[Child of the 7th Age]

It was still the bleak depths of night when Vrain turned away from Elentari and trudged slowly up the path that led towards the dragon's lair. Lenwe stood and watched him bravely advance towards the sheer rock cliffs, with his axe slung jauntily over his shoulder. The Dwarf looked as if he were going off on some small adventure or picnic, without the slightest care in the world showing in his face. Yet, Lenwe couldn't help but think how very small and helpless Vrain appeared when measured against the majestic slopes that loomed up on all sides of him.

With a tiredness that passed all believing, the Elf had laid down next to the back wall of the small cavern expecting to get some sleep. But, try as he might, sleep completely eluded him. Tossing and turning, unable to rest, Lenwe had finally admitted defeat, wrenched himself up from the ground, and went outside to pace back and forth under the cover of a small pine grove. Until Vrain returned, there seemed little prospect that he would be able to sleep.

It was then that he saw them, scurrying in and out of the cave singly and by twos, their bodies hidden by the deep shadows that ran along the base of the walls. Xandu's bells, what was this? Apparently, they were not the only ones who used the cave for rest and shelter.

A slight smiled played on Lenwe's face as he heard Nalin call out and quickly come sprinting out from the shelter, "Ack, this vile place is overun with rats! They are as large as dogs and stink to high heaven." Nalin had raised his axe and was bringing it down on top of the rat's head, leaving its bloodied body lying in the dirt.

If there were rats here in this small cavern, Glawr's lair must be overflowing with them. For they were too small a treat for the wyrm to savor, and the captives had no weapons of their own to kill them. The lair must indeed be a stinking place. That realization slowly sunk into Lenwe's brain. If they wanted to blend into their surroundings and have the dragon take no notice of them, they could do worse than to mask their own scent with that of the rats. Glawr would be less likely to attack them if he could not detect them with his keen sense of smell.

Calling on the other companions to assail the rat pack with stones and sticks, they quickly went to work slaying a great number of the vermin. Then they hardened themselves to skin and clean the bodies, tossing out the foul remains. Elentari looked over and met Lenwe's eyes, understanding exactly what he intended to do.

She shook her head in confirmation, "Yes, before we head to the cave, we will rub their small skins against our own bodies and clothing. Better that we should smell like rats and slip in unnoticed than be discovered by the beast before we get more than two steps inside his lair. Finishing their task, they piled up the rat skins at the very back of the cave and hid them under one of the blankets.

Still unable to will himself to sleep, Lenwe again marched outside preparing to pace back and forth. The sunrise was just breaking over the mountain. But this time, as he peered up the path jin the direction of the dragon's lair, he spied a tiny shadowed figure in the shape of a Dwarf who was quietly advancing towards their camp. His heart leapt up in joy for surely this was Vrain. He called out softly from the pine trees, "Vrain, is that you? Thank goodness you've returned. We've all been worrying what happened to you." With that, the Elf sprinted forward on the path to go and greet his friend.

[ July 09, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]

[ July 09, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]