Feral Heart (Thranduil)

Chapter Six

           

"Ugh! These stupid things are so impractical!" I snarled as the long skirt of the teal dress seemed to get caught on every single branch or thorny brush, I got close to. It swirled out around me with each step and tangled itself in everything.

Angrily, I wrenched the fabric away from the thorns threatening to drag me down before continuing, stomping on my way through the dark dense forest. The trees were so close together, I couldn't see the sky above and I wanted so desperately to sleep under the stars. Deciding it best to climb to the tops of the trees, I bid farewell to the wildlife I'd met along the way before scaling to the top of the forest. I could breathe easier the moment I broke through the tops of the trees. I cast my hands out above me as a gentle breeze whipped around me and smiled as I saw the stars in the sky above.

I began to relax a little as I spotted some stars I recognized, in the sky above. Even if I was half a world away from my kin, at least most of the stars were the same stars. As I breathed in the fresh chilly air and basked in the light of the stars and moon, I heard something large moving through the forest in the distance. Turning in the direction I'd heard the sound, I saw some of the tree tops shift as something massive lumbered in my direction.

Curiously, I peeked under the leaves in the direction I heard the sound. It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. In the distance I saw a large creature with a huge bulbous body and eight spindly legs. A giant spider. The largest spider I'd ever seen before now was about the size of my father's head and was incapable of communicating with anyone in the tribe. Would these spiders be able to understand me? Would they be willing to listen to me?

The trees around me called out to me in warning but there was one, closer to the giant spider that called for help. Agilely I flipped from my perch landing on a lower branch of another tree before leaping from branch to branch to get closer to the tree that had called for help. Cursing at the stupid dress as it threatened to fell me, I picked up the pace, running faster using the muscles in my legs to propel me further in an attempt to keep from getting tripped up by the stupid dress.

I slowed to a stop as I sensed something large overhead and flipped backward dropping to a lower branch to avoid the giant spider's body that dropped down from overhead. Gripping the thick trunk of the branch in my hand I swung myself around it and launched myself into the air landing swiftly in another tree and turned to the massive spider. It was huge!

I met its gaze and tried to penetrate its thoughts with my mind. The spider stood a little taller on its perch holding my gaze. Was it working? As I tried to communicate with it, I heard something move behind me. Chancing a glance over my shoulder I let out a yelp of surprise as a second massive spider, even larger than the first, appeared behind me and tried to pierce me with the poisonous barb on the back of its bulbous abdomen.

They'd set up a trap, luring me to them as if they knew I'd try to communicate with them. I flipped out of the way of the second spider taking to another tree. Two more spiders dropped from the forest above, trying to entangle me in their webs. They were beyond reason. They had no desire to communicate with me, they only wanted to poison the forest and kill and eat everything they could. Truly wicked creatures.

One of the webs caught the ridiculously long ineffective skirt, throwing me off course as I tried to flip out of the way. I tumbled toward a web and felt a momentary flash of panic overtake me. I was weaponless, and the trees in this area weren't responsive, the spiders' webs appeared to be poisoning the trees keeping them in a death like state. A low growl escaped me as I mentally cursed myself for running in blindly.

"I won't be easily beaten, scum!" I snarled as I grabbed hold of the thread of webbing that had stuck to the end of my skirt and used it to pull myself toward the spider who'd shot it at me. They swarmed me not seeming the least bit threatened by me as I was wearing a horribly inefficient garment, barefoot and weaponless. "Underestimating me will cost you!"