Welcome back to GOA! I'm so glad you're here to read my story! Please enjoy the newest installment of the story!
Earthdragon-Yes, Duckie's name is quite odd, isn't it? It is a pet name from her father, but she has only recently grown up and has not quite grown out of it just yet. More to come on that later in the story though. Thanks for reading!
jaeden1112-So glad you're enjoying the story! Thanks for the suggestion about Novel Star!
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or anything associated with Tolkien Enterprises. I also do not own any music by Stephen Foster. His lyrics are included in this fanfic; they are old enough to be considered public domain.
ooOoo
Guardians of Arda
By Ponytail Goddess
Chapter 3: Into the Darkness
Once Duckie realized Henry knew her father, she threw the letters haphazardly onto the table and ran through the doorway and down the veranda's stairs. The door was left hanging open behind her, but Duckie paid it no heed as she started to walk with purpose around the house towards the wagon train.
When it came into her sightline, she stopped in her tracks. Several of the men were still sitting around the fire talking, despite the late hour. Duckie did not know any of the other men and suddenly felt uncomfortable about approaching their campsite by herself.
Thus, she considered doing something she knew how to do quite well—sneaking.
From a young age, Duckie had found she had a talent for hiding from others. This had exasperated her father numerous times, as Duckie could never be found when she did not want to be found. Even an immortal such as himself, with heightened senses that extended well beyond those of men, could not find her when she desired to be hidden.
Her father did not seem to have the same skill she possessed; this knowledge had always confounded Duckie. While her father could walk silently over most any terrain and could hide from mortals easily enough, Duckie could usually find him when they had played hide-and-go-seek during her youth, but he could never seem to find her. She eventually concluded that this was simply an extra talent she possessed that most other folks did not and had not thought about it much since then.
Duckie knew at least Henry was an immortal like her and she suspected the other men at the campsite were as well... Did that mean they would know she was in the grass if she snuck over there? Would they be able to sense her in a way that her own father could not? The thought of it scared Duckie a bit, as it seemed like a risky chance to be taking in such a rural area.
If they turned out to be evil men, there would be no one to save her.
If that was the case though, why would Henry have bothered to save her in the first place?
She truly wanted to know more about these strange men, especially Henry, who had apparently been an acquaintance of her father at one point or another. Therefore, she decided to risk her safety and slipped into the field of prairie grass just beyond the small orchard. The tall green blades and strikingly tall flowers seemed to understand her intention; they automatically leaned in towards her, as if to shield her from prying eyes, as she slowly and deliberately made her way towards the campsite.
Passing through the grass with care, Duckie made sure not to disturb the plants any more than the chilly evening breeze. She crawled in silence, taking note of a few new voices as she drew closer to the camp. Once Duckie was close enough to hear the men's conversation clearly, she stopped so she could eavesdrop.
What she heard confused her though. Henry's voice rang out into the night air, just as melodic and strong as it had been when he was back at the cabin; however, he was no longer speaking in a familiar language. He had spoken perfect English with her, but now his voice now danced through the air using a flowery language Duckie had never heard before. The words were smooth and savory as they escaped his lips. Whatever language it was, it sounded gorgeous and he seemed to speak it masterfully.
Duckie dared to peek over the seed-laden tips of the grass blades after Henry paused for a moment to observe the other men. There were four others besides Henry, who was squatting beside the fire and stoking it with kindling as he continued to speak. Two other men with long golden hair were standing near Henry, observing him with rapt attention as they listened to what he was saying. There were also two dark-haired men sitting in front of Duckie, facing away from her. They appeared to be captivated by Henry's words too.
She covered her mouth to prevent herself from gasping when she finally heard one of the other golden-haired men speak, this time in English. "Truly? You suspect she is an elf?"
"An elf?" Duckie thought to herself, "Are they talking about me? What do they mean by the word 'elf?' I have never heard such a word before outside of fairy tales and fictional novels." She did not have much time to wonder about it though, as she hoped to hear the remainder of their conversation.
"Is such a thing even possible?" One of the dark-haired ones asked quietly. "Surely all of the others sailed long ago. We have not seen any elves aside from the Prince's contingent in several millennia."
"I agree with Lindir. We have all heard the rumor that Lord Celeborn was the last to sail at the beginning of the Fourth Age. Perhaps this woman has traces of elven blood within her, much like the Numenor, but I cannot imagine she is a true elf." The second blonde said, staring at Henry with a perplexed expression on his face.
Though Henry was an extremely handsome man, he now wore of look of such utter disdain for his fellow men that Duckie thought he looked downright murderous. His voice grew harsh and loud as he barked a few annoyed words in that same, mysterious language. Henry then turned his attention back to the fire, pushing another piece of kindling between two large logs, causing a few glowing ashes to fly haphazardly into the smoke that smoldered above him. He grumbled something unintelligible a few moments later and the others nodded in agreement.
"Of course, my brother. I did not mean to offend you. We are simply shocked to find this is possible." The second blonde consoled, obviously trying to be a peacekeeper and ease Henry's mind after his outburst.
The same dark-haired one as before spoke again. "If it is true, it does raise some serious questions, such as where she has come from and who else might still be lingering on this side of the sea…" He said, gazing at each of the men in the circle, one by one. "Why they are still here after all this time."
Henry spoke once again with unintelligible words, but Duckie could make one thing out this time. The name he had called her, 'Miss Hir,' had been included at the end of his soliloquy. All the others gasped and turned to stare at the other dark-haired elf—the only one who had not spoken yet.
"Is this true, Elladan?" One asked quietly. "Has Elrohir broken our unspoken vow?"
Duckie watched as the other dark-haired man lowered his head into his hands in a way that made it impossible for her to see his head from her spot in the weeds behind him. "It is more complicated than that, I fear…" She heard him mutter. His voice sounded strained, as if the topic pained him.
That voice… it sounded oddly familiar. His name also seemed odd and unworldly, much like her own true name. Duckie unconsciously leaned in to try and hear him better. She watched intently as the other men stared at him, their eyes wide with shock.
Finally, one of the blondes spoke again. "You have known about this and you did not tell us?"
"Your brother is going to be the death of us all." The other blonde one accused sternly. "He has broken the lady's order-"
"He did not break the lady's order." The dark-haired man immediately argued in a more abrasive voice than before, interrupting his comrade. "She only meant not to marry mortals, but Elrohir has married an elf. It has nothing to do with the prophecy." He concluded, looking up once more at the crowd who were all observing him with penetrating scrutiny.
Duckie found herself longing to see his face, as there was something terribly familiar about this man that she could not quite put her finger on. Perhaps they had met before, in one of the other places she had lived with her father?
Mentally, she whispered a prayer that he might turn around so she could get a good look at him. All of her desire did not improve her fortune though, as he did not seem to have any intention of turning around presently.
"That is one way to interpret it, but it is not the only way." The blonde reasoned back in a dangerous tone. "He could very well have endangered us all by his actions! Why would he do such a thing?"
"Is this the true reason he left?" The dark-haired one named Lindir asked him. "Not the disagreement with Haldir, as we initially thought?"
"And what elf could he have possibly found to marry? There are no ellyth here!" The other blonde exclaimed, clearly very ruffled by the topic of the conversation. "You speak of the impossible!"
"Not impossible… just unusual and unlikely." The one named Elladan answered softly, skipping the first questions in favor of answering the newest ones. "I never expected something like this to happen and neither did he. Elrohir did not seek this out, but the situation played out before him nonetheless."
"You speak as if it was fate." The less argumentative blonde said. "Eli, please tell us this story so we might understand all that has come to pass."
Henry seemed to be in agreement with this and motioned to the man named Elladan, indicating he should speak again. Already, Duckie's mind was reeling, as she now knew this Elladan also went by the name Eli.
Almost all of the letters in her father's hollowed out book had been from someone named 'Eli Dann.'
He could be the one her father had received them from.
"Did all of these men know my father? Had they come here in search of him?" She wondered to herself as she impatiently awaited the beginning of Eli's tale.
"Most of the story is a mystery to me, as Elrohir was not particularly forthcoming about it. I do not fully understand how the two of them met, other than how she would reveal herself to him in the night while he was on watch duty. She was one of the Morben; one of the dark ones." He started, his hand moving in an animated fashion in front of his face.
"Avari," Henry supplied at a whisper, his pale face lit up by the golden light of the flames in front of him. He received a nod in return from Elladan, confirming the foreign word, whatever that meant. Henry stared at him quite intensely for a few moments before signaling for him to continue with another graceful flourish of his hand.
"Yes, for their kind still linger here, continuing to refuse the invitation of the Valar to sail even to this day." Elladan supplied before going on. "Nomadic elves such as they continue to wander all over Arda, theoretically in greater numbers now than ever before, as they continue to live much in the same way they always have. They are not seen nor heard by men. They keep to themselves, not interacting with men or dwarves or any other beings, as is their way."
"Or so we imagine," the other dark haired elf chimed in, "As I doubt any of us have ever spoken or dealt with the Morben."
"Indeed," Elladan agreed, "I have never in all of my days seen or spoken with one of the Morben."
The others all nodded in agreement and for a moment, the only sound that could be heard was that of the crickets chirping and the occasional night owl hoot.
"What made her want to be with him then? Is he not also considered an outsider?" One of the blondes asked, not totally convinced of the story yet. "Did she even speak Sindarin or another familiar language?"
"No, she did not. That was part of her appeal to Elrohir though. He liked the challenge of trying to overcome their language barrier; he enjoyed learning their culture and ways." He said, his voice sounding far off now, as if he was caught in a bittersweet memory. "He did not tell me much about their trysts. However, he did say she was extraordinarily connected to nature, more so than any other elf he has ever known. He also said she was very scared of being seen by others beings."
Elladan laughed a small, humorless laugh and then explained, "He tried to bring me over and introduce me to her multiple times, but she always disappeared before he could."
"That sounds like Elrohir," one of the blondes muttered under breath.
"Truly he loved her, even though she would sometimes be gone for weeks or months at a time. Right after he left us, he saw her one last time and she brought him the elfling they created together. He never saw her again after that, at least as far as I know. He has not mentioned her in any of the letters he has sent to me."
His voice sounded contemplative as he finished the story. "He was devastated when she no longer returned to visit him, but was able to keep from fading by caring for the little one. That little elleth became his whole world after he left us. He moved over and over again to keep her safe from the knowledge of mortals." Elladan said. Duckie found that she had stopped breathing all together as she finally connected several parts of the puzzle laid out before her.
"I suspect that if you have come upon a true elleth in that cabin, it must be her." He finished.
It was true. They were talking about her.
Elrohir must have been the true name of her father Elroy!
Moreover, her mother was still alive and had… had given her up and abandoned her father?!
Overwhelmed at the very thought of her mother being alive and well, Duckie gasped out loud before she could stop herself. She ended up setting off a rapid chain reaction, which she immediately regretted.
Suddenly, every single one of the men at the fire were standing up and staring in her direction. Henry began walking her way, his shiny silver pistol drawn in his hand.
"Oh no! Oh no!"
Duckie panicked and fled, crawling through the grass as quickly and quietly as she could without disturbing it. Veering off to the right, she felt several of the moonlit grass blades rest overtop of her as the men walked by her, each searching the grass in absolute silence. One of the blondes passed by mere inches away from where she was ducking down. She held her breath until he continued on, scared to death of being found by these strangers.
Her heart thundered in her chest and her hazel eyes were wide with fear as she watched the second blonde approach the first, also barely missing her. She had no idea how it was they did not see her, as the grass was trying to block her as best it could, but she figured she was still at least slightly visible.
God was on her side though, or so it seemed, as neither spotted her. She watched the two men keenly as they appeared to be speaking to one another in total silence, their lips moving expertly, but neither making a single sound.
"They can speak to one another without even using their voices! Surely these men are also immortals, like me." She thought to herself as she watched in fascination. They all must have been, as they each walked in silence, not smashing down the grasses or leaving a single footprint in the dirt as they passed her by. Their handsome looks and graceful motions were also unmatched by that of a regular man.
Yes, they were immortal like her. Every single one of them.
While they were distracted, Duckie trekked cautiously through the grass, zigzagging around to make it harder for them to spot her amid the various grasses and weeds. She carefully crawled around the towering pink fireweeds and the simple yellow buttercups as she made her way back to the cabin by the light of the moon.
After what felt like an hour of crawling around in the dirt, Duckie finally arrived on the outskirts of the farm. The barn was closer to where she was than the cabin at this point. Surveying the scene, Duckie could see several men fanned out through the field, including some that she did not recognize from spying on the conversation by the campfire.
A plan quickly formulated within Duckie's mind. When the men were distracted, she could crawl into the barn without being seen, then pretend like she had been there all along. It seemed like a smart enough plan, although Duckie was not certain what she could use to distract so many focused men at the same time.
She nearly gasped out loud again when Henry called out to the men with a much louder voice than she had anticipated hearing. His voice rang out in that melodious, unrecognizable language, which oddly seemed to fill Duckie's heart with a longing she did not fully understand.
What was more interesting were the birdcalls the other men made back to him in response to his announcement. She had never heard men make such odd noises before and found it a bit confusing. The sounds did, however, alert her to the presence of the two blonde men, who were both now behind her and much closer to her than she would have prefered.
"He's doing it again…" One of them whispered to the other, so quietly that Duckie almost could not hear him despite his close proximity. She froze as she heard one of them step even closer to her.
"For the last time, leave him alone Rúmil! It's his way of coping with the situation-" the other quietly argued back, only to be cut off by the first one.
"It is foolish though, like chasing after the wind!" The first one hissed with fiery passion in his voice, all while maintaining his soft dynamic level. "We are not ever going to go back, so he might as well embrace the language of the Edain!"
Duckie watched as the second man grabbed the first man by his cheeks and pulled him close to his body for emphasis. "At least he still has hope, which is more than I can say about you, brother!"
"It is not hope that fuels him Orophin; it is his desperate longing for the sea! Can you not see it in his eyes and in his actions?! He needed to leave this place two millennia ago! It is a chink in his armor, just waiting to be discovered at a most inconvenient moment!"
"It will not come to that Rúmil. He is bound to this world by his duty and by the necessity of his duty. He will stay." He said calmly, attempting to reassure the first man.
After pausing though, the first man asked with a sad vocal tone, "What type of life is that though? Where is the goodness? Where is the satisfaction?"
The other man's face softened upon hearing this and then he too looked gloomy beneath the glowing white light of the moon. "Tell me Orophin, should that be enough for our beloved brother?"
Orophin started to respond, but quickly stopped and stood absolutely still when Rúmil held up his hand. Both halted and stood as still as statues. Rúmil gazed at the forest closely. His brother followed his eyeline and they both inspected it soundlessly for several minutes.
Duckie could barely breathe, for fear of them noticing her presence in the all-encompassing silence. She too turned her eyes towards the forest where they were looking, but could see nothing within the darkness of the tree-cover.
"Brother…" Rúmil murmured after a long while. "Do you feel it?"
Orophin shook his head, staring attentively at his brother. His golden hair shimmered in the moonlight and his grey eyes practically glowed as he waited for his brother to explain his inquiry.
"Something terrible is lurking in the woods," he continued morbidly, "A level of evil which I have not felt since the days of Sauron."
Ah, so this man could feel it too. Duckie had known ever since she arrived at the cabin that something was lingering in the shadow of the forest. Lewis' death had spoken of it and the plants had continuously warned her of it over the last few days.
"Are you certain?" Orophin asked, looking again to the woods, apparently not fully convinced of his brother's words. "I do not feel it."
"Truly?" Rúmil asked, now looking perplexed that he had noticed something his brother had not. "You cannot feel it?"
"I cannot." He responded.
"We are chasing after the wrong foe right now." Rúmil muttered, clenching his fists over and over with a look of discontentedness upon his face. "What lurks in this grass does not feel malicious… not in the way the forest does."
"You should alert Haldir. He needs to know what you've discovered." Orophin urged, pointing towards Henry and motioning for Rúmil to go over to him. Rúmil followed the cue and headed silently over to Henry, who made a whistle call that drew all the elves over to him after listening to Rúmil's story.
Duckie knew this was the distraction she needed and deftly made a run to the barn while the men were whispering amongst themselves. Once she was hidden within the darkness of the building, Duckie bent over and stopped to catch her breath. She had hardly breathed while the elves were beside her and needed a moment to pull herself together. After she felt a bit more collected, she tried to brush the dirt off her dress and apron as best she could, then wandered deeper into the darkness of the barn.
She was still afraid of them finding her, so she was extra careful with her steps. Disturbing the livestock was the last thing she wanted to do, as it would draw attention to herself. She sidestepped around a set of metal pails and a large metal plow while she searched for a better hiding place.
Caution was thrown into the wind though when she heard the hushed voices of Rúmil and Orophin coming up fast behind her. Moving faster than before, Duckie rushed towards the front entrance to the barn, hoping to exit the dark haven before the men came inside. The word destiny was lingering on the breeze blowing through the door, but Duckie ignored it as she abruptly swung her body through the barn door to the other side…
…right towards Henry, who was walking purposefully towards the barn door at the same time. A loud sound of shock escaped from Duckie's lips as she tried to pivot out of his way before it was too late. A small vine had twined its way around her ankle though, preventing her from moving in the direction she had planned.
Duckie launched into a disturbingly graceful fall, straight into Henry's chest. Immediately, she felt a pair of strong hands grab onto her before she toppled to the ground. With gentle care, Henry had her upright again in an instant, his hands creating a tingling sensation on her arms that she had never felt before.
Annoyed with the plant, Duckie scowled and kicked her ankle a couple of times before it let go of its tight grip. "Stop that," she muttered under her breath to the plant as it unwound itself from her as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. If Henry heard her addressing the plant, he chose to say nothing about it as he released her once she seemed stable.
"Miss Hir, thank goodness you are okay. My cousins saw that your door was hanging open and I feared the worst. What are you doing in the barn at this time of night?" He asked, giving her a quick once over with his deep grey eyes.
"I heard some noises and I wanted to make sure the animals were okay before I retired for the night." She answered quickly, thinking on her feet and hoping he would accept the subtle lie she had woven.
The dark look he sent back at her told her he did not. "It would do you well to know that I value honesty, Miss Hir, above all other traits. Please see to it that you use it with me in the future."
Henry's presumption was confirmed when he picked a couple long strands of grass out of her hair a few moments later. Indeed, Duckie knew he could see right through her lie and that he was rather displeased with her. She heart pounded fearfully beneath his scrutiny, her cheeks lightly flushing into a soft pink as a visible sign of her guilt.
"It looks as though we are going to need to have a more in-depth talk about what you have heard tonight." Henry continued, staring down at her with such an intense visage that Duckie shivered beneath its weight. "It will need to wait though, as some sort of malicious creature seems to be lingering near your land. My cousin is already starting to track it, as we cannot have some beast taking down the cattle herd we will soon have on our property. For your own safety Miss Hir, I strongly suggest you lock yourself inside the cabin for the night."
Duckie stared at him in silence for a moment. She tried to analyze his intentions, all while listening to the wind, which softly moaned the words, "Listen. Obey."
After deciding it would be better not to disobey the words of nature, Duckie murmured her agreement to Henry, who then put a protective hand on her upper back and expediently guided her back towards the cabin. As they walked, they passed a few men she had not seen around the campfire. Each one of them stared at her as if they had never seen a woman before in their lives. It made Duckie feel awkward and more than a little uncomfortable. Thankfully, Henry did not stop to address them, but swept her on by and did not let go of her until they were at the top of the veranda stairs.
Once again, he turned towards her and said, "I will be here on the morrow to speak with you about what you overheard tonight. Keep the door locked and do not leave the cabin until dawn. Stay in and stay safe," he said, then bid her farewell with a downward tilt of his head, his hat blocking his fair face from her view momentarily. Then, with that mysterious half-smile, he took off running after his peers.
Duckie obediently did as she was told and bolted herself within the safe confines of the cabin. However, she knew she would not sleep, as the words she heard around the campfire echoed through her head over and over again…
Her mother was still alive… Her mother.
Her mother!
During every single day of her life, Duckie had wished and prayed for an opportunity to meet her mother. As much as she loved her father, there was a special relationship that mothers and daughters shared. Duckie knew she had missed out on it for the last 54 years. She had grown up watching jealously as the mothers of her friends taught them sewing and cooking and every other useful skill. The advice they had given their daughters had been good too, along with the eternal acceptance of them and of course, their love.
Nothing seemed more important to Duckie growing up than the desire to feel her mother's love. It had always seemed impossible though, as her father had said her mother perished during childbirth…
Why had he lied?
Moreover, why had her mother given her away to her father to raise alone? Why had she abandoned her father? How had they ended up together if they did not speak the same language? How was that even possible?
And for goodness sakes, was she an elf?
Her mind buzzed with question after question about the secrets she had overheard while she looked out the window, watching the group of men disappear into the darkness of the forest beneath the full moon's light. It was there, in front of her own dim reflection she stayed, dwelling on thoughts about her long-lost mother for hour upon hour. She lingered until the sun finally peeked above the prairie in the east, lighting the sky with lush shades of pink and orange as night gave way to dawn.
The men had not returned. Their campsite was abandoned and the only movements she could see were coming from the oxen and horses that had pulled their wagons. Needing to fill the time while she waited for Henry's inevitable return, Duckie found herself working the fields all day to harvest an assortment of vegetables. She also spent a few hours extracting weeds from the soil with a hoe she had found in the barn.
When the day had passed and the sun was setting in the west above the snow-capped mountains, the men still had not returned. Father John also had not come at his promised time, which made Duckie deeply uncomfortable. He was a man of faith who normally kept his word, but Duckie knew he sometimes got rather busy, as his workload often coincided with the sheer number of problems within the settlement. It had seemed like there were many things coming up for him to take care of when she had last met with him, so Duckie did her best not to panic over the situation.
However, after one more day with no signs of Father John or the men, Duckie grew anxious and fearful. This was starting to play out a lot like when her father had disappeared and Duckie could not bear the thought of losing Father John too. While she hardly knew the intriguing strangers she had spied upon, she found herself hoping and praying they were okay too. After all, she had never met any immortals other than her father and she desperately wanted to learn more about them.
Henry's promise of an explanation lingered in Duckie's mind and she found that the longer she waited, the more desperate she was becoming to learn more about the immortal men. She especially hoped that perhaps something more would be mentioned about her mother, as she greatly desired to meet her.
These thoughts fueled Duckie's decision to go looking for the men at the forest's edge. She could not stand the thought of something disparaging happening to them, as had happened with her father. Still, she dared not tread too deeply into the forest, for fear of getting lost or worse—coming upon the creature that had killed Lewis.
Duckie figured she would search for one day and if she could not find the men, she would walk all the way to the settlement the next day to report them missing. While there, she could check up on what had kept Father John away for so long and perhaps even sneak in a visit with her good friend Margaret, whom she had missed dearly during the last week.
After packing some food and water into a small brown satchel she had found in a kitchen drawer, Duckie slowly walked by the tall rows of corn towards the lush green trees that reached up high, rejoicing in their long lives by offering their branches up to the sky. They did not look very menacing currently, but Duckie knew better than to assume that the creature was not lurking within their boughs. In fact, she nearly turned back, as the voice of the breeze whispered its warning to her.
"No," she whispered back defiantly. "They are the only other immortals I have met. I will not miss my chance to learn more about myself and my mother!"
As she entered the forest, plants grabbed at her hair, ankles, and hands, annoyingly begging her to return to safety. It is here, one tree murmured, lingering where you least expect it. Go back before it spots you, for it wants you as its prey!
It will eat the flesh clean off your bones, another one warned her; turn back before it cuts you down to a stump and drinks all of your sap!
"Henry!" Duckie called out loudly, doing her best to ignore the warnings surrounding her, even as a feeling of unease settled deep within her soul. "Henry, are you here?!"
All day long, Duckie called out for the men as she delicately traversed the forest's edge. She received no answer from them, nor were there any traces of their presence within the woods. Before Duckie knew it, the sun was setting and she found herself trying to hurry home, having lost track of time during her search.
Her heart started to pound faster as she hastened her pace when the last traces of sunlight disappeared behind the mountains. An even deeper feeling of unease set in as she became keenly aware that someone, or something, was watching her. She could practically feel its eyes digging into the back of her head. When Duckie turned around and looked behind her though, she could see nothing.
The forest had grown eerily silent, whereas normally it would be vibrantly filled with the sounds of life at this time of night. Not even an owl's hoot could be heard over the deafening stillness. Duckie nervously found herself trying to fill the silence with the song that had been on her heart for the last month.
"Let us pause in life's pleasures and count its many tears,
While we all sup sorrow with the poor.
There's a song that will linger forever in our ears,
Oh, hard times, come again no more."
"Tis the song, the sigh of the weary,
Hard times, hard times, come again no more.
Many days you have lingered around my cabin door,
Oh, hard times, come again no more."
She sang as quietly as she could, her eyes investigating her surroundings every so often to try and ease the warning within her heart. A small breeze picked up and blew with surprising strength behind her, as if trying to push her faster than she was already traveling. Duckie broke out into a full run, breathing heavily as she sprinted alongside the forest with every last bit of energy she possessed.
It comes for you, several trees whispered out in tandem, Run and hide! Run and hide!
A scream ripped out of Duckie's mouth when she next turned around, as she could see a set of eight dark eyes glowing from within the darkness of the foliage, gazing down at her. Now she could hear the beast tearing through the treetops after her.
"HELP!" She screamed shrilly as she ran. "HELP ME PLEASE!"
Duckie could not see the creature, but she could hear it and it was gaining on her. She desperately tore through the grass by the forest's edge as fast as she could manage. Something long and thin brushed against the top of her head, eliciting another blood-curdling scream from her lips. She pulled further away from the forest, but felt the push against her waist this time. The strength of the second blow sent her rolling towards the edge of the cornfield where the corn was still trampled down.
It was where they had found Lewis' body.
Flipping upwards, Duckie lifted up her arms and mentally prepared herself to face the beast for the first time. All she was able to see though was a large tree branch full of leaves. It came out of nowhere and swung fluidly overtop of her. She heard the beast scream in anguish, the sound of its bellow moving away from her alarmingly fast in the direction the tree branch had swung…
Had a tree just flung the creature away from her?
A tree?
Was that even possible?
Then again, Duckie had heard and seen a lot of odd things in the last few days, so perhaps she should not have been so surprised. Despite that, when a large branch gently picked her up and lifted her into the air, Duckie felt rather shocked, to say the very least.
Even more astonishing though was her discovery that the tree had two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, all set into its greyish brown bark. If she was not witnessing it with her very own eyes, she would not have believed it.
"Hello… young elleth." His low, tired-sounding voice drawled at a lazy pace.
It was a talking tree.
Oh.
Dear.
God.
This was the last straw for Duckie. With one final scream of shock that rubbed her throat raw, she felt her body pass grow faint as her mind passed into a comforting state of darkness.
ooOoo
Please let me know what you think of the story! I'd love to hear from you. I will try my best to update a bit more quickly next time around, as a month of waiting is a very long time. Thanks for your patience—I look forward to hearing from you!
-P.G.