O' weary traveler || lotr ||

5

I am not dead!

And so with Aragorn and Ithil on Hasufel, and Gimli riding behind Legolas on Arod, the party rode across the Plains toward the edge of the
forest (Farngorn forest to be exact, a place Ithil was vaguely familiar with) where the pile of dead Orcs smolders like a shadowy beacon.

The smell of rotting, burning flesh tainter the air in thick tendrils of smoke and made Ithil cough so constantly that he buried his head into Legolas's shoulder to smother himself

He kept this up even as they dismounted clinging to the blonde elf who didnt so much as raise eyebrow at him before relaxing and tiltling his head so the dark haired elf could lodge his head into the crook his neck. If any other member of their (small and disjointed) fellowship noticed, they didnt say anything. Perhaps used to the closeness always present between the two elves.

Callon moved to her masters hands chittering worriedly as he held her close, petting her shiny fur as if his depended on it. Squeaking with displeasure at the thick grief she smelt, Ithil shushed her gently when her distressed chirping became too loud in mournful silence of the space.

Gimli shifted half-heartedly through the pile of smoldering orcs with his axe. He reaches down to retrieve something then turns mournfully to his companions,

"It’s one of their wee belts." he whispers holding out the charred leather, Ithil sobs harder into Legolas's shoulder

The blonde bows his head and begins muttering in elvish, his hands running through the dark-haired elves hair as he struggles to compose himself

Ithil's crying ceases and he joins in the chant, "Hiro hyn hîdh ab 'wanath (may they find peace in death)"

It did not take long for Aragorns sadness to give way to anger. He lashed out, kicking a smoldering helment across charred ground with a gutteral scream. Ithil placed a hand on his shoulder but it was quickly dislodged when the human began crawling towards something on the ground, A glimmer of hope flickering across his visage as he traces some marks on the ground.

"A Hobbit lay here. And the other." he crawls forward rapidly following the trail, "They crawled."

"Their hands were bound." his eyes shift to pile of discared rope, "Their bonds were cut."

"They ran over here." as he follows the tracks the hope in his voice grows, spreading to his observers who now look on in wonder.

"the tracks lead away from the battle!" he shouts as Ithil, Legolas and Gimli run after him

"...into Fangorn Forest."

To be continued...