
"Hill!? This is no hill! This is the finest mountain in Middle-Earth!" Gimli said, defending The Misty Mountains.
"Not as good as Gagazet," Kimahri said, beginning his descent.
"The day you show me a finer Mountain is the day I will grow Pointy Ears! Now wait for me," Gimli said. "I can show you around!" Kimahri grunted, neither accepting or declining.
"Pointy ears?" Kimahri asked as they finally reached the bottom.
"Yeah, you know... Like the Elves," Gimli replied. Kimahri had no idea what an elf was, be he decided not to voice this to his new companion.
"I'm going to Rivendell shortly. Would you like to come? Maybe you'll find your friends there," Gimli said as they walked.
"Kimahri will go. Have better chance finding them if we go than if we stay at base of your hill," Kimahri said.
"MOUNTAIN!" Gimli shouted, now losing his temper.
"Hill," Kimahri said simply, following Gimli.