*** This scene got stuck in my head and wouldn’t leave me alone… so I went ahead and wrote it down. That usually takes care of them, and this one was no exception. š Written 5/14/04. ***
Legolas felt along the rough rock wall, straining his eyes in the darkness, moving forward with cautious steps. But there was no light here; even the dim light from the cavern above could not penetrate this pit, and Legolas felt cold despair creep over him for the first time since entering the ruins of Angband. He swallowed hard, trying to ignore the fear that tightened his chest. He had passed the other such ātestsā of Daemonās, and he would pass this one as well. He had to pass itā¦
Cool air brushed against his bare upper body briefly and Legolas paused, turning to face the breeze head on and taking a deep breath of it. He made a face at the smell. It was outside air, but not fresh. Nothing was fresh or clean in this place. He began to move toward the source of the breeze, but then it was gone. He hesitated only briefly before continuing to move in that direction. That had to be the way outā¦
He had only taken a few steps when he stumbled over something in his path. Legolas caught his balance on the wall, cursing softly under his breath. He moved one foot back slowly until his heel bumped the object, then turned around very carefully and reached down a hand to touch it. His fingertips grazed something solid and slick and Legolas jerked his hand away from it quickly, his heart pounding furiously in his chest. He stood frozen for a second, then reluctantly brought his wet fingers to his face. He sniffed at it, but there was little smell. He touched one finger to his tongue, and then immediately spit at the taste.
Blood. But not an Orcās bloodā¦
Legolas looked up to the far edge of the pit that was his prison. āDaemon!ā he screamed, tired of playing the creatureās sick games. āIs this the only way you can destroy your enemies? Show yourself, coward!ā
His voice echoed back to him, but there was no other answer. Legolas gritted his teeth, vowing to kill Daemon the next time the creature showed himself. There would be no more of these ātestsāā¦
Legolas turned back to the corpse, kneeling beside it. By Earendil, if he only had some lightā¦ but there was none. The blood was fresh, and Legolas guessed the bones could only belong to Celebfindel, or perhaps some other captured tracker of Thranduilās. He clenched his jaw at the rage that burned within him at the thought. Daemon and his minions would dearly pay for all the lives they had takenā¦
A soft noise to his left jolted Legolas from his thoughts and he stood swiftly, pressing himself against the wall. His eyes searched the darkness vainly, but there was no movement he could discern from the inky blackness of the pit. He quieted his harsh breathing, listening carefully.
Footsteps on the stone sounded across from him, and Legolas tensed, his eyes following the sound though he could still see no movement. It was a four legged creature from the sound of its walk, and then Legolas could smell it. He nearly gagged, throwing an arm over his nose and mouth to block out the overpowering stench of rotted flesh.
He crouched down, moving slowly and silently, and tentatively felt around the bloody remains for some kind of weapon. But he could find nothing save the bones themselves, and Legolas could not bring himself to wield the bone of his kin as a weapon.
A low growl rose from the darkness and Legolas stood, swallowing hard, hearing his heartbeat echo in his temples. A Warg.
The elf had no weapons, and no tunic to protect his skin. But standing there in the darkness, as blind as he was, he readied himself to fight the creature. He did not know how he would defeat a Warg fed on elf-flesh using only his hands; he only knew he must do it.
***
Leave a Reply