Chapter 3

Ouch! That's the third time I've stubbed my toe, using the traditional unspeakable four letter word that usually accompanies incidents like that rather loudly, I was on the receiving end of a few rather impressive stop doing that, you are pissing me off glances from the marchers. OK, I know that I must be a burden, but their attitude is seriously starting to annoy me. We've been marching for absolutely ages now, or more specifically they have been marching and I have been stumbling along at the back. You'd think they would have stopped wouldn't you? To let poor little Katie catch her breath, but no! Nasty mean shiney people keep on going.

I feel like that horse from black beauty, Ginger I think, the one who was made to keep going until she dropped dead, which is just peachy; that's right Katie, keep thinking those cheerful thoughts.

I have to do something, considering that they just ignore me all the time, I will take matters into my own hands. Or more specifically, my own feet.

By not moving

Not an inch further.

Not a teensy bit until they let me have a rest.

So um, that's it. I've stopped completely. ...

Waiting for one of them to notice...still waiting...waiting still.

They just keep going. Oh for heavens sake! I have to catch them up now!

What a bloody waste of time that was, I feel shaky enough as it is, without having to use what remains of my energy catching these spaz-monkeys up.

I'll have to run. Good grief there are a lot of branches, I never noticed how many there were, they seem to be like birch or similar, you know the sort, the kind that you don't see until they hit you in right in the face. I'm having to move them aside as I run, which is difficult as I can't see very well in the dark.

Its just a matter of time until one hits m -AAAOOOW!

I really can't go further anymore, I ran so hard into that, it nearly knocked me over, it hit me right in the eye, which is streaming generously, everything is blurred, blood is dripping into it from my eyebrow. If they think I am going to run to catch them up in this state, they are damn right cruel.

Which is good, because they, for once showed a slight bit of mercy. No they haven't examined my eye or anything, they have stopped. Looks like they are making camp. I just stood at the edge, feeling awkward and miserable. But for now, my eye isn't bleeding anymore.

One of them looked at me, not quite as 'forward' as they were before. "Sit" he said simply, pointing to the trunk of a nearby tree, I looked at him what can only be described as drunkenly, because I now feel so shaken, I feel like my legs are on the verge of buckling beneath me.

I let myself flop against the trunk and sat there. I think the fairly large volume of blood that I have lost through my shoulder is what has done this to me. They all sat around their little fire singing songs and eating. Do I think they are going to give me any food? No.

I can only see stuff now and then, everything swimming, feel sick. The caped shiney people look at me every so often. I feel like I'm going to fall asleep .Not good. Oh, all looking at me now, saying stuff One standing up, three standing up, coming over. I felt myself hit the ground as I fall to my side with a soft thud.

Feels like I haven't stopped falling, like I am falling into an endless nothing, I hear them talking to each other, muttering something I don't understand. Last thing I ever felt was someone shaking me gently by the shoulders, they were miles away now, I was not there.

To be continued.

Not sure if I should include this or not, but here goes. it's the converstation that the Elves had concerning Katie. I think it would have been supremely difficult to put that all into Sindarin anyway.

"Dairon, look."

"What is it?"

"The mortal, she does not look very steady"

"Oh yes, I agree"

"It seems she is falling asleep at least."

"Tunath, I do not think she is falling alseep ."

Hope you liked this chapter, please tell me if you did or didn't by pushing that button, thanks for reading.

Mori

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