Chapter 8
A.N- This next chapter is kind of gory, so consider yourself warned.
Tauriel glanced around, "Something horrible happened here," She muttered.
Kili exhaled, "I'm stopping now," He muttered, "Have to rest." With that he sank to the ground beside Tauriel, "Not going any further."
"That's alright," Tauriel answered, "Although I think you'd like to go into the house eventually."
"Silly elf," Kili muttered, closing his eyes and laying back in the grass.
Tauriel smiled to herself, "Stubborn dwarf," She replied. Glancing up at the cottage in the clearing she felt a cold breeze blow at her once more from the north. A storm was coming. She took off her cloak and quietly covered Kili where he lay on the cold ground, "I'll return in a minute. I need to see what happened here before you come closer."
With that she stood, taking her daggers in both hands. Whatever she found she needed to be ready to deal with it. Silently she walked toward the cottage. The door stood broken in and the windows were shattered...but the blood was everywhere. Black dried blood on the floor and the stone path. Flies buzzed around the pools of black and crimson on the grass. Markings in the ground suggested that something had been dragged to the back of the house. Tauriel followed the marks and found them there. Two bodies. One man, one woman. From the white patches of hair and scalp she guessed that they had been two humans of an older age.
Tauriel looked away. She had seen many things in her life but she had never seen bodies so horribly decimated. The savagery was obviously the work of Caran-Carach. Turning toward the house she walked back to the front door and entered it. It was a quaint home, simple but clean. Small portraits of children lined the wall and bread sat upon the small table beside the fireplace. Two worn wooden chairs sat next to the fireplace as well; and a small bed was beside the window. It was a one room house but even with the door broken in it was warmer inside.
Quickly she walked back through the front door to Kili, "It's safe to go inside," she whispered, jostling his shoulder as she spoke.
"Oomph," Kili groaned, "Leave me in peace, she-elf," he muttered, squinting up at her, "Just let me rest."
"It's getting colder," Tauriel said, "If you lay on the ground it will be the worse for you. Come inside."
Kili opened his eyes and glared at her.
Tauriel had to admit that he had done well so far. He had more than enough reason to be upset and cranky. So instead of fighting she simply gestured behind her, "It's just over there. Not far. Less than twenty feet."
Kili sighed and held out his hand for her to help him up. She pulled him to his feet and together they stumbled up the walkway to the house. Once inside, Tauriel brushed the broken glass off the bed and helped Kili get in.
Laying down Kili let out a long sigh, closing his eyes again. That was when Tauriel noticed the red stain on his shirt. She sat beside him on the bed and moved his shirt away from the seeping wound. He had ripped out his stitches.
Kili felt her movement and opened his eyes again.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Tauriel asked, inspecting the angry gash in his left side. It was deep. So deep that she would have to stitch him up again that night.
"It doesn't make any difference," he muttered, "We had to keep going, so we did."
Tauriel grimaced, and then covered him once again with her cloak. "We might be warm here but we're not safe. Not until I repair the door and block up the window." She leaned down and kissed him softly on the forehead, "Rest my love."
"I'm sorry I can't help you," Kili said quietly.
"You can help me by getting better," Tauriel answered as she got up, "I will take care of things for now but I will need your help eventually." With that she walked out of the house and began searching for materials to begin repairing the damage the werewolf had done.
Hours later she had repaired the door and placed stone over the broken window. Kili slept the entire time, exhausted from the traveling and his injuries. She started a fire in the fireplace and the house was warm. Kili slept on.
There was still one thing left to be done. As the sun began to set she dug the graves on the other side of the clearing beyond the house. The sun was setting quickly in the forest when she was finally finished the sky turned cold with colors of yellow and gold. She paused to watch as the sun dipped down below the trees. Glancing down at the two graves, Tauriel felt a pain of injustice as she contemplated that her and Kili's salvation had been at the expense of these unsuspecting victims. They had died hellish deaths in agony.
Tuariel knew that she owed these people more than a simple silent burial. She had never been talented in song compared to the rest of the elven women; but she felt she had to sing anyway. It was the least she could do.
Come winter wind,
Come summer storm,
Come the blades of grass so green.
Out of thunder comes healing rain,
From fire the warmth we need.
When all fades to quiet silence,
Your memories we keep.
May starlight guide you now in peace,
For now you sing the songs of trees,
And we will hear you in the wind.
Come winter wind,
Come summer storm,
Come the blades of grass so green.
As the song ended Tauriel let out a long sigh. A deep silence took over the forest. Nothing stirred. It was as if the world around her grieved. When this was all over Tauriel knew nothing would be the same. Kili would never be the same, and neither would she. She had seen too many things. Horrible things. She had gazed through the darkness and had seen the monsters in the night. From now on she would see them in her sleep and listen for their footsteps at her door. Too much death and pain had gone on in the world of late. Now even the silence of the forest threatened to break her heart.
At last Tauriel began to walk back to the house. The monster would be back tonight. She only prayed that her repairs would keep him safely out of the house.
tbc