Sentinel's Watch

Chapter One

Silence. It covered the forest with an eerie calm, adding to the already unnerving atmosphere caused by the shadows. The moon hung in the sky, dimly lighting the forest floor with spicks and specks of light that struggled to make it through the thick foliage of the trees. Littering the ground were twigs and fallen leaves, waiting to be crunched underfoot, and several clumps of bushes, thickly grown and tall. It was in one of these bushes that Elehan lay, almost invisible save for the bright green eyes that could be seen amongst the leaves, alert, always moving. Completing yet another scan of the forest, he made a small sigh and closed his eyes briefly, thinking of the warm bed waiting for him back home.

As he sat there, a loud crunching noise came from within the forest, shattering the veil of silence like stone against a glass window. Elehan’s eyes snapped open, instantly searching for the source of the noise, locating it almost straight away. Not a hundred metres away, shuffling towards where he lay, was a group of shadowy figures, clinking and clanging as they dragged their feet through the thick underbrush. As they drew closer, he froze, not daring to breathe in case he was discovered. Soon he could make out their features, and not too long after that, their smell. Marching past him were a group of six orcs, each covered in animal furs and armed to the teeth with knives and daggers. Two had small bows strung across their backs, presumably for hunting.

He had been hunting this scouting party ever since he had discovered the remnants of a small wagon burning by the edge of the forest. Its owners had been hacked to pieces, and abandoned. Leading off into the forest was a heavy trail of crumpled grass and footprints, easy to follow. The shattered trees and animal carcasses littering the forest were signs enough of what he was chasing, their trail of destruction making it almost impossible to lose the path. Orcs. Their stench had burnt his nose as it clung to the leaves and bark of the trees around him. The hunt had led him here where he was now hiding, waiting to ambush them.

The orcs passed by Elehan’s hiding spot, not noticing him as they came within two metres of where he was hiding, crouched. Wrinkling his nose, he had sat there, completely still as they made their way past, resisting the urge to run to fresh air. The sickening smell of blood and unwashed leather surrounded the orcs, tainting the fresh, clean air of the forest. Once the smell had begun to fade, and he was certain they were out of earshot, Elehan crawled out of the bushes, shrugging his powerful longbow off his back as he did so. Pulling a twig out of his short, light brown hair, he rose to full height, and stepped out from behind the bush, drawing an arrow out of his quiver and nocking before drawing to full length, all in one fluid movement.

Aiming at the back of the rear orc’s knee, he fired, nocking another arrow before the first had even hit its target. The loud twang of the bow rung through the forest, followed by the low hiss of the arrow as it travelled, smacking into the meaty flesh of the orcs leg. It fell to the ground, clutching at its knee and screaming as it went. Before the other orcs could react, another had fallen to the ground screeching, an arrow sticking out between its shoulders. As he fired the second arrow, Elehan ducked behind a tree so the orcs had no chance of finding his location. The other orcs whipped around, glancing at their companions once before trying to find the source of the deadly shaft. Their eyes, unfamiliar to the dark that hung over the trees, were unable to find where their attacker lay. As the leader turned to bark orders at the group, Elehan jumped out again, letting loose another barrage of arrows, hitting two more orcs, who fell to the ground and didn’t move again. The remaining two orcs ducked behind trees, hoping to avoid the same fate that had befallen their companions. Elehan frowned. Crouching low, he slowly circled to the left of where he had last seen them, hoping to catch a glance at them. Soon enough, he spotted a foot poking out from behind one tree. Standing tall, he fired an arrow, piercing the flesh at the heel of the orcs foot. It screamed, a terrible sound that filled the night air, echoing through the empty forest. It began to crawl away, whimpering, only to be silenced by another arrow. This distraction gave the last orc a few moments to run off in the opposite direction, too frightened to try and help its fallen comrades. As it charged through the forest, stumbling over the blanket of roots that covered the ground, it howled. Elehan whipped his head around, eyes narrowed, locating the orc as it began to howl a second time. Drawing his bow again, he loosed an arrow after it, watching as the deadly shaft tore through its throat and silenced. Watching the orc die on the forest floor, he frowned slightly. Turning to the dead patrol, he flicked his eyes over their bodies, his frown deepening.

What were they doing here?