First Beta-ed by slytherin-mafia around the year 2008.

Renewed Beta-ed by emmithar at the date of Thursday January 21, 2010.

Please feel free to visit their profiles on this website.

Thank you so much Emmithar! :)


Last Hope of Mankind

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Summary: Au Estel age 11 has been captured by orcs after he was attacked with pack of wolves. Why haven't they tortured him yet? Why did they take him to their village and treated his wounds? Was everything that he was taught about orcs since birth been false all this time? Are they any different from elves, humans and nay other beings? And why has this orc child keep pulling his hair as if wanting to play with him? What would Estel learn form them that would help him during the War with the Ring and when he is King? Or will he in the end be killed by the other family that he only knows by calling him a traitor?


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"Ten Soldiers wisely led will beat a hundred without a head"
--Euripides

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"Talking"
"Elfish and Black Speech"
'thoughts'

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Chapter Three

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A White Tiger was in front of him. Its bright blue eyes stared at him, as if studying him to see what he would do next. Kaghed, Warlord of the Kingdom of Matryia and tribal leader of Hellên Acerbus, grabbed his sword, waiting for it to attack. But the young tiger did not attack. Instead it walked closer, Kaghed staring at it with caution.

'What is this vision telling me?' he asked himself. As the White Tiger approached him, Kaghed could see around its neck a black corded necklace with a rounded amulet, beads and claws hanging from it. Looking at it closer, Kaghed eyes widened as he recognized it. It was the mark of his family that they had given to their children; telling others that this child was their heir. But his kin neither worshiped, nor did they view the White Tiger as a spirit from the Gods. For the White Tiger was a Human Spirit, one that guided humans to the next world. What did this mean? Was this a child from another kind, or a child that was half of his kin?

The White Tiger walked past him, walking through the shadows. It turned back, and to Kaghed's surprise it was no longer a White Tiger that he now saw. It was a human child. The child wore Elvin clothing; he had bright blue eyes, and dark hair. The young child smiled at him as if he knew him. Kaghed looked down around the boy's neck. There was the same necklace that the White Tiger had worn.

Suddenly, the boy turned into a young man, not yet in his kin a full adult, but much older and wiser looking. The man was no longer wearing Elvin armor, as Kaghed thought he would. Instead the young man wore pieces of Orc armour and Ranger clothing, the same type that he himself wore. The human's sword was of elven-made, Kaghed thought, as he remembered many times before that many Elves used to try to kill him in battles. He didn't recognize the sword of who it belong to, for it was an ancient type of sword that he guessed had been made thousands of years before; around the time of his birth or before.

The young man nodded and bowed at him as if saying a goodbye for the last time or perhaps for a very long time. Slowly the young man disappeared before replying, "Kaghed... Kaghed..."

Slowly the vision faded.

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Kaghed woke up with a start, grabbing his hand knife from under his pillow. He was back into reality, in his tent. Quickly Kaghed got dressed, grabbing his sword as he went. Outside the cold morning air swept though him. A young orc child ran past him, chasing a warg pup down the muddy paths through the clearing that they had made up a few short decades ago. That was when their whole tribe had come to this forest to escape the humans from Rohan; humans had killed many strong orcs of their tribe long ago. Kaghed sighed in frustration, still thinking of what he had witnessed in his vision.

'What was the vision supposed to mean?' As he thought this, Kaghed walked up to one of the females, who handed him a chuck of meat from a doe that was caught in the forest just a few hours ago.

Kaghed gladly took it from the young female, who batted her eyes at him. Kaghed shook his head, quickly walking away. The elders of the tribes kept telling him to get a mate, which in his opinion he was not ready for. There were many young females that would gladly become his mate if he chose, he knew, but he couldn't. War was coming, and he couldn't make any female mateless. He had seen from a young age of what happened to his mother when his father never came home from a battle.

As he thought this, two orc children ran out of the forest in high speed, running to an older male orc. Kaghed sighed. What were Prasshnak's sons up to now?

They were cries of fear coming from the enlarging group. Something was not right. Something was wrong, very wrong, he could feel it. Kaghed approached the group. Vashnak and Proshnak were in the middle, telling all who would listen of what they had witnessed in the forest just a few moments ago.

"Dad, we found an elf or a human in the forest!" Proshnak blurted out to their father. Praashnak, son of Kraanak, looked at his youngest son in disbelief. Kaghed did as well. What was he talking about? What elf or human? There hadn't been one of those in this forest for years!

"What are you blabbing on about? What elf or human, son?" Praashnak asked him.

"That's what we mean, father. A youngling by the looks of it. We must show you—" Vashnak stopped, after seeing Kaghed, their leader, standing there in the crowd.

"Tell us from the beginning, Vashnak," Kaghed demanded from him. 'An elf or human child? Was this being from his visions? What were God and their kin spirits trying to tell him?' He had to know.

"Well—" Vashnak started, hesitating as if unsure.

"Me and Vashnak were walking in the forest, minding our own business. You know walking around," Proshnak said, seeing that his brother was not speaking. Kaghed nodded, turning to the younger brother.

"Then I saw this strange figure lying on the ground in a tree truck! What kind of being would sleep in a tree?"

"Get to the point, Proshnak!" Vashnak told his brother in a harsh tone.

Proshnak looked at his brother with a glare before continuing his story. "Me and Vashnak came closer. It was a female elf, or a human, I think," Proshnak said in an afterthought.

Kaghed looked at the orc child strangely. 'A female? Surly it wasn't the boy that he had seen in his vision?'

"It's a he, Proshnak," Vashnak said, folding his arms in front of him.

"How can it be a he? It looked too female-ish!"

'So they can't agree on the gender? Only they could argue over gender at times like this,' Kaghed thought, trying not to throttle the two orc children in front of him.

"Both elven and human children do look similar, even in gender. Are you sure, it was elf or human?" Kaghed asked them. They both nodded.

"We thank you for telling us. Can you both show us where this being is?"

"Aye, come on! Before she wakes!" Proshnak said. Kaghed followed the two orc children, telling all to stay in the village, as six other males and a few females followed. One could never be too careful.

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o0o0o0o0o
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Estel woke up with a start. 'What was that?' Estel slowly got up, raising his knife in front of him. Was he just imagining things?

'I better start moving,' he thought. 'Ada and the others would worry about me.' But where to go? Everything around him was the same in every direction. Nothing but trees, and bushes; there were no visible paths. Birds chipped above him, looking up he saw nothing but the tree tops.

Just as he was starting to walk, he stopped in horror as he heard a blood-curling howl that echoed though the still forest. Everything around him became quiet. No birds were chirping, no wind was blowing through the trees tops, no bugs were buzzing around. It was as if the forest itself knew something foul was near. Someone or something was ready to kill...

Estel's heart beat faster within his chest, his breathing quickening. He had the feeling that was telling him to run; he knew that he was being watched. But how could he run without knowing where to go?

A growl was behind him. Slowly Estel turned his head to where he heard the growl.

A dark figure walked into the clearing. It was a wolf.

The wolf was very large; its ratty black coat was covered with mud and insects. Its yellow orbs of eyes glared at him with longing hatred, its yellow razor sharp teeth dripped of saliva, blood and foam. From what Ada had told him about wild dogs, he knew that this thing had rabies. If he was bitten, it didn't matter if he escaped, he would still die a horribly painful death. And this wolf knew it.

Estel slowly walked back, hitting his back against a tree. He watched in horror as the wolf's pack showed up. They were crowded around him. He was trapped.

Estel raised his knife in front of them, waving it around in front of him at every wolf that walked closer to him. The pack moved closer, mocking him, treasuring his fear and dread of their victim before them.

Then a hot boil pain shot up though him. Estel felt his blood drip down from right arm and upper part of his chest. His skin and muscles were torn from the side of his upper arm as one of the wolves bite into the right side of his arm between his elbow and his neck. Estel screamed, crying for help, knowing that no one would hear him. No one was close enough to hear him.

The other elves were right. He was weak. He was not fit to live. It was his destiny to die here and to be fed to these wild blood-thirsty wolves. If only they would kill him instantly, instead of letting him feel pain beyond belief. It wouldn't be so bad to die if he was already dead.

"SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!" Estel cried again, praying that someone would hear his cries . He didn't want to die, even if it was his fate. No! He was too young, even in human years he was still a child! He was only eleven years old; he hadn't seen the world yet!

Estel fell onto his knees. Finally the wolf let go. The wolves circled him, playing with him, still treasuring the feel of his pain and helplessness.

The wolf leader jumped for the kill.

Its head fell on to Estel's lap, as its lifeless corpse fell in front of him with a thud.

Battle cries pierced though the forest, as large dark figures appeared, killing all the wolves in one fast motion.

Before Estel fell unconscious he thought the others had found him, that Ada and his brothers had come. As an unknown person caught him before he fell to the ground, he thought, 'Finally Ada and the others found me...' It felt like forever before the darkness surrounded him.

(End of Chapter)


Words: 2,717

(1) Warlord: is the Orc form of speech which means King or Ruler of a Orc Kingdom. Warlords (or at times when females are ruling they are called War maids or War ladies?) are usually the cleverest, the strongest, the firstborns of the past Warlord (maid), bravest of their royal line.

(2) Matryia: An orc kingdom beyond Mordor. It was a large country, behind Mount Doom. It is said to be a thriving country before wars were fought when many traveled west into Middle Earth thousands years before. It is said that Lord Elrond's great-great-great parents were one of the millions who traveled west who helped founded Rivendell during the First Age

There are few reading of Matryia, it said to be myth. Very few had traveled there and said to never return.

(3) Warg(s): is a term used to describe the evil wolves in the LotR movies/books who were used as mounts by orcs. They could only harm others when darkness had fallen. They were simply giant wolves that roamed Rhovanion and the wilds to the east of the Misty Mountains. It is believed that the name originally applied to the werewolves that plagued Middle-Earth; evil spirits that took form only at night, preying on the flesh of anything they caught. It is also rumored that they had a crude understanding of the Black Speech.

In my story I used wargs as both a pet or/and a beast of burden depending of what the owner wants. When a warg is fully grown, they are large as horses and can carry a ton of weight. Orcs use them as horses. In Ancient times, at Matryia they were used for guarding gates. Like the Mongols in Our world, orcs also use these wargs for their milk.

"Good Orc(s) Challenge": To any Author out there that wish to do this Challenge. The story must be about one or group(s) of orcs that are "good", different from the Orcs that we see from the movies & books. In the story, you must show the way these orcs live, their families and their way of life, such as: their customs, their religion etc. Also make a believable excuse WHY and HOW these orcs are "good". In this Challenge, you must write a reasonable way to get these orcs to help any LotR Character that you choose; doesn't matter where in the time line, it is your choice. The Plot of the story is also your choice. This Challenge is NOT a one-shot. It MUST be a more then one chapter story. Good luck.

AND PLEASE, if you do this Challenge notify me, so I read it. :)

Read and Review

--FireChildSlytherin5