All characters seen in this chapter were first written about by me. The world and greater situations were first written down by J. R. R. Tolkien to whom I am truly grateful.

This story is for entertainment purposes only, so please read and be entertained.

The darkness was nearly complete in the canyon. Upon the ledge, though, the stars shone bright. The warg growled at the light bathing the stones, but its nostrils twitched. The stench of death also covered the area. Far too long a time had passed since he'd had a meal. With that much meat inside him, he could become powerful, very powerful.

He leapt from one ledge, to another, to another. Once he stood upon the last, his nostrils twitched again. He pressed his nose to the cliff-edge. The scent of elves emanated from it as well. Elves had been here not long ago. Dare he go on?

. . .

Lathwinn stared from the shadow she had made her hiding place. Their guest, Celuant, stood a few steps behind her. He gazed over her shoulder at the cairn of rocks. He almost started when the warg leapt atop it.

The beast stood upon the heap of stones Celuant had advised these other elves in the building of. The Noldo's eyes were drawn to Lathwinn as she soundlessly drew an arrow from her quiver and set it against the string. They watched as the warg sniffed the air seeming to stare right at them. Then it dropped it's head and began to examine the stone-pile.

Lathwinn raised her bow. She aimed the arrowhead at the place above the beast's lowered muzzle and between its squinted eyes. She pulled back on the string. She stared. The starlight illuminated each individual hair covering the concave of the skull's soft spot.

The elleth grimaced. She tried not to breathe. She dared not release the sigh she was feeling.

Celuant smiled. He felt something bubble up from within in him, pleasure. Exultation sang from his spirit. The warg raised its head. He growled just after Lathwinn loosed her arrow.

The elleth gasped. The arrow-point landed in the beast's left nostril. The warg leapt back behind the rock-pile. He was out of sight, his strangled yelp bounced off the canyon walls.

Celuant knew from experience that meant the warg was keeping its head down. Its windpipe was curved, not straight. Straightening it would mean exposing its throat to the air. This beast was smart, experienced, and it could have been dead by now …

Lathwinn put another arrow to her string. Her mouth pursed into a tight line. Her wide-open eyes scanned the darkness. Celuant stood frozen behind her. The warg's labored breathing told them exactly where he was, behind the rock-pile, which blocked their view of it.

The creature growled and whined. The two blended together as they changed into each other. The sounds were also distorted and muffled as they bounced off the stone structure the beast had flattened itself against. Lathwinn stared in their direction, but did not pull back her bowstring.

A form sprang off a nearby ledge and into the starlight. It rose to its full stature standing tall on the same plain of stone the cairn stood upon. Celuant blinked at it. Lathwinn jerked upright and stared. She pulled back on the string and aimed it at the air just in front of the form.

The warg darted from its hiding place. The beast rushed the figure standing in the light. Lathwinn turned and followed the warg's progress, but she did not release her bolt. Even Celuant could see the archer did not have a clear shot of any of the beast's soft places. Neither its head nor its chest, but only its left side was turned toward her.

Another, equally tall figure sprang from its own hiding place and landed on the same surface the first figure and warg stood on. It then shouted from behind the warg. The beast slid to a stop. Then it huddled against the ground growling and dripping blood. Lathwinn took two steps to the side on her own ledge, raised her bow, and shook her head. "The angle is still not right."

The warg's eyes turned slightly toward her. Then it turned back and charged the first tall figure to appear. The other raised its bow and shot an arrow into the beast's back leg. The monster slid to a stop giving a strangled howl. Then it turned back and rushed the archer. Blood poured out from its new wound.

Celuant sprang toward Lathwinn's hip. She turned as he reached it, but knew not was he was doing in time to stop him. He pulled her knife from its sheath, spun toward the unfolding scene, and threw. As the blade cut through the night, the Noldo first froze, then crumpled, and finally hissed as he fell to his knees with one hand gripping his opposite shoulder.

Lathwinn stooped over him and placed a hand on the same shoulder, but then she turned back to watch her blade bury itself in one of the warg's shoulders. The beast slid over the stones letting out a yipe. Then it fled behind the stone cairn again. Once there, it only lifted its head slightly in a strangled howl. Pain and rage bounced off the canyon walls.

Lathwinn covered her ears and fell to her knees. Celuant turned to look at her. His face drooped and eyes softened.

The warg sprang back into the open. It once more charged the first figure to join it on the stone surface holding the cairn. The figure leapt out of its path, then turned to face it. The beast reached the far cliff-side and turned. The second tall figure rose to its full height, drew back the string of its own bow, and shouted. "Brother, get down!"

The second figure loosed its arrow, and two more joined it in the air, flying out of the surrounding darkness and toward the warg too. The beast yowled again, but continued its sprint and then pounced. Five arrows protruded from its hide, one from it's face, three from its chest, and one from its back leg. Eyes burning with pain and despair pierced into the ellon's. Yet as the elf held its gaze, he reached for his own belt and then thrust his arm up as the beast landed upon him.

Lathwinn screamed out into the night, "Lastannan!"

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God Bless

ScribeofHeroes