The standard patrols in Mirkwood were an uncanny mixture of boring monotony and the adrenaline rush of frequent battle. When going into the forest one could always be sure to expect to meet plenty of loathsome giant spiders. As eternal beings, the elves in charge of patrolling the woods had been patrolling the woods for centuries. Hence, they had encountered an unending amount of these spiders. They had killed so many of the spiders that the actions had become routine and the routine had become monotony. Thus, one could not fully blame decorated war veteran, Vairë, her absentmindedness. She was moving through the wood alongside her fellow guards. They had recently vanquished jet another spider nest and where on their way back home. Her eyes wandered the woods, trying to see something that could engage her mind as she walked. At one point Vairë managed to get the rare glimpse of a natural raven, free of the darkness of the woods, that had made its way into the forest. While distracted by the raven, she fell behind her comrades.
It was only this happenstance, her delayed movement though the woods, which enabled her to hear a sudden scream of horrified agony. The scream was dim, the source much deeper in the woods. The scream was filled with such agony she had never heard before. She ran. Ran to reach the hurt one. Between the trunks of trees. Jumping over scars in the earth. Far of the path she previously had been following, she reached the being, whose screams had by now turned into heart wreaking sobs. Stopping her erratic pace, she slowly approached the being, hidden in the dark of the woods.
The being did not notice her, not even as she crouched down beside it. It was too consumed by its world of heart ache.
The being was sat on the wood floor, kneeling. Its small body convulsing with sobs. The humanoid being was hidden under a dark cloak. Only its tiny hands where visible clutching at its chest. Its head bent over. The being seemed to be unable to comprehend anything other than its great sorrow.
Slowly Vairë reached to tough its shoulder. Not wanting to disturb the obviously morning creature, but also unable to sit and watch such agony without acting. The being gave a start, but did not stop its crying. Vairë wondered how such a small humanoid creature had managed to get so far into the forest. What kind of being was this? What was it doing here?
Slowly tearstained, red eyes where turned on Vairë.
Vairë felt her thought process grind to a halt. She had not been prepared for this sight. It was the face of a child. A very young child.
Children were truly precious to elves. Not only elflings but also any other child of the free races was dear to the elves. Hence, seeing a little human child in the darkness of the evil woods, startled her.
Its body still shaking with sobs, the child observed her. Tears were still freely flowing from those odd red eyes.
In a soft voice, she spoke to the child. Offering words of comfort. The child was still crying, but had not moved away or removed her hand from its shoulder; this she took as encouragement to move closer, embracing its back with her arm, wanting to console the child. However, at this action those red eyes widened and the child made a sound of hurt, among its sobs, while flinching.
The child was in pain.
AN: Should tiny Tom be a human child or an elven child? I cannot really make up my mind. On one hand it would be nice irony, and maybe also punishment by fate, for Tom to live as a mortal human among immortal elves. Living among a people having the thing he desired the most in his previous life, unable to gain it for himself. On the other hand it would be interesting and fun for him to be an elf. Any ideas? Arguments for either of the options?