Taurėwen had nocked her bow in readiness as they left the camp, but now she could no longer see any of the others, but she could still make out the faint sound of their breathing around her, she quickly un-nocked her bow returning the arrow to her quiver and returning her bow to her shoulder, it would be useless to her in this darkness.
Taurėwen felt around for one of the others, she found an arm, "It's me! Taurėwen!" she whispered quickly as she felt the arm she held tighten. She heard a sigh of relief and a blade slipping into a sheath, "Taurėwen, can you see anything at all?" She recognised Eruwen's voice, "No, not a thing, this is not a natural fog!" she replied uneasily.
"Taurėwen! Eruwen! is that you she heard another elf exclaim, then she felt a tight grip on her right arm, she instinctively tensed, but relaxed when she realised that the voice belonged to Gilbereth. "Yes!" the two elf women answered together, "Are any of the others with you?" he asked apprehensively. "No" she sighed. "Ceros! Ihwesta!" she heard Eruwen call out into the impenetrable darkness, "Arie! Ainemetion!" Gilbereth add to the dark silent air. "Reynion!" Taurėwen cried, realising that the safe comfortable feeling that she felt when she sensed him near was gone.
When no answer came the three elves fell silent, Gilbereth was the first to break the silence, airing the question they were all thinking "What will we do now?" "we have to try and find the others!" Taurėwen said earnestly, "I too wish not to remain here waiting for what ever is out there to find us! " Eruwen added anxiously. "All right it is decided, we will go on and try to locate the others" Gilbereth answered trying to sound confident in his words.
As they walked on, still holding on to each other lest they too got lost, Taurėwen thought about Reynion and wondered if he was safe, always when she wandered the woods of their realm she felt most happiest and contented in the area in which Reynion had his forest home she always felt comfort in the knowledge that he was there even though see never saw him, and when she did catch a fleeting glimpse of him her heart warmed. Taurėwen blushed in the darkness as she realised she harboured feelings for this elf. 'Now is not the time for such things' she scolded herself internally, 'the realm is in danger and I am thinking such things, it is likely that one or both of us may not even return from this mission,' she thought despairingly, then determinedly she pushed her thoughts and feelings for Reynion to the back of her mind, as she did, she heard Eruwen and Gilberth arguing.
"We will not find them!" Gilbereth was saying "I'm telling you we are going round in circles" Eruwen was saying to were she thought he stood, no she was wrong they weren't exactly arguing they sounded decidedly despairing her own thoughts came back to her and she realised what was happening! "Stop! she cried, bringing the pair to a sudden halt. She moved Gilbereth's right hand onto Eruwens left arm and put his right hand on her belt so her hands were free to rummage in her herb satchel, she brought the various leaves to her nose to smell out the one she was looking for, "Ah ha!" she exclaimed as the lemony smell of Melissa Officinalis reached her nostrils, "Here, chew on this" she said pressing a leaf into the hand of each elf, "What is it" They both asked dubiously. "it's simple lemon balm" she told them as she chewed one of the lemon tasting leaves, "It will rid you of the despair that you are feeling."
The lemon balm seemed to work the three of them once again moved on, randomly calling the names of the others in the hope that one of them would answer.....!
[ August 10, 2003: Message edited by: Nerindel ]
__________________
"Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live" ~ Mark Twain.
|