[VanimaEdhel]

*****Rhûn Nation*****

Lovek listened absentmindedly. He could not believe that men in his company had been lost. He had not lost many men in his battles, and he always considered it a fault of his when he did so.

Now, he was also left with only Kasteni and the upstart, Ulwyte. So far, Ulwyte had been unusually quiet.

Lovek looked over to Ulwyte, and saw him sitting, staring straight ahead. There was a glimmer of what looked like fear in Ulwyte's face.

Fear after only this? What will happen to him once we are in enemy territory? The lands of the West are not even as friendly to us as the were-bears were, Lovek thought, bitterly.

**********

That night, as they stopped to make camp, still in the forest, Lovek sat by the fire, alert. He and another guard were to remain awake and guard, just in case foul creatures were abroad.

Lovek heard a noise in the woods. The guard turned to him, fear in his face.

"Shall we...?" mouthed the frightened guard. Lovek knew very well what he meant.

"Of course! Do not act as a cowardly Westlander!" Lovek snapped in a whisper. He indicated that the guard should check one side of the path and he would check the other.

**********

Lovek kept his guard up as he searched. Just as he was about to turn back to the group, he heard a noise behind him. He spun, drawing his sword and holding it to the creature that was now behind him. Lovek looked at the being and spat.

"An Elf!" he said, distastefully.

In a beat, the Elf pulled a dagger and held it to Lovek's throat. The two stood, blades at each other's throat, looking at each other through despising eyes. The Elf had dark hair and grey eyes and stood about 6'2" in height.

The two stood, neither daring to make a sound, waiting for the other to make a move. Suddenly, the Elf found another blade pointed at him. The guard had crossed over and now stood next to Lovek, holding his blade to the Elf's throat as well.

**********

A few hours later, all of the men stood around and the Elf sat, bound with rope and within sight.

"What do you propose we do with him?" one of the guards asked.

"I say," Lovek began, "That we bring him with us to the gathering. We can complain of such foul beings wandering and explain that it is dangerous to us, for this Elf would have killed me, had I not had such keen hearing!"

"Calm, Lovek," Kasteni warned, "We do not want to begin a war we cannot finish."

"And why can we not?" Lovek said, growing more and more passionate, "We can defeat them!"

"All of the East?" Ulwyte said, dubiously.

"You show such fear!" Lovek said, accusingly, "You are not fit for this mission, Ulwyte! You are afraid of everything! And you are untrained. You are too young for such things! You should not have come along! And you have no business questioning me, you ignorant footsoldier!"

"Lovek!" Kasteni warned, but it was too late, for Ulwyte had already sprung at Lovek. The two wrestled each other to the ground.

"Grab them!" Kasteni commanded the guards. The guards grabbed the grappling men and pulled them apart.

"Let me go," Lovek said, in a forced, calm tone. When the guards did not respond immediately, he jerked away from their grasps and stood before Ulwyte, looking at him challengingly.

"Care to try again?" Lovek asked, tauntingly.

[ October 27, 2002: Message edited by: VanimaEdhel ]