Aedail was walking along, enjoying the beauty of the woods, when he noticed smoke rising from the trees ahead. Coming into a clearing, he beheld a smouldering cabin. Even from outside he could smell the reek of bodies. Entering cautiously, the old man saw several barely recognizable Easterlings, almost totally burnt. Obviously there had been a fight, but between who? All the years Aedail had lived in this area, he had never seen Easterlings fight among themselves in such manner. Leaving the house to burn, he continued round the other side and stopped abruptly. He had not noticed the Easterling who lay below the window. Peering at the corpse's face, Aedail chuckled softly and shook his head. "Anan...I should have known. Did you happen to catch some game which fought back?" Shoving the body a little closer to the flaming building, he turned and followed the tracks leading west...until he heard the ugly blaring of a horn. Turning, Aedail saw Easterlings swarming towards him. And at the front of the group...was Anak. Anak was a huge Easterling; giant, one might say. Waving his enormous axe, he gave gave a harsh cry, spurring the Easterlings towards their quarry. Aedail spat out a few words in the Northern tongue describing exactly how unfortunate their meeting was, before turning and running west, as fast as his legs could carry him. Even so, he knew he was only delaying the inevitable. Anak would catch up, and Aedail would die from a cruel trick...or the arrows of Anak's followers.

(heh heh..inspiration struck me. now I just need to learn how to channel it..)

_________________
"Who are you?"
"I am the Sage-Child, bearer of wisdom past and hope for tomorrow.
Join me and see what was and must be.
Youth and age can conspire, if you just believe..."

I flew all the way from Texas to New England to spend two weeks with miss Nienor. 5 of those days were to survive on an uninhabited island. Booyah.

Lairiel closed her eyes, cursing herself silently again. When she opened them she met Alassea's eyes. Her mouth tipped and she shook her head. That is such a good question...

"I was wondering the same thing." She fought the urge to sprint ahead or start bouncing again. Why am I suddenly so full of energy? The question kept coming back as she forced herself to stay calm.

_________________



[[Twins vs. Indians rivalry = love]]

She found herself thinking that she would have laughed, should have laughed, at Lairiel's antics. But now did not seem a good time for mirth, and she did not feel optimistic whatsoever. And the thought of being so negative only made her feel worse. So she walked on, morosely brooding in her own little world, with only an occasional guarded glance at Valandil.

_________________
"Where's the thump-thump?!" ~ <3 *Captain* Jack Sparrow~ <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/Silent_Wanderer/JohnnyJack.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>

Valandil did not lead them back the same way he brought them there. The route he took them on was not necessarily a shortcut, but it was more discreet. However with every advantage comes a consequence, with every pro a con. The tree's were incredibly thicker, younger too, more green and short. The ferns were thick among the undergrouth, and at some points, it was hard to tell what was a large fern or small tree.

Valandil raised his arm up to block the springing branches, moving slowly so as not to swat someone in the face as he released them. Every now and again, he felt eyes on him. It was only once that he returned a casual sideways glance towards Enyalie, but after a while, he could not help but smirk. Alassea on the other hand, who was far near the back of the line this time, urged Lairiel to keep quiet. Minutes had passed and soon she felt the soft tread of sand below her feet. They were close.

Just as soon Alassea's hopes had risen, they had fell again. Faint vioces carried along dimly through the thin boughs of trees. The voices of the Easterlings. How could she have been so stupid as to not expect more? Then what was worse..was a sudden rush to her right. Her eyes darted to her side from whence the running footsteps came, expecting an early Easterling. However what sprang from the trees infront of her was no Easterling. It was a man.

Aedail stopped short and instinctively raised his bow. Yet what he saw made him lower his arrow. Elves! Here, of all places...hearing a yell, he turned and was suddenly rooted to the spot. Didn't the she-elf see Anak raising his axe? Aedail gulped and aimed for the Easterling's neck as the giant's enormous shadow fell upon her.

(I'm assuming you know better than to be able to kill Anak...)

_________________
"Who are you?"
"I am the Sage-Child, bearer of wisdom past and hope for tomorrow.
Join me and see what was and must be.
Youth and age can conspire, if you just believe..."

I flew all the way from Texas to New England to spend two weeks with miss Nienor. 5 of those days were to survive on an uninhabited island. Booyah.

Alassea levelled her gaze with the man's for a brief moment, but she quickly averted them elsewhere. There was no time for shock. Immediately, she grabbed Lairiel's arm and pulled her around the man who had stepped in front of Alassea, running and pulling her along behind.

" Go for the ship! " She shouted, hoping, praying that they'd be able to get out of this one.

She had barely recognized this Easterling, seeing him only once it seemed many years ago. It did not matter now. There were more of them then there was of her own company, and prayed that they'd be able to outrun them.

Lairiel didn't ask questions-there was no time. Her wrist was grabbed and she was pulled behind Alassea. She hardly knew what was happening. She didn't get a chance to look back until they had run far ahead. She sprinted alongside Alassea, glancing over her shoulder at Enyalie and Valandil who were behind them.

Not more Easterlings.... Lairiel growled softly when she saw the Easterlings behind Enyalie and Valandil. Not again... She turned her eyes back to the ship they were running to. She urged herself to run faster, finding it easy to do so with all of the energy that had been building up inside her. She didn't want to have to stand by and watch another fight. She prayed that she wouldn't have to. If there was a battle, she would fight this time instead of sitting on the sidelines.

Her heart pounded, synchronizing with her footsteps. Her hair wipped behind her, tangling in the wind as she ran. As they got closer to the ship, Lairiel glanced back. There were so many Easterlings... Her heat beat faster. The only thing she could hear was the loud drumming of her heart in her ears.

_________________



[[Twins vs. Indians rivalry = love]]

She had only just seen the man appear before Alassea was running. She sprinted past, Lairiel in tow. Enyalie glanced at Valandil, and without a word started running. Hopefully, the man who had burst in upon their trek would take the hint and not get himself killed, for it didn't seem to Enyalie that he could do more than their company could, and if Alassea had decided they had a better chance at running...that one lone man could. She shrugged off the thought and set her mind on getting to the boat.

_________________
"Where's the thump-thump?!" ~ <3 *Captain* Jack Sparrow~ <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/Silent_Wanderer/JohnnyJack.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>

[Eh..I'll wait for Old Man.]

(I hope a tiny bit of magic is okay..)

Aedail had enough. He turned and continued to run, spreading his arms wide. Muttering a few words, he smiled grimly as dense smoke billowed from his clenched fists. That ought to stop them for a bit, or at least confound their archers... Dropping his arms to his side, he concentrated on catching up with the elves, whom he had heard yelling about returning to a ship. If he could get a break from this running, Aedail would try something a tad less harmless on the Easterlings...

_________________
"Who are you?"
"I am the Sage-Child, bearer of wisdom past and hope for tomorrow.
Join me and see what was and must be.
Youth and age can conspire, if you just believe..."

I flew all the way from Texas to New England to spend two weeks with miss Nienor. 5 of those days were to survive on an uninhabited island. Booyah.

[ 'Tis fine.]


Alassea looked behind her once she reached the shore, seeing Valandil and Enyalie at the heels of Lairiel. She had not realized it, but her grip on the poor girl's wrist was not so necessary anymore, but she let go as she ran crashing through the small waves and grabbed hold of little boat that would take them to the ship.

She wondered if it was big enough to keep four fully grown people afloat.

She would have smirked had the situation been a little less dramatic as she saw her brother waisting no time to put the ladies into the boat first. He quickly placed his hands on Enyalie's waist, hoisting her up and into the small boat, Lairiel following swiftly after. Alassea cast him a sharp glance as Valandil looked over at her..as if she were to follow suit. Alassea got in, handing one paddle to her brother as he placed himself at the far end of the boat.

Then she saw it..The smoke, thick and dark..creating a choking facade between the man and the Easterlings. But how? She thought, completely puzzled. She saw no flame and could not think of a cause for one..nevertheless...she paused. He could make it. If she would only wait a few more seconds she could attempt to at least prolong that old man's life to some extent..no one deserved a fate by the hand of an Easterling.

Enyalie was surprised when Valandil lifted her into the boat, although she should have seen it coming. She had to doubt the buoyancy of this little boat, and what about that other one, the man whom they'd met on the path? She wondered if he was okay.
The smoke, however, was a curiousity. Other than the little cabin, which by now was probably little more than smoldering ash and maybe some burning logs. So where could it have come from?

_________________
"Where's the thump-thump?!" ~ <3 *Captain* Jack Sparrow~ <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v249/Silent_Wanderer/JohnnyJack.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a>

Aedail panted as he collapsed on the shore. A few tendrils of smoke clung to his beard stubbornly, but most was still drifting in a thick sheet between him and the pursuers. He could see the elves clambering into a small rickety boat, and a ship in the distance. If that pathetic excuse for a boat can hardly carry them, I have no right to demand a spot... Strugging to his feet, he saw that the smoke was slowly lifting. Raising his right hand, he took a deep breath and prepared to release a blast of magic...The least I can do is bring some down with me, he thought grimly.

_________________
"Who are you?"
"I am the Sage-Child, bearer of wisdom past and hope for tomorrow.
Join me and see what was and must be.
Youth and age can conspire, if you just believe..."

I flew all the way from Texas to New England to spend two weeks with miss Nienor. 5 of those days were to survive on an uninhabited island. Booyah.

Lairiel looked towards the man still on the shore. "We have to do something..." She started to stand but stopped herself, feeling the small boat tip. She turned to look at the ship they were rowing to and glanced at the water. It wasn't that far....

She glanced at Alassea and dove from the boat into the cold water. When she reached the shore she ran to the man. She gripped his wrist and tugged him toward the water. "Come on!" Lairiel urged, her frantic gaze returning to the Easterlings who were approaching quickly. She splashed into the water, pulling the man with her. The water rose as they neared the ship.

Lairiel turned and saw Valandil, Alassea, and Enyalie rowing closer to the ship. The water had reached her waist and was steadily rising. She turned to look back at the man who she was still pulling along behind her. Her gaze was drawn to the Easterlings behind them and she shoved him underwater, going under herself.

She resurfaced and glanced at the man beside her who was dripping wet. Lairiel turned and saw the arrow that had pierced the side of the ship that was still some distance away. They had to hurry.

_________________



[[Twins vs. Indians rivalry = love]]

[ Sorry if this post seems a little "bleh" but that's exactly how my mind is right now.]

Alassea was not rowing the boat, but watching stupified as the man released a powerful surge of energy from him. Magic. That helped explain the smoke, but then she thought to herself Why not make this bloody row boat bigger so we can all fit? It was a quick and tactless thought, and it sooned passed.

Before she knew it Lairiel was hauling the man behind her, dragging him into the sea whether it was his will or not. Three could fit, and two needed to row, she thought, weighing her options.

An arrow cut through the air at an amazing speed, causing Alassea to jerk her head back so the shaft would not lodge itself halfway into her ear. It instead hit the side of her ship.. a mere short distance off. She shot a threatening but useless glare at the emerging Easterlings back on the shore before diving in as well.

The icy waves peirced her skin more shockingly than she had expected, causing her to draw a sharp intake of salty air. She gasped, trying to adapt as quickly to the temperature as possible. She needed to swim. Lairiel was now only five feet away it seemed, and Alassea pushed forward, kicking with the current towards the man she was pulling along. Lifting his other arm over her mid back, she told him to just hang on to her as she swam. Lairiel and Alassea could swim while Enyalie and Valandil rowed the old man to the ship.

Lairiel paused, watching Alassea swim towards them. She exhaled slowly, trying to catch her breath. She stopped treading water briefly and felt for the ground. She sank down about a foot and came to the surface again when she didn't feel the bottom. She took a deep breath and inhaled a mouthful of the salty water. Coughing and sputtering, she turned away, spitting out the water.

"Are you okay?" She asked the man beside her as Alassea joined them. The two Elves began swimming, bringing the man with them. She spit out a little more water and coughed. The ship wasn't far now.

_________________



[[Twins vs. Indians rivalry = love]]