9. Finding the Rings and Starting the Adventure

I ran ahead not looking back, feeling that I had had enough of this sort of humiliation. Gwen obviously believed I would turn around or eventually come back, but I wouldn't. I wanted to discover all that I didn't know. That and I had a strange feeling that I should head in a certain direction, which just so happened to be in the opposite direction of Rivendell. I soon discovered why.

"HELP!" I heard a familiar voice scream. I ran faster. I saw Neiathen, with an arrow wound.

"Neiathen?" I ran up to him. He moaned, and said, "trap."

I turned just in time. An orc ran at me with a sword that I doubted that I could even lift if I tried. It had to be twice the size of the other orc. Now I had no Gwen to 'protect' me; now was the time to prove myself.

I pulled out my sword and deflected the blow. Then, I got him off just enough balance to do magic of my own. I let out a low howl. Then, just before the orc could ready himself for an attack, something in the shape of a huge wolf ran at him. The orc tried to slash at the wolf to no avail, but only made himself more vulnerable. The wolf made short time of the orc, and soon it became only a pile what had once been orc on the forest floor.

When I was done the wolf and I were both gasping for breath, both exhausted. I nodded to the wolf and it disappeared. My knees buckled bellow me and I collapsed to the ground, trying to muster up all the energy I had to stay conscious. I had finally begun to regain some strength when I heard, "What was THAT?"

I sat up. Neiathen's eyes were huge, but he wasn't the one who had said that. He was in too much pain to have done it.

"Well? What was it? It definitely wasn't in any of the books I gave you."

So, Gwen was behind me. I crawled over to Neiathen and began to heal his arrow wound. It wasn't very deep. He had been intended to live for bait, then.

"TELL MEEEEEEE!"

I bandaged his wound, and opened up my mail to look through the little bag I had for a potion to use. I found it and gave it to him. He looked much better and sat up a little.

"TELL ME NOW OR SO HELP ME I'LL-"

"SHUT UP WILL YOU!?" I cried out. Then taking a deep breath I said, "I'm leaving, Neiathen. I think you're strong enough to walk back. If not, Gwen can help you."

"What? Leaving? Why?"

I stood up and started to walk. All at once, Gwen and Neiathen burst out, "I'M COMING TOO!"

I turned to face them and shrugged, "Why? I don't know where the heck I'm going, I've got no money, supplies, diddly."

"All that's more reason to have someone who knows what there doing to come," he stood up with a little effort and walked over to me.

"That's exactly why I'm going. You should stay here and-"

"Be bored to death? No way! That's the whole reason I'm-"

"Not going!" cried Gwen. They were two inches away from each other's faces. I turned and began to walk away. Then, I jumped behind a tree.

"Well, you know what else! At least Rren wants me to go, don't you Rren? Uh, Rren?"

"She's gone!" they looked at each other, "WAIT UP RREN!" They ran past me and I jumped out and whistled. They turned around.

"Nice to see you're so enthusiastic. Ya miss me?" I asked and ran; most of my normal energy returned. We ran for a while, and I decided that if they wanted to come, it would be ok, but just not as haphazardous, which I guessed was ok. Eventually I slowed down; I was worried that Neiathen was having trouble because he had been running with such a fresh cut. We stopped by a stream, and I jumped into it, jumping out nearly as soon as I got in. I had to remember that all streams and rivers weren't safe in the forest. As I did, I ran right into Gwen, again, who pushed me into a tree and cornered me there.

"Now will you tell me about that magic?" she asked. I smiled slightly and nodded.

"Well, I really don't know of any one other than myself that can do it, so I don't think I can teach you or anything. Don't get your hopes up."

Gwen opened her mouth to say something, it probably would have been something along the lines of 'I bet if I try I could,' but I cut her off, saying, "It's called animal magic, or at least that's what I call it. It's not learned easily, and it really wears me out when I do it."

"Well, if I can't learn it, then how can you?" asked Gwen, sounding offended. I thought on this for a second, and said, "Well, I learn it from things that animals give me, or that I find. Like that thing I just did, the wolf summoning, I learned that from when I saved a baby wolf from drowning. The pack gave me a little round crystal. See?" I pulled it out of my pouch that I also carried my potions in, and showed her.

"It just looks like a normal crystal. You can't do the magic without it?" asked Gwen, slyly.

"No, she can. I stole it from her once and she still used it," muttered Neiathen.

"Really? What'd she do?"

"I did a spell using animal magic that made me run faster so I could catch him. Of course, he ran into a tree, so it didn't really prove much..." he glared at me. I moved away from the tree, and Gwen, having her answer, didn't stop me. I went to a move comfortable spot and sat down, but I felt something poking me in the side. I reached into my mail and pulled out something that made me very confused: two rings (one on a chain) and a note.

"What's that?" asked Gwen and she tried to grab it from me, but I jumped up, grabbing a tree branch, and pulled myself up. I climbed halfway up and stopped; I knew she wouldn't try to climb in a dress. I held the rings in my hand and began to read it.

These rings mark the beginning of your journey and of your troubles.

The first ring will help you along the way, you can trust it, and use it to your liking.

Lastly, never use the silver ring. It is your job and duty to destroy it.

Use caution and your head and you can make it through.

Don't be tempted by evil, and do what's right.

Remember the stories.

The note wasn't signed. I sat there for a while, rereading the note, until I heard, "Well, that is a bit odd, isn't it?"

I looked up and saw Gwen's face, and was so startled that I fell off the tree branch. As I did the silver ring slipped onto my finger right before I hit the ground with a thud. I sat there for a moment, thinking of how embarrassed I was. Then Neiathen walked right by me, "Rren? Where are you?"

"She's gone! Is this more of her magic?" said Gwen, jumping down from the last tree limb.

"Not that I know of."

"I'm right here!" I said sitting up and waving sarcastically, "Are you two blind?"

"Stop throwing your voice! Where are you really?"

I was puzzled. Were they playing a trick on me? Then I remembered. 'Remember the stories.' In the story, the one ring, the evil ring, made people disappear when they had it on, and it also attracted ring wraiths to it. I yanked it off, and Gwen and Neiathen jumped backwards.

Gwen was amazed, "H- How did you?"

"We don't have time for that now. We've got to move, quickly," I said and began to head off in a different direction. I began to think. There must be some new evil, perhaps across the sea...

"What's going on?" asked Gwen angrily as she and Neiathen caught up with me, scattering my thoughts.

"You know those 'silly children's stories?'" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"Well, they just came true." I said bitterly.