A thing, not unlike a small shadowy cloud, passed down the road, travelling East. Of old he would have left a trail of fear and dread, but he had lost that power, along with so many others he once had in the Elder Days. The figure within the cloud stopped and looked back for a moment. The moon was still hidden behind clouds to the West that night, its light hidden. Good, he thought. He hated the Moon. And he feared the West.
He was journeying from the Blue Mountains to the Misty, to find a deeper place to hide. He had few friends now, and growing fewer, as the Elves and Rangers hunted the last of the Orcs from the Blue Mountains. If they had known there was one of the Valaraukar there they would not have ended their hunt.
Up ahead a light shone in the windows of the Inn, and a noise came from within of voices. He knew from whom those voices came. "Elves!" he thought, and for a moment a few flames rose from within the shadows. "But nevertheless the dawn is near. I must find a place to hide before the coming of the day."
[ March 23, 2003: Message edited by: Meoshi ]
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