The Other Ranger [ Lord Of The Rings x Silmarillion ]

Bug Squisher

Miril had just finished stashing the orcs' dead bodies when she heard the scuttling noises once more, only this time they were very loud. Clicking, too, she heard. Sounds almost like blades being rubbed together. She had to get moving, and she knew it.

Quickly running through the forest and down the hill, she ended up not seeing a conveniently placed tree root that was before her. Miril tripped on it and went tumbling down the hill quite ungracefully until she slammed into a tree at the bottom of a steep decline. Her ankle hurt very much and now her head was throbbing from the force of the impact. She also noticed her hand was in something very sticky and strong.

It was stuck in some sort of spider's webbing. She groaned in disgust and drew out her knife with her free hand to saw through the white, sticky web. As she worked through it, the now-familiar sound of scuttling feet came back, in full force. She worked faster.

As soon as Miril had broken free of the web, she finally understood the noises she's heard. Three giant spiders with glowing green abdomens and green eyes appeared in the darkness. The scuttling had been their legs on the leaves and the scraping and clicking had been their fangs sharpening against each other. She looked at them and all color drained from her face.

She hadn't liked giant bees, and she certainly did not like giant spiders.

"Ah, Elbereth Gilthoniel!" she spoke loudly in horror as they came closer.

Miril drew her sword and backed up, but was careful not to step into webbing. She felt tears stinging her own eyes as she looked into their many beady ones. Finally they ran at her, as if sensing her intense fear.

She held up her sword and brought it down on the first spider's head. The blow was so strong it cut right through the tough skin of the spider and killed it instantly. She hoped the other two would be as easy. They weren't.

Spider number two shot spit full of venom at Miril's face, but she managed to dodge it before it struck her. As she did so, the other spider moved to bite her leg. Miril allowed her training to kick in.

Swatting at the third spider's legs, she cut the front two clean off. It hissed in anger and pain, retreating to reassess the situation and it's prey. The second spider, the one who spat venom, leapt at Miril and she held out her sword when it did so. It impaled itself on her blade.

The third spider, seeing that both its companions were dead, scuttled away into the trees. Miril fell to her knees and put her face in her hands as she leaned on her sword. She sighed, letting some of her fear escape her. She breathed in and out to regain composure.

Miril knew she had to keep moving for as long as she could. She had to get out of Mirkwood. The forest knew she was here, and that could spell disaster for her. Orcs she could handle every time, Nazgul she could deal with when she was lucky, but spiders? Rarely.

So she walked for three days and nights, not stopping even in the dark. Looking back on it she realized this had been a mistake as it in fact prolonged her stay in Mirkwood; she was unable to make good progress at night and wasn't able to see where she was going. As a result she lost the trail several times and almost got completely lost on many an occasion.

On the fourth morning she saw real sunlight coming through the tree trunks. She knew she was near the edge. It was fortunate, too, because she needed rest more than anything. Despite it being mid morning, Miril climbed a tree just before the exit of the forest and slept there nearly a full day, waking at midnight.

Miril climbed further up the tree upon waking, eager to get a better check on her surroundings. She noted that Lothlorien was ahead and to her left. The mountains loomed up straight ahead of her. That was where she was heading. Moria's eastern gate was there, past the Dimrill Dale and the Mirrormere.

Miril had never been inside Moria, but as a child in Rivendell she had spent many days studying maps of that ancient dwarf city. She'd loved maps as a child. Miril only hoped it would be enough to keep her safe in those halls of horror.

She began her journey to the mountains that morning, and it took her about a week to reach them. When she finally found herself at the Mirrormere, it was midnight yet again. She thanked lady Elbereth for the light of the stars and slunk forward under the cover of night. She didn't think orcs would be this far out, or even in the upper levels of Moria. But one could never be too careful.

The East Gate, known as Dimrill Gate, was very large. As she approached the two doors, Miril drew her sword in preparation for whatever was to come. With a hefty pull, she opened the right door just wide enough so she could get through and slid inside.

It took several minutes for her eyes to adjust to the dark, during which time she hid in the shadows and listened. She heard nothing which was small comfort to her. Once she was able to see, Miril sheathed her sword and walked carefully forward. Suddenly she found herself out in the open, a giant cavern before her now.

A flight of stairs was in front of her and then a long, skinny bridge that spanned the fifty foot gap. She let out a breath of air she hadn't known she'd been holding when she saw the insane size of Moria revealed.

She walked forward down the steps until she came to the base of the bridge. The Bridge of Khazad-dum, she remembered it was called from her map studies. There was no way any more than one could walk abreast on that treacherous bridge. And here she was going to have to cross it.

"By the Valar," she murmured. "What have you gotten yourself into, Miril?"