I'm going to have to up the rating for this chapter to T, due to violence. It gets very dark and kind of graphic later on. I'm starting to think I should rate it M, but I'm not sure. Let me know. In this chapter I will introduce why one of the genre's of this story is 'supernatural'. I'm going to be using italics to describe something that is happening during the same time as the events in normal text, but its happening in a different location or from a different perspective. I really hope you enjoy this chapter. It was incredibly difficult to write.
Disclaimer: I do not own LOTR, just my OC's and the plot of my story.
The moon began rising into the clear sky as night fell on Tasneem. Fire cracked in the hearth of the inn, illuminating the two figures sitting at a table nearby.
The moon was rising; a full moon. Their breath came in heavy pants as they ran through the forest, their long powerful legs propelling them so quickly that they almost seemed to glide across the ground.
Sergio took a deep breath, and then sighed.
"How much do you know about wolves' lassie?" Fravardin blinked in confusion before pursing her lips in concentration.
"Well, I know that they can normally be found hunting in packs and that they are loyal to each other. They eat meat, can be good climbers, and that they have amazing eye sight, hearing, and sense of smell. Father said that they can also be incredibly dangerous when threatened."
A growl of warning was passed onto one who had run too close to the other. They needed to be quick, no stumbles or distractions were an option.
"Indeed lass, very good. Now imagine the skills and fierceness of the wolf increased to ten times the normal or even more. Not only that, but what would happen if they had human like qualities; qualities such as the way we think and how our emotions affect us to act. In some instances what if they could walk like us?"
The running ceased for a mere moment as one of them stopped and sniffed the air before taking off in a different direction, closely followed by the others.
Fravardin listened intensely. She had heard her father mumbling about such things before, but when she had asked him about it he had dismissed it as nothing and walk away. But…
"Father has spoken of unusually strong wolves before, but anything more than that is just a legend right? Mum says such things cannot possibly exist. So there is no such thing, right Uncle?" The man's eyes reflected an inner struggle, but they soon hardened with resolve.
"Legends are sometimes born from truth, and in this case, a truth that dates back for thousands of years. It even has mentions during the great battle for Middle Earth, against Sauron and the ring of power. Some even believe that these creatures share similar ancestry with the Dunadan because both are blessed with long life. Some of these creatures have even lived almost as long as the elves."
He was actually rather impressed. Although the girl's face was slowly dawning a look of fear, the spark of interest and curiosity never left her eyes. He continued,
"These creatures have gone through history as a symbol of the danger that lurks in the dark corners of this world. They are known for their blood lust and ferocity and violence towards any living creatures. No one ever sees them for long, and if they do they are dead within the next few moments. But one of the worst things…"
He paused to give her a moment to let something sink in. He knew it was a lot to handle, especially for a small girl who had just turned ten summers old. He glanced out the window at the full moon.
The creatures ran along the river. They sprinted over the river and came to a halt on a wooden dock. The leader took a deep breath…
"The howl. A howl unlike any you have ever heard before. Very distinct and deep in sound. It effects the very earth itself, almost as if it is speaking to it in an ancient language."
"Uncle… w-what are they?" the girl's voice trembled with fear.
"Werewolves lass…" as soon as the words left his mouth a deep, horrifying howl pierced the air.
Fravardin's eyes widened in terror and she was about to scream, but her uncle quickly jumped out of his chair before picking her up and covering her mouth.
"Shhh. Try and be as silent as you can lass." He said barley above a whisper. He turned when he heard panicked footsteps coming down the stairs. Fidel ran up to him, eyes filled with fear. He handed the trembling girl to his sister.
Growls could be heard outside along with the sound of multiple heavy footsteps.
"We have to get out of here Sergio!" she whispered, hugging her daughter close as her brother grabbed his sword and began leading them towards the back door.
Suddenly there was a blood curdling scream and the chaos began.
One of the creatures burst through the back door, walking on four legs through the shadows and into the firelight, following he humans as they began backing up towards the front door. The massive creature watched them for a moment, glowing eyes taking in every detail of the prey in front of it. Then, with a roar, it lunged.
"Run!" Sergio shouted as he sliced at the creature with his sword, distracting it long enough for Fidel to run out the front door with Fravardin holding onto her hand, now running beside her. They stopped in horror. Screams of other villagers filled the air as the creatures drug them out of their homes; men, women, and children. These people that they grew up with were being slaughtered right before their eyes. Fravardin watched in shock as a creature…werewolf… dug its teeth into a friend of hers. The boy didn't even scream. His mouth fell open in shock and his eyes went wide. The werewolf dropped him on the ground and the boy began to thrash, and soon joined in the chorus of screams before blood began oozing from his mouth and he grew still.
Frevardin
She stood paralyzed. She watched the same process happen again and again with people she knew. Buildings were either demolished or were in the process of burning. Growls, screams, blood, fire; it was all too much for her to register. No more than an hour ago she was celebrating her birthday with all of these people. They were all laughing and smiling. Now most of them were either laying face first in a pool of their own blood, or they were being ripped apart by these monsters. She watched as one wolf, which had been walking on all fours and was as big as a horse, stood up and its front paws changed into humanlike hands, with long fingers and sharp claws.
Frevardin!
It turned to look at her.
She stared back, their eyes locked. She gasped.
It started walking towards her.
"Frevardin! Run!" someone grabbed her hand and began pulling her with them. She looked away from the wolf that began to pick up its speed, and saw that it was her mother. They ran.
They had not gotten very far when a wolf jumped into their path. Standing on its hind legs, this one was taller than the rest of them. It had fur as dark as the shadows and piercing red eyes. It snarled at them and stalked forward. Fidel placed herself in front of her daughter. Before the wolf could attack, battle cry rang out and Sergio appeared with his bloodied sword in one hand and a torch in the other. He sliced at the creature, and then threw the hot fire into its face. It howled in pain, and the three took that as their chance to escape.
As they ran into the woods, Fravardin risked one last glance at her home. There was nothing left, and with tears streaming down her face she looked away for the last time.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
The light of the full moon darkened as dangerous clouds covered the sky. Thunder ripped through the sky as rain began falling onto the forest.
They ran and ran until Fravardin tripped and couldn't run anymore. She was tired, and her body was wracked by sobs. She felt like she was in a nightmare and could not wake up. Gentle hands tried to pull her back onto her feet, but her legs would not cooperate.
"Fravardin, we have to keep going!" her uncle's urgent voice broke through her clouded mind.
"I can't Uncle!" She gasped through her sobs. He was about to pick her up and carry her when a strangled gasp broke the silence. The man looked saw Frevardin's shocked eyes staring behind him.
He turned, and cried out in anguish.
"No!" Fidel's empty eyes stared past him. Long, sharp, bloodied claws were emerging from her stomach. Blood dribbled from her mouth, frozen open in shock. The claws disappeared and Fidel's motionless body dropped to the ground, dead. The shadowed wolf from before stood behind her, inspecting its bloodied claws.
"Mum…?" Fravardin's quiet, shaking voice was drowned out by the heavy rainfall.
Sergio stared at the body of his sister, too shocked to noticed the wolf moving around him.
"UNC-"a sharp gasp and a long wheeze snapped his attention back towards his niece. He almost fell to his knees in anguish.
The wolf now had its teeth buried in the right side of the girl's body.
She was too shocked to register what exactly was happening. She felt something warm oozing down her back, her chest, her arms, everywhere. She could feel the warm breaths of the creature, hear its breathing. Slowly the pain began to register. She tried to scream, but couldn't; She could hardly breathe, her breaths coming out in harsh wheezes. Her wide eyes connected with her uncles'. His sorrow filled eyes became angry as he picked up his sword and began to charge toward the creature crying out in rage and sorrow. Things began moving in slow motion.
The clouds parted just enough to reveal the light of the full moon. Fravardin looked up to it, the pupils of her eyes dilating as the ring around her neck hummed and something deep inside of her began to shift.
A flash of blinding light and a resonating howl, and she knew no more.
…I'm not even sure what to say about this chapter… I was not expecting to write what I did. It came out so much more… bloody than I intended it to. Let me know if you think I should change the overall rating of the story. I think this will be the most graphic chapter, but I still have a whole story ahead of me so I honestly have no idea…
Please leave a review! As I said before, I'm very excited about this story and would like to know your thoughts.
~Cooking-ninja