Galathil's eyes flittered open and he awoke with a keen feeling of dread. The elf laid upon his back. Dark irises watched the low, grey sky. The dawn was just beginning to fill the world with a gentle light. The morning was cool in the foothills. A strong wind drove the thick swathes to skirt the high jagged peaks surrounding the trio. The air felt thin and quiet. The only sound to be heard in the small campsite was the gentle snoring of Celeborn and a faint hint of breeze sighing through the fir needles.

Something had awoken Galathil. Some instinct had moved him from peaceful sleep, but he knew not what it had been nor what it foretold. All he knew was that something on this fine, cool morning was setting his mind on edge and he learned long ago to trust his instincts. He closed his eyes trying to concentrate on hearing the stirrings of the forest.

Possibilities ran through the elf's mind as he listened. It could have been a nearing outbreak of rain. The clouds did look full and a morning shower was not all that uncommon in this region at this time of year. But perhaps it was not a storm that had awoke him. His thoughts jumped to the destruction he had seen yesterday and the creature they had decided to track today. A nagging kept that notion at the forefront of his mind.

As it had been the entire trip, the forest was completely still and devoid of any wildlife noises which still troubled him. Galathil opened his eyes once again and shifted to scan the surrounding trees and vegetation. Nothing. He doubted that if the creature, or whatever it was, was lurking near, he would be able to see it. It was probably the type of hunter that, by the time its prey caught sight of it, time would no longer be important… He supposed most predators were like that…

He thought he caught a faint sound of a whisper on the wind like the ones he had heard earlier, murmuring foul names and odd words. Slowly he moved his hand to the sword upon the ground beside him. He gripped it lightly by the hilt, but remained ready to use it any moment. He wouldn't be caught unawares if the foul voices really did portend anything at all. They probably don't, Galathil. They are just you playing tricks on yourself, he thought to himself. He steeled himself to not be surprised if he was wrong, however. He needed to remain sharp.

Galathil turned over and faced his brother. Celeborn lay on Galathil's left an arm's length away from where Galathil lay. His brother was turned on his side facing away from Galathil. Celeborn seemed to be sleeping soundly. It was a shame he had to be woken up, but they would have been waking up this time anyways. They had agreed on sunrise last night and Galathil had not forgotten that they had decided to track the mysterious creature today. Maybe this will work out to our advantage, he thought in a brief moment of severe brashness. Gently, he prodded his elder brother in the back to wake him. Celeborn rolled over to face Galathil and opened his eyes groggily.

When Celeborn saw the anxiety on his brother's face, he propped himself on an arm and met the younger elf's gaze. "What troubles you?"

Galathil decided to question the voices first. If anything, they were really what gave him the shivers. "Do you hear that?" He asked vaguely, not wanting to put any ideas in Celeborn's head.

Celeborn focused on listening for a moment. The forest was still and, for the most part, silent save the breeze in the trees. He caught something else or he thought he did. On the edge of hearing and barely perceptible, an indistinct shifting on the mould not too far away from them and the mingling of a soft whisper of the wind. It once again hinted at a dry hiss of foul words. He opened his mouth to speak these things into the open, when several things happened at once.

The voice halted quickly. A thick reek came about them. Suddenly, a great snap followed by a hideous rumble sounded behind Galathil. Several trees were blown wildly to the left and right as a giant creature burst upon the small clearing. It looked like a thick bodied snake. Mottled grey and dusty brown scales covered its entire form. The tightly knitted shields were barbed with sharp hooks that gleamed when the creature flexed. It had no appendages, but its most striking feature was its eyes. They shone, amber and crimson, with a dark malice of all things not its own. A voracious hunger burned deep in their black slits. Even in that brief space of time Celeborn was given to behold the massive serpent, he could plainly see that. However, at that same moment, Celeborn was called back to the present.

The creature burst forth from the forest with a harsh, throaty growl. It immediately lunged for the nearest to itself of the three elves: Thranduil. Before Celeborn was even able to react, the beast manoeuvred its tail and swiftly seized the prince.

Thranduil had just sat up shocked and utterly surprised by the rude awakening. He let out a cry in terror as the beast lifted him, meaning to shake the young ellon to death. Galathil, however, had been more prepared than his brother Celeborn. He quickly swung out his sword in a wild stroke for the underbelly of the creature. So near the enemy was to him that Galathil was able to put enough strength into the blow to cut deeply even from a prone position. The blade split the hide with ease and a thick spurt of black blood shot from the wound. Galathil rolled out of the path of the fluid, pressing into where Thranduil had been lying before.

The serpent hissed in pain and let Thranduil go before it was able to begin shaking him. The elf still hit the ground painfully with a grunt and landed not far off to the side. The creature lashed out at Galathil with its now free tail. Galathil nimbly rolled into a backwards somersault leading onto his feet and evaded.

Celeborn stood up snatching his scabbard from the floor just as the prince landed. He cringed slightly, hoping the ellon was alright… His surprise was now completely worn off and he drew his sword from its sheath. The creature must have seen this new attacker for it lunged towards Celeborn with lighting quickness, but the elf lord was ready for a fight. He barely dodged its gleaming, ivory fangs and gave the nose of the beast a quick nick. His sword glanced off the thick armour of the scales, but the blow served in the least to distract the creature whilst Galathil drove a mighty slash across the midsection of the beast.

The creature immediately whirled around to face Galathil, whipping his tail in a movement meant to slam into Celeborn from behind. Celeborn was able to duck beneath the attack. The creature was fighting on two sides now, that was good.

Galathil rolled out of the way of the beast's charge and kept rolling as the creature continued to snap at him. After the third nimble evasion the beast finally changed tactics with a growl and a hiss. It appeared to be growing frustrated.

Thranduil was beginning to rise from the ground where he had ploughed heavily into earlier.

Celeborn himself was desperately sparring with the sharp tip of the serpent's tail. It was entirely muscle and moved seemingly on its own will, striking and darting to and fro with blinding speed and incredible strength. However, as Galathil provoked the beast, it grew less and less accurate in its movements. Celeborn took advantage of the lapse in its concentration and duck once again under a high swipe. He swiftly gave a strong upstroke which severed the armoured tail cleanly off.

The creature was about to bring his body full swing and sweep the entire camp with one final lash when Celeborn amputated its tail end. The beast gave a piercing, high pitched screech at the pain. Galathil almost moved to shield his ears but held himself against the sharp stabbing noise. It did distract him and that proved ill.

The serpent moved suddenly in blind furious reflex. It turned around instantly, flipping its head around with a snarl and lunging towards Celeborn. The now dismembered tail thrashed backwards in counterbalance. It hit Galathil, who had been stunned by the creature's cry, and sent the elf slamming straight into the trunk of a standing fir. Celeborn heard a crack as his brother hit… He desperately jumped out of the way from the charging beast's raging fangs. Venom was now dripping freely from them. It filled the air with a choking smell. Celeborn's heart ached for Galathil, but he could not be distracted. The creature lunged forward again, nearly snapping Celeborn in half. Unexpectedly, a ragged shout called from behind.

The serpent reeled about in fury, facing the one who dared to challenge him so close to victory. It was the young elf he had first meant to kill.

Thranduil struggled to stand still. His head swam and was filled with a thick fog, but that seemed to be lifting slowly. He had seen Galathil be thrown into the tree and that was what kept him up… that and love for another. He could not see Celeborn also be struck down. He held his sword in challenge to the huge creature. The battlefield was now quiet save the combatants' panting for breath. Thranduil met the glowing eyes of his enemy and spoke, for he sensed some manner of conscious thought in this creature, "I give you one chance to be gone or face your death now."

The beast shifted place slightly so he could keep his vision on both of the elves. He opened his own mouth and spoke in a low, gravelly whisper. "Thou shouldesssst not entered my abode," he spat. Malice and hatred laced every word. Deep hunger fuelled every syllable. A bright red tongue flickered in and out as he tasted the air and the elves' fear. "Now, thou must die. I demand toll and sustenance." His gleaming eyes glazed with lust as the slit pupils moved over the tall elf's form. The elf was lordly of bearing, but small, still young, and fresh. The closeness of the creature's next meal made his muscles tremble in delight. It had been far too long since he had anything to fill him up.

Thranduil met the beast's hateful orbs. His courage nearly faltered as the serpent's glare hardened and drew over him. Thranduil's own gaze darted to where Galathil still lay unmoving for a moment then back to meet the beast's. Those glowing embers fuming with wrath pierced deeper than flesh. He felt them boring into his fëa, striving with his own will and yearning to break the resolve that Thranduil so preciously held onto under such a stare.

For seconds which seemed to stretch onward like aeons, they strove in will together, an ancient devouring evil and a flowering youth of the Firstborn. Celeborn was helpless to do anything but watch and not interfere. He could feel the strife between the two wills almost as a physical force. They stood in contest until Thranduil was finally able to shake off his opponent, forcing the cold hand of the other's twisted spirit from him. "Enough!" Thranduil cried as he charged forward in desperation and brazen courage.

The creature's gaze flashed in rage to be beaten and he rose upon his coiled mass ready to strike once more as the young elf started towards him with eyes ablaze and a clear shout. He responded with a loud hiss of his own and lunged forward mouth agape to swallow the little warrior whole.

Thranduil saw the creature kick into sudden movement. Celeborn voiced a frightened yell and moved to attack the beast from behind or at least find some way to aid Thranduil. The serpent was coming at Thranduil in a violent rush. Its breath was a poisonous fume. The beast propelled forward and downward upon him. Venomous fangs sprang forward to consume Thranduil. They would have succeeded, indeed, were it not for the reflexes of the son of Oropher. Thranduil was able to spin quickly out of the way of the fangs and the path of the creature's foul head as it snapped forward. Thranduil came out of the spin with a violent swipe at the serpent's mouth. The blade found its mark and cut right through the sharp tooth with ease. Golden, hot liquid shot from the wound spewing everywhere.

The beast slammed hard into the earth, running a great trench deep into the ground. It gurgled in a painful squeal and began to spasm in agony, drowning in its own foul poison.

Thranduil had jumped to the side after the blades connection while the creature had burrowed. His sword dripped amber rivulets of steaming liquid which dribbled down to burn Thranduil's hand. Celeborn had skidded to a halt mid-charge when he saw what had become of the beast. However, he didn't have long to watch in shocked silence. The creature's convulsing intensified and chaos ensued.

For a few flashes of a second, the beast's large form lashed up a great deal of debris and loose earth. The elves evaded as best they could from the dying creature's girth. Trees snapped when their branches were ripped off by a passing mass of sheer muscle, while the air was filled with the writhing serpent's growls and last gasps. The mountains strengthened the noises, sending them echoing far away into the further lands. Stones and heavy clods of dirt were unearthed and thrown into the sky to land brutally in new resting places. Finally, the beast stilled. Silence cut through the cool morning air and a dust hung low in the space.

Celeborn looked up from where he stood bent over covering his head in defence from the previous shrapnel filling the air. He uprighted himself cautiously. A part of him stayed on the edge. Adrenaline coursed through his veins and would not let him relax just yet. He did not take his eyes off the creature. It might not have been fully dead or any number of possibilities could be the cause of the serpent's stillness. He had certainly not expected the creature to fall so quickly, but as a slow minute of quiet passed he began to believe that perhaps it had occurred that way. Celeborn glanced at Thranduil as the adrenaline and the silence lulled him from the former super-alert state.

The ellon stood looking shocked and in pain. He had dropped his sword. The glittering blade landed with a hollow clang. The prince's blue eyes remained fixed on the heap of armoured flesh lying before him. Celeborn was quite impressed with Thranduil-

His mind jumped suddenly to his brother. All other thoughts left Celeborn as he whirled around to gaze on the place where Galathil sat limply against the back of a tree. Celeborn felt his whole chest tighten in fear and his heart drop into the bottom of his stomach. Hastily, he rushed to Galathil's side. He fell to his knees setting his own sword down on the needle covered ground and gently laying the younger ellon on his back. Celeborn looked over Galathil's body. He sighed a relieved breath and felt the weight on chest lessen somewhat when he realised Galathil was not dead. Indeed, his younger brother was scraped and bruised badly, but he was certainly alive. That fact was a marvel to him, for he was certain he had heard a crack during the fight. Vaguely, Celeborn sensed Thranduil come to their side and also kneel down beside Galathil, but he was too concerned with waking his brother to notice more than the feeling.

Celeborn gingerly placed a hand on Galathil's shoulder and shook him softly. The elf still lay quiet and unresponsive. Celeborn tried again fighting the growing fear in his heart. "Come on, Gal," he whispered quietly, giving his younger brother another nudge.

Finally, after yet another light shake, Galathil's eyes opened. The elf gripped his sword, which he had still held lightly in his grasp, and tensed suddenly at the sight of one leaning over him and the touch accompanying. Galathil would have struck out if the elf had not spoken his name quickly, "Galathil!"

The fog surrounding Galathil's mind was thick, but that voice he knew or he was fairly certain that he knew it. His vision was so blurry, but a figure knelt over him that much he could see… His whole body ached and his back was in immense pain but he was alive at least… The figure above him was a concern though… It couldn't have been the giant, serpent who had spoken. The elf, for he was sure it was an elf now, spoke once again. Concern and fear laced the words. "Galathil?"

Galathil blinked a few times as memories of everything flooded back to him. It was almost too overwhelming for him: all those sudden realisations… He tried to clear his vision and finally it came into focus. He met his brother's eyes. The worry and fear in Celeborn's gaze immediately filled Galathil with grief. He couldn't have his brother worrying over him. He made an effort through the pain to give his best dashing smile: the one that always worked wonders on everyone. "Hey, Cel, what happened to the serpent?" He kept his tone as light as he could, but his words still sounded strained to his own ears... He was sure by now that they had to have killed the beast or else they wouldn't be here. Unless it ran away… He hoped it hadn't run away…

With the corner of his eye, Galathil caught sight of Thranduil giving a slight smile, but Celeborn spoke, still serious. "He choked on his own venom. How are you? How do you feel?"

This time Galathil felt a real shot of humour at Celeborn's tone and questions. He snorted slightly though the act did make him feel a bit light headed and he replied warmly, "Well, I didn't get breakfast, so… hungry."