Breath of Midnight
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Wake up
Wake up
Breathe
I feel my heart still beating
The blood still rushing
But I am as cold as a corpse.
I had spent so few years wandering this earth, and now I was to come to journeys end. The cell doors opened, and any feelings of hope closed. No one spoke a word as they led us out into the darkness of early morning. It seemed so long since I had gazed up at the stars. My eyes took what was feared to be their last embrace of heavenly light as they lined us up along an open grave; a hungry mouth waiting to devour us. The bow men drew their bows and took aim while the same questions were again asked, and the same responses again given.
We remained silent.
The sun began to slowly crest over the horizon.
Time slowed as the bow men's arms released and relaxed; sending their arrows toward their marks. The elves on my right and on my left fell back with a sudden force; I waited. My arrow found me and I felt my flesh tear and burn with an unusual warmth. When the shock had left me my body began to grow cold and limp. When at the last; I was no longer able to stand; I fell with my friends. As I lay there on my back; I believed I could actually feel the stars fading away. I closed my eyes and slipped into nothingness.
I woke up with an intense jolt of pain shooting from my shoulder.
I still had breath.
I felt my heart still beating.
I felt the blood still rushing.
I was alive.
It was evening now, and despite the darkness I turned my head to get a better look at the arrow embedded in my shoulder. (It was no doubt the worst marksmanship I had ever seen. Though I suppose I shouldn't complain too much.) I looked all around me for any sign of movement, but saw only stillness. I listened for noise, but could hear only silence. The world it seemed had become a still and silent tomb.
I tried to move, but a great weight held me down. I was trapped, and panic began to build in my mind. I struggled to free myself, but someone had fallen on top of me and my legs were pinned my attempts to move were halted when I felt the earth vibrate ever so slightly underneath me; something was coming. I soon became hypnotized by the rhythm of steady marching above me. The guards were still out there watching; checking for any movement.
I held my breath and froze.
I heard a new noise, and saw an elf even younger than I begin to stir; unaware of the circling vultures above waiting to move in for a kill. He lifted his hand to pull himself up, and was laid back down again when another arrow found his heart. I fought the urge to go to him. I fought to hold back my rage and my tears. I fought to remain still.
The rest of the night and the following day I lay among the dead. Wishing I could join them, But unable to stop fighting.
The following night all was silent, and the guards appeared to no longer man their posts. I pushed and writhed with all my strength, until slowly I was able to crawl out. As I stood at the edge, I looked town at the tragedy and injustice below me. Part of me wanted to stay with my friends. Another part of me knew I needed to quickly move into the cover of Fangorn.
There are many times in life when we can choice to let tragedy overwhelm us, and beat us into submission; but we can also choose to fight back, and continue to live even when it seems unbearable.
I whispered a prayer for my friends and turned away.
"Cormamin niuve tenna' ta elea lle au'."
My heart shall weep until it sees thee again.
I ran for freedom; into the trees as they called my name.
It was a lifetime before I crossed the open field to the edge of the forest, but when I arrived it quickly swallowed me up and embraced me; promising to keep me safe.
I knew the first thing I needed to do was put as much distance between myself and the prison as possible, but before I could even think of moving I needed to tend to my shoulder. All I had to work with was the tunic, trousers and leather boots I had been wearing the day I was captured. I carefully removed the arrow, and tore a section of my sleeve to wrap the wound. I took in a deep breathe, and began to travel deeper into Fangorn.
Once I was clear of the sounds and smells of the dungeon, I became weary and thirsty.
I drank what dew was left on the leaves of the trees, and ate some of the wild fruit the woods offered to me. At last I was able to rest; I closed my eyes and began to dream of home.
O sweet Rivendell even in thy winter thou art a memory of hope, a beacon of light unto thy soul.
The trees began to stir and I was roused from my dream.
"Strangers are approaching" The trees whispered.
I moved to the highest branch I could; as I peered through the tree line I saw twelve guards with five dogs. All of them pushing through the maze of trees the same way I had come. The possibility of being followed had not entered my mind; I never would have thought they would notice that morning one less elf than there should have been. I began to wish that Callo were there with me again. He would have seen this coming, and would never have been so careless. I could still hear his voice in my head rebuking me; as he often had to.
"Feaestel; your good, but you're a young hot headed fool. You may be able to beat any foe with your blade, but you still have much to learn in the ways of common sense."
They guards had found my sent and were hot on my trail. I needed to lose them, and lose them fast. I made my way to the river Onodlo and plunged in. I swam to the other shore and again moved back into the safety of the woods. The men and their dogs would not be able to follow my scent now that it had been washed away by the water, and they would certainly have a hard time making it across even if they could. I heard the dogs barking and the men yelling as they came closer.
(For their sake, I hoped their goal wasn't to sneak up on anything.)
I climbed a tree and watched as they came into view on the other side of the river.
The man leading the hunt was tall and appeared to be very young. His eyes looked at the ground with determination and patience. He examined the dirt and put his ear to the earth. It seemed that I wasn't just running from some band of directionally challenged soldiers; I was up against a real tracker.
This again changed everything.
The tracker looked across the river in my direction; I remained hidden from his view; but he pointed towards my hiding place and said something to the men. The men began to walk downstream in order to find an easier crossing; leaving the tracker alone and staring right through me. After what seemed like hours he turned away and went to join his men.
I emerged from my hiding place and began to move up stream. I then readied myself to cross the river again. This time I paid far better attention to what clues I may have been leaving behind.
Elves don't leave much as far as tracks go, we have always been near impossible to find once in the woods, especially woods as thick as Fangorn, but this man was accomplishing what I had believed to be impossible. He was tracking an elf.
I knew when the sun set I would be able to put a great deal of ground in-between us. He would need to sleep; where as I would be able to keep moving throughout the night if I needed to. There was, of course, always the hope that one of the trees would crush him during the night; although it seemed very unlikely. Fangorn had quieted itself during the last two ages and was no longer viewed as ominous. It was seen more as just a good place to hide; but it was not my plan to hide forever. I needed to turn the tables. My next task would be to acquire some weapons. I was going to fight back.
To be continued…