AngelBites15

Middle-Earth: Bright Stars & Durin's Folk { Wolf & Angel }

It finally dawns upon Saeril that she was being dragged away, and up the tree. She couldn't move, due to the venom in her veins, but she wondered how long she was unconscious, until she heard the slash of a sword, and feeling herself falling to the ground below. After a few minutes of laying there, she fought the venom's effects, and reached for her second dagger; the other one missing, since her capture.

Using the effort to cut herself loose, she gasped for air, and breathed in the air once she managed to get out of the sticky web. Hearing branches cracking above her, the corpse of a spider fell, along with a sack; a white sack, to what appears to be a person inside. Cutting the web as fast as she can, she came across the face of Yavanna. Gasping in relief, she quickly worked to get the girl free. Another sack fell, and Fili was working his way out of the sticky substance.

Middle-Earth: Bright Stars & Durin's Folk { Wolf & Angel }

The spider gave an unearthly screech. One that was horrible enough to scare Fili into sheathing one of his swords, before Yavanna's scream became enough for him to clear his vision. Only to see her terrified face, he gave a yell, and sliced at the spider that was proceeding to wrap her into a cocoon. To hear the princess scream, Saeril acted fast.

Once her wings unraveled themselves, she flew herself towards the spiders. Agile maneuvers like any other elf, her dagger and sharp finger cuffs were her only shape-weapon, as she killed off part of the pack that proceeded from the tree tops. Slicing at the spider that was dragging Kili off, the winged she-elf kicked at the arachnid, until she felt the pierce of another's stinger.

She gasped as the penetrating object hit her left arm. Numbness went through her body, almost as if she was stiff inside out (almost like her arm fell asleep). The injury on her leg was healed, but this was another injury she would have to fight through. She couldn't momentarily move, while under the effects of the spiders' poison in her bloodstream.

Middle-Earth: Bright Stars & Durin's Folk { Wolf & Angel }

Saeril was quick to act, and stop him from falling into the pit. She pulled him back, encasing him into a hug, and rock him. "It's okay. He's not real. That wasn't real", she kept reassuring him, softly.

She rocked Kili a little to make him come to his senses before she heard something creak. Almost like a thousand legs trailing down the bark of the trees. They were slow, and they were getting close. Turning around, she found a wave of arachnids dragging the company off, until she heard a hiss in the other direction, stalking towards Fili and the princess. Sheathing one of her daggers, Saeril threw it towards the creature, piercing its head.

Middle-Earth: Bright Stars & Durin's Folk { Wolf & Angel }

“A tobacco pouch. There’s dwarves in these woods.” Dori spoke in a hushed voice, completely unaware that the pouch had belonged to one of them.
Bofur looked to it, then gave a slow nod. “Dwarves from the Blue Mountains, no less. This is exactly the same as mine.”
Bilbo was exasperated; his head ached and his mind was a marbled mess. “Because it is yours. Do you understand? We’re going round in circles. We are lost.”

Fili was seconds away into falling headfirst into a curious looking swamp. The water was a peculiar color, and no good could have come from it. Thankfully, Yavanna had caught him by his cloak. At first, he was alarmed, but he calmed when he saw that it was only the princess.

His vision seemed to go in and out of focus. Everything appeared tilted; the ground and sky felt as if they had changed places. Desperate for balance, he moved one hand to Yavanna's. "Kili...went this way," Fili pointed towards the swamp with his free hand, insistent that this was where his brother had gone. "I have to find him!"

Saeril kept reassuring Kili, but it seemed that the spell was very potent, even for him. Looking back, she saw Yavanna trying to get Fili to also come into focus, but these hallunications were driving them away from reality.

Middle-Earth: Bright Stars & Durin's Folk { Wolf & Angel }

Saeril and Fili smiled fondly when they heard Yavanna talk about another section of Middle-Earth; one that the winged she-elf knew too well, while Fili didn't. It had been a while for the elder to be there, and the only thing she remembered about that forest was the glowing lights of the trees at night. It was a beautiful homeland for the many Elves, including the legendary Noldor. However, she frowned when the princess asked about the beauty of Fangorn. In truth, it wasn't as bright as how it was those many, many years ago. Ever since the downfall of her race, there wasn't much to the forest anymore, except for the fellow Ents who shared that said-territory.

Pulling an old clump of vines off a stone statue, Gandalf saw that a large eye had been plastered with red war paint. Galadriel's voice spoke to him in his mind. "If our enemy has returned, then we must know. Go to the tombs in the mountains. "The High Fells. So be it", he swallowed, turning quickly back to the group. "Not my horse, I need it!" he called. "I would not do this unless I had to", Gandalf answered to the princess as he got onto the horse's back. "I have business that needs attending to, and it cannot wait. No matter what happens, stay on the path!", he reminded them, before riding away.

“Come on. We must reach the mountain before the sun sets on Durin’s Day", the woods were uninviting, and a broken, paved path that leads them towards the darkness. Foliage and shrubbery crowded the travelers, and the trees seemed to reach the sky and block out the possibility that the sun was above them. "This is our one chance to find the hidden door."

Saeril has been using her elven stealth to allow herself to walk quieter, but the forest itself was eerily quiet. Something wasn't right, she knew. It didn't feel normal. She couldn't help but see Kili stride away from the group. That was when she remembered: the very air was heavy with illusion. It had no effect on the Elven folk, but she just found out that Kili nor his brother were immune. They began to walk slower, their speech began to slur; they were hallucinating and disoriented, and they began to feel light-headed but they forced themselves to keep going.

Quickly, the she-elf had to prevent him from almost falling off the edge of the path by grabbing the back of his cloak and turning him around. She was down to his level, and holding his face, trying to tell him that it wasn't real and that he was seeing things. Fili wasn't any better; also in his own trance, and kinda in his own little world. It was strange and out of place to see the brothers like this; so disordered.

Middle-Earth: Bright Stars & Durin's Folk { Wolf & Angel }

Fili kept a hold of the reigns, relieved that the princess was able to stay back and let her arm heal. The company traveled a few hours until they arrived at a forested area. Unlike the rest of the foliage, everything within the entry appeared withered and dead. “This forest feels...sick, as if a disease lies upon it", Bilbo was uneasy, and he looked to Gandalf in hopes of him coming up with another route. "Is there no way around?”

Fili wasn't liking the looks of this, either. The woods were dark, and the trees were too close together to allow a horse through such a tight space. Just as Saeril and Kili managed to catch up with them, he glanced to the elder. "This isn't like our forest, is it?", the blonde questioned her lowly, referring to her home and the woods of his childhood.

Gandalf looked back to see the huge black bear watching them, who seems to be making sure that they didn't take the ponies into the forest. "Set the ponies loose", he ordered them. "Let them return to their master. We must travel through on foot. Going around will take twice as long", he spoke as he stepped to examine the entrance to the forest.

Saeril glanced at the forest as Fili asked her about the difference between this one and Fangorn. "A little bit. This one is more denser; heavier, being much longer and taller. Unlike the woods you're used to, you can easily get lost in this one", she's been here, and it was all true. Fili let himself down before he carefully helped Yavanna off the horse.

"A shame to lose such fine beasts", Saeril stated as she dismounted, and helped Kili down. "If only you saw the creatures back in Fangorn", she chuckled at a fonding memory of the Ents, although she hoped her laughter would bring a little light to their upcoming situation. "Mighty things they are", the she-elf sighed as she thought about her home, softly smiling at the creature before her.

Middle-Earth: Bright Stars & Durin's Folk { Wolf & Angel }

"My people were the first to live in these mountains; before the orcs came down from the north", Beorn explained as he walked up and down the length of the room, kind of caught in the past a little. "The Defiler killed most of my family, but some he enslaved. Not for work, you understand, but for sport. Caging skinchangers and torturing them seemed to...amuse him", his voice was low, to the point of almost growling in anger. "There used to be many of us, but I remain as the last", he finished.

"You need to reach the mountain before the last days of autumn", it was a statement, not a question. "Before Durin’s Day falls, yes", Gandalf confirmed. "We must go through Mirkwood", just by hearing that forest, Saeril stiffened a little, she kept a soothing hand on Yavanna's.

"A darkness lies upon that forest; foul things creep beneath those trees", Beorn warned. "There is an alliance between the Orcs of Moria and The Necromancer in Dol Guldur. I would not venture there, except in great need", Beorn told the wizard of the dangers within the forest. "It's not safe there; the Elves of Mirkwood are not like their kin. They are less wise, and more dangerous", he concluded.

"It doesn't matter; as the Orcs continue to hunt us, we don't have much of a choice", Saeril spoke up from her position. "You will never reach the forest alive", Beorn growled before standing up at his full height. "I don’t like dwarves; they’re greedy and blind, blind to the lives of those they deem lesser than their own", he notices a mouse on the table and picks him up. "But Orcs I hate more", he growled in anger to himself. "What do you need?", he asked the dwarven Prince.

Later, the beast was kind enough to let the group borrow his horses from the barn on their way to the forest. Saeril helped Fili and Yavanna upon a horse, while she and Kili took another. "Go now, while you have the light. Your hunters are not far behind", Beorn warned them before they left, with the elder she-elf sitting behind the youngest upon their horse.

Middle-Earth: Bright Stars & Durin's Folk { Wolf & Angel }

Fili blushed at the affection that the girl had managed to surprise him with. As fond as he was of her, he honestly didn't expect such an action to be presented. That was when he knew: She must be looked after, and protected. For that, he made a mental note to keep his word.

Upon Gandalf's request, Beorn was reluctant to beckon the dwarves to sit at this large table where they could eat and drink. Saeril was relieved that her companions were now being accepted by the great beast, otherwise, it would have turned into a jeopardizing predicament that could turn messy very quickly. However, she kept her presence with the ones she had grown to care for and love.

"So, you are the one that they call Oakenshield", Beorn growled as he poured milk into each of their mugs. It would seem he had at least heard the tale of Thorin before. "Tell me, why is Azog the Defiler hunting you?"

Middle-Earth: Bright Stars & Durin's Folk { Wolf & Angel }

Obviously, Beorn didn't have many companions as of late, but for Saeril to cross paths with him, he was only viewed as a victim of tragic circumstance. Someone that was pitied upon. "Do not worry about yourselves; you'll be safe here tonight...", the wizard trailed off and muttered under his breath, though he knew Saeril would be the only one to hear it. "I hope".

Saeril hoped that would be true, but then she figured that as long as Beorn walked about outside, she figured that they would be fine from their hunters. Carefully, she and Fili led the girl towards a spot in the hay where she would be able to sit down and rest; a spot Fili had, once again, managed to find, and set up. They were careful with Yavanna, and Saeril decided to keep her cloak on as slept on top of a blanket, and some hay, while letting the princess lay her head on her chest, like a child. Fili and his brother were not too far away, having to sleep next to them the whole night.

That same night, nobody noticed Beorn in his strong male form, as he enters the house. No one, except Bilbo, noticed him.

Middle-Earth: Bright Stars & Durin's Folk { Wolf & Angel }

Running inside, Saeril had one of her curved daggers at the ready. Beorn was beyond any other creature she has ever met during her travels with Gandalf. If the beast ever passed the door's limit, she had her resources, and a family to protect. Just as they had managed to shut the door, everybody was panting. "Yavanna!", Fili exclaimed, having to spot the Princess with a bleeding wound upon her arm. "Are you okay?", clearly not; she was hurt!

This didn't go unnoticed for the elder, and Saeril became concerned almost immediately. "Dear child", she breathed, having to approach her, while sheathing her one dagger into its normal space.

"What was that?", Ori asked, panting.
"That is our host", the wizard announced, saying it as a matter-of-fact. "His name is Beorn, and he's a skinchanger".

As his God-Mother guided Yavanna to a spot where she can sit down, Fili was already looking for something to tend to the wound. Looking up and down at the seemingly-huge furniture that was too big for a dwarf, he managed to find a rag and dripped it into a bucket of water nearby.

Saeril's leg ached a little from the running but she didn't complain; she never would. Not at a moment like this. She was only relieved that Yavanna and her godsons were safe. Fili came back to her with the rag, just as she gently took the princess' arm, and lightly wiped the blood. Hearing the girl wince brought pain to Fili's ears, and Saeril took extra care in tending to the scratch. The blonde held onto Yavanna's hand the whole time.

"Sometimes, he could be a huge black bear, and sometimes, he can be a great strong man", the wizard informed the company of what kind of creature it was. Basically, shapeshifters. "The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with", he spoke while watching the company get used to their surroundings. "However, he is not overfond of dwarves", he then added grimly.

"Beorn has had a troubled past, I'm afraid, and it's best not to advance on him during a first encounter", Saeril spoke up, just as she carefully wrapped the wound with a piece of cloth, that Fili managed to find. They didn't have the proper tools to tend to wounds, and they weren't sure if Yavanna had any viles left in her possession. The winged she-elf sadly didn't know much on healing enchantments, but she did learn one that was popular among her people. But now wasn't the right time to use it.

Just as she finished tending to Yavanna, she moved some of the girl's raven-black hair from her face, before giving her a light kiss onto her forehead, and letting her lean her head upon her shoulder.