The great longbow Huan is based on the modern day Take Down Longbow.
Arwen721 - You really made my day! Thank you very much!
Chapter 30
The Shot
Shakir returned just after the sun had disappeared behind the mountains to the east to tell her that he had found the elf. Calling Elias to her, Anayah mounted then followed the falcon back to the hidden entrance of the canyon. Though she could see nothing from where she had hidden herself at the mouth of the canyon, if she closed her eyes and listened closely, Anayah could not only hear horses milling about somewhere in the darkness before her but could also hear the trees as they whispered to one another about their wood elf. She smiled to herself knowing she had indeed found her friend.
After a small amount of searching, a vantage point was secured overlooking the horse enclosure, a small cave, and Legolas, where he stood with his hands bound and tied to the lower branches of a pine tree, growing near the cave entrance. Though she was some distance away it was not hard to tell that the elf was in trouble. His natural luminescence, his elvish glow, was almost gone and Anayah knew that if she could not find a way to free him soon, there was a high degree of probability he would die. She also knew that before she could do anything to free her injured friend, she would have to find out how many humans were inside the cave.
Seeing Legolas hanging by his hands in the biting cold night air, injured, ill, and without shirt or cloak to warm him, Anayah found herself becoming angry to an extent she had not felt in a very long time. She took a few moments to get her emotions under control knowing that maintaining the proper perspective in this situation would be ever so important for the survival of both Legolas and herself.
The next few hours were spent watching as humans rode into and out of the canyon where the horses of the Rohirrim had been cleverly hidden for some months. There were eight humans inside the cave and, judging by the noise and laughter, they were consuming large amounts of alcohol which would dull their senses and slow their reactions - all factors that could work in her favor.
Anayah pulled the edges of her cloak together. The temperature was dropping quickly and she realized that for the sake of Legolas, she might have to set her plan into action earlier than she had originally planned. "What to do. What to do." She chanted to herself absent-mindedly.
Her thoughts were interrupted when all eight humans staggered out of the cave and moved toward the tree where Legolas was tied, unconscious and slumped against his bonds. Things might have gone ill for the elf, had the attention of the group not been diverted from the elf to themselves when one of their number tripped over an unused anvil and fell on his face. After much laughter, debate and more drinking, it was wisely agreed that five of the drunks, desiring home and bed, would leave. Thank Ilúvatar for small favors! She thought to herself. There were only three humans left, and now, she smiled to herself, the odds were more in her favor.
A crackling sound and a small shower of snow at the cave entrance caught her attention. Surveying the steeply sloping hillside above the cave, she saw the ground shift slightly then become still once more. There was no longer any time left to wait for the best and safest opportunity to free Legolas; the decision to act had been taken out of her hands and was now in the hands of the mountain. The cracking and shifting noises were sounds she was all too familiar with and she knew she had to free the elf and get him out of the canyon before the whole hillside came down on both him and the horses.
Grabbing her equipment and supplies pack off her horse, she knelt in the snow and quickly opened the leather case which held her take-down long bow, Huan. As she swiveled both ends into their open position, extending the great bow to its full length, she muttered fiercely, "Ok, Huan. Let's get this done."
Taking a long arrow out of the quiver, she nocked it without taking her eyes off her target and after quickly gathering all the information that could influence her shot such as wind, terrain, altitude, distance and moisture, she released the arrow which sang as it flew towards its target. Not knowing where the high pitched whistle was coming from, the three humans did not react, even after one fell from the arrow that entered his head at the temple.
And then there were two.
For a moment the remaining humans stood frozen in place, gazing stupidly at their fallen comrade. Then after the nightmarish realization hit them that the man on the ground was indeed dead and did indeed have an arrow sticking out of his head they spun in all directions, gazing frantically at the canyon walls around them, searching the shadows for the hidden attacker. The two heard the second arrow coming, its song singing sweet and deadly in the darkening night. The arrow entered its victim through his left eye and he fell to the ground.
And then there was one.
The remaining man, terrified that death was laying in wait for him, grabbed his belt knife and rushing to where the unconscious elf was tied, grabbed him by the hair, roughly jerked his head back, and laid the knife to his throat.
"Where are you!" The man screamed into the night, vocal chords bruised by his own terrified scream.
Another crack could be heard to Anayah's right and another large chunk of snow slid down the canyon wall for a few feet before it once more stopped - and held. The entire hillside was getting ready to come down and she realized that waiting for a safe shot on the man standing with his knife to the throat of her friend was no longer an option - the human had to be brought down immediately. The problem was that the human was standing in a direct line between her and Legolas. If she shot and missed by even a short distance, she could wound or kill her friend. She removed two arrows from her quiver knowing that two very precise and accurate shots would have to be made, one after the other. One arrow she lightly sank in the snow at her feet while the second arrow was nocked on the bow.
Her mind was set and she began to recite the archer's mantra she used to calm and focus her mind whenever she was setting up for a difficult shot.
An archer must be ...
Keen of eye ... She nocked the arrow.
Sure of hand ...She drew back the string, the supple ends of the great bow
curving towards her.
Fleet of foot ... She took a deep breath and held it.
Canny of mind ... She released the arrow.
One last time the night air sang the sweet song of death as the first then the second arrow flew towards their respective targets. From her position on the ridge, Anayah froze, awaiting the outcome of her final shot. Below her, the man suddenly froze then, letting go of Legolas and the knife at the same time, began to sink to his knees. The arrow, which had entered his head, and exited the opposite side, had buried itself in the wood of the tree where Legolas was tied but had missed the elf completely. The shaft of the arrow broke as the weight of the man become too much for it. Then Legolas also began to fall. The second arrow had achieved its purpose and had severed the bonds that held the injured elf erect.
Anayah heard another crack to her right as the snow continued to shift, not only above the cave entrance but beneath where she was standing as well. Grabbing Huan, his quiver, case and her pack, she told Elias to go but when the big black showed his reluctance to leave his Lady she slapped him on his hind quarters and repeated her command. "Go Elias. Go to Imladris and bring help!" With a final snort of disapproval, he leapt away, and the darkness, now full upon the Ridge, soon swallowed him up.
Stumbling, falling and rolling, rather ungracefully, down the long slope towards the horse enclosure, Anayah kept repeating, "Not yet, not yet, not yet." Reaching the enclosure that held the horses, and grabbing her belt knife, she slashed the ropes that held the gate in place and once the leather binding on the gate was severed, 50 horses, sensing the impending avalanche, did the rest. She had to jump out of the way as they tore through the gate and ran back toward the mouth of the canyon.
The air around her was beginning to vibrate as Anayah sprinted back to where she could see Legolas, who had regained consciousness, trying to get to his feet. When she looked up, it was only her elvish reflexes that kept her feet moving. A great white wall was tumbling down the mountainside right at her, rumbling, picking up speed, snapping trees like twigs as it sped by them. Seeing no other options, and with no regard for whether she was hurting or helping Legolas, she grabbed him and after running a few steps, dove head-first into the entrance of the cave. Behind her the monster rained down on a now deserted enclosure.
TBC
Arwen721 - You really made my day! Thank you very much!
The Shot
Shakir returned just after the sun had disappeared behind the mountains to the east to tell her that he had found the elf. Calling Elias to her, Anayah mounted then followed the falcon back to the hidden entrance of the canyon. Though she could see nothing from where she had hidden herself at the mouth of the canyon, if she closed her eyes and listened closely, Anayah could not only hear horses milling about somewhere in the darkness before her but could also hear the trees as they whispered to one another about their wood elf. She smiled to herself knowing she had indeed found her friend.
After a small amount of searching, a vantage point was secured overlooking the horse enclosure, a small cave, and Legolas, where he stood with his hands bound and tied to the lower branches of a pine tree, growing near the cave entrance. Though she was some distance away it was not hard to tell that the elf was in trouble. His natural luminescence, his elvish glow, was almost gone and Anayah knew that if she could not find a way to free him soon, there was a high degree of probability he would die. She also knew that before she could do anything to free her injured friend, she would have to find out how many humans were inside the cave.
Seeing Legolas hanging by his hands in the biting cold night air, injured, ill, and without shirt or cloak to warm him, Anayah found herself becoming angry to an extent she had not felt in a very long time. She took a few moments to get her emotions under control knowing that maintaining the proper perspective in this situation would be ever so important for the survival of both Legolas and herself.
The next few hours were spent watching as humans rode into and out of the canyon where the horses of the Rohirrim had been cleverly hidden for some months. There were eight humans inside the cave and, judging by the noise and laughter, they were consuming large amounts of alcohol which would dull their senses and slow their reactions - all factors that could work in her favor.
Anayah pulled the edges of her cloak together. The temperature was dropping quickly and she realized that for the sake of Legolas, she might have to set her plan into action earlier than she had originally planned. "What to do. What to do." She chanted to herself absent-mindedly.
Her thoughts were interrupted when all eight humans staggered out of the cave and moved toward the tree where Legolas was tied, unconscious and slumped against his bonds. Things might have gone ill for the elf, had the attention of the group not been diverted from the elf to themselves when one of their number tripped over an unused anvil and fell on his face. After much laughter, debate and more drinking, it was wisely agreed that five of the drunks, desiring home and bed, would leave. Thank Ilúvatar for small favors! She thought to herself. There were only three humans left, and now, she smiled to herself, the odds were more in her favor.
A crackling sound and a small shower of snow at the cave entrance caught her attention. Surveying the steeply sloping hillside above the cave, she saw the ground shift slightly then become still once more. There was no longer any time left to wait for the best and safest opportunity to free Legolas; the decision to act had been taken out of her hands and was now in the hands of the mountain. The cracking and shifting noises were sounds she was all too familiar with and she knew she had to free the elf and get him out of the canyon before the whole hillside came down on both him and the horses.
Grabbing her equipment and supplies pack off her horse, she knelt in the snow and quickly opened the leather case which held her take-down long bow, Huan. As she swiveled both ends into their open position, extending the great bow to its full length, she muttered fiercely, "Ok, Huan. Let's get this done."
Taking a long arrow out of the quiver, she nocked it without taking her eyes off her target and after quickly gathering all the information that could influence her shot such as wind, terrain, altitude, distance and moisture, she released the arrow which sang as it flew towards its target. Not knowing where the high pitched whistle was coming from, the three humans did not react, even after one fell from the arrow that entered his head at the temple.
And then there were two.
For a moment the remaining humans stood frozen in place, gazing stupidly at their fallen comrade. Then after the nightmarish realization hit them that the man on the ground was indeed dead and did indeed have an arrow sticking out of his head they spun in all directions, gazing frantically at the canyon walls around them, searching the shadows for the hidden attacker. The two heard the second arrow coming, its song singing sweet and deadly in the darkening night. The arrow entered its victim through his left eye and he fell to the ground.
And then there was one.
The remaining man, terrified that death was laying in wait for him, grabbed his belt knife and rushing to where the unconscious elf was tied, grabbed him by the hair, roughly jerked his head back, and laid the knife to his throat.
"Where are you!" The man screamed into the night, vocal chords bruised by his own terrified scream.
Another crack could be heard to Anayah's right and another large chunk of snow slid down the canyon wall for a few feet before it once more stopped - and held. The entire hillside was getting ready to come down and she realized that waiting for a safe shot on the man standing with his knife to the throat of her friend was no longer an option - the human had to be brought down immediately. The problem was that the human was standing in a direct line between her and Legolas. If she shot and missed by even a short distance, she could wound or kill her friend. She removed two arrows from her quiver knowing that two very precise and accurate shots would have to be made, one after the other. One arrow she lightly sank in the snow at her feet while the second arrow was nocked on the bow.
Her mind was set and she began to recite the archer's mantra she used to calm and focus her mind whenever she was setting up for a difficult shot.
An archer must be ...
Keen of eye ... She nocked the arrow.
Sure of hand ...She drew back the string, the supple ends of the great bow
Fleet of foot ... She took a deep breath and held it.
Canny of mind ... She released the arrow.
One last time the night air sang the sweet song of death as the first then the second arrow flew towards their respective targets. From her position on the ridge, Anayah froze, awaiting the outcome of her final shot. Below her, the man suddenly froze then, letting go of Legolas and the knife at the same time, began to sink to his knees. The arrow, which had entered his head, and exited the opposite side, had buried itself in the wood of the tree where Legolas was tied but had missed the elf completely. The shaft of the arrow broke as the weight of the man become too much for it. Then Legolas also began to fall. The second arrow had achieved its purpose and had severed the bonds that held the injured elf erect.
Anayah heard another crack to her right as the snow continued to shift, not only above the cave entrance but beneath where she was standing as well. Grabbing Huan, his quiver, case and her pack, she told Elias to go but when the big black showed his reluctance to leave his Lady she slapped him on his hind quarters and repeated her command. "Go Elias. Go to Imladris and bring help!" With a final snort of disapproval, he leapt away, and the darkness, now full upon the Ridge, soon swallowed him up.
Stumbling, falling and rolling, rather ungracefully, down the long slope towards the horse enclosure, Anayah kept repeating, "Not yet, not yet, not yet." Reaching the enclosure that held the horses, and grabbing her belt knife, she slashed the ropes that held the gate in place and once the leather binding on the gate was severed, 50 horses, sensing the impending avalanche, did the rest. She had to jump out of the way as they tore through the gate and ran back toward the mouth of the canyon.
The air around her was beginning to vibrate as Anayah sprinted back to where she could see Legolas, who had regained consciousness, trying to get to his feet. When she looked up, it was only her elvish reflexes that kept her feet moving. A great white wall was tumbling down the mountainside right at her, rumbling, picking up speed, snapping trees like twigs as it sped by them. Seeing no other options, and with no regard for whether she was hurting or helping Legolas, she grabbed him and after running a few steps, dove head-first into the entrance of the cave. Behind her the monster rained down on a now deserted enclosure.
TBC