Jack Hawkins and the Faery Prophecies

Wolves and Loins

- Wolves and Loins

Lallana slowly crawled up the wet mossy bank, low enough not to be seen and careful enough not to be heard. Upon reaching the top, she placed her body strategically behind the old and rotting remains of a fallen tree trunk, the ideal place from which to watch the clearing below and more importantly, the band of sleeping Grimloins that were camped there.

Grimloins, being a type of Gremlin, only far worse than normal ones. Cannibalistic by nature and suffering from a hunger that never seems to be filled. They get their name, from their great appetite for eating the loins of their victims. Especially those of Elves, Faeries and Humans, whose loins are much larger than those of smaller beings like Dwarves and Goblins. And therefore, definitely much more of a fine feast for a famished Grimloin!

Lallana counted exactly forty such creatures below. She counted them not with her eyes but with her Elf ears, listening intently to the noises of their heavy breathing and clumsy snoring. It was a large grouping indeed. Which was strange, she thought. For Grimloins usually only hunt in packs of five or six. Never this many.

She was not afraid of this larger than normal number. Just a little bemused. After all, she was an extremely experienced Elf Ranger and had been on over twenty hunting parties. Which was a lot for an Elf who was only sixteen. Although in her case, it was easily explainable.

For amongst her generation of Rangers, she alone was uniquely skilled. A natural and on top of these natural abilities, she had trained very hard in her four years at the Ranger school. No one in her year, was a better archer, more skilful with a knife or a smarter trekker.

As she sat patiently waiting for Elmar, the Elf Troop Captain to give the signal to attack, she quietly prepared herself for battle. Scooping up a handful of dirt from the ground, she rubbed it tightly between her fingers. This she found, toughened her hands and made her more precise with a bow.

She unhooked from her belt, the pouch that contained her supplies, placing it safely under the tree, easy to be picked up again later. Then she ensured that the flaps on the brown leather sheaths that held her two bone handled knives (gifts from her father on the day she was made a full Ranger) were open and the knives, easy to reach for.

Counting her arrows, and for a second contemplating whether she had enough or not, she carefully choose one and slowly slid it out of the quiver, that was neatly strapped across her back. Placing the arrow onto her wooden bow which was faced down towards the ground and that had a limb that was neatly decorated with symbols of ancient Elvish Gods. She fixed the arrow into place, its tip sharp, pointy and stained with blood. It was the arrow of her first kill, a lucky arrow.

Still crouching behind the three, but loaded and ready to go, she perked up her ears and waited for the Captain's signals. First would come the whistle of the Elf Rangers, a sound that only Ranger Captains knew how to make and one that only fellow Elf Rangers could hear. A soft sound, almost inaudible. This was the signal on which a Ranger was to assume position, assess the area of attack and quickly choose a target.

Shortly after this, would come the sound of the Hawk Horn, an ancient Elvish Horn, used to strike fear into the heart of enemies. A sound very much like a loud screaming Hawk, only in a pitch that was much, much higher. This screeching noise was hated by their foe and even by some Elf Ranger themselves, for it hit deep into the mind and soul.

As the first signal came through the dense forest, and reached Lallana, she stood up without hesitation on top of the thick tree trunk and surveyed the sleeping Grimloins below. Forty between eleven Rangers was good odds she thought. And she aimed to kill at least five of them. As her eyes frantically looked around, they became fixed upon a big fat one, lying close to the fire. Possible the leader, certainly important enough to be nearest to the warmth.