Wild Monster

by Matthew Harrington

  What was the worst that could happen when one keeps staring at a creature that could harm them with the intention to keep an eye on it?

  If the creature began to stare right back.

  From his experience, living beings tended to get more nervous and smell of fear if their stare was acknowledged. Like that time in the village. That little girl right below the wheel of a broken down wagon kept staring at him in hopes that he did not see it. Of course, he could smell the stench of her fear quite sharply in the air, so knew where she was and tolerated this for a while but eventually he just turned around and stared straight at her.

  The memory of the scream and the smell of terror was still fresh in his mind.

  Thus, Ren began to stare back. Each time he moved past the window, he would make sure to turn his hooded head towards the elves outside and did not avert it until he was out of their sight. It did not take long for him to stay right in front of one of the windows and just stare outside with his hooded head resting on his folded arms.

  Their stare did not seem to change at all. If anything, they were harder and stricter the more time he spent staring back at them. The elves did not budge. This called for a more... closer inspection.

  Knowing that this might cause some stir among the long ears, he simply vanished from the window. Not a moment later, the door's handle moved ever so slightly and it began to open slowly, lazily. The creaking of the dry handles and the wood echoed in the forest around them. Sharp elven ears were going alert. The dark hooded head of the wraith appeared by the door and stared right back at the elves that seemed to have surrounded the shack.

  Ren took his sweet time. He was not in a hurry, so why should he be hasty about his next actions? He could tell even from this distance that the elven guards tensed up as soon as the barrier, namely the walls of the shack, did not stand between him and them.

  The beast escaped.

  But even now the long ears refused to move or acknowledge the fear they surely must be feeling at his mighty presence. Frustration started to boil at the surface of his mind, so eventually he was forced to move from the door. He stepped away from it, one step at a time and let the wooden item close on its own.

  But he did not stop there.

  The Nazgul's gaze swept over the form of the many guards that were around him, trying to spot the weakest of the group. Because every team, every army, every troop had its weakest member. It was common knowledge, that every group was as strong as its weakest point. Using this to his advantage could prove to be most useful in his current situation. He did not wish to be seen as a pet, kept on a leash. Oh no. He was the darkness, the source of the very evil on this world and these long ears will learn it. One way or another.

  Eventually, his steps took him from the shack to his chosen victim, who stood straight, his strict gaze observing him. He did not move, didn't even as much as budge at the sheer closeness of the darkness that he carried. He just... stared at him with that slight frown on his brow.

  He did not move even when he leaned slightly closer... his hooded head mere inches away from his nose.

  Alright...

  He shall take this as a challenge.

  Maethien was forgetting something. Something important. She could feel the dark cloud in her mind. Dammit. Frustrated, Mae turned to her sister, who rode steadily beside her.

  "Do you feel it too?" She asked, hoping that maybe it was just her paranoia getting the best of her. Or maybe even exhaustion.

  No such luck.

  "Yes. We're forgetting something big." Elle nodded, her solemn gaze on the road ahead. Whatever it was that they were forgetting, Saeleth had a feeling that it was close, it was going to happen very soon. And it was going to hurt. "We should split up." Elle suddenly suggested, looking to her sisters with troubled eyes.

  "I don't know if it will work..." Elle warned quietly, keeping her voice low so that they did not startle Eothain and Freda, who were riding near them on Lossen.

  "But it's worth the shot." Maethien finished. Whatever it was, maybe they'd have better luck in keeping something bad from happening if the sisters took separate paths on the ride to Helm's Deep. "Go to the front line with Legolas. I'll stay closer to the people." Elle nodded her understanding and unmounted from Gadriel's back then took off in a sprint toward where she spotted Legolas atop a high rock, his eyes searching the distance ahead.

  Saeleth kept herself on high alert. Her eyes searching every hill and rock, her senses focused on searching, looking for any sign of trouble. Something was going to happen, she was sure of it, she just didn't know what and it was making her very edgy. Damn Melkor and his dark attacks! He would do anything to cause them harm, to make them stray from their path... The clouds in her memories were just one of many attacks to come.

  Reaching the high rise on which Legolas stood, Elle nodded to the elf and turned to look out into the field as both Gamling and Hama scouted ahead. Just to be safe, Elle held her bow in her hands closely, ready to draw back an arrow in an instant. Though the shadowy haze was in her mind, it could be see in her eyes as well, a cloud darkening the gleaming amber.

  "Something troubles you." Legolas said quietly, it was not a question. His eyes did not move from the soldiers ahead as he spoke, feeling that he needed to focus now more than ever. Feeling the slight panic coming from the elleth at his side. Elle didn't look at the elf, instead focusing on searching the hills and small mountains on the terrain.

  "Very much." Elle stated, prompting an already vigilant Legolas to look closer. He had come to learn that the sisters were very knowledgeable of the future, he did not dare doubt them. So, the elves fell into silence as they continued to watch for trouble, their weapons ready in their skilled hands. The soldiers seemed to be doing okay up ahead... one of the horses was getting antsy though, which impelled Saeleth to squeeze her bow closer, her other hand reaching slowly for the arrows at her back.

  That was when Elle saw it. A horse sized monster that looked like some sort of cross between a wolf and hyena, it had a harsh upturned nose, and a gaping mouth with rows of dagger like teeth, like a shark.

  Wargs.

  "Above you!" Saeleth screamed and knocked an arrow. Her arrow struck the warg as it launched itself at the men, catching the side of it's head in mid leap. The next arrow was not hers, it shot the rider clean off it's mount as both of Theoden's soldiers tried to calm their rearing horses.

  "A scout!" Legolas called back to the King.

  "Warn the others!" Saeleth called out as she and Legolas bounded up the next rise, a daunting small army of wargs and Orc riders came rising over the hill. There were dozens of them. "More are coming!" Elle felt her heart hammering in her chest in excitement, a slight stab of worry trickling up her spine. Was this what she and Mae had forgotten?

  "Ready?" Legolas asked with a grin, Elle turned to smile at the enthusiastic elf, her own excitement climbing.

  "Definitely." Together, the elves knocked arrow after arrow, shooting down as many riders and wargs as they could, standing on the highest rise they had found.

  The thundering of horses made Elle turn and she spotted Gadriel running toward her with Maethien and Aragorn on either side. Elle grinned as she watched Legolas flip onto his own horse, holding Gimli steady in place as the dwarf bounced uneasily on the saddle. Saeleth took of on a run toward her horse soon after and, with a leap, Elle manipulated the air around her and pushed herself higher, arcing over Gadriel's head and twisting her body around so that she landed in her saddle easily.

  "Show off!" Mae called out playfully.

  "Jealous!" She called back with a smile.

  "CHARGE!" Theoden roared and Mae joined in with her own battle cry as they collided with the army of wargs.

  Artanis, brave and smart girl, leaped over the first line of wargs cleverly, her hooves hitting Orcs as she flew, knocking them out and down to the ground. Maethien, maintaining her balance with ease, shot arrow after arrow during the leap, high enough that she could take down
other archers and wargs just ahead. Soon, she had to draw her sword as the ugly creatures came too close for arrows. With one hand holding onto the reigns, Mae, slashed away at the monsters with graceful sweeps, using her boot to kick them off their mounts. An especially daring Orc on foot charged at Artanis, aiming an ax at her throat, the fiery mare reared back with a majestic neigh and slammed her hooves into the Orcs face. She then lifted her hind legs in a powerful kick and sent a warg and it's ride tumbling to the ground behind them. Overjoyed with her warrior horse, Maethien laughed proudly.

  "Mae garnen, Artanis!" [Well done, Artanis!] Maethien called out and was rewarded with a happy neigh.

  Gimli bellowed and tumbled from his seat, crashing into the ground with a hard thump, Legolas quickly looked back to him and wheeled around to go back for him. He needn't have worried though, for the dwarf was already on his feet, roaring eagerly while he looked for an opponent, his eyes zeroing in on a Warg twice his size.

  "Ha! Bring your pretty face to my ax." The dwarf taunted as the warg crept up to him, just then Legolas, wearing a rather mischievous grin, rode by them both and shot the warg down flawlessly as he flew past. A very upset Gimli bellowed out after the elf.

  "That one counts as mine!" The dwarf then whirled around and swung at another creature. "Ha!" He roared and struck down the beast with a mighty blow, the large warg fell to the ground... and landed right on top of Gimli, pinning him to the ground with it's weight. "Argh! Stinking creature!" Gimli growled as he tried hard to lift the warg off of him.

  An Orc crept over the fallen beast, crawling closer to Gimli with a blade held high. Gimli, after a moment of surprise, reached up swiftly and broke the creatures frail neck. Poor Gimli simply added to the weight on him... and added to the terrible smell as well. Again, Gimli tried to push the weight off of him, but it seemed to only be getting heavier! Cursing profusely, the dwarf pushed harder, closing his eyes in effort... that was when he heard the low growl. Opening his eyes, Gimli found the source of the added weight on him... a warg had climbed on the mount of bodies and was slowly descending upon him, it's gaping mouth gleaming with dagger sharp teeth, blood dripping from the teeth.

  "Uh oh." A pair of simultaneous bellows resounded moments before two elven blades pierced the warg's exposed throat. Mae dragged the warg back while Elle, smiling with amusement, peeked down at the dwarf, sheathing her sword as she chuckled.

  "Need a hand, my friend?" She asked, the dwarf said nothing and narrowed his eyes at her, she swore she could see his lips pursed in a pout beneath his mustache. Mae grinned and grabbed hold of Gimli's left arm while Elle grabbed his right. Together, the sisters dragged him out from beneath the carcasses and merely smiled when the dwarf muttered a growl at them.

  "They all count as mine." He warned, prompting the girls to giggle.

  "But of course." Elle said and caught a glimpse of something through the corner of her eye.

  "Now, duck." Gimli did as Maethien suggested and lifted a brow when an arrow sailed past his head. Had he not ducked when she tld him to, it would have caught him clean on the side of his throat. Mae shot back an arrow at the archer and grinned when it dropped it's arm down, accidentally releasing it's own readied arrow and striking the neck of it's mount as it crumpled from it's saddle. Beside her, Elle nodded approvingly and grinned at her sister.

  "Not bad, sis." Mae laughed as she drew out her sword again.

  "To the King!" Eyes widening, the sisters whirled around to see Hama gesturing toward the king with his sword as he raced toward him. The King was flung from his horse's back by a group of riderless wargs, the snarling beasts cornering Theoden as he slashed his sword high.

  "Time to go." Maethien declared.

  "Aye, let's kill the filthy fleabags!" Gimli roared and ran forward with the sisters at his sides, brandishing his axe mightily. Pulling a dagger, Maethien took aim and launched the blade forwards, cutting into the warg closest to the King. Prompting a loud whimper from the beast, it stepped back from the King and Mae took the opportunity to strike. Leaping forward, she landed on the warg's back easily and lifted her sword high before bringing down to bury it in the beast's back. The warg crumpled to the ground and Maethien immediately threw out her hands to her sides, a gust of powerful energy pulsing through the center of her body and then shooting out toward the wargs at her sides, the sheer golden energy curling around her fingers. The wargs were pushed with a power greater than they, forcing one to roll onto his back and leave his belly exposed for a roaring Gimli to take advantage of. The other sent rolling into yet another warg, crushing the rider that had been prepared to shoot an arrow at one of the King's men.

  Meanwhile, Saeleth grabbed onto the King's arm and hauled him to his feet, his eyes wide on the amazing scene unfolding before him.

  "I'm sorry to be blunt, my lord, but you need to get up or die." She said as she looked Theoden over, searching for any sort of serious injury.

  "Elle! Down!" Saeleth didn't hesitate, she dragged the King down with her as Gimli, brave man, launched his axe at a warg that had apparently been about to leap from the high rocks and crush both of them. It landed in a heap just beside them and Elle immediately pushed herself up onto her feet and pulled the axe from the wargs head, whirling around and swinging it at another beast before tossing back to her friend.

  "Thanks, Gimli." Sh called out to the grinning dwarf.

  "Not a problem, lass!" Elle grinned, but her smile immediately fell when she spotted a group chasing after Legolas. Lifting a hand, the King watched in awe as a golden glow immersed the elleth, the designs on her creamy skin gleaming brighter than he'd ever seen them. A great gale rushed through the group of wargs and pushed them off of the cliff they had been running past.

  "Nice one." Elle turned to find her sister at her side, a wide, beautiful grin adorning her face as she sheathed her sword and glanced at the King to make sure he was unharmed.

  "Thanks." Elle said, her own grin growing.

  Both sister saw the charging riders coming from their right at the same moment, the King still standing to their left with Gimli at his side. Theoden King watched as both sisters acted instantaneously, the radiant elleths turned their backs to him and walked toward the oncoming enemies. The King tensed and raised his sword. Ready to defend the sisters.

  He realized a moment later that the sisters were very capable of defending themselves.

  A gust of golden energy came from Saeleth's body and the King watched with wide eyes as the weapons of the first line of Orcs disintegrated into dust while Maethien, lifted a hand and, with a flick of her wrist, somehow made the stray swords on the battle field around them move upon her command. Two wargs were pierced with the swords under the elleth's command, the riders tumbling from their rides and crashing onto the first line of weaponless Orcs. By then, the sisters had reached the small army of six and had decided to let their powers rest apparently, for they unsheathed their swords and proceeded to strike down each one of the Orcs they faced.

  Awed, the King continued to stare as he whispered over the roar of war. "What are they?" He asked.

  "They, my lord, are bloody miracles!" Gimli laughed madly as he spotted a warg heading right toward him and the King, his axe raised and ready to take down the warg with ease.

  Maethien pulled back her gleaming sword from the Orc she had impaled and released a breath, her chest rising and falling softly as she smiled at her sister. Her smile faded a moment later though... when she was suddenly consumed by a terrifying feeling. She felt almost as if she was falling, her heart stopping then kick starting at an impossible speed as she whirled around to look for Aragorn.

  There was something very wrong and she just knew that Aragorn had something to do with it. She knew it! Dammit! Melkor and his dark powers had clouded her mind to this battle, to this attack, but that had not been all... she could feel it. There was more to come...

  "Aragorn?!" Maethien called out, sheathing her sword and taking off on a run. Searching the cleari
ng for any sight of Aragorn. "Aragorn?!" She shouted again, this time much louder, prompting the remaining soldiers and the King to, in turn, search for the ranger.

  "Mae!" Maethien stopped running around like a headless chicken and turned to where her sister stood with Legolas, both leaning over an injured Sharku, the evil thing laughing bitterly. Mae looked at the smug look on his disgusting face, then looked at the horror in her friend's eyes. It was in that moment that the cloud in Mae's memories faded, and revealed the horrifying truth. Maethien's heart dropped into her stomach... Dammit. DAMMIT! This was what she had forgotten!

  "He fell?" Her voice cracked, watching the creature as it smirked up at her, Legolas' blade on it's throat.

  "Took a little tumble off the cliff." He manage to gargle out through his blood. "He'll be dead." Maethien reacted then, fear and pain and anger pushing her to move as she gripped the creature and shook him harshly.

  "You lie!" She snarled, her eyes filling with tears, the very hands holding the creature trembled as she fought to stay in control. She couldn't allow herself to believe Aragorn was dead. No. She refused to believe he was dead! He had survived in the film, in the books, and he would survive now... Wouldn't he? Wouldn't he?!

  "Do I? Do I?" The Sharku said, laughing sinisterly, enjoying the pain he was inflicting upon them. He was gone a moment later... and so was Maethien's control. Heaving heavy breathes, tears falling from her eyes, every limb on her body trembling with pain and anger, Mae rose from the ground and stumbled back from her sister and her friends. All she could see was Aragorn's face. All she could think about was... her cowardice. She had been too afraid, to worried to admit her feeling to him. And now... what if she never got the chance to tell him now?