The Lastborn: A Middle Earth Story(Book 1)(EDITING)

Chapter 6: The Guardian

   Eldahir thought for a moment, and realized how lucky he was that his father had survived. Eldahir was an only child, and his mother had died giving birth to him. He and his father lived alone and were very close. On the other hand, Gerimond had lost his wife, both of his children, and his grandson, Eldahir thought. He was filled with pity and sadness for the older man.

   Just then Haldin walked over to Eldahir. He looked at him and stood there in silence for a moment, then spoke.

   "Eldahir, I have a task for you," he said. Haldin was a much older ranger and was held in high esteem by all of the rest of the Dunedain. He ran a hand through his long white hair before continuing.

   "Rivendell must know of the attack. We need to send someone. As you can see the rest of us must focus on healing Gerimond. Will you go?" He looked at Eldahir intently.

   "Yes, I can go," Eldahir said. As much as he wanted to stay with his father, he knew that this was an important task. Plus, he had never been to Rivendell, and the thought of a new adventure filled him with excitement.

   He picked up what little gear he had been able to salvage (he had the knapsack he had brought with him on the skirmish, his weapons, and a medicine pouch he had grabbed from his burning house as they had retreated), and walked over to his father. He embraced him and set off into the forest, not looking back, only forward. He didn't know what lay before him, but if he did he probably would have turned back.

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The sun had long ago set in the west and Gerithor was getting tired. His head was pounding and his arm hung limply from his side. This couldn't get much worse, he thought to himself. Just then, as if on cue, Alif began to cry. Gerithor put a hand to his head, in even worse pain now from the crying, and took the backpack off. He pulled Alif out and gave the baby a reassuring smile, which caused him to stop crying. Then the young ranger began bouncing him up and down, which was a mistake because Alif began giggling loudly. At that exact moment a bloodcurdling howl pierced the forest.

   Gerithor's heart rose into his throat as he dropped to the ground and looked seriously at the giggling baby.

   "I really need to you do me a favor and not make a sound. Do you understand?" He whispered and tried to keep the fear from his face, putting a finger to his lips and winking. Alif seemed to understand and went silent. Gerithor grabbed his bow and went to reach for an arrow with his other arm. Searing pain coursed through it and he gasped. He wasn't able to move his left arm at all. He realized in fear that he wouldn't be able to defend himself or Alif very well in this condition, nor would he be able to fire a bow.

He picked Alif up with his good arm and ran forward, keeping low to the ground to avoid being seen. As he searched for a place to conceal himself, his eyes landed upon a depression over which a tree had fallen. It had fallen recently, for leaves still clung to its many branches. He decided to hide there, and slid down under the log just in time.

A huge warg suddenly appeared through the trees. It slowly stalked toward the log, sniffing the air. Gerithor hoped Alif wouldn't make any noise... If he did, they were doomed. He looked at the baby again, giving him a stern look. The baby immediately smiled knowingly and stayed silent.

   Alif knew this game. He and Gerithor had played it often, where Gerithor would tickle him and make "scary" faces if he didn't stay quiet. Gerithor used this to keep him quiet if the rest of the family was sleeping.

The warg came closer. It growled menacingly, stopping when it came within a few feet and looking back and forth with its glowing yellow eyes. It sniffed some more, then climbed on top of the log. It was right above them now, and a drop of the beast's saliva fell onto Gerithor's face. He tried not to recoil in disgust. The warg lowered its head, and was now close enough for Gerithor to feel its hot breath on his face. It smelled like rotten eggs. He tried to stay perfectly still, resisting the urge to scrunch his nose in disgust. Alif was looking at the beast in horror, about to cry. Gerithor thought quickly, and slowly reached for his dagger. He was shaking with fear, but he knew he had to do something. Suddenly, Alif began crying. The warg's large head snapped downward, evil yellow eyes landing on Alif.

Gerithor stabbed upward with all his might. The warg recoiled back as the dagger lodged into its neck. It fell backward and died without a sound. Gerithor quickly sat up and cradled Alif until he calmed down again, steadying his own breathing to stop his shaking.

   He looked around and decided as long as this was a lone warg and not a scout, this would be a good place to make camp. Even if it wasn't the best place, he was in too much pain to continue on.

   He set Alif gently down on the log and pulled out some food. He decided against building a campfire, it would only draw attention to them. With a sigh, he sat down and began gnawing distractedly on a piece of waybread. He had been too busy keeping Alif safe and looking for the trail to think much about his family until now. A tear rolled down his cheek as he thought about his mother. There was no chance she was alive... He had seen what happened.

   His thoughts turned to his father and realized that there was little chance he was alive either. Why did I have to be the one to survive? He thought bitterly, tears stinging his eyes. He wished he was dead. Then he remembered Alif. The baby lay on the log, sleeping peacefully. I still have something to live for. I have to protect him. He went over and picked him up. He rocked the baby in his arms until he began to drift off into a fitful, nightmare filled sleep...

Note: To those of you who didn't notice, I edited Chapter 3 and explained that baby Alif's father was a Bree-man, not a Ranger. This is for the sake of continuity, as well as it makes more sense. Also, please leave feedback! I'd love to know your opinions on the characters and the storyline so far!