Misfit

Chapter Seven

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Third Age 2850
January 21st
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It had only taken a few days for Culfin to select his companions and make ready for the journey ahead; luckily, this mission only required the bare minimum of both people and supplies.

Gailen, of course, was his first choice; his best friend would be with him in all things, and this being one of the most crucial crusades in his life, he had volunteered before Culfin could even ask.

Meluiloth, as his apprentice, was automatically a member of the party; she was just as excited as himself to go to Mirkwood, as she had been promised by Thelerim that if she did well, she would be granted the rank of an official Ranger; both she and Culfin were determined to earn their promotions with flying colors.

Truth be told, Culfin had few close friends among the Rangers, so the other two—Aislinn and her brother Isbern—were, for the most part, tactile decisions; Aislinn's skill with a bow was unmatched, and Isbern could track even the faintest footprints left in the driest ground.

Thelerim had also insisted that Culfin's old rival, Calloch, accompany them as well—and though he wasn't partial to the idea, she had said it was a valuable skill to accept help from all manner of people, and be able to hold their respect as well, in order to be a good leader; Culfin reluctantly agreed with her suggestions, and so he had put up with Calloch's jests at his expense.

Fortunately, the trip had been an easy one so far; the weather was fair, as far as winter went, and the terrain was not difficult to cross. In fact, if all went well, the band would be reaching Mirkwood that evening. Although, Culfin's skill with reading a map had always been slightly questionable.

"I'm so excited to be a real Ranger," Meluiloth said, to no one in particular, during the slower hours of the afternoon. Thelerim, who was keeping pace with Culfin at the front of the group, let out a quiet sigh; Mel had been going on about this for the entire trip. "What do you think my Ranger name will be? Something intimidating, I hope—like Gailen's. 'Ironbow' is quite striking." She looked at Culfin. "Yours is ... It's fitting."

Culfin's brow furrowed; was that meant as a compliment or an insult? "Sparrow is a perfectly good name," he said defensively.

"Oh, I've got it!" Mel went on, a grin lighting up her face. "How about 'Danger'? That's quite impressive, and I could have my own motto to go with it." She scowled in a manner that was no doubt meant to intimidate and dropped her voice. "'Danger's coming.' That's fantastic, isn't it?"

Culfin rolled his eyes. "If that be the case, then we might as well call you 'Minor Inconvenience'," he replied dryly. "Now, if you wouldn't mind, be quiet for a moment so I can read the map and figure out where we are."

"You don't mean to say we're lost, do you, Sparrow?" asked Calloch, strolling up beside him and looking over his shoulder.

"No!" Culfin protested, jerking the map out of Calloch's reach. "I only need to make sure we're on the right track—but, of course, we will get lost if you lot continue to pester me." He looked back down at the map and, finally pinpointing their location, pointed it out on the paper. "We're set to reach Mirkwood this evening."

"I've heard there are enormous Spiders inhabiting Mirkwood," Aislinn piped up. "Man-high, with fangs as large as a dog's head!"

"They can't be that big," Culfin said, stashing his map back in his knapsack. "I grew up there, remember—the largest I've seen were no bigger than my fist."

Mel shuddered. "That's too big already," she said.

"Speaking of such things," Thelerim asked, raising an eyebrow, "What are we to expect with this forest?"